《Demon King of the Royal Class》


 Chapter 1

    <h4>Chapter 1</h4>


    There is a saying that if onemits a sin, they shall be punished and must face the consequences. But it is often ignored because people never see it happen.


    There¡¯s another saying that in the afterlife, you must consume all the leftover food from your time on Earth. Again, another hard-to-believe statement.


    This saying is one that I came up with based on personal experience, and it goes something along the lines of ¡°when confronted with a situation too bewildering, human thoughts turn simple.¡± It was the exact moment when this saying had crossed my mind that I found myself sitting in an unfamiliar office.


    Facing me was someone I had never seen before¡ªa grumpy woman wearing a business suit. She was demanding that I sign some documents whilst trying to exin it all to me usingplicated jargon. Herplicated exnation turned out to be quite straightforward. In simple terms: there was a ce called Hell, and I seemed to have died.


    Apparently, Hell <i>did</i> exist, and I was now on its doorstep. As I read the document in front of me, I quickly learned that the cause of my death was ¡°acute myocardial infarction due to hypertension, resulting in cardiac arrest.¡± And the reason for my hypertension was apparently ¡°reading hatements.¡±


    What? Seriously? I died because my blood pressure shot up from reading online hatements? I mean, I did remember my vision bing slightly blurry from all the malicious criticisms I was reading, but was that enough to give me a heart attack?


    ¡°Hurry up and sign,¡± the woman said as she tossed the piece of paper in front of me. On the paper was some text, and an empty space for my signature.


    ¡°... So, you¡¯re telling me I died from high blood pressure just because of some online hatements? Do people really die from something like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s some glorious reason why people die? I¡¯ve seen unlucky people slip on banana peels and pass away. Now, let¡¯s stop wasting time. Read the contract and make your decision already.¡±


    I really wished this was a dream, but here I was in Hell now. My punishment had been decided, and I was being told to sign a type of contract I had never even thought about in my life. Nheless, I carefully skimmed through the document like I would have done with any other contract, and a list of familiar words caught my attention.


    <i>City of the Dead</i>


    <i>Surviving in a Post-Apocalyptic World</i>


    <i>The Hunter Bes a Manager</i>


    <i>Redemption of a Degenerate</i>


    <i>The Game Became Reality, and I¡¯m the Janitor</i>


    <i>The Demon King is Dead</i>


    Before I entered the afterlife, I¡¯d worked as a novel writer, and these were all titles of the novels I¡¯d written when I was alive. My sins as a novelist were listed as "Habitual Discontinuation of Novels" and "Ridiculous Plot Twists." The more surprising fact was that the punishment for it was to enter one of my own novels.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I have to enter one of the novels I¡¯ve written?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and which novel and which character you be is random.¡±


    ''<i>Damn... I should have written more wholesome novels.</i>''


    ***


    The woman, who was either a grim reaper or some other kind of employee of the underworld, gave me a more detailed exnation of the situation before I could ask more questions. ording to her, everyone in the worldmits sins, except for a very rare few, and nobody goes straight to Heaven. Instead, everyone goes through a process of atonement for the sins they¡¯vemitted throughout their lives. and since the type of sin varies by person, the methods of atonement are also unique.


    Me? I was just a mediocre novelist who managed to make a decent living off web novels. As it turned out, my biggest sin was leaving countless unfinished stories behind and abandoning readers who were genuinely enjoying the stories l discontinued. Now that I thought about it, I <i>had</i> frequently gotten bored with one novel and would start working on a new one whenever I felt like it.


    ¡°Strictly speaking, the sins you¡¯vemitted are rtively minor. However, since you¡¯vemitted the same sin against many people, all of it has umted into one giant sin,¡± the woman exined.


    ¡°Oh... I see,¡± I muttered.


    Could sin be arithmetically calcted like that? What was this, some kind of mileage system? Listening to her made me feel ashamed of myself. I don¡¯t know why, but listening to a Grim Reaper criticizing you felt much more embarrassing than listening to a normal human doing it.


    I was so uneasy that I could feel my blood pressure rising. What would happen if I suffered another heart attack and died once more?


    Anyway, after reading the contract in more detail, I found out that my punishment was to enter one of my novels as a random character and survive until the end of that novel. Only then would I be granted ess to Heaven.


    ording to the grim reaper, many went straight to Hell without even getting the chance to atone for their sins, and so I was considered to be fortunate.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s your own novel, you should know the whole story and exactly when and how things will happen, right? So this isn¡¯t really a punishment, is it? It should be easy for you,¡± The grim reaper said in a low voice, without looking at me.


    ¡°No, um... Well, you see, it really depends on the novel....¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I... I¡¯ve only been writing stories where characters die miserably....¡±


    ¡°Is that so? In that case, think of it as a punishment for your indifference when ites to human lives, for killing them so miserably like that.¡±


    What a jerk. It wasn¡¯t as though I¡¯d killed them in real life! It was all just fiction! If I¡¯d known I was going to have to live in such a world, I would¡¯ve happily written about rainbows and unicorns in my novels. I mean, if I had <i>actually</i> written something like that, I guess my punishment would have also been different, but regardless, what novel writer on Earth would even think about this kind of situation in the first ce?


    Also, how was I supposed to survive in my own novel when all my ideas were fictional and came from my imagination? Would I get the physical abilities and powers of the characters as described in the novel? No. Just because I described a character throwing punches as fast as lightning didn¡¯t mean that I could.


    Moreover, I was known for being a major drama queen for writing many horrible scenarios in which people were isted and starved to death. Most of my stories had bad endings, so much so that my readers called me a ¡®madman allergic to happy endings.¡¯ It actually made more sense to say that my sin wasn¡¯t leaving novels unfinished, but rather, ending all of them in a way that left readers feeling terrible.


    So, what are these infamous novels I¡¯ve written, you ask? Let me break them down one by one.


    <i>City of the Dead</i>


    A zombie apocalypse story.


    I was positive that I would die on day one.


    <i>Surviving in a Post-Apocalyptic World</i>


    A post-apocalyptic story.


    Surviving in a perfectly fine world was difficult enough, but now I had to survive in a post-apocalyptic world? No way.


    <i>The Hunter Bes a Manager</i>


    A story about a hunter in the modern world.


    I would be fine in this one if I ended up bing the main character, but the chances of that happening among the hundreds of characters that showed up in the novel were too low. I¡¯d probably just end up as the unfortunate pedestrian in the background, crushed by a monster.


    <i>Redemption of a Degenerate</i>


    A story about a miserable person going to an alternate dimension, an isekai, to redeem himself.


    In this one, about half of the poption died near the end. I''m definitely going to be in that half. If I even made it that far, of course.


    <i>The Game Became Reality, and I¡¯m the Janitor</i>


    A story where a game and reality merged into one and the main character took the role of a janitor. It was based on the ssic plot where the janitor turned out to be the strongest character in their world. But all of that didn¡¯t matter because only one-tenth of the poption survived when the game and reality merged, so it was unlikely that I¡¯d be a part of that group. I was more likely to die as soon as I entered the world.


    <i>The Demon King is Dead</i>


    This one had the lowest rating across all my novels, but in my opinion, it¡¯s the best one. The backdrop of this story was a long war between humans and demons. The demons had their own kingdom, and the story takes ce soon after the humans fight and kill the Demon King. The story focuses on the life of humans after their victory over the demons, hence the title, <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i>. A wholesome story, and one of the few novels where I intentionally did not introduce any global catastrophes throughout the plot. I wrote this novel to prove the critics who used me of only writing tragic endings wrong. Although the story doesn¡¯t actually <i>end</i> on a good note, it still starts out peacefully.


    <i>¡®I need to get this one, please!¡¯</i> I thought as I waited for the results.


    And to my surprise, I got what I wished for.


    Well, sort of.


    Through the random draw, I became the Demon King¡¯s son, from <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i>.


    ***


    Being ced inside of <i>The Demon King is Dead</i> was in my favor, but spawning as the Demon King¡¯s son wasn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t write this character at all, so I had no knowledge of what he was like. The grim reaper did say it would be random, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d throw me into a character that I didn¡¯t even know existed. But from my knowledge of the novel, I could easily tell that it wasn¡¯t good to be this character.


    The humans had just killed the Demon King, and they were probablying after his son next. Thus, he was bound to be in great danger and under threat. The ideal situation would have been to be the Demon King himself, because even though plot-wise he died soon after the story began, he was still stupidly strong, and I would¡¯ve been able to fight my way to victory over the humans and try to break the plot.


    It¡¯s said that unlucky people would break their noses even from falling backward. I¡¯m certain that this saying was meant for me, because not only did I die from hypertension after reading somements, but right after being granted the most stable novel I had, I was immediately set up to die again!


    It would have been nice if I was the Demon King, but instead, I became a seventeen-year-old Demon Prince.


    [Name: Baalier Junior]


    [Age: 17]


    [Current Stats:


    [Strength 3.4 (F)]


    [Agility 4.3 (F+)]


    [Dexterity 5.2 (D-)]


    [Mana 9.9 (C-)]


    [Stamina 5.7 (D-)]


    [Race: Archdemon]


    [Talents: None]


    [Skills: Control Demon (D) (Unique ability of Archdemons)]


    [Overall rating: Low-level Demon King]


    [Combat Ability: F]


    A hologram appeared in front of me, disying an overview of who I was as well as my basic attributes and skills. Interestingly, I didn¡¯t recall writing such a function in my novel. Was this a little feature the grim reaper added to help me out a bit?


    So, you could say I found myself in quite a clich¨¦ situation¡ªa novelist entering their own story, blended with a ssic RPG game system. I¡¯d read tons of novels from these genres, so I was familiar with the setting, but experiencing it in reality was an entirely different thing altogether.


    My pathetic stats did not help either. The Demon King and his descendants, all of whom were of the Archdemon race, were supposed to be overpowered, but I guess there were exceptions. Icked anybat ability, and the supposed power to dominate demons, Control Demon, seemed utterly useless, considering all the demons around me were already deceased. The situation couldn¡¯t get any worse.


    [Prologue Event: The Downfall Details: The Demon King¡¯s forces have been defeated, and you are too weak to help. Survive the downfall. Objective: Escape the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Reward: 100 Achievement Points]


    I look around to see myself amid the destruction of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. In this chaotic situation, the mysterious hologram in front of me was the least of my concerns. I could only think of one word: <i>run</i>. There was no point in trying to stop the war orin about my situation.


    <i>Bam! Crash!</i>


    It seemed like a fierce battle was already underway inside the Demon King¡¯s fortress. I could hear the thunderous sh of weapons and the shouts of warriors echoing through the air, making the ferocity of the battle feel all too real.


    It wasn¡¯t just the interior either; the cacophony of the siege seemed to envelop the entire area. Shouts, screams, and the cries of monstrous creatures filled the atmosphere. The corridors were heaped with dead demons, a sight I could hardly fathom.


    I felt myself about to faint when, surprisingly, the thought of imminent death spurred me into action and the fear of death kept propelling me forward.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this madness!¡±


    Normally, being a Prince would be a good thing. But in this specific situation, it was quite frankly the worst role to be in.


    ¡°Please, let me switch to something like ¡®Human Soldier 1¡¯! I beg you, <i>please</i>!¡±

 Chapter 2

    <h4>Chapter 2</h4>


    In the wholesome novel I had written, I was now stuck in a not-so-wholesome situation, experiencing one of the most intense events in the entire novel firsthand as the victim.


    There were inscriptions at the entrances to the many rooms of the Demon King¡¯s fortress. The script was cryptic, clearly not something I could have known, yet strangely, I was able to read it. It was the stereotypical plot armor where the protagonist could suddenly read anything they set their eyes on. Experiencing this myself felt ridiculous; being able to read something written in anguage one has never seen before is a very perplexing sensation.


    I wandered around numerous rooms, including the grand dining hall, the kitchen, the armory, the magical supplies inventory, the alchemicalboratory, the prison cells, and even the stable, but there was no sign of secret passages or escape routes anywhere within all these rooms. I guess it couldn¡¯t really be called a secret passage if it was that easy to find, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether this ce even had emergency exits.


    Being able to read all the signs was indeed fascinating, but it was entirely useless in my current situation.


    The Demon King¡¯s fortress only appeared in the prologue of the novel and was never mentioned again after, so not only had I forgotten the way around this ce, I¡¯d forgotten this ce even existed!


    In other isekai stories I¡¯d read, when the authors found themselves trapped inside the novel, they were able to swiftly locate where everything was and knew all the locations like the back of their hands. In reality, though, that was truly nothing but nonsense. Even though I was the one who wrote about this ce, I didn¡¯t have a clue where I was!


    I hadn¡¯t even considered this location before. As a matter of fact, there was no reason for me to care about a ce that wasn¡¯t even the main setting. Even assuming I <i>had</i> written this location in detail, it was so irrelevant to the main story that I would have instantly forgotten about it regardless!


    The only possession I had was a set of borate clothing befitting a Demon Prince. I didn¡¯t even have any special magical items or artifacts on me.


    In most cases like this, there ought to be a secret passage somewhere within the royal residences, but I had no idea how to get to my own room because I¡¯d randomly spawned in the corridor.


    I also hadn¡¯t seen a single guard around whom I could ask for help, but considering the urgency of the situation, it was understandable that they couldn¡¯t attend to the Prince.


    I searched my pockets to see if I had anything useful on me, but all I found were some biscuits, which served nothing but to make me even more angry.


    The portrayal of me being nothing more than a juvenile Demon Prince was so literal that it was tear-jerking.


    <i>Crash! Bang!</i>


    Despite holding the title of a Demon Prince, I found myself hopelessly lost amidst thebyrinthine, unbelievably massive Demon King''s castle.


    I had to think. Though I had no idea what to think about, it was the only thing I could do. There was simply no way to decipher theyout of the Demon King''s castle, and furthermore, I couldn¡¯t spot any loyal subordinate who would guide me or help me with directions.


    Don¡¯t they usually have some NPC exin everything in situations like this? The NPC who needlessly goes out of their way to make sure they deliver all the essential information. ¡°Oh, this is where you should go first, and in this situation, you should do this and that.¡± The NPC who offers unconditional help in the beginning and then soon dies, or remains as the ¡°wise, reliable NPC¡± throughout the story.


    Why wasn¡¯t there one for me?!


    Was I supposed to handle everything on my own with no help just because I was the author of this story?


    The Demon King was going to die in today¡¯s battle.


    I¡¯m not sure if there was a genre like this, but my original intention was to write this novel from a post-ending perspective. A story that took ce after the conclusion, in a world of happiness. It was to be about what happened after defeating the superviin Demon King, where everyone lived happily ever after. This story revolved around the ¡°everyone lived happily ever after¡± part.


    The story of the life after the war that was happening right now, where the heroes would soon defeat the Demon King, was where <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i> picked up. The hero party, who were the main characters of the story, all died here. They be remembered as humanity¡¯s legendary heroes and only appear in the prologue, with no further appearance afterward.


    I needed to think. I needed to find a way to survive. ording to the setting, the death of my father, the Demon King, had nothing to do with me. If only it had been a day earlier, then I might have been able to do something to save him, but the situation had already unfolded and was out of my handspletely.


    I needed someone. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a servant or someone from the castle who recognized me, as long as they were able to guide me out of this ce. But there was no sign of anyone. I was on my own.


    It was likely that they were all either lying dead or fighting the human forces surrounding the fortress. And the group of heroes who had infiltrated the underground passage was probably battling their way straight into the Demon King¡¯s inner sanctum.


    I could probably use that underground passage to make my escape, but I had no idea where it was. It was ironic that the Demon Prince knew less about the castle than the heroes did, and the unfortunate matter was that I was that Demon Prince.


    <i>BOOOM!</i>


    The sounds alone were terrifying enough to indicate something drastic was happening.


    When the Demon King died, the castle would be captured. The magical barrier held up by the Demon King¡¯s magic spell would dissipate, which would allow the human soldiers to flood in like a torrent. I hadn¡¯t looked in a mirror yet, but I could feel a subtle pair of horns on my head. I didn¡¯t know how different I was from an ordinary human, but just these horns alone would reveal the fact that I was a demon.


    How in the world was I supposed to survive in this situation? My knowledge of the future didn¡¯t help right now! Even if I knew a car crash was going to happen, what use would it be if I spawned inside the car at the moment of the car crash? That was exactly how I felt.


    The title of Demon Prince and the advantages I had would only be useful once I survived and escaped. It hadn¡¯t even been more than a few hours since I¡¯d died in the real world, and I was once again on the verge of death.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    The endless running around the unfamiliar Demon King''s castle had pushed my stamina to its limit. Maybe being of demon lineage didn¡¯te with boundless stamina. Or perhaps it was because I was still young? No¡ªthis body was just pathetically weak.


    <i>¡®How does your stamina give out so quickly when you¡¯re only seventeen years old? Seventeen should¡¯ve been your prime!¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of talent my blood granted me, but for the time being, it was clear that it was useless. After running for a while, I finally saw my reflection in the ss window along the castle¡¯s wall.


    I only took a brief nce, but besides the fact that I had horns on my head, I didn¡¯t look much different from a human. In fact, there was something even more eye-catching to me than the pair of horns.


    <i>I had plenty of hair</i>.


    ¡°Oh... w-...wow!¡±


    ¡°Lush¡±<i> </i>was the word that came to my mind when I saw the thick hair of a teenager growing on my head. I must have been crazy, since I managed to find a hint of joy and satisfaction even in such a miserable situation.


    No, this wasn¡¯t the time. Not at all. Even though it was lush and abundant, if I died, it would only rot away! I suppressed my intermingled emotions of fear and joy and continued onward.


    <i>¡®If I manage to survive here, I¡¯ll treat you with care, my sweet, abundant locks of hair. I¡¯ve missed you more than my ex-girlfriend.¡¯</i>


    Anyway, I had to stay calm.


    First, the horns.


    The horns attached to my head were a problem. If the human army came across me, I¡¯d be lucky if they just cut my throat without doing something even more horrifying to me.


    If only I knew some magic, I might have had a chance to do something with it.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    On a sudden whim, I stopped in my tracks.


    ¡°There!¡± I shouted.


    I started running back in the direction I hade from. The solution was actually surprisingly simple.


    I did not know theyout of the Demon King''s castle, but I¡¯d passed by several rooms during my flight. I didn¡¯t know where I should go and what to do there, but there was surely something that could help me somewhere inside any of those ces I had passed.


    <i>Ssss...</i>


    The vibrations surrounding the castle began to settle down. It seemed like the fighting had stopped. Once the Demon King died, it was only a matter of time before the castle fell.


    There was no time to waste.


    ***


    ¡°Hurry... Hurry...¡±


    The first ce I arrived at was the magical supplies inventory. I had no idea what was inside, but there had to be at least one thing I could use. Countless magical items were scattered about, but I wasn¡¯t looking for anything of that kind.


    I entered the area with shelves stacked with scrolls. Some scrolls were missing, but fortunately, they were neatly organized, and each scroll had descriptions indicating the spells contained within.


    The top priority was, without a doubt, to find a teleportation scroll. I had no idea what my next step would be, but that was a problem to think about after I got out of there.


    [Inferno]


    [cial Strike]


    [Blizzard]


    [ze Storm]


    .


    .


    .


    There was a scroll cab that undoubtedly looked like it contained powerful magic, but it was empty. Shamefully, I was the author who¡¯d written this novel and yet I knew almost nothing about the current situation. Fortunately, at least, I knew the general lore of this universe.


    Scrolls that could easily manifest spells were inherently incredibly expensive and difficult to make. Scrolls containing such powerful offensive magic would be considered strategic weapons in modern terms, and could be used even by those who had no knowledge of magic, as all they had to do was unroll them.


    Hence, these were highly valuable items. However, the scroll cab filled with powerful offensive magic waspletely empty. A full-scale battle was underway, so it made sense that the defenders had taken everything that could be of help.


    Damn it, what if the teleportation scroll had been taken too? I didn¡¯t know how they were trying to use it in the battle, but there was a high chance that it had been taken regardless.


    I rummaged through the massive scroll storage room, passing by numerous scrolls. Time was running short. I had to hurry. Most of the offensive scrolls had been deployed, but there were still plenty of scrolls in the storage room. There were so many small and unrecognizable scrolls that I couldn¡¯t even tell what kind of magic they contained.


    Charm, enchantment, illusion, and various auxiliary scrolls filled their cabs to the point where they were spilling onto the floor.


    Clearly, teleportation was considered a top-tier magic scroll in this world. It might have been difficult to find any remaining, but this was the Demon King''s castle, so I had hopes of finding one somewhere. Besides, I had also just found the high-level scrolls cab in the corner. There undoubtedly had to be a teleportation scroll!


    ¡°I found it!¡±


    Amidst the piles of countless scrolls, I finally found it.


    [Teleport]


    I had no idea where to teleport to, but I could worry about that after casting the spell. Anywhere would do as long as it wasn¡¯t this ce. I wouldn¡¯t even mind ending up amidst human civilians, just anywhere else but this castle. Death was approaching slowly but surely, so I needed to act quickly.


    I unfurled the scroll and attempted to use it. However, nothing happened.


    [Teleportation is not possible from your current location.]


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The barrier around the castle was preventing both teleporting into this space and teleporting out of it. Did the barrier still exist and manage to scatter the coordinates of this space even after the Demon King¡¯s death? It made sense that the barrier blocked any teleportation; otherwise, the hero party would have entered via teleportation rather than a secret passage. The brainless plot I had written turned out to have some logic behind it.


    In the original novel, I wrote that the hero¡¯s party entered the Demon King''s castle through secret passages and not teleportation. Instinctively, one would think ¡°Why did they use secret passages instead of teleporting?¡± and criticize me for nonsense regarding the plot hole. But this world had naturally added the reasoning of the barrier not allowing teleportation to cover up the plot hole I had written.


    Damn, if someone had defended me with such reasoning when I was alive, all my problems would have gone away and I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this miserable situation.


    I didn¡¯t know if this ce had a warp gate system that let people in and out, but scroll teleportation wasn¡¯t it. And even if there were warp gates, I didn¡¯t know their locations.


    ¡°Waaaaah!¡±


    A distant scream echoed through the air. The human army was surely taking advantage of the copsing morale of the demon army and running over them like fallen leaves.


    Did I have to die like this?


    I could at least do something with offensive scrolls, but the only scrolls that were scattered about here were auxiliary spells with nobat relevance. Despite being the Demon Prince, I was inexplicably ipetent, with no significant powers. The luxurious attire I wore only served to announce my status as a major figure in the castle and didn¡¯t grant me any real abilities.


    Wait a moment.


    Fancy attire, the appearance of a demon, and magic scrolls scattered around.


    There might still be a straw to grasp at.


    ***


    An idea came to me. I didn¡¯t know if this would work, but at this point, it was the only option left. There was probably some other method out there that was better, but at this point, I had no choice but to take a risk to survive. In a situation where I was surrounded by enemies and didn¡¯t know the location of the secret passages, my sole purpose was to stay alive.


    I had arrived at the location.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    [Prison Cell]


    As I descended into a ce shrouded in darkness with a nauseating smell, I stripped off all my clothes, leaving mepletely naked.


    It would have been nice to have a few extra scrolls as a backup, but my n required me to discard everything I had. Because my n was to be someone who didn¡¯t have anything. In fact, having anything was bound to be considered suspicious. I unfurled a scroll and cast the spell. It was a low-level one, but it didn¡¯t matter as it was precisely what I needed, and was more valuable than any top-tier spell at the moment.


    [Casting Magic: Camouge]


    Disguise was my n. To disguise myself as a human prisoner who had been held captive in the Demon King''s castle.

 Chapter 3 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 3 [Illustration]</h4>


    The massive facility I had entered was a dungeon. The foul odor that wafted through the ce and the horrifying sight in front of my eyes left me speechless. The corpses I had seen in the corridors were mainly those of demons in by the infiltrating human soldiers, but the ones here... They were all human corpses.


    ¡°<i>rgh...</i>¡± I gagged.


    There were no guards around as they had probably gone to participate in the battle, but it seemed as though they had killed all the prisoners right before they left. I was about to vomit but managed to hold it in.


    Most of them had been so brutally torn apart that it was impossible to tell what had caused this gruesome massacre.


    I had no time to hesitate like this, but my hands and feet trembled uncontrobly. Writing about a scene and witnessing it firsthand were worlds apart. Just looking at the mangled, unrecognizable corpses was torture in itself. The smell of blood mixed with feces filled the space.


    Some of the prisoners¡¯ bodiesy right outside their open cell doors, as though they¡¯d tried to escape. It was a gruesome sight, to say the least, and I was disgusted beyond words. But this was part of my n and what I had been searching for.


    ¡°This is insane... absolutely insane...¡±


    Were the sins of my past life so great that I had to survive under these circumstances? To the point of stripping the clothing off unidentifiable corpses just to blend in?


    The reason I¡¯d discarded my splendid clothing was to rece it with the patchy clothing left behind by the human prisoners. It was the best n I could think of, but it did require me to strip off pieces of clothing from what remained of the lifeless flesh, barely distinguishable from rag dolls. Holding onto any pride in this situation was pointless. I stripped off my underwear, put on the rags, and rolled around on the filthy floor.


    Intentionally spreading someone else¡¯s blood across my face felt disgusting and frightening.


    I could not see my reflection, but I surely looked wretched. I finally sumbed to despair and bent at the waist to throw up.


    ¡°<i>rghhhh</i>!¡±


    I retched but nothing came out. Echoing from outside was the distant roar of soldiers.


    My n wasplete and I was ready.


    Whether I locked myself in a cell or pretended to be a prisoner who tried to escape, it was time to act. From now on, all I could do was to pray that my camouge spell would go unnoticed.


    But as a demon, who exactly was I supposed to pray to?


    Damn it.


    In the midst of this wretchedness, I roamed the prison cells. Not a single person was alive, even in the overcrowded cells where people were crammed together. Did they really have to kill every single one of them?


    Was this what demons truly were?


    And then...


    <i>Sob, sniffle...</i>


    Somewhere in the distance, the sound of weeping reached my ears. Atst! There<i> was</i> a survivor. I couldn¡¯t determine who exactly it was, but someone was alive down here. Instinctively, I moved toward the sound. Fear surged within me, but I couldn¡¯t resist; I had to walk toward the sound. It was as if my body acted before my thoughts.


    The urge to help whoever was alive in this horrifying ce took precedence over logic ormon sense. That brought with it a simultaneous feeling of relief, confirming that I was still a decent human being.


    ¡°Who... who¡¯s there?¡± I asked uneasily.


    <i>Sob... sniffle... hghh...</i>


    It was a faint and feeble cry, like that of a small animal. I passed by several cells, each with its own horrifying scene, as I headed toward the source of the crying.


    <i>Sob... Uhh... Woo...</i>


    Finally, I found a little girl who looked like a human. She was clutching something and her voice cracked as she cried.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to put together what had happened, as corpses and body parts were also scattered about. I didn¡¯t want to specte on the gruesome details, but from the evidence, there must have been around ten victims, excluding the weeping girl. She seemed unaware of my presence, her arms wrapped around an unrecognizable corpse as she sobbed.


    I couldn¡¯t determine the cause of death of the person she was holding and had no idea how the girl herself had managed to survive. However, one thing was clear: the lifeless body she clung to was someone dear to her.


    ¡°Hey, snap out of it...¡± I said to her.


    ¡°...<i>Ugh, sniff!</i> <i>Hick</i>!¡± she wailed.


    It was only after I rattled the cell bars that the girl finally raised her head and looked at me. Despite being covered in blood, I could see her blonde hair and golden eyes. She appeared to be around sixteen years old and was extremely skinny. Startled by my presence, she instinctively stepped back.


    ¡°<i>Sob... Hick</i>... don... don¡¯te close to me...¡±


    The girl seemed to have lost herposure, muttering incoherently. I quickly reassured her, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright! I was locked up here just like you.¡±


    Tears filled the girl¡¯s eyes, and she appeared to be overwhelmed by fear and sadness. She stared at me, processing some kind of thought after seeing another fellow survivor in a simrly grotesque outfit to hers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll get you out. Let¡¯s both get out of here!¡±


    She examined my eyes, arms, and legs and probably concluded that I was just as terrified of all this as she was. After a moment, she slowly nodded, as if she had decided to trust me. She was still trembling, but it was as if she had no choice but to trust anyone she encountered.


    I wondered if this simple act of trust was her way of acknowledging that we were in the same situation. My fear was not an act, as it stemmed from the fact that my thoughts and feelings were still just as human as hers.


    ¡°Uhh, do you happen to know where the keys are? I¡¯ll get them.¡±


    ¡°Um, probably... over there,¡± she replied hesitantly, pointing.


    My will to help the girl came from my natural altruistic drive to help others in need, but also from the selfish desire for her to be my witness and defend me for saving her, which would increase my chances of survivalter.


    ***


    I grabbed a bundle of keys from what looked like the office at the end of the prison block. While I restlessly tried each key one by one, the girl continued to cry; it was as if she had lost all hope.


    ¡°Can you hear the sounds outside?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes...¡± she replied with a sniffle.


    The shouts of humans could be heard from outside, and although I couldn¡¯t provide her with specific details, I wanted to assure her that things were going to be okay.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    In fact, there was no way we wouldn¡¯t be okay because, after all, the humans were destined to win this battle. The humans were soon going to im their victory over the demons. The girl responded with teary nods as if overwhelmed with emotions.


    Finding the right key to her cell took so long that I started to question whether opening this door was worth it. Nevertheless, I still wanted to rescue the girl from the horrific ce she was in.


    ¡°Going outside might be dangerous right now, but... let¡¯s still get this cell unlocked, even if we don¡¯t go out,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Yeah... okay,¡± the girl¡¯s voice trembled heavily.


    Ironically, meeting a fellow human who was also alive seemed to make it harder for her to control her emotions instead of calming her down.


    Although I was just as scared as her, I was the more mature person, at least in the real world, so I needed to hold myself together.


    ¡°Calm down... we can survive. We¡¯ll make it.¡±


    That was a message of assurance not only to her but also to myself. We had to escape this wretched ce and survive.


    I constantly whispered to myself, as if hypnotizing myself to stay calm, to reassure us that we could make it. A quick nce was enough to tell that the girl was in a dire state. I had no idea how long it had been since she had been captured, so who knew when herst meal had been?


    Oh, right.


    ¡°Wait, just a moment. I¡¯ll be back!¡± I told her.


    ¡°Huh? What? Where are you going?¡±


    I dropped the keys and quickly dashed over to where my clothes were. The girl seemed to keep calling for me, but I was searching for something specific among my discarded clothes.


    I returned, holding onto something I had retrieved.


    ¡°This was over there, where I found the keys earlier,¡± I said as I handed her a biscuit.


    That was not exactly true¡ªit was the biscuit that had been left in my pocket, the one that had made me furious when I¡¯d discovered it was the only thing in my pocket. I realized that I had discarded it along with my clothes earlier and thought it would be a good idea to give it to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably hungry. Here, have this.¡±


    Her eyes widened when she saw the palm-sized biscuit that had suddenly appeared in front of her. Surely she felt miserable and depressed, but she was probably also suffering from a hellish hunger as well.


    ¡°You... how about you... you don¡¯t need this?¡± she said as she stared nkly at the biscuit in her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You eat first.¡±


    I started trying out the keys again, and she continued to stare at the biscuit in her hand, unsure if it was safe to eat.


    <i>Snap!</i>


    A few momentster, while I was still busy with the keys, something was suddenly pushed into my mouth.


    ¡°You, you... you should eat too,¡± she said as she offered me half of the biscuit, holding back her tears.


    It had to have taken tremendous determination for her to share the biscuit when she was surely incredibly hungry.


    I felt an unknown rush of emotion. I muttered to myself, frustrated by this whole situation. What horrible sin had she or Imitted to end up in such a situation like this? Hadn¡¯t I already been punished enough by dying from something as trivial as hatements? It felt unfair, and my eyes welled up from the bitterness.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I responded.


    As the girl nibbled on the biscuit, tears streamed down her face. It was hard to tell whether she was crying because the biscuit tasted good or because she was so sick and tired of her helpless situation. The taste of food after enduring such extreme hunger had to be beyond imagination. Although I couldn¡¯t fullyprehend it, I had a sense of why she was crying.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Before I could even take a bite of the biscuit, the iron cell door swung open.


    ***


    The cell door was open, but the girl didn¡¯t seem to want to leave. Perhaps she couldn¡¯t bear to leave the corpse she had been holding onto. I initially intended to free her, but I knew that venturing outside would still be dangerous for both of us. I also knew that my best bet to survive would be to stay with her, and so, ironically, I unlocked the cell door just for me to get into the cell as well.


    ¡°Do you think... we¡¯ll be able to kill the Demon King?¡± she desperately asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®Well, he¡¯s probably dead by now,¡¯</i> I thought to myself.


    I felt no attachment to my ¡°biological father¡±, as I didn¡¯t even know what he looked like. The girl trembled, burying her head in her knees.


    ¡°Artorius said he woulde to rescue us...¡± she muttered.


    Unfortunately, Artorius was going to perish in the war along with the Demon King. He wouldn¡¯t be able toe to save us, but someone else would.


    ¡°Yes, someone wille to rescue us,¡± I responded.


    I wasn¡¯t just giving her false hope. I knew it was going to happen. What mattered most to me was not the Demon King, but whether the human army woulde and rescue me in time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear any sounds from outside now,¡± the girl said, her trembling intensifying.


    It was true. The once-deafening cries that filled the castle had suddenly ceased. The girl was growing increasingly fearful, afraid that it was the humans who had suffered defeat and not the demons.


    I reached out and gently ced my hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The girl seemed surprised that I was saying this.


    ¡°You... seem very calm,¡± she added.


    Her words made me feel a slightly uneasy twinge of guilt.


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m, I¡¯m actually really really scared too,¡± I quickly replied.


    I might have exaggerated a bit just because I was trying to sympathize with her, but I was genuinely terrified as well. In fact, she was probably going to be perfectly fine, as she was on the human side, I, on the other hand, might die in an instant!


    Fortunately, it seemed like the girl wasn¡¯t suspicious of my oddly calm demeanor.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she asked.


    My name in this world was Baalier Junior. Since the Demon King, Baalier, had died, my name had technically be Baalier. However, I would be crazy if I told her that. It would be like advertising myself for execution. As a matter of fact, anyone in this world bearing the name of the Demon King would probably be immediately executed.


    Eventually, I gave her the best answer I could think of.


    ¡°Well, actually... I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t really know. I can¡¯t remember anything. Who I am, why I¡¯m here... none of it.¡±


    It was the most convenient answer to get around this.


    Amnesia.


    I came up with a scenario where I¡¯d lost all my memory due to merciless torture from the demons.


    I couldn¡¯t believe I had toe up with such a ridiculous scenario.


    ¡°Wow... I feel so sorry for you...!¡±


    The girl lunged and wrapped her arms around me as if she felt extreme pity for me.


    Wow. I didn¡¯t think she would believe me that easily. It made me feel guilty about what I had just said.


    I could feel the small amount of force she was trying to exert with her tiny, frail arms.


    ¡°If we can get out of here... Once we get out... I promise I¡¯ll help you find your memories ... I promise.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? How are you going to do that?¡¯</i>


    <i>Thump, thump!</i>


    Before I could finish my thought, I heard the distant sound of someone running. It echoed loudly, and as it came closer and closer, I realized that it wasn¡¯t just a single person, but a group of people.


    ¡°Sir! This seems like the prisoner¡¯s cells!¡±


    ¡°Sir! They seem to be all dead!¡±


    The voices definitely belonged to humans.


    A group of people who appeared to be either knights or soldiers rushed toward our cell, and I made eye contact with one of them.


    ¡°Survivors! We have survivors!¡± The exmation of the person who discovered us echoed through the prison cells.


    Tears welled up in the girl¡¯s eyes. My heart pounded madly and I felt a mixture of fear, excitement, and relief.


    Then a middle-aged knight arrived, and when he saw the girl, his face contorted in shock.


    ¡°Oh, oh... Princess... Your Highness!¡±


    ''<i>Wait... What did he just say?</i>''

 Chapter 4

    <h4>Chapter 4</h4>


    The girl that I¡¯d been talking to the whole time turned out to be none other than Princess Charlotte de Gradias. She was the First Princess of the Gradias Empire, thergest nation in the world.


    Let¡¯s consider this scenario as if it were real. Let¡¯s say that I was <i>actually</i> a prisoner trapped in the Demon King¡¯s castle, suffering from amnesia. I then tried my best to rescue and console a girl I believed was just a stranger crying and starving. However, it turned out that she was, in fact, the imperial princess held hostage by the Demon King¡¯s army. Okay, let¡¯s assume that we were rescued together, and as her way of repaying my efforts to save her, she treats me with great extravagance in her empire.


    Normally, one would describe such a situation as ¡°incredibly lucky,¡± as people could only dream of being treated like that even once in their lives. However, I was merely disguising myself to appear as a human; in reality, I was just a powerless teenage demon hiding underneath a low-level Camouge spell.


    Yes, I guess you could say that I was... screwed.


    Much like a cow being taken to a ughterhouse, I was led out of the Demon King¡¯s castle and arrived at the barracks of the human army, which was also where themander-in-chief was. The Princess received care from numerous mages and priests, and the same treatment was administered to me.


    Fortunately, I seemed to be fine receiving magic from the priests, and the curative spells the clerics cast on me didn¡¯t have any adverse effects either. Thank goodness demons weren¡¯t allergic to ¡°holy¡± magic.


    Of course, I already knew that there was no such thing as magicpatibility issues between demons and humans. If there had been something like that, I wouldn¡¯t even have dared to be rescued by humans.


    Not long after I had be a dirty mess, I was being crowded by many people who were cleaning and washing me up. The act of being cleaned by strangers was extremely embarrassing, but the fear of being instantly killed if I made one wrong move overwhelmed any other emotion.


    If the mages had used any kind of dispelling magic on me, that might have undone the Camouge spell, and that would have been the end of me. Fortunately, a significant number of troops were involved in searching the Demon King¡¯s castle, and the majority of the mages appeared to be overwhelmed with taking care of the Princess alone.


    However, the real issue was that Princess Charlotte either had a naturally kind heart, or she had simply fallen in love with me.


    ¡°Please, attend to him before me; he saved my life,¡± Charlotte said.


    The problem was that she cared about me <i>too</i> much. Even though her condition was much worse, she kept instructing people to look after me first.


    I bowed to the girl who had been mypanion just moments ago as I responded, ¡°Oh, no. No, Your Highness, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m feeling very healthy.¡±


    It was true, I genuinely did not have <i>any</i> injuries; all I had done was roll around on the ground a couple of times.


    ¡°No. You mentioned that you lost your memory. You must have suffered a severe curse or something,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Oh, no! No, I¡¯m fine! My memories... y-yeah... it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not a big deal!¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate,¡± she said pitifully.


    <i>¡®Okay, I understand that you are a good person and you want to help me, but can¡¯t you just leave me alone now?¡¯</i> The single biscuit I had given her was reaping a ten-fold reward.


    I convinced the nursing staff that there was nothing physically wrong with me, and all I wanted to do was to rest somewhere else. They listened to my plea and permitted me to lie down in one of the private rooms next to the barracks.


    The situation had gotten a bit better, but not by that much; my life had been spared for just a little longer. It was as if I had escaped from a copsing cave and had entered the tiger¡¯s den instead.


    [Event Completed ¨C The Downfall]


    [You have received 100 Achievement Points.]


    I had somehow managed to clear the first quest.


    ***


    The princess¡¯s attention to me was persistent. After some essential emergency treatments werepleted, she summoned me back to the barracks, where a massive feast was prepared.


    ¡°You probably haven¡¯t eaten in a long time. Eat as much as you want,¡± she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.


    ¡°Oh? Y-yeah, okay,¡± I replied.


    However, I felt ufortable to start eating anything, as there were too many eyes on me at that moment. The princess stared at me intently for a moment and seemed to understand my struggle.


    She apparently got the impression that I was someone who could not eat while others were watching.


    The princess quickly nced at the surrounding guards, mages, and clerics.


    ¡°Everyone, wait outside,¡± she said.


    ¡°But, Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°Are you going to say that this ce isn¡¯t safe? Even though the Demon King has died?¡± the princess said softly.


    All of them left the barracks at the princess¡¯s gentle order, leaving just the princess and me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± she eximed.


    ¡°Oh, huh? Oh, yes, yes, sure,¡± I said.


    The princess picked up a roasted turkey leg with her bare hands, tore it apart, and began to gnaw on it.


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe she had dismissed everyone not for my sake, but because she didn¡¯t want anyone to watch <i>her </i>eat.


    ¡°Oh, um... you should slow down. You might get a stomach ache if you eat so fast like that,¡± I suggested.


    Certainly, if a person ate that much, that fast, after being starved for a couple of days, they would have some kind of issue with their stomachter on. Or maybe she was eating like that because she had a reliable cleric outside who could save her from any illness with their magic?


    ¡°You should hurry up and eat too.¡±


    Well, she was <i>definitely</i> not listening to me.


    ***


    Given the substantial mealid out before us, I had enough time to organize my thoughts while the princess was munching away.


    The prologue not only mentioned the Demon King Baalier''s death but a previous event as well, one that continued into the prologue¡ªthe Great War. It was an all-out war for territory between the Demon Realm and humans.


    This made sense because this was what triggered the hellish fight between the human army and the demon army in the first ce.


    The exact reasons for the war weren¡¯t set, but the mission was clear¡ªto conquer the Demon Realm. To counter this, King Baalier prepared andunched a vicious attack on the human alliance to force a surrender.


    Baalier sent out his spies throughout the human forces and used them to kidnap key figures of the human alliance such as politicians, kings, warriors, magicians, and even families in an attempt to hinder their participation in the war. The most crucial hostages in this operation were the First Princess of the Gradias Empire and her mother.


    Baalier seeded in kidnapping the empress and the princess. However, if the emperor were to withdraw from the war, the vassal states would inevitably follow and surrender as well. Knowing that giving up on the Great War would be a significant mistake and stir up discontent amongst the popce, he had no choice but to participate in the all-out war against the Demon Realm. In the end, all the human hostages perished, and only the princess survived.


    I think that¡¯s how the story went....


    <i>¡®No, this doesn¡¯t seem right. Let me consider it again.¡¯</i>


    Even though I wrote this novel, I honestly could not remember every sentence word for word. Especially the prologue, since it was the very first part I wrote.


    The cute princess that was eating quite vigorously in front of my eyes wasn¡¯t such a significant character in this story, as my novel was set in a school.


    To be honest, I hadn¡¯t even been aware of Princess Charlotte¡¯s name. It¡¯s not that I¡¯d forgotten; I genuinely had no knowledge of it. I could recall most names, even the minor characters like Pedestrian 1, but not her. I had no recollection of the princess¡¯s name.


    Let¡¯s think: I wrote a story that came to life. Therefore, every part of life in that world, even those I didn¡¯t imagine or write about, had been implemented automatically.


    Thus, it was a world I knew well, but at the same time, it was also a world full of mysteries and unknowns, things that I hadn¡¯t explicitly written about. For example, the guards outside the door probably each had their own past and story, but I knew nothing about that. I guess all this was just the nature of what happens when a fictional worldes to life.


    Therefore, in this world, there were undoubtedly events that were happening or had<i> </i>already happened that I hadn¡¯t described or written about. There were definitely going to be things in the past, present, and future that I didn¡¯t know about. But one thing I<i> could </i>be sure of was that whatever I <i>had</i> written was fact, and guaranteed to ur.


    The emperor did abandon the hostages and carried on with the all-out war. If the Emperor had surrendered right away, the entire war with the Demon Realm would have copsed, and if he had missed the great opportunity to conquer the demons¡¯ territory solely because of the hostages, there was a possibility that the Empire itself would have disintegrated due to the opposition from many vassal states. These were the facts I knew.


    However, even though the First Princess should have been a very significant figure in the main story, I¡¯d never really written about her. It was mainly a wholesome daily-life school-themed story, so although some content involving the royal family appeared, that was about it.


    But the First Princess was right in front of me, and I hadn¡¯t written anything about her. I knew it was toote to be thinking this, but if I had known ahead of time that someone so important like the princess had survived the Great War, I would have forced her appearance into the main story.


    Nheless, in spite of her significance to the plot, she did not appear in my version of the story.


    The princess was bound to y a crucial role in the uing story, yet she did not appear anymore. It was strange that the First Princess¡ªwhom I, as the author, had no clue about¡ªsurvived the Demon King¡¯s abduction during the war and yet did not even appear onceter on.


    It was like I was considering my novel as some sort of history textbook, interpreting and analyzing my own piece of writing. Authors usually remained ignorant of the narrative¡¯s gaps and the gray areas in their plot, but now, I found myself within one of those gray areas. Those gaps in the plot were being filled with things I didn¡¯t know existed, and would continuously be filled as such.


    As this world was now my reality, the missing details of the story had to be connected with the future I knew. I had to deduce how the gaps I¡¯d left in the plot had been filled. I had to infer the missing pieces of the story with the knowledge I had about the future.


    My job was to unravel this narrative bridge that had formed when my novel had be reality, and ultimately connect future events with the continuously changing current events. I had toe up with an answer in the midst of this puzzle-like narrative.


    The Princess had been rescued, but she didn¡¯t appear at all in theter narrative of the royal family.


    There were two possible answers to this situation.


    First, my act of saving the princess caused a butterfly effect and changed the story. The princess was supposed to just die in the prison cell, whether by suicide or from severe malnutrition. I mean, was the one small biscuit I gave her enough to save her from starvation? The chances of this being the correct answer were very unlikely, but it was still a possibility.


    The second possibility was based on the assumption that an event could ur in my novel without my knowledge. The overall result was what I had written, but the process could have been anything. For example, if I wrote that event A happened, there might be an entirely different series of events that happened before resulting in event A.


    Let¡¯s say I wrote a part of the novel very irresponsibly, for example, if I said ¡°Oh, this event all of a sudden just urred!¡± But that event was so unexpected in the plot that when it became reality, there had to be some kind of supporting events to make that event rational. In other words, some form of causality adjustment had to take ce to bridge the gap between the event and the plot.


    The teleportation scrolls not working inside the Demon King¡¯s castle would be an example of this.


    If this were the case, I would be in a strange situation where I knew about the events that were going to happen but had no clue as to why and how they would ur.


    Was this a punishment for writing so recklessly?


    So in conclusion, if it wasn¡¯t the case that my existence in this world altered any past events and therefore thetter of the two possibilities was true, there was only one possible situation that was going to ur sooner rather thanter. The princess who shouldn¡¯t be alive was going to either be killed, or die.


    ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± the princess asked while naively chewing on her food.


    ***


    Even in the everyday, casual novels, viins are also necessary. There might be one without any viins at all, but that¡¯s an endeavor for the authors who are masters of their craft. That¡¯s because the presence of a viin vastly simplifies the progression of the narrative. If people ask, ¡°Hey, why did that viin do this and that?¡± You can simply respond with, ¡°Because he¡¯s a viin!¡± and generate a lot of easy-storytelling material from that alone.


    Yes, I was one of those unskilled authors who couldn¡¯t write a proper story without viins.


    In <i>The Demon King is Dead</i>, the main viin is the imperial prince, Vertus de Gradias. There were actually more antagonists throughout the story, but they were all irrelevant whenpared to the prince himself. Viins that appeared inside the school were all kinds of childish, but the prince...he was in a different league. He was a viin who was into conspiracies, murder, and other corrupt activities¡ªthe kind of character who would do anything to sabotage their opposition and be the emperor.


    From Vertus¡¯s perspective, the First Princess was nothing but an obstacle and disturbance to him. She was bound to get all the attention of the people as she had just survived being kidnapped by the demons, and considering her position as the First Princess, her status in the imperial session hierarchy was simr to his as well.


    The fact that the princess was still alive would surely make Vertus anxious and keep him on his toes, as he probably thought she was dead, and that he had one less rival to think about.


    This meant that there was a high possibility that Princess Charlotte would soon be killed¡ªeither by Vertus himself or by his associates.


    Hence, Charlotte would meet her demise and disappear from the story, as per the plot I knew. Her death would likelye soon, and there was even a possibility that she would die before she returned to the empire.


    She was in imminent danger. I didn¡¯t know how or when she was going to be attacked, but I was certain it was going to be soon.


    In contrast, it seemed like the princess had fallen into a fooda and had entered a deep sleep after her extravagant meal.


    Could I save this girl? My own life was in jeopardy, so was I even in the position to help her? It actually might have been better if she had died, as then I would have had the chance to escape without anyone noticing me.


    The moment the thought of saving my own life at the cost of another¡¯s crossed my mind, a chill ran down my spine. I was just an ordinary person. Obviously, this was not an ordinary situation, but I was still a normal human being on the inside. I could clearly sense this because I couldn¡¯t resist the feeling of self-hate and guilt I got from thinking about such a horrible thing.


    I had to think positively. Charlotte was the closest thing I had to an ally in this unpredictable situation. If she became my friend, she could help me tremendously, even in the face of unexpected events in the future.


    The only time I could talk to her face-to-face was now. Once the meal was over, the guards were going toe back in, and then it would be toote to have any conversation with her.


    How on earth was I supposed to tell her that her life was in extreme danger? And how could I exin why I knew all that?


    Suddenly, Charlotte woke up, and after wiping away the grease from her lips, she gazed at me. Her innocent expression had vanished, and the look on her face was now cold and serious. The atmosphere suddenly shifted, and Charlotte¡¯s voice became eerily hushed.


    ¡°Alright, listen carefully now,¡± Charlotte said, her demeanor deadly serious. ¡°Our lives are in danger.¡±


    To my surprise, she said the exact words I had wanted to say. Not only that, she didn¡¯t just say that <i>her</i> life was in danger, but ¡°our¡± lives.

 Chapter 5

    <h4>Chapter 5</h4>


    ¡°H-huh?¡± I was so flustered by Charlotte¡¯s sudden words that all I could manage was a stammered response.


    The princess was already aware that her life was in grave danger. Her calm and steady gaze was proof that she wasn¡¯t joking around and had recognized the dire circumstances. She had seemedpletely distracted and absorbed in eating until just a few moments ago, but it had disappeared entirely and was now reced by a somber look.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin everything in detail right now,¡± she began, her eyes locked on me, ¡°but my stepbrother, Vertus, is probably eagerly waiting for me to die. He¡¯d be absolutely furious if he found out that I was alive.¡±


    The girl who¡¯d clung to her mother¡¯s lifeless body and wept bitterly in the prison cell was nowhere to be found. She was calm andposed as if she had suddenly be aware of her position in the royal family.


    It was true that Vertus had a substantial amount of followers on his side. He was a viin, but by no means was he ipetent.


    ¡°But I have no idea how they¡¯re going to try and kill me. It could be anyone and it¡¯s only a matter of time,¡± she continued.


    The threat from Vertus and his associates remained uncertain and Charlotte had no one to trust; especially in the aftermath of the recent war, where turmoil was still rampant and all of her close associates were on a search mission inside the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a single person I can trust here, either. It almost feels like this was intentional.¡±


    Charlotte quickly realized that she couldn¡¯t trust anyone among the people present.


    Realization hit me. ¡°So when you told everyone else to leave, was that because...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded.


    The reason she¡¯d told everyone to leave the barracks was because she was worried that, without me there, someone would try to do something to her.


    Ironically, Charlotte appeared to be even more cautious than I was.


    Given the potential threats she faced, she was unsure of whom to trust and was on her toes at all times. It wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if the food she had just eaten had also been tampered with.


    ¡°Uh... Couldn¡¯t there have been poison in the food you just ate?¡± I hesitantly suggested.


    In response to myment, the princess chuckled.


    ¡°I enjoyed that meal so much that I¡¯d be fine with dying if it was poisoned.¡±


    Clearly, she had been extremely hungry, so much so that she¡¯d prefer to eat potentially poisonous food than remain famished. Fortunately, the food did not seem poisoned.


    ¡°I think most people in this camp are enemies of mine,¡± she continued.


    ¡°I-is that so?¡±


    She seemed convinced that her foes weren¡¯t restricted to just a few, but rather the majority of the camp.


    ¡°I tried to leave the camp a few times earlier, but they stopped me every time. They kept saying I needed to stay put and get some rest. It seems as if they¡¯re determined to confine me here.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s voice became quieter and quieter as she continued with her exnation.


    ¡°No one outside this camp knows I¡¯ve been rescued yet, and it seems they¡¯re nning to keep it that way.¡±


    That made sense.


    Even during the rescue, she was wrapped in a thick coat whilst being escorted out. Charlotte was confident that they were trying to hide the fact that there had been survivors within the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably waiting for instructions on what to do with me right now, and that¡¯s why they¡¯re making sure that my survival remains a secret. They will most likely kill me here and cover it up as if I had died within the castle with the other prisoners.¡±


    Since news of her survival had not leaked out yet, it was highly possible that they could kill her in the barracks and pretend that they had found her body in the castle. Charlotte was being rational and was considering numerous possibilities.


    Though it may have seemed like the princess was receiving the utmost care from the people in the barracks, in reality, it was their way of keeping an eye on the princess and imprisoning her. It made me shudder with fear to think that all of the actions taken by the people in the barracks so far had been carried out with such vicious intent. Especially because all of their actions had appeared genuine and without malice. To me, at least.


    However, it seemed as if Charlotte had already seen through their intentions.


    ¡°So, your life is also in danger, since you were rescued with me.¡± Charlotte continued.


    Did I hear her correctly? She definitely said that <i>my</i> life was also in danger.


    Being outed as a demon wasn¡¯t the only thing concerning me now. I had to consider Vertus and his men as well, because they were going to kill everyone who knew about the princess¡¯s survival.


    I was ultimately in a position where I had to do everything to save Charlotte.


    ¡°Listen carefully. We¡¯re going to escape from the barracks,¡± Charlotte said.


    Princess Charlotte knew that staying in the barracks and being ¡°rescued¡± meant that she was putting her life even more at risk. Thus, she intended to break through the surveince and make an escape.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± I asked.


    Given the troops stationed all around, a sessful escape seemed almost hopeless.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll make it out of here. But that¡¯s not the important part,¡± Charlotte said as she chuckled. ¡°What <i>is</i> important is that arge number of people must know that I¡¯m alive.¡±


    The goal was not to escape, but rather to let the ordinary soldiers know about her survival.


    Hold on.


    <i>¡®Why does it feel like she¡¯s the wiser one when I¡¯m way older than her?¡¯</i>


    With a strange sense of defeat, Charlotte stood up.


    Mealtime was over.


    ***


    No one would have ever imagined that Charlotte de Gradias would still be alive. Therefore, there were no surveince devices in the barracks where Charlotte and I were located. The troops were currently waiting for orders from above, and it seemed that they hadn¡¯t considered the possibility of us trying to escape.


    The barracks were just a tent, after all.


    Hence, the escape n was rather simple.


    I used the knife I was provided for the meal to gently cut through the back of the tent and assessed the situation outside.


    After cutting out a bigger piece from the rear of the tent, we crawled outside. Only a few soldiers were on patrol, probably because we escaped through the back of the tent. Most of them were concentrated facing the Demon King¡¯s castle rather than the base, so it made sense for the area around the barracks to be rtively empty.


    It seemed that no one had anticipated that Princess Charlotte would feel the sudden urge to attempt an escape from the base right after she had been rescued.


    Well, of course, that made sense. Even <i>I</i> was still surprised by her actions.


    But we couldn¡¯t stay out here for long. They would soon find out that we were missing. It appeared that Charlotte knew that too.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to get caught soon,¡± Charlotte said.


    You might wonder why she¡¯d left in the first ce if she were to be caught so soon, but again, Charlotte¡¯s goal was to make her survival known to as many people as possible, rather than actually escaping.


    Being able to spread the news that she was still alive would be enough to buy Charlotte some more time. The news of her survival would quickly circte among the ordinary soldiers and thus eliminate the possibility of anyone iming she had died in the castle.


    That might buy her a little longer to live until she coulde up with a different n.


    That was her goal.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Charlotte suggested.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I responded.


    The look in Charlotte¡¯s eyes as she gazed at me wavered slightly.


    ¡°Pleasee back to me as soon as possible!¡±


    It was only then that I glimpsed the fear of death Charlotte was facing once more.


    <i>¡®Yeah, no matter what I have to do, I¡¯ll make sure you survive.¡¯</i>


    Leaving Charlotte behind, I began to sprint through the camp.


    ¡ªH-H-Her, Her Highness Charlotte?


    ¡ªHer Highness Charlotte is alive!


    Not long after, the shouts of the troops began to echo around the camp.


    Charlotte would probably be dragged back inside the barracks, but that was ultimately a way to allow me to move more freely.


    ¡°<i>If they find out you¡¯re gone, they¡¯ll try to find you. Get as far away as possible. They won¡¯t kill me right away, but they will kill you. Find Sir William. You have to bring him back with you. Find him and appoint him as my guard.</i>¡±


    Charlotte had said all this just before we¡¯d cut our way out of the tent.


    Sir William Francis....


    Charlotte said that she had no clue who her allies were, but there was one person who absolutely couldn¡¯t be her enemy.


    The knight who¡¯d rescued us, William Francis.


    If he had been one of Vertus¡¯s men, he would have killed us on the spot as soon as he found us. But instead, he¡¯d rescued us, and therefore, he couldn¡¯t be one of Vertus¡¯s associates.


    From the moment of our rescue, Charlotte had had a gut feeling that another crisis would be upon her before she even had the chance to celebrate being rescued. In the original story, Charlotte would have been assassinated regardless of her knowledge that she was in danger, which meant Charlotte hadn¡¯t made the right choices no matter how clever she was.


    So, in the end, whether I seeded in my part or not would determine the fate of Charlotte¡¯s life. Charlotte would not have been able to find Sir William on her own. Perhaps she could have given instructions to have him summoned to her, but those instructions would have simply been ignored. s, I had to find him myself and bring him to her.


    The soldiers who were strolling around the barracks nced at me as I ran past, but they did not approach me. It was probably because they knew what Charlotte looked like, but had no clue who I was, which was a fortunate thing.


    I approached a man who looked like an officer among the passing soldiers.


    ¡°Do you know where William, Sir William is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s going on?¡± He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°There¡¯s an urgent message from the Supreme Commander I need to deliver.¡±


    I had to lie to him because mentioning the princess would only cause dys by requiring me to exin the situation. The officer scanned my attire from top to bottom. Luckily, I was dressed in fine clothes, so it seemed he didn¡¯t look down on me. If I had been wearing rags, he probably would have thought I was a lunatic and told me to get lost.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Sir William well, but he¡¯s probably searching the castle. I heard most of the knights were deployed over there.¡±


    That was just great.


    It seemed that he had been redeployed to his original mission of searching the castle right after rescuing us.


    <i>¡®Wait, no. Hold on a second.¡¯</i>


    Vertus¡¯s men would kill everyone who knew that Charlotte was alive. That meant that Sir William¡¯s life was also in danger. Vertus would also consider saving the princess to be an act of rebellion against him, so there was no doubt that Sir William¡¯s life was at risk. I wasn¡¯t the only one whose life was hanging by a thread that was dependent on Charlotte.


    ¡°I must go to Sir William right now! His life is in danger!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°What, what do you mean?!¡±


    I had no choice but to urgently yell at an officer I had just met.

 Chapter 6

    <h4>Chapter 6</h4>


    Perhaps it was due to the trust inspired by my attire, or my desperate expression, but the officer hesitated for a moment before he put me on his horse.


    After all, this camp was meant to be located far from the castle, and we had a fair distance to cover.


    Wow... I had done everything to escape the damn castle, and now I was on a horse going back toward it.


    It was my first time riding a horse, but with the officer holding me firmly in ce, I managed to endure the uneasiness.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you exin the situation in more detail? The castle is under siege now, so why would his life be in danger?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if this person was one of Vertus¡¯s associates or not. However, I quickly realized that he was young.


    Had Vertus recruited junior officers to his side as well? I pondered for a moment, but for now, this person was helping me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after we find Sir William!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to convince him further since I¡¯d already secured the help I needed from him. Although my buttocks were sore from riding for the first time and it felt like I might suffer a grievous injury at any time, it wasn¡¯t the time to worry about such difort.


    When we arrived, the Demon King¡¯s castle was a mess, bearing the marks of the battle. And all across the nearby ins, captured demons were chained together like fish caught in a giant. Not all demons had perished; there were demons who had surrendered and be prisoners as well.


    I felt a strange sense of relief that not everyone in the Demon Realm had died. However, the fact that I, their Prince, was running away made me feel guilty, as I was basically betraying them.


    ¡°What will happen to those demons over there?¡± I asked, despite the urgency of the situation.


    ¡°If it were a war between humans, they might have been ransomed or something. But they¡¯re demons,¡± he responded as if wondering why I had asked such a stupid question. ¡°We¡¯ve taken them prisoner for now, but what else can we do but kill them?¡±


    There was no point sparing the lives of someone from a different race. This war was a genocide, and the ultimate aim of each side was to annihte the other race.


    The thought of this weighed on my mind. Even if I convinced myself that I was just a regr person who happened to end up in the body of a Demon Prince, the awful feeling within me was not about to be washed away that easily. The officer and I continued to ride past the endless line of prisoners.


    ***


    The exposed castle walls were damaged in various ces and littered with countless corpses. The sight of human and demon bodies strewn about was horrific just to look at.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sight not suitable for kids,¡± the officer said as if he were considerate of my youth. He covered my eyes as he spoke to shield me from the gruesome scenes.


    It was impossible to count how many humans and demons had died. We passed through the destroyed castle gate and came upon a massive line of wagons.


    Supplies from the Demon King¡¯s castle were being transported out.


    The Demon Realm was conquered, and its riches were to be split among the victors; after countless years of war, the humans had prevailed, marking the end of an era. And it was not just the territory; more important were the resources captured.


    The nations that participated in the Great War divided the resources of the Demon Realm among themselves, acquiring immense wealth. The novel''s setting was therefore the golden age of humanity, an era of unprecedented prosperity¡ªobtained, of course, by spilling the blood of demons.


    Yet, I had never imagined that I would witness this spectacle from a demon¡¯s perspective. In the end, it seemed the war was nothing but a looting spree as numerous military forces swept through the Demon King¡¯s castle in a storm of blood.


    Wagons filled with resources continuously departed, while empty ones kept arriving. The officer escorted me to themand post within the castle, which was overseeing material transport and search operations.


    The officer saluted to someone who appeared to be the Commanding General.


    ¡°Second Lieutenant Dyrus of the 11th Company¡¯s 3rd toon within the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Imperial Corps reporting!¡±


    He dered his rank and title with a stern and formal expression. Second Lieutenant Dyrus¡ªI¡¯d unintentionally found out who he was. It made sense that he belonged to the cavalry division, given his ability to ride well even with me in the saddle with him.


    The Commanding General did not seem to recognize Second Lieutenant Dyrus. His ignorance of Dyrus made sense since a Second Lieutenant was far lower in rank than a Commanding General.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± the Commanding General asked.


    The grim-looking, highly-ranked officer who appeared to be in charge of the situation alternated his gaze between me and the junior officer who had brought me. His expression was clearly one of irritation, and it was evident that he was expecting a proper exnation from Dyrus for bringing someone who wasn¡¯t a soldier there.


    ¡°This boy has been brought here to deliver an urgent message from the Supreme Commander to Sir William. It seems to be confidential information, so I haven¡¯t been informed of what exactly it is,¡± Dyrus exined.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The Commanding General¡¯s frown deepened as my little white lie grewrger andrger.


    But, to my surprise, he did not ask why the Supreme Commander would give such information to someone like me.


    ¡°Ah...¡± His expression stiffened slightly.


    What he was about to say was easily predictable.


    ¡°I just received a report that Sir William has fallen in battle during the search for the remnants of the demon forces within the castle,¡± the Commanding General said.


    Vertus¡¯s men had acted before me.


    My expression stiffened, as did Dyrus¡¯s.


    ¡°Is this message something that I should be made aware of as well?¡± the Commanding General inquired.


    ¡°No sir! The message was intended for Sir William personally,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate. Those damned demon bastards,¡± the Commanding General¡¯s expression was filled with anger as he thought about the loss of such an excellent knight.


    No, it was not the demons who had caused Sir William¡¯s death, but the humans.


    ¡°Lieutenant, this boy shouldn¡¯t be here. Hurry back,¡± the Commanding General said.


    ¡°Yes sir!!¡± the junior officer acknowledged.


    Fortunately, the Commanding General didn¡¯t probe further about the contents of the message or my identity. He seemed too busy to even consider such things, given his current focus was on overseeing the search operations within the castle.


    As we exited themand center, Lieutenant Dyrus grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°How is this possible? How did the Supreme Commander know that Sir William was in danger?¡± he asked.


    What I had told Lieutenant Dyrus¡ªabout Sir William¡¯s life being in danger¡ªhad quickly be a reality. I looked at the lieutenant standing before me. I knew that he didn¡¯t have much authority or power, but now that Sir William had been killed, I needed someone else to assist me.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Supreme Commander who sent me,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°What?¡± he responded.


    I hoped revealing the truth to him would not turn out to be a mistake.


    ¡°It was Her Highness the princess.¡±


    ***


    In a secluded corner of the castle, I exined the desperate situation to Lieutenant Dyrus. I told him that I¡¯d been held captive inside the castle with the princess and that both of us had been rescued.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying Sir William wasn¡¯t killed in battle with the demons, but by our own allies?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, probably...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even fathom how tough it had to have been for Princess Charlotte in prison, and yet, they¡¯re trying to kill her as soon as she was rescued? Damn it.¡±


    He seemed shocked that there were people on his side who were consideringmitting such horrible acts toward the princess.


    ¡°So, you intend to rescue the princess, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. I respect your courage.¡±


    He patted me on the back, seemingly appreciative of the determination I had to save the princess despite myck of power. He also seemed stunned by the fact that, even with the victory over the demons, there was still an internal dispute within the human ranks.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave the princess in danger like that. I¡¯ll assist Her Highness too.¡±


    The fact that Sir William had been killed by someone on his side in the castle, where numerous eyewitnesses were, meant that Vertus¡¯s associates were widespread within the army.


    ¡°We must return to Her Highness as soon as possible. I may not be as skilled as Sir William, but an extra pair of eyes should help her situation greatly,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Yes, we should go back.¡±


    Fortunately, Lieutenant Dyrus seemed to have a strong sense of justice, and it appeared as if he wasn¡¯t about to allow such events to ur. While he didn¡¯t explicitly say it, it was implied that he was ready to sacrifice his life to protect the princess.


    As I was about to tell them that we needed to return as quickly as possible, a thought crossed my mind.


    ¡°Wait, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°What is it? We need to get back quickly, so speak fast.¡±


    I pointed at the numerous supply carts.


    ¡°There <i>is</i> a way to provide the princess with immediate protection.¡±


    We hade all the way back to the Demon King''s castle, and I wasn¡¯t just going to go back empty-handed.


    ¡°This is the Demon King¡¯s castle,¡± I continued.


    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°When we were rescued, I saw a storage room where magical scrolls are kept. Maybe we should look for a teleportation scroll there?¡±


    While teleportation spells didn¡¯t work within the castle, it was likely that it could be used back at the base.


    With that scroll, we could promptly move the princess somewhere safe. If the magical supplies inventory hadn¡¯t been looted yet, the teleportation scroll I had attempted to use before was likely to still be there.


    Using a teleportation spell with the help of a mage back at the base wasn¡¯t an option. It was likely that they were also on Vertus¡¯s side.


    Dyurs appeared hesitant. He seemed uncertain about searching for a scroll that wasn¡¯t even guaranteed to exist at such an urgent moment.


    However, I knew the location of the teleportation scroll. We could leave the castle as soon as I confirmed whether the magic supplies inventory had been looted or not.


    ¡°Damn it, fine. I probably wouldn¡¯t be of much help anyways even if I were to stay with the princess.¡± He nodded, acknowledging the limitations of his own abilities.


    While I still wasn¡¯t sure of theyout of the Demon King''s castle, I tried my best to go through my memories and recall the route I had taken before I reached the prison cell.


    Numerous soldiers were bustling in and out of the castle so entering the castle was not difficult.


    ¡°It¡¯s over here.¡± I directed the Lieutenant.


    I drew curious nces as I was walking around unarmed, but I couldn¡¯t spare the time to address each one of the people we passed to exin what I was doing. Fortunately, I was able to retrace my steps and determine the approximate location.


    The Demon King¡¯s castle was incredibly vast, and the magic supplies inventory and the prison cells were situated deep within the building, so it was unlikely that it had been looted.


    ¡°This castle is unbelievably massive!¡± eximed Lieutenant Dyrus in astonishment.


    I became so tired that he had to carry me around on his back. I pointed in the direction that I remembered, and luckily, we were able to reach our destination without getting lost.


    ¡°The magical supplies inventory looks untouched!¡± I eximed.


    Fortunately, it seemed like no one had been here yet, and everything appeared to be in good condition.


    ¡°... Well, it doesn¡¯t look untouched; it looks like someone made a mess digging through all the scrolls,¡± The Lieutenantmented.


    Oops, my bad.


    ¡°Oh, that... Y-yeah, but at least the scrolls are still here!¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s find it quickly.¡±


    I quickly picked up the teleportation scroll that was lying on the floor.


    ¡°Found it!¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, here it is.¡±


    The scroll contained an incantation that was written in anguagemon to both humans and demons, so there was no need to exin how I¡¯d found it right away. If the incantations had been written in the demonnguage, however, it might have raised unnecessary suspicion. In fact, as the author, I knew both thenguages of this world, which was like having a cheat code.


    I sealed the unused scroll back up. This teleportation scroll only worked for a single person. There might have been some other variation of the scroll where mass teleportation was possible, but I didn¡¯t know if they existed, so we needed to find more scrolls.


    It wasn¡¯t just Charlotte that needed to be rescued, but me as well, and I was just as desperate to get out.


    ¡°We need a few more teleportation scrolls since we don¡¯t know what might happen. Let¡¯s also grab some other useful scrolls as well while we¡¯re at it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey kid, use this.¡±


    ¡°This is...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a scroll book. You¡¯ve never seen one before? There was one here.¡±


    The book he handed me was empty.


    ¡°No, I know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s grab them quickly.¡±


    I knew what a scroll book was. It didn¡¯t contain any magical abilities on its own, but it was a tool that allowed one to insert individual scrolls on each page. Whenever the situation requires it, the user could use a scroll by tearing the required page. It was often used by those who needed to use magic inbat situations but weren¡¯t necessarily mages themselves.


    It was an object I had thought of, so I had to know what it was. However, seeing something I had only imagined actually in my hands felt very surreal.


    Since I couldn¡¯t stuff every scroll into my pocket, the scroll book actually came in handy. I started to fill the scroll book with useful scrolls. Dyrus had also found an extra scroll book, and was filling it with spells as well.


    ¡°Wow, even the low-level scrolls are worth more than my monthly sry. The Demon King''s castle sure is something else.¡±


    Dyrus seemed genuinely amazed by the staggering quantity of scrolls the castle had.


    ¡°We used up nearly all of the scrolls during this recent war. If we take all this with us, we¡¯ll have enough to replenish all the scrolls we¡¯ve used,¡± said Dyrus as he continuously dug through the pile of scrolls.


    We didn¡¯t find anyrge-scale offensive scrolls to take, but we gathered all the scrolls that could be of help. When I¡¯d firste across this room, I¡¯d been in a situation where I had to throw all my belongings away and could only take the minimum with me, but now, I was collecting everything I could.


    While collecting the scrolls, my eyes suddenly lit up.


    ¡°I found it!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    [Mass Teleport]


    A multi-person teleportation spell.


    This was it. We didn¡¯t need to look for more teleportation scrolls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lieutenant!¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    As soon as we stepped outside, though, we couldn¡¯t help but freeze.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    I locked eyes with a group of soldiers, heavily weighed down with bags.


    Well, if you thought about it, we were nothing more than two guys recklessly grabbing loot that technically belonged to the army. And it was obvious that such looting would be considered a serious crime.


    If these people didn¡¯t let us pass, what were we to do?


    Dyrus, myself, and the soldiers were all silently watching each other.


    Dyrus seemed to be preparing himself for the worst.


    He had a face of true loyalty and appeared ready to go to any lengths to protect the princess, even if it meant overpowering our fellow soldiers in this very spot.


    ¡°Um, Lieutenant...?¡± I uttered.


    A soldier among the group, perhaps recognizing Dyrus¡¯s rank, hesitantly spoke up.


    ¡°How about we pretend that we didn¡¯t see each other and none of this happened?¡±


    <i>¡®... You guys were looting as well?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 7

    <h4>Chapter 7</h4>


    Bing an unknown side character and having to survive various life-threatening situations in my novel itself was bizarre to me. And now, on top of that, I was witnessing the exact scene I had written, where the human soldiers piged the loot from the Demon King''s castle. I remembered writing this scene without much thought, but experiencing it first-hand was still ridiculous.


    Normally, these kinds of isekai stories had the character focus more on the main plot of the novel. But this situation I was in had nothing to do with the main plot. It was just a prologue, and the main plot hadn¡¯t even started yet. But regardless, every detail in this prologue seemed to be so lively and significant, even more than the main plot.


    The protagonist of this novel was probably waiting for the main plot to start, where he was soon about to enroll at the Gradius Temple and begin his story. However, the story was still caught up in this over-dramatic prologue section, where the princess was about to be assassinated and a Demon Prince was trying to save her.


    I had indeed written all of this, but this world was filling in gaps that I hadn¡¯t imagined before, making it feel so overwhelmingly real that it was terrifying.


    Dyrus seemed bitter and angry at the fact that he was now in a position no different than some low-ss soldiers who were robbing the castle to satisfy their personal desires. However, he kept walking on regardless.


    As we hurried to escape from the Demon King''s castle, Dyrus suddenly grabbed my arm, pulled me to a different corridor, and pushed me behind one of the gargoyle statues in the castle.


    ¡°Those people are knights of Duke Salerion,¡± he whispered.


    I immediately understood what he meant and held my breath.


    Duke Salerion.


    He was one of the external factions who supported Vertus and was the sole reason Vertus had so much power in the first ce. If Sir William was an ally to Princess Charlotte, Duke Salerion was her enemy, as his only purpose was to make Vertus the King of the Gradius Empire.


    It was likely that Sir William had also been killed by Duke Salerion¡¯s people.


    Dyrus was tense as he held his breath. I wasn¡¯t sure what Dyrus¡¯s exact status was in the imperial kingdom, but he was still a Lieutenant. Duke Salerion was from one of the most powerful noble families in the Empire, and his status would likely surpass that of any ordinary knight or noble. Not to mention hisbat skills, which were also outstanding.


    <i>Stomp, stomp, stomp.</i>


    The noise they made as they approached made it clear that there was more than one of theming our way.


    ¡ªAre you sure they entered the castle and didn¡¯t head back?


    ¡ªYes, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡ªTsk, I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re smart or dumb.


    ¡ªWhat should we do if we find them?


    ¡ªDo I have to tell you exactly what to do? Use yourmon sense.


    ¡ª... The Lieutenant as well?


    ¡ªI feel sorry for him, but I guess it¡¯s his fate.


    Although they didn¡¯t explicitly mention any names, it was obvious they were looking for Dyrus and me. Dyrus was holding his breath, trying to stay hidden. I wished they would just walk past us, and I was certain Dyrus was feeling the same.


    And then....


    I realized how foolish I was to think I could deceive the senses of those highly-ranked knights.


    ¡°They seem to be over there,¡± said one of the knights casually, as if there was no need to make an effort to find us.


    ¡°Their breathing sounds ragged. They must be hiding there.¡±


    The knights arrived one by one, four of them in total.


    Dyrus and I slowly stepped away from the statues.


    The four knights, d in splendid te armor, looked at us.


    The knight who seemed to be the highest-ranked among them wore aposed expression as he clicked his tongue at us.


    ¡°The princess is truly a pitiful soul,¡± he said condescendingly.


    We remained silent.


    ¡°She¡¯s not only harming herself but causing the deaths of others.¡±


    He sighed as if he felt guilty to have to kill innocents. However, I felt no urge to respond to his scornfulments.


    ¡°You should be ashamed of yourselves. You call yourselves imperial knights but are attempting to harm one of the royal family members!¡± Dyrus shouted in anger.


    ¡°If you thought your condemnation was going to do anything to my feelings, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t care what someone like you has to say.¡±


    The knight seemedpletely indifferent to any criticism that came from someone he considered unworthy.


    ¡°You know what, killing you guys is not a pleasant task. I¡¯ll admit that.¡± He let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°While everyone else is killing demons today, I have to kill a fellow human.¡±


    He seemed quite ufortable with the idea of having to kill humans just because the princess was alive.


    However, despite his difort and annoyance, there was no hesitation in his actions.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    He drew his sword, and the other knights followed suit. While running away was an option, I knew it would be pointless; they would quickly catch up to us as their physical abilities surpassed not only mine but also Dyrus¡¯s.


    <i>¡®Wait, the scrolls.¡¯</i>


    Could they help turn the situation around? No, they would slit my throat in the blink of an eye before I could unfold a page from the scroll book.


    Did I seriously escape the Demon King''s castle only to face death this quickly again?


    The thought of having to face death yet again, not even a day after my real death, was infuriating.


    The knights, slowly but surely, began to approach us, closing the distance. Despite the vast corridor, their presence seemed to fill the entire space.


    <i>Wait... gargoyle?</i>


    I gazed nkly at the gargoyle statue. Statues like these usually moved, right?


    Before I could continue my thought¡ª


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The massive halberd in the gargoyle¡¯s hand struck the knight who was leading the charge.


    Chaos.


    Shock.


    Death.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    And quick thinking.


    Now was the only chance to run away.


    ***


    The merciless strike from the giant gargoyle statue obliterated the body of the approaching knight. The knight didn¡¯t even have a chance to scream as he waspletely crushed like a soda can despite his armor.


    While the knights might be strong, this was the Demon King''s castle, after all, a ce where the mightiest forces in the Demon Realm are gathered. Thus, a gargoyle statue being able to kill a highly-ranked knight was not hard toprehend.


    There was no time to react to what just happened. Actions came before thoughts, and we made a swift escape.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud!</i>


    We were able to escape the scene while the knights we¡¯d left behind went toe-to-toe with the suddenly activated gargoyles.


    ¡°Why did that thing start moving all of a sudden?¡± Dyrus asked.


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know! Don¡¯t ask me!¡± I replied.


    Of course, I knew why.


    Although all my physical attributes were subpar, I still had a special skill, which was Control Demon. I might have unconsciously triggered the gargoyle to move, or the gargoyles might have activated themselves after sensing a threat toward me.


    Whichever one it was, the fact that they had moved to protect me did not change. This was all because I possessed an innate power that allowed me to control demons.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t reveal that to Dyrus in the middle of all this chaos, as running away was our top priority.


    No matter how skilled the knights were, there was no way they could withstand a giant gargoyle hammering them like that.


    The abrupt nging and banging caused the castle that had been in the middle of an organized search to suddenly descend into chaos. Dyrus and I seized the opportunity to make a hasty escape from the Demon King''s castle.


    ¡°Other soldiers are probably on their way after us,¡± Dyrus said.


    ¡°Yes, definitely,¡± I responded.


    Duke Salerion¡¯s knights were scattered around the castle because of the search. If they realized we were escaping after a confrontation with some of their knights, they were surely going toe after us.


    Dyrus mounted the horse that he had tied up and helped me into the saddle, and we quickly galloped away from the castle.


    Our hurried departure drew some puzzled nces, but it wasn¡¯t the time to worry about such things.


    <i>Gallop, gallop, gallop.</i>


    I had to think. We had only one option left after reaching the barracks¡ªteleport out of this hellish realm with Charlotte. The horse¡¯s rapid pace nearly made me lose my consciousness, as simply holding on was exhausting on its own.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Dryus eximed. ¡°They¡¯ve caught up to us already!¡±


    The coordination among Duke Salerion¡¯s knights was impressive. Despite the chaos inside the castle, they had caught up to us instantly. They also seemed willing to endure the spection that would surely arise from the many eye-witnesses around who watched them chasing us.


    The fact that they were openly chasing us told me that they could easily exploit their rank to cover up any usations or rumors that would result from killing Dyrus and me. Killing Princess Charlotte in broad daylight might have been difficult, but they were certainly capable of killing us. They would probably figure out a way to bury the evidence somehow.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Dyrus eximed.


    The horses the knights rode were far superior to his. And to make things worse, our horse carried two people, while all of our pursuers had their own horses.


    They were closing rapidly. In no time, there were well over a dozen knights chasing us. The soldiers who were manning the supply wagons and leading the prisoners all watched the unexpected chase in astonishment.


    ¡°Lieutenant! Hold on to me tight, please!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Dyrus didn¡¯t even ask me what I was nning to do and simply clutched my waist tightly to keep me from falling. I unfolded the scroll book that was strapped to my belt and quickly searched for any spells that might be of help in this situation.


    Anything would do, anything!


    [Haste]


    I unfurled the scroll and cast an eleration spell on the horse.


    <i>Gallop! Gallop! Gallop!</i>


    In an instant, the horse¡¯s movements became even faster and spittle flew from its mouth.


    ¡°Damn it! At this pace, the horse is going to die before we even reach our destination!¡±


    Haste sped up the movement speed of the target, but also dramatically increased the target¡¯s energy consumption. Horses, by nature, weren¡¯t meant to maintain an all-out sprint for long periods of time. Adding a haste spell on top of it all was merely adding fuel to the fire.


    I, who had already half-given up, didn¡¯t really care what would happen next.


    ¡°We¡¯re literally going to die in less than a minute! Wouldn¡¯t it be better to die in three minutes than one?¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡± Dyrus shouted.


    Dyrus, who seemed to be dumbfounded by my statement, managed tough even in this hectic situation.


    His horsemanship was remarkable. Despite the increased speed of the horse, he skillfully controlled the horse with one hand while supporting me with the other.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Dyrus cursed as he nced behind.


    ¡°They¡¯re shooting arrows!¡±


    Just because they were knights didn¡¯t mean that they only wielded swords. As soon as they sensed the increase in our speed, they started to shoot arrows at us. Fortunately, Dyrus was able to evade the arrows, performing acrobatic skills with his astonishing horse-riding techniques.


    ¡°It looks like the horse is reaching its limit!¡±


    The stamina of their horses was vastly different from ours. Due to my urgent request, Dyrus had already pushed his horse to the limit to get me to the Demon King''s castle as soon as possible. This horse was already tired enough, but I had put an eleration spell on it as well. It made sense that the horse would be reaching its limits. I searched the scroll book for a spell that might restore the horse¡¯s stamina, but no such magic existed. I was only able to find secondary spells like Illusion, Charm, and Confusion.


    ¡°Do you think the ¡®Confusion¡¯ spell would work on them?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance! Those knights receive mandatory magic resistance training!¡±


    These were knights who were trained in magic resistance, and Dyrus knew that lower-level secondary spells wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them. It¡¯s not like I had high hopes either. I was the one who had written that knights had to get some kind of training done to defend themselves against magic, as it seemed absurd for closebat experts like them to easily die to auxiliary spells.


    In the school-based arc I wrote, I even added a course in the curriculum called the ¡°Magic Resistance Training¡± course.


    Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was that my own idea for the novel was now working against me.


    Despite all this, I still unfolded the scroll.


    It was a dangerous gamble, but I had to do it.


    The spell I used was Illusion.


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s not going to work!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not using it on the knights!¡±


    I unfurled the scroll to cast a spell, and my target was not the knights.


    If you want to take down the riders, shoot their horses¡ªthat was my n.


    [Illusion]


    The magic took effect.


    <i>Neighhh!</i>


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The terrifying neigh of a horse was apanied by the scream of a knight crashing to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief.


    Luckily, it seemed like they hadn¡¯t provided magic resistance training to their horses.


    If magic didn¡¯t work on the knights, why not just cast the spells on the horses they were riding?


    I had just shown the horses an illusion of a dragon.

 Chapter 8

    <h4>Chapter 8</h4>


    ¡°Nice one, kid!¡±


    This time, I took out the Charm scroll.


    The type of spell didn¡¯t really matter. I just needed a spell that could affect the horses ridden by the knights.


    However, it was a risky action because they could easily do the same and cast a spell on our horse as well.


    However, Dyrus had mentioned earlier that the allied human forces had exhausted almost all of their scrolls during the war, and there were no mages among the group that was chasing us.


    Even if they had scroll books, it was likely they didn¡¯t have any spells left in them. The war was over, and they hadn¡¯t had time to replenish their scroll books. In fact, they probably didn¡¯t even have any spare scrolls left at all.


    Those knights would have filled their scroll books only with offensive spells that could be used immediately, and they would have used up almost all of them.


    Knowing all this, my n was worth the risk.


    <i>Neighh!</i>


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    My n worked. The horses copsed and the knights tumbled to the ground one by one as I used the spells. Some knights probably broke their necks and died immediately.


    Since they were trying to kill me, I didn¡¯t hesitate to kill them either. I felt no guilt, no remorse, and did not contemte the righteousness of my actions.


    All I could think about was to do whatever I could, as fast as I could. The urgency of the situation seemed to funnel all my judgment into one simple thought.


    I subconsciously deferred every judgment regarding morals and ethics forter.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I yelled.


    I had no more psychic magic I could use to bewilder the horses.


    There were still two knights chasing after us, their eyes filled with even more rage.


    The horse we were riding was now beyond its limit. It was going slower than the speed it had been going before I cast the Haste spell.


    ¡°They¡¯ll catch us soon,¡± Dyrus said, his voice filled with despair.


    Our horse was exhausted, and the knights, having witnessed theirrades fall, were chasing us with the vicious intent to make our deaths as painful as possible.


    The horse had now slowed to a pitiful pace, and the knights were catching up at a terrifying speed. Dyrus drew his sword, but he seemed hopeless.


    Was this the end?


    Just then, a sudden sight caught my eye. I gazed at the long line of wagons and the soldiers that were watching the chase.


    I also saw the incredibly long line of demon prisoners that seemed to stretch into eternity. More specifically, I noticed the way the demons were staring at me.


    ¡°...¡±


    All manner of shackled demons, from small goblins to towering trolls, ogres, and orcs, all stood in line, observing our situation.


    They were staring at me, and I was looking at them, but neither side said anything to each other.


    They were the demons of the fallen Demon Realm, who had lost their leaders and had helplessly surrendered.


    As monsters and beasts, they were now on their way to execution as punishment for losing the war. Since no one was going to pardon them and save them from very, they had to pay with their lives.


    They were looking at me as if they knew that I was thest undisputed Demon King. But here I was, running away from them, a traitor.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how, but they seemed to know that I was not a human. Had they recognized my identity just by the look in my eyes? Or perhaps, it was the Control Demon skill within me unconsciously exerting itself? I couldn¡¯t know why or how they knew, but nheless, they were all looking at me as though they¡¯d just discovered a glimmer of hope.


    <i>ng!</i>


    With a resounding roar, an ogre broke free from its chains and charged toward the knights who were approaching us.


    With a concerted roar, The line of demons who had been obedient up to this point began to resist vehemently.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening! This is insane!¡±


    The two knights who were chasing us had been run over by the charging ogre, and chaos erupted once again as the demons wreaked pandemonium.


    It was theirst-ditch effort to rebel against the soldiers and save theirst King.


    ***


    The demons weren¡¯t tied up with brittle ropes that anyone could easily escape from. They were secured with hardened chains that onlyrge creatures like ogres could even attempt to break out of. Thus, most of the demons could only participate by causing a ruckus. They were quickly suppressed by the soldiers in charge, and this suppression ultimately led to a massacre.


    The demons¡¯ uproar and the ogre¡¯s attack on the knights had suddenly turned the situation around, and now no one was chasing after us.


    Dyrus seemed to find it difficult to fathom the unbelievable situation that had just happened.


    ¡°What in the world...¡± he said.


    From gargoyle statues suddenly activating to save us to a demon uproar erupting at the exact moment when our life and death hung in the bnce, all of these situations probably seemed very odd to Dyrus. He knew that all of this was abnormal, but he didn¡¯t know why it was happening. Nheless, Princess Charlotte was still in danger, and we had yet to aplish our mission to save her.


    Dyrus seemed like he was suppressing his questions, not saying anything until we got to the base. When we got there, the atmosphere seemed lively.


    ¡ªHer Highness the princess is alive?


    ¡ªYes! She came out of the tent just now and even shook hands with the soldiers saying that she was okay.


    ¡ªShe soon returned to her tent to rest, however...


    ¡ªI¡¯m d she¡¯s okay!


    ¡ªThat cursed Demon King is now dead, and Her Highness the princess is still alive. What greater blessing could there be?


    ¡ªHey, what do you mean it¡¯s a blessing? The Empress has passed away... watch what you¡¯re saying!


    ¡ªYeah, my bad... I hope the princess feels well soon.


    Charlotte was right. The news that she was alive had already spread throughout the entire base. However, it seemed like the news of the demon prisoners¡¯ riot had yet to reach.


    For us, the more eyes and ears there were that witnessed Princess Charlotte¡¯s survival, the better it was. It seemed the situation favored us.


    However, it was still too early to sit back and rx. Duke Salerion and his knights had tried to kill Dyrus and me despite therge number of eyewitnesses. That meant that they had nothing to lose by killing us and that nothing was stopping them from doing so.


    Killing the princess out in public would be a problem for them, but killing us wouldn¡¯t. Furthermore, if news that we had killed several knights reached the base, the people here would probably kill us in an instant, no questions asked.


    As such, Dyrus and I were still on the verge of execution. Soon, the news of what had transpired around the Demon King''s castle would reach the base. We had to leave as soon as possible.


    Thankfully, news that the princess was staying in themand tent had spread, so most of the soldiers¡¯ attention was on the tent. Outwardly, they all seemed curious to see if the princess was safe, and were surrounding the tent as though hoping to see Her Highness¡¯s face. Because of this, there was no opening for us to slip inside the tent unnoticed.


    There was no time toe up with a n. Dyrus and I simply marched toward themand tent.


    One of the guards saw me and shook his head before I could say a word.


    ¡°Her Highness is resting. Leave at once.¡±


    ¡°We have brought the items that Her Highness requested. Please let us in.¡±


    The guard¡¯s expression didn¡¯t even flicker.


    ¡°No one is allowed to see the princess until she has had plenty of rest, as per the instructions from the Supreme Officer. Come backter.¡±


    If we turned back now, we were as good as dead. Once the news of what happened at the Demon King''s castle reached the base, it would be over. I had to get inside.


    ¡°Sorry sir, but this is urgent.¡±


    As soon as I finished my sentence, the guard¡¯s expression hardened.


    ¡°Hey kid, I know you were rescued with Her Highness, but that doesn¡¯t grant you ess. We still haven¡¯t identified who you are and there¡¯s no way we can allow an unidentified individual to be with Her Highness. Are you nning to do something to her?¡±


    Hah... little did he know that the princess was safer with me than with them.


    The guard seemed ready to use force to keep us out. His spear was pointing straight at me, suggesting that, if we attempted to enter by force, he would take action.


    I had no way of knowing what Charlotte was doing inside, but it seemed like she couldn¡¯t do anything to help us. The guards had no idea what I was trying to do, but they knew for a fact that the princess had asked me to do her a favor, and that was all they needed to keep me from meeting her.


    The problem was that I had neither the strength nor the authority to break through the security.


    Just then, Dyrus called me. ¡°Kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s n B.¡±


    With a deep sigh of helplessness, Dyrus drew his sword.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Before the guard could react, he thrust the sword into the guard¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡± another guard eximed, shocked by the sudden attack.


    ¡°Go!¡± Dyrus shouted.


    While Dyrus took care of the other guard, I quickly stopped any thoughts that came to my mind and rushed into themand tent.


    Pushing throughyers of fabric, I finally entered and saw Charlotte sitting down. She was surrounded by dozens of guards who were monitoring her.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as she saw me.


    An old man in a white priest¡¯s robe shouted sharply, ¡°I told you not to let anyone ins¡ª...!¡±


    There was no time for conversation.


    [sh]


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s using magic!¡±


    <i>Zap!</i>


    The exploding sh blinded them all, but I had covered my eyes before the explosion. I put my hand down and grabbed Charlotte¡¯s hand. She was also dazed from the sh spell. She was incredibly confused because she had been expecting me to bring Sir William to her, but instead, I¡¯d barged into the tent and let off a shbang.


    [Mass Teleport]


    I cast the mass teleportation spell.


    [Please specify the destination]


    ¡°To the Capital of Gradias, Gradium!¡±


    Our destination was the Imperial Capital, Gradium.


    [Prologue Sequence cleared.


    Special achievement unlocked - Turning Point in History


    Charlotte de Gradias, a character who should no longer exist at this point, has survived.


    The future has been greatly altered.


    You have received 1000 achievement points.]


    Finally, I could put an end to this hellish prologue.

 Chapter 9

    <h4>Chapter 9</h4>


    Spatial teleportation, now that was something else. Experiencing it in person was mind-boggling. As soon as the shes of light subsided, the scenery hadpletely transformed. Instead of the bleak, gloomy skies that shrouded the Demon Realm, I found myself beneath a pristine blue sky, with a bustling metropolis before me.


    It was the very ce where the main story of my novel, <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i> unfolded ¡ªthe Imperial capital, Gradium. Seeing the location I had only ever described in the novel was so... terribly unfascinating.


    Where was I? I had no idea.


    It¡¯s true that I¡¯d written the novel, but it wasn¡¯t as if I¡¯d written out how every brick in the story looked like. If I¡¯d had, I¡¯d have received hate for writing about such trivial details from my readers.


    We¡¯d apparently transported ourselves to a courtyard in Gradium, and throngs of people were staring at me and the princess with bewildered expressions. It made sense since we had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and teleportation was considered a high-level magic, so it was definitely not amon sight to see.


    In the end, I had arrived in Gradium, a city I had described but never truly knew.


    ¡°Huh... What¡¯s going on? I-Is this... Gradium?¡± Princess Charlotte de Gradias looked around with a confused expression.


    Her surprise was only natural, since I had abducted her using teleportation instead of bringing her an escort.


    ¡°I returned with the teleportation scroll from the Demon King¡¯s castle because Sir William has already been assassinated. I thought that Gradium would be the safest ce for you.¡±


    The princess¡¯s eyes widened as she listened to my exnation. She seemed startled by the news of Sir William¡¯s assassination and at the same time, amazed at how quickly I had thought of an alternative solution to save her in such a situation.


    Which was fair, since that wasn¡¯t something a seventeen-year-old would normally be able to think of. It had still been a challenging task even considering my real age! I¡¯d almost bitten the dust several times.


    Phew.


    ¡°You did great... really, really great.¡±


    A flood of relief made Charlotte''s legs give out, and she plopped down on a nearby bench.


    Anyway, it was about time he arrived, but before I could finish my thought...


    <i>sh!</i>


    Dyrus arrived with a burst of light. Clearly, he¡¯d managed to escape the dire situation.


    ¡°Huff... huff...¡±


    He gasped for breath, having made a daring escape from the brink of death.


    ¡°You made it unharmed, Lieutenant!¡±


    ¡°Yeah... If I had stayed just a bit longer, I would have surely lost an arm or a leg.¡±


    Dyrus, still catching his breath, immediately got to his knees. But he wasn¡¯t bowing to me; he was facing Charlotte.


    ¡°Lieutenant Dyrus, 3rd toon Leader of the 11th Company within the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Imperial Corps. I humbly greet Her Highness.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have trouble grasping what was going on.


    ***


    We had two teleportation scrolls and two ns.


    n A was simple. If the guards opened the door and allowed us to meet Charlotte, we¡¯d use the mass teleport scroll to get out. Pretty straightforward.


    n B was a bit moreplex. Dyrus would use force to create a path to the tent and cause a distraction while I infiltrated the tent. Then, Dyrus would escape with the second teleport scroll while I used the mass teleport spell to whisk Charlotte away.


    We went with n B, and Dyrus joined us after he had verified our escape.


    Charlotte was clearly surprised by a stranger appearing out of nowhere, so I exined to her what had happened. I stressed that without Dyrus, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to aplish our mission. Charlotte, still in awe, nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant Dyrus,¡± she said, expressing her gratitude and acknowledging the importance of his assistance.


    ¡°As a soldier serving the royal family, my top priority is the safety of the royal family,¡± Dyrus humbly replied.


    Dyrus had made a tough decision. Knowing one¡¯s soldierly duty to protect the royal family and putting it into action was apletely different story. Dyrus was a man of his word and had risked his life as if it were only natural to confront the faction attempting to harm Charlotte. He disyed no hesitation and no thoughts about the possibility of dying.


    It made sense for me to act this way since my life was intricately connected to this situation, but Dyrus, he was truly something else.


    Charlotte seemed to share my thoughts as she nodded again.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible that they could follow us using teleportation magic as well?¡± I asked.


    That was my biggest concern. Among our foes, there could be mages who could use magic to chase us, and I had also explicitly mentioned teleporting to Gradium, so they undoubtedly knew where we were.


    My question made Dyrus stiffen, and his expression grew more serious.


    ¡°We should move quickly.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need,¡± Charlotte said nonchntly. ¡°There are no mages within the allied forces who are capable of sessfully teleporting from the Demon King¡¯s castle to Gradium. We traveled an unfathomable distance. There¡¯s no way they could follow us with teleportation. There are no warp gates near the Demon King¡¯s castle either, so they won¡¯t be able to send any forces from that area in pursuit.¡±


    Charlotte emphasized that the demon¡¯s scrolls possessed incredible capabilities and that the possibility of the pursuing force using teleportation toe after us was little to none.


    ¡°But I guess they <i>could</i> usemunication magic to report the current situation. But that¡¯s going to take a bit of time, so we should be fine until we reach the Royal Pce,¡± she added.


    Communication magic had a dy and wasn¡¯t instantaneous. It was pretty straightforward: the further the distance, the longer themunication spell took to reach its destination.


    The time it took to receive the news that the princess was alive, then to ry the order to kill her, and then again to receive news that she had teleported to Gradium¡ªall that would have added up to a significant dy.


    ¡°Could you please exin what happened, Lieutenant Dyrus?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll exin, Your Highness,¡± Dyrus replied.


    As we walked through the city, we told Charlotte about the events that had urred. When we mentioned that Duke Salerion and his knights had almost killed us, Charlotte looked at me apologetically. I mean, I¡¯d done it to save myself, so there was no need to be sorry for that.


    Of course, when I made it out of the Demon King¡¯s castle, I could have just used the teleport scroll to run away by myself, but I hadn¡¯t wanted to do that. I don¡¯t know why, but even in that life-and-death situation, I couldn¡¯t leave Charlotte behind. Saving someone by putting my life on the line was a first for me and I didn¡¯t really have an exnation; I had just done it without thinking.


    Ultimately, the mission was a sess and the results were rewarding, but if you asked me to do it again, I wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    As Dyrus recounted the events one by one, I felt a shiver down my spine.


    As I reviewed the events that had transpired, I realized too many of them were unnatural. The gargoyle statue that had suddenly moved to help us, themotion caused by the demons, and the demon prisoners protecting us. While the first coincidence was understandable, the second one felt excessively suspicious. Too many excessively fortuitous situations had urred in session, and it could not simply be considered a coincidence.


    Dyrus seemed to consider himself lucky to be alive, but the princess¡¯s expression grew increasingly stiff as she listened to Dyrus speak. Charlotte was a girl who had survived in the cutthroat world of the royal pce and therefore was naturally clever and had good instincts. She had been able to sense the impending danger of her death even in a state of extreme mental and physical fatigue.


    The mystery behind these strange urrences was bound to be revealed.


    The boy with amnesia. The way the teleportation scroll had been found, almost as if I¡¯d known for a fact that it was there. There was plenty of evidence for the circumstances to look suspicious. I didn¡¯t know what conclusion Charlotte was going to reach, but I knew that whatever decision she made would not favor me.


    It was clear that the princess would reach some conclusion soon. I didn¡¯t know what decision she would make, but I couldn¡¯t afford to wait for it.


    I slowed my pace slightly and walked behind Charlotte and Dyrus. Fortunately, Dyrus was walking close to the princess, ready to handle any unforeseen events. That was in my favor.


    Owing the princess a favor and paying off my debt was probably the right thing to do, but that was not possible, as staying close to her for too long would eventually expose my real identity. It was bound to be a short-lived rtionship from the start. If I wanted to get out of this situation, now was the only time to act.


    I walked slowly, quieting my footsteps, and as soon as we passed by an alleyway, I swiftly slipped into it. I couldn¡¯t entangle myself further with the princess, even if someone offered me gold to do so. The princess might have been safe, but I had just stepped into another lion¡¯s den.


    I couldn¡¯t risk going to a ce filled with powerful figures and dignitaries, especially when the spell I was wearing to conceal my identity could be easily undone with a simple dispel.


    It was strange how every decision I had to make in this world was short-term and survival-focused and how my life was constantly hanging by a thread.


    I passed through the alley and hid somewhere the princess and Dyrus wouldn¡¯t be able to find easily. Besides, they were not going toe and look for me right away, as their immediate concern was to return to the pce.


    If this was a game, surviving the Demon King¡¯s castle and then entering the alliance army¡¯s camp was already considered the maximum difficulty I could handle. The Royal Pce was the final boss stage, and I wasn¡¯t going to go through that.


    After walking for a while, I finally found a quiet ce and sat down on a bench.


    ¡°Phew...¡±


    Setting aside everything else, I needed to stop and take a rest.


    ¡°Fuck...¡±


    ¡°Mental breakdown¡± was the only expression that could describe exactly how I felt. How many times had I confronted near-death experiences, and even seemingly caused deaths with my own hands? My sanity had already been pushed to its limits multiple times during my journey.


    I needed a break; a moment to rest and try to process these dreadful experiences.


    And then, also figure out what to do next.


    <i> </i> *


    This was the first real break I had after being pushed into life-and-death situations multiple times in this unfamiliar world. Simply not being chased by anyone provided a sense of relief.


    I was somewhere in the imperial capital city. When I was creating this world, I had designed the imperial capital to be like Seoul in South Korea. As expected, it was unbelievably vast, and was thergest city on the entire continent. A city of this size was notmon in the era of this story, so it made sense that it was the biggest.


    I was sitting on a bench along what appeared to be a quiet walkway. While the city was already well-developed, it was going to thrive even more due to the humans¡¯ victory in the Great War.


    Regardless, I had to force myself to not think about every detail if I wanted to survive in this world. I had to suppress my fear, rationalize the sense of guilt in me, and move forward.


    I had to think about what I had to do, and what I could do now.


    The problem was that I was broke, and didn¡¯t have a single penny on me. I was in a dire state with no money for food and nowhere to stay. But even so, going back to the princess was not an option.


    Finding a job somewhere to earn money was also risky. What if my camouge spell got dispelled while I worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant or something? It was highly unlikely they would pay me in advance, and my identity was probably not clear enough for them to hire me anyway.


    I could understand now why some people resorted to crime. How else would they survive in such situations besides turning to crime? There was literally nowful way to make a living. Were there any orphanages or public childcare facilities around here? Did this ce even have such a thing?


    What kind of crazy maniac would even write about a public childcare facility in their fictional novel? Anyone who would think of doing that was out of their mind.


    <i>¡®Wait... I know I¡¯m crazy, but I actually did write about it!¡¯</i>


    The Empire would initiate a nationwide program to manage the orphaned children that had resulted from the casualties of the Great War. I had mentioned in my story that even in the setting of The Temple, which was the main location for my school-themed narrative, there were quite a few children who had been raised in these public childcare facilities. This was because many in The Temple were the children of those who had perished in the Great War, and among them were key characters.


    However, at the moment, the news of the victory had just been announced, and such arge-scale campaign hadn¡¯t been implemented yet. Even if it were to be implemented, my age meant there was a high chance that I might not qualify for the project.


    I could randomly go to an orphanage or childcare facility to request assistance, but neither being epted nor rejected would alter the fact that this was the city of Gradium. It was likely the princess would eventuallye searching for me, whether for the purpose of rewarding me for saving her or to take action after discovering my true identity.


    And because she was smart, she would soone to the conclusion that I would eventually head toward public childcare facilities.


    So it was possible that I would be able to hold out for a few days if I went to a childcare facility, but the princess would soone looking for me. I might have stood a chance if I were to leave Gradium and go to another city, but I had neither the money nor the courage to do that.


    From the fact that I carried biscuits with me even though I was a demon, it was clear that my body wouldn¡¯t function if I didn¡¯t eat. Besides, I was getting hungry.


    I wished I had added a convenient feature in my character settings, like, ¡°Demons can replenish their nutrition by consuming mana.¡± or something like that!


    [ ¡®Add Feature¡¯ enabled.]


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    [To add the feature ¡®Archdemon species can replenish nutrition by consuming mana,¡¯ it will cost 100,000 achievement points.]


    A message had suddenly appeared in front of me.


    <i>¡®... What is this?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 10

    <h4>Chapter 10</h4>


    It finally came to me that I should figure out what these pop-up messages that showed up asionally were because they were not part of the original novel. Additionally, I had to consider what these achievement points were all about too. It seemed my crappy novel had now merged with an internal game system, making it an even more bizarre chimera.


    Who would read such a ridiculous hybrid genre? Even I, who loved going above and beyond when it came to genres, found it absurd. Anyway, I might have received cheat-level abilities in this new world so I didn¡¯t really care. No matter how terrible my novel became, if it made my life morefortable, that was all that mattered.


    I understood why the ¡°isekai¡± genre became so popr. I couldn¡¯t help but think that if I had written more novels of that genre, then I would be happy right now. Actually, never mind. In a case like mine where you don¡¯t spawn as the main character, it¡¯s nothing but a nightmare.


    It would be absolutely ridiculous to spawn as a side character for some novel and watch the main character who seems to be an ordinary middle school student, but in reality is an amazing martial artist with unique family techniques only known to his n. My blood pressure might spike again just witnessing that nonsense.


    Anyway, that¡¯s that.


    Hoping that my terrible trash of a novel had turned into an isekai cheat story, and wishing that those cheats were mine, I examined the system. Just by thinking about them in my head, the messages appeared in front of my eyes.


    [Congrattions. Based on atonement, punishment, and public evaluation, you now have the authority to make changes to the world of your infamous and unprecedented garbage novel, <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i>.]


    Wow, were they seriously going to straight-up roast my novel like that? I mean, I did think it was a crappy piece of trash as well, but hearing iting from another was seriously depressing.


    [You will asionally experience events that range from minor events to significant major ones. The rewards for most events are in the form of achievement points.]


    There was no convenient settings menu. I didn¡¯t need features like volume control or anything like that, but they could¡¯ve at least given me an interface for all this. It seemed like there wasn¡¯t one as it didn¡¯t appear in front of me even though I was thinking about it.


    [You have the ability to prevent events from happening, or cause events that should not have urred, altering the main story. In such cases, you will asionally receive arger quantity of achievement points than from regr events.]


    [Additionally, you can take on ¡®Challenges.¡¯ You will be rewarded achievement points if you sessfullyplete a challenge.]


    <i>¡®What¡¯s a challenge, though?¡¯</i>


    [A challenge refers to mission objectives. To undertake a challenge, please check the ¡®currently active challenge¡¯ list. The list is updated periodically, and some challenges may not reappear.]


    Looking through the challenge list gave me an idea of what it was all about.


    Here are some of the challenges:


    [Power p the Emperor across the cheek: 10,000 points]


    [Get imprisoned in Gradium Prison: 1,200 points]


    [Break out from prison: 2,000 points]


    [Pickpocket a knight: 100 points]


    [Beg your way into buying a 99©O home: 1,000 points]


    .


    .


    .


    Not a single ordinary option in the list, it seemed.


    ¡°p the emperor¡±? They were basically asking me to exchange my life for points. That would be impossible to even attempt to do. All this feature did was make me feel worse.


    I decided to look through what my other options were for the time being.


    [You can now use your achievement points as a reward for clearing the prologue.]


    [Achievement points are used for the ¡®Revise¡¯ function, a function where you can change the world¡¯s settings such as forcibly bestowing you with talents, and altering events, either by manifesting new events or preventing events that should happen from happening. Furthermore, it can be used to preview the changes that have happened in the story due to your actions having changed the plot. However,rge-scale operations or interference with major characters are either impossible or require a significant number of achievement points.]


    [Please note that tasks that copse the setting of the story will not be performed. If you attempt to add such settings or perform a ¡®Revise¡¯ without recognizing that it will severely affect the setting, you will incur penalties against your achievement points. If your memory is so bad that you¡¯ll trigger a copse of the setting of your own novel, it¡¯s rmended to add the setting ¡®there is a cure for Alzheimer¡¯s in this world¡¯.]


    Was it just me, or did it start out as informative but end with provocation?


    [Please note that you cannot remove added or pre-existing settings.]


    [For example, if the setting ¡®Dragons are immortal¡¯ exists, you cannot add the setting ¡®Dragons die.¡¯]


    [Of course, in your past life, you often broke thisw and added additional settings, saying something like, ¡®Well, dragons were initially immortal, but I added a Dragon yer who can easily kill them now lol,¡¯ or, ¡®I did say that, but too bad, it¡¯s going to be like this now.¡¯ These kinds of excuses or ¡®additional settings¡¯ are considered petty actions and will either require even more achievement points than usual or will not be tolerated at all.]


    Yep, it wasn¡¯t just me. It was provoking me for sure.


    What was up with this system message? It felt like it was doing more than just exining; it was like reading hatements from someone I didn¡¯t like. Why did its exnation carry emotions?


    There was definitely something sinister about it. Considering it mentioned my past life, it must¡¯ve been intentional. And hearing about additional settings felt like a punch to the gut.


    Its criticism genuinely hurt me.


    It¡¯s said that the truth hurts, and I couldn¡¯t agree more.


    Who was writing this? It seemed like it was happening in real-time.


    Was all of this a prank and were they broadcasting me worldwide? Were they trying to teach the viewers a lesson that people who write crappy novels received this kind of punishment or something?


    Well, I guess I wasn¡¯t famous enough that they would even care to broadcast someone like me. They¡¯d just be like, ¡°So who is this guy, anyway?¡±


    [The required amount of achievement points may vary depending on the situation. What could be done for 100 points yesterday might be 200 points the next day, or 50 points, or it might not even be possible at all.]


    I thought the system message would respond to my thought of this being a worldwide broadcast prank, but it didn¡¯t even acknowledge it at all, which was a bit hurtful. Was it saying that it wasn¡¯t even worth considering?


    Afterward, a list of various actions that could be performed with achievement points was presented.


    Upon seeing that list, I felt something peculiar.


    It seemed like... well, it seemed like a cheat in the system, but it was a strangely uncooperative one. I seemed to have gained the ability to interfere with the world of the novel I wrote from the perspective of the author. The functions like ¡°additional settings¡± and ¡°revision¡± suggested that they were trying to tell me to rewrite my poorly written novel and make it more enjoyable.


    But here¡¯s the thing.


    Earlier, they said it would cost 100,000 points just to add a setting about the demon race.


    And right now, I was receiving a punishment rather than a reward.


    The way things had unfolded so far, it didn¡¯t seem like adding that setting would help me significantly. In the first ce, the fact that I¡¯d been reborn as the Demon King¡¯s son seemed toe with a heavy dose of malicious intent. It might be important someday, but at the moment, I only had 1,100 achievement points to work with.


    What could I do with that?


    [For example, you can create a situation like this: ¡®The owner of the bakery gives you a piece of bread, feeling sorry to see a poor beggar like you.¡¯ You can manifest an event that wouldn¡¯t have urred originally, and it would solve your hunger.


    It is important to note that manifesting such an event through a less kind-hearted individual will require more achievement points than manifesting it through a kind-hearted bakery owner. This means that viting thew of probability will require a significant amount of achievement points.


    You are well aware of thew of probability, aren¡¯t you? You know, the one you often messed up and then would try to justify itter on without sess, causing your mental state to deteriorate. It was the main reason for you stopping a series and running away.]


    Calling me a poor beggar and talking about screwing up thew of probability. That was a bit harsh, wasn¡¯t it? Thenguage in these messages was quite ruthless. Perhaps one of my haters who was affected by the frequent discontinuation of my novels was writing these system messages.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a god or a person who was watching over me and writing these messages, but I was sure that they hated me.


    And why were there so many constraints? I mean, interfering with major characters might not be a good idea¡ªnot that I would¡ªbut attempting something significant, like causing someone to die in an ident, would undoubtedly require an enormous number of points or be impossible.


    But wait a minute.


    If I umted enough achievement points, could I do <i>that</i>? You know, split someone in half or something?


    If that was the case, I may have actually received an enormous cheat in the system.


    Achievement points essentially served as a means to use the Revise function and add new settings to the grand scale of the narrative. Ultimately, it all boiled down to staying within those two frameworks. It could be thought of as a feature that allowed you to rewrite the novel, within certain boundaries.


    However, with a mere 1,100 achievement points at my disposal, I was uncertain if it could truly salvage my current situation. As I contemted the various functions that could be unlocked through achievement points, I stumbled upon an unusual ability.


    [Function - The Scribe¡¯s Advice]


    What¡¯s this? Was someone going to help me?


    [At times, when you¡¯re at a crossroads, unsure of what action to take, or feeling lost, The Scribe¡¯s Advice abilityes into y. It provides you with advice from The Scribe on what action you should take at the moment.]


    [This feature is avable at a low cost, but the advice is generally shrouded in uncertainty.]


    [The Scribe¡¯s guidance may sometimes set traps, and taking the suggested action may lead to unfavorable consequences. It¡¯smon for both good and bad results to manifest when following such advice from The Scribe.]


    [The Scribe¡¯s Advice is divided into ¡®Clear Advice¡¯ and ¡®Ambiguous Advice.¡¯ ¡®Clear Advice¡¯ offers straightforward actions but oftenes with a higher probability of bad oues. On the other hand, ¡®Ambiguous Advice¡¯ is challenging to interpret but often leads toward favorable results.]


    [I wish you the worst of luck, moron.]


    Ah, it wasn¡¯t even pretending to be a system message anymore.


    Just reading the exnatory system message alone was disheartening.


    ***


    Even with my current achievement points, there were many things I could attempt. I could create an incident at a grocery store run by a kind individual and get a meal, for example. But that would be a temporary solution. Perhaps I could provoke a situation where a generous wealthy household took me in, but who knows how many points that would require? And how would I even find such a generous household in the first ce?


    And what was with that system message pop-up? Why did it dislike me so much?


    You could have told me that this was a gathering of people who despised me, and I would have easily believed it.


    While contemting various possibilities, it boiled down to the fact that the only option I could test out immediately was The Scribe¡¯s Advice.


    It was possibly a trap, but for now, the cost was low so it was worth a try.


    [The Scribe¡¯s Advice - 150 Points]


    The system message said that the cost of achievement points would vary from time to time. So who knew if they would suddenly inte the cost to thousands of points in the near future? Ultimately, it was up to me whether or not to listen to the advice and act on it, so I had nothing to lose.


    [Clear Advice]


    [Ambiguous Advice]


    The choices were divided. Clear advice was easy to understand but had a high probability of being a trap, and ambiguous advice was the opposite. Moreover, most advice could likely lead to both good and bad consequences.


    Things couldn¡¯t get worse than the current situation I was in, with no food and nowhere to stay. Well, they could get worse, but that would involve risking my life.


    In an attempt to increase my chances even slightly, I chose [Ambiguous Advice].


    [The Scribe¡¯s Ambiguous Advice]


    [How were so many humans kidnapped and held captive at the Demon King''s Castle?]


    What was this?


    What¡¯s going on?


    It wasn¡¯t even ambiguous; it waspletely unrted.


    Why suddenly throw a riddle at me? I didn¡¯t expect anything even slightly detailed like ¡°Go here¡± or ¡°Go there,¡± but I at least expected <i>some</i> kind of instruction.


    The sudden riddle caught me off guard and left me speechless.


    Hostages in the Demon King¡¯s castle; what <i>about</i> them? What was I supposed to do with that? They were simply kidnapped; that¡¯s it.


    At least I was assured that it wasn¡¯t a trap, so that was good. If someone had set up a trap in this sort of riddle, they ought to be ridiculously stupid.


    ¡°<i>Sigh.</i>...¡±


    I sighed deeply, and a man passing by gave me a strange look as if it was weird for someone so young like me to sigh like that.


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t know how I feel!¡¯</i>


    Would knowing how the people were kidnapped improve my situation? They were just kidnapped; there was nothing more to it. I knew it would be vague advice, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be <i>that </i>vague.


    I should have gone with the clear advice instead.


    ¡°... Oh?¡±


    Hold on, that¡¯s right. I could just use it again!


    [The Scribe¡¯s Advice - 150 Points]


    There were no signs saying I couldn¡¯t use it more than once, and the price also remained the same.


    What was this? I wasn¡¯t the type to enjoy this kind of mobile gacha-style gamble, but here I was doing it inside an isekai. One difference was that my situation was not about using points to get a thousand crystals or something, but I was gambling with my life instead.


    This time, I chose [Clear Advice].


    [The Scribe¡¯s Clear Advice]


    [Go to a magic item shop]


    Finally, some actual advice that gave me direction.

 Chapter 11

    <h4>Chapter 11</h4>


    <i>Go to a magical items store.</i>


    It was a clear and straightforward message, and I immediately understood what kind of advice it was.


    Among the many problems I had, the most crucial one was money.


    As soon as I heard the words ¡°magical items store,¡± I could only interpret it one way.


    Fortunately, I still had the scroll book in my possession. Selling the scrolls at the magic item shop would undoubtedly get me some money because scrolls were rtively valuable items.


    I understood the advice to mean to sell them to secure some quick cash and, above all, to take care of the elephant in the room. However, I couldn¡¯t afford to be too rxed. The Scribe¡¯s advice usually involved both good and bad things happening simultaneously.


    So, the advice was to sell the scrolls for money. The bad thing was undoubtedly the possibility that I would be selling the scrolls at a far lower price, since I didn¡¯t know the market price of the magic scrolls.


    However, I distinctly remembered what Dyrus had said.


    ¡ª¡°<i>Wow, even the low-level scrolls are worth more than my monthly sry. The Demon King¡¯s castle sure is something else.</i>¡±


    The monthly sry of a lieutenant in the royal army cavalry.


    The value of a single low-level scroll was either higher or just a bit lower than that.


    I wondered how much a cavalry Lieutenant¡¯s sry was. That would give me a sense of how expensive the scrolls were.


    The so-called ¡°medieval fantasy trope¡± came to my mind.


    In such situations, the descriptions always included how a single gold coin could sustain a family of four.


    And it also described how much an average person with a regr job earned in a month.


    Naturally, I used such references in my novel as well.


    In the novel I had written, one gold coin covered a family of four¡¯s monthly living expenses, and an average worker earned about two gold coins a month.


    So naturally, I thought of one gold coin to equal about one million won.


    It¡¯s convenient to have a precise conversion like this when I write my novels.


    You may be wondering, ¡°How can a family of four live for a month on one million won? Don¡¯t they eat out at restaurants? Our monthly food expenses are about four million won! One million is ridiculous!¡±


    And to that, I say, ¡°It is what it is. They¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡±


    After all, in the so-called ¡°medieval fantasy trope,¡± the characters only need to spend on food, and don¡¯t have other living expenses! And in this world, there¡¯s no health insurance, or phone bills that need to be paid!


    Those who obsessed over historical uracy were missing the point.


    Some things could only be seen if you emptied your mind and looked at it.


    Medieval fantasy trope. A spectacr genre where magic, knights, and magic-like science contributed to the development of the society¡¯s infrastructure. I was a person who felt pity for those who couldn¡¯t enjoy such a remarkable genre and had to criticize every small detail.


    The main point of medieval fantasy wasn¡¯t the medieval part; it was the fantasy part!


    It wasn¡¯t <i>medieval</i> fantasy, it was medieval <i>fantasy</i>!


    Most of it had nothing to do with the medieval period anyway! It was just there for the sake of it!


    Anyway, that¡¯s the kind of setting in a medieval fantasy.


    I had created this world with that kind of simple and shallow thinking, but now that I was here, I found a fantastical world that had nothing to do with the Middle Ages!


    Well... it was fantastical in a different sense.


    I decided to sell some scrolls for now and make it through the day.


    I¡¯m not a wizard, nor a knight. I was just a fallen Demonic prince. I had the ability to control demons but I was in the imperial capital Gradium, where not one demon was to be found.


    ¡°Excuse me, can I ask you some directions?¡± I asked a passerby.


    ¡°Huh? Directions?¡±


    I was addressing the most important question to a passerby who seemed bewildered by my unusual way of speaking.


    ¡°Oh! Are you lost?¡±


    <i>Oh,e on.</i>


    ***


    The primary customers of the magic item shop were adventurers and wizards. Of course, this wasn¡¯t exactly an adventure story, so I never properly described what kind of people adventurers were. They existed, but I¡¯ve never really thought about it.


    ...Come to think of it, I wondered how adventurers made a living in this world. Did they earn gold by taking on monster-ying missions through an adventurers¡¯ guild or something? Do such guilds even exist here?


    Adventurers existed, but I never established how they made their living.


    It was quite odd when I thought about it in detail.


    When I thought about adventurers earning money in my head, the only things that came to mind were dungeon exploration and monster hunting.


    But if that¡¯s how adventurers made money, that was a problem, too.


    Why would individual entrepreneurs like adventurers engage in monster hunting when there was a regr army that took care of them? If a country had a system for outsourcing major security issues like monsterirs and attacks to individual adventurers, then why did that country even exist? Why did people pay taxes?


    Certainly, it was the hero, Artorius, who killed the Demon King; but are you saying that an army that was strong enough to defeat the demons and their allied countries would rely on adventurers and their guilds to solve monster-rted issues? What did the soldiers do on their regr days?


    In that case, if the regr army took care of the monster hunting and there were no requests for adventurers and their guilds, what exactly did adventurers do for a living? Furthermore, wouldn¡¯t it be highly unusual if there were dungeons filled with rare magical items scattered all over the world, and none of the nations tried to collect them? Why wouldn¡¯t they nationalize dungeons, restrict adventurers from entering, and monopolize it?


    Wasn¡¯t the very existence of adventurers a setting error in this world?


    ¡°...¡±


    I started to be concerned about the authenticity and details of this world. I really did.


    I got serious about the little things I would normally just let go of because this was the world I had to live in.


    I decided not to think about it right then. It wasn¡¯t like there were any adventurers rushing toward me, begging for a single coin. If adventurers had nothing to do, they¡¯d probably turn to banditry or something.


    There was only one thing I cared about¡ªthat I didn¡¯t get ripped off at the magic item shop. I had to get at least one gold per scroll. I was willing to haggle a bit, as I wasn¡¯t expecting to sell them at the regr price. However, I wasn¡¯t going to sell it to them if they started bbering about defects or nonsense to rip me off.


    I was nning to take the money and go grab a meal somewhere. I was hungry.


    And I needed to find an inn or somewhere to collect my thoughts.


    Whether or not it resulted in a good oue, The Scribe¡¯s Advice had a positive side to it, since it provided straightforward instructions that helped me decide what to do.


    If the advice was always good, I¡¯d just follow it blindly and live an easy life.


    Ah, so that¡¯s why they included traps. So that I don¡¯t get off the hook easily, and they can watch me suffer in one way or another.


    ***


    Since the primary setting of the story was the imperial capital, I had to describe Gradium in quite some detail. Well, not down to how every single brick looked like, but still, it was rtively specific.


    However, meticulously setting up a virtual space could be quite a hassle. It was not only challenging, but also had a high chance of turning into a huge headache, and if you didn¡¯t set it up properly, you¡¯d get confusedter on.


    The imperial capital city of Gradium was meant to be simr to South Korea¡¯s Seoul.


    Perhaps more than just simr.


    Alright, to be honest, it was literally the same as Seoul. I just gave it a different name.


    My description of the imperial capital Gradium was something like this:


    ¡°<i>A main river flows through the imperial capital of Gradium. This vast waterway divides the city into the northern region, where the royal pce is located, and the southern region, where the temple stands.</i>¡±


    Are you starting to get where I referenced this from?


    Yes, it was just like Gangnam and Gangbuk in South Korea.


    <i>¡°In the northern central part of the imperial capital of Gradium, you can find the Royal Pce.¡±</i>


    Basically, whenparing it to South Korea, it was like saying that there was a pce in Jongno. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as small as Gyeongbokgung, but you could say that the entire Jongno district was like the royal pce.


    <i>¡°In the southern Eredian district, a vast educational facility and a cradle of numerous talents, the Temple, coexists with Gradium¡¯sndmarks.¡±</i>


    It was like saying there¡¯s a temple in Gwanak district.


    So, the Eredian district was the same as Gwanak district.


    I constructed the space called Gradium simply by renaming Seoul, with each district in Seoul given names that sounded somewhat medieval.


    Actual sentence:


    [The protagonist and his group raced from the Gehena district to the Eredian district at full speed. The effects of their physical training had finally paid off.]


    How I pictured it:


    "<i>The protagonist and his group sprinted from Dongjak district to Gwanak district.</i>"


    That was roughly the idea. It wasn¡¯t like I was going to create a map of this world and show it to others, so all I needed to do was insert a mental map of a ce I was familiar with and roughly change the names. It worked well and was so convenient.


    Creating a detailed map of a fictional world was unnecessary because readers weren¡¯t interested in such details. I realized that when I received ament like, ¡°I¡¯m not curious about any of this. Stop adding useless details!¡± around ninth grade, back when I didn¡¯t know any of this.


    Anyway, an imaginary world map was for the author, not the readers. Gradium being Seoul was entirely for my convenience.


    There¡¯s the Temple in Gwanak district and a pce in Jongno.


    The ce I teleported to was currently Aligar district, butter it will be renamed Artorius district, in honor of the hero. They would even erect a big statue of himter on.


    Presently, Aligar district, andter Artorius district.


    Where was this on the map? It was the equivalent of Yongsan.


    Of course, it was organized that way in terms of the terrain andyout, but the actual buildings weren¡¯t simr at all, so it was a new environment to me regardless.


    So, pretending that I had arrived in Yongsan, I headed towards the direction of Yongsan Electronics Market, where I supposed the shopping district sector would be located.


    Even though it was a virtualnd, this area seemed to have the characteristics of Yongsan.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all these crappy scrolls? Hey, where did you pick up stuff like this?¡±


    Great. Right from the first shop, I encountered a typical Yongsan-style salesman, ready to rip me off.


    ***


    The firstment from that dishonest salesman clearly indicated to me that I had no business being in that shop, so I headed back onto the street. I could hear him muttering something as I left, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Every building around here was a shop. Numerous people wereing and going, examining goods. Were all of these people adventurers?


    Was being an adventurer even a viable profession to make a living? Were there any ie-generating ventures I didn¡¯t know about? There must have been something, given how numerous they were.


    It felt like someone had strangely supplemented the settings I¡¯d messed up in my writing.


    Sounds of haggling and bargaining echoed from all around.


    ¡°Oh, young adventurer! Just give it a try! If you try it, I¡¯ll give it to you for half price. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Come on, so you¡¯ve examined the item to your heart¡¯s content but you won¡¯t buy it? Geez, you¡¯re really making fun of us store owners. Hey,e here for a moment. Oh, you don¡¯t want to? No,e here for a moment. No, hey! Let¡¯s talk for a moment. Who said I was going to hurt you? Huh? I just want to speak with you privately. Are you trying to make me look bad right now? Do you know what defamation is? Are you trying to make me look like the bad guy?!¡±


    ¡°Refund? Who is this guy? Why don¡¯t you just take a dump in your underwear and ask for a refund for that? Why are there losers like this? Get lost!¡±


    ¡°Hey, oppa, look, it¡¯s got a scratch on it! How am I supposed to sell this? I¡¯ll give you two for the price of one, just take it! Even at this price, I¡¯ll be in the red! You won¡¯t buy it? You won¡¯t? Should I call security? Huh? Do you think you¡¯re right? Can you guarantee that? Where are you from? Argand? Do you know who Rand <i>oppa</i> is? Never heard of him? Ha. Why do I have to deal with someone who doesn¡¯t even know¡ªhey, fine. I¡¯ll be nice and just let you take it.¡°


    .


    .


    .


    What?


    What was going on?


    Why did it actually feel like Yongsan?


    The medieval version of Yongsan unfolded before my eyes.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you, they¡¯re the same price elsewhere, too!¡±


    The ones trying to take advantage.


    ¡°Um, I, uh... I¡¯lle backter then...¡±


    The ones rebelling to avoid being taken advantage of.


    ¡ªHey, don¡¯t make eye contact. Just don¡¯t look at any of them. There are crazy store owners who will open an item and me it on you even if you didn¡¯t touch it.


    ¡ªThey¡¯re all retired adventurers, so they can fight really well as well. If you argue, you¡¯ll end up with a broken arm or leg.


    Even those who hade knowing exactly what this ce was like.


    The ce I had imagined to be like Yongsan, had literally turned into Yongsan right before my eyes.


    And I, a 17-year-old boy, hade to a ce that was more of a living hell than the Demon Realm to sell magic scrolls.


    "<i>Yongsan.</i>"


    That one word made it feel like the task I hade here to do was impossible.

 Chapter 12

    <h4>Chapter 12</h4>


    I only found outter on that Aligard district¡¯s shopping street had a notorious reputation among adventurers. The shop owners were known for pushing their products almost to the point of coercion, offering no refunds, and they were unscrupulous merchants who marked up prices from several times to tens of times the regr price.


    Despite all that, it was thergest shopping district in the imperial capital and often the only ce where adventurers could find most of the items they needed. It was highly infamous, but it was a ce you couldn¡¯t avoid.


    <i>¡®What the¡ª? This ce is just like the old Yongsan Electronics Market. It¡¯s just a fantasy version of Yongsan.¡¯</i>


    Newbie adventurers were often more afraid of this ce than the dungeons. Many who came here looking for supplies ended up getting swindled so badly that they had to give up on being adventurers, leading to strange cases where they ended up with less money than they started with. They were just victims who had gone from being high schoolers getting their allowance money taken to novice adventurers.


    <i>¡®Is this what PTSD feels like?¡¯</i>


    I had a shback to my old high school days when I was bullied and had my lunch money taken away, and immediately I felt drained.


    <i>¡®Hey, you, the guy who ripped me off by forcing me to buy your stupid MP3 yer, do you remember me? Well, I hope you do because you traumatized me, and so I wish that you¡¯re living your best life, at least.¡¯</i>


    I had to stay calm.


    I had to find a normal magical items store among all these crooked salesmen to sell my scrolls.


    What had at first seemed like an easy task was now bordering on the impossible. It feltpletely unachievable. Just the fact that this ce was Yongsan was enough to make me feel that way.


    There were numerous shops like weapon stores, armor shops, and tool stores, but I was looking for the magical items store. Magical items stores were, in essence, ces where heaps of money were exchanged.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Stop fiddling around and get out of here.¡±


    Most of the shops wouldn¡¯t even let me in, perhaps because the store owners thought I might cast a scroll by identally fiddling with it. I definitely didn¡¯t look the part of an adventurer, so that didn¡¯t help either.


    Now that I thought about it, the owner of the first shop that actually allowed me to enter was actually a nice person.


    Although the reaction of most store owners was less than weing, and most found it somewhat odd for me to enter, some shops did allow me in.


    The merchant, upon seeing the scroll I unfolded to sell, furrowed their brows and said, ¡°...What¡¯s this? You want to sell this for money? You look like a kid, so don¡¯t try to pull a fast one. Well, maybe I can give you two coppers for it.¡±


    <i>¡®What? Are these sellers teaming up to rip people off like this? I thought they would at least give me one gold coin, but it seems they have no conscience whatsoever.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t bother responding and just took my scroll and left. These swindlers were not worth engaging with.


    However, I got a simr response from the next shop.


    ¡°Heh, what¡¯s this? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone trying to pull off a scam like this in my life. Get lost!¡±


    Some people even chased me away, looking at my scrolls as if they were a dreadful omen.


    After experiencing rejection three times, I could sense that something was going on.


    They thought I was a scammer?


    The next few shops were no different; they told me to leave with bizarre ims.


    ¡°What do you take the merchants on this street for? Do you think there are people who will fall for your scrolls?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Rather than using your drawing skills to pursue such strange activities, why not just learn to draw properly, kid?¡±


    While I received some responses that were somewhat polite, the message still remained the same: ¡°Get lost.¡±


    They seemed to view me as a crazy person trying to scam them with fake scrolls. Something peculiar was happening, something that went against all the predictions I made using the Scribe¡¯s Advice.


    Did they think my offered scroll was fake just because I looked young? Did they think the scroll was a mere replica that was simr only in appearance?


    I could demonstrate that they were real magic scrolls, but it would mean using up one scroll. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose my capital in such a way. Besides, even if I proved to them that the scrolls were real, they would not be willing to buy them anyway.


    The next ce I visited was even more challenging.


    ¡°Oo... what do we have here?¡±


    The shopkeeper examined the scroll I handed over and his eyes lit up. I wondered if he might be the first one who could recognize its value without prejudice.


    To be honest, I was getting tired and wouldn¡¯t have minded selling it for a reasonable price, even if it meant I had to sell it at a substantial discount.


    However, the man suddenly rummaged through something and pulled out another scroll.


    ¡°Hey, try drawing this one as well. Just like the one you brought.¡±


    He <i>had</i> recognized some kind of value.


    ¡°It¡¯s five silver coins per piece if you copy it exactly. How does that sound?¡±


    The problem was, he¡¯d found value in <i>me </i>and not the scroll. He appeared to have a big misunderstanding, and was intending to mass-produce fake scrolls through my drawing skills and sell them for a profit. The shopkeeper¡¯s demonic scheme was so evil that it sent shivers down my spine.


    Even though the shopkeeper imed he had no interest, he continued to negotiate with me and raised the price, eventually offering a substantial one gold per drawing.


    This was getting ridiculous.


    ¡°Ah,e on! Fine, let¡¯s make it a deal. We¡¯ll split the profit! Okay? You¡¯ll be able to earn a lot of money. Ugh... You young folks are already so greedy.¡±


    I was tempted to give in for such a high share, but I couldn¡¯t because it wasn¡¯t my drawing! The way this guy was trying to exploit a talent that I didn¡¯t even possess was simply mind-boggling.


    If one¡¯s audacity reached this point, it was only appropriate to seek retribution.


    A scroll was supposed to be used in emergencies, so if it was just a fake drawing, the person who possessed it might end up dead in a desperate situation!


    ying games with people¡¯s lives? This guy was the definition of evil.


    Atst, I let out a sigh and nodded.


    ¡°Okay. So you want me to draw something exactly the same as this by tomorrow, right?¡± I asked.


    The intricate geometrical shapes were quite a challenge to reproduce on the spot.


    ¡°Oh, oh! Yes! Yes! By tomorrow, you say?¡±


    ¡°It might take me all night, but I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Great! That¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll pay you as soon as you bring it to me. We¡¯ll even split the profit fifty-fifty! You know, that¡¯s how we do business, right, pal?¡±


    He was definitely a person who would say that it hadn¡¯t been sold even if it actually had been and keep all the profit to himself.


    I left the shop, carrying the scroll the merchant had given me.


    ¡ªLooks like you¡¯ve found a way to make some big money, kid!


    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the voice behind me.


    What was it about him? Couldn¡¯t he use all that greed and energy toward thinking of a wholesome way to make money? Did his greed blind him so much that he could only see what was right in front of him?


    Anyway, I got a Fireball scroll for free.


    ***


    Aftering to the shopping street with the intent to sell scrolls, I¡¯d unexpectedly acquired one. The fireball spell, which was treated as a basic spell in other novels, was a rather potent offensive spell in this world.


    Why would a fireball causing massive explosions right in front of your eyes even be a basic spell? I was known for not caring about historical uracy, but I did have some stubbornness when it came to my novels.


    The Fireball scroll was bothering me. Frankly, I never really gave this aspect much thought.


    Were you allowed to just carry a fireball scroll around like this? Shouldn¡¯t it be legally restricted? It was like selling rocketunchers on the street.


    This was the fantasy version of an overpowered magic wand, wasn¡¯t it?


    Medieval fantasy would be a dreand for terrorists.


    I never thought about it while I¡¯d been writing the novel because there didn¡¯t seem to be much concern or need for regtions on buying and selling scrolls, or when it came to using scrolls.


    However, now that I was inside it, it all seemed too sloppy.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t create the Gradias Empire¡¯s legal system when I described the Gradias Empire. But there must be an extensive body ofws somewhere out there.


    This was risky...


    It seemed like people perceived my scroll as a fake.


    Perhaps it was because an inexperienced youngster was carrying it around, thinking that it would never be taken seriously. Or maybe there was some other reason.


    Once again, I found myself aimlessly wandering through the bustling streets of vendors, searching for another magical items store, partly wanting to confirm if there was actually an issue with my scrolls.


    ¡°Um... a customer I suppose?¡±


    At another scroll shop, the store owner lifted her head groggily from a table. She seemed like she¡¯d just woken up from a nap and didn¡¯t seem particrly enthusiastic about doing business at all.


    ¡°I came to sell magic scrolls.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re selling scrolls? You?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I presented the fireball scroll to her. She unfolded the scroll, scanned it with her eyes, and then squinted and hit me on the head.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°Ouch! Why¡¯d you hit me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for a kid like you to carry something like this around.¡±


    She seemed unimpressed and shook her head as if she couldn¡¯t stand it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t usually buy these, but if you insist on carrying it around, I¡¯ll buy it off you just so you can¡¯t carry it around anymore.¡±


    With that somewhat begrudging statement, it was clear she had a typical street vendor¡¯s attitude, ready to rip me off.


    ¡°Four gold. Even if you say you¡¯ve changed your mind, it¡¯s no use now. I can¡¯t give this back to you.¡±


    I¡¯d ended up with a muchrger sum than I had initially anticipated.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask where you got it, but if you¡¯re caught with something like this again, you¡¯ll be in trouble. Got it? I remember your face, kid.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the typical street vendor trying to profit obscenely off a sale; rather, it was a vendor who forcefully bought things from customers.


    It was time for me to change the innerbel for this person in front of me. It instantly went from ¡°rotten street vendor¡± to ¡°kind and beautiful shopkeeper.¡±


    In reality, she was incredibly attractive.


    The shopkeeper let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Ah, young people. They don¡¯t know how dangerous magic can be.¡±


    It seemed she had genuinely bought the scroll from me due to the apparent danger of it.


    In any case, all that was important was that I now had some money.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I bowed my head in gratitude and attempted to leave the shop. With this newfound wealth, I could afford to buy something to eat, and I had to be cautious not to lose or have it stolen.


    My mind was a jumble of thoughts.


    The shopkeeper called out to me. ¡°Just a moment. You,e here.¡±


    She motioned for me toe over in a rathernguid fashion. Despite her gesture, though, she stood up from the counter and walked over to me.


    ¡°Why are you carrying a scroll book with you? Show me all of it.¡±


    It seemed like something had gone wrong.


    ¡°Uh, well...¡±


    She seemed to be contemting taking away all my dangerous scrolls.


    After dragging me to a chair, she confiscated my scroll book.


    ¡°Seems like you picked up something someone dropped, huh? And you have no intention of returning it to its rightful owner; in fact, you¡¯re thinking of selling it. You naughty kid. You need a good scolding.¡±


    She clicked her tongue as if disappointed in the state of the younger generation.


    She appeared convinced that I couldn¡¯t have acquired this myself. Frankly, I would have thought the same.


    She took out a scroll and examined it, then frowned in confusion.


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    Seemingly bewildered, she went over to the counter and unfurled the scroll I had sold her, the fireball scroll.


    ¡°...This one is genuine.¡±


    Only then did I have a hunch that there was a definite reason behind the countless merchants treating me like a swindler.


    The shopkeeper slowly unfolded each of my scrolls and gradually fell silent.


    Then the woman, who was sitting beside me, put her arm around my shoulder in a kindly fashion.


    ¡°Dear?¡±


    Well, I might have be a bit younger, but I wasn¡¯t quite in the ¡°dear¡± category.


    Her voice was exceptionally gentle.


    ¡°...Yes, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°I need you to be honest with me.¡±


    Her tone held a probing intensity, as if she were delving into my very soul.


    ¡°Where did you get all these scrolls?¡±


    ¡°Um... Well...¡±


    ¡°These are magical spells used by Demons. So why on earth do you possess them?¡±


    Scribe¡¯s Advice usually brought both good and bad results.


    I clearly understood what that meant now.

 Chapter 13

    <h4>Chapter 13</h4>


    Magic existed in this world.


    I¡¯d established that much, but naturally, the ¡°how¡± was something I didn¡¯t know. Deciding how magic worked and manifested was not my responsibility.


    How magic manifested, the systematic schema for magic, and what mana was; I didn¡¯t know any of that.


    Even if I bothered to write in such details, I don¡¯t think anyone would care to read a fantasy novel filled with that kind of filler information.


    Exining how magic worked in detail would be just like the guys writing novels that babbled on and on about the ck me Dragon that possessed the main character¡¯s right hand¡ªno one really cared about that. All that did was make the novel over-adhere to the setting.


    Magic was something you were supposed to just ept, and move on. In martial arts novels, readers naturally figured out the principles of various martial styles even without anyone exining it to them. It was practically the same with every other novel, and mine was no different.


    In conclusion, the system that I glossed over while writing the novel had its own principles and methods.


    The magic system of demons and humans was fundamentally different. They both implemented the same magic, but in a different way. It was like having two different methods of transportation on the same railroad track; one utilizing steam lotives and the other electric trains, if you will.


    That was why teleportation scrolls imbued with demon magic could perform long-distance teleports, but the same feat was impossible with scrolls that contained human magic.


    Distinguishing between human and demon magical systems just by looking at the magic an object contained was beyond my capabilities. It was a mistake to have made assumptions about it.


    Other merchants either didn¡¯t know about demon magic or weren¡¯t magic-users themselves, so they had no idea what my scrolls were and had thought them worthless.


    But this woman, who appeared to be both a scroll merchant and a mage, had seen through it. She somehow knew that my scroll was perfectly functional.


    ¡°Speak up, boy,¡± she said.


    I couldn¡¯t predict what this woman was going to do to me.


    Couldn¡¯t I use my achievement points to get out of this situation?


    ¡®<i>Make this woman indifferent to my scroll book.</i>¡¯


    [To trigger this event, you need 3,000 achievement points.]


    As expected, it required more points than I had, which made sense. Making someone think that a demon scroll book that was found in the heart of Gradium wasn¡¯t an important item was unreasonable, and went strongly against the natural flow of the novel.


    In the end, I had no choice but to speak up.


    ¡°I found it... at th-the... D-Dem... at the Demon King¡¯s... castle...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I had to tell her the truth.


    ¡°I found it at the Demon King¡¯s castle...¡±


    The woman¡¯s brow furrowed at my words.


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about? You brought a scroll book out from the Demon King¡¯s castle?¡±


    She narrowed her gaze as if questioning the nonsensical statement I had just made, but at the same time, it seemed like she couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss the idea, as the scroll was indeed in front of her.


    I exined the whole situation to her, everything from being imprisoned in the Demon King¡¯s castle with the princess to my escape, and the use of the teleport scroll to get here. I told her I arrived in Gradium alone with nothing else on me, and needed to sell the scroll book to earn money for a ce to stay.


    I went as far as to im that I had lost my memory and didn¡¯t even know who I was.


    ¡°What in the world... that is unbelievable... You expect me to believe that? The princess was rescued?¡±


    The woman seemed utterly puzzled, her forehead wrinkling as if she couldn¡¯t believe my story. She looked into my eyes and let out a sigh.


    ¡°You must be lying. If you really rescued the princess, you would have received some form of recognition¡ªnobility, or something. So why are you alone?¡±


    Her question was very reasonable. The reward for saving the princess would have been beyond imagination, so refusing it and wandering around alone made no sense.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the one who¡¯d ¡°rescued¡± her in the first ce.


    Nheless, I was a master of ¡°additional settings,¡± in other words, the art of making excuses. I could turn things around and y word games to avoid setting errors like this if I had to.


    That¡¯s right, I was a specialist in making excuses in this world!


    ¡°Well... when I escaped, many of Duke Salerion¡¯s knights died. I might receive a reward for saving the princess, but Prince Vertus¡¯s faction may seek revenge, so...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see... retaliation... yes... that makes sense... even the princess might find it difficult to protect you in that situation, I see...¡±


    I¡¯d prepared this excuse just in case the princess found me and I got caught, but I had just used it in apletely unexpected ce instead. While the reward from the princess would have been nice, it was certainly not more precious than my life.


    Even though it was just an excuse, it wasn¡¯tpletely fabricated, and was something that could actually happen to Dyrus. I hoped that Dyrus was safe and did not face retaliation.


    The woman stared at me, seemingly satisfied that all her questions had been answered.


    ¡°The details are too intricate to be made up...¡±


    She had to believe my incredible story because there was no other way to exin the incredible item I possessed.


    She let out a sigh.


    ¡°So, the Demon King... he¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A strange glint passed through her eyes as soon as I responded. It was an inexplicable expression, a mixture of joy and sorrow, bordering on relief.


    She remained silent for a while, then offered me a sympathetic expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that it all turned out well. I can¡¯t imagine how much the young princess suffered... and you as well.¡±


    She patted my back as if tofort me.


    Well, I was never actually tortured or anything.


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t remember anything... so it¡¯s okay.¡±


    I decided to keep it vague.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. In fact, it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t remember those painful events,¡± she continued to console me.


    <i>¡®Wow, why is this person so kind? Regardless, I¡¯m getting hungry and a bit ufortable. Can I leave now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wait a moment, kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Many people experience memory issues after undergoing severe torture. But you, you were trapped in the terrifying ce known as the Demon King¡¯s castle, right?¡±


    Well, technically, the Demon King¡¯s castle was my home and safe haven. Unfortunately, the humans had barged in and killed everyone.


    ¡°You might be suffering from a curse, so let me...¡±


    She looked at me, her eyes filled with warmth.


    ¡°Let me perform a simple dispelling. If your memory loss is due to a curse, your memories might return. However, it¡¯s not a powerful curse-removing spell, so we¡¯ll have to see...¡±


    We made eye contact.


    ¡°Wait, wait! Please!¡±


    ¡°Dispel.¡±


    The spell was cast.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Her expression was one ofplete bewilderment, as if she couldn¡¯t fathom what was happening. She probably understood what my horns and my skin tone, which was slightly different from a human¡¯s, meant, but she just couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±


    The Scribe¡¯s Advice. From now on, I¡¯d probably call it ¡°The Asshole¡¯s Advice.¡±


    However, what came out of her mouthpletely turned my thoughts upside down.


    ¡°Y-your Highness... My Prince... Is that you?¡±


    ***


    Your Highness.


    I was well aware that it was a titlemonly used to address a prince. But why was I getting recognized by someone in such an unexpected ce?


    Of course, I understood what she meant, it was just hard to believe.


    The shopkeeper immediately knelt in front of me.


    ¡°I, Eleris from the Infiltration Unit under the Demon King¡¯smand, greet Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh...¡±


    Was this a good thing? Well, it had to be, right? My head was spinning with thoughts as my mind tried to interpret this situation and figure out what I was supposed to do with the woman in front of me, who certainly seemed to be a demon.


    At least it didn¡¯t seem like a dangerous situation, so that was good.


    ¡°For now, I think you shoulde with me instead of staying out here in the open like this,¡± she said.


    Her gaze flickered between me and the shop¡¯s entrance as she led me to the back of the store and into a storage room. This way, I wouldn¡¯t immediately get caught if a customer came in.


    She then cast another spell, this time on herself, and her appearance changed subtly as well.


    ¡°Your Highness, can¡¯t you recognize me?¡±


    Sharp fangs peeked out between her crimson lips. Crimson eyes, pale skin.


    I had a rough idea of what this might be.


    ¡°A vampire...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am Eleris of the mes, from the Seven Nights n.¡±


    Seven Nights n? What was with these cringy settings that sounded like something out of a middle school fiction novel? I never wrote about any of these!


    Anyway, she seemed genuinely concerned about me. I looked at her, silent and bewildered, and she cautiously ced her hand on my cheek.


    ¡°So, could it be... you¡¯ve truly lost your memories?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well... I, I don¡¯t remember a single thing and can¡¯t recall anything except for the fact that I was a prince in the Demon Realm.¡±


    I had no choice but to speak the truth. It seemed a hundred times better than trying to act as if I remembered clearly what had happened to me.


    My confession elicited an inexplicable flicker of emotion.


    ¡°You escaped from the castle alone in such a situation and came all the way here?¡±


    She gently took my hand, her expression full of sorrow.


    ¡°This is a fortune given by heaven. I don¡¯t know how this unlikely turn of events came about, but I¡¯m sincerely grateful to the gods that helped you survive.¡±


    This situation seemed bizarre, a vampire thanking the gods, but considering this interaction technically stemmed from The Scribe¡¯s Advice, it seemed the advice had turned out to be rather reliable.


    While it might have been a stroke of luck for Eleris that she found me, but for me, it was more of a destined interaction.


    <i>Go to a magical items store.</i>


    Eleris recognition of the demon scroll might have been due to her being a mage, but it was more likely because she was a demon herself.


    So, ultimately, the advice to visit a magical items store to sell the scrolls had merely been a pretext; there was an underlying intention hidden within.


    It had been a message to find and seek help from a hidden demon spy who had infiltrated Gradium.


    If I had been recognized by a human, and not a demon shopkeeper who could identify my scrolls, I might have ended up in a much more dangerous situation. But in the end, I was able to find a demon spy acting as a shopkeeper.


    Wait a minute.


    Come to think of it, the ambiguous advice essentially conveyed the same message.


    [The Scribe¡¯s Ambiguous Advice]


    [How were so many humans kidnapped and held captive at the Demon King¡¯s Castle?]


    The question wasn¡¯t ¡°why,¡± but ¡°how.¡±


    In my novel, I wrote that humans had been kidnapped by demon spies who had infiltrated the human world. The ambiguous advice had been a subtle message, suggesting that those spies might still be in the human world, but I¡¯d been so perplexed that I hadn¡¯t even considered that option.


    If I had understood the ambiguous advice, I would havee to the conclusion that I had to find the demon spies within Gradium, and could have acted more cautiously, ensuring my safety.


    The Scribe¡¯s Clear Advice rmended a risky but straightforward approach, while the ambiguous advice had tried to make me figure out what to do on my own. The Ambiguous Advice was rtively safe, whereas the clear advice was rtively risky.


    ¡°Hey... was there a possibility that a human magician could identify demon scrolls?¡±


    I naturally started talking to Eleris in a more casual tone than before, and it seemed like she took it as a matter of course.


    ¡°There are schrs among humans who research demon magic as well, so it¡¯s a relief that you came to me before encountering them,¡± Eleris said.


    I couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the thought of what might have happened if someone had identified my scroll book before I¡¯d met Eleris. It was a risky move that could have gotten me killed.


    She went back into the shop, locked the door, and led me upstairs.


    ¡°From now on, I will do my best to assist you,¡± she said as she led me to a small sofa.


    With that, she started tidying up the room, which seemed tock a sense of life.


    <i>¡®Wait, aren¡¯t you a vampire? Why is the lighting so good in here? I mean, it¡¯s not a huge house, but the sunlight ising straight through the windows.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous for a vampire to be exposed to so much sunlight?¡± I asked.


    She looked at me and nodded in response.


    ¡°I am a Vampire Lord, so I can endure this level of sunlight. Of course, it¡¯s still not good for my body,¡± she replied.


    <i>¡®You know that I can see you flinch slightly every time the sunlight touches you while you¡¯re taking out the table napkins. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡¯</i>


    ¡°This house is attached to the shop, so I don¡¯t have to pay separate rent. I would love to live in an underground basement with no sunlight, but...the budget is tight for undercover missions.¡±


    <i>¡®</i>...<i>That¡¯s so sad.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know what a Vampire Lord was, but she was living a bit too frugally for such a highly-ranked vampire. Talking about the basement and no sunlight like it was a dream home. I understood, but it was still quite pitiful to hear. A vampire who had to worry about rent... damn.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just be a building owner or something like that?¡±


    Come to think of it, getting rich should be pretty easy for vampires, right? At least that¡¯smon vampire knowledge taught me.


    ¡°I <i>have</i> thought about that, but getting my own propertyes with too many risks. Pretending to be a regr human and trying to obtain a property is not an easy task.¡±


    Eleris was a fairly strong vampire, but she wasn¡¯t risking her life to be a rich one. If a seemingly well-off person suddenly began to avoid sunlight and refused to eat food, it would definitely raise suspicions.


    No. Actually, whether you were a rich vampire or not, living in the human world while pretending you weren¡¯t a vampire was in itself an incredibly challenging task.


    When she was done cleaning, Eleris looked at me.


    ¡°You must be starving. I will prepare some food.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh...¡±


    Didn¡¯t vampires drink blood? Did they even have anything to eat here?


    As if understanding my concerns, Eleris wore her hood.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh, can you just go out like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    A vampire was casually going grocery shopping in broad daylight because of me. My mind swirled just thinking about it.


    I was overwhelmed with gratitude, but also felt sorry.


    She was back in a heartbeat, but even that short period of time seemed to have exhausted her, which left me on the verge of tears.

 Chapter 14

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>


    The demons at the Demon King¡¯s castle had rioted to save me from the knights as if they recognized me even through the camouge spell that I¡¯d used. However, this vampire¡ªEleris¡ªwho was also a demon, hadn¡¯t recognized me; at least not until she saw my true form. I wondered why that was the case, and tried toe up with an answer while she was away, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything.


    My ability to control demons was far from perfect. That was the only assumption I could take for certain. Eleris brought back a sandwich and milk. She apologized, expressing remorse for not being able to buy more food.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness, but this is all I could afford in my current financial situation...¡±


    I thanked Eleris while I ate, then a sudden thought came into my head that made me tilt my head.


    ¡°Wait... didn¡¯t you offer to buy my Fireball scroll for four gold just now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... well...¡±


    <i>¡®Weren¡¯t you willing to give a big sum of money to a teenage kid just because the scroll was ¡°dangerous¡± to carry around a moment ago...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I thought that it might be dangerous for a child to carry such a thing... My apologies, Your Highness.¡±


    Huh. This spy was more sympathetic andpassionate than one would expect. Was it even possible for a vampire to have such an overly kind nature that they¡¯d go to such lengths, even at the cost of sacrificing arge amount of money?


    I took out the four gold I¡¯d put aside and ced it on the table.


    ¡°I probably won¡¯t need to use this myself, so I¡¯ll return them to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... yes... Your Highness.¡±


    Anyway, I now had a guardian¡ªan elite vampire, you could say¡ªwhich was something I hadn¡¯t expected. With her around, the money didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore.


    She watched me eating with a pitiful expression. It was nice to finally have something good happen to me. My protector was clearly a vampire with an excessively kind nature, and she might be willing to assist me in times of crisis.


    However, I still felt a lingering sense of unease.


    Eleris hadn¡¯t reacted with anger of despair when I told her that the Demon King was dead. In fact, she seemed to have felt some kind of relief.


    I continued to think as I casually ate.


    Eleris seemed to be pleased that the Demon King was dead and that the Great War had ended in humanity¡¯s favor.


    Perhaps this vampire was a spy but also a pacifist? Or maybe she¡¯d spent too long in Gradium and had been influenced by humans and their ideas. Either way, all I knew was that this vampire had a pure and kind personality, so much so that she wasn¡¯t willing to let a teenage kid she didn¡¯t know at all carry a Fireball scroll around with him.


    Additionally, she had expressedpassion when I¡¯d spoken about the princess, and was genuinely sympathetic to her plight. She¡¯d even said that she couldn¡¯t imagine how much the princess would¡¯ve suffered.


    This vampire hated the Great War and was happy that it was over.


    What was unclear was whether she was happy simply because the war had ended, or because the humans had won.


    It was true that she was taking care of me right now, but it was certain that her loyalty to the Demon King had long vanished.


    What could the Demon Prince mean to a person who despised the Great War? Perhaps she thought that the prince was going to be the catalyst that would spark a new war. In that case, it was obvious what her best course of action was, in order to prevent another war.


    I observed Eleris carefully.


    I could see her fingertips trembling violently under her robe. Perhaps it was because she was weakened by her exposure to sunlight, but it could also be that she had made some kind of decision, and was feeling nervous about acting upon it.


    The fear of having topletely end the Demon Realm with her own hands. The massive amount of self-loathing she would have to face for having to kill a young boy just to stop the next war.


    Could she be having such thoughts, or was it just my misunderstanding?


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Uh, um... yes?¡±


    ¡°Have you truly, truly... lost all of your memories?¡± she asked, her voice trembling, and that made me almost certain of what she intended to do next.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t remember anything, except who I am. I don¡¯t even know why I became like this. I¡¯m pretty sure it wasn¡¯t a curse or magic, though.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if my next words would reassure her, but I said them anyway.


    ¡°But still, regaining my memories wouldn¡¯t change the fact that I hate wars. Because even though I¡¯ve only experienced the war for one day, I think it¡¯s pure madness, and I would never want to see another one happen, ever.¡±


    Upon hearing my words, joy and relief shed across Eleris¡¯s face.


    ¡°N-no... That... That¡¯s not good! Your Highness, you are the ruler of the Demon Realm and thest hope of all demons! You must have a strong determination to rebuild the Demon Realm and fight for our honor again!¡±


    <i>¡®Wow, couldn¡¯t you be more serious? I can tell you don¡¯t mean a single word you just said.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The Demon Realm is finished.¡±


    ¡°... ¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of being the king of a non-existent kingdom.¡±


    To be sure, I drove the point home.


    ¡°So you shouldn¡¯t act like a loyal servant of a non-existent kingdom either.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Upon hearing my words, tears welled up in the vampire¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡®Yes, cry and prove that you¡¯re truly pure and naive.¡¯</i>


    There was a time when novels about vampires dominated my childhood, but the vampires in this world seemed capable of crying.


    Eleris apologized for her disy of emotion and went downstairs for a while.


    It didn¡¯t seem like my words had a negative impact on her, though.


    ***


    That night, Iy in bed to go to sleep. Eleris was beside me, sitting in a chair by the bed, gazing out the window through which the moonlight streamed in. She seemed determined to watch over me.


    Vampire, aristocrat of the night, or whatever you want to call it. I didn¡¯t really know what it meant, but Eleris was undeniably beautiful in the moonlight.


    I found myself gazing at the pale, moonlit figure of Eleris.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to call me that.¡±


    ¡°...I apologize, but I can¡¯t address you any other way.¡±


    Eleris continued to speak without looking at me.


    ¡°What you¡¯ve told me tonight must never be brought up elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no reason to. Talking about it would reveal that I¡¯m a demon.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the point,¡± Eleris asserted, emphasizing that it wasn¡¯t what she meant. ¡°There are two other infiltrators in Gradium, besides me.¡±


    Right. I remembered distinctly hearing that infiltrators came in as groups, so it made sense.


    ¡°Your Highness, the other two will inevitably find out about you as well. It¡¯s impossible to hide you from their eyes while I¡¯m watching over you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of people are they?¡±


    ¡°Count Argon Pontius and Hound of Irine are the other two.¡±


    ¡°Hold on. One of them is a noble?¡±


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t that far too much for just an ordinary spy?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the one who executed the operation to abduct the princess and the empress of the human kingdom.¡±


    When I heard the words ¡°abduct the princess,¡± my spine shuddered. Of course, I knew that the demons had performed such abductions, but knowing that the executor was going to be loyal to me left me with a peculiar feeling.


    It felt as if I had now be Charlotte¡¯s worst enemy.


    ¡°Count Pontius¡¯s real name is Sarkegar. He is a demon of the devil race known as the dreadfiends.¡±


    A demon that belongs to the devil race. Devils were a subcategory, a lower-tier race amongst the demons. However, I had no idea what a dreadfiend was.


    Why had I entered my own novel¡¯s world, only to discover things I knew nothing about?


    ¡°Could you exin in more detail?¡±


    ¡°Dreadfiends specialize in shapeshifting magic, including basic face-shifting abilities. As such, Count Pontius was able to deceive the eyes of the humans and infiltrate as far in as the heart of Gradius¡¯s aristocratic society. They are so skilled at transformation that they don¡¯t just disguise themselves on a superficial level, but fundamentally be the race they are imitating, which is why they remain undetected. In other words, you can think of them as having a power simr to one of the highest forms of magic, polymorph, right from birth.¡±


    There were numerous types of transformation magic and tricks with simr effects in this world. There was the low-level spell I wrote about, camouge, which used illusion magic to create hallucinations, and even ways topletely transform for a short amount of time.


    However, the polymorph spell was the highest-level spell that couldpletely change one¡¯s appearance, and could not be revealed by any detect or dispel spells.


    Dreadfiends had a simr ability to polymorph right from birth.


    Man, I wish I¡¯d spawned into that race; things would have been much easier.


    ¡°He is absolutely loyal to the Demon King. Not only is he aggressive and enthusiastic, but he would even dedicate his soul if it meant rebuilding the Demon Realm.¡±


    Weren¡¯t demons usually the ones that take souls? How loyal was this guy?


    ¡°So, if he finds out that I¡¯m not actually interested in rebuilding the Demon Realm... that¡¯ll be a pretty big deal, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. He¡¯ll try to manipte your thoughts and turn you into someone who does care about the Demon Realm somehow.¡±


    ¡°But he won¡¯t try to kill me, right?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you are thest Archdemon alive. Without you, the Demon Realm cannot be rebuilt. So, he¡¯ll do anything to try to change your mind.¡±


    Were Archdemons such an important race? I mean, as of now, I seemed to be apletely useless teenage boy.


    ¡°What¡¯s he going to do if I don¡¯t change my mind?¡±


    Eleris looked at me and smiled, then ced her hand on my head. Her body felt cold, but it felt good in its own way.


    ¡°He will do anything to change your mind, even if it means destroying everything you love, Your Highness.¡±


    I had just arrived in this world, but it seemed someone named Sarkegar would do everything but kill me to make me the Demon King.


    ¡°I suggest that for now, you follow his lead. There will still be time to act when you¡¯ve grown strong enough to overpower Sarkegar.¡±


    ¡°...Alright, fine. I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°He is also very capable. In many ways, he should be able to look after Your Highness more than I can.¡±


    Well, even though he was a spy, he was also a noble, so to speak. Sarkegar was ultimately a loyal servant, and he wouldn¡¯t do anything that harmed me.


    In fact, Eleris had been much more of a danger to me before I told her I wasn¡¯t interested in the war. Although she doesn¡¯t seem that way now, it had definitely seemed as though she¡¯d wanted to kill me.


    ¡°But wait, what are you going to do if I go along with his n for a while, and then somehow really end up bing the Demon King?¡±


    Eleris smiled a bitter smile and sighed. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure about that part. When the timees, you will have to choose between me and Sarkegar.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It seemed like killing me right then and eliminating any kind of potential threat might have been the best option for her, but Eleris seemed unable to do that.


    ¡°Please be a kind-hearted adult in the future, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    I never thought I¡¯d hear such words from a vampire.


    ¡°So, who is this Hound of Irine?¡± I asked.


    What an eerie alias. Irine¡¯s Hound? It seemed like he was trying hard to be needlessly cool.


    Eleris scratched her cheek lightly.


    ¡°Well... There are various illegal, violent gangs In Gradium. The Hound of Irine is the leader of one of them.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that a demon who was sent in as a spy is involved in gang-rted crime?¡±


    What kind of nonsense was this?


    Eleris wore an amused smile, as if she found it ridiculous as well.


    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s not so much a gang that intentionally associates with crime or violence, but a group where unavoidable acts of crime and violence ur, to which they have no choice but to partake...¡±


    ¡°...So it¡¯s not a gang?¡±


    ¡°What should I call it...¡±


    Eleris seemed more hesitant about this than about Sarkegar.


    ¡°Well, if all you¡¯re good at is fighting, I guess it makes sense to have such groups form.¡±


    Whatever it was, if the guy who was going to help me was some gang leader, what was there for me to lose?


    Eleris sighed deeply and muttered as if she was confessing something deep.


    ¡°Th-they... They¡¯re actually just beggars, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Members of the organization usually sell candy-like items to people taking a walk by the Irine River... In fact, they¡¯re often the ones who supplement the money necessary for our activities...¡± Eleris added.


    ...They were just straight up begging like that?


    So, the guy who¡¯d been sent as a spy of the Demon Realm was the leader of a Gradium beggars organization? And the money they earned was being used to fund the spy activity? Wait, what kind of spy tried to be a leader of street beggars in the first ce? Was this some medievaledy?


    Ah, the Hound of Irine. I understood it now.


    It wasn¡¯t just a random, cringy name, but had a literal meaning to it.


    The name drew its origins from the stray dogs by the Han River in Korea!

 Chapter 15

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>


    Irine¡¯s Hound. So they were basically selling gum to people who were walking along the Irine River Park for money, right? It was the first time I¡¯d heard such an urate alias.


    Eleris¡¯s lips were trembling as if she couldn¡¯t believe it herself.


    ¡°The Hound of Irine is a lycanthrope.¡±


    ¡°...If my remainingmon sense is correct, they¡¯re creatures that have the habit of periodically turning into monsters, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    To be honest, even Eleris, a high-ranking vampire, didn¡¯t seem like an ideal spy. Although she could endure sunlight, it was clearly still a struggle for her.


    But still, at least Eleris could endure the sunlight. How could a lycanthrope, which went berserk when the full moon rose, work as a spy in the middle of Gradium? How hadn¡¯t he been caught until now?


    Wasn¡¯t Sarkegar the only guy who was actually fit to be a spy?


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that too disadvantageous for a spy, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes... but the Hound volunteered... Bing a spy is considered a dangerous mission, hence there were very few people who wanted to do it. They had no choice but to ept...¡±


    Was he the type of person who had a bad temper but was stupidly loyal?


    This mission was about infiltrating the enemy¡¯s hearnd, so it was natural that no demon had wanted to participate in such a dangerous mission. Nheless, a lycanthrope had volunteered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that when the full moon rises, the Hound hides in the sewers near the Bronze Gate Bridge.¡±


    <i>¡®The Bronze Gate Bridge. Hmm.¡¯</i>


    Like I said, this ce was basically just like Seoul.


    If my memory served me correctly, the Bronze Gate Bridge was equivalent to the Banpo Bridge.


    Essentially, what that meant was that as the transformation drew near, the Hound of Irine hid inside the sewers under the Banpo Bridge.


    ¡°The Hound lived in the area around the Bronze Gate Bridge, and because of that, their clothes grew dirty as well. As a result, some people thought that the Hound was homeless, and was just a beggar living underneath the bridge. That was how the Hound unintentionally got money from some passerbys.¡±


    ¡°So the Hound didn¡¯t start out as a beggar?¡±


    ¡°No. But it turned out it paid well, so the Hound just decided to be a beggar there permanently.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    <i>¡®Wow, doesn''t he have any pride? Also, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because this is the imperial capital, but the people here seem awfully kind, to be giving money to such beggars so easily.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know if he was living life on easy mode or hard mode; what a strange guy.


    Eleris hesitated, then continued.


    ¡°As a result, fights sometimes broke out between beggars for the right to begging spots, and since the Hound of Irine was a natural lycanthrope and quite adept at fighting, no one was a match for them in a brawl. Since the beggars didn¡¯t have many ces to go, they would interact with each other frequently, and eventually developed close rtionships, fighting with each other one day but sharing a drink the day after. And before they knew it, they formed a group... it seems.¡±


    <i>¡®Heh.¡¯</i>


    It was literally just like beggars near Banpo Bridge. Getting into fights, and then if the guy you fought with yesterday brings a bottle of soju the next day, you¡¯re like, ¡°Alright, alright, I was too harsh yesterday, wasn¡¯t I? Ah well, I guess I was.¡± And as they shared one or two bottles, they ended up bing close friends.


    And now, it had grown so much that it became unmanageable, eventually morphing into a gang of beggars.


    ¡°... Although I don¡¯t know who he is, he sure seems skilled at socializing.¡±


    ¡°Yes... And we also receive a lot of help from the Hound...¡±


    It seemed like Eleris¡¯s business made no profits at all, and Sarkegar probably needed a lot of money to fund his spying activities among the nobles. Both of them certainly needed a lot of financial support, and this Hound of Irine guy was their helper.


    ¡°The Hound of Irine... It surely is a fitting name.¡±


    Especially since he could transform as well.


    ¡°The Hound personally wants to be called the Wolf of Irine, but no one really does that.¡±


    That was a bit sad.


    In any case, it was good for me. All I had to do was avoid implying that I¡¯d given up on reviving the Demon Realm to Sarkegar, and the Hound of Irine seemed to have a sense of loyalty despite his oddness, and was a team yer who was willing to help the other two.


    Eleris, too, didn¡¯t seem to have any malicious intent toward me for now.


    ¡°Please get some rest, Your Highness. I will arrange a meeting with them in the near future.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Aren¡¯t you going to sleep too?¡±


    This bed was probably Eleris¡¯s.


    She said that she would, and then decided to lie down next to me. A vampire who slept at night... It was kind of amusing to think about.


    ¡°Is it okay with you, Your Highness? If you¡¯re ufortable, I can sleep on the floor.¡±


    ¡°Uh... um, sure. Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    It was fine, but not fine at all. Too fine to the point where it shouldn¡¯t be fine, maybe?


    No other cheat code could guarantee more happiness than this.


    <i>¡®This is what I¡¯m talking about. I don¡¯t need any cheats, screw them!¡¯</i>


    And then morning came.


    <i>Yawn.</i>


    I woke up to the sight of a vampire who used the morning suning in through the window as an rm clock.


    ***


    In the midst of the chaos, I woke up abruptly and looked at Eleris, her hair all messed up.


    ¡°... You don¡¯t have ckout curtains or anything?¡±


    ¡°I... I get a lot of sleep... so if I don¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t wake up...¡± she said in a raspy voice as she moved out of the sun¡¯s range.


    I knew Eleris was a unique vampire, but using sunlight as an rm clock was unimaginable. Wouldn¡¯t it kill her if she couldn¡¯t wake up?


    A vampire who lived in a ce with plenty of sunlight and good venttion. I understood that she was a high-tier vampire and was able to survive sunlight, but it was still pretty outrageous.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just live in a spare room at Count Pontius¡¯s mansion?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t efficient for spies to operate in the same area. If one gets caught, the others will all be caught as well.¡±


    Eleris sighed and proceeded to change her clothes.


    <i>¡®... Please don¡¯t do this to me. I¡¯m a seventeen-year-old that¡¯s full of energy!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever felt that it was unfair to live like this while another lives as a noble?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I dislike ces with too many eyes. I personally think Sarkegar¡¯s life is harder than mine.¡±


    Ah, I see what she meant. After all, Sarkegar was probably always stressed out and never got a moment of peace. On the other hand, Eleris¡¯s only enemy in this ce was the sun.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I feel ufortable that you¡¯re going to have to continue to live in a ce like this. I feel bad about it. I think it would be better if you stayed in Sarkegar¡¯s mansion, Your Highness. This cecks most of the necessities for life.¡±


    As a man with a fully-grown beard on the inside, I didn¡¯t want to say it, but I had to...


    ¡°Well, actually, I want to stay here...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Who would have thought that a day woulde when I would throw a childish tantrum once again?


    I could tell, even without meeting him, that he was definitely a pain to deal with. I mean, that wasn¡¯t the only reason I wanted to stay, but...


    ***


    Insects feed differently when they are adultspared to when they arervae. For example, mosquitorvae are wrigglers that live in water, while the adults fly around. Therefore, not only did what they eat differ, but their ecology was alsopletely different. With such different means of feeding between adults andrvae, they do not have topete for food.


    Basically, I felt like I had be an insect.


    It was because of Eleris, who was watching me eat breakfast with an expression that conveyed a distinctck of appetite of her own. It seemed like she felt content just watching me eat, however.


    I was feeling curious about the most irrelevant things.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, how often do you feed on blood?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... If we have to be specific, about once a week is enough.¡±


    ¡°Does it have to be human blood?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be that way, but we prefer blood infused with mana. We can use pigs or chickens as well, but that would require quite arge quantity, because the blood of lower beings usually contains rtively less mana.¡±


    Blood was blood, but it needed to be rich in mana. I guess she meant creatures that were close to humanoid when she mentioned life with a high mana concentration. Still, once a week was extremely efficient. They were definitely higher beings than humans. If we were to equate it to humans, it would be like hunting a deer for its blood and not needing to eat for a week. Of course, the type of blood would matter, though.


    ¡°If a vampire bites someone, doesn¡¯t that person be a vampire as well?¡±


    ¡°Wild vampires often can¡¯t control themselves, but that¡¯s not the case for me. As I mentioned, I try not to unnecessarily expand our kind, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°And... Do the people who are bitten by vampires die?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a good thing to leave corpses. I drink just enough to keep them barely alive. That¡¯s why I need to feed on multiple sources. But I¡¯m skilled in magic, and can control my feeding so that it doesn¡¯t harm the victim¡¯s health.¡±


    As expected, Eleris was a peaceful, kind vampire. There actually might be such a thing as a good devil.


    ¡°So, is this done mostly at night...?¡±


    Eleris smiled mischievously.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be at night. I mainly target customers whoe to my store. Well, it¡¯s more like a gentle punishment for those who get on my nerves...¡±


    Whenever an obnoxious customer came in, she used a charm spell and then fed on them.


    ... Come to think of it, that was actually insanely frightening.


    ¡°Mr. Swinten from the shop next door oftenes over to hit on me, and that¡¯s when I enjoy a delicious meal. I¡¯m grateful to him. There are certain things a married man just can¡¯t ask for, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see.¡±


    ¡°I dislike men with no dignity.¡±


    <i>¡®Getting used to living like a human wasn¡¯t the problem for you, was it?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like the nearby merchants might have unknowingly been the source of blood for Eleris. This beautiful vampire seemed to have a way of luring them in to offer their necks willingly.


    She seemed kind, but was ultimately frightening.


    ¡°From listening to you, it seems you¡¯ve lost not only your memories, but a considerable amount of knowledge as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah... is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard that people usually only lose their memories in cases like these, but in your case...¡±


    Eleris tilted her head inquisitively. She seemed to feel a certain difort from theck of basic knowledge I had about the Demon Realm in general.


    ¡°It almost feels like you¡¯ve be an entirely different person... or something.¡±


    Ah. I wondered if she¡¯d caught on. Bute to think of it, it was true.


    Most main characters in these isekai stories preferred not to reveal the fact that they had been transported into that world from somewhere else. But why was that? Why couldn¡¯t you just be honest about it? It wasn¡¯t like it was intentional. Besides, in Eleris¡¯s case, she might even have felt relief if I told her that I was actually apletely different person.


    Nevertheless, it was a bit reckless to take unnecessary risks when I¡¯d already gained some trust. So, I posed a question instead of giving an answer.


    ¡°What kind of person was I?¡± I asked Eleris.


    I was quite skilled at making excuses and sidetracking conversations.


    Whenever my editor kept pushing me to send them the manuscript, I¡¯d reply, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, my apologies. If only that guy hadn¡¯t asked me to have a drink with him yesterday. If it weren¡¯t for him, I would have sent it already. Ugh, even I¡¯m starting to get angry all of a sudden.¡± I often made ridiculous excuses like this back then.


    Eleris responded to my question by hesitating and crossing her arms.


    <i>¡®That attitude, that thoughtful attitude!¡¯</i>


    A sudden feeling came over me.


    ¡°Th-that... Well, you were an, uh, outstanding prince. Yes, that¡¯s right! Every demon respected... respected you! Yes...¡±


    This world had incorporated ideas from the ¡°virtual game system¡± genre, but was it somehow also mixed in with the ¡°<i>mangnani</i>[1]¡± genre as well?!


    1. Mangnani Genre - A type of isekai novel genre where it turns out that the figure the main character spawned into was aplete douchebag. ?

 Chapter 16

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>


    From Eleris¡¯s pale expression, I started to get an idea of what kind of person this prince was.


    Given the crazy mixed-up plot development from the start, I guess this setting was also called for.


    ¡°By any chance, did you have any connection with me back then?¡±


    Come to think of it, Eleris had figured out who I was right away. Of course, as a high-ranking vampire, she might have interacted with me a few times before.


    ¡°I-I worked as a private tutor...¡± Eleris muttered softly, avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°...So you were super close to me?¡±


    That should mean that we were quite close, right?


    ¡°It was only for a very brief time, though. My abilities were insufficient to teach you properly...¡±


    It seemed that my temper was so bad that she¡¯d had enough and quit.


    ¡°The past is the past, Your Highness. You should focus on the present.¡±


    Eleris seemed to want to prevent any further inquiries about my past. I had definitely been a scumbag, but just how much of a scumbag had I been?


    ¡°Hold on. Do the other agents know me personally as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, they certainly do...¡±


    Eleris grabbed my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.


    ¡°You are thest Archdemon, Your Highness. They know well what matters the most.¡±


    What the heck? That was frightening.


    ***


    The Demon King was dead, and the Great War had ended in victory for the human alliance forces.


    Unfortunately, the group of heroes on the human side had fallen in the valiant battles against the Demon King and the Four Demon Lords.


    Then, the princess had returned, and the news had spread far and wide.


    The streets were filled with throngs of cheering people, celebrating the fact that no more people would die in the war against the demons, and the return of the First Princess they¡¯d thought was dead.


    Jubnt cheers of victory were probably ringing out throughout the entire continent, not just the imperial capital.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon...?¡±


    ¡°The people. They¡¯re filled with joy and kindness!¡±


    Eleris and I were walking down the street, and I had just grabbed a free chicken skewer from the exuberant skewer stand owner.


    Thanks to Eleris¡¯s disguise spell, to everyone around us, I appeared as an ordinary boy. Eleris had used her own camouge magic on herself as well.


    The victory in the Great War seemed to have turned even the underhanded, profiteering street markets into a ce where store owners gave away goods for free.


    Eleris, couldn¡¯t understand why I, someone who had been a major figure in the defeated country and had lost everything overnight, was happy about getting a free chicken skewer. She was relieved that the war had ended, but my expression of joy seemed to confuse her.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, yes.... Your Highness.¡±


    Ironically, my spirits were even higher than hers.


    Hey, the Demon Realm perishing had nothing to do with me. Well, not really.


    I was just a kid being protected by a beautiful vampire. That¡¯s it, nothing more and nothing less than that!


    Deep inside, I wanted to continue living in peace like this until the end of the novel,fortably and peacefully under Eleris¡¯s care. Of course, I knew that was almost impossible, however.


    ¡°Are they all gathered?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are all waiting for you to arrive, Your Highness.¡±


    We were currently assembling the remnants of Gradium¡¯s demon factions.


    ¡ªLong live the Empire!


    ¡ªHail to the princess!


    ¡ªHail to Artorius!


    People ted by the news of victory were all celebrating.


    ¡°Hail!¡±


    I also shouted ¡°Hail¡± in response, and that¡¯s when Eleris finally pulled my arm down.


    ¡°Your Highness! Please restrain yourself!¡±


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s fun!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand this, really...¡±


    It was amusing to tease her.


    Of course, when I thought about my true identity in the real world, that of a middle-aged man, I immediately felt embarrassed about what I had done.


    ***


    There was something in the imperial capital that other cities didn¡¯t have: Magic Trains.


    It was like a fantasy version of a subway. Overly-advanced and massive, it was the imperial government¡¯s response to the inability of warp gates, carriages and just walking to handle all the transportation needs within the capital.


    A cheat-like feature of medieval fantasy¡ªan eco-friendly train that ran on Magic Stones. Ridiculous, you say? Too convenient a setting? Who cares, it works here, haha! It just does, and I made it so!


    If a subway could run on Magic Stones, why couldn¡¯t they make cell phones out of them, you ask? Haha! I don¡¯t know.


    I could only say this because I could see it functioning right in front of my eyes.


    I¡¯d made the blueprint of the city exactly like Seoul, so naturally, the subway routes were also simr to Seoul¡¯s subway system.


    We needed to head south towards Bronze Gate, so we headed to the station to catch the Magic Trains.


    To get to Bronze Gate, we had to take the subway from the Aligard District station. It was as simple as going from Yongsan Station to Express Bus Terminal and then to Banpo Han River Park.


    The route was not only convenient, but easy to understand. There was no need toplicate it with an overlyplex map; otherwise, not only the readers, but even <i>I</i> would find it hard to understand. Convenience for the writer should alwayse first, you know!


    I felt proud of myself for being azy writer. If I hadn¡¯t included fanciful devices like Magic Stones, I would have had to take an ordinary carriage, or simply walk. Setting the story so that it took ce in Seoul got rid of unnecessary work, and I¡¯d also know exactly where everything was.


    Inside the moving train, Eleris mumbled from beneath her hood, ¡°I think people are truly amazing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They can create incredible things like this train.¡±


    I mean, I did technically make this myself so I took it as apliment to me. After all, I managed to create something like this with just a few sentences; perhaps I was some kind of god!


    I guess I was a god atst. The god who¡¯d died from high blood pressure after reading hatements, also known as the god of stupidity.


    ¡°Given our exceptional magical powers, wouldn¡¯t it have been wonderful if demons had created more things like this, instead of destructive magical weapons?¡± Eleris muttered in a self-deprecating tone.


    Indeed, the magical prowess of demons seemed to be superior to that of humans. However, demons used magic more for destruction than for daily life.


    As a result, despite having great power, the Demon Realm seemed deste, rather than prosperous. There had been no structures that seemed to belong in a city within the vicinity of the Demon King¡¯s castle, just the solitary and towering fortress.


    In the human empire, however, countless people gathered and lived together. Magical tools that assisted their lives were abundant, and you could see examples of magic being used for the benefit of humanity.


    Perhaps Eleris¡¯s constantparison of her life here to her life in the Demon Realm and had realized how harsh it was for demons.


    As a result, she might have eventually felt that the Demon Realm was a wed world. In the end, therefore, she would be more delighted by humanity¡¯s victory than a demon victory.


    I had a sense of what was on Eleris¡¯s mind. A world where weapons were created solely to kill their enemies,pared a world where individuals pooled the power they possessed for their own happiness.


    Eleris found joy at the end of the war and in humanity¡¯s victory, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t be happy about the downfall of the Demon Realm.


    She gazed absentmindedly at the passing scenery with an expression that held a certain sadness.


    It didn¡¯t matter what the ce that you were to return to was like. Even if you didn¡¯t have the intention of returning, not having a ce to return to could be saddening in itself.


    ***


    The riverside where the Hound of Irine stayed was well-maintained. It had lush green grass, and people were strolling along the well-paved walkway.


    Formon folk who didn¡¯t have the means to go far, this park along the river was a pic spot that was always within reach.


    ¡°This ce always puts me in a good mood,¡± Eleris remarked.


    Despite the strong sunlight, she wore a faint smile. It seemed that Eleris could definitely endure the sunlight better than I thought.


    ¡°Indeed. It would have been even better if that particr scene over there wasn¡¯t visible,¡± I added.


    ¡°Ah... yes...¡±


    ¡ªrgh!


    ¡ªUwaghhh!


    ¡ªHey! You little bastard! I caught you red-handed just now! How many times are you rolling a three, huh? This is rigged!


    ¡ªRigged? I lived my whole life without telling a single lie, you lunatic! I rolled a three because I rolled a three! It¡¯s that simple!


    As we walked along the riverside, we encountered a group of people involved in a heated argument under the Bronze Gate Bridge. Their voices were loud and filled with profanity, and they seemed to be arguing over something trivial.


    People rarely ventured to this area, and it was rtively dark and damppared to other areas due to the heavy shade.


    A group of beggars were indulging in drink, vomiting, eating, ying dice, and quarreling openly and in broad daylight. In the rare case that someone passed by, a few beggars approached them and urged them to buy a piece of candy from them.


    ¡°So, the one thing that sticks out and doesn¡¯t seem like it belongs to this peaceful scene, also happens to be our ally, and a significant source of ie?¡±


    ¡°Yes... that¡¯s right... Your Highness.¡±


    They were the ones begging, so why did I feel embarrassed instead?


    I didn¡¯t want to get any closer to them.


    ¡°Hey there, youngdy! How about buying some candy from us?¡±


    One of the beggars sneaked up to us, extended their dirty hands, and pushed a piece of candy toward us. It seemed like we had be targets as well.


    Eleris, who didn¡¯t seem keen on rejecting them, let out a deep sigh and epted the candy.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be five coppers.¡±


    One gold coin was equal to one million won.


    One silver coin was equal to ten thousand won.


    And one copper coin was equal to a hundred won.


    That was roughly the corresponding value. Considering that, five hundred won for a small piece of candy wasn¡¯t exactly cheap.


    But was candy evenmon in this world? Weren¡¯t refined carbohydrates something that could only be found in modern-day society?


    Despite this, there was a beggar selling candy right before my eyes.


    <i>¡®It is what it is.¡¯</i> Any logical thinking was pointless in this world.


    Eleris seemed to hesitate over giving me the candy she¡¯d bought for five coppers, as she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dirty for you to eat, Your Highness,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a fussy person,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t particrly crave it, but I wasn¡¯t a picky eater as well. Nevertheless, when I made thatment to Eleris, she looked at me with slight surprise in her eyes.


    Well, perhaps having elements of the ¡°<i>mangnani¡± </i>genre in here was not so bad after all.


    One of the features of being inside a <i>mangnani </i>genre was that you would getplimented just for acting like a normal person. People would wonder, ¡°What happened to you? Why are you not causing trouble today?¡± and praise you for it.


    Because of this, being reborn into someone who was aplete ¡°douchebag¡± was already a merit in itself. If you were reborn as one of the highly anticipated prodigies of the century with tremendous abilities, you would ironically be at a huge disadvantage, because people would have high expectations of you. You¡¯d hearments from people like, ¡°You¡¯ve changed and don¡¯t work as hard as you did before.¡±


    Bing a douchebag who receives praise just for breathing, versus bing an elite prodigy who gets scolded for doing nothing but breathing¡ªthe former was overwhelmingly better.


    Being reborn as someone who was already perceived negatively from the start was really an advantage in disguise.


    I wonder what the actual prince would have done in this situation. Would he have already shown open disgust toward the beggars before they even approached him?


    ¡°Would you like to eat it, then?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±


    I unwrapped the candy Eleris had given me and put it in my mouth. It had no distinct vor, just sweetness.


    ¡°Did I like sweets?¡±


    ¡°I recall that you did, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really into sweets, but they seemed more appealing now that I¡¯d spawned into a younger body.


    The beggars who approached us were now approaching others, persuading them to buy their candy once again. Most of the time, people bought the candy not because they wanted to eat it but to shoo them away.


    It really was an unpleasant sight to watch, but regardless, their actions contributed to our spy activities budget so I didn¡¯t care.


    No, scratch that. It was still extremely distressing to watch.

 Chapter 17

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>


    We chose this ce as our meeting spot for a good reason.


    Count Pontius¡¯s ce was too risky since he had servants who didn¡¯t know he was a demon, and as a noble, many prominent figures bustled around him. And Eleris¡¯s shop and apartment were too small for all four of us to gather.


    These homeless people¡¯s base was generally avoided by people due to the presence of the beggars. I was also told that there were a few hidden spaces in this ce as well.


    Eleris cast a disguise spell, and we walked through the chaos of beggars. We passed right by them, but they didn¡¯t seem to notice our presence at all.


    Beneath the bridge was a dimly lit tunnel. This was the <i>real </i>beggars¡¯ hideout.


    It originally served as a drainage channel during heavy rains, allowing the rainwater that built up in the city to flow out. Since it was an isted area where few people walked, it also became a ce to hide when the Hound of Irine transformed into a lycanthrope.


    Inside, beggarsy scattered about, with nkets, rags, and roughly built huts. It was a real beggar¡¯s vige.


    As we ventured deeper inside, even the huts disappeared. As we pressed further on into the endless sewage, we saw a faint glimmer of light. A single campfire was burning, and someone was sitting in front of it. Although he was called the leader of the beggars, he didn¡¯t seem to possess much.


    He looked just like a stray dog basking in the warmth of a campfire.


    d in a torn shirt and faded pants, with unruly white hair haphazardly tied up.


    The Hound of Irine.


    ¡°You havee, Your Highness.¡±


    Come to think of it, I never explicitly heard that the Hound of Irine was a man.


    ***


    Beggar King, the Hound of Irine. The king of beggars.


    She knelt upon seeing me.


    ¡°I, Loyar, greet the prince, Your Highness.¡±


    Loyar was the real name of the Hound of Irine. As I heard, she was a wolf-type lycanthrope.


    ¡°...Yeah, it¡¯s good to see you. I did not expect to meet you down here in Gradium.¡±


    I never expected to see her in Gradium, but running into her down in the sewers was even more unexpected.


    ¡°Is Sarkegar still not here?¡± Eleris asked, and Loyar nodded. ¡°Well, the nobles are probably all busy with the victory celebration and all. But Sarkegar should be here soon. After all, this is more important to us.¡±


    Eleris was an anti-war demon and was quite surprised when she first found out that I was still alive, but Loyar¡¯s reaction was, well, rather nonchnt. It seemed like she was indifferent to me.


    ¡°Loyar, I should tell you in advance that Your Highness has lost all his memories. Except for knowing who he is... he doesn¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Loyar stared at me intently.


    ¡°...Is that true, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Um, well... Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Her gaze almost made me ufortable.


    ¡°Well, then, that¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°...Fortunate?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You won¡¯t be treating me like a dog anymore, asking me to sit and lie down like you used to, right?¡±


    ¡°...Me, me? I did that...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sometimes you even put a leash on me,¡± Loyar said.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the thought, and Loyar appeared to be getting annoyed as she recalled that time.


    Oh, no, did I really treat a lycanthrope like some kind of animal?


    Eleris twisted her lips, trying to suppress augh.


    ¡°Hmm... Loyar... Didn¡¯t you say you liked it when Your Highness did th¡ª¡±


    Loyar¡¯s face turned beet red.


    ¡°When?! I never liked it one bit!¡±


    No but what did she mean? Was she seriously saying that I treated a lycanthrope, who transformed once a month into a monster during the full moon, as a dog? Was this creature my pet or something?


    ¡°Well, although I don¡¯t remember exactly, I apologize for my past actions...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    She was saying she was fine, but her expression suggested otherwise. Even I would probably hate being treated like that.


    Come to think of it, Loyar volunteered for this spy mission, even though she was a lycanthrope.


    Could it be that she volunteered to escape from my bullying? It seemed like a fairly usible idea for her to make such a great effort to escape, yet she had now somehow ended up in this situation.


    Could I really trust her?


    ¡°Um... I know it¡¯s hard for you to forget the past, but I¡¯m truly sorry for what I¡¯ve done. From now on... I¡¯ll do my best to treat you well.¡±


    I extended my hand as I apologized for something that wasn¡¯t even my fault.


    <i>Pat.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was offering a handshake, but instead, the girl ced her hand on top of mine, patting my hand rather than meeting it with a proper handshake.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Loyar looked equally surprised by her own behavior and quickly shook my hand.


    <i>¡®Did you just... ¡®paw¡¯ at me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Paw.¡±


    <i>Pat.</i>


    This time, I extended my palm to her, and Loyar again ced her hand on top of mine.


    It seemed like she¡¯d done it instinctively, and she quickly withdrew her hand.


    ¡°Why... why are you doing this, Your Highness?¡± Loyar said, sweat running down her face.


    ¡°It seems like her body is responding to your actions, and not her head,¡± Eleris added in disbelief.


    ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong!¡± Loyar eximed.


    ¡°Your Highness, why don¡¯t you try saying ¡®roll over¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop it!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll probably roll over in an instant. Try it.¡±


    ¡°No! Why would I roll over? That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask her to roll over, because it actually felt like she was going to do it.


    Why was she so well-trained? How much did I torment her in the past?


    The fact that her body was instinctively responding to mymands left me in shock, and I was incapable of saying anything more to her.


    I was afraid she was going to sit if I told her ¡°sit.¡±


    ¡°Oh... um... My apologies. I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡±


    ¡°...Y-yes... Your Highness...¡±


    She clearly didn¡¯t like me on the inside, but her body was obedient to me whether she liked it or not. At least this meant she was not going to harm me so I could put aside my worries about Loyar for now and focus on Sarkegar.


    Then all of a sudden, from a distance, I sensed something approaching, heralded by the echoing sounds in the sewer.


    ¡°Your Highhhhhnesssss!¡±


    I was already convinced that it was someone with an unbearable personality even before I saw their face.


    And, as if on cue, Sarkegar arrived and embraced me, then began to wail out loudly.


    ¡°Your Highness! The great and mighty Demon King, I cannot believe you fell into the hands of those treacherous humans! There¡¯s no doubt that they used some kind of cowardly tricks! What should I do? How am I supposed to endure this? Nevertheless, I still see a glimmer of hope as I see that you are unharmed. What a blessing it is! Your Highness! Please rise again and rebuild our mighty Demon Realm, and cleanse this filthy human race from existence!¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯smentations filled the air.


    .


    .


    Sarkegar continued to sob and wail while muttering incoherently for over ten minutes.


    When I added the fact that I had lost my memories as well, hismentations escted even further.


    Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be in the <i>mangnani</i> genre? Why was he so sad, unlike the others?


    Well, seeing him acting like this, it was possible that even the douchebag that I was probably did everything to avoid him.


    His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the sewer, and I even noticed Eleris casting a web of noise-suppression magic around us.


    ¡°Sniff... Ugh... Aahhh...¡±


    He cried so intensely that even I, without thinking, felt my eyes welling up. I didn¡¯t know I was the type to cry out of sympathy when someone else beside me cried. No, that wasn¡¯t it. This guy was just crying so profoundly that anyone whoid eyes on him would tear up.


    What was this nonsense?


    Anyway, Sarkegar turned out to be a more loyalpanion than I had ever imagined.


    Sarkegar continued to sob uncontrobly, asionally taking deep breaths as if he were about to pass out. I had to console him for a long time to calm him down.


    ¡°Hey,e on now, it¡¯s hard to see a grown-up demon like you crying like that. You¡¯re crying as if the world was going to end today.¡±


    No,e to think of it, his world <i>did </i>end, didn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t think this figure of speech would ever be reflective of reality.


    Sarkegar perked up at my words.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Your Highness, you¡¯re correct! Since Your Highness, who embodies the entire Demon Realm, is still alive, the Demon Realm has not disappeared! The Demon Realm is still thriving! We beseech the gods!¡±


    He¡¯d interpreted my words in an odd way, and as a result, his determination red up even more. Loyar and Eleris gazed at me with eyes full of helplessness.


    It seemed like they were just as exhausted as I was with Sarkegar.


    After taking great effort to calm him down, we gathered around the campfire.


    What a suitable location for a discussion between a prince of a ruined kingdom and his followers.


    Sarkegar stared at me with a determined expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, you must rebuild the Demon Realm.¡±


    Eleris locked eyes with me as if to remind me of what we had agreed that I should say.


    ¡°Uh, well... yeah, that¡¯s the n.¡±


    ¡°And to seek the vengeance of the great former Demon Lord and build an even stronger, more powerful nation than before...!¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough! If you keep breaking out into pointless, long-winded speeches, I¡¯ll smack you right on the forehead!¡± Loyar burst out.


    Yeah. In novels, when characters start talking too much like Sarkegar was, it is basically to fill pages, and their authors get criticized for it. Sarkegar seemed to sense that he was dragging it out as well, and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ahem, well. I apologize, Your Highness. When I heard the news of the passing of the Demon Lord, it felt like the end of the world. I refrained from eating for days, andy prostrate, thinking all was lost. But when I heard that Your Highness was safe, I became greatly excited...¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Enough of that for now.¡±


    A guy who kept on dragging on and on even though he said he¡¯d stop.


    It seemed like hearing about the defeat made him feel like the sky had fallen. But since I was thest hope and was alive, his determination had been reignited.


    ¡°Rebuilding the Demon Realm is fine with me. However, there are only four of us, and I¡¯m just an inexperienced teenage kid with no apparent skills.¡±


    ¡°Saying you have no skills is an understatement! Your Highness, you have noble blood! You¡¯re thest remaining Archdemon in the wor¡ª!¡±


    I cut off Sarkegar¡¯s babbling. ¡°Yeah, yeah, about that. What exactly is an Archdemon, anyway?¡±


    What was it about this Archdemon race, that all the demons of the Demon Realm didn¡¯t even bother finding a new candidate for king and kept asking me to be the king myself?


    I still didn¡¯t know that fact.


    However, as soon as I asked the question, they all looked at me as if I had asked something absolutely ridiculous.

 Chapter 18

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>


    They were shocked that I didn¡¯t know what an Archdemon was, but only for a short time. Soon, Eleris started exining what it was. Of course, Sarkegar wanted to exin, but given his tendency to ramble on and on, Eleris told him to stay quiet for a moment and let her do the talking.


    ¡°Archdemons are beings who are essential for demons, because the whole society is built around them.¡±


    ¡°Their society?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I already knew about the unique ability that all Archdemons had, which was the Control Demon skill. If I recall correctly, it was a D-rank skill.


    ¡°Originally,rge-scale societies among demons were not possible. As you can see, Loyar is a lycanthrope, I am a vampire, and Sarkegar is a dreadfiend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Before the Archdemon race emerged, numerous demon races were not only on bad terms with humans, but also at odds with each other. The west side of the continent was dominated byrge human nations, but in the eastern region, known as the Dark Land, or the Demon Realm, various demon races lived in scatteredmunities.¡±


    Even without the existence of humans, the demons fought among themselves.


    ¡°The Dark Land was and of eternal war. Therefore, humans had no reason to pay any special attention to the demons.¡±


    Humans thrived as demons fought and destroyed each other. Many demon races coexisted, but due to the continuous conflict between them, the Demon Realm could never prosper, and the numbers of each race also varied greatly.


    ¡°One day, though, someone appeared and mediated the discord between the races, teaching them how to live together as one society. They seemed to possess a peculiar power that could interfere with the minds of demons.¡±


    ¡°And was that ¡®someone¡¯ the Demon King?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He was the first Archdemon King.¡±


    At the time, where he came from and what kind of being he was remained unclear. However, he had the power to dominate the minds of demons, allowing them to coexist with other demon races.


    The other demons called him the Archdemon out of respect, and the Archdemonster became synonymous with the royal demon race.


    ¡°Your Highness, under the influence of the Archdemon, demons were finally able to have one society and one leader. His influence remains after his fall, but if several generations pass without an Archdemon¡¯s presence, the demons will grow divided once again, returning to the era of eternal war and darkness,¡± Sarkegar added on.


    If the Demon Realm copsed and the Archdemon disappeared, the numerous remaining demon races who still possessed some semnce of society, would eventually revert to killing each other in endless conflicts as generations passed.


    Now, I finally understood why no ambitious individuals were trying to be the new Demon King.


    No other race was capable of taking on the role of the Demon King aside from the Archdemon.


    Sarkegar¡¯s loyalty wasn¡¯t just simple devotion to royalty. There was more to it.


    Sarkegar believed that the existence of a Demon King was absolutely necessary to maintain the foundation of demon society, and the fervor he had was different from just simply being loyal to the Demon Kingdom.


    The Demon King essentially served as a crucial mediator, much like an emulsifier between water and oil.


    An existence that could blend the things that weren¡¯t meant to be blended.


    ¡°...That brings up an interesting question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Why did the Great War happen in the first ce?¡±


    I only briefly described in my novel that war had urred, but I didn¡¯t borate on the exact details of how the Great War had started. All I had written was that the humans attempted to conquer the Demon Realm to expand their territory, and that humans were the ones who initiated it.


    ¡°Humans always feared the unification of the Demon Realm,¡± Eleris said, gazing into the campfire.


    I was once again experiencing this world¡¯s ability to offer a natural exnation for the events I had not written about. Often, events caused a result to ur, but in this case, it was a result that determined the necessary event. This thought gave me an eerie feeling.


    I only wrote that ¡°humans invaded the Demon Realm,¡± and that was it. I¡¯d left out the reason for it. As a result, though, this world had naturally filled in the missing information, providing the exnation that it happened because an Archdemon existed, and that the humans had feared the demons uniting as one.


    I felt a strange sense of guilt; it felt like someone else was doing the work that I had not bothered with because I¡¯d been cking.


    The demons of the Dark Land had begun to coalesce into a society, and even the humans who quarreled among themselves would have had reason to be concerned about this.


    ¡°The former Demon Kings were always aware that human invasion of the Demon Realm would begin at some point in the future. That¡¯s why the Demon Realm was always prepared for war with the humans.¡±


    I nodded in agreement with Eleris¡¯ words.


    Even if neither side had the intention of invading the other, an increase in military preparations by one side would invariably lead to the other side doing the same.


    If one side were to say, ¡°We mean no harm and are only increasing our forces to defend against your attacks,¡± no one on the other side would believe such nonsense.


    Starting a war simply due to the fear of the other side was amon urrence.


    So, even though the Demon Realm and the human realm had no intention of attacking each other, the mere fact that the opposition existed was enough for each side to make preparations for an attack.


    Who struck first didn¡¯t matter. After all, a war was inevitable.


    While the demon realm had a Demon King, the humans had mighty warriors as their trump cards, and the warriors seeded in annihting the Demon King.


    The death of the Demon King was on a whole different level from the death of a human king. So, the mere fact that the Demon King had died would have crushed the morale of numerous demon armies.


    The Demon King was, in fact, a divine-like figure to the demons in the Demon Realm.


    This exnation alone was enough for me to fully understand the importance of the Archdemon race.


    ¡°Alright... I understand why the Archdemon is so important now.¡±


    Why I had to be the next Demon King became clear as well.


    ¡°So, what should I do from now on? Do you guys have a n?¡±


    ¡°You need to grow more powerful. Gradium is too dangerous. You should return to the Demon Realm and gather the scattered demons to rebuild your influence, and also focus on personal training, Your Highness.¡± Sarkegar said.


    Of course, if I returned to the Demon Realm, I would be weed by the demons who still remembered the Demon King, and gathering influence wouldn¡¯t be too difficult.


    The Dark Land was incredibly vast, so even if the Demon King was dead, it would be impossible for humans to conquer the entirend.


    I shook my head at Sarkegar¡¯s words.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. The humans may not be able to conquer the entirety of the Dark Land, but they¡¯ll still have tight surveince throughout thend. If a new demon army is formed, it¡¯ll only be a matter of time until they attack us.¡±


    The humans would not just sit back and allow the reconstruction of the Demon Realm so easily, not when they had just taken it down. At the slightest hint of a resurgence, they would move to squash any suspicious groups they saw like cockroaches.


    Besides, I only said that I would pretend to go along with it and offer my help; I didn¡¯t <i>really</i> want to rebuild the Demon Realm and start another war. The idea that demons would turn on each other without an Archdemon was only going to happen in the distant future, and was not something I had to worry about anytime soon.


    And... the truth was that it was not what was important.


    ¡°In my opinion, going back to the Demon Realm is a bad idea,¡± I said.


    Sarkegar red at me, as if asking if there was any alternative. Frankly, I didn¡¯t want to return to the Demon Realm. I just didn¡¯t like it there.


    I wanted to stay in Gradium. I mean, just look at this ce, it was a great city to be in. Who would want to live in a neighborhood without a subway?!


    ¡°This city is the enemy¡¯s heart. To defeat the enemy, you must first understand who they are. In fact, it might actually be better to learn the ways of humans by staying here for a while.¡±


    Making excuses was my specialty.


    ¡°Wow... Your Highness! The audacity and courage to pierce the enemy¡¯s heart! You truly possess the virtues of a worthy emperor!¡± Sarkegar eximed in admiration.


    Not really. I just wanted to live in a city with a subway system, that¡¯s all.


    And with Eleris here, there was less chance of my identity being exposed to other humans. The likelihood of someone finding out I was a demon significantly decreased because of her.


    There was really no reason to leave Gradium. It was considered the best ce to live on the entire continent. There was no way I was leaving this ce; even if it cost my life, I wanted to stay until the end.


    There was no reason to take any more risks. I was going to sit in Gradium quietly and wait until the end. Just stay calm, get taken care of by Eleris, and before I knew it, time would pass and the ending woulde.


    I mean, there weren¡¯t really any conditions that said I had to do something spectacr in this world, right?


    My excuse seemed to work perfectly that Sarkegar was almost in tears as if he had appreciated my audacity and courage.


    ¡°Your Highness, if that¡¯s the way you truly feel, I have a better idea,¡± Sarkegar suggested.


    ¡°...A better idea?¡±


    <i>¡®Well, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to say, but it surely can¡¯t be a better idea.¡¯</i>


    ¡°To truly bring down humans, you must first understand their ways! I humbly ept your wisdom!¡±


    What was he trying to say?


    ¡°Enroll as a student at the Temple, where you will be able to thoroughly learn the ways of humans! Ultimately using their own weapons to defeat them, wouldn¡¯t you say that is true revenge?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. What kind of nonsense is that?¡¯</i>


    Loyar nodded in response to Sarkegar¡¯s unexpected suggestion.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, Your Highness,¡± Loyar added.


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Temple is the cradle of the human empire, and where many heroic figures have graduated. Your Highness, once you be a high-ranking figure in the Temple, you will know who all the key figures in the human empire are. Ultimately, you will truly understand who your enemies are and what they are thinking when you fight against them, better than anyone else. You could even adopt their ways and make them ours. You would essentially be taking down the human empire from within.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait a moment. What¡¯s going on here?¡¯</i>


    I had no desire to get involved in the main story whatsoever. However, Loyar seemed to agree with Sarkegar as if surprised that he had said something worth agreeing with for once.


    ¡°Furthermore, the Temple is currently nurturing young prodigies with significant power and potential. Their goal is to cultivate more individuals like the hero Artorius. Just knowing who might show strong potential among the students would be of great help to our side. Moreover, any excessively dangerous talents could be eliminated early to remove potential threats, if deemed necessary.¡± Sarkegar added.


    Right. The Temple was indeed an institution that fosters young students who have the potential to be formidable forces. They even had a special division dedicated to raising individuals with the potential to follow in the footsteps of the hero Artorius. The protagonist of the novel was affiliated with this institution.


    But why did I need to go there? Why me?


    This was getting ridiculous. I felt like I was being dragged into something I never even thought of because of one simple mistake.


    <i>¡®Eleris! You¡¯re the only one who can help me out! You surely don¡¯t want me to turn into a cog in this war machine!¡¯</i>


    I looked over at Eleris in a desperate plea for help, and saw her smiling.


    ¡°I also think it¡¯s a good idea, Your Highness.¡±


    What, why? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be against it? I couldn¡¯t fathom why Eleris, who held an opposite worldview to Sarkegar, was in favor of this.


    ¡°Wait a moment...¡±


    I had toe up with some justification or reason why I couldn¡¯t go, in the face of this strange consensus among the three.


    ¡°No matter how well we can disguise me with magic, there are surely mages in the Temple, and who knows what might happen if I meet one of them? It¡¯ll be dangerous if my identity gets exposed.¡±


    Were these lunatics trying to get me killed?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness.¡±


    Sarkegar wore a confident smile as he pulled a ring from his hand.


    ¡°This ring has been passed down through generations in our n.¡±


    ¡°S-so, wh-what does that... have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Just wearing this ring alone will allow you to fully harness the power of our n.¡±


    What?


    Why on earth did something like this exist? And why had it conveniently appeared at this exact moment? Huh? Come on, itcks so much usibility! A race that inherently has polymorphic abilities carrying rings that allow the user polymorph at will? That¡¯s utterly useless to you!


    It seemed like it had been specifically made just to be given to me at this precise moment!


    [Are you mad about non-usible events in your non-usible novel?]


    [Haha]


    Some text passed by in front of my eyes. I didn¡¯t get a good look, but I swear I saw something.


    <i>¡®What was that just now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh, uh... Sorry, but I can¡¯t ept something so precious like that. How am I supposed to ept a ring that¡¯s passed down through the generations? It must be something really significant, like a family treasure or something, right?¡±


    My justifications were bing increasingly feeble.


    ¡°The legacy of our n is nothingpared to the grand mission of rebuilding the Demon Realm. Please ept it, Your Highness!¡± Sarkegar cried out fervently as he thrust the ring toward me. ¡°A mighty empire is right before us, Your Highness!!¡±


    My excuses had only backfired on me.


    In any case, it was clear: the person who sent me here clearly didn¡¯t want me to sit back and rx until the end.

 Chapter 19

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>


    My enrollment in the Temple had been decided.


    Surely with this ring, I had no need to worry about being exposed. This ring¡¯s effect wasn¡¯t just like any other illusion spell. It cast a form of magic thatpletely reconstructed the body.


    On second thought, if polymorph allowed for full physical reconstruction, did that mean it could technically enhance one¡¯s physical attributes ordingly as well?


    Could I be as strong as someone who had a strength stat of 99?


    When I voiced this question to the group, Loyar responded with a slightly pitiful look.


    ¡°...A polymorph of such strength would only be possible for someone with dragon-level magical powers.¡±


    ¡°And Archdemons aren¡¯t at the dragon-level?¡±


    ¡°Dragons are creatures of imagination. It would be impossible for a creature that can use magic without having to cast it to exist.¡±


    She was clearly having fun. Her voice dripped with mockery.


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re not <i>actually</i> using polymorph. Polymorph is a vision that is unique to our n, but you ultimately need to be stronger yourself. Any strength you receive from transformation doesn¡¯t actually be your strength, Your Highness. Relying on such tricks won¡¯t do you any good.¡±


    Wow, thank you for kindly letting me know that such tricks didn¡¯t work. How great.


    In any case, I would gain the abilities of the dreadfiend n, which meant I could not just disguise myself, but truly transform into another being.


    ¡°By the way, I have a question.¡±


    Okay, I understood that polymorphing could turn you into a person with a muscr physique, but that didn¡¯t mean it would turn you into a bodybuilder all of a sudden.


    ¡°For example, are there any limitations on things like hair?¡±


    ¡°My pardon? I¡¯m confused, Your Highness.¡±


    Sarkegar seemed not to understand my question, but I was dead serious.


    ¡°For example, let¡¯s say I¡¯m bald due to hair loss. Would I be able to transform into a, um... a person with a luxurious head of hair? Or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course. Something trivial like that is definitely possible, Your Highness.¡±


    Nice!


    ¡°Sarkegar! You truly are the loyal servant of the century. Yes, yes you are!¡±


    Sarkegar, you really were a good guy.


    I couldn¡¯t contain my excitement and hugged him.


    The ring that granted permanent immunity to hair loss was in my grasp!


    ¡°If you desire, I would dly give my life away for you, Your Highness!¡±


    Loyar and Eleris watched us with stunned expressions while Sarkegar and I embraced each other passionately.


    ***


    Gradias Temple.


    It was the main stage of the novel.


    Honestly, there was no real reason for me to enroll as a student in the Temple. Thanks to Sarkegar, the risk of exposing my true identity had diminished and the story would progress on its own, leading to its predestined ending.


    To be precise, it was better not to interfere.


    Just by getting involved, new variables would emerge, and the mere presence of Charlotte de Gradias and her survival would already significantly alter the course of the story.


    I didn¡¯t want to engage in unnecessary antics that would intrude on a story already heading toward its conclusion.


    Moreover, there was really no need for me to mingle with some teenage kids at school. Why bother?


    For the time being, though, I didn¡¯t know what Sarkegar was going to do to me if he found out that I had little interest in the restoration of the Demon Realm. And as for Loyar, I wasn¡¯t too sure what was on her mind. Sarkegar was undoubtedly a devoted servant, but he was also the most dangerous threat to me.


    In the end, it just seemed like Sarkegar wanted me to be stronger. Fighting honestly did not suit my disposition, nor was it something I actively pursued. I had a strong desire to be in a ce where survival and safety were guaranteed without having to endure unnecessary suffering, just like everyone else.


    However, whether I enrolled in the Temple or not, I eventually had to be strong enough to break free of Sarkegar¡¯s grasp.


    Whether I stood with Eleris or with Sarkegar, bing stronger was not optional.


    I was to enroll in Gradias Temple.


    ¡°But how?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If I adopt you as my heir, you should be able to enroll in the Temple.¡±


    If I used Count Pontius¡¯s status and became his adopted son, I¡¯d be able to enroll in the Temple. Perhaps, as a son of a noble, I might even be able to enjoy a luxurious life as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous,¡± Eleris said as she shook her head.


    Sarkegar narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean, Eleris?¡±


    ¡°Sarkegar, you¡¯re the one who kidnapped the princess. Now that she¡¯s returned, anotherprehensive investigation of the kidnapping will take ce. With the princess back as a witness, it¡¯s possible that they might trace the deed back to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. I left no traces.¡±


    ¡°Still, we should consider all possibilities.¡±


    ¡°... Alright, fine.¡±


    Surely, another investigation into the princess¡¯s kidnapping could implicate Sarkegar. It was a slim possibility, but Eleris seemed to think there was no need to risk it.


    Thinking about it, that <i>was</i> a valid point.


    ¡°Then, should Eleris be the guardian...?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I naturally assumed that she was going to say yes, but instead, Eleris shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m a vampire. If my identity as a vampire gets exposed, there¡¯s no doubt that Your Highness, who is under my guardianship, will alsoe under suspicion. I¡¯m trying to stay cautious in every aspect as I cannot predict what may happen in the future.¡±


    Eleris, although already well-integrated into human society, was still mindful of the possibility that she might be outed as a vampire.


    ¡°Wait, if both you and Sarkegar can¡¯t be my guardian, how can I enroll in the Temple?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to?¡±


    Eleris gestured towards the final candidate as if it were the most obvious choice.


    ¡°... Me?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you serious?!¡± I asked.


    Choosing a beggar to be my guardian? Was this some kind of madness?


    Loyar and I remained silent, and Eleris shook her head.


    ¡°I meant that having a guardian who is known as an orphan might actually be beneficial to your situation, Your Highness.¡±


    I understood what she meant.


    ¡°If you be Sarkegar¡¯s son, you might be at risk if he gets exposed, and likewise, if you choose me as your guardian, you might be at risk if <i>I</i> get exposed.¡±


    ¡°... I understand what you mean. Even if I get exposed, my club members don¡¯t know I¡¯m a lycanthrope, so Your Highness can just pretend that he didn¡¯t know, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Loyar¡¯s group members were unaware that Loyar was a lycanthrope. So even if Loyar <i>was</i> exposed, most would believe that the members had nothing to do with her, as they didn¡¯t know her true identity. The group also consisted of arge number of members, so it made sense.


    Moreover, by entering the Temple as an unknown orphan, the likelihood of me being exposed along with other demons was low.


    Eleris was right.


    ¡°...So, are you telling me to start living here from today?¡±


    ¡°I cannot believe that His Highness must reside in this impure ce! This is nonsense!!¡± Sarkegar eximed.


    mes burned in Loyar¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Did you just call the ce I live in ¡®impure¡¯? Do you want me to make you understand what it feels like to have to use your own money to buy bread from tomorrow onward? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh... no... my bad, I didn¡¯t mean that... it¡¯s just that His Highness here... is just a big... you know...¡±


    ¡°Stop it, will you? Giving the prince ¡®the luxurious lifestyle he deserves¡± is easy for you to say, but do you know what our folks will have to go through to make that much money?¡±


    Loyar was the financial provider of our enterprise. In other words, she had the biggest say.


    Loyar snarled at Sarkegar in a threatening manner, and Sarkegar turned pale, realizing that he might go bankrupt.


    Eleris let out a sigh as she watched them fight.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to stay here. If you enter the Temple, you can stay in their dorms. You only need to be here for a few days.¡±


    She seemed to find it ridiculous that I¡¯d thought she was actually going to make me live in this filthy ce.


    I mean, I wasn¡¯t asking for anything extravagant like bing a noble¡¯s son, you know.


    Was I going to be made fun of by the kids at school for being homeless? Although I was in my thirties in real life, I¡¯d still lose my temper if those little brats started teasing me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Still, Eleris¡¯s suggestion seemed like the safest option.


    Just a few days, you say... A few days in a ce like this...


    When I asked if it <i>had</i> to be this ce, Eleris insisted that it had to be that way.


    I was an orphan with no official status to prove it. I needed to establish some kind of proof that I was indeed an orphan, and to do that, I had to obtain testimonies from Loyar¡¯s gang.


    Obtaining a new status through the testimonials of beggars. How bizarre.


    ¡°There are lots of guys in our group who don¡¯t have any legitimate official documentation, Your Highness. Furthermore, I¡¯ve encountered many cases where my crew members eventually needed official documentation, so I¡¯m an expert in that area.¡±


    Loyar was the head of the organization, so it made sense that she referred to her members as ¡°brothers¡±, but nheless, it was still strange to hear.


    A lycanthrope associating with humans¡ªit was almost like the real-life version of ¡°Tiger Brother,¡± except in this case, would it be called ¡°Wolf Brother¡±? Well, it was more like ¡°Stray Dog Brother.¡± No, my bad. ¡°Stray Dog Sister¡± would make more sense.[1]


    Even though Loyar had been provoked by Sarkegar¡¯s words, she seemed to agree that it wasn¡¯t a good idea for me to stay in this environment for too long.


    ¡°Eleris wille up with a suitable excuse, so let¡¯s just go along with it,¡± Loyar said calmly.


    Eleris began to contemte how she could get me out of being homeless and enrolled in the Temple as soon as possible.


    ***


    Sarkegar and Eleris left, leaving Loyar and me behind.


    The n had already beenmunicated to us.


    Loyar assured me that no one would be around to bother us, but that wasn¡¯t the problem.


    Why did everything have to be so difficult?


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of going to the Temple, let alone bing a beggar¡¯s child who lived under a bridge. I was starting to feel reluctant, and the idea of the Temple was growing more unappealing.


    But what could I do? This was supposed to be the safest option, after all.


    Loyar led me out of the sewers and to the hideout of the beggars.


    She whistled, and the beggars who had been scattered around the area slowly began to gather.


    Despite theirzy appearances, they seemed to obey quickly.


    This must be the dark side of Gradium.


    ¡°Hey boss, who¡¯s this little punk?¡±


    Eleris or Sarkegar would have gotten upset at that statement, but Loyar showed little reaction.


    Someone who despised me in her heart, but whose body was obedient to me. Quite a strange one.


    ¡°He¡¯s a new addition to the family. His name is Reinhart.¡±


    It was not my real name, Baalier, but rather a new one: Reinhart.


    <i>¡®Wait, Baalier is not my real name either!¡¯</i>


    It was an alias on an alias upon another alias. What was I, an onion or something? They had to stop addingyers to me!


    Reinhart was an alias that Sarkegar had suggested. He said that I needed a codename rather than Baalier, so he asked for my opinion.


    Oh. I had something in mind.


    <i>¡°Grom Hellscream.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°...Hellscream? Your Highness, isn¡¯t that name a bit too ominous?¡±</i>


    The first suggestion had been rejected by Eleris.


    <i>¡°How about Rich King?</i>¡±


    <i>¡°Perfect! It¡¯s a name overflowing with the potential of a Demon King! With such a name, Your Highness can undoubtedly be a master of magic surpassing even the richest of the rich!!¡±</i>


    <i>¡°If that¡¯s the case, you might as well go by your real name, Your Highness.¡±</i>


    Sarkegar agreed, but Loyar objected. She believed that a menacing alias like ¡°Rich King¡± would invite unnecessary suspicion, and that it might even be better just to stick with my real name. It made sense, as it would be the equivalent of naming yourself ¡°Kim Darkness¡± in Korean.


    <i>¡°In that case, how about Thrall?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°...Your Highness, you can¡¯t be making jokes like that.¡±</i>


    Eleris¡¯s face stiffened. She thought I was making a pun on the word ¡°balls.¡±


    <i>¡°What about ¡®Reinhart¡¯?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°...It sounds too much like a typical protagonist¡¯s name, but...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°I think that it¡¯s much better than something like ¡®Hellscream.¡¯¡±</i>


    <i>¡°The name is too simple... I suggest we add a few more sybles to the name.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Calling him something longer would just be unnecessary. Let¡¯s go with this. Besides, we don¡¯t want His Highness to have his name be mistaken with a noble¡¯s.¡±</i>


    And that was roughly how the name was decided.


    Not too shy, but not too weird. Just an ordinary name.


    1. Tiger Brother is a famous Korean fiction web-toon where a tiger takes on the form of a human and experiences everyday human situations. ?

 Chapter 20

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>


    After Loyar introduced me to her crew, one of the disheveled yet sturdy-looking individuals¡ªpresumably the second-inmand¡ªasked a question.


    ¡°Where should we assign this one, boss?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give any tasks to this kid,¡± Loyar replied, shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯s going to the Temple.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the expressions of the beggars grew extremely bewildered.


    ¡°Boss, have you lost your mind or something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Loyar¡¯s expression turned intimidating. It seemed she was irritated, which in turn prompted the beggar to cower in fear.


    ¡°I mean... Didn¡¯t you say that young bloods were too young to understand anything and that they were just stubborn? Why are you suddenly taking in a kid like him? And not only that, but you want to take him to the Temple too?¡±


    It was true that I didn¡¯t see anyone my age among Loyar¡¯s group, as managing a delinquent teenager would¡¯ve been a real hassle in these circumstances. The group¡¯s confusion made perfect sense.


    Loyar shook her head.


    ¡°This kid is our future.¡±


    It felt a bit odd that I had suddenly be the future of a group of beggars, yet, in a way, it really felt like I was indeed their future.


    As I nced around, I noticed the beggars¡¯ expressions bing increasingly uncertain. Loyar, who was also looking at the puzzled beggars, ced her hands on her hips.


    The beggar king, their leader, began her impassioned speech.


    ¡°As you all know, we¡¯re a bunch of folks with no skills and no education, right? Sure, we used to be the talk of the town back in the day, but now we¡¯re living in the gutter, aren¡¯t we? Sure, we said we¡¯d try to survive as a group of people who have nothing but ourselves.


    ¡°But how long are we going to live like this? I¡¯m fine with living like this, but most of you guys are living here against your will. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all burning with the desire to get out of this ce.


    ¡°But it¡¯s toote for us to acquire something groundbreaking or learn anything new now. That¡¯s why we will invest everything we have, our... money, yeah, our capital. We¡¯re going to pour it all into this kid and nurture a talent that will be the future of our club.¡±


    It seemed as if Loyar herself thought her words sounded quite convincing, and she seemed pleased with herself. She seemed to possess a type of charisma I had never seen before.


    I told Loyar beforehand to tell the group that the ultimate goal was to focus on investing in a single youngster and nurture him and his talents for the future of the group, and to tell them that the end result of doing so would be that all the beggars in the gang could be transformed into productive members of society.


    One of the beggars raised a skeptical eyebrow in response to Loyar¡¯s confident speech.


    ¡°Boss, are you saying that just by sending that kid to the Temple, we¡¯re going to live the high life in the future, instead of just being beggars?¡±


    It was a valid question, and Eleris and I had prepared excuses for this as well.


    But Loyar was agitated by the fact that a member had questioned her and immediately retorted, ¡°I said what I said! I don¡¯t want to hear any more words from you guys!¡±


    ¡°Alright boss, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Whatever you say, boss.¡±


    Loyar¡¯s single statement was more convincing than any other excuse out there.


    If the boss wants it, the boss wants it. No questions asked.


    But which was more tragic? To be caught as a demon, or as a sessor raised within a beggar organization?


    Gosh, both seemed equally shitty.


    ***


    Strictly speaking, Loyar¡¯s words made sense. Everyone seemedfortable epting her opinion just because it hade from her. It felt like it wasn¡¯t the first time Loyar had done simr things to the gang.


    This time, Loyar took me to a fairlyrge dwelling made out of cardboard, and then she brought someone else in.


    A tall man, the same second-inmand guy from before. Loyar introduced me to him.


    We agreed beforehand that since Loyar would be the boss in this ce, she could treat me like any other group member.


    ¡°Dybun, say hi to Reinhart, He¡¯s the future of our club. Reinhart, this is my most trusted younger brother, so you can trust him too. His name is Dybun.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Reinhart. I¡¯m Dybun.¡±


    He was a younger brother who had received the lycanthrope¡¯s favor.


    Was this a friendship that transcended races? This was a rare friendship, probably rarer than 1% of the friendships around the whole world.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Reinhart.¡±


    I shook his hand, which was as big as a cooking pot.


    He looked more like a retired soldier than a beggar, and was dressed slightly shabbily. He appeared rough around the edges rather than bad-tempered.


    Maybe it was because he trusted Loyar, but he didn¡¯t question a single thing about me, a stranger who had suddenly appeared and was being sent to the Temple.


    ¡°Dybun, take him to make an ID tomorrow. If you have time, go to the Temple with him as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    The three of us sat down.


    It was a bit messy, but considering the corridors full of corpses back at the Demon King¡¯s castle, this seemed like paradise to me.


    Resorting to thinking about a past negative experience to make the present circumstances seem better was something I really disliked doing, but here I was doing that exact thing.


    Dybun hesitated, then looked at Loyar.


    ¡°Boss, what are you going to do about the tuition fees?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure about this, but isn¡¯t the Temple a ce that noble children attend? I heard that the tuition fees are incredibly high.¡±


    That was a problem we were all aware of.


    We had made the decision to enroll, but none of us had a straightforward solution to the most important issue. Not the issue about being exposed or anything like that; the problem was money.


    Because of this, Loyar also had doubts about whether or not she could continue to cover the tuition fees for the Temple.


    The Gradias Temple was the most famous educational institution on the entire continent. Not only were people from the empire educated there, nobles from all across the continent often came to study as well.


    As a result, the tuition fees were exorbitantly expensive. The Temple was not only an educational institution, but also a ce that generated immense wealth for the empire. Just receiving an education at the Temple alone could provide families with significant connectionster on, and thus, these well-off individuals didn¡¯t hesitate to send their children to the Temple.


    The real question was whether the group of beggars could really get me enrolled, and continue to support and pay off the substantial tuition fees.


    However, I had already prepared a contingency n for that.


    The tuition that each student had to pay at the Temple varied depending on the grade and major, but for regr students, it cost 50 gold per semester. That¡¯s about 50 million won, which is equivalent to 100 million won per year. On top of that, tuition fluctuated depending on the major.


    <i>¡°You guys just need to be able to cover the tuition for a short period.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Are you confident that you can receive a schrship, Your Highness?¡±</i>


    Of course, I was probably smarter than the average student, but to be honest, there had to be plenty of students who were even more intelligent than me at the Temple.


    However, that wasn¡¯t what was important.


    <i>¡°What the empire wants is a second or third Artorius. So if they see a student with the talent but not the money to afford education at the Temple, they¡¯ll definitely exempt them from the tuition fees.¡±</i>


    I¡¯d phrased it as though it was conjecture, but it was the truth.


    The Temple authorities did not bother about the financial backgrounds of students with exceptional talents, and these students weren¡¯t burdened with exorbitant tuition fees.


    I was an Archdemon. There had to be some outstanding talent in me, there was no doubt about it.


    <i>¡°First, let¡¯s get me enrolled. Once I¡¯m there and start receiving some education, I should be able to discover at least one talent, right?¡±</i>


    If that were so, then I would be exempted from having to pay tuition. Finding and developing that special talent could be achieved using the achievement points, so it wasn¡¯t just an empty promise.


    It might have seemed impossible right then, but once I started to wander around the main storyline, there would be plenty of ways to earn achievement points.


    They had all nodded as if they¡¯d found this n reasonable.


    I would¡¯ve been content without knowing or having to think about all of this stuff if my enrollment in the Temple had not been necessary. But if I had no choice but to go to the Temple, I was not going to take it lightly. I was determined to be stronger, whether I liked it or not.


    So, what mattered the most now was having enough money to study at the Temple for one semester. I¡¯d use that as an opportunity to immerse myself into the main storyline, gather achievement points, and develop my talents.


    That was my current goal.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we make it work with what we have now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but... It probably won¡¯t be enough, I assume.¡±


    Loyar didn¡¯t have a brilliant solution either.


    ¡°Um... Boss... What if you reduced the amount you take from the club¡¯s finances? It might be possible then...¡± Dybun replied hesitantly.


    The money that went into funding Sarkegar¡¯s noble lifestyle was the only thing that seemed to be known. Loyar probably hadn¡¯t specified how she used the portion that she took for herself. Dybun was suggesting they do something with the money she was taking in order to sustain my life at the Temple.


    However, Loyar shook her head firmly.


    ¡°I told you, if we did that, then we¡¯d have to quit all these shenanigans as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes... You did mention that.¡±


    The funds Dybun mentioned seemed to be going into bribing the guards so that the members of the gang didn¡¯t get arrested for begging in this area. It wasn¡¯t exactly clear whether or not that was what they were using it for, but it sure sounded like it.


    Sarkegar was a noble, and it seemed like he was doing all he could in his position to ensure that Loyar and I weren¡¯t going to be obstructed by the people in the empire. So whatever the case was, Loyar and I could not sacrifice the funds that were being used to support Sarkegar¡¯s activity.


    ¡°Our ie has been decreasingtely, boss. People aren¡¯ting near the Bronze Gate Bridge as much as they used to,¡± Dybun said with a sigh.


    Word had spread that there were beggars that were prowling around near the Bronze Gate Bridge, so the citizens had been intentionally avoiding this area for a while now. This meant that the ie of the group was bound to steadily decrease as time passed.


    ¡°This is a serious problem...¡±


    It seemed that Loyar had finally realized that things weren¡¯t going to go the way she wanted them to. She nced at me, almost as if expecting me toe up with a brilliant solution.


    I was waiting for the ball to fall into my court.


    ¡°Hmm... What if we change our approach a bit?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Huh? Change our approach?¡±


    Dybun furrowed his brow at me as if wondering if I had any clever ideas.


    They were not thinking outside the box. The answer was simple and right under their noses all along!


    ¡°If our customers are avoiding us, why not go and find the customers ourselves?¡±


    It wasmon sense. If there are no customers, you have to go find them yourself.


    Surprisingly, these guys didn¡¯t have that much of a hustling mindset. It was obvious that their strategy was not going to work, as all they were doing was trying to sell candy to people who passed by the area.


    If one path gets blocked, you have to look for a different path. It wasn¡¯t like someone was going toe and help them all of a sudden if all they did was just grow bitter about their situation and do nothing about it.


    ¡°Go out and find customers? Are you suggesting we expand our operations to different areas as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a ce in mind?¡±


    ¡°If we go too far away, the members of the gang will get tired quickly.¡±


    It seemed like Dybun thought that expanding the group¡¯s activity range would be difficult because it would require a lot of traveling on foot.


    ¡°No. In fact, it might actually be easier.¡±


    ¡°Easier...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because we would just need to stay in one ce, and there would be no need to move around. It¡¯s a ce where many peoplee and go, a ce with a high transient poption. Doesn¡¯t that ring a bell?¡±


    Loyar and Dybun looked at me skeptically, as if they thought that I was talking about some non-existent location that was perfectly suited for beggars.


    ¡°The magical trains.¡±


    The ce with the highest transient poption within the city, where the beggars will be subway peddlers.


    Loyar and Dybun looked astonished. They seemed to think it was a revolutionary idea.


    <i>¡®Now this is what I¡¯m talking about. This is what an isekai story should be like!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 21

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>


    Dybun couldn¡¯t stop marveling about why he hadn¡¯t thought of such a brilliant idea before, and Loyar also seemed to consider my suggestion a good idea.


    I had only ridden the magical train once, but it hadn¡¯t seemed like there were any security guards on board, at least at the moment. So, althoughints about the peddlers might pile up and measures might be taken in the future, it was still a long way off.


    And that wasn¡¯t the end of my n.


    This group was essentially my only source of financial support. Therefore, they had to earn more money and be more sessful than before, since it was almost impossible to expect support from Sarkegar and Eleris.


    Not only were Sarkegar and Eleris depending on Loyar¡¯s crew, but now, so was I.


    ¡°Just selling candy like we¡¯ve done so far won¡¯t be enough. We¡¯re going to need something that can attract more attention.¡±


    ¡°Something that attracts attention?¡±


    The magical trains were a space where numerous people gathered, overflowing with potential consumers. Naturally, a single candy wasn¡¯t going to capture any valuable attention. It had to be a product that was targeted at many consumers.


    ¡°Hmm... We don¡¯t have the financial ability to start selling proper goods, right?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no...¡±


    Of course, it would have been great if we could offer high-quality items that everyone would be interested in, but if that were possible, we could have just started a business ourselves.


    The best we could do was offer simple, affordable items that could easily attract consumer attention, rather than focus on quality and function.


    ¡°Considering the current situation, I think something simple like toys is our best bet.¡±


    ¡°Toys? I¡¯m not sure what kind of toys you¡¯re talking about, but do you really think that¡¯s gonna sell?¡±


    Loyar seemed uncertain, but I grinned in response.


    ¡°The person who demands the toys and the ones who end up paying for them are different.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dybun would probably understand what I was trying to say, but Loyar seemed a bit slow on the uptake. Loyar was a typical side character you would see in isekai stories, so it was expected.


    In many isekai stories, the main character often rattles off a ratherplex idea in front of a seemingly foolish side character. However, the main character¡¯s sophisticated idea is usually nothing special, and it¡¯s only used as a means to boast about their ¡°intelligence¡± to the side character. Usually, you can tell the level of intelligence of the author based on this.


    For example: an author might write, ¡°Ah, this thing right here is called soap. Thanks to the surface-active agent inside it, you can wash your hands cleanly.¡±


    There is a 100% chance that the author felt proud of himself for using the term ¡°surface-active agent¡±, and a 98.235% chance that they think ¡°I actually might very well be a genius!¡±


    Anyway, in this case, it was a toy.


    ¡°Think about it. It¡¯s kids who throw tantrums and demand toys, but it¡¯s the parents who have to buy it for them.¡±


    Children supplied the demand for toys, but the actual payment was carried out by their parents.


    ¡°Imagine a kid on a magical train begging for a toy.¡±


    They all stared at me, wondering what I was about to say.


    ¡°Well, more times than not, parents would buy those toys, whether they are defective or not, just to shut their kids up.¡±


    Those around me might ask how I knew such information when I¡¯d already told them I had amnesia, but for now, I didn¡¯t care. I was willing to let them think whatever they wanted. If they kept on suspecting me, I was fine with telling them the truth eventually. I wouldn''t tell them everything¡ªlike the fact that I was the author of this world¡ªbut when the time came, I was confident that I would be able toe up with another usible excuse or some nonsense to cover it up.


    I was not going to act all clueless and give up on a good opportunity like this.


    Anyway, Loyar and Dybun were looking at me as if I were the devil¡¯s son. I mean, I guess they weren¡¯tpletely wrong...?


    ¡°You greedy prick...!¡±


    Loyar seemed surprised at her outburst. She seemed to have said something she was only supposed to think in her head.


    <i>¡®Hey,e on. I did say that you could actfortably and casually with me, but I didn¡¯t mean </i>that<i> casually.</i> <i>It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing this just to please myself. It¡¯s for everyone¡¯s good! I¡¯m gonna need to talk to youter about your behavior.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get our act together. We can do this!¡±


    I extended my hand to lead a chant.


    ¡ª<i>Pat!</i>


    Loyar reflexively ced her ¡°paw¡± on top of my hand, and shock exploded across her face.


    In conclusion, I was an author with an intelligence level just high enough toe up with nothing more than a toy as a ¡°sophisticated¡± idea.


    ***


    There were still many other aspects of our n that needed changes. To sell any type of merchandise, we needed to first prepare clean outfits so that we could at the very least avoid being treated as unreliable.


    Until now, the gang had taken a ¡°whatever works¡± approach, but from now on, we needed to approach things in a more customer-friendly manner.


    However, the most important thing was to make our minds up on what items we were going to sell.


    Dybun was deeply moved by the n I had presented. He said he was convinced about why Loyar was trying to send me to the Temple and praised me as being more than capable of bing the ¡°brain¡± of the gang. He also said that receiving advanced education from the Temple on top of my current knowledge was only going to make me even more sessful.


    It was just a few words, but I felt like I was being showered with praise worth more than a thousand gold coins.


    I decided to mingle with the gang of beggars, just so that I could at least familiarize myself with their faces. To be honest, I didn¡¯t really want to, but avoiding them was only going to do me more harm than good.


    Loyar mostly seemed to do nothing but sleep and mostly only took action when there was a need for a fistfight.


    ¡°Dybun sure as hell praised this young fe alright.¡±


    While Loyar was the boss of the organization, it seemed that realistically, it was Dybun who managed it. Loyar told everyone that I was going to the Temple, and Dybun praised me, saying that I was a special kid. As a result, although the other members still felt quite suspicious toward me, I was able to leave a favorable impression on them.


    ¡°Hey kid, have a drink.¡±


    They offered me alcohol without a second thought.


    Even though I obviously looked underage, they didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡±


    In reality, I was in my thirties, so I wasn''t about to decline a good drink, and took the ss with gratitude.


    "Hey! Are you giving alcohol to a kid?"


    Despite what others may have said, Iughed and drank the shot in one big gulp without any hesitation.


    ¡°Ah yes! This is just what I needed!¡± I eximed as I drank the alcohol.


    Everyone burst intoughter as if they had heard something unexpected.


    The drink was a bit more bitter than I thought, but nheless, I still loved it.


    A good drink was always a good drink!


    The middle-aged man who poured me the drinkughed heartily. His breath didn¡¯t exactly smell pleasant, but whatever.


    ¡°This young one already knows how to enjoy life! Haha!¡±


    ¡°Can there be a life without alcohol, folks?¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°This kid! He knows what he¡¯s talking about, I like him!¡±


    ¡°I started drinking when I was your age, kid, but look at me now! Hehehe!¡±


    ¡°Well, the night is still young! Let¡¯s go! Drink up!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!!¡±


    ¡°Drink and be merry!¡±


    I would not be able to survive without them, so I couldn¡¯t be picky, and could only be grateful.


    I drank heavily with the beggarste into the night. Surprisingly, we had a lot inmon, so we lost track of time and were having way too much fun. Well, I was technically a middle-aged man myself, so it was only natural that I got along well with other middle-aged men.


    They asked me various questions, and since I wasn¡¯t too drunk, I was able to answer them as per the pre-arranged story.


    ¡°Anyway, how did you end up here, kid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know when or how I was abandoned, sir. I was just wandering around here and there, and that¡¯s how I ended up here.¡±


    My story was that I was abandoned at a very young age and while roaming the streets, Loyar found me and took me to this ce.


    To them, I was just a kid whose origin was unknown and who was having a rough life at such a young age. They all sympathized with me and patted my back, telling me that I should be a great person at the Temple and not be like one of them. I received many simr pieces of emotional advice.


    ¡°By the way, I heard you guys call this group a ¡®club¡¯. What¡¯s that all about?¡±


    Loyar who was also known as the Hound of Irine. I¡¯d also heard her refer to this organization as a ¡°club¡± on numerous asions. Usually, most organizations like these went with ¡°such and such¡± crew or ¡°so and so¡± crew as their name, so I wondered if there was a separate organization name that they¡¯de up with.


    ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s because of that big intersection up there.¡±


    <i>¡®Intersection? What does that have to do with anything?¡¯</i>


    The middle-aged man chuckled. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re joking, right? How can a rookie not even know the name of this club?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Rotary Club. Remember that.¡±


    Ah, I see.


    ***


    Eventually, Loyar came across our drunken midnight revelry and grew furious, demanding the identity of the one who had given alcohol to a teenage kid.


    I initially suggested that she should also enjoy some alcohol with us, but ended up getting a stern lecture from her.


    She nagged at me for a while, saying that although I was a different person than before, the fact that I was a nuisance had not changed a single bit. Maybe back then I¡¯d been a nuisance who wasn¡¯t into alcohol.


    Nevertheless, it seemed like my reputation as a ¡°pretty decent¡± guy had spread throughout the club because of how I livened up the wee party.


    The next day, as I nursed a severe hangover, I decided to get a handle on the situation within the Rotary Club.


    Even though they were now on my side, I assumed that I didn¡¯t know everything about them yet. I had drunk with them yesterday partly to get closer to the people, but also because I wanted to learn more about the Rotary Club.


    The Rotary Club had around two hundred members. That was quite a substantial number.


    I had no idea what their exact ie was from begging, but if it was enough to support the life of a noble, it must have been substantial.


    Considering they had to provide for their daily expenses, living costs, taxes, and then on top of that, support the lifestyle of a noble¡ªtheir total expenditure had to be incredible.


    How many candies do they have to sell each day to manage such expenses? Even if everyone sold a candy a day every day, that was equivalent to one thousand copper coins, which was equivalent to ten silver coins.


    Ten silver coins were only a hundred thousand won. And if each person sold ten candies a day, that would still only be one million won.


    And yet, that was not even considering the fact that everyone in the club was involved in candy selling.


    Sustaining this group was an impossible task from the start.


    Of course, besides selling candies, there were also those who begged outright, but that could not be enough to fulfill the financial needs of the entire group.


    There must have been a different source of ie within the Rotary Club, that much was clear. As far as I could imagine, Eleris and Sarkegar probably knew about this as well, and were deliberately withholding the information.


    Loyar, Eleris, and Sarkegar seemed to be keeping some aspects of the Rotary Club¡¯s ie hidden from me.


    Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to ask Loyar directly.


    Loyar, for the most part, was off in the deep recesses of the sewers, in ces no one would venture, tending to a small fire or dozing off.


    It seemed like there might be other sources of ie, and I asked her what it was.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that, Your Highness,¡± Loyar replied curtly, as if she had no intention of sharing the details.


    ¡°Alright, fine. Then just answer me this.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Does it involve harming other people?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but it may indirectly result in that,¡± Loyar replied.


    <i>¡®Hmm, it wasn¡¯t something that involved harming people, but in some cases, it might end up like that.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I heard the club has around two hundred members.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°However, from what I can see, there are at most fifty people residing here.¡±


    Fifty was still a significant number, but it was nowhere close to two hundred. My question was an indirect question. I was asking where the rest of the members were hiding.


    Loyar let out a short sigh as if she knew I wouldn¡¯t give up easily.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any intention of deceiving you in any way. It¡¯s simply better for you not to know much about this side of things, Your Highness,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Yeah, you probably thought that it might pose some unnecessary risk if I knew about it. It¡¯s okay, I thought the same as well.¡±


    ¡°Selling candy is just an act.¡±


    Begging was not their primary source of ie.


    ¡°We receive support from the Gradium Thieves¡¯ Guild,¡± Loyar exined.


    Their purpose was to collect any information the guild needed, which exined why a gang this size could be sustained.


    They were basically the typical group of beggars that appeared in fantasy medieval novels, working a side hustle to cover up their primary job.


    The Rotary Club served as an outsourced information collection agency for the Gradium Thieves¡¯ Guild. While it wasmon for beggars to be kicked out onto the streets, it was rare for beggars to be caught in many suspicious circumstances.


    When I asked whether the approach that I proposed would then be of little significance, Loyar shook her head.


    ¡°While we<i> do</i> have an essential rtionship with the Thieves¡¯ Guild, the more dependent we be on them, the more they will try to control us. If the club can operate solely on its own profits, that will have enough meaning in itself.¡±


    So, ultimately, the proposal I¡¯d made the day before held great significance for Loyar and Dybun.


    If the group had to rely on the Thieves¡¯ Guild, the guild could exert even more control over the Rotary Club. However, if the club¡¯s own profit margins grew, they could break free from the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s interference once and for all.


    That was the reason why Dybun seemed more excited than necessary.


    It seemed like a messy issue, but in the end, it still all boiled down to money.


    Why Loyar had said that it might ultimately harm other people also made sense now, since they didn¡¯t know what the Thieves¡¯ Guild was going to do with the information they got from them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know too much about this matter, Your Highness. You can forget about us after you enter the Temple with us as your guardians.¡±


    Even though Loyar told the club members that the future of the club was tied to me, my true focus was on my own training at the Temple. Therefore, as Loyar said, I didn¡¯t need to worry about the Rotary Club and its affairs.


    Even if there were problems within the Rotary Club, Eleris had suggested that I simply cut ties with them as soon as I received tuition support from them and entered the Temple.


    If I developed my talents, I would be exempted from having to pay tuition, which would allow me to live without any strings attached to the Rotary Club.


    That¡¯s why Loyar, Eleris, and Sarkegar hadn¡¯t told me about the secret sources of ie in the Rotary Club, because there was no real need for me to know the details.


    ¡°Your Highness, if you understand the situation now, please go with Dybun. You¡¯ll need to get an identification card.¡±


    Before officially saving up for the tuition fee, I needed to make an identification card.


    The n was slowly but surely progressing.


    Damn it.


    <i>¡®Do I simply wait for the ending while enjoying an easy life, or do I set my foot inside the main story of this world?¡¯</i> This was the question I had asked myself all along, but I had now chosen thetter and was going to be enrolled in the Temple.


    Taking the difficult path wasn¡¯t necessarily making me shiver in dread. I¡¯d find a way somehow, just as I rescued Charlotte back then.


    It would be the real deal once I entered the Temple, so I had to step up my game.


    The future now depended greatly on how strong I became.


    And when the timees, Sarkegar, Eleris, and Loyar will all realize that the Demon Realm was not the most important thing in their lives.

 Chapter 22

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>


    I heard that creating an identity from scratch was something Dybun had done quite often. He took me to a nearby imperial administrative office, also known as a simplemunity center in the middle of Seoul.


    Judging by the way the person in charge at the office greeted Dybun, it seemed like they had already seen Dybun quite a few times before.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s here again. At least you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in trouble this time.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is my first time bringing a kid along with me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, I didn¡¯t know you cared about stuff like that.¡±


    Since Dybun was ying the role of a guardian of a youth, he had dressed nicely and taken a bath beforehand. I, too, had done the same. Apart from the fact that he seemed clean, the officer wasn¡¯t surprised at Dybun¡¯s visit and didn¡¯t give us much trouble.


    We didn¡¯t arouse any suspicion, nor were there any procedures that troubled us.


    When I¡¯d received the Dreadfiend¡¯s ring, I¡¯d pondered for quite a long time over how to set my appearance. Having a lot of hair was a given, so that was off the list. I didn¡¯t want to look too handsome or too ugly. Of course, I¡¯d imagined what it would be like to live as a handsome guy before, but I didn¡¯t want to attract too much attention just because of my looks. Not to mention, Eleris had advised against it from the start.


    So, I went with a reasonably handsome appearance¡ªblond, slightly wavy hair, and blue eyes. I didn¡¯t stand out too much, and my hair and eye color were just mild enough not to draw attention. I certainly looked better than the average teenage boy without being overwhelmingly good-looking.


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°ce of birth?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The officer sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you even have a vague idea of the neighborhood?¡±


    He looked at me in mild frustration.


    ¡°No. I was abandoned when I was young, so I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He seemed to understand my situation, as though this sort of thing wasmon, and didn¡¯t probe any further. He instructed me to ce my hand on a magical stone on the table beside me. After a brief inspection, he nodded.


    ¡°Hmm... there really doesn¡¯t seem to be any data about you... It seems like you¡¯ve lived your life so far without causing any trouble.¡±


    It was quite a random remark, but I could roughly understand why he¡¯d said that.


    Assuming that the stone was some kind of fingerprint recognition device, my data would have already been registered if I¡¯d been previously caught by a guard for some kind of crime.


    People like me who have no known family were more likely tomit crimes, so they must have assumed I¡¯d lived a virtuous life so far because there were no such records.


    Although my birthce and address remained unknown, I couldn¡¯t leave them nk, so I made educated guesses on both of them. I wrote down an old, vanished address for my birthce, and the southern side of the Bronze Gate Bridge for my current address. The address made it seem like I owned and lived on a bridge, when in reality, I lived under it.


    Given the empire¡¯s advancement in magical devices, I was able to obtain an identification card with a photo as well.


    The officer gave us a final reminder to renew the identification card periodically before it expired, after which Dybun and I left the office.


    So, you see, it wasn¡¯t much different from a modern local office in Korea. It was extremely fast and convenient, and it left me ecstatic! I liked this part of the world so far!


    ¡°The process was simpler than I thought.¡±


    ¡°As it should be, given what they received from us.¡±


    I had a hunch that Dybun had bribed the office workers beforehand. It felt too easy, like having a free pass, but I guess it was a win-win situation for both sides. However, if the officials got caught doing this kind of thing, they were sure to be fired in an instant.


    I checked my ID card, which was made of metal.


    It had my photo, name, birth year, and a unique identification number. It wasn¡¯t much different from modern identification cards, especially the biometric data registration.


    The design had a medieval fantasy feel to it, but it was practically no different from the one used in the modern world.


    I¡¯ll say it once more, it¡¯s a medieval fantasy genre. In this genre, it is what it is.


    Anyway, that summed it up.


    The streets were still buzzing with the aftermath of the victory of the Great War. I could tell that the celebration was going tost for a very long time.


    Wee-home events for soldiers who had participated in the war would be even more massive, I was sure of it.


    The festivities would continue on and on.


    With my newfound status, enrolling in the Temple would be a smooth process as well.


    On the way to the Temple, Dybun raised a skeptical brow. ¡°About the Temple... Can anyone get in just because they have the money? They don¡¯t discriminate againstmoners, do they?¡±


    For some reason, he seemed doubtful.


    ¡°Well, from what I¡¯ve heard, yes, the money is the most important part,¡± I replied.


    Although children ofndlords and merchants also attended the Temple, the tuition fees were exorbitantly high, and unless you were a noble, it was nearly impossible to enroll. One had to pay billions in tuition fees per year, and it increased significantly depending on one¡¯s major and how far one had progressed; if one could afford it, that is.


    50 gold per semester was just an average number. Depending on the student¡¯s major, tuition fees could skyrocket to absurd amounts. Although rare, schrships and exemptions for the tuition fee based on the empire¡¯s merit system were sometimes given out.


    Given the absurd number of medals of honor that would be awarded after the Great War, the Temple was bound to be bustling with more new students than usual starting the next year.


    The Temple charged exorbitant tuition fees so they could afford to invest in the most talented children of the cohort. As a result, most students did not receive an education that was worth the amount they paid.


    Dybun took me to the Erediain District. The Korean equivalent would be Gwanak district in Seoul, where Seoul National University was located.


    One key difference was that the Temple was a massive educational institution that epassed the entire area of Gwanak district. So it was no surprise that the number of students was enormous, and the money they collected was astronomical.


    That was not all.


    To prevent people other than students from roaming around, there were massive barriers and physical walls around the different branches of the Temple, barring the entry of those without permits. The security and defense systems, along with the barriers set up around the Temple, were identical to those at the imperial pce.


    The students all belonged to noble families in their home countries. The school had to ensure a safe environment for these children to focus solely on their studies.


    This was why the noble families were able to send their children away to study such a long distance away without worry.


    There were families that were concerned that their kids could be kidnapped or subjected to harassment by unexpected troublemakers in the area around the Temple, so it only made sense that safety measures were crucial.


    Of course, an incident had to ur for all their safety protocols to be tested. If security measures and precautions were overly perfect, no incidents would happen. No one really wanted that, especially not me.


    Anyway, the Temple was practically a neighborhood in itself, so it was not entirely appropriate to say that we arrived at the Temple, since magical trains could not even enter the Temple¡¯s interior.


    We arrived at an admission counseling office located outside the Temple¡¯s grounds.


    ¡°This is my first time here. Why are there so many people?¡± Dybun couldn¡¯t help butment.


    The admission counseling office alone was massive, almost like a school in itself. Even more astonishing was the crowd of people waiting near the entrance.


    The people waiting with their numbered tickets were mostly kids and their parents. Dybun seemed baffled by the sheer number of wealthy parents wanting to send their kids to the Temple.


    I knew what this phenomenon was all about.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of that.¡±


    ¡°Because of what?¡±


    ¡°Kids with exceptional talent can get into the Temple for free. Maybe they¡¯re here to test that.¡±


    ¡°Do such cases exist?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? They might.¡±


    I made it seem like an educated guess, but it was true.


    Just receiving an education at the Temple significantly raised one¡¯s value. So even if they couldn¡¯t necessarily afford the tuition, some parents held onto the hope that their children could be admitted for free, as they believed their children might possess special powers or be geniuses.


    The reality was that most of them would leave disappointed in their child, but there were certainly cases where children discovered their talents and gained admission solely through it. The chances were extremely low, but it was possible.


    In this world, there were four major forces.


    Combat, magic, divine power, and another form of power, newly discovered not long ago: supernatural powers.


    Combat wasn¡¯t just about physically running around; it could grow a power close to that of a superhero as the individual grew stronger and stronger. Heroes like Artorius and even the knights of Duke Salerion who had chased after me had probably honed these abilities.


    However, in the Demon Realm, the mightiest beings had probably been in the Demon King¡¯s castle as well. There must have been good reasons for why the gargoyle had been able to dispatch the veteran knights with a single blow.


    Anyway, those with the potential to be superhumans would likely be educated in martial arts andbat.


    Kids with exceptionally clever minds or talents in magic would probably specialize in magic.


    Those showing talent in divine power would most likely be priests or holy knights.


    And a tiny minority would awaken strange abilities from time to time. This power, called supernatural powers, had yet to be fully understood. Since it wasn¡¯t something one learned and used, like magic, most did not have full control over it.


    That¡¯s why the empire kept special control over these superhumans. Their powers could be extremely dangerous, and so they hadn¡¯t been allowed to use them to their fullest in the Great War. Furthermore, superhumans who were considered extremely uncontroble were ultimately discretely exterminated.


    For superhumans, the Temple served as an institution to help them develop their supernatural abilities, while also being a ce to exert control over them, and help them live safe lives.


    Of course, most of the kids gathered here probably didn¡¯t even fall into any of these four categories.


    Talent was rare.


    ¡°There are so many people here. Is it going to be our turn anytime soon?¡±


    Dybun seemed to be thinking about more practical issues. There were so many people in line that it was uncertain if we could get in before they closed.


    But it was a needless worry.


    ¡°We came here for enrollment applications, not for enrollment advice, so we should be fine.¡±


    We hadn¡¯te to the Temple for consultations regarding free enrollment options.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    We walked past the enrollment advising area and straight into the entrance for enrollment applications.


    Unlike the advising area, the application area was less crowded. Of course, there were people waiting there as well, but even the waiting area was luxuriously decorated.


    Some parents, perhaps those who hade from afar, seemed to be wiping away tears as they were made to part ways with their kids, while their kids whined about not wanting to go to the Temple due to a fear of separation.


    No matter how great the Temple was, for those who didn¡¯t want to be there, it was nothing more than an unpleasant ce. Kids wouldn¡¯t understand why their parents would suddenly send them to a distant school and leave them there.


    ¡°Sorry, but this is the enrollment application counter...¡±


    Clean and neat as we may have looked, we didn¡¯t exactly appear wealthy. Thus, the counter staff assumed we were at the wrong counter and politely directed me and Dybun to a different counter.


    ¡°Oh... uh, um...¡±


    Dybun froze, seemingly overwhelmed by the amount of rich people around us.


    What is one supposed to do when their guardian is more nervous than them?


    ¡°No, we¡¯re in the correct ce. We¡¯re here to pay the tuition.¡± I said.


    Surprise shed across the staff member¡¯s face as I casually stated our purpose.

 Chapter 23

    <h4>Chapter 23</h4>


    The enrollment center, in contrast to the overcrowded advising office, was fairly quiet. Each prospective student at the enrollment center was paired with an advisor for one-on-one consultations. The advisor took turns looking at me and Dybun, wearing an expression of doubt, clearly wondering why we were there. Perhaps it was because we didn¡¯t appear to have much money.


    ¡°Um... it might be rude to ask in advance, but may I...?¡± The advisor asked.


    ¡°Please, go ahead,¡± I replied, taking the lead since Dybun was in a state of icy silence.


    The advisor continued, sounding a bit apologetic.


    ¡°There are cases where peoplee here to pay and wish to enroll for one semester...¡±


    The enrollment fee was a hefty amount of 50 gold, and while it was a substantial sum, if one was disciplined enough, it was definitely a usible amount to save up for. However, were there really people who attended for just one semester?


    ¡°Is that not allowed?¡± I inquired.


    If that was not allowed, then my whole n was going to fall apart.


    The advisor had spoken in a very polite manner toward me as well. Perhaps it had be a habit for them to show courtesy even to children, as everyone they encountered here was from a prestigious background.


    ¡°Of course, if youplete one semester and then find yourself unable to pay for the next... as per policy, you would be expelled after a certain period...¡±


    ¡°So, if someone can¡¯t afford to enroll for the next semester and they don¡¯t reapply, is that okay by the school?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in principle, that¡¯s how it should be. There would be no reason to expel you if you did that... However, not all students who enroll this way are like that....¡±


    Huh? What was going on? Was there some additional setup or extra context being added that I didn¡¯t know about this world?


    The advisor hesitated, then continued.


    ¡°Some would first pay for one semester, and then during that semester, build rtionships with other students who are more financially stable. Then they would ask them to help cover the tuition for the next semester.... It¡¯s a moremon urrence than we thought.¡±


    Ah. I think I knew what the advisor was talking about.


    ¡°When students see a close friend having to leave the Temple the next semester just because they can¡¯t afford it, they start crying and begging their parents to pay for them.... And while there are adoptive parents who do assist in these cases, it¡¯s just that... it can harm the Temple¡¯s image in various ways.¡±


    For those with immense wealth, the cost of the Temple¡¯s tuition wasn¡¯t that significant.? The Temple was where nobles,moners, and even royalty all mingled together, so it wasn¡¯t strange to see friendships form that overcame social status.


    So, basically, there were students who paid for one semester just to get inside, with parents who instructed them to find a well-off, wealthy friend. That way, even if they didn¡¯t pay the tuition, having a wealthy friend was seen as a gain in itself.


    Kids could throw tantrums about their friends leaving, but when it came to their parents, having poor brats wandering around at the Temple might lead them to file aint to the Temple¡¯s authorities.


    When I¡¯d designed the Temple, I never considered that such unexpected interactions could ur.


    I didn¡¯t know that short-term admissions could be exploited in such a way. It was both frustrating and clever, and made me feel somewhat foolish for not thinking of it first!


    ¡°Ever since this became a problem, the Temple has been hesitant to admit students who don¡¯t have the financial support to study for a considerable period of time.... In fact, when kids attend for only one semester and then leave the Temple, it often affects the kids who were friends with them as well...¡±


    Given that such issues existed, the Temple¡¯s stance now seemed understandable. Frequent changes in the student body alone could have a negative impact on the kids, but it was even more concerning if students intended to use other students for money.


    Even I thought that implementing such a policy was necessary.


    But what if I was enrolling to develop my talents to be a permanent student with a schrship?


    The advisor wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told them that this was my n.


    If they knew I was the sessor of the Bronze Gate Rotary Club, my admission would be blocked in an instant.


    Perhaps gaining admittance through Sarkegar might have been the option more likely to seed.


    ¡°If you cane prepared with financial documents that prove your ie, we can consider your case... but it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s really possible for you.¡±


    The advisor was very politely looking down on the two of us, but I wasn¡¯t particrly upset, since it was the truth.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that the Demon Prince couldn¡¯t enter the Temple because he didn¡¯t have enough money.


    At first, it had felt like I was going to just enroll for the sake of it, but now, it felt like I was begging to get in.


    Dybun lowered his head as if he were guilty of a crime.


    <i>¡®Hey, it¡¯s not like not having money was a sin, keep your head up.¡¯</i>


    What were we to do? I hadn¡¯t expected an obstacle like that to appear. The Rotary Club had members who worked, but providing financial proof was difficult.


    We could perhaps acquire some money through the Thieves¡¯ Guild, but showing proof of association with a criminal organization on paper was not a viable option.


    Changing my appearance again to get another ID anding back with Sarkegar seemed like the only option in this situation.


    ¡°Well, then, I guess there¡¯s no other choi¡ª¡±


    ¡°How about running him through an examination?¡±


    Just as I was about to get up from my seat, Dybun had offered a random suggestion.


    An examination? What kind of examination was he talking about?


    ¡°Examination as in...?¡±


    For some reason, Dybun¡¯s expression seemed desperate.


    ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that he could be a genius or a superhuman, right? Does putting him through such an examination cost money?¡±


    <i>¡®Wait, what? What was with him all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    Dybun¡¯s suddenment left the advisor looking somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Of course, we do conduct these sorts of examinations here in the application office, and no it doesn¡¯t cost anything to examine him, but... Well, the likelihood of him having any significant talent is quite slim. Most kids don¡¯t have any talents at all...¡±


    The advisor¡¯s words were true. I didn¡¯t possess any special talents at the moment. So despite Dybun¡¯s desperation to find another way, there wasn¡¯t any hope.


    ¡°Um... let¡¯s just leave, Dybun.¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on, you never know what can happen. How long does it take to get him examined? Is it a lengthy process?¡±


    ¡°Well... You just need to use the physical scanner, so it won¡¯t take much time... but you should get it done at the counseling center and not here.¡±


    The advisor seemed startled by Dybun¡¯s abrupt behavior.


    After a moment of hesitation, the advisor heaved a short sigh.


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯vee this far, I suppose...¡±


    The advisor rummaged through the office and took out a magical device.


    It was a physical scanner, essentially a measurement tool used to assess talent and status in this world. With it, they could measure an individual¡¯s talents and current abilities.


    It was another one of those convenient things that suited this world¡¯s setting. Without something like that, this process would have been much more annoying and taken unnecessarily long. It was kind of like the system message pop-ups that made everything more concise.


    For example, system pop-ups that depicted your stats as numbers saved a lot of time when proving that you got stronger. Without them, you¡¯d have to describe every single thing, like ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to do this and this before, but now I¡¯m able to do such and such, so I feel like I¡¯ve gotten stronger,¡± and so on. You¡¯d have to exin everything in that way, and it was annoying and tiring.


    Reading something like ¡°My attack power increased by a thousand!¡± was much more convenient and I loved it.


    Anyway, what Dybun was trying to do right then seemed like a pointless endeavor.


    ¡°Dybun, this seems pointless.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no harm in doing it, why not give it a try? We have nothing to lose, kid.¡±


    Dybun appeared to be urging me to ept his suggestion, especially since it didn¡¯t cost any money. He seemed quite desperate, since he thought that I had no way to enter the Temple other than this, when in fact, I had another option that he didn¡¯t know about.


    He was doing everything he could to help me. He was quite a nice guy.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that I¡¯d suddenly acquire a talent out of nowhere, though.


    ¡°Please ce your hand on this scanner. It¡¯ll take about a minute.¡±


    It seemed like the scanner would disy some kind of alert regarding the talent I possessed after it sessfully scanned me.


    I ced my hand on the gem.


    Not possessing a particr talent was not the issue here. I wondered if it was going to expose my true identity, or if it would show that I possessed the Control Demon ability.


    Nah, that wouldn¡¯t happen. I was wearing Sarkegar¡¯s ring.


    The Control Demon skill was a unique trait of the Archdemon race, and so it was likely sealed away by Sarkegar¡¯s ring.


    It was a power that could only be used when in my Baalier form, so it was probably hidden from the scanner as well.


    Of course, I could be totally wrong. In that case, I¡¯d just have to run away with the ring and think up a brand-new appearance.


    While I was pondering, the advisor suddenly tapped the scanner.


    ¡°...Hmm?¡±


    Why did the action seem simr to someone tapping a device when it failed to work?


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    In response to Dybun¡¯s question, the advisor shook his head.


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m sorry. We hardly use this device here. It seems it¡¯s malfunctioning.¡±


    The advisor left the room, saying that he would bring a new device, implying he was more used to dealing with enrollment work and not talent scanning.


    ¡°Could it be that it found something in you?¡±


    Dybun seemed hopeful, so I shook my head.


    ¡°Unlikely.¡±


    I checked my stats again with the stat pop-up, and again, no talent was to be found. I knew my stats better than that magical scanner.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought a new one. I¡¯ve checked it, so it should work this time.¡±


    The advisor seemed to be getting tired. After all, providing extra services like this wasn¡¯t necessary, especially for people who obviously looked talentless.


    I ced my hand on the new scanner ced in front of me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Again, the advisor fell silent.


    ¡°What...? Is it malfunctioning again?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    The advisor furrowed his brow.


    ¡°This is strange. This has never happened before.¡±


    The advisor seemed to be perplexed, and rather than speaking formally as he had done until now, the advisor was muttering in an informal tone.


    ¡°Does this device usually malfunction like this?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not aplex device, so it shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    The advisor turned the scanner¡¯s screen to Dybun and I to show us what was perplexing them.


    It was hard to call it a screen, since it just kept flickering. It would sh as if it were disying something, then continue to flicker.


    What kind of talent was this? A talent for breaking machinery? If that was the case, I¡¯d rather not have it.


    An ability like that was something you would find in old novels, and was among the worst you could get. Such a talent was so outdated that it would be considered somewhat revolutionary if it were to appear in modern-day novels.


    The advisor told me to remove my hand from the device, and this time, he ced his own hand on it, as though he wanted to check his own talents.


    ¡°... The device seems to be functioning normally,¡± the advisor said.


    This time, the advisor asked Dybun to ce his hand on the device.


    ¡°Hmm... it¡¯s definitely not an issue with the device.¡±


    It seemed that the glitching screen was caused by me.


    The advisor then asked me to ce my hand on the device once again.


    ¡°Now, hold it there for just about one second.¡±


    ¡°...alright.¡±


    What on earth could it be?


    I did as instructed, cing my hand on the device for one second. Again, the screen started to flicker wildly.


    The advisor looked bewildered, his mouth falling open helplessly.


    ¡°I might know what it is. There have been various situations in the past... but this one is truly unique.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Did you find something?¡± Dybun asked with an excited expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a talent, but rather an ¡®aptitude.¡¯ In some cases, individuals have an aptitude for some area, and if they put in the effort, they can excel in that particr area. It¡¯s a kind of low-level version of talent.¡±


    ¡°Aptitude?¡±


    Oh, I knew what that was.


    ¡°For example, if someone had an aptitude for swordsmanship, it would be better for them to learn swordsmanship rather than archery or spear-fighting. And if that person continued to work on mastering their swordsmanship, they might manifest a talent in swordsmanship, and even surpass those with talent in swordsmanship solely with their effort.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your point?¡±


    Dybun wanted to get the answer quickly.


    ¡°This device can not only read talents, but also identify the field in which a person has an aptitude. That¡¯s why, at the counseling center, we also tell children what aptitude they have, even if they don¡¯t have any talent. It¡¯s quite rare for a child tock both talent and aptitude.¡±


    Identification of aptitudes. I see.


    It was a way of informing parents who had traveled a long way to the Temple just for admission counseling about what their child <i>could</i> excel in, even if they weren¡¯t necessarily a prodigy.


    It seemed like another service that the Temple offered to the parents, saying things like, ¡°Your child doesn¡¯t have any talents. However, they do have an aptitude in this and that area, so you might want to guide them in that direction.¡±


    The advisor showed the screen to me and Dybun again. It looked like it was the first time he had encountered a case like this as well.


    [Swordsmanship aptitude, archery aptitude, mana aptitude, mana attunement aptitude, psychic aptitude....]


    The screen was filled with all the aptitudes I possessed.


    ¡°It seems like Reinhart was born with an aptitude for just about everything in this world.¡±


    I see. The screen wasn¡¯t flickering.


    It was simply refreshing constantly, because I had an infinite amount of aptitudes.

 Chapter 24

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>


    The advisor had a perplexed look on his face.


    ¡°I really have no idea what to call this. Is this a blessing from the gods... or some kind of supernatural ability?¡±


    Of course, I knew exactly what it was. Through the system of achievement points, I had the potential to obtain abilities that I originally didn¡¯t possess. So although I didn¡¯t have enough points to get them yet, it would show as though I had the potential to get any of themter on.


    Therefore, my current state was one in which I could technically possess any talent that existed in the world. In order to prevent any improbable situations from urring when I acquired a talent, I tailored all my aptitudes ordingly.


    The advisor seemed dumbfounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this kind of situation is even possible. It¡¯s not just a simple matter of having a simultaneous aptitude for swordsmanship and archery. If this data is urate, Reinhart can use both dark magic and divine power at the same time.¡±


    Being able to use dark magic and divine power at the same time was naturally impossible, yet it was something that I had the potential to do.


    ¡°Although this is truly a fascinating case... It¡¯s unheard of for someone to gain special admission based on their aptitude alone...¡±


    The advisor did not seem confident that someone of his level could deal with this issue.


    ¡°So, does that mean Reinhart could be admitted to the Temple?¡± Dybun seemed eager to know the oue.


    ¡°W-Well, while there are no precedents for this, given how much of a special case this is, then...¡±


    The advisor nodded absentmindedly.


    ¡°I think he might have a chance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Atta boy!¡±


    ¡ª<i>p!</i>


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Dybun pped me on the back, causing me to scream in pain. I thought I was going to die from that p!


    In the end, the belief that I knew myself the best was proven incorrect.


    Thanks to Dybun¡¯s persistence, I was able to clearly understand my true state.


    It made me realize that, in this world, I should always expect the unexpected.


    ***


    ¡°He showed an aptitude in every category?¡± Loyar asked Dybun.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, boss.¡±


    Loyar¡¯s eyes widened as she listened to the results of my examination.


    It had not been just an ordinary counseling session. A specialist mage had appeared to examine my talents and aptitudes thoroughly, and it had taken a long time to confirm that the judgment about my aptitude was indeed true.


    ¡°Wow, this kid is even more of a gem than I thought,¡± Loyarmented.


    I could sense the awe hidden in her words.


    This exceeded even the previous Demon King.


    I didn¡¯t have any talents, but I had an aptitude for all possible fields that existed.


    It could be said that this world¡¯s game system could be used to interfere with my attributes, but even this setting alone was an incredible ability.


    From the start, aptitude could either be positive or negative.


    Someone without any aptitude or talent who was trained in swordsmanship could be a sword master. It would be extremely difficult, but it was possible through extreme amounts of hard work and effort.


    However, if someone with an ipatible aptitude trained in swordsmanship, it would be easier just to give up.


    No individual should only have advantages. Even prodigies and geniuses who had many talents and aptitudes had areas in which they were weak and ipatible as well.


    For example, if someone had an aptitude for divine power, it was natural for them to have ipatibility with dark magic. On the other hand, someone with an aptitude for dark magic would be ipatible with divine power. Some abilities rejected their opposite abilities.


    Only I would havepatible aptitudes without a single ipatible one.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if it was possible to allocate ipatibilities through the game system, but even if it was, it would be crazy for me to intentionally choose to have an ipatibility.


    I¡¯d originally intended to pay for a semester¡¯s tuition, but this decision had caused apletely unexpected path to open up in front of me.


    I heard murmurs that special admission might be granted after a discussion with the enrollment department.


    If I was truly a character that had ultimate luck, it would be strange if I <i>wasn¡¯t</i> considered for special admission.


    This would be an unexpected¡ªyet incredible¡ªbenefit. Just by receiving special admission, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the Rotary Club¡¯s funds anymore.


    That also meant that there wouldn¡¯t be any trace that my tuition fee had been provided by the club. Everyone, including me, ultimately wanted to create an environment where I could focus only on the Temple and my academics, so it was a satisfying oue for all of us.


    Also, even if something went wrong with the Rotary Clubter on, it wouldn¡¯t affect me.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t seem particrly happy about it, kid.¡±


    I smiled at Dybun¡¯s words.


    ¡°Oh, no. I am. If it goes well, I won¡¯t be in debt to the club either. How great is that?¡±


    But Dybun was right. I was indeed not in a particrly good mood.


    My original n had been to develop my talents over the course of one semester. After that, I nned to be exempted from tuition by virtue of those talents, and join the main story of the novel.


    However, just by looking at the current situation, there was a high possibility that I would be ced in the Royal ss, the top tier of the Temple, rather than be an average schrship student.


    When it came to tiers at the Temple, there were two top-tier special sses.


    The Royal ss was for those who had entered solely through their talents, and the Orbis ss was for those admitted based on their skills and effort.


    Students with exceptional innate talents joined the Royal ss, while those who worked hard to attain outstanding skills despitecking inborn talents entered the Orbis ss.


    There was an eternal conflict between these two sses, but that was a story for another time, as the story about the Orbis ss appears muchter in the novel.


    Anyway, joining the main story meant that I was soon going to be ced into one of the Temple¡¯s special sses, the Royal ss.


    I had been recognized for my talent rather than skill, so the likelihood of me being ced into the Royal ss was high.


    Originally, I had nned to take one semester to figure out how to enter the story in a way that suited me.


    However, I was set to join the Royal ss right from the start.


    Joining the main story meant that, from the moment the main story began, I had to be with all the other kids from the Royal ss and face every situation without any nning or preparation.


    Although my actions that altered the future would earn me achievement points, there was the drawback of not being able to predict events if the story deviated too much from its original.


    Seeing the altered future beforehand with achievement points I could obtain was neither a good nor a bad thing. I could use the achievement points to gain such a benefit, but I couldn¡¯t waste them so carelessly, because it was my most important resource.


    That was why I¡¯d initially wanted to be able to n at my own pace for one semester. Unfortunately, that period hadpletely disappeared.


    A sigh escaped my lips.


    There was no other way to meet this news of my special admission.


    I knew for a fact that this world was intentionally cing me in this situation.


    ***


    So, what kind of novel is <i>The Demon King Is Dead</i>?


    It¡¯s a novel I wrote myself, but it had the most dismal sales and received a lot of negative reviews, marking a dark phase in my writing career.


    It is a wholesome story depicting everyday life after the Demon King¡¯s death. It unfolds at the Temple, located in the imperial city of Gradium, a school that only the children of incredibly influential and wealthy individuals can attend and graduate from.


    The story revolves around the events at the Temple, which specializes in teaching magic andbat skills, fostering talents, and serving as a cradle of education, covering elementary, middle, and high school.


    This vast institution covers a massive area ofnd, and apart from the staff, the number of students alone exceeds one hundred thousand.


    After the core foundational education levels, the education system is simr to that of universities, where students choose their courses and tailor their academic pursuits to suit their own interests. Consequently, students within the same ss might not encounter each other for the whole school year if they did not take the same courses.


    But the Temple¡¯s Royal and Orbis sses are the real deal. Of these two sses, it is the Royal ss that holds the utmost importance out of all student groups. However, both sses are considered to be the elite of the school. All students in these sses are permanent schrship students, individuals who are expected to carry on the empire¡¯s future.


    The Orbis ss wasn¡¯t something to worry about now, as it only appearster on in the story, so I wouldn¡¯t have any encounters with them soon.


    As for the Royal ss, it¡¯s one of two elite sses at the Temple, and students of the ss have their own superior privileges.


    Students in the Royal ss can still enroll in courses that are full, and can take sses that are not at their grade level as well. It¡¯s a special consideration for geniuses, you could say. That is why the Royal ss inevitably bes an object of envy and jealousy for ordinary students.


    Moreover, the Royal ss has its own luxurious dormitory, and the Temple even provides the finances to maintain it at a certain level of dignity and ss. And, if the students desired it, they could even attend one-on-one lessons outside regr hours¡ªan iparable privilege.


    Many individuals attempt to enter the Royal ss using their wealth and power. However, while money might get you into the Temple, social status, rank, or even wealth did not matter at all when it came to admittance into the Royal ss. The one determining factor was talent.


    And that¡¯s not the end of it. High school education at the Temple, including the Royal ss,prised six years of education, just like elementary school. This meant that being a senior was equivalent to being a sixth-grade high school student. It¡¯s essentially like starting a six-year-long college program right after graduating middle school, simr to starting as a freshman in high school and graduating as a junior in college.


    Of course, students have the option to graduate after three years like a normal high school, but most students tend to finish all six years. Beyond high school, the curriculum is officially referred to as a college education, but in reality, it¡¯s more like a graduate school.


    The Royal ss could be considered ¡°winners¡± in this world, where talent meant everything, and the students are divided into ranks based on their talents.


    The protagonist of the novel is part of the Royal ss, specifically in the first-year high school B-ss.


    You might wonder, what¡¯s the difference between this and a regr first-year high school ss?


    Well, even within the Royal ss, talent determines your ranking. sses are divided into A and B, and being in the B ss means you¡¯re part of the less talented, lower-ranked students within the Royal ss.


    sses are divided by talent, so from the beginning, theposition of the Royal ss remains the same as they advance through the years. Unless someone drops out or leaves midway, or new individuals are added, the Royal ss, starting from the first year of high school, remains unchanged until graduation.


    Although the Royal ss is a gathering of elite talents, the protagonist is in the rtively inferior B ss. The protagonist struggles with a sense of inferiority and faces disdain and mockery from students in the more talented A ss. But eventually, as time passes, and with the power of friendship and love from his fellow ssmates, he ovees the odds and surpasses those in the A ss.


    This was the teenage motivational drama novel I¡¯d envisioned from the start.


    Not interested at all, you say? Sounds boring?


    Well, you wouldn¡¯t be wrong. In reality, it <i>was</i> boring.


    The story of an underachiever working hard to outshine the overachievers is clich¨¦d and unoriginal. The power of friendship and love? Pfft, nowadays, the trend is all about excelling on your own without anyone¡¯s help. If you empathize with someone who was aplete failure in real life, all that would happen is that they get arrogant and think that they¡¯re better than others.


    Honestly, I should have dropped the novel as soon as I heard the feedback from the people in charge.


    ***


    In any case, it was now February in this world.


    The new semester of the year following the Great War had just begun.


    [You have been epted into Temple Royal ss 1-A.]


    And the Temple Admissions Department had concluded that my ¡°Infinite Aptitude¡± talent was a top-tier talent.


    I wasn¡¯t thrilled at all at this news, because A-ss was where I would get demolished.


    ¡°Are you worried, Your Highness?¡±


    I was at Eleris¡¯ scroll shop.


    ¡°Saying I¡¯m not would be lying,¡± I replied with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s great that they think I have incredible talent, but, you know, living up to those expectations is going to be challenging...¡±


    I didn¡¯t have any reason to stay at Bronze Gate since the special admission had relieved the financial pressure from the Rotary Club, so I came to see Eleris.


    So, until the enrollment ceremony at the Temple, I was moving back and forth between Bronze Gate and Eleris¡¯ scroll shop.


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll do just fine, Your Highness.¡± Eleris smiled as if she had faith in me.


    Yeah, to be honest, she was right. I knew I was going to make it out of any situation somehow, but I was still nervous.


    Thanks to my aptitude being considered a top-tier talent, I could breeze through the numerous procedures required for admission. The Temple would do anything to ensure that someone with such a top-tier talent would enroll with them. Therefore, all the missing information in my status and background had been overlooked.


    In fact, the Temple itself became my guardian.


    Everything had fallen into ce inexplicably well. Yet, despite this, I was fully aware that an unexpected futurey ahead. Nothing about the semester was set, so it gave me a headache just thinking about my friends with great personalities in the A ss.


    Above all, one of the reasons I was nervous about living in the dormitory was that I had to live without my ¡°real¡± guardians¡ªEleris, Loyar, and Sarkegar.


    It was believed that no major incidents or conflicts urred inside the Temple. However, as the author, I wrote plenty of situations where such conflicts did ur. Thus, I knew how vulnerable the Temple was¡ªor rather, how vulnerable I had created it to be.


    I worried about not having someone to rely on if something went wrong. Just the thought of being left on my own was concerning.


    As I was lost in thought, Eleris reached out and held my hand. Her vampire¡¯s cold body temperature was unfamiliar, but after a while, I managed to feel warmth in that coldness.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to assist you wholeheartedly, Your Highness. And, even if you enroll in the Temple, you¡¯re allowed to leave the campus once in a while, right?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Yeah... I guess,¡± I replied.


    There wasn¡¯t an explicit rule forbidding the leaving of campus premises, so I could leave and visit Sarkegar, Loyar, and Eleris whenever I wanted to.


    ¡°By the way, do you have things you need to take with you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, what¡¯s there for me to bring when I don¡¯t possess anything? I¡¯ll be wearing a school uniform there anyway, so I won¡¯t need to pack much.¡±


    I was moving into the dormitory the next day, which meant that I should have already prepared what I needed to bring. Honestly, though. I didn¡¯t know what I had to bring.


    The staff had handled my documents during the enrollment, so they already knew everything they needed to know from me.


    ¡°By the way, Eleris, why do you want me to enter the Temple?¡± I asked, addressing the question that had been bothering me.


    Eleris had been hoping I would enter the Temple, even though she didn¡¯t necessarily wish for me to be stronger.


    She responded to my question with a smile.


    ¡°Spending time with humans might make youe to love them,¡± she said.


    Her reasoning was different from Sarkegar¡¯s. He believed I had to get closer to humans in order to use their knowledge against them. It seemed like Eleris wanted me to grow to love humans, although I had never been particrly charitable toward humans to begin with.


    ¡°Who knows what might happen? You mighte to regret thister on,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about that when the timees,¡± Eleris replied with a smile.


    Of all the strange things around me, Eleris was probably the strangest of them all, even more so than Sarkegar.


    She had brought a suitcase, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where she had got it. It seemed to have appeared with a flick of her fingers, rather than being brought in from somewhere.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°These are clothes for you to wear, Your Highness. You can¡¯t just go around wearing the school uniform all the time,¡± Eleris exined.


    It seemed she felt she couldn¡¯t just send me off empty-handed. She took off the ne from around her neck and put it around mine.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for...?¡±


    ¡°Do you recall that I once referred to myself as ¡®Eleris of the mes¡¯?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Oh, right. I remember.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t quite understood what it meant, but wasn¡¯t it something about the seven nights or something like that?


    ¡°In case you¡¯ve forgotten, I¡¯ll exin. There are seven vampire ns called the Seven Nights, each known by a day of the week.¡±


    ¡°So, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±


    What a simple naming convention!


    ¡°Each n specializes in magic that is rted to their corresponding element,¡± Eleris exined.


    ¡°So, magic is based on the days of the week, like Monday and Tuesday?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. The Sunday and Monday ns vanished long ago, so we don¡¯t exactly know what kind of magic they used. However, the Tuesday n specializes in fire magic, the Wednesday n in water magic, the Thursday n in wood magic, the Friday n in metal magic, and the Saturday n in earth magic.¡±


    I could hardly imagine what kind of magic the vampires used for Sunday, Sun magic, perhaps, given that they had to endure sunlight. Was it a non-issue since Vampire Lords could withstand sunlight to begin with?


    ¡°This ne is an heirloom, as well as a symbol for the n leader, the ¡®me of Fire,¡¯¡± Eleris said, presenting me with the ne, which had a small golden pendant adorned with a red teardrop-shaped ruby.


    ¡°So, Eleris, does that mean you are the n leader of the Vampire Lords then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the case...¡±


    It appeared that Eleris was indeed a member of the Vampire Lord n, and a particrly powerful one as well. That exined why she was able to walk around the sunlight without suffering severe damage.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s so special about this ne?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just as the power of the Dreadfind n is embedded in that ring Sarkegar, this pendant possesses simr characteristics,¡± Eleris responded.


    A pendant imbued with the power of a n that specialized in me magic.


    ¡°Does it allow me to use me magic?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°Yes, but only within the limits of your mana. It works a bit differently from Sarkegar¡¯s ring. In simple terms, it summons mes using mana alone, without the need forplex calctions.¡±


    While I couldn¡¯t fully understand the details, I was struck by the absurdity of this item. Magic was an ability only granted to prodigies, but this item allowed anyone, even an amateur, to summon mes as long as they possessed mana.


    Unlike single-use scrolls, that were only good for one-time use, the pendant¡¯s ability could be used infinitely.


    This was undoubtedly an incredible treasure.


    ¡°Would you like to try it out?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Using the me of Fire would enable the use of me magic.


    As far as I could remember, my mana was 9.9, which was quite high for someone of my age.


    I followed Eleris¡¯ instructions and visualized mes in my mind while holding the pendant in my hand.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    Suddenly, a me appeared before my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it works,¡± Eleris exined.


    ¡°I see. But is this all it can do?¡± I wondered.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting an enormous fireball or anything, but this seemed more like a me created by a small lighter. Perhaps there was nothing special about my mana.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t fully harnessed your mana yet, Your Highness. If you awaken the power of mana attunement and maniption, you¡¯ll be able to create even more powerful mes with the same mana capacity.¡±


    So basically, even though I possessed such a potent item, I was restricted by my limited abilities.


    ¡°Why did you give this to me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have one more thing that can help you in a dire situation, right?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I could achieve with a me as weak as a lighter¡¯s, but I appreciated the sentiment.


    ¡°Still, is it really okay to give me the symbol of the n leader?¡±


    ¡°If I give you something on a simr level to what Sarkegar has given you now, wouldn¡¯t that increase the likelihood of you standing by my sideter?¡± Eleris said with a mischievous smile.


    Both Sarkegar and Eleris had readily given me items that were important to their ns.


    It was amusing and ironic. Sarkegar, the leader of his n, had given me an item to help me live peacefully in the human world. Meanwhile, Eleris, a pacifist, had given me something rted to destruction.


    ¡°Besides, holding onto an item from the Demon Realm when I¡¯m nning to betray the Demon Realm seems rather inappropriate, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Eleris was thest surviving member of the Fire n. Yet, she seemed reluctant to fulfill her duties as the n head, and seemed to be juggling all the responsibilities and obligations she shouldered even while she contemted betraying the Demon Realm. It appeared that she could not abandon her n while simultaneouslymitting treason against the Demon Realm.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± Eleris replied.


    ¡°When I use it, I produce mes that are small, like this, but what about you? How powerful are your mes when you use it?¡±


    I¡¯d conjured a me that was as feeble as a lighter¡¯s. However, the ne would surely produce more significant results when ced in the hands of a mage instead of a novice like me.


    How much power could it unleash in Eleris¡¯s hands, its original owner?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t used it, so I wouldn¡¯t know, Your Highness,¡± she replied.


    I could tell from her eyes that it was obviously a lie. Pain shed across them. Clearly, there were memories that were torturous even just to recall associated with this item.


    Eleris held my shoulders firmly, her gaze locked onto mine.


    ¡°You must understand, this is not an item that was meant to keep peace,¡± Eleris said


    Eleris seemed to dislike her n¡¯s heirloom, this me of Fire.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an item that produces more intense mes when the user holds dark emotions, especially emotions like malice and contempt toward another being.¡±


    It was an item that had to be used cautiously, one that detected the user¡¯s emotions, particrly malice and hostility. It was an item that perfectly aligned with the preconceptions humans had about demons.


    ¡°I hope you understand why I¡¯m giving you the me of Fire, Your Highness,¡± Eleris said.


    Although she didn¡¯t want me to harm anyone, she was worried enough about me to hand over such an item to me. If something dangerous happened at the Temple and it became a matter of life or death for me, only then should I use it.


    That¡¯s what Eleris told me.


    She seemed to fear me as her master, but that also meant that she valued me highly and wanted the best for me.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll make it my goal not to use it until I graduate from the Temple.¡±


    Eleris brightened up and shed a big smile, as though that was the answer she¡¯d been waiting for.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s definitely the weirdest out of them all.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The heirloom of the Dreadfiend family.


    The heirloom of the Fire n of the Seven Nights.


    I was the sole sessor of the Demon Realm and the Dark Land, which had be one nation, so it wasn¡¯t all that surprising for me to possess these two items.


    Still, it was rather suspicious to have two extraordinary artifacts as a Temple student from the slums. There was no denying that.


    The ring was designed so that it could be disguised, allowing me to apply transparent and immaterial magic to it. And even if I didn¡¯t do anything to it, it appeared like an ordinary metal ring.


    Eleris included an old metal case for the pendant as well. It seemed she thought that it would be much better to put something so valuable into an ordinary case, rather than applying a potentially prable disguise spell on it.


    So, in the end, the items I possessed looked just like an old and worn-out ring and pendant. Honestly, they were so shabby that it was easily believable even if I said that they were things I¡¯d picked up somewhere while scavenging as a beggar.


    I received exceptional items from Eleris and Sarkegar, so I naturally expected something from Loyar as well. But, on second thought, she was the kind who wore tattered clothes and lounged by a campfire all day so...


    <i>¡®Never mind, you do you.¡¯</i>


    But then, all of a sudden...


    ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your allowance.¡±


    Loyar handed me a purse full of gold coins, telling me to use it at the Temple.


    The Temple provided a small stipend to their students to maintain some level of dignity, and now, Loyar was giving me extra money since, technically, the Rotary Club no longer needed to pay for my tuition fee. Loyar even insisted that if I ever needed more money, I should just ask for it.


    In the long run, Loyar might actually turn out to be the most important person to me, especially considering that the magic train business n was steadily making progress.


    The next day, I was finally moving into the Temple¡¯s dormitory. Of course, living in the dormitory would be much better than living out here, but the thought of entering an unfamiliar environment filled with significant figures already made me feel exhausted.


    I wished I could have just continued living with Eleris. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t have been so bad.


    I was so drained from the whole situation, and thinking about it made it hard to fall asleep.


    However, I constantly reminded myself that I had to do the best I could in the given circumstances.


    I realized from my experience with Charlotte that saving someone who was supposed to die wasn¡¯t all that bad, after all. In the end, I had written this novel, so I was technically the one who had destined them to die in the first ce. So, saving those characters was more or less like paying off a debt I had to someone.


    This novel was part of the slice-of-life genre. But even such an easy-going genre was better off written by someone with skill and knowledge in that genre.


    As such, the most crucial reason this novel failed, and the reason readers deserted it in the middle of the story was because Icked the skill to write a slice-of-life story from start to end.


    I ran out of new events and ideas to write about, and therefore, the story lost its direction, and I had no momentum to carry it forward.


    So, in the end, I messed it all up.


    This insane story was a result of the author¡¯s inability toe up with original events and actions.


    And so... as a result... midway through the story... a gate would suddenly open.

 Chapter 25

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>


    They say, ¡°You reap what you sow.¡±


    Naturally, readers were disgusted and turned away by the sudden and forced development of the story. But at the time, I thought it was the best I could do.


    Of course, maybe it would have been better if I¡¯d been true to my nature and run away, discontinuing the novel, but back then, I had a strange obsession to bring the story to a close somehow.


    <i>¡°If you y around, you pay the price.¡±</i>


    Because of the ridiculous development of the plot, I found myself in a situation where I had to eat the shit I had sown. So whether I liked it or not, I was now thrown into a world where chaos was approaching, minute by minute, through the opening of the gate.


    I had three choices.


    First, ignore whether the gate opens or not, and wait in a safe ce until the ending arrives.


    Second, prepare myself so that I¡¯m in a position to fight before the gate opens.


    Andstly, use the Revise function to get rid of the situation where the gate opens altogether.


    The second choice might have been possible without bing a student at the Temple, but for the third choice, I had to join the main story to earn achievement points.


    Having already experienced multiple life-threatening moments in the prologue event, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to fight and watch more people die. So, I couldn¡¯t choose to prepare for the gate incident. That¡¯s why I wanted to choose the cowardly option of hiding and watching from a safe distance.


    You may say that such an act was cowardly, but life is precious.


    But Sarkegar, Loyar, and Eleris pushed me forward. Every one of my excuses was met with resistance, and I eventually had no choice but to give up.


    No matter what, if this reality I found myself in was all because of the shit I created, then I had to take some responsibility. It might have been impossible to take full responsibility, but I had to at least try to do what I could in each given situation.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was possible to delete the gate-opening event using the Revise function. It was better to assume that it would be impossible. However, even if that was the case, I could acquire achievement points and use them to grow stronger, and to fight off as many monsters that came out of the gate as possible.


    So anyway, whether by choice or force, I had to somehow change the future of this world that only I knew about.


    <i>¡®Sigh...</i>¡¯


    I arrived at the first page of the main story.


    The Temple.


    Bing the strongest individual on the continent, deleting the situation where the gate opened, or ending up as a mediocre talent¡ªthese were the options I had.


    So, I, who couldn¡¯t even do what I enjoyed properly before, now had to put in effort for something I didn¡¯t even particrly enjoy.


    It was infuriating.


    ***


    The Temple was divided into three sections: elementary school education, middle school education, and high school education. It consisted of six years in elementary school, three years in middle school, and six years in high school.


    In addition to that, there was a graduate school that was responsible for education after high school.


    Of course, there were numerous subsidiary facilities and various plots ofnd used for special purposes scattered around thepound, including sports stadiums and other special facilities such as concert halls.


    Naturally, with such arge area to cover, there was a separate tram line that operated only within the campus grounds which was also free to use.


    I entered the Temple for the first time, and was able to ess the interior of the Temple with my admission permit and pre-issued student ID.


    The vast campus of the Temple stretched out before me under the blue sky. However, it didn¡¯t seem like the images in my head hade to life.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    It was so much grander,rger, and cleaner than I had imagined, so much so that my mouth couldn''t close. The limited descriptions that had appeared in my mind and imagination could never capture the full scale of it in real life.


    Standing at the entrance, amidst the students in various school uniforms, I stood there dumbfounded, unsure whether it was in awe or astonishment.


    Since there were many schools in the Temple, I had determined that there should be different school uniforms for each school, but seeing the actual variety of uniforms left an indescribable feeling in my heart.


    The sculptures andmpposts ced throughout the borately-designed paths that made the ce seem like a huge park, as well as the educational facilities scattered around, all felt more like individual works of art rather than something you would see at a school.


    Add to that the trams that quietly ran along the routes within the vast grounds.


    It was a blend of ssic and modern, and even a sense of chaos that perhaps only I could feel.


    This wasn¡¯t the time for admiration, however. <i>¡®Let¡¯s save it forter.¡¯</i>


    The ce I needed to get to was the Royal ss dormitory, located on the grounds of the high school education facility.


    With over a hundred thousand students, it was inevitable that there would be an immense number of dormitory facilities as well.


    The Royal ss of the high school education department consisted of about twenty students per grade, and with six grades in the high school department, there were approximately a hundred and twenty students.


    It was a rtively small number, which highlighted the rarity of truly talented individuals.


    The sub-ss I was to be admitted to would have an average of ten students, and if webined both ss A and ss B, there would be about twenty students in the ss itself. If I was an additional member, there would be twenty-one, or maybe even more.


    I followed the guidebook and got off at the designated stop on the internal circr tram line.


    Right after getting off, I was greeted by the grand entrance, lined with magnificent pirs, with the dormitory building at the end of it.


    The seven-story dormitory building was so big that it was hard toprehend that it only housed a hundred and twenty residents.


    It was unbelievably huge. I¡¯d simply written that the Royal ss would have some kind of ¡°great privilege¡± as if it was no big deal, but seeing what that meant with my own eyes made it hard to believe.


    I mean, it was so big that even high-ranking nobles wouldn¡¯t be able to boast of such a dwelling.


    Writing an ambiguous novel brought both joy and suffering, thanks to the number of unexpected situations that it brought forth.


    I walked through the pirs, passing under the shadows of each one of them, and as I did so, I unwittingly began to grow more and more tense. It almost felt like I was entering a ce I wasn¡¯t supposed to be in.


    If I were to feel intimidated like this every day, it would actually be burdensome. I wanted to go back to where I¡¯d been staying before, as I¡¯d felt more at ease there. Maybe not back to the Bronze Gate sewers, but Eleris¡¯ scroll shop.


    I stood at the entrance of the dormitory at the end of the row of pirs, staring up at the dome-shaped high ceiling and the marble staircase that led to the upper floors.


    The lobby was designed as amon area, with staircases on both sides that led to the first and second floors. I knew this because I set it up.


    The students were assigned to the respective floors by grade, with the first floor housing the first-year students, the second-floor housing the second-year students, and so on.


    That was why it was said that students grew more annoyed as they progressed year-on-year. Of course, there were elevator-like contraptions in the building, operated by levitation magic or something simr.


    That thing in the center of the dome seemed to be an elevator.


    When looking at it from my perspective, the left side of the building housed the students from ss A, while the right side belonged to the students from ss B.


    From this point, I roughly knew what was going to happen.


    ¡°You¡¯re a freshman, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    A senior student wearing the same uniform as me approached, holding a folder.


    Hmm... the person wearing the female uniform...


    ¡°I¡¯m Ceres Van Owenne, a fifth-year student and the student council president of the Royal ss. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Ah, yeah, that was it. While there was a student council president and vice president for the entire high school education department, each ss also had its own student council president and vice president. Therefore, the Royal ss had its own student council president and vice president.


    The number of students that the high school council had to manage was immense, with the high school education student poption alone exceeding fifty thousand, and so their authority was proportionally formidable as well.


    But the Royal ss student council, despite their charges numbering not even one percent of the entire student poption, also held significant influence. It was because they were in charge of one of the two top-tier sses.


    Of course, due to the rtively small number of members in the Royal ss student council, they could only afford to focus on minor tasks, such as greeting and onboarding freshman students like this.


    No matter how much recognition the Royal ss received from the outside, the student council ultimately struggled with a shortage of members.


    The senior student who introduced herself as the student council president handed me my student ID and checked my name against the documents she held.


    ¡°Reinhart, no middle name... you¡¯re in ss 1-A. You¡¯ve been assigned room A-11. Let¡¯s get along well from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    She reached out her hand, and I shook it. A fifth-year student in high school meant that she was already an adult, since she was twenty-one years old.


    Since the student council president would be in the graduating ss the following year and would probably be busy, I probably wouldn¡¯t interact with her much. Regardless, there was no need to leave her with a bad impression.


    Regardless of actual ability, the student council president of the Royal ss held significant power and authority, as she was ranked just below the staff members in this dormitory.


    ¡°Once everyone arrives, we¡¯ll gather in the central lobby for a brief wee party and to go over various announcements. After you organize your belongings, you can take a break and rx, but try not to fall into a deep sleep if you decide to nap. Got it?¡± she said with a bright smile.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I dragged my suitcase down the left corridor. Sunlight poured in from the windows, casting shadows on the floor that very much resembled some kind of. I never imagined myself having such an experience in my life.


    As I passed through the main lobby, the dedicated lobby for ss 1-A appeared. It was smaller, but was still considered arge hall, lined with bookshelves, and with sofas and tables where students could sit.


    Opposite it, down the corridor behind me, would be a simr lobby for students from ss B to gather to have snacks, chat, and engage in various yful activities.


    Radiating out from the lobby I was in were corridors leading to various facilities, such as the individual rooms, magic researchb, library, indoor training ground, and dining hall. This hall served as a secondary hub, with the main hub being the lobby.


    Although several facilities were added as the students went higher up in grade, the basic structure was generally simr.


    Now that I was finally in a ce in this world that I knew well, I felt more at ease than before, but the details still felt unfamiliar and awkward.


    It was aplex feeling that was difficult to describe.


    I entered the corridor leading to the student dormitories and headed to room A-11. I tapped my student ID, and the door opened immediately.


    Technology like this wasn¡¯t even surprising anymore, because magic could make anything in this world possible.


    The room was quite spacious for one person. It had a neatly-arranged bed, a spacious wardrobe, and a window. There was even a personal shower.


    The interior of the room wasn¡¯t overly extravagant, but it was designed with a clean and modern feel. I actually preferred it this way, as too much extravagance was painful to the eye.


    For now, the room only had the basic amenities, but additional amenities could be added to this expansive room ording to the students¡¯ needs. For example, exercise equipment for physical training, a research table, or anything else the Temple could provide that would fit in the room.


    It was an environment that could be tailored to fit each student as best as possible, so that they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about anything else besides focusing on cultivating their talents.


    When I opened the wardrobe, I saw that it was already filled with numerous uniforms custom-made to fit my measurements. This was a service that the Temple¡¯s regr students could only dream of.


    I took out my belongings from the suitcase and organized them inside the wardrobe. I hadn¡¯t packed much. After all, most of the necessities could be provided by the school on demand.


    The only things I always carried with me were the Dreadfiend¡¯s Ring and the me of Fire, just in case.


    After quickly organizing my belongings, Iy down on the bed.


    I didn¡¯t know how many people had arrived before me, but when I¡¯d gotten off the magical train at the Royal ss dormitory station, I¡¯d been the only one to do so.


    When everyone arrived, ording to the student council¡¯s roll call, both ss A and ss B members would gather and meet face-to-face. It was called a wee ¡°party¡±, but it was probably just a simple greeting and not an actual full-blown party.


    There, I would be able to see all the characters I¡¯d written about.


    However, there was something bothering me.


    My room.


    Room A-11.


    The Temple, with its love for rankings andpetition, did not randomly assign room numbers. Being assigned to Room A-11 meant that the school saw my talent as the worst among the first-year ss A students.


    Yeah, just bing a part of ss A itself was a miracle for me, as I¡¯d been admitted without having any talents, but only potential.


    The Royal ss of the Temple, where only the best gathered, and within that, there was another division between ss A and ss B. And then there was me, the bottom of ss A.


    Hmm... I could already imagine how other students were going to treat me in the near future.


    <i>¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the guy with the ¡®infinite potential¡¯ that everyone¡¯s been talking about? But this soft and bby body of yours doesn¡¯t seem to have any potential, haha!¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Hey, you! You look weak already!¡±</i>


    <i>¡°You got assigned to ss A? How in the world did that happen?¡±</i>


    I could just imagine listening to those words.


    <i>Sigh...</i>


    I¡¯d rather I was Number 1 in ss B rather than Number 11 in ss A. Wait, no. Were the students ranked lower than me going to bully me for being actually weaker than them?


    Ugh... I didn¡¯t want to best, and I didn¡¯t want to be first either. I just hated this situation altogether.


    And for better or worse, I didn¡¯t see anyone who was pushed down or kicked out because of my joining.


    I originally set both ss A and ss B to have ten students each, so being Number 11 meant that I had been admitted as an additional member, beyond the original capacity.


    Maybe one troublemaker in the ss being omitted would have been nice. Although I don¡¯t quite recall who would have dropped out because of my admittance. No, maybe it was possible that the most important student would have been pushed out. It was a relief that I¡¯d been admitted as an extra student, beyond the official ss capacity.


    I peered out the window and saw a few people getting off the magical train that was visible in the distance. It seemed like the students were slowly arriving, one by one.


    If my guess was correct, there were sure to be events that deviated significantly from my expectations right from the beginning.


    I wondered how things were going to unfold.


    I took out the notebook and stationery I had prepared.


    I wanted to organize the thoughts in my mind.


    It might be difficult to remember everything, and there was a possibility that I wouldn¡¯t even remember the insignificant characters who had little to no presence. Although I¡¯d set up profiles for all twenty characters, not all of them yed important roles. Including all twenty characters so that each of them yed a meaningful role would make the story a mess.


    However, beyond the point at which the gate opened in the middle of the story, everything became something more than just a mess.


    Anyway, ss A and ss B.


    I needed to organize the profiles of all the characters as I remembered them.


    <i>¡®One. Two. Three.¡¯</i>


    ¡°....¡±


    I couldn¡¯t recall any of them well enough after seven.


    My memory was pure garbage.


    I struggled to remember and organize the names of these faceless characters. Fortunately, even if I couldn¡¯t remember the names, I had a vague idea of what kind of character each one was.


    ***


    The afternoon grewte, and it slowly approached early evening.


    [All Royal ss students, please gather in the lobby. I repeat. All Royal ss students, please gather in the lobby.]


    Finally, the announcement that called all the Royal ss students to gather had started broadcasting. I left my room on the far end of the left corridor and saw the backs of my fellow students as they emerged and began to walk over to the lobby after hearing the announcement.


    Elite or not, I now had to act like a first-year high school student.


    The thought of needing to hurry crossed my mind, and my footsteps felt heavy. I was already tired.


    In the lobby on the first floor, students from ss A and ss B had gathered, and the student council members were standing near the high staircase that led upstairs.


    And from the railings that went around each floor, other students were observing us from above.


    The sixth-year students on the very top floor usually didn¡¯t even bother participating in this event,but this time, all the students, including the senior students, were observing the arrival of the new students.


    I wondered why.


    ¡°Now, both ss A and ss B, line up in order from room 1.¡±


    Upon the student council president¡¯s words, everyone lined up in a row. It wasn¡¯t performed with any sort of military precision or speed; they were kids after all.


    I was at the back of the ss A line.


    The senior-year students usually never bothered to lean forward to get a glimpse of the new students¡¯ faces during crowded events like this. But this time it was different. Everyone, including the senior students, was watching.


    Right from the beginning, something unexpected was happening.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s have a quick introduction from everyone. Starting from the student in A-1,¡± The student council president suggested.


    ¡°I am Vertus de Gradias!¡±


    Just hearing that name sent shivers down my spine. It was the voice of the person who had almost killed me multiple times. Vertus de Gradias, an individual who should be considered a viin, had a lively and cheerful voice.


    There was no sense of authority to be found in his voice and instead, it seemed as though he was ready to give it his all, like the others. The way he was introduced felt strange.


    Vertus had originally hidden his identity and enrolled in the Temple, but now, he was using his full name. That meant that the news of the prince¡¯s entrance had already spread through the Royal ss. And if that was the case, it exined why the senior students were all watching the introduction.


    The introduction continued, and when it was my turn, I briefly shouted my name.


    Naturally, nobody paid any attention to me.


    ¡°Now, shall we start with the introduction of the students in ss B? Alright, student B-1, please introduce yourself.¡±


    With this, the deviation from the original story because of my alteration of the storyline became clear.


    ¡°I am Charlotte de Gradias.¡±


    A person who shouldn¡¯t have been here, ording to the original story.


    Charlotte was in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss.

 Chapter 26

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>


    The Imperial Prince and Imperial Princess of the empire had both enrolled in the Royal ss and were in the same grade. The princess had dered the news of her survival, but had not made an appearance in any official ceremonies so far. However, she had now suddenly enrolled in the Temple and revealed herself to everyone.


    I knew about Vertus¡¯ enrollment, as he was the main viin of this story, but he hadn¡¯t used his authority to gain admission to the Royal ss.


    Since he was a major character, I had summarized his profile beforehand.


    Student Number: A-1


    Name: Vertus de Gradias


    Talents: Swordsmanship, Magic Attunement, Magic Maniption


    Personality: Sly bastard


    Notes: An obnoxious troublemaker


    He was someone who appeared to be good and got along well with everyone, but in reality, he was the type that did evil behind their backs. The type of guy who would start out nice, but became a real douchebag when he gets angry. Although Vertus didn¡¯t have sly eyes, people usually referred to these kinds of people as people with sly eyes because of how devious they were.


    And those three simple talents: swordsmanship, magic attunement, and magic maniption. Those talents were forcefully awakened in Vertus by the Duke of Salerion, who had invested arge amount of money into him and his development. From a very young age, Vertus had received countless lessons and training to acquire those three talents. It seemed that, with money and power, you could forcefully awaken talents too.


    So, what were those three talents?


    After extensive research, the empire had found the answer as to why some could be masters in a given field, while others could not.


    Combat-rted talent, magic attunement, and magic maniption...


    You needed all three of these aptitudes or else bing a master was almost impossible. It wasn¡¯t hard toe across someone withbat-rted talent alone, but it was extremely rare to see them have an aptitude for magic attunement and maniption as well.


    As such, aptitude was considered to be rare, but talent was even rarer.


    However, Vertus possessed not just aptitude, but talent in all three categories. Vertus had talent in swordsmanship, and talents in magic attunement and maniption as well, which was a must if you wanted to be a master.


    So, Vertus having all of this meant that he would be able to be a swordmasterter on.


    ***


    In the empire, the noble ss also received education at the Temple. It served as both a form of marketing and a means of proving trustworthiness. There would be doubts about the Temple¡¯s trustworthiness if the empire were to educate the noble ss separately when the Temple imed to be the best educational institution in the world.


    Naturally, because of this, the safety and trustworthiness of the Temple were unquestionable. Of course, the noble ss could still receive a separate education, but people trusted in the safety of the Temple simply because of the fact that nobles andmoners had sses together in the same space.


    Plus, if the people saw that the nobles lived in the dormitories as well, there was nothing more to say about the Temple¡¯s reputation.


    That¡¯s why many people sent their children to the Temple without any worries. They naturally believed they would receive education and safety equivalent to that of what the noble ss of the empire received.


    I already knew about Vertus¡¯ enrollment beforehand.


    That¡¯s why I had somewhat anticipated that Charlotte woulde to the Temple as well. And not just any part of the Temple, but here, the Royal ss. That¡¯s why I¡¯d hesitated a little beforeing straight to the Royal ss, because I had a feeling that this was going to happen, and there was a possibility that the sharp-minded Charlotte would see through my true identity.


    Forced awakening of talents had never been done by any noble in order to be a member of the Royal ss. This ce was a ce where you were evaluated based solely on talent and ability, so you could not enroll by power and authority alone. If the Imperial Prince entered the Royal ss and graduated with outstanding grades, that alone would naturally establish significant authority for himter on in his imperial leadership.


    The Imperial Princess, Charlotte de Gradias, could have used the same method. What was possible for the Imperial Prince would not have been impossible for Charlotte, the Imperial Princess.


    So, there was definitely a possibility that Charlotte had the talent to enroll in the Royal ss as well. However, even if she was Number 1, she was ced in ss B.... Did that mean that shecked talent?


    Or... were they intentionally separated? Both of them happened to hold positions as leaders of sses A and B, so it was definitely possible.


    I knew something no one else did. Vertus certainly had outstanding talent, but it did not correspond to him being Number 1. Although he possessed qualities that were befitting of someone from ss A, based on the actual assessment of his talent and ability, he should have held the position of third or fourth instead of first.


    That was where authority had intervened.


    Strictly speaking, if the Imperial Prince enrolled in the Royal ss and some staff members decided to ce him in the third or fourth position, it might be seen as an unnecessary provocation.


    While it was difficult to use one¡¯s authority and power to interfere with the structure of the Temple, in reality, there was no ce where authority and power could not intervene.


    There were certainly those who would have realized that they should glorify Vertus even if nothing had been done to them. There was never a formalized rule to line students up in this order in the first ce. Therefore, while Vertus may have yet to gain the practical talent of being ranked Number 1, he still held the position of Number 1.


    What about Charlotte? How did she be the head of ss B? Was it because her talent made her suitable for ss B? Or was it due to some other staff members¡¯ political stance and maneuvering? I didn¡¯t know.


    Whatever the case, the result was right in front of me.


    The uing semester was far from the enjoyable and happy school life I had originally envisioned.


    ¡°Wee everyone to the Temple¡¯s Royal ss!¡±


    <i>p, p, p!</i>


    All the scenarios I had envisioned copsed, and the battle between Charlotte de Gradias and Vertus de Gradias was going to begin.


    And there I was, in ss A, in the same ss as Vertus.


    ¡°You said your name was Reinhart, right? Nice to meet you!¡±


    The person next to me spoke to me. Even without looking, I knew who it was, as he had already introduced himself. And even if he hadn¡¯t done so, I would still have known who he was.


    He was B-11, who was originally supposed to be B-10.


    A historic moment, where the bottom student of ss A meets the bottom student of ss B.


    ¡°... sure.¡±


    <i>¡®You do well on your own, I have my own problems!¡¯ </i>


    ***


    Two individuals who were originally not part of the story had been added. One was me, and the other was Charlotte.


    From the very beginning, the story had taken a different path from the original. One stormy protagonist was enough, but with two, it was a guarantee that everything would be chaotic.


    Moreover, it seemed like I was going to be facing the person who I saved with my life on the line, alongside someone who had tried to kill me.


    There was no time for tedious formalities or collective announcements with the other hundred students. It was just a round of apuse for wee, and some brief self-introductions.


    The student council president announced the rules of the Royal ss to us.


    ¡°For those who have received elementary and middle school education at the Temple, this may already be familiar, but we have new students who have just joined us for their high school education, so let me exin all of this once more.


    ¡°Firstly, the Royal ss is no different than any other ce inside the Temple. The general rule is that all ssmates are equal. In the Temple, there is no status or ss distinction among students, except for seniority. It doesn¡¯t matter if you are a high-ranking noble or royalty. Even for imperial nobles, there are no exceptions. If we start prioritizing such lineages, then the Temple as a whole would cease to function, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    The policy wasn¡¯t based on whether the students needed equal educational opportunities. Rather, it was because the Temple gathered talents from all over the world, which was why, if people started prioritizing lineages, things would be incrediblyplicated.


    It may be possible to groupmoners and nobles together, or royalty and high nobles together, and educate them separately, but it wouldn¡¯t simply end there. The nobles would start worrying about how, as a Duke, they had to interact with counts andmoners, while the royalty would question how they could study in the same space as a prince from another nation.


    Sorting out titles and adjusting the ssroom environment based on students¡¯ backgrounds would be an endless task. There were too many categories of people gathering in one ce, because even within a given social strata, hierarchies existed.


    Even the students themselves could be divided into dozens or hundreds of ranks based on their social status, and none would be focusing on studying, but rather on sorting out lineages and what titles they should use. They would argue about whether or not it was appropriate to have a friendship with someone of a lower status, and so on.


    That¡¯s why Temple established rules against emphasizing social status or lineage, not because of students¡¯ rights and anti-discrimination, but because of the fact that if people started prioritizing such things, the Temple would not be able to function at all.


    Of course, there had to be some influential individuals who could find that frustrating.


    Therefore, those who were unhappy with it didn¡¯t enroll in the Temple. Either that, or they still enrolled with the Temple despite their dissatisfaction because of theworking, knowledge, and recognition they could gain from simply graduating from the Temple.


    Those who tried to use their social status and act tyrannically while within the Temple were given warnings, and some were even expelled.


    This applied to the nobles as well. If a high-ranking noble with a distant lineage tried to cause trouble and was ultimately expelled, it could cause some political fuss, but from the empire¡¯s perspective, it was actually a good thing. It would be a case that could be used to promote the Temple¡¯s proper and honest standards throughout the continent.


    As I said before, the Temple was a ce which attracted a substantial amount of money, and in this world, money was basically everything.


    In front of me stood Ceres Van Owenne, the student council president. I couldn¡¯t remember the name of her country, but she was also the heir to an empire in the southern region. Based on her name, it was possible that there was a nation called Owenne. Returning to her homnd after graduating from the Royal ss certainly meant that she was going to receive a tremendous wee.


    Still, this was the ce where you could casually tell others not to emphasize their social status, while standing in front of the two individuals who had a high probability of bing the next emperor or empress of the Gradias Empire.


    That¡¯s what the Gradias Temple was.


    While there had been possible cases in which individuals sought revenge against the Temple, those who engaged in such acts suffered significant criticism. Well, it was simr to being called a sore loser, as all dubious grudges and rtionships were supposed to be left behind and buried at the Temple. That was the rule at the academy.


    Of course, romantic rtionships were no exception. It was quitemon for rtionships between nobles or royalty who were considered enemies to form, thenpletely disappear after graduation, as both sides pretended as if nothing happened and avoided each other.


    ¡°Any societal status outside of Temple is irrelevant within the academy. You can act like a military god outside of the academy, but if such actions ur within the academy, even if it¡¯s in this ce, I have the authority as the student council president to issue warnings. If warnings begin to umte, a meeting of the faculty will be convened, and disciplinary actions will be decided upon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that everything can be simply resolved by expulsion; depending on the circumstances, diplomatic issues may arise, or you may end up serving a prison sentence. In such cases, you will be subject to the specialws that apply to the Temple¡¯s students, and not your original societal status.


    ¡°Remember that each country has differentws, so even though you may enjoy immunity privileges based on your status from where youe from, those privileges do not apply here. So, if you are forcing specific titles on others or disdain the fact that a peer looks you in the eyes, you won¡¯t be in for a good time.¡±


    The student council president and vice president had the authority to intervene in student affairs.


    Within the Temple, it didn¡¯t matter if you were the heir to the throne. If you didn¡¯t abide by the rules, you were going to face consequences.


    Of course, one could choose to seek revenge if they felt upset about it, but if incidents within the Temple began to draw interference from the imperial pce, it would be considered childish. Not only that, but the empire would also be seriously tarnishing the reputation of their own proud institution.


    That was why I knew that the two imperial nobles were going to faithfully follow the rules of the academy.


    If they were to prioritize power and authority, trampling over the regtions, it would be like spitting in their own faces.


    The Temple, along with the imperial pce, was the face of the empire. It was highly unlikely that they would do anything to demean themselves.


    ¡°Also, another important point. Do not intentionally bring in incidents that urred outside of the Temple into the academy.


    ¡°For example, do not use the various privileges that a Temple student gets as a means tomit crimes outside the academy, and then seek refuge within the Temple.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know or care about any enmities or conflicts that you may have outside of the Temple within your families or between colleagues. The Temple is an educational institution, not a political arena. Fairpetition is allowed, but if unfair and unreasonable means are employed, or if external powers or forces interfere, the responsible student will not only be expelled, but also face numerous consequences.¡±


    This was a message to warn students not to bring the influence of external powers into the Temple.


    Ultimately, although she was addressing it to all of us, it was directed specifically towards Charlotte and Vertus.


    Everyone was subtly aware that the events at the Temple were going to significantly contribute to the dispute over imperial authority that they were going to have.


    ¡°Furthermore, there is a message from the Gradias Imperial Pce. Normally, such messages would not be allowed, but considering the current situation, it will be conveyed this time.¡±


    Something that was not in the original story had been added.


    The student council president opened the letter and read its contents.


    ¡°Upon the publication of this letter, regardless of internal or external factors, if any harm befalls either Charlotte de Gradias or Vertus de Gradias, even a simple ident, it will result in the permanent deprivation of the session rights of the other party. Emperor Neliod de Gradias of the Gradius Empire.¡±


    The student council president flipped the letter around to show that the imperial seal was urately imprinted on it.


    This was to prevent any assassination attempts by either party.


    There was a reason for cing these two in the same ce within the Temple at a time when the conflict over session and imperial authority was bound to intensify.


    Following the victory in the Great War, where the imperial power had skyrocketed, the words of the emperor were stronger than ever. In fact, the current emperor was judged to be the strongest in imperial history, the one who wielded the most amount of imperial powerpared to all others. The price he paid was to sacrifice the lives of the hostages in exchange for victory.


    Currently, the emperor had the authority to designate literally anyone as his sessor, even someone with no real power or backing.


    That was why, instead of allowing the most likely sessors¡ªthe prince and the princess¡ªto harm each other, the message was to protect one another at all costs, no matter what happened.


    Acquire the imperial authority through fair and justpetition. This was what Emperor Neliod de Gradias was demanding.


    If the other party died due to a tragic event, the session rights of the remaining party would disappear, so don¡¯t even dream ofmitting heinous crimes.


    Did victory in the Great War seriously give the current emperor authority to demand something this ridiculous?


    That letter wasn¡¯t just meant for Vertus and Charlotte.


    It was a statement that was directed to the numerous students, faculty members, and all those who might be supporters of Charlotte and Vertus, wherever they might be.


    As a result of the emperor¡¯s words, Vertus and Charlotte should have realized the importance of valuing each other¡¯s lives as much as they valued their own.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what expressions they wore, since they were both standing at the front of the group.


    Regardless, I was grateful.


    Although I didn¡¯t know much about what Charlotte was going to do, I was at least assured that Vertus wouldn¡¯t be causing any bloodshed in the near future.

 Chapter 27 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 27 [Illustration]</h4>


    Among the students, equality was the principle, and authority, power, and status outside of the Temple were meaningless.


    ¡°Um, excuse me... Uh, Your Highness...?¡±


    ¡°Hey, just speakfortably. There¡¯s no need to be so tense. Equality is the principle here.¡±


    Unfortunately, this rule only made the lower-status individuals even more ufortable.


    Which person of a lower status would dare to speak casually to the prince just because it was allowed?


    The prince might say something like, ¡°Hey, you seemed prettyfortable with me back at the Temple, did you really think I was your friend or something?¡± or ¡°You really thought you could treat me like I was on the same level as you just because of the Temple¡¯s stupid rule?¡±ter when that individual ran into him outside of Temple premises.


    Students wouldn¡¯t dare to do what the rules allowed them to, for fear of such consequences.


    Of course, Vertus wasn¡¯t one to act that way, but those of a lower status than him were still naturally afraid.


    The student council president then informed us about the general rules and told us to refer to the manual that was given.


    These general rules mainly included small details like curfew time, mealtimes, permitted and prohibited items, and wake-up time.


    We were warned not to walk around after the designated bedtime unless absolutely necessary, but were told to be prepared to suffer punishment if we were caught by any of the dorm supervisors.


    ¡°The dorm supervisors are Temple employees who have a lifelong contract, so unless you have the power enough to make an impact on the Temple staff after you graduate and seek revenge on them, it¡¯s better not to fight them,¡± she warned us.


    What a terrible warning.


    The Temple was fully prepared even for cases where staff members were overshadowed by a students¡¯ power.


    In the smaller lobby on the left, some students I¡¯d seen for the first time today were gathering to chat. I sat a little further away from them and listened to what they were saying.


    Vertus de Gradias was originally written to be a viin in disguise.


    In the beginning, other troublemakers would pick fights with the students in ss B, and Vertus would portray himself as the kind student from ss A. He was gentle, treated everyone equally, and was even friendly towards the students in ss B.


    He even initially concealed the fact that he was a prince. He concealed his status and simply went about his studies as an exceptional student in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss. His shocking identity was then revealedter on to the protagonist and their group. It was that kind of plot.


    However, now that Charlotte had enrolled as well, their identities werepletely revealed. The plot development that I had written had literally fallen apart.


    Nevertheless, even though the plot development was now changed, the overall framework of the academy story remained the same, with sses, lectures, and practical training. The details may now be different, but the essence remained.


    ¡°Hey, rx. Treat me like your friend! Or I might end up receiving a warning, you know? Isn¡¯t that more worrying?¡± Vertus said to a student.


    ¡°Um, well... Yeah, I guess...¡± The student replied.


    Vertus, being true to the sly character I created, was yfully teasing the students who found it difficult to interact with him by telling them to rx.


    ss A consisted of eleven students, but boys and girls were not separated into different dormitories. The Temple focused more on dividing students into lower-ranked and higher-ranked students, rather than separating them by gender.


    Among them was Erhi de Raffaeli, the son of Count Raffaeli, who was currently chattering away, asking the prince various questions. Erhi had talent in divine power and swordsmanship. I couldn¡¯t recall the specific discipline of his divine power, but it was likely oriented toward holy knight abilities.


    Since he was a prospective holy knight, I had set him up as a rtively shallow character. A typical character that acted tough when faced by the weak but was a coward in the face of the strong.


    He was the one who despised ss B the most, and was practically the servant of the prince.


    Hmm... knowing all these details beforehand made me feel as though my reality had been spoiled. I was both liking and disliking this feeling of knowing someone¡¯s inner thoughts.


    ¡°Have you ever been to Raffaeli? Oh, my bad, what a silly question. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t have been there...¡±


    ¡°Oh, Raffaeli, the great territory in the northwest. I haven¡¯t been there personally, but I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s an excellent winery. I can¡¯t drink myself, but I know that the emperor himself enjoys Raffaeli wine,¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°Oh, wow! So you know about it!¡±


    Erhi seemed almost moved to tears at the fact that the prince knew about his small hometown. His reaction seemed overblown, but Vertus¡¯s impressive memory and ability to bring things up when needed were quite remarkable.


    Vertus chuckled innocently.


    ¡°Well, to be honest, I¡¯ve had a few sips secretly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, r-really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a good feeling. Sorry, I can¡¯t remember it clearly enough to tell you more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! No! I should be grateful! But, wow, even the nobles... do things behind their parents¡¯ backs as well...¡±


    ¡°What, you think I¡¯m any different from you? Everyone our age wants to do things in secret. If caught, we get scolded, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    <i>¡®What a devious little guy.¡¯</i>


    It was unbelievable to hear Vertus manipting someone to make them his servant in real time.


    While they were in the middle of the conversation, Vertus stood up and walked over to someone who seemed to have just finished showering. The person was toweling their hair while walking towards the lobby.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°...Hi, can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to introduce myself. After all, we¡¯re ssmates, so why not? Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Vertus. I saw you earlier, you¡¯re Number 2, right?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I was wondering if you could introduce yourself as well...?¡±


    A girl with ck hair and ck eyes. It was my first time seeing her, but I could tell who she was as soon as I saw her.


    ¡°Ellen,¡± she replied.


    That was the only thing she said, and then she tried to walk past Vertus.


    ¡°Hmm? Is that it?¡± Vertus asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know about you,¡± Vertus added.


    Vertus smiled mischievously and reached out his hand to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Ellen introduced herself, looked at Vertus quietly, and then shook his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know that you were supposed to be Number 1 in this ss, but I think there were others who wanted to put me in that ce. I wanted to apologize to you for taking your ce.¡±


    Vertus spoke as if he knew something about Ellen.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Ellen ruffled her hair and walked slowly toward the cafeteria.


    ¡°So, she was originally Number 1...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    A girl who was originally Number 1, but became Number 2 in ss A due to Vertus¡¯s enrollment.


    Even though she introduced herself as Ellen, Vertus knew that the girl was hiding something. I, too, was aware of what it was.


    It was Ellen¡¯s real name, or her family name, to be precise.


    Ellen Artorius.


    She was the younger sister of the hero, Ragan Artorius.


    ***


    Ellen Artorius.


    If Vertus was the viin and had the upgraded version of the protagonist¡¯s talent, Ellen Artorius¡¯s strength was on a level that the protagonist couldn¡¯t even dare to challenge.


    That¡¯s why <i>she</i> was the true rival of the protagonist and not Vertus.


    Although she was technically Number 2 in ss A, she was, in fact, so incredibly talented that even being called Number 1 would be an understatement of her abilities.


    She possessed various talents, excelling in weapon mastery, mana maniption, magic resistance, spiritual attunement, ability resistance, academic excellence, and a bunch of other talents.


    Basically, she was a genius and excelled at literally everything.


    That was her position in this story.


    Because of this, Ellen¡¯s tremendous amount of talent was actually hidden to the external world. This was due to the fact that the number of her talents was far beyond the ordinary.


    If I was the one who had infinite potential, then Ellen, whose abilities were not infinite, was born with almost infinite talent.


    If proficiency in swordsmanship meant a talent for a specific type of weapon, then weapon mastery was the super talent. It meant having talent in wielding almost all types of weaponry.


    Even having just one talent in a specific weapon category would be enough to enter the Royal ss, so Ellen¡¯s talents were beyond count.


    In terms of being a warrior, she possessed all the necessary conditions to surpass anyone else. In addition to her martial abilities, she also had the rare talent of ability resistance, which only one other person besides Ellen herself possessed. She also possessed the talent to enhance resistance against supernatural abilities as well.


    Since she was a character created solely to be a mountain that even the protagonist couldn¡¯t hope to reach, it was natural for her to be the super overpowered one in the story.


    As was often the case in such novels, the protagonist would eventually rise to a position simr to that of Ellen Artorius, though it would be a rough journey.


    Vertus watched and smiled as Ellen, who had treated him indifferently and barely given him any attention, walked away.


    Erhi was looking at her with a perplexed expression and seemed to wondering,<i> </i>¡°Who is she to ignore the prince?¡±.


    I¡¯d heard everyone¡¯s names during the introductions, and it was even the name I had chosen, but honestly, not every detail hade to my mind.


    There were many individuals who only stirred vague descriptions in my mind, like ¡°the guy who does something¡± or ¡°the guy with certain abilities.¡± After all, this novel wasn¡¯t thest novel I wrote, so it was inevitable that my memory would be somewhat foggy.


    Vertus stayed in the lobby and greeted each person one by one as though trying to familiarize himself with their faces. I was no exception.


    While Vertus was offering a simr greeting to everyone, I tried to memorize the faces and names of the people still present in this room.


    ¡°I heard your name is Reinhart. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, friend.¡±


    Even though it felt ominous bing ¡°friends¡± with him, I didn¡¯t mind it too much. There was no reason for us to be unkind toward each other yet.


    The person I had to be most cautious of right then was actually not Vertus. It was Charlotte. I had to be careful so that Charlotte didn¡¯t catch on to my real identity.


    I had some suspicions about the possibility of Charlotte enrolling in the Temple, but now that it had actually happened, I was shaken.


    I had to be careful not to stand out too much. Charlotte was definitely suspicious of me, regardless of whether she knew if I was a demon or not. She must have noticed something strange about me when I suddenly fled from her without saying a word.


    It was annoying that Vertus was in the same ss as me, but it would have been more dangerous for me to be in the same ss with Charlotte in ss B. It was truly a relief that I ended up being ced in ss A.


    That aside... it was about time for ¡°someone¡± to make their entrance...


    ¡°Hey, everyone! Nice to meet you all!¡±


    The person was approaching the ss A lobby with an energetic expression.


    It was no other than the person who was inst ce in ss B, and also the protagonist, Ludwig.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a good year!¡±


    ***


    Strictly speaking, the ss A dormitories were not off-limits to students from ss B and vice versa.


    However, it was still rare to see students going to each other¡¯s dormitories. This became even more apparent at higher grades.


    This was because ss A students perceived ss B students as clearly inferior to them, and ss B also disliked and resented ss A for that exact reason.


    The truth was that, as the grades advanced, there would be no change in theposition of each ss. So, although rare, there were cases where the ss B¡¯s performance surpassed that of ss A because of sheer hard work. However, this only intensified the resentment between them.


    Of course, it was my first day in the Royal ss, but those who had been attending the Temple since elementary school had heard rumors about such things, and were aware of these facts.


    That¡¯s why when Ludwig confidently walked into the ss A lobby and introduced himself as Number 11 from ss B, the students couldn¡¯t help but give him looks of confusion. Clearly, they were thinking, ¡°Who is this guy and why is he here?¡±


    This was the event that unfolded after the self-introductions in the dormitories.


    Ludwig had stopped by the ss A lobby to simply greet the others, but all he received were displeased expressions.


    There were five people in the lobby of ss A¡ªmyself, Vertus, Erhi (Number 9), Kaier Vioden (Number 10), and Harriet de Saint-Ouen (Number 4).


    Apart from Vertus and me, all of them were frowning.


    Ludwig confidently reached out his hand to Vertus.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Your Highness! Nice to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you as well, Ludwig. But don¡¯t call me Your Highness. It¡¯s a vition of the rules.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Vertus!¡±


    Vertus shook his hand with a bright smile.


    Everyone watched this scene in growing astonishment, as if witnessing an impossible friendship forming.


    <i>¡°Wow, His Highness sure has a good personality.¡±</i>


    I could almost hear the sentiment being whispered from all corners of the room.


    After shaking hands with Vertus, Ludwig exchanged greetings with the other students as well.


    ¡°Oh, Reinhart, nice to see you again!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best together this year!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    I offered a neutral response and tried not to stand out.


    Erhi seemed astonished, but he still shook hands with Ludwig.


    Number 10, Kaier, let out a sigh as if wondering who this person was, before reluctantly shaking hands as well.


    ¡°Hey, get lost.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said, get lost. This is the ss A dormitory.¡±


    That was Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who straightforwardly told Ludwig to leave.


    ¡°Huh... Oh, I¡¯m not supposed toe here?¡± Ludwig asked, suddenly taken aback.


    Harriet let out a sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re not supposed to, but...¡±


    Harriet sighed and pointed to the hallway where Ludwig came from.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying. If ss B students hang around where ss A students live...¡±


    ¡°...Oh, oh...¡±


    ¡°If you understood, get lost now.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Oh, okay. Sorry...¡±


    Ludwig took a step back with a shocked expression.


    Vertus appeared,ing to Ludwig¡¯s aid.


    ¡°Hey, why are you like that? We¡¯re all friends here.¡±


    Harriet grimaced in apparent surprise, perhaps not expecting Vertus to intervene.


    ¡°Oh, uh... well... Um...¡± she muttered.


    She was at a loss for words, aplete contrast to her venomous demeanor just moments ago. She must not have expected the prince to step in and stand up for Ludwig.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    The noble of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen. As a noble of the Duchy, she had to make a good impression on the prince.


    An ordinarymoner with no nameing into the ss A dormitory had infuriated her, but she backed down as soon as Vertus stepped forward.


    It was the same way in my novel¡ªeven though Vertus hadn¡¯t yet revealed that he was the prince, his presence alone had overwhelmed her.


    It was interesting how, even though much had changed, the early development of the plot was exactly the same as I¡¯d written it.


    ¡°Ludwig, be careful from now on, because there are people here who are sensitive. If you have something to say, you can use themunication device, and if you don¡¯t know how to use it, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Yeah.... Thanks.¡±


    Vertus cheerfully led the slightly deted Ludwig out of the lobby.


    Harriet¡¯s face was still in disarray, and she couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    She had lived her life recklessly and full of arrogance, and she¡¯d acted in ordance with her personality,pletely forgetting that there was a prince right beside her. She may have tried to act all nonchnt about it, but she had only heard about the Temple previously, and it was her first day here.


    Witnessing the confrontation between ss A and ss B right in front of me looked harsh. Even though she couldn¡¯t say a word to Vertus, she was still Number 4, and was a strong individual.


    Harriet¡¯s main talent was magic.


    If weapon mastery was considered a super talent, then ¡°magic¡± was also a super talent.


    In ss B, there was another student who had entered with two magical talents, ¡°alchemy¡± and ¡°enchantment.¡± Compared to that, Harriet¡¯s super talent in magic was on an entirely different level.


    Anyway, she had the talent to master all types of magic, regardless of discipline.


    She wasn¡¯t ranked Number 4 for no reason. And of course, it was just astonishing how there were still three others that were above her.


    ¡°His Highness is so generous...¡±


    Erhi, in a state of admiration, referred to him as His Highness and praised him while Vertus was absent.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Erhi asked me, as if seeking agreement.


    Him asking someone else a question to seek validation was such a cliche moment.


    ¡°Yeah... you¡¯re right.¡±


    As things stood, although he could have been nning something else in his mind, Vertus genuinely seemed to be outwardly good-natured. Even I, who had set his personality and character, couldn¡¯t distinguish what his true motives were.


    A character who deceives even the creator of himself... that surely demanded my respect.


    [Achievement - ¡°First Day at the Temple¡± has beenpleted.


    You have received 100 achievement points]


    Perhaps it was because I had witnessed Ludwig¡¯s event, or maybe it was the reward for safely making it through the day.


    In the end, I was able to earn some achievement points.

 Chapter 28

    <h4>Chapter 28</h4>


    I returned to my room.


    It seemed that I could gain achievement points by getting involved in major events like dealing with Ludwig. Of course, I knew that I could also earn points bypleting other challenges like pping the emperor across the face, which waspletely unrted.


    But wasn¡¯t this unfair?


    I survived a life-threatening situation, which rewarded me 100 points, but just now, when Ludwig was present and someone told him to leave, I was awarded the same 100 points as well. Was that even fair?


    That was basically saying that all the hard work I¡¯d done to survive was the same as Ludwig just getting nagged at.


    When I thought about this in my head and tried to spawn the system message to get an answer as to why this was, no messages showed up. It seemed like these people had their own rules about it, and besides, it was exhausting to even think about it.


    Most of the main story took ce in ss B and their dormitory or ssroom, so ss A would mostly be filled with events that I didn¡¯t know much about.


    When I returned to my room, I filled in the empty names in my notepad based on the self-introduction earlier.


    First, ss A.


    I couldn¡¯t remember all of their talents. There were even some individuals that I didn¡¯t remember at all.


    1 - Vertus de Gradias (Swordmaster, viin)


    2 - Ellen Artorius (The super overpowered one)


    3 - Liana de Grants (Electricity)


    4 - Harriet de Saint-Ouen (Magic)


    5 - Cliffman (Closebat specialist)


    6 - Heinrich von Schwartz (Pyrokinesis)


    7 - Adelia (Talent in the field of magic)


    8 - Connor Lint (Teleportation)


    9 - Erhi de Raffaeli (Scum number 1, a holy knight I think...?)


    10 - Kaier Bioden (Scum number 2, a viin in the early stages. Can¡¯t remember what he possessed exactly)


    11 - Me


    And then, ss B.


    1 - Charlotte de Gradias (Unknown)


    2 - Louis Ankton (Intelligent. The saint.)


    3 - Scarlett (Magic, immune to supernatural powers)


    4 - Ashir (Divine power I think...?)


    5 - Cristina (Alchemy, enchantment)


    6 - Anna de Gerna (Dark magic, not a bad person)


    7 - Evia (Telepathy)


    8 - Dettomorian (Shamanism, psychokinesis. A powerful individual.)


    9 - Delphine Izadra (Talent in archery)


    10 - Lanian Sesor (Talent in music)


    11 - Ludwig (Has good stamina and endurance, pretends to be a weakling but turns out to be super powerful, protagonist)


    Although I couldn¡¯t remember all of their talents in detail, I was roughly able to organize them in my mind after listening to their self-introductions, as it triggered my memories. Since I would mainly interact with the students in ss A, I didn¡¯t need to remember all the characters from the original work so diligently.


    Anyway, because Charlotte and I had been added as well, there were a total of twenty-two of us now, which was different from the original twenty.


    Among them, I didn¡¯t know what Charlotte¡¯s talent was. I wondered what kind of talent she possessed. Could it be the same type of talent as Vertus? Since they were both nobles, there was a good possibility that they could have the same talents.


    But now was not the time to worry about Charlotte.


    I¡¯d gained 100 points for sessfully escaping from the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    I¡¯d gained 1000 points for rescuing Charlotte.


    And I spent 300 points by using The Scribe¡¯s Advice, which cost 150 points, twice.


    And I received 100 points as a reward for the event just now.


    I had a total 900 achievement points at my disposal.


    To grant myself a talent with achievement points, I needed a minimum of 1000 points.


    [Swordsmanship - 1000 points]


    [Archery - 1000 points]


    [Magic Attunement - 1000 points]


    .


    .


    .


    My ability to acquire talents was quite ridiculously overpowered. Vertus had to endure immense pain and suffer through a great ritual in order to obtain three talents. However, I could acquire talents simply by using achievement points.


    Of course, the required achievement points could fluctuate at any time.


    Once I acquired the first talent, the second talent would probably be more expensive. It was unfortunate that I didn¡¯t know how much more expensive it would be, though.


    If I gained another 100 points, I could acquire my first talent, assuming whoever was in charge didn¡¯t suddenly change the price of the talent.


    There were incredibly powerful talents that I could acquire as well, such as the super talents.


    [Weapon Mastery - 10,000 points]


    [Magic - 20,000 points]


    The weapon mastery talent, which was among Ellen¡¯s numerous talents, required 10,000 points, while the magic talent that Harriet possessed required 20,000 points.


    I could save up and umte enough points to acquire those talents, but that could take months, or even years to save up. Also, I wasn¡¯t certain how much the talent would cost then.


    When the talent of swordsmanship reached its peak, it could evolve into the talent of weapon mastery, but who knew when that would happen?


    Moreover, talents like weapon mastery and magic required support from other talents to unleash their full potential. Most often, talents rted to magical power were necessary.


    In the case of magic, even with the talent, without innate magical attunement and aptitude¡ªas well as the most crucial aspect, intelligence¡ªit would be impossible to learn.


    What I wanted the most was to be a mage. Mages were safe and powerful.


    However, could I really study the field known as magic, which was filled with specialized terminology that I was unfamiliar with? Even if I developed the talents rted to magic fully, there was a high probability that I still wouldn¡¯t understand the study of magic itself.


    Or maybe, if I acquired talents rted to the ability to learn and improve my intelligence, it could enhance my intellect enough so that I could be a mage.


    Having a talent that would make me smarter was a very convincing idea indeed...


    Assuming that my goal was to be a mage, though, I would need at least four lower-level talents based on my standards.


    One talent rted to the specific magic system, the talent for magic attunement, the talent for magic maniption, and one for intellectual enhancement.


    <i>¡®I might as well grow old and die.¡¯</i>


    In the end, there was one answer and one answer only.


    Supernatural powers.


    Supernatural powers were considered strong just with one talent. Much like A-3 and A-6, who only had electrokinesis and pyrokinesis respectively.


    But there was a problem with superpowers.


    At lower levels of skill, the abilities were either too weak, or not properly controlled. In other words, it was difficult to use them when needed. That was why superhumans needed continuous training to gradually enhance their abilities and their control, just like others who underwent swordsmanship training or magic research.


    Either way, instead of grinding for achievement points that may or may not evene, it would be faster to dig my grave early and bury myself.


    Swordsmanship could evolve into weapon mastery, and by studying various disciplines of magic, someone without innate magical talent could also develop magical abilities.


    Some talents were able to evolve, especially supernatural powers. Practitioners would have to gradually improve their control and understanding, as it would be too overpowered if they were stupidly strong from the get-go. As such, consistent practice was necessary to uncover hidden aspects of these abilities, which the practitioner increased in their control and understanding.


    A-3, who used electricity, would eventually be able to use abilities beyond just electricity, and A-6, who manipted fire, could be capable of melessbustion as well.


    Talents obtained through achievement points had to be something that could not be obtained normally. As someone with all the aptitudes, I could acquire talents that I could physically train for, although I had no idea how long it would take.


    Supernatural powers could not be obtained through effort alone, regardless of aptitude or inaptitude. But I was capable of acquiring such superpowers through achievement points.


    They might not necessarily be of immediate help, but held great potential for growthter on.


    There was no other choice besides choosing supernatural powers.


    So, if that were the case, which superpower was I supposed to choose...? It wasn¡¯t going to be of much help initially since it was at such a low level, so I had to decide on something that had great potentialter on.


    It was funny to think that I was assuming that I was going to get the missing 100 achievement points for certain.


    It was probably best just to go to sleep.


    ***


    The next day was the entrance ceremony. It took ce in the grand square inside the Temple, and was held to wee the students who were entering the high school education curriculum. The sight of over ten thousand students participating in the entrance ceremony would be truly spectacr.


    Setting up an entrance ceremony on this big of a scale seemed excessive. When thousands of kids gathered, it was only natural for a hugemotion to arise, as if the world was about to end.


    But the entrance ceremony for the Royal ss was held separately.


    The reason for the separate ceremony was that they wanted the Royal ss students to focus on their studies rather than being dragged intorge-scale events. Although this was the exnation that was given, it seemed inadequate.


    Upon reflection, it felt quite unfair and discriminatory to inconvenience others at such an event while making things morefortable for the ¡°privileged¡± students.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of utter carelessness as I read through what I had written myself.


    The entrance ceremony for the Royal ss was a simple one, with only 22 students. The procedures were straightforward, and there wasn¡¯t anything extraordinary just because the princess and the prince were enrolled.


    The ceremony concluded with the introduction of the Royal ss Head Teacher, who was also the school principal, and our assigned teacher as well.


    We were then led to a building dedicated for sses for the Royal ss, which was near the dormitory, where we took our seats.


    I guess it wasn¡¯t so bad having things progress quickly.


    The assigned teacher for ss A was Teacher Effenhauser.


    Unlike Teacher Mustang, the homeroom teacher for ss B, I remember making Teacher Effenhauser very bureaucratic and cold in nature.


    He looked at us with a stern expression, and treated us no differently from regr students, as if we were nothing special.


    ¡°On Mondays and Thursdays, we will havemon sses in this ssroom.


    ¡°On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you can attend the sses you each have signed up for. The sybus and course overview are all in the documents that I handed out. If you don¡¯t know what sses to take,e find me separately, as you might be lost.


    ¡°You all have exceptional talents, but don¡¯t think that you are geniuses in every field. That means that you shouldn¡¯t try to take sses that are beyond your current understanding and abilities.


    ¡°Number 1, you are the temporary ss leader. If you want to change ss leader, let me know after you make the change. Most of the matters that need to be conveyed to you will be done through the ss leader.¡±


    The teacher did not even address the prince by his name, and while some students were bewildered by such casual naming, Vertus seemed to be unbothered by it.


    ¡°If you have any concerns, problems, or minor conflicts that you think I can be of help with, feel free to ask for assistance.


    ¡°Also, if any significant conflicts arise, call me immediately. While we are taking measures to prevent incidents where students kill each other, I cannot guarantee that such incidents will never ur. Be cautious of one another. Knowing what talents each other possesses will help you be more cautious, so look up each other¡¯s profiles. You can review themter.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser spoke these horrifying words casually, almost like a narrator.


    Someone raised a hand at that ominous closing remark.


    ¡°What are you going to do if we call for you when there¡¯s a major fight among students?¡±


    It was Number 8, Connor Lint. He was a curious fellow, as far as I could remember. I also detected a sense of overconfidence or arrogance in his question. It seemed like he thought the teacher wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if a fight broke out.


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed ustomed to such questions, as if he¡¯d been asked it multiple times before.


    ¡°You all are under special supervision and are considered precious talents of the empire. However, you may possess powers that can be dangerous to yourselves or others. And I assume you all agreed to the precautions during the enrollment process,¡± Mr. Effenhauser exined firmly. ¡°As the teacher in charge of the Royal ss, I have the authority to take emergency measures in critical situations.¡±


    ¡°Emergency measures?¡±


    ¡°It means that if the situation is dire, I have the power to take immediate disciplinary action against a student and eliminate them on the spot.¡±


    The atmosphere in the ssroom chilled at those words.


    Only those who possessed exceptional talents were in this room.


    And he had just calmly stated, right in front of them, that he could kill them if the situation called for it. He spoke as if it were nothing to be surprised about.


    ¡°And do you possess the ability to do so?¡±


    It was Number 10, Kaier Vioden, who had asked the question in his usual sneering tone.


    However, Teacher Effenhauser showed no particr reaction to his tant provocation.


    ¡°Well, let me just say I¡¯ve been working here for ten years and I¡¯m still fine, so that hopefully exins something.¡±


    This time, no one else dared to provoke him further. They were just teenage kids, after all, so it made sense.


    But then why was I, a fully grown man, also intimated along with them? I was supposed to be the more mature and experienced one, but this teacher was just too intimidating. Was it okay for a teacher to be that scary?


    Laughter echoed from the ssroom next door, in stark contrast to the fiery atmosphere within our own.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    It was ss B.


    ¡°Well, then, I hope you all understood the warning to be cautious of one another.¡±


    Unlike ss B, no one wasughing in our ss.


    ¡°And, Number 11.¡±


    Huh?


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? Me? Why? Why me all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t expected this plot development.


    <i>¡®Um... teacher?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Next to the Royal ss¡¯ exclusive dormitory was a separate building reserved formon ss ssrooms. So, on days when we hadmon sses, we didn¡¯t need to wander around the entire Temple.


    Although there were about a hundred students receiving education, themon ss building was slightly smaller than the other Temple buildings. However, it housed not only teachers but also other staff members as well, simr in number to the number of students.


    I set it up like this, but I didn¡¯t really know what all those teachers and staff actually did...


    In the office assigned for first-years, there were dozens of other people working besides the homeroom teachers. I wasn¡¯t sure if they were all teachers or something, but it was likely that all offices were like this as well.


    The number of staff members and students could be on par. In fact, there might even have been more staff members.


    Mr. Effenhauser took me to his personal office and instructed me to have a seat in front of him.


    I felt like a patient who¡¯d been finally brought to a hospital after their illness had worsened because they had waited too long.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what this feeling was, but I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.


    He rummaged through some documents without even looking at me and spoke.


    ¡°Number 11, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He stared at me silently.


    ¡°So, you have many aptitudes but no talent. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Uh, um... yes.¡±


    Was he going to ask what a useless piece of trash like me was doing here?


    I <i>did</i> set him up as a character that was cold and ruthless, but not to the extent of being a total dick.


    ¡°What sses are you nning to take?¡±


    ¡°...Pardon me...?¡±


    The words that came out of Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s mouth were unexpected. He ced a document in front of me which contained profiles of each student.


    The document he handed me was about Number 3, Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Number 3, Granz, is a superhuman.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    <i>¡®So what?¡¯</i>


    He rummaged through the papers and showed me another page.


    ¡°Here¡¯s Number 5.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Cliffman. He has talent inbat.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I looked at Mr. Effenhauser with a puzzled face, and he stared back at me with an intimidating expression.


    Looking at him made me realize that there were people in the world who could intimidate others with just their eyes.


    ¡°Usually, superhumans enroll in special sses for meditation or controlling their abilities. Since there aren¡¯t that many superhumans, they require such special education.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you, Number 11, wouldn¡¯t need those specialized sses, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose so.¡±


    <i>¡®I might need itter in the future, but definitely not now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Cliffman has a talent inbat. It¡¯s a rare talent. He excels in unarmedbat, swordsmanship, martial arts, archery... he has basically all categories ofbat talents you can think of.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Cliffman demonstrated talent in all forms ofbat. Although Cliffman only had that one talent, it was a talent that surpassed weapon mastery.


    ¡°So, Number 5 who hasbat abilities, would likely focus on physical training, weapon techniques, and sparring-based sses. Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ah, I knew what he was trying to say.


    ¡°The other ssmates already have some direction in their specialization. They have a rough idea of what they need to learn and what sses they will need to take.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But, Number 11, you have an aptitude in all areas, but no outstanding talent in any.¡±


    Though that was slightly discouraging, his purpose wasn¡¯t to put me down.


    ¡°Perhaps you also don¡¯t know what direction you should head toward. Is that right?¡±


    It seemed like he thought I needed some guidance.

 Chapter 29

    <h4>Chapter 29</h4>


    He was a teacher, after all.


    Most students already had their aptitudes and talents determined, so he didn¡¯t need to tell them what they had to learn or which direction they had to go in. All he had to do was look through the list of courses that the student had applied for and give a few words of advice.


    However, it was probably his first time encountering a student like me at the Temple. I <i>could</i> do everything, but I didn¡¯t <i>excel</i> in anything. I agreed that I was a strange student.


    ¡°Given the curriculum we offer here in the Temple, you can technically study everything. But just because you can do everything doesn¡¯t mean you should, as you¡¯ll just end up as a jack of all trades and master of none.¡±


    That was the reason why Mr. Effenhauser had brought me into his office. He was worried that I might be overambitious and do something foolish with my future. He wanted to prevent a situation in which I would try everything out and end up achieving nothing.


    Wow, he really was a good teacher after all!


    ¡°Your aptitude and talent don¡¯t determine your potential. I¡¯ve seen people with talent in magic but despise magic itself, and I¡¯ve seen others with extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, but who hesitate when a sword is pointed at them.¡±


    Talent in swordsmanship didn¡¯t automatically imbue you with a fighting spirit, and talent in magic didn¡¯t automatically give you a curiosity for and an interest in magic.


    It was essentially the w of possessing a talent.


    Mr. Effenhauser was already bringing up an issue that would arise only after the early stages of the novel right from the start.


    In the end, the most important thing was one¡¯s mentality, whether one liked what they were doing, and whether they could apply it in practical situations.


    Sometimes, being forced to study and train in something solely because it was an early-discovered talent could make someone start hating that talent, and furthermore, make them hesitate in real life-or-death situations.


    What good was it to wield a sword if one feared violence itself?


    That was what he was trying to say.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re better off than those that are talented in specific areas, in the way that you don¡¯t have to constrain yourself to strictly one talent and can go in any direction you choose.¡±


    He was essentially asking me what I wanted to do and my field of interest.


    However, little did he know I had already decided what I wanted to do the day before.


    ¡°I want to learn and develop supernatural powers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For the very first time, a sh of emotion appeared on Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s face. It was clearly an expression of disdain.


    He looked at my profile and was silent for a while.


    ¡°I heard they condensed your description into one line because it was too long.¡±


    The administrators couldn¡¯t list all my aptitudes on the form, as there were so many. So they just wrote ¡°aptitude in all fields¡±. If all my aptitudes had been formally documented, it would have been a lengthy document.


    ¡°Do you also possess an aptitude for supernatural powers as well?¡±


    ¡°I should have it...?¡±


    Although I said ¡°should,¡± I knew for a fact I had it, it¡¯s just I didn¡¯t want to drag out an exnation that he wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s say that it <i>does </i>exist. How do you n to awaken your supernatural powers?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll give it my best shot.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t admit that I was going to use achievement points, so that was all I could say. However, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that he was looking at me as if I were a fool trying to break a rock with an egg.


    ¡°Is there nothing else you want to pursue besides supernatural powers? People who don¡¯t have basic supernatural powers can¡¯t enter the special sses.¡±


    ¡°Oh... is that so?¡±


    ¡°... There <i>is</i> a special exception for students in the Royal ss, but the teacher will find it extremely strange if they see a student with no talent enrolled in their ss, and might even kick you out of their ss.¡±


    Despite Mr. Effenhauser making the point that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take responsibility for me in case I got kicked out of the ss, I still nodded with certainty.


    After much contemtion, he finally started to write something on the document.


    ¡°Apply for this ss. I¡¯ll let the teacher know separately.¡±


    It seemed he thought I wasn¡¯t going to give up easily, and had no choice.


    ¡°But it¡¯s for<i> one </i>ss only.¡±


    He said that he wouldn¡¯t sign me up for any other sses rted to supernatural powers and then wrote down various other things on the paper. He finished writing in an instant and handed me the paper.


    ¡°This is your timetable for this semester. I won¡¯t ept any changes.¡±


    It seemed like he¡¯d written out my timetable for me instead.


    ¡°What sses are these?¡±


    ¡°Forget what I said earlier. I want you to try a variety of sses. Then, hopefully, you¡¯ll stumble upon something you¡¯re interested in.¡±


    He¡¯d initially told me not to try everything out, but it must¡¯ve been when I¡¯d mentioned wanting to learn supernatural powers that he¡¯d realized that I was not going to go with his n so easily. As a result, he had no choice but to give me a timetable that might fit more with what I wanted.


    So, instead of having me focus solely on supernatural powers and possibly wasting this semester, he was suggesting that I try different sses to find out what might suit me better, since it wasmon sense that you couldn¡¯t awaken supernatural powers through effort alone.


    It was a valid point from him, and it was a good decision, so I couldn¡¯t reallyin.


    ***


    It was natural that I wouldn¡¯t be able to fill my entire timetable with sses rting to supernatural powers. Not only was it impossible to fill all of my time slots with sses only rted to supernatural powers, but I also wanted to see what each major¡¯s ss was like in the uing semester.


    When I returned to ss A¡¯s ssroom, almost all the students were gathered around the bulletin board. There were no teachers present.


    The students all turned toward me with intimidating stares.


    ¡°...¡°


    ¡°...¡°


    <i>¡®Why are you guys all staring at me like that? Y¡¯all got a problem with me?¡¯</i>


    The stares that the students gathered around the bulletin board were giving me were lukewarm at best, and mixed with either curiosity or iprehension.


    ¡°Hey, are you sure you don¡¯t have any talents?¡± Kaiser Vioden remarked.


    I finally understood the reason why the students were gathered around the bulletin board.


    Mr. Effenhauser had posted each person¡¯s profile on the bulletin board. It was meant for us to know each other¡¯s talents and aptitudes, so that we could be cautious of each other.


    Of course, Ellen Artorius¡¯ extraordinary talents were probablyid out in a very condensed form, so she didn¡¯t attract much attention.


    Most of the students were definitely curious about what talents others had, and hence they had gathered around to take a look. When they read the profiles, they¡¯d noticed something peculiar. The eleventh profile at the very bottom listed numerous aptitudes but no talents, and that was why they were all confused.


    ¡°Yeah... so?¡± I replied.


    Since what Kaier said was true and I didn¡¯t really have much to say to that, I merely returned to my seat.


    The desks in the ssroom were arranged in two rows, and had been assigned by student number. My seat was in the back left corner, by the window. The ssroom was spacious, so we didn¡¯t necessarily have to sit close together, and we all had arge desk all to ourselves.


    I tried not to pay attention, but strange gazes continued to follow me. Vertus was also looking at me with a strange smile on his face.


    ¡°No, wait. Do you guys think this makes any sense?¡±


    Kaier hade all the way to my seat, seemingly unable toprehend the situation.


    ¡°This is the Royal ss. Only the ones with exceptional talents can get in. But you¡ªhow did you manage to get in here? And moreover, in ss A? Shouldn¡¯t you at least be in ss B?¡±


    I had set him up as a character with a bad temper, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be that way from the first day of ss.


    Kaier seemed like he genuinely couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, and his disbelief about my presence in the Royal ss was clearly evident. He seemed visibly angry, like he was ready to grab me by the cor, and no one seemed to be trying to stop him.


    Vertus seemed to be observing the situation.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. Who are you? How did someone like you end up here?¡±


    ¡°Hey, bud,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    I wanted to handle the situation in a more mature manner. I didn¡¯t want to overreact and make a scene just because some kids half my age were being disrespectful.


    I didn¡¯t want to make a scene.


    But then, all of a sudden...


    ¡°Don¡¯t spaz out on me. If you want toin, go to the admissions office andin.¡±


    I was trying to stay reserved but I couldn¡¯t help my anger.


    Kaier¡¯s expression changed dramatically after he heard my harsheback.


    ¡°You, you dare... say that to me...? You... someone who doesn¡¯t even have a talent or anything? How dare you...!¡±


    ¡°Who cares if you like it or not? Why are youining to me about a decision that was made by the admissions office? Do you think I snuck in here or something? Huh? Was it my fault that I ended up in ss A? I just followed the instructions, you punk. Why should I even answer you? Are you the admissions director or something?¡±


    ¡°Why you little...¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you <i>are</i> the admissions director?¡±


    ¡°Normally you wou¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you the admissions director or not, you piece of shit! Answer me!¡±


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    I stood up abruptly and approached him, and he grew startled and began to take a step or two back.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. No response? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Uh... I, I¡¯m not...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not, then what the hell are you nagging me about?¡±


    His face had gone visibly pale. He was clearly intimidated.


    ¡°Hey, you, Number 10. The one with a dark future ahead of him because he has a talent for magic power but ironicallycks magical aptitude.¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh...¡±


    Nobody needed to have talent in order to talk big. I mean, do you think people avoid shit because they¡¯re afraid of shit? No. They avoid it because shit is dirty and unpleasant. At the moment, I had no way to make myself into someone to be feared, so my only option was to be a dirty and unpleasant person so that no one would mess with me for now.


    Besides, the guy in front of me didn¡¯t have any talent inbat, so I was safe.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t get on my nerves again. Got it?¡±


    <i>Pat, pat.</i>


    ¡°Are you not gonna answer me?¡±


    As I red at him with wide, fierce eyes, hisplexion paled further, and he meekly nodded his head.


    ¡°O-okay...¡±


    I lightly tapped the cheek of the insolent brat and sat back down in my seat.


    The atmosphere in the ssroom was tense as the surrounding students observed the scene.


    <i>¡®Crap. What have I done?¡¯</i>


    I had now been branded as the short-tempered bastard without any talents.


    But, to be fair, wasn¡¯t everything I¡¯d said true? Why was heining to me, a student who was just following orders from the admissions office?


    <i>Sigh.</i>


    I hadn¡¯t wanted to cause any trouble, but I¡¯d ended up doing so anyway, and faster than a brushfire.


    What a great start to the school year.


    ***


    Thanks to Number 10, who¡¯d made me seem like the guy with anger management issues, no one else dared to provoke me afterward. They were probably shocked at seeing someone with no talent at all talk back to another like that.


    I¡¯d also just heard that if you actually challenged someone using your talents, the teacher might actually kill you for doing that.


    Even a person without any abilities needs to have some guts. If they don¡¯t even have guts, they bepletely useless.


    ss B seemed harmonious, with asional bouts ofughter, while ss A¡¯s lessons were all held in a quiet and serious manner. There were no other sounds aside from the sound of writing instruments and the teachers¡¯ lecturing, as well as asional questions from students.


    It was, after all, a ce for such serious people to gather, but the atmosphere of fear that I had needlessly created probably yed a part in it as well. I sighed at the guilt and regret I felt.


    Damn it, I¡¯d lost my temper at a kid. I truly was the worst kind of person.


    I continued to attend the sses while swimming in a sea of self-disgust.


    The core subjects were those that everyone had to take together, like the general electives sses.


    For example, history, geography, mathematics, literature, and othermon knowledge subjects. Each teacher had different subjects to teach, and the homeroom teachers were not assigned to teach specific sses.


    During the brief break between sses, the students talked amongst themselves, gradually trying to get to know each other.


    ¡ªI heard you have an aptitude for magic. What sses are you nning to take?


    ¡ªWell... I¡¯m still not sure.


    ¡ªOh, do you want to have a meeting with our teacher and get some advice from him then?


    ¡ªHuh? Uh, well... um... yeah, sure.


    ¡ªIt seems like the students in the Royal ss are allowed to take specialized sses that are different from the regr sses. sses where only two are allowed, or something like that.


    ¡ªOh... really?


    It seemed like those with simr talents were looking to take the same sses. On days when elective sses were scheduled, they would have to attend sses with the other regr students in the school, so it would beforting to have someone they knew in their sses.


    As a result, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students with talents inbat would attendbat sses together, those with magic talents would attend magic sses together, and those with supernatural powers would attend sses together. Students with talents in divine power tended to takebat sses as a secondary specialization, so they usually hung out with the students withbat talents.


    Just like that, they all discussed how to choose their elective sses. Some thought about it quietly by themselves, and some discussed with others while the ss hours passed by.


    Soon, it was lunchtime.


    Since there were only about a hundred students in the Royal ss, we all ate lunch in therge cafeteria.


    There was no need to line up; we just needed to get a tray and then take whatever food we wanted, and however much we wanted.


    Even though students of all grades ate together, there was an implicit division of areas. First-year students sat in a specific area to eat, while second-year students would eat in another area, and so on. Naturally, there were also areas where students from ss A and ss B could mingle and eat together.


    Most of the ss A students gathered around Vertus to eat. Since he appeared to have a good personality, at least for now, people naturally followed him.


    It wasn¡¯t much different for ss B.


    ¡ªHey Charlotte, try this, it¡¯s really good!


    ¡ªOh... it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t really like greasy food.


    ss B gathered around Charlotte, but their reasons for that seemed a bit different.


    ¡ªYou have to eat well to be healthy!


    ¡ªHey Charlotte, don¡¯t you like vegetables?


    Not much time had passed since Charlotte¡¯s return from being held prisoner in the Demon King¡¯s castle and her enrollment at the Temple. That was why everyone seemed concerned about Charlotte¡¯s health. Even the senior students looked at her with sympathy.


    A chorus of voices, led by Ludwig, were calling out, trying to take care of Charlotte in any way they could, and Charlotte seemed visibly ufortable.


    ss B was originally set up to be a harmonious group, so even with the addition of Charlotte, it remained harmonious, mainly for one simple reason: Ludwig.


    He had the typical personality of a Japanese manga protagonist¡ªoptimistic, kind, and full of spirit.


    But, even though I hadn¡¯t experienced Ludwig¡¯s personality firsthand, I had a feeling I wasn¡¯t going to get along with those sorts of people very well.


    ss A, huddled around Vertus despite having plenty of space, and ss B gathered around Charlotte.


    And then there were the five of us who sat alone, each keeping our own distance during mealtime. I was included in this group of five, the one who had gotten into a fight in the morning.


    A-2, Ellen Artorius.


    A-5, Cliffman.


    A-11, me.


    B-2, Louis Ankton.


    B-3, Scarlett.


    Why is it that the unpopr kids always end up in the same group?


    The social outcasts, including myself, ate our meals quietly...


    ¡ªI feel like I¡¯m going to throw up...


    Charlotte¡¯s faint, distressed voice reached my ears.

 Chapter 30

    <h4>Chapter 30</h4>


    Even though I was being taught concepts based on apletely different world, most of the sses were bearable as the curriculum was geared toward first-year high school students, and they were learning basic theory.


    The Royal ss was a gathering ce for those with exceptional talents, but that didn¡¯t mean that everyone there was book smart. In fact, some students even slept during ss.


    Of course, the intellectually gifted ones would pay attention during ss, but there were some physically gifted students who also focused during ss.


    However, there were also plenty of students with average intelligence. Not to mention, they were still kids, so they found the sses to be annoying and mundane. After all, they were chosen for their talents, not their intelligence.


    Compared to these students who were still struggling with their academics, I found the sses I took both boring and easy, and consisted mostly of memorization.


    However...


    ¡ªRun! Don¡¯t stop! Run!


    <i>Huff... huff... huff...</i>


    ¡°I can¡¯t... I can¡¯t run anymore...¡±


    <i>Huff... huff...</i>


    ¡°Why... why do I have to do this?!¡±


    ¡ªThis isn¡¯t middle school anymore! No one here is going to take care of you and treat you like a kid!


    The physical training ss was basically hell. It was repetitive and physically demanding, almost like corporal punishment.


    ¡ªMagic, supernatural powers, academics, or whatever¡ªyou can never neglect physical training! You guys are the future of the empire. If you don¡¯t meet a certain level of physical fitness by the end of the semester, you¡¯re going to fail the ss! Don¡¯t forget this!


    <i>¡ª¡®It was a misconception to think that being a wizard meant you couldck physical abilities.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®Relying solely on supernatural abilities will backfire on you.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®If you have poor physical fitness, you won¡¯t be able to study for long.¡¯</i>


    These were all sentences that were definitely written by me. That was why, regardless of what a student majored in, the Temple always incorporated physical training into all of the regr sses, as if it wasn¡¯t eptable for any student in any major to be physically weak.


    So those who did not have talents inbat or exceptional physical abilities disliked the physical training sses the most.


    And as if I were receiving punishment for writing such a setting...


    ¡ªHey, you there! Don¡¯t walk, run!


    <i>Sigh.</i>


    I was pushed to the limit by the intense physical training that I had written about, and hated myself more than anyone for all this.


    ¡ªRun people, run! You can¡¯t possibly die from running! Hey, look at how he¡¯s running over there!


    The gym teacher pointed to someone who had been running at a steady pace from the start.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>


    The person wasn¡¯t even jogging, but was sprinting at full speed.


    As he ran past me, he cheerfully said a few words.


    ¡°Cheer up, Reinhart! You can do it!¡±


    <i>Huff... huff...</i>


    It was Ludwig.


    Physical education was one of the sses both ss A and ss B attended together.


    Ludwig had only one talent: physical fitness.


    All physical abilities were ranked based on numerical values. I checked the rank distribution criteria written next to the physical fitness stat table of my ssmates to confirm the settings I had made in the past.


    0~4 (F rank)


    5~7 (D rank)


    8~13 (C rank)


    14~19 (B rank)


    20~30 (A rank)


    31~35 (S rank)


    36~40 (S+ rank)


    There was also an SS rank, but it was meaningless, since beyond that point, it surpassed even the realm of superhumans. But of course, some managed to reach that level...


    Rank F to rank D corresponded to the low tier.


    C rank corresponded to the middle tier.


    B rank onwards was considered high-tier, where the growth rate significantly slowed down. Unless one was naturally gifted, that person might even reach the limit of growth. At that point, no matter how hard they tried, they might not reach the A- rank.


    In other words, A- rank onward was considered the limit as a human. Reaching A+ rank meant that you had already gone to the extreme.


    S rank onward was clearly the realm of superhumans, and it was impossible to reach that level with ordinary training.


    Ludwig¡¯s physical fitness score was 30, equivalent to an A+ rank.


    While the average physical fitness of those in the same age group was a D, around 6 to 7, his physical fitness was close to 30. Ludwig was a monster in terms of physical fitness, and could easily beat any professional athlete out there.


    That was his one and only specialty.


    ¡°He... he¡¯s insane... he¡¯s a monster!¡±


    The other ssmates also couldn¡¯t help but be amazed and envious as they witnessed Ludwig¡¯s inhuman physical capabilities. No one even thought about being jealous of him, and merely admired him.


    I just felt like dying.


    <i>¡®Do I have to do this every single week for the entire semester? Twice a week?¡¯</i>


    I seriously contemted taking physical fitness as my first talent, and disregarding supernatural powers or whatever. After all, Ludwig would level up to be on par with Ellen using his physical fitness as his foundation.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    Ellen Artorius, who was also running at a steady pace without any hups, passed by me.


    ***


    The gym ss, which turned people intoplete wrecks, included not only running but also strength training, and there was no distinction between genders.


    Only five people were able to properly withstand the training: Ellen, Number 2 of ss A; Vertus, Number 1 of ss A; Cliffman, Number 5 of ss A; Scarlett, Number 3 of ss B; and Ludwig, Number 11 of ss B.


    The rest were all crying out in pain, and even some actually burst into tears.


    ¡°If you have the energy to cry, use that energy to do one more rep instead!¡±


    The gym teacher, who had a demonic appearance, was merciless.


    There was one person who was exempted from the training: Charlotte de Gradias, who was watching us struggle our asses off.


    Since she was still too weak and needed absolute rest, the teacher exempted Charlotte from the ss. No one raised any objections either, since she must have gone through tremendous hardships while being held in the Demon King¡¯s castle. Both the students and the teachers were amazed that she could even listen and pay attention in ss.


    Even while feeling like I was going to die from the training, my gaze subtly shifted toward Charlotte.


    What kind of talent did she have, exactly? It had to be written on the ss B bulletin board, but I didn¡¯t want to go to their ssroom to check and cause unnecessary trouble.


    Charlotte was simply observing us without saying a word.


    Although we had gone through the life and death crisis together, it had been a crisis situation, and I realized that I hadn¡¯t gotten to know Charlotte de Gradias¡¯s real personality. I knew that her personality in a crisis would surely have been different from her usual personality.


    ¡°Hey, hey! You¡¯re too fast! I can¡¯t count!¡±


    <i>Puff! Puff! Puff!</i>


    Next to me, Ludwig was doing sit-ups at a machine-like speed, and on the opposite side of him, someone was holding onto him and counting his reps, almost crying. I couldn¡¯t recognize who Ludwig¡¯s partner was, probably because he was from ss B.


    I surely realized what I liked and didn¡¯t like now. It was the same with Sarkergar.


    Enthusiastic people and people overflowing with spirit were not my cup of tea.


    ***


    After the grueling two-hour gym ss from hell, everyone showered and changed clothes in the locker room.


    ¡°Why are the shower rooms and changing rooms connected?¡± Erhi de Raffaeli grumbled in a low voice.


    The shower facilities themselves were fine. However, while the male and female areas were separate, the sses shared amon space. In other words, the boys of ss A and ss B shared the same changing rooms and showers, as did the girls of ss A and ss B.


    <i>¡®That scumbagins about every little thing doesn¡¯t he...¡¯</i>


    I was so tired that I couldn¡¯t even care about such things.


    There were those who had a certain level of physical fitness, and then there were those who hadpletely copsed.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not the problem... The problem is that we have to do this again on Thursday...¡± A-8, Connor Lint, muttered absentmindedly.


    ¡°<i>Ughhh</i>...¡±


    Sighs of despair echoed throughout the ss. Whether they were from ss A or ss B, everyone was equally exhausted.


    They would train us hard on Monday and give us a two-day break, only to do it all again on Thursday. Yes, it was undoubtedly intentional.


    ¡ª<i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°... Hey... are you okay?¡±


    I was so angry at myself for writing such a ridiculous story that I smacked my own head, prompting everyone to look at me with bewildered expressions.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, guys. This is all my fault...¡¯</i>


    But then, a problem arose while changing clothes in the locker room...


    ¡°Hey, Number 11.¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    Kaier Vioden had approached me.


    As if I wasn¡¯t already exhausted. What was his problem now?


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not even particrly gifted at physical fitness.¡±


    ¡°... So what?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he was trying to say, but I was so tired and ready to leave. Besides, he wasn¡¯t particrly great in terms of physical fitness either.


    ¡°Hey, are you good at fighting? Huh?¡±


    <i>¡®What a childish dispute.¡¯</i>


    It seemed like he thought that I had hidden my real strength or something during the confrontation with him that morning, and it seemed like that confrontation had hit his pride hard.


    However, it seemed like he¡¯d revised that opinion when he saw me struggling in a physical education ss with him as well, and now considered me weak, like him. That was why, even though we were both exhausted, he had gained the confidence to start a dispute in the locker room.


    There were only boys in the locker room. It was a perfect ce for a battle of egos.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not good at it at all.¡±


    I decided to hold back this time since I couldn¡¯t get angry at a younger kid again, and to be honest, I regretted what I had done previously.


    ¡°What makes you so tough then? Huh?¡±


    He said it in such an argumentative and corny tone that I felt my hairs stand on end.


    ¡®<i>¡°What makes you so tough¡±</i>? <i>Ugh,e on now, I¡¯m too old for this!</i>¡¯


    I was so dumbfounded that I didn¡¯t even want to retort.


    ¡°What do you mean...¡± I sighed. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one spouting nonsense at me?¡±


    ¡°No, you were definitely trying to pick a fight with me. Isn¡¯t that right, you little shit?¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Kaier hit my shoulder lightly, as if he wanted to start a fight.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why? Why don¡¯t you act all tough again like you did this morning? Hm? Go ahead, no one¡¯s stopping you. It doesn¡¯t make any sense for someone like you to be in ss A. What tricks did you pull to get in? Someone with absolutely no talent in ss A. Did you bribe your way in or something?¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    This guy didn¡¯t seem like he would back down easily until he massaged his bruised ego. It seemed like his pride had taken quite a hit earlier.


    I couldn¡¯t help but admit that I was a person with little patience.


    ¡°<i>Uck</i>!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    I grabbed him by the cor and pinned him down on the ground. He fell over easily, since he was pretty drained from all the training we just had.


    The fe looked up at me with a bewildered expression.


    The ironic thing was that the Royal ss was a ss that selected students based solely on their talent. It waspletely opposite to the Orbis ss, where skill was an important factor in selections.


    ¡°Some kids will simply learn from their mistakes through conversation alone, but some brats require physical discipline.¡±


    I found myself mired in two disputes with the same guy on my first day at the Temple.


    ¡°And you seem like that sort of brat.¡±


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°<i>Uck</i>!¡±


    ¡°You need to be physically disciplined.¡±


    I swung a kick at the downed fe¡¯s abdomen.


    The Royal ss did not consist only of individuals whose skills were equal to how they perceived themselves.


    It was filled with people who relied solely on their talents, andcked the drive to put in any effort. That was exactly what the Royal ss¡¯s weakness was. They were selected based on their talents, and there was no such thing as being ¡°kicked out¡± from the school once you got in.


    There were individuals in the ss who considered themselves privileged without any actual logic or rationale, just like the guy in front of me.


    In reality, there was nothing special about them except for the fact that they were enrolled in the Royal ss.


    I trampled on Kaier¡¯s face.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°<i>Uckk</i>!¡±


    I kicked his head.


    Being strong didn¡¯t mean being physically strong.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°<i>Agh</i>!¡±


    Among delinquents, there are various types, but when ites to fighting, there are two types that you should never mess with.


    The ones who are really good at fighting, and the ones who are just crazy.


    You can¡¯t mess with the ones who are good at fighting because they¡¯d definitely beat you up.


    But the crazy ones were a different story.


    You¡¯re afraid to provoke them because you don¡¯t know what they might do when they snap. Some of them would just grab a chair and smash it on you without hesitating.


    Since I couldn¡¯t fight, I chose to be thetter to avoid being bullied.


    Being able to act like you are strong was what really made someone strong. I just needed to show the ones who only talked the talk that I wasn¡¯t like them, and that I actually meant what I said.


    This was a message that I wanted to send to everyone else watching as well.


    If I could show that messing with me for no reason could seriously mess up your life, then that was enough for me.


    I wasn¡¯t strong, and I couldn¡¯t be strong.


    But what I <i>could</i> be was brutal.


    Physical stats and rankings did not show everything about an individual¡¯s strength, and that was what I had to demonstrate to everyone.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    When I stepped on the fe¡¯s face again, someone grabbed me by the arm as if I was taking it too far.


    ¡°Hey, stop it!¡±


    ¡°What are you guys trying to do?!¡±


    Ludwig and Vertus were trying to pull me away.


    <i>Huff, huff...</i>


    ¡°I can do this all day if you want,¡± I said to Kaier as I was being dragged away by Vertus and Ludwig. ¡°Next time, I¡¯m gonna make sure I kill you.¡±


    Kaier, who was on the ground, couldn¡¯t even look at me.


    ***


    ¡°... So you guys fought?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He hit me first!¡±


    Eventually, the confrontation that resulted in a fistfight led us to be called into Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s office. To be precise, Ludwig and Vertus suggested that we settle it among ourselves and make amends, but someone had ratted us out and reported it to the teacher.


    I didn¡¯t know who snitched on us, but I knew the characteristics of all the students. I knew what their personalities were like and even remembered the names that I¡¯d forgotten following the entrance ceremony the day before, so I could figure it out pretty easily.


    The guy with the ¡°Tattletale¡± talent.


    It must have been B-2, Louis Ankton.


    He must have seen our fight and rushed to snitch on us to his teacher, Ms. Mustang, and since it was a fight between ss A students, she must have informed Mr. Effenhauser.


    ¡°Fist fights on the first day of sses, huh?¡±


    ¡°He hit me first! He even insulted me in front of everyone this morning!¡±


    Kaier, with a cold and resentful expression, was insistent that it was all my fault.


    It seemed like he was quick to forget about getting beaten up by me in the locker room, and had switched back to his old self.


    He probably thought it was the perfect chance to get me expelled, since there was a teacher to protect him.


    ¡°It was all his fault¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence,¡± said Mr. Effenhauser, spitting Kaier with a cold expression. ¡°Enough talk from you, Number 10.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me about something I haven¡¯t asked about.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, sir,¡± Kaier answered, his voice full of fear.


    I was just as scared. The look in Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s eyes was so devoid of warmth that I felt uneasy just looking at him.


    I knew that he wasn¡¯t a bad person, but his demeanor made us all tense.


    ¡°Number 11.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And the fact that he referred to us by number rather than name also seemed to be his way of maintaining a certain distance between us.


    ¡°Did you hit him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why did you hit him?¡± Mr. Effenhauser asked with a rather uninterested expression.


    ¡°He made remarks that undermined the authority of the Temple.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?!¡±


    Both Mr. Effenhauser and Kaier were taken aback by my unexpected statement.


    It was no wonder that they were surprised; it was quite out of the blue.


    Mr. Effenhauser red at me.


    ¡°Exin what you mean clearly, number 11.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Effenhauser.¡±


    <i>¡®Sit back and watch what I¡¯m going to do to you, you little punk.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Kaier critiqued me this morning, iming that it was unfair for someone like me, whocked talent, to be admitted into the Royal ss, or even better yet, ss A, solely based on my aptitudes. It was as if he found it iprehensible.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. Pay close attention to how I¡¯m going to change the story in my favor.¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed less surprised by the content of what I said and more taken aback by the choice of words I used. Yes, it did sound like an overly serious exnation.


    ¡°So I told Kaier that students shouldn¡¯t question the decisions of the Temple admissions office. Of course, in the process, I asked him forcefully if he was the head of admissions director, and Kaier naturally answered ¡®no¡¯ to that question. The conversation ended there, but I suspect that at that moment, Kaier felt a blow to his self-esteem or felt unhappy that his remarks had been disregarded.¡±


    I roughly summarized what I said when I asked Kaier if he was the admissions director.


    ¡°And just now, after the end of the physical education ss, in the locker room, he asked me if I was good at fighting. So I answered honestly that I¡¯m not good at it at all. It seemed like he saw me struggling in the physical training and wanted to retaliate against me for what had happened in the morning. He pushed me on the shoulder several times and demanded to know why I was talking back to him if I couldn¡¯t even fight. Kaier, you do admit that you said these things, correct?¡±


    In response to my question, Kaier¡¯s face twisted in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I only pushed you! But you hit me first!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you because you pushed me.¡±


    My exnation was getting long-winded, and Mr. Effenhauser raised his hand.


    ¡°Enough. So in what way did he undermine the authority of the Temple?¡±


    He red at me with a look that demanded I stop wasting his time.


    ¡°Kaier imed that it was absurd for someone like me to have been assigned to ss A solely based on my aptitudes, saying it didn¡¯t make any sense. He used me of providing financialpensation to gain admission through illegitimate means.¡±


    Kaier¡¯s face contorted rapidly.


    Why was I giving such an borate speech? There was a reason for everything.


    Even though I felt intimidated in front of Mr. Effenhauser, ultimately, he was also a character that I¡¯d created.


    ¡°While I can tolerate insults directed at me, Kaier¡¯s remarks cast doubt on the credibility of the Temple, which is not only the finest educational institution in the world, but also a pride of the Gradias Empire.¡±


    I looked at Mr. Effenhauser.


    ¡°In essence, what he said called into question the credibility of the Temple and, ultimately, can be taken as an insult to the esteemed Gradias Empire. I couldn¡¯t help but feel indignant at his remarks, which seemed to discredit the trustworthiness of the Temple, and unknowingly acted on my impulsiveness. I apologize for my recklessness, Mr. Effenhauser.¡±


    ¡°... Is it true that such remarks were made, Number 10?¡±


    Patriotism was a key part of Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s character.


    ¡°That you, a student who is nothing special except for the fact that he¡¯s in the Royal ss, spread baseless rumors about there being corruption in the Temple?¡±


    ¡°Well... um... That... that...¡±


    ¡°Yes or no? Answer me.¡±


    Though Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t directed at me, I could feel a chilling aura that sent shivers down my spine.


    ***


    Although Mr. Effenhauser had a cold personality, he was a patriot who took tremendous pride in the empire and the Temple. As a result, he could remain calm in almost every situation, but was highly sensitive to anything that tarnished the reputation of the empire and the Temple.


    So when a student openly questioned the decisions of the Temple and madepletely unfounded ims not once, but twice in one day, it was natural for him to get heated.


    Of course, I may have exaggerated these rtively trivial matters and presented them as more significant issues than they actually were, but all it showed was that words could easily be used to alter something small into something much bigger.


    The issue regarding our fight seemed to have been brushed aside for the moment. Perhaps they would let it slide once.


    With the individuals that had been gathered into the Royal ss, it was not umon for fights to break out among the students.


    Mr. Effenhauser told Kaier to stay and told me to leave, murmuring under his breath that real talent wasn¡¯t being recognized as talent.


    I think what he meant was that my speechcked the mannerisms of the other students and that I didn¡¯t speak like a child, which seemed like a talent to him. The Temple was a ce where all sorts of kids gathered, so it wouldn¡¯t be so random to have a kid with talent in ¡°mature speech.¡±


    Who would ever suspect that I was actually a middle-aged man inside, pretending to be a child? It would actually be more awkward for me to act like a teenager, so it was better to stick with the real me.


    In the end, Mr. Effenhauser focused his attention more on Kaier regarding this matter, but he probably wasn¡¯t going to impose any severe punishment on him. We were just kids to him, and he probably knew that I¡¯d exaggerated my story slightly anyway.


    It was probably just going to result in a warning.


    When I returned to the ssroom, the atmosphere was strange. Kaier hadn¡¯te back, and it was only me.


    There seemed to be an air of bewilderment in the ssroom, especially since it seemed to the rest of the ss that I hadn¡¯t gotten into much trouble with the teacher.


    Word about our fight would have probably spread through both sses A and B like wildfire already, and there were sure to be rumors spreading about me, someone with no talent but a terrible temper.


    Ah, what just happened? What was with all this?


    All because of that one scumbag. I mean, I guess it¡¯s fair to say that I was actually the scumbag...


    Anyway...


    [Challenge Completed - Fist Fight]


    [You have received 100 Achievement points.]


    <i>¡®... Huh? What is this?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 31

    <h4>Chapter 31</h4>


    I¡¯d been so busy with the entrance ceremony and sses that I hadn¡¯t even considered how to earn achievement points, but I had unknowinglypleted a challenge.


    As it turns out, the challenge list gets updated periodically, and one of the avable challenges was apparently called ¡°Fist Fight.¡±


    Who would have thought that my body acting on its own could result in mepleting a challenge? It seemed like a good thing, at least for now.


    While everyone was standing around dazed, I checked the list of challenges for the first time in a while.


    At the very top of the list was the current challenge that could earn me the most points.


    [Come in first in the fitness exam - 4000 points]


    The old ¡°Power p the emperor across the cheek¡± challenge had disappeared and been reced with another.


    Unless I somehow managed to cripple those with better physical fitness than me, this challenge was impossible. Honestly, if I were able to cripple Ellen Artorius¡¯s legs in the first ce, I would probably be perfectly fine without the 4000 achievement points.


    [ce in the Top 10 in the Midterm Exams - 3000 points]


    This challenge wasn¡¯t referring to the midterms that only the twenty-two students in the Royal ss took, but themon subjects exam that nearly ten thousand students would participate in.


    While individual subject grades were kept separate, themon subjects werebined for a collective score. Hence, here, where the geniuses were aplenty, cing in the top 10 without cheating was nonsensical.


    [Get a ssmate to confess to you - 1,000 points]


    <i>¡®A thousand points because you¡¯re assuming it¡¯s never going to happen, right? What would you do if it did? What are you going to do then?¡¯</i>


    [Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected - 200 points]


    Miss sses for a whole day - 100 points]


    Talk back to a teacher and get penalty points - 100 points]


    Sneak out after curfew and leave graffiti on the Temple¡¯s Main Street - 100 points]


    Why were the only challenges that seemed feasible all tailored towards turning me into a delinquent youth? Most of them were antics that were either difficult to carry out or downright bizarre.


    Amongst all those bizarre ones...


    [Fist Fight - 100 points (Cleared)]


    I had somehow cleared one of them without intending to.


    The fact that it had been entirely unintentional made me feel even worse.


    ***


    It was normal for everyone to scatter after physical education ss because it was thest ss in themon curriculum. That was why the fight had broken out just when the teacher was about to dismiss all of us for the day.


    Not long after Kaier returned, Mr. Effenhauser came back to the ssroom to offer his closing remarks.


    Though Kaier looked a bit deted after his dressing-down, it was clear he had no more intentions of picking a fight with me.


    <i>¡®I hope you¡¯ve learned, kid, that I¡¯m someone whose words can sting more than my fists.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Everyone, please submit your ss enrollment forms. Those who are still undecided should remain behind.¡±


    Those who had filled out the forms handed them to the teacher, and I submitted mine, which had been prepared in advance. It seemed there were many who still hadn¡¯t finished considering their options yet.


    ¡°Those who have submitted the form can return to their dorms. Of course, you¡¯re free to wander around the Temple, but try not to stay out toote. And remember, you can¡¯t leave the Temple without permission from me or the dorm supervisor.¡±


    After leaving these instructions, Mr. Effenhauser left, and about half of the ss stood up to leave, while the other half stayed put.


    Each person had a different way of using their personal time after sses.


    Some were dedicated to self-improvement...


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go to Main Street.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired... I just want to rest...¡±


    ¡°I know a great ce to eat there! You¡¯ll like it too! It¡¯s your first time in the Temple, right? I¡¯ll show you around!¡±


    There were also those like student A-8, Connor Lint, who put all their energy into having fun.


    It seemed that ss B had also been dismissed, as they were gathered in groups of three or five and were heading back.


    ¡°Is there anywhere that¡¯s fun around here?¡±


    Ludwig, also new to the Temple, was asking his ssmates for suggestions on ces to go. Of course, thanks to this first day of physical training, everyone was pretty exhausted.


    ¡°Damn it, that bitch with the freak eyes...¡±


    Suddenly, a low curse came from beside me.


    I knew what it was about.


    They were talking about one of the girls who had just left ss B¡¯s ssroom.


    ¡°Every time I see that girl, I can¡¯t help but feel uneasy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she definitely gives me the creeps.¡±


    Erhi de Raffaeli said it loudly enough for everyone to hear. The girl must have heard it, but she pretended not to, and continued walking ahead.


    Her strikingly conspicuous red hair and crimson eyes made her stand out.


    It was B-3, Scarlett.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way such an ominous appearance could ur naturally,¡± Erhi said, gritting his teeth as he red at the back of Scarlett¡¯s head.


    ¡°How detestable that something like that made it to the Royal ss.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t even notice a literal demon enrolled in the Royal ss with him, so what was heining about?


    Erhi nonchntly approached Scarlett, then bumped into her shoulder suddenly and walked past.


    ¡°...¡±


    Without saying a word, as if it was an all-too-familiar urrence, Scarlett began to pick up the items she had dropped. Seeing this, Ludwig tilted his head, watching Erhi¡¯s retreating figure.


    ¡°What was that? He bumps into you and doesn¡¯t even apologize? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let me help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Seemingly refusing his help, Scarlett quickly gathered her dropped belongings and then walked off, ignoring Ludwig.


    It wasn¡¯t just Erhi.


    Most students from both ss A and ss B seemed to be subtly avoiding Scarlett. Their attitude to her was the same, whether they actively avoided her or just didn¡¯t care, all except Ludwig.


    Tsk.


    Watching the bullying I had set up happening before my eyes wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant feeling.


    ***


    Red was an ominous color.


    Scarlett had been abandoned by her parents from birth due to her red hair and crimson eyes. The story was that she had been pitied and raised by beggars. While my story of being raised by beggars was fully fabricated, she was someone who truly came from the streets.


    She was caught by the guards several times while living on the streets and surviving on stolen bread. Her talent had been identally discovered by a passing magician, and she was subsequently sent to the Temple. After that, obtaining a schrship due to her exceptional talent was the natural progression.


    She was bullied at the Temple, and considered a bad omen by the students.


    However, since Scarlett had nowhere else to go if she left the Temple, she clenched her teeth and endured the humiliation, continuing her life there.


    Although she had exceptional physical abilities and talent, she was powerless against those who tormented her. If she caused any problems and got expelled, everything would be over for her.


    Thus, she reluctantly continued her life on a schrship until she reached the Royal ss. But Erhi, who had tormented Scarlett countless times throughout the middle school years, had also progressed to the Royal ss with her.


    That was the plot, unmistakably.


    Anyway, ¡°Freak Eyes¡± Scarlett had been notorious among her peers for some time.


    Now, though, I was suddenly aware of how irresponsible it had been for me to set up the plot in such a way that she was an outcast just because she stood out.


    It seemed as though no one else could quite pull off red hair and crimson eyes as she did. Even from a distance, she was noticeable, and she was a very pretty girl.


    Red was equated with the negative. Was that why she was bullied?


    That was some seriously wed logic. I¡¯d made her an outcast for no good reason when she could have easily been the superstar idol of the Temple. I mean, realistically, it would have been more proper if Erhi were tormenting Scarlett because he has a crush on her and didn¡¯t know how to express it properly.


    But the things Erhi was going to do were definitely not the kind of things anyone would do to someone they liked.


    Comments like ¡°If I be an inquisitor, I will capture you and tear you limb from limb¡± are certainly not something someone would say to someone that they liked, right?


    How could Erhi, that son of a bitch, say such things to a cute and kind girl like her?


    But then, I realized that I was the one who¡¯d written all of that...


    So the son of a bitch was actually me?


    Yeah... I was the piece of trash.


    To even think of making such a sweet person endure such harsh words.


    Yeah, I probably deserved the ill fate of dying from a blood pressure spike just from reading hatements.


    <i>Sigh...</i>


    Watching Scarlett¡¯s figure from a distance as she walked towards the dormitory area, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the guilt I felt, and how odd the setting I had created seemed.


    If things were left alone, Erhi¡¯s bullying would only escte, and an angry Ludwig would challenge Erhi to a duel on behalf of Scarlett. From there, a fight would break out, and after various events, Scarlett would eventually break free from the bullying she endured, and they would all somehow be friends.


    And so, I had to watch this mess unfold until Ludwig stepped in...


    I had to sit and watch the rest of the kids saying that the color red was ominous, while the students who were on the side of justice remained silent for a while.


    <i>Sigh.</i>


    ***


    Those who returned to the dormitory would spend their time as they pleased until dinner. It looked like Ludwig from ss B had taken several students to hang out at the Temple¡¯s Main Street.


    Dinner started at 6 pm. Since each dormitory had its own dining hall, I would eat in the dining hall in the dormitory that was reserved for the first-year students in ss A. Sometimes the entire student body had meals in the banquet hall, but that was an exceptional case.


    Anyway, there was time to spare until dinner. ss A was rtively quietpared to the noisy ss B.


    Although, the silence seemed to be bordering on eeriness, rather than just simple quietude.


    Since I had gathered 1000 achievement points, there was no need to worry anymore. I had also decided on the talent I wanted to choose.


    [Self-suggestion - 1000 points]


    Self-suggestion.


    I acquired the talent without any hesitation because I figured it was the most overpowered ability conceivable.


    It was so overpowered, in fact, that although I had included a character with this ability in the initial setup for the novel, I decided to remove it because it seemed too game-breaking.


    Essentially, what I did was recycle a scrapped piece of an idea ¡ª atent but unused concept, much like imagining a neighborhood as grand as Seoul without ever actually depicting it in the story.


    The fact that it was an evolutionary ability but required the same number of points as other lesser talents was also quite advantageous.


    I checked my status.


    [Name: Baalier Junior


    Age: 17


    Current Stats:


    [Strength 3.5 (F)]


    [Agility 4.4 (F+)]


    [Dexterity 5.2 (D-)]


    [Mana 9.9 (C-)]


    [Stamina 5.9 (D-)]


    [Race: Archdemon]


    [Talents: Supernatural Power - Self-Deception (Locked)]


    [Skills: [Control Demon (D)] (Not usable in the current state)]


    [Overall rating: Low-level Demon King]


    [Combat Ability: F]


    There were slight increases in my strength, agility, and health. This was not solely due to today¡¯s physical education ss, but also thanks to all my hard work up until this point...


    But there was something odd.


    What was that ¡°(Locked)¡± sign all about?


    ¡°....¡±


    As Iy there on the bed, I felt certain that something about the situation was twisted, or perhaps I had just been seriously screwed over.


    Yes, I had a cheat code, but it was clearly a non-cooperative one. I should have realized there was a catch when I saw how cheaply the ability was being offered. Supernatural powers could be universally useful, even if it was just one power, so there had to be a reason it was so cheap.


    I could sense how this was going to go.


    It was widely believed that it was impossible to awaken a supernatural ability through effort.


    But the reality was a bit different. Those identified as having a talent for supernatural abilities had all ¡°awakened¡± their powers to some degree, and were trained to a level where they could at least wield their abilities.


    However, there were rare individuals who possessedtent supernatural powers that simply had not manifested yet.


    Suchtent abilities sometimes awakened during severe trauma or under intense psychological pressure. There were current superhumans in the Temple who had awakened their abilities through such traumatic experiences.


    Well, it was amon trope.


    An explosion of rage leads to the awakening of powers.


    It sounded a bit like adolescent fantasy, but kind of cool...


    Was it not...?


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    So, I had some feelings about this, but you know, I thought maybe it would be different in my case.


    It was a cheat code, after all.


    I thought because it was a cheat code, I could just use it right away, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    I hadn¡¯t bought an active supernatural power; I¡¯d bought atent one.


    Yeah, I should have realized it whe`n I saw that it was being offered so cheaply.

 Chapter 32

    <h4>Chapter 32</h4>


    A-3, Riana de Granz, was the only one who had developed her supernatural powers naturally. The others had inadvertently used their supernatural powers only when faced with extreme situations.


    Natural awakening was very rare, and I should not expect that mine would awaken naturally either, as it was impossible to know when that could happen.


    So in the end, I would have to go through a psychologically extreme situation to forcibly awaken my power...


    I¡¯d experienced one such situation during the escape from the Demon King¡¯s castle. And I certainly did not want to be thrown into such a situation ever again.


    Couldn¡¯t they just count it as pre-paid trauma and awaken the ability?


    That was unlikely.


    I thought about whether it was possible to awaken it artificially with achievement points, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Damn it. Since these were all low-level supernatural powers, I wasn¡¯t expecting to be able to use them right away, but to find out that they hadn¡¯t even been activated yet was unexpected...


    What good were cheat-level supernatural powers if I can¡¯t use them?


    <i>¡®Right, let¡¯s think about the future for now.¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t content with just one talent. I¡¯d have to give the awakening of my powers some thoughtter on, and I also need to consider what my next talent should be. It would be nice to have a talent that could be of immediate help.


    Ludwig¡¯s physical fitness talent had also seemed incredibly powerful, especially since having witnessed it earlier that day.


    [Swordsmanship - 2000 points]


    [Archery - 2000 points]


    .


    .


    The prices had doubled. This much I had anticipated. I thought the system wouldpletely destroy me by making it a tenfold increase, but it seemed I was at least given a glimmer of hope.


    However, I currently had zero achievement points. I¡¯d just invested everything I¡¯d had into unlocking the unactivated supernatural power. In this state, no one could detect that I possessed a supernatural talent.


    If that were possible, the empire would be sweeping up all the unawakened superhumans.


    There were two things I had to do now.


    One, I needed to put myself into extreme situations to awaken my supernatural powers as quickly as possible.


    Two, I needed to earn achievement points to gain additional talents.


    If I could earn 2000 points through events and challenges that usually gave about 100 points each, I could obtain a second talent, provided the ¡°candy vendor¡± didn¡¯t change their mind.


    Since I didn¡¯t know what I could or should be doing at that moment, the only things I could immediately try for were the challenges.


    However, they were mostly bizarre acts, crimes, or the sort of things delinquent youths might do.


    And yet...


    [Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected - 200 points]


    ¡°...¡±


    A challenge that was very easy to aplish, but would cause me to lose my dignity, caught my eye far too easily.


    Honestly, that was crossing the line.


    Confess to a high school kid and get rejected?


    However, while the other tasks were usually worth around 100 points, this one gave twice as much.


    Ah... what was I to do...


    Should I just embarrass myself a bit?


    200 points.


    Twice the usual rate.


    If I just suffered through a little embarrassment, I could earn 200 points for free.


    Surely, it was clear that Reinhart, the guy with a foul temper who beat up his ssmate on the very first day of ss, writing a love letter out of the blue would not only brand me as someone with a bad personality, but also someone who did distasteful things.


    The risk was too high. These were people I had to get along with for the foreseeable future.


    Plus, there was the restriction of it having to be a ¡°ssmate,¡± which meant writing to someonepletely unrted would be meaningless.


    Did it include the students in ss B too? Or was it only restricted to those in ss A?


    <i>¡®No. Wait a minute.</i>


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s think outside the box.¡¯</i>


    Thinking from apletely different perspective, I was able toe up with a much better approach.


    [Get a ssmate to confess to you - 1,000 points]


    This seemed totally possible.


    ***


    The Temple, a colossal educationalplex, did not just house educational facilities. Where there was an abundance of wealthy families¡¯ children, there was no reason why a business district wouldn¡¯t form.


    There was a row of top-ss restaurants, as well as coffee shops, clothing stores, entertainment facilities, and just about everything else.


    That¡¯s why those who loved to hang out spent their time roaming Main Street, and it was the area where most students from the Temple would go to hang out.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it taste good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, guess so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve beening here for three years, and almost everything is delicious. I can guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ve been here a few times too.¡±


    Erhi nodded in response to Connor Lint¡¯s fussing, while Kaier had his arms crossed and didn¡¯t even touch the dessert.


    Laid out on the table where the three were seated were assortments of desserts, including cakes and pretzels. They had juste from a nearby cafeteria where Connor Lint loved to eat hot dogs, and were now there for desserts.


    ¡°Hey, eat some food and lighten up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±


    ¡°Just try one bite. It¡¯s really sweet and good!¡±


    Connor Lint giggled and pushed the te towards Kaier. Everyone around the table weremoners except for Erhi, but since the Raffaeli family were local lords, it wasn¡¯t too difficult for Erhi to get along withmoners.


    The three of them weren¡¯t originally supposed to be friends so quickly, but they hit it off from the first day.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s wasteful to pay any attention to a lunatic.¡±


    That would be a reference to A-11, Reinhart.


    A crazy guy with neither notable talent nor a decent temperament, who¡¯d started the semester with fist fights and foulnguage.


    Because of Reinhart, theirmon enemy, these three had be friends from day one. Kaier got hit by someone with no talent, and to add insult to injury, he was the one who got scolded by the teacher.


    ¡°But why on earth did <i>you</i> get scolded?¡± Connor Lint seemed not to understand. ¡°What happened, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That little brat was ranting about something, but I couldn¡¯t even understand what he was saying. Anyway, he said I insulted the Temple.¡±


    Unfortunately, Kaier couldn¡¯t remember everything the rambling Reinhart had thrown at him. However, Mr. Effenhauser had seriously reprimanded Kaier after listening to Reinhart¡¯s words.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Insulting the Temple?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t freaking know. That annoying bastard. If I see himter, I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    Erhi¡¯s words caused Kaier¡¯s expression to sour, and he abruptly turned his gaze toward the window.


    It¡¯s said that a group onlyes together when there¡¯s amon enemy, and these three had united against Reinhart as their main adversary.


    ¡°Hey, but aren¡¯t the girls in our ss all pretty cute?¡± Connor Lint suddenly said in a hushed voice.


    At this, Erhi nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but don¡¯t say it to their faces. Even though we¡¯re ssmates at the Temple, once we step outside, they are all persons with such prestige that we won¡¯t even be able to look at them.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re all ssmates now.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has a nice personality like the prince. Be careful. Not just the princess, but Miss Saint-Ouen is a duchess from the Grand Duchy, and the de Granz is a prominent ducal family which has more prestige than many sovereign states, I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    Erhi was drawing a clear line.


    At the Temple, they could interact, but outside, they were distinctly different people.


    Even as ssmates, they were not to be carelessly gossiped about.


    ¡°But right now, we¡¯re ssmates. Why can¡¯t we even talk about our ssmates?¡± Connor Lint yfully prodded them, seemingly enjoying the discussion. ¡°Who do you guys think is the prettiest? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Who, me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I personally think the princess is cute. How about you?¡± Connor Lint said.


    Erhi frowned in annoyance, as if telling him to stop making uneptablements. Erhi and Kaier didn¡¯t want to say anything but they ended up confessing after giving in to his persistent questioning.


    ¡°For me... It¡¯s Number 2.¡±


    Connor Lint tilted his head at Erhi¡¯s choice.


    ¡°Her? I mean... sure, but isn¡¯t she a bit scary? She barely talks.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were only talking about looks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, okay. Then what about you?¡±


    ¡°If I had to pick...¡±


    Kaier hesitated for a moment and then spoke as if he were choking.


    ¡°Miss de Granz seems...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m definitely with you on that one.¡±


    Whether it was among children or adults, conversations during a gathering tended to drift toward such topics.


    While they were utterly engrossed in such dialogue...


    ¡°Excuse me...¡±


    The three of them suddenly turned their heads at the sound of a girl¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Uh, excuse me... Could I talk to you for a moment?¡±


    There stood a girl so strikingly beautiful that even just looking at her could make one second guess whether they were awake or not, timidly addressing Connor Lint.


    ¡°This... Please have it.¡±


    As if entranced, Connor Lint was led outside of the dessert cafe, and his mind nearly exploded as he looked at the slight envelope that the mysterious beauty had handed him.


    ¡°U-uh... this... could I ask what this is?¡±


    He was so taken aback that he¡¯d even slipped into using formalnguage without realizing it.


    ¡°Please read it...¡±


    The girl was fidgeting, cheeks flushed red, barely able to make proper eye contact. As if under a spell, he opened the envelope, and inside were a couple of straightforward sentences.


    ¡°<i>I fell for you at first sight. Please go out with me.</i>¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh... um...¡±


    A boy, seventeen years old, had experienced a miracle he had never even dreamed of in his life.


    ¡°What do you think...?¡± asked the delicate girl.


    ¡°I fell for you at first sight too!¡± Connor Lint said, his mouth moving more quickly than his mind.


    The boy did not see the girl¡¯s lips curl up slightly in a smile.


    ***


    I sold my soul for points.


    [You have received 1000 achievement points]


    ¡°....¡±


    I¡¯d thought about it, but once I¡¯d actually done it, my heart felt broken.


    Scarcely had I confirmed thepletion of the ¡°Get Confessed To¡± challenge when I awkwardly mumbled something to Connor Lint about meetingter and ran away.


    Then, hiding in a secluded alley so as not to be seen, I changed clothes to avoid detection, reverted to Reinhart¡¯s appearance, and returned to the dormitory.


    Nowhere in the wording of the challenge did it say ¡°get confessed to while appearing as Reinhart.¡±


    Having caught that loophole, I¡¯d given it a shot right away, and it worked. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but after, I felt an overwhelming urge to off myself.


    I had protected Reinhart¡¯s dignity, but I had severely insulted my own as an individual. Despite the narrative that I was a womanizer, I had toyed with the genuine feelings of a seventeen-year-old boy.


    Connor Lint might be a bit dull and oblivious, but he wasn¡¯t a bad person.


    I¡¯d trampled all over him, and now felt like something worse than human trash...


    [ The list of challenges has been updated.]


    A message popped up in front of me. Most of it was the same, but there were a few changes.


    [Unless specified, all challenges henceforth will proceed with the condition ¡°in Reinhart¡¯s form.¡±


    Get a ssmate to confess to you (Complete) - 1,000 points


    Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected - 200 points


    Talk back to a teacher and get penalty points - 100 points


    Sneak out after curfew and leave graffiti on the Temple¡¯s Main Street - 100 points]


    What a bastard.


    Did they not anticipate that I would exploit such a loophole? The system had immediately added new conditions and updated the list.


    The instant modification was really petty.


    The challenges definitely seemed designed to mess with me. The system hadn¡¯t anticipated that I would clear challenges by exploiting a loophole, but as soon as I did, it added new conditions right away.


    Were they just itching to see me write a love letter and get rejected?


    Also, a new challenge was added.


    [Go on a date with Connor Lint as a girl (PFFT) - 1,000 points]


    Ah.


    Ah.


    Ah!


    I was being watched in real-time!


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure what this entity was, it was clear it had gotten a goodugh at my expense!


    My desire to be swallowed by the earth has just increased tenfold.


    I wasn¡¯t going to do that challenge even if the world crumbled.


    ***


    I never thought that I would earn 1000 points in just one day, even though I¡¯d gained it at the cost of my soul. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t the direction that the creep behind the system messages wanted things to go.


    If I could acquire another 1000 points, I could purchase a second talent. Going on a date with Connor Lint was definitely not an option.


    I mulled over how to gather the additional 1000 points when I returned to the dormitory. Naturally, I discarded the tracksuit I¡¯d worn when I¡¯d met with Connor Lint outside, and returned in different clothes. There was no need to leave any traces.


    Then, dinnertime came.


    ¡ªHehe... hehehe...


    Seeing Connor Lint giggling to himself and receiving envious nces from the other two as they ate made my stomach turn.


    Theplex mix of guilt, self-loathing, and embarrassment was stirring inside me, making every bite seem to stick in my throat.


    The disgust made dinner a challenge to swallow, and I ended up eating less than half of the prepared meal, despite the fact that I appreciated the skill of the chefs very much.


    Things just weren¡¯t going to work out that night.


    Connor Lint seemed like he would be lost in his happy delusions for a while. What if that state dragged on for too long?


    Was he going to sink into depression over this?


    No. I wasn¡¯t going to get myself involved.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t care what happens to him.</i> <i>Let¡¯s only think about the still unawakened supernatural power.¡¯</i>


    I kept trying to hypnotize myself as I exited the cafeteria, trying to convince myself that even this should count as some sort of extreme psychological situation.


    But there was no effect whatsoever.


    ***


    For it being just the first day, my achievements were substantial. Even though it remained inactive, I¡¯d managed to acquire the supernatural power I¡¯d been aiming for, and I¡¯d earned a significant amount of achievement points as well.


    Somehow, if I could just acquire another 1000 points, I could either awaken a second talent or use them for something else.


    It seemed possible to arbitrarily increase my stats as well, not just awaken talents. But that was not something I was considering right then.


    Stats could be increased through training anyway, so if I continued on with the physical training like how I was doing, my stats would steadily but surely rise, unless it was something special like mana.


    And then there was the dilemma.


    Having gained something once, I craved to gain more.


    I¡¯d earned a thousand points, but I still felt hungry for more.


    There was no telling when the challenges were going to disappear. That guy controlling the system messages, who I nicknamed the ¡°candy vendor,¡± could change his mind at any time.


    The newly-updated challenges would most likely not leave any loopholes to be exploited, and it was highly probable that they would be more difficult or embarrassing than before.


    The challenges like skipping ss were certainly punishable offenses. Although I hadn¡¯t gotten into any serious trouble, I was already on Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s radar because of the fight with Kaier. I would not be so easily forgiven for causing more problems in ss.


    [Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected - 200 points]


    It was as if they were urging me to try writing a love letter. While I had written one earlier, this challenge wasn¡¯t consideredpleted, since I didn¡¯t get rejected.


    <i>Rejection</i> was the condition.


    Sadly, in my current situation, getting rejected was just too easy. There was a one-hundred-percent chance of rejection.


    Take a hit to the ego and gain 200 points, and the remaining points I needed to reach my goal would drop to 800.


    In fact, had I not thought of using Dreadfiend¡¯s ring earlier, there was a potential target that I considered trying this challenge on. The problem with this was getting humiliated by the gossip after the attempt, but if the person who received the letter kept quiet, then I would only be seen as odd by that one individual, and it all woud end there.


    So, someone who would likely keep silent about it and not pay me much attention afterward.


    Ellen Artorius.


    ¡°...¡±


    Was I going to do it, or not?


    Do it, or not.


    Ah. My soul had been sold for points, and now, was my dignity going to be trampled on for points too?


    ***


    There was no need for lengthy deliberation.


    The ss A dormitory¡¯s training grounds.


    It was obvious where she would be, so I headed to the training grounds when all the other guys had returned to their dorms.


    Ellen Artorius, after receiving my letter asking her out, read the simple contents and looked at me briefly to say, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay... sure,¡± I replied.


    I¡¯d known beforehand what the answer was going to be anyway.


    [Challenge Complete - Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected.


    You have received 200 achievement points.]


    ... I felt like crying.


    Knowing that I would be rejected and actually being rejected were two entirely different things.


    I left the training grounds, leaving Ellen behind as she resumed swinging her practice sword without giving me another thought.

 Chapter 33 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 33 [Illustration]</h4>


    Ellen Artorius was blunt, with a cold demeanor. However, it was not in her nature to bottle things up inside.


    It wasn¡¯t that she had a bad personality; it was more that she didn¡¯t understand why she had to mix with others.


    She preferred to dedicate herself to her own training instead. Therefore, even if someone approached her, she only responded with curt answers, making the other person feel like they were being pushed away, and stopping them from approaching her again after that.


    She possessed tremendous talent, but shecked any sense of superiority because of it, and did not feel inferior when seeing someone better than herself.


    She wasn¡¯t necessarily kind, but she had an indifferent nature.


    Of course, I¡¯d set her background to be a certain way, but that wasn¡¯t what was important.


    Anyway, whether I confessed my feelings or not, Ellen was not the type to care, so that was why I ended up writing her a love letter.


    I literally only did it for the achievement points.


    But then...


    ¡°...¡±


    It was bothering me.


    It was really, really bothering me.


    It wasn¡¯t because I liked her, but rather, I¡¯d be incredibly conscious of her!


    It was so embarrassingly shameful that I could hardly stand it. The candy vendor must have wanted this situation for sure, and I was ying right into his hands.


    ***


    ¡ªNow, when transitioning from this position to this position...


    It was Tuesday.


    We were in swordsmanship theory ss. Ellen was sitting next to me, and it was driving me crazy.


    The only ones from the Royal ss in this ss were me and Ellen. All the other students were from the regr sses.


    There were many different uniforms represented in the room. Among them, those who recognized the Royal ss¡¯s uniforms kept ncing over at us.


    Just by looking into their eyes, I was able to tell what they were thinking.


    <i>¡°Wow, they¡¯re from the Royal ss, right?¡±</i>


    That was the kind of attention they were giving us.


    We were certainly a subject of envy. Just wearing the uniform alone drew attention.


    Vertus and Ludwig, as well as Cliffman and Erhi, were also supposed to learn swordsmanship, but it seemed they were attending another ss at this time.


    So, was this why she was sitting next to me? Just because I was a fellow member of the Royal ss? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. She was definitely not the type to care about that sort of thing.


    But then why was she sitting next to me?


    Could it be, that despite her not saying anything, she had started to be aware of me because of the unexpected confession I¡¯d made the day before? No way, right? She was not one to be like that, right? Then why on earth did she sit next to me?


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? Why am I worrying about this like an actual teenage kid?¡¯</i>


    Was I really starting to obsess over a kid because of a stunt I pulled just to receive some achievement points? That¡¯s nonsensical!


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    I was fidgeting with such uncertainty that I dropped my pen.


    Ellen silently picked it up and handed it back to me.


    ¡°Uh... thanks.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Could this possibly mean she¡¯s into me? People don¡¯t typically bother to pick things up for others, do they? And given her personality, isn¡¯t it even more unlikely for her to bother?¡¯</i>


    Of course, after picking it up, she wasn¡¯t paying any attention and was just focusing on the lecture. But, no, it was definitely notmon to pick up someone¡¯s pen, was it?


    <i>¡®But then, what should I do? I have absolutely no interest in her. What if she suddenly confesses she likes me? I can¡¯t possibly return the feelings to her.¡¯</i>


    ...


    This was a disaster.


    My mind had begun to run wild with this nonsensical fantasy.


    Of course, as soon as the lecture was over, Ellen left the ssroom without even looking in my direction.


    <i>¡®Did she even recognize my face to begin with? Maybe she sat beside me not knowing who I was? No way, we were wearing the same uniform!¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t help feeling my face grow hot for no reason.


    ***


    My timetable, excluding themon sses, was as follows.


    Tuesday was devoted to learning swordsmanship theory, swordsmanship practice, and magic theory.


    Wednesday¡¯s sses covered mana attunement training, meditation, and controlling supernatural powers.


    On Fridays, I studied theology, alchemy, and integrated physical training.


    As a lower-year student, I was only required to take three sses per day, but as I advanced in my studies, I would eventually have to take five or six a day. The first three years of the education system were like high school, and thest three years were equivalent to college.


    So, since I didn¡¯t have any special talent in anything, I was learning a mix of everything¡ªswordsmanship, magic, supernatural powers, and even theology.


    Both theoretical swordsmanship and practical swordsmanship were taught consecutively by the same teacher, which made it a rather lengthy session, where we learned the theories in the ssroom and then applied them in the practice hall right after.


    The ss involved practicing what we learned that day in theory, and even included sparring practice.


    Of course, since there were ordinary ss students as well, not everyone was a cut above, and there were plenty of novices around.


    ¡°Get your stance right! Put more strength in your grip!¡±


    The problem was that I was included among those novices. I received multiple critiques on my posture and was constantly told by the teaching assistants that Icked basic strength and muscture.


    There were numerous regr-ss students who had been learning swordsmanship since middle school, and they seemed so much better than me that we were hardly a match.


    ¡°Perfect. As expected from someone in the Royal ss.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen, who was physically capable of applying what she learned immediately after being taught it, managed to pass almost everything on the first try, and the teacher did not hold back his praise.


    The other students looked at Ellen with admiration for her Royal ss-worthy abilities.


    Then for some reason, the teacher suddenly pped his hands.


    ¡°I believe there is one more person from the Royal ss here. I¡¯ve heard your names were Ellen and Reinhart. Are you Ellen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    I was startled that my name had suddenly been called out, and I looked towards the teacher, who seemed like he¡¯d just had a brilliant idea.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s have the first sparring between the Royal ss students!¡±


    <i>¡®No, thank you. That doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea at all.¡¯</i>


    ***


    I somehow ended up holding a practice sword, unable to even get into a proper stance, as everyone eagerly gathered around to watch the duel between the Royal ss students.


    What kind of public execution was this?


    Me, about to have a practice duel with the toughest student in my grade? The teaching assistant who had been critiquing me seemed to have a look that said this wasn¡¯t right, but he was watching on as well, and couldn¡¯t bring himself to actually say anything to the teacher.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m just gonna get crushed!¡¯</i>


    Ellen held onto her practice sword, looking at me with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge and find an appropriate moment to call off the match, so feel free to spar with each other until then.¡±


    The teacher had carelessly made a dangerous remark.


    Nope, I did not want to do this.


    Before I could find a way to handle this situation...


    ¡°Alright then, begin!¡±


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    There I was, not even noticing Ellen Artoriusing at me.


    ***


    An unfamiliar ceiling swam into focus.


    ¡°...¡±


    My head was throbbing. What happened? It seemed like I was lying in bed and, judging by the pain in my head, I was hit by something.


    Only then did the previous situation y back in my mind like a movie.


    As soon as the teacher gave the signal to begin, Ellen Artorius rushed toward me and aimed a blow at my head, which struck me flush.


    And then I passed out immediately, is that what happened?


    But where exactly was I...


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re awake.¡±


    I looked to my right. A calm girl with ck hair and ck eyes was staring at me, her expression somewhat cold and detached.


    ¡°Nurse¡¯s office. ss is over.¡±


    It seemed I had lost consciousness and been brought to the nurse¡¯s office. A teacher, who looked like a member of the nursing staff, came to check on me.


    ¡°The pain will subside soon. It¡¯s not serious, so don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded in a daze in response to the teacher¡¯s advice.


    That damned swordsmanship teacher. Setting up a practice duel out of nowhere, and yet he was nowhere to be seen after a student lost consciousness? Was that really how a teacher behaved?


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    As I struggled to sit up, Ellen grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Was she trying to help me stand up?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that you knew nothing about swordsmanship,¡± she said nonchntly as she helped me to stand, then assisted me in putting on my shoes.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with her all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°My n was to end the duel quickly by aiming the sword at your neck if you blocked my first strike.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, I see.¡±


    Her original n involved a light downward strike to induce me to block, after which she would slide the sword down and point it at my neck, or something like that.


    But I hadn¡¯t even reacted to the initial strike, and took the blow straight to the head.


    It was like an unexpected ident. An ident caused by my remarkably slow reaction time.


    So, was she doing all this because she felt sorry for me?


    ¡°Uh, you know, I think I can walk by myself...¡±


    At those words, she let go of her supporting arm. It was only my head that hurt, and nothing else was seriously damaged.


    But how long had I been out cold?


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t you have to go to your next ss?¡±


    Ellen shook her head in reply to my question.


    ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime now.¡±


    After two morning sses, it would typically be lunchtime. This meant that the second ss had already finished, and there was time to spare, because it was lunchtime now.


    Wait. Was this an invitation to have lunch together with her?


    Probably not. If I asked, she¡¯d just answer that it was lunchtime, nothing more.


    I confessed to her yesterday and got rejected, only to be dominated in a sparring session in a single blow... <i>Sigh.</i>


    It was a headache. Quite literally as well, since I was actually suffering from a headache.


    There was no way I could feel more embarrassed. Yet the fact that she seemedpletely unfazed made it all the more embarrassing.


    ¡°... Do you want to get lunch together?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A nod.


    What I realized was that embarrassment became irrelevant once it surpassed a certain level.


    ***


    She was indifferent to most things.


    She was a girl who had rejected my confession the day before and then hit me on the head with a sword the next day, so asking her to have lunch would not have made any impact on her feelings toward me.


    She wasn¡¯t the type to put a meaning to everything that had happened.


    She would simply eat if she became hungry, and it didn¡¯t really matter who she ate with. Thinking along that line cleared away any worries I had when it came to Ellen.


    I didn¡¯t need to overthink everything, and just treat her the way I wanted to. As long as I didn¡¯t p her across the face or do anything overly rude, she was the type to just let it slide.


    With that thought, my mind felt clear. Since she had the same reaction to just about anything, I could treat her even more casually and naturally than I would others, right?


    Because she wouldn¡¯t misunderstand or judge my actions through her own preconceptions, and would simply takes things as they are.


    ¡°Do you have anything you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    <i>¡®Really?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine with anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, anything.¡±


    Although I figured that it wasn¡¯t really her fault, having been rejected and then being smacked on the head still stung.


    I wanted to get back at her a little.


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t know what you just signed up for.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The imperial capital of Gradium was a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar, somewhat like Seoul.


    That was why there were things that made one wonder why they existed here at all. For instance, the beggars prowling the parks, simr to those around the Han River, or shopping districts that had transformed in ways akin to Yongsan.


    And just the day before, when I¡¯d gone out on the streets to flirt with Connor Lint, I¡¯d seen something thatpletely shocked me.


    It made me think this alternate world was on the brink of copse.


    Ellen tilted her head in puzzlement as he looked at the food before her.


    ¡°It smells weird.¡±


    <i>Cheonggukjang</i>[1].


    Ellen Artorius looked at the bubbling <i>cheonggukjang</i> in the hot pot, unable to bring herself to touch it.


    The distinctively rich and pungent smell filled the entire restaurant.


    Though I had no idea why it existed here, it did.


    Whatever the case, it was food from my homnd, and I was just d it existed!


    And I had brought her here to try it.


    Why? She was the one that said anything was fine so if it was difficult to eat, that was on her.


    ¡°It smells like something you shouldn¡¯t eat.¡±


    At Ellen¡¯sment, I shook my head and gestured to the people filling up the restaurant.


    ¡°Look. Other people are eating it just fine.¡±


    The customers were all adults and faculty staff members, but even so, Ellen tilted her head doubtfully as she looked at them.


    ¡ªThe Temple really is amodating, to have food that only people from the East eat over here as well!


    ¡ªI think it¡¯s because students from all regions gather at the Temple! Mm, this soup!


    Apparently, <i>cheonggukjang</i> was now an Eastern dish, something that I wasn¡¯t aware of. And since students from all over flocked to the Temple, there was a need for traditional foods that couldn¡¯t be found elsewhere. If there was demand, there must be supply.


    The price might have been higher than in other ces, but having it avable was what mattered.


    Hey, this world was quite usible.


    It was simr to the streets of New York, which are filled with food trucks, where a global food culture exists because it¡¯s a gathering ce for people from all over the world.


    Anyway, I never thought I¡¯d be grateful for this world with its mishmash of a setting, until I found myself in a world with not only <i>cheonggukjang</i>, but kimchi as well. I had described the eastern part of the continent like that of East Asia, but then more and more cultural elements had been added, and now we even had <i>cheonggukjang</i>ing from the east.


    Then did that mean <i>kimchi-jjigae</i>[2] and even <i>budae-jjigae</i>[3] existed here as well?


    But even if they had <i>budae-jjigae</i>, wouldn¡¯t that be weird? In this world, there was no equivalent of the U.S. military, from which that dish originated.


    Then again, when you considered it, <i>cheonggukjang </i>also had its own origins as well.


    <i>¡®What even is this ce? Where am I exactly?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    I scooped out some <i>cheonggukjang </i>from the hot pot, mixed it zealously with rice, and began to eat it after sprinkling some seaweed kes and sesame oil over it.


    Ellen watched me eat with a look of repulsion.


    <i>¡®Are you discriminating against my culture right now? Do you want to get canceled?¡¯</i>


    To be honest, <i>cheonggukjang </i>wasn¡¯t my favorite dish, but it was something I would at times crave and seek out.


    Ellen just watched quietly as I munched away.


    The smell was strong, but it was a savory taste of home.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was moved to tears or anything, but there was definitely a strong sense of nostalgia.


    <i>¡®Wait. And they make good kimchi too? Now this is what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯</i>


    After all, I guess I <i>was</i> still an old man on the inside.


    Did they sell soju[4] here as well? Did they prohibit the sale of it to kids as well in this world?


    Ellen watched me with a doubtful look.


    ¡°Come on, give it here. I¡¯ll do it for you.¡±


    I scooped out some <i>cheonggukjang </i>into a bowl, took a hearty spoonful, and pushed it towards her mouth.


    ¡°Open up. Just try one bite.¡±


    ¡°Ah, um, uh.¡±


    Perhaps due to the pungent, piercing smell, Ellen opened and closed her small lips repeatedly, hesitating as if questioning whether it was genuinely edible for humans. Her eyebrows twitched, and the movement of her lips suggested she was indeed dubious.


    Watching her mouth move like a fish nibbling at bait was actually kind of adorable.


    ¡°My arm¡¯s gonna fall off. Hurry up will you!¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah...¡±


    When I raised my voice, Ellen finally opened her mouth, and I put the spoonful of <i>cheonggukjang </i>in.


    <i>¡®Take that, my revenge for breaking my skull.¡¯</i>


    With an uncertain expression, Ellen chewed the mouthful.


    ¡°Heh, heheh. How is it? Killer, right?¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    With a perturbed look, Ellen clenched her eyes shut while still holding the food in her mouth.


    It seemed like the moment it went into her mouth, her distaste had reached its peak.


    Unable to spit it out or swallow it, Ellen started to stomp her feet impatiently.


    A 17-year-old high school girl who was always blunt, with a cool demeanor?


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no such thing as a concept thatsts forever, you poor little soul!¡¯</i>


    1. Cheonggukjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste that is known for its strong vor and smell ?


    2. Kimchi-jjigae is a Korean stew made with kimchi, tofu, and vegetables, and often includes pork or beef. The key ingredient is kimchi, which gives the stew its distinctive sour and spicy vor. It¡¯s aforting and popr dish in Korean cuisine, often served with rice. ?


    3. Budae-jjigae, also known as ¡°Army Stew,¡± originated after the Korean War when food scarcity led Korean and U.S. soldiers to create a stew using surplus military rations. It typically includes ingredients like instant noodles, spam, sausages, tofu, kimchi, and various vegetables. The result is a hearty and vorful hot pot with a mix of savory and spicy tastes. ?


    4. Soju is a clear and distilled Korean alcoholic beverage. It¡¯s traditionally made from rice, barley, or wheat, and has a mild taste. Soju is a popr drink in Korea and is often consumed during social gatherings. ?

 Chapter 34

    <h4>Chapter 34</h4>


    In the end, Ellen couldn¡¯t bring herself to spit out what she was eating, so she forcefully swallowed it down. She gulped down several mouthfuls of water after that, probably due to the strong scent of the <i>cheonggukjang</i> that was spreading pleasantly.


    ¡°Why does it... smell like this...¡±


    Ellen kept drinking water. Whatever the case, I continued to eat with gusto, and Ellen looked at me and at the surrounding men who were eating voraciously as if we were something monstrous.


    After a little while, Ellen, who was watching me eat with such relish and the people around us feasting without restraint, scooped another spoonful with a dazed expression and brought it to her mouth.


    ¡°...¡±


    Again, with an expression full of regret, she couldn¡¯t spit it out. Instead, she forced herself to chew, and swallowed it down.


    ¡°Am I... the weird one here...?¡± Ellen murmured to herself, her lips trembling slightly in bewilderment.


    She couldn¡¯t understand how everyone else seemed to enjoy the dish while she simply couldn¡¯t stomach it. It was making her question if there was something wrong with her.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. This food is meant to be like that! I also disliked it when I was younger!¡¯</i>


    It was something that grew on you.


    You¡¯d continue to dislike it, then one day, suddenly you¡¯d think of <i>cheonggukjang</i>, and crave it from then on.


    It was the same for all my friends of the same age.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s how it starts, kid,¡¯ </i>I thought to myself.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    Eating while regretting each bite, she scooped one spoon, then another, seemingly questioning herself because everyone around her was eating so heartily. While she hadn¡¯t finished it all yet, she¡¯d already eaten about half of it.


    Wow. She was something else.


    She kept trying more and more of the dish, as if she thought that her next bite was going to make it taste better.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    And inevitably, each time she ate, the same retching expression appeared on her face, which was just too funny.


    What was it with this kid¡¯s greediness for food?


    The amiable-looking owner came by and marveled at how well young students like us were eating the <i>cheonggukjang</i>, and even gave us a discount on our meal as a bonus.


    ***


    Ellen¡¯s usual cool expression returned once we left the restaurant.


    ¡°I¡¯m never eating that again.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh is that so?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, you say that, but you ended up eating the whole thing, you know.¡±


    ¡°The smelling from my mouth is just... weird...¡±


    ¡°Smells like poop, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen red at me for a moment in response to my blunt statement.


    Ellen narrowed her eyes as if she could smell her own breath.


    Yeah, that¡¯s how it usually went, and then suddenly, one day, it hit you out of nowhere, and you¡¯d regret not having more of it.


    ¡°Why does it smell like this?¡±


    Ellen seemed perplexed, lost in thought. She couldn¡¯t understand why people would eat something that smelled so bad, and it seemed to spark an even more fundamental question in her mind.


    ¡°Is it something we¡¯re not actually supposed to eat?¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you think they¡¯d sell something you¡¯re not supposed to eat, and that people would pay money to eat it?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s edible, that¡¯s why they serve it.¡±


    <i>¡®Do I look like some kind of weirdo that would do that to you? I might write stupid novels, but I¡¯m not a guy with a weird fetish like that.¡¯</i>


    Then again, intentionally giving a seventeen-year-old high school girl <i>cheonggukjang</i>, something she¡¯d never tried before, did seem a bit off-genre and sounded like what a weird pervert would do.


    I guess it was basically like intolerable food torture. But hey, she¡¯d eaten it all herself in the end, and it wasn¡¯t like I forced her to. Although she had continuously retched, she did eat it on her own.


    Regardless of whether I felt guilty or not, Ellen just nodded nkly. Her curiosity seemed satisfied, and for a while, she said nothing.


    I started to worry if I had somehow shattered her character and personality...


    But what¡¯s the big deal if her character <i>does</i> unravel a little? The main storyline was already going to get shattered anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m going this way.¡±


    After walking for a while, Ellen pointed to the tramline which she needed to take to attend her next ss. I had to take a different one.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen pointed her finger at me as she looked at me.


    ¡°Take good care of your head.¡±


    ¡°Will do. See ya.¡±


    She was referring to the head that she had demolished earlier.


    And just like that, the seventeen-year-old high school girl disappeared, leaving behind the savory smell of <i>cheonggukjang</i>.


    ***


    The next ss was magic theory. Four Royal ss students were taking it with me: A-10 Kaier, B-2 Louis Ankton, B-5 Cristina, and B-6 Anna de Gerna.


    As soon as Kaier saw me, he turned his head away as if he¡¯d seen something he shouldn¡¯t have, and I was not acquainted with the B-ss students.


    That B-2 guy, Louis Ankton, was the prissy one with the tattle-tale attribute. He was the one who snitched to the teacher about the fight the day before.


    I let it go, however. After all, getting into fights wasn¡¯t exactly something I was supposed to be proud of. And besides, telling the teacher about a concerning matter wasn¡¯t something bad either.


    There were five students in my grade ss that were majoring in magic. Three out of the four others in this ss were majoring in it. Why only three when there are four attending, you ask?


    Because B-2, Louis Ankton had no talent for magic. He was an odd one, someone who studied magic knowing full well that he could not be a magician.


    I remember setting the novel up by writing that such people existed in the Temple.


    People who couldn¡¯t use magic, but still studied it as an academic discipline.


    They were called the ¡°magic schrs.¡±


    Louis Ankton possessed the talent ¡°Schrship,¡± which was amongst the top tier in academic disciplines. He was physically inept, but had a top-tier intellect.


    That was why he still studied the field of magic even though he couldn¡¯t be a magician.


    The magic theory ss was quite different from what I had expected.


    I thought I wouldn¡¯t understand anything, but once I knew the proper nouns and technical terms, it wasn¡¯t so difficult. Perhaps it was because the content of the ss was around middle-school level.


    Even the forms, though somewhat challenging, were notpletely beyond myprehension.


    Wait. Did that mean I could be a magician? Magic was supposed to be the discipline of geniuses, but maybe it seemed easier than it actually was because my mental aptitude had been adjusted or corrected somehow.


    Now that I thought about it, that seemed to be the case.


    Would I have been able to understand this with my original intellect?


    Or did Ellen¡¯s blow to my head have some kind of effect? It was confusing how I somehow understood this. If there was some sort of innate aptitude correction allowing me to understand magic, bing a magician might not be such a bad idea after all...


    ¡°Of course, these are just the basics. Remember that as we move into applied theory, things will be much more difficult than they are now. You should be very careful when choosing to major in magic. Even those who have already been studying it as their major need to keep this in mind at all times. Many of those who major in magic end up dropping out.¡±


    Oh, never mind.


    Of course that made more sense.


    Here I was, acing an elementary school exam and thinking I could breeze into Seoul National University.


    Still, I wanted to try my best, and continued to take notes. I preferred using my brain over any physical activity.


    And then, after a while...


    The teacher began to exin that there were other systems of magic as well.


    ¡°... Demons are a prime example. The demons have apletely different mana activation system from us, and manifest magic in apletely different way. We still need to do more research on demon magic, but even if wee to understand this magic of theirs, we won¡¯t be able to use it like they do.¡±


    Hearing that made my head go nk.


    What had I been doing up until this moment?


    Come to think of it, even if I learned magic here, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it at all anyway. If I wanted to learn magic, it had to be from Eleris, and not here.


    Why was I wasting my time in the wrong ce?


    ¡°Um, excuse me? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just don¡¯t think magic is for me, Professor.¡±


    Just like that, I made the decision to drop the ss.


    ***


    The next day came around, and with it, the first ss of the day.


    It was mana attunement training.


    ¡°Now, rx your entire body...¡±


    I was lying on the mat with my eyes closed. I could just about hear the teacher¡¯s faint voice.


    ¡ªNow... the universe is within you...


    <i>¡®What is this?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªTake a deep breath... inhale... and exhale...


    <i>¡®Is this some kind of chi healing?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªFeel your mind getting morefortable...


    <i>¡®Did I sign up for a yoga ss?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªYour body bes one with the universeeee...


    <i>¡®Is this some kind of inner tranquility, or what? This sounds like some sort of cult ritual, no matter how I look at it.¡¯</i>


    ¡ªFeel itttttt...


    The teacher¡¯s voice was drowsy, as if they¡¯d had a bowl of booze in broad daylight. It was almost hypnotic, lulling my body into a blissful state of lethargy.


    ¡ªNow... you are the world, and the world is youuuuuu...


    ''<i>Uh oh.</i>''


    ¡ªFeel ittttt... the origin of the world... yeeearniiiiing...


    ''<i>Oh no.</i>''


    ¡ªEmbrace it with your whole bodyyyy...


    <i>¡®It¡¯s getting toofortable...¡¯</i>


    ¡ªGradually... sink into your heart... deeeeeper...


    <i>¡®Ah... this is too rxing...¡¯</i>


    ¡ªConsciousness... is fading... bing distant...


    And then, I fell asleep...


    When the mana attunement training¡ªwhich was led by a professor who looked just like the director of a yoga studio¡ªended, everyone looked like they¡¯d just woken up from a good nap.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s ss. Have a mana-filled day, everyone.¡±


    Yet, the teacher didn¡¯t say anything about us falling asleep, and simply told us the ss was over and to leave.


    This mana attunement ss was an exclusive ss for the Royal ss. In fact, the sses on Wednesday were typically filled with Royal ss-exclusive sses only, as it was popted with courses that were more effective when taught to a smaller ss of students.


    Aside from those majoring in supernatural and divine power, it wasmon for the rest to take mana attunement training. That was why, with a few exceptions, all the students from both sses A and B were in the ss.


    ¡°What was that about...?¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what was that...¡±


    Everyone looked as though they had been bewitched, and had just returned to their senses. They all seemed to be talking about how they had fallen asleep during the lesson.


    ¡°I heard that this ss is rated very highly in terms of student satisfaction, so I¡¯m expecting something good toe out of it.¡±


    Vertus, too, was yawning and giggling. It seemed like he had just woken up from a nap.


    <i>¡®I suppose it¡¯s only natural that a ss in which you just sleep would be rated very highly...¡¯</i>


    Whether this ss had anything to do with actual mana attunement, I had no idea, but it was a blissful ss, so it didn¡¯t really matter.


    ***


    The next ss was meditation. It wasn¡¯t specifically a ss meant for those with supernatural powers, but many superhumans attended it because maintaining a state of calm was important.


    Among my ssmates, there were four superhumans:


    A-3 Riana de Granz, Electrokinesis.


    A-6 Heinrich von Schwartz, Pyrokinesis.


    A-8 Connor Lint, Teleportation.


    B-7 Evia, Telepathy.


    In addition, there was one other who was not a superhuman, but attended the meditation ss regardless. He was a skinny, almost pitiable guy with pale skin but a somewhat dangerous look in his eyes.


    It was B-8, Dettomorian.


    Talented in shamanism and Psychokinesis.


    He came from a primitive tribe in the northern snowfields and had been epted into the academy because of his talent in the ancient art of shamanism.


    Despite this, it was unlikely that the Temple had a formal curriculum for the practical use of shamanism. Still, in the case of Dettomorian, he wanted to enroll in the Temple under the pretext of conducting some self-study in shamanism. He wanted to study shamanism in a safe environment where he would be well cared for.


    Dettomorian had a sinister look to him, and was avoided just as much as Scarlett was. He also had the ability to see spirits.


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t in this meditation ss to learn to control his mind, but tomune with the spiritual world.


    Though there should have only been five students in this ss...


    ¡°Charlotte de Gradias.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    Charlotte had also enrolled in the meditation ss. Her name was also called during roll call, and since it was a ss with only a few participants, her enrollment suggested the possibility that she might be a superhuman too. Since I didn¡¯t have much contact with the ss B students, I still didn¡¯t know what talent Charlotte possessed.


    Of course, just because she was taking a meditation ss didn¡¯t automatically make her a superhuman, since I was taking this ss despite not being officially a superhuman.


    But then, there was the idea of trauma, and that superhuman abilities could be awakened in extreme psychological states or during trauma.


    If Charlotte had anytent superhuman abilities, it was certain that they would have been awakened in the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    Yet Charlotte hadn¡¯t used any supernatural powers, even in a situation that had been so dire that it wouldn¡¯t have been weird for her to use them.


    Or had she awakened them but didn¡¯t know how to use them or was unable to control them?


    Or, to begin with, was she even a superhuman at all?


    The meditation ss began, and these questions swam about in my mind as I tried to enter into a state of meditation.


    <i>-Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Focus, please.¡±


    Of course, in that state of mind, there was no way I could properly meditate.

 Chapter 35

    <h4>Chapter 35</h4>


    The next ss was supernatural power control.


    ¡°Charlotte de Gradias.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    This confirmed to me that Charlotte was indeed a superhuman.


    But what kind of power could she possibly have?


    ¡°... Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    After calling my attendance, the teacher in charge of the ss looked at me intently.


    ¡°Although I agreed to take you on because of a special request from Mr. Effenhauser, you don¡¯t have any supernatural abilities, do you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you have aptitude in various areas... but I¡¯m not sure how to awaken your supernatural abilities... that¡¯s not something I can teach you...¡±


    The teacher appeared perplexed, and the other students were looking at me as if I were the odd one out. They stared at me like a vegan who had wandered into an all-you-can-eat meat buffet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will work out, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    The teacher and everyone else, including Charlotte, looked at me as if they couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ***


    <i>Crack! Fizztssst!</i>


    ¡°Very good, Ms. Granz. You have the best control among the ss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Try to gradually increase the intensity from that state.¡±


    Riana de Granz managed to produce sparks between the index fingers of her hands, and she heaved a sigh of relief. sses involving supernatural power could result in unexpected incidents, so teachers instructed students one-on-one.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s see how long you can maintain it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Heinrich von Schwartz, who had sessfully created a me above the sandpit, was sweating profusely as he maintained his concentration.


    ¡ªH-hey! Don¡¯t look!


    ¡ªI¡¯m not looking, Mr. Lint. Please get dressed.


    Then, from a location that resembled an istion room more than a ssroom, came a cry from Connor Lint, followed by the weary voice of a teacher.


    Connor Lint. He was known for simping after girls, but he possessed a rather overpowered ability to teleport his body.


    The problem was that he couldn¡¯t teleport his clothes with him. Hence, using teleportation came with the fatal side effect of always ending up naked.


    Thus, his power was mockingly said to be useful only in public bathhouses.


    Naked teleportation. Though it was a power that wouldn¡¯t hurt to have, it was something others might both desperately want and not want at all.


    ¡°¡®I will go out to the main street for a crepe at lunch today.¡¯ Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try going outside this time. Let¡¯s do it again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    B-7, Evia, was using her telepathic ability. She had the power to send her thoughts into someone else¡¯s mind.


    It seemed she was currently conducting range tests.


    ¡°Mr. Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°Yes, teacher?¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    The teacher assigned to me was wearing a look of bewilderment, not knowing what to do, since I had no supernatural powers but had enrolled in a ss that was all about learning how to control supernatural powers.


    I must have seemed quite the joke to him. This ce was meant for superhumans to learn to control and enhance their abilities, not to awaken them.


    My teacher had no clue what to make of the situation.


    ¡°Please push me into an extreme psychological state.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Maybe my abilities might appear during a traumatic moment?¡±


    ¡°What... What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°For example, pushing me to the brink of death without actually killing me... or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t ask me to do bizarre things!¡±


    The teacher gasped as if I had made the most absurd request imaginable.


    The teacher firmly refused, saying that it was not possible for a teacher to torture a student in such a way. I was offered an exnation that, although supernatural powers<i> could </i>awaken in such situations, it was not at all a guarantee. And that if it was that straightforward, the world would have been overrun with superhumans.


    No, I understood that.


    But I actually did have supernatural powers!


    Since it seemed futile to try and persuade the teacher further, we just watched the others.


    And then there was Charlotte.


    ¡°...¡±


    After the ss started, Charlotte¡¯s dedicated teacher led her somewhere.


    Was she being taken to an istion room so they could observe her abilities, like Connor Lint? Was it a sort of ability that couldn¡¯t be revealed to others?


    ¡°What kind of supernatural power does the princess have?¡± I asked the teacher.


    I asked it as if it were just a casual question. As if it were nothing. Just something one might ask out of curiosity.


    The teacher just shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Apparently, it¡¯s confidential or something like that...¡±


    "<i>Confidential.</i>"


    That was when I finally understood why there¡¯d been no discussion about Charlotte¡¯s powers or what they might be.


    Charlotte had awakened her supernatural powers.


    And except for a few teachers, no one knew what her powers were.


    ***


    I had no choice but to sit and while away the time until the ss was over. Charlotte, who had gone off somewhere, returned around the time the ss ended, looking exhausted.


    The princess¡¯s supernatural powers were confidential, and the students probably didn¡¯t know anything about it. For some reason, it was being treated as top secret.


    Teachers like Ms. Mustang and the dedicated instructor assigned to her for this supernatural power control ss would likely know about her supernatural power, but I wondered if Mr. Effenhauser knew.


    If Charlotte was really superhuman but her abilities were confidential, that made it also possible that she might not actually possess any supernatural powers.


    There was a clear chance that she could have imed to have supernatural powers just to gain admission into the Temple without truly having them.


    Then did Vertus know what the princess¡¯s powers were? Things were getting moreplicated.


    If the princess had no powers and Vertus knew about this, there was no reason for him to keep quiet about it. That meant either Vertus also knew about the princess¡¯s supernatural power, or, he was simply not aware that she didn¡¯t possess any powers yet.


    When the ss wasing to a close, the teacher called out my name.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll allow you to participate in the ss, but keep in mind that you will receive a failing grade if things stay as they were today.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s fine, there¡¯s nothing I can do about that.¡±


    It was obvious that someone without supernatural powers would not get a grade in a ss that was meant for students with supernatural powers.


    As I nodded in agreement with the teacher, everyone in the ss looked at me as if they were wondering what kind of person would be fine with failing.


    If I fail, so be it, not a big deal.


    However, I wasn¡¯t going to fail this ss as easily as people thought.


    After ss, everyone started to leave the ssroom.


    ¡°Hey, Number 11,¡± someone called to me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The one who called me was A-6, Heinrich von Schwartz. Right away, I could tell he was not in a good mood, and everyone began to hang back and watch what was going to happen. Charlotte had already left, oblivious to what was happening.


    ¡°Is the Temple some kind of joke to you?¡±


    He clearly seemed very upset, and the looks from others weren¡¯t any kinder towards me.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Then why would you, who doesn¡¯t even have a supernatural power, crawl into a supernatural power ss?¡±


    <i>¡®Why was this guy suddenly asking something so obvious?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Um, because I¡¯m trying to be a superhuman?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Heinrich¡¯s expression changed to one of disbelief. The others seemed incredulous as well.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? You never know. It¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    Heinrich furrowed his brow, as if he could no longer hold onto his patience.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been jumping into every major you can get your hands on. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think, because of your so-called ¡®infinite aptitude¡¯, that you can do anything? Do you actually believe that? Huh? Do you think you can just be a superhuman or a swordmaster or a magician simply because you want to?¡±


    The other students seemed equally ufortable and disturbed.


    Sure, I could see why they might see me in a bad light.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I might eventually stumble upon something I¡¯m good at. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    He had an expression as if he waspletely exasperated.


    ¡°Forget it. From now on, don¡¯t show up to the supernatural power sses. If youe again, I¡¯ll burn you alive. Got it?¡±


    It seemed that my mere presence in the supernatural power ss was irksome to him.


    Heinrich¡¯s threat to burn me left me astonished.


    ¡°Burn what? With what I saw today, I don¡¯t think you can even burn a potato properly.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it was too obvious for me not to notice.¡±


    Though he had managed to produce a small fire in the sandpit, it definitely wasn¡¯t even bigger than a small campfire.


    My words made Heinrich¡¯s face turn beet red with rage.


    ¡°What kind of grand supernatural power do you have to brag about? If all you can do after straining your eyeballs and huffing and puffing like that is produce a me smaller than oneing from a flint, then a simple flint would be more useful than you.¡±


    ¡°What, what... What did you just say? You, you little...¡±


    ¡°Do you want topete with a flint and find out which is more useful? I¡¯d bet on the flint winning hands down. At least the flint won¡¯t run its mouth like you do.¡±


    Heinrich, who was beingpared to something as trivial as a flint, seemedpletely taken aback. He was clearly not expecting such an insult.


    ¡°Ar-are, are you... do you know who you¡¯re insulting right now?¡± he stammered in response.


    Heinrich was so dumbfounded that he began to say something he shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m insulting A-6, Heinrich von Schwartz right now. I wonder how high and mighty one¡¯s n must be to throw around their family name like that, even here at the Temple.¡±


    ¡°How dare you, amoner, insult the royalty of the First Principality¡ª¡±


    I raised my hand to cut off his rant.


    ¡°Hey, you owe me an apology.¡±


    ¡°What, what did you say...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s forbidden to unt one¡¯s social status here at the Temple. Did you forget the rule?¡±


    I looked around at the dumbfounded audience.


    They were all students from our ss, excluding Charlotte¡ªthere was Connor Lint, Riana de Granz, and even Evia, who was anxiously watching from a distance.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got witnesses around as well. You guys all heard him too, right?¡±


    Heinrich realized he had let his emotions get the best of him and had vited the rules, and his face turned pale. Everyone¡¯s expression soured when I mentioned that they were witnesses.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds to apologize. If you don¡¯t apologize within three seconds, I¡¯ll report you to the student council.¡±


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    As soon as I reached three, I turned around. It was another breach of the school regtions on his part, and reporting it was the right thing to do.


    ¡°Time¡¯s up, see you.¡±


    ¡°... I was foolish.¡±


    His answer was a bit dyed, but soon after I heard it, I looked at him and shed a sly grin.


    <i>¡®Why get cocky when you can¡¯t even stick with it to the end?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Watch your mouth from now on, my friend,¡± I whispered as I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s no ce toin to at the Temple, even if a noble gets harassed by amoner.¡±


    ¡°Wh... what did you say?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act tough. You¡¯re going to get beaten up pretty badly if you provoke someone here, regardless of who you are or your social status.¡±


    <i>¡®Thest thing I need is a guy that¡¯s weaker than a household lighter to get on my nerves.¡¯ </i>


    I was about to walk past him when I suddenly felt a smack on the back of my head.


    ¡°You insolent brat, how dare you!¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it now?¡±


    He began to narrow his eyes, looking as if he was about to lose it and use his powers.


    ¡°Ah, you really want to do this?¡±


    <i>p!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    I walked over to him calmly and smacked him right in the forehead.


    Naturally, he staggered, unable to use the ability he was about to unleash as his concentration was disrupted.


    ¡°Huh...? Wh... what the...?¡±


    He had this look ofplete iprehension, as if something incredibly unexpected had just urred, leaving him utterly speechless.


    You could practically see the question marks swirling around his head.


    ¡°Yeah, like I would let you attack me that easily, you idiot.¡±


    Why didn¡¯t these so-called superhumans understand that a hand moved faster than casting an ability?


    Everyone watched me p the prince of the First Principality across the forehead with an expression of dumbfounded astonishment. It was more than just simple disbelief; they seemed genuinely shocked.


    ¡°Did... this punk justy his hands on me?¡±


    ¡°I would say it was self-defense, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Weren¡¯t you the one who was trying to burn me?¡±


    He was trembling with anger as he red at me while I stood there, perfectlyposed.


    ¡°Go ahead then, why don¡¯t you try to burn me? Huh? Give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡±


    He narrowed his eyes again, powering up.


    <i>p!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll just wait for you to charge up? You moron.¡±


    Was this guy for real?


    ¡°From now on, every time you try to show off with your so-called ¡®immense¡¯ supernatural power, I¡¯m gonna p you on the forehead. Got it? Because I¡¯m nice, I¡¯ll keep it a secret that you tried to use your powers on a fellow student. But keep in mind that this will grow into a headache for you if this gets reported.¡±


    ¡°Y-you... you little¡ª!¡±


    ¡°What are you sputtering on about? Do you want to get smacked again? Fine,e here, I¡¯ll give you what you want!¡±


    He swallowed, then inhaled sharply and pulled his head away when I raised my hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re scared now? Such a coward, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Y-you... You damn piece of shit...!¡±


    Embarrassed by his own disy of cowardice, Heinrich¡¯s face became flushed with anger.


    Unable to contain his frustration, he eventually charged at me.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I countered his clumsy takedown and sent him tumbling to the ground.


    An entitled royal like him wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about fighting. And he was supposed to be a talent with psychic abilities.


    ¡°Oh, do you think you can take me on physically now?¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°G-get your filthy foot off me!¡±


    I stood over Heinrich¡¯s, my foot on his head, and addressed the stunned onlookers, who were too shocked to even properly close their mouths.


    ¡°You all saw clearly that this guy was trying to use his powers on me, right?¡±


    Riana de Granz was standing there dumbfounded, witnessing the scene, and Connor Lint seemed to be shaking almost uncontrobly.


    They probably never imagined that someone who behaved so recklessly like I did could exist.


    Anyway, that was beside the point. As offenses went, getting into a fistfight with a fellow student was hardlyparable to trying to use supernatural powers on them.


    ¡°I understand pride is important to you, but know your limits,¡± I muttered coolly as I continued to press his head into the ground with my foot.


    ¡°Who said I was going to give you trouble? All I wanted was to attend the ss in peace. So why are you picking on someone who¡¯s only literally minding their own business? And frankly, if I don¡¯t have supernatural powers, you should be grateful instead, since that would allow you to stand out more.¡±


    I leaned in and grabbed Heinrich¡¯s hair while hey sprawled out, and whispered in his ear, ¡°Your current ability has a range of five meters, with a preparation time of ten seconds, and the strength of your me is smaller than that of a campfire.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    I had been watching the entire ss today and had observed Heinrich and Riana using their abilities, so I couldn¡¯t help but deduce the levels of their powers.


    When I recited the specifics of his abilities so urately, his eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°If you try to use your powers on me again...¡±


    Just because I didn¡¯t possess any abilities didn¡¯t mean I had to take it lying down. I¡¯d rather die than stay quiet in front of those who despised the weak.


    ¡°I won¡¯t just be pping your forehead. I¡¯ll gouge out your eyes.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser told us to be cautious of one another, didn¡¯t he? So let¡¯s all be careful.¡±


    If you stayed quiet, they¡¯d see you as prey and hunt you down.


    I may have nothing to boast of, but I refused to be treated as prey.

 Chapter 36

    <h4>Chapter 36</h4>


    On the first day, I beat Kaier up.


    And on the third day, I beat up Heinrich von Schwartz. This time, I wasn¡¯t called into the teacher¡¯s office. If I had been, it would have been a problem for me but also for him, since I would have testified that he¡¯d tried to use his abilities on a fellow student.


    However, this time was a bit different from the case with Kaier.


    Kaier was amoner, but Heinrich von Schwartz was a prince of the Kernstadt Empire, the First Principality of the empire. He wasn¡¯t the heir, but he was of direct lineage.


    In other words, I had beaten up a member of the royal family of a state that wielded authority second only to the imperial royal family. Although there was a rule at the Temple that everyone was to be treated equally regardless of their social status, it was still an incident that shocked everyone.


    Rather than ming me, however, I could feel that everyone was gradually avoiding me. It seemed they thought of me as someone who had truly gone mad. If someone was this far gone, he wasn¡¯t just some crazy dude, but someone to be feared.


    I mean, was I supposed to just let someone who picked a fight without reason and tried to use supernatural powers on me get a free pass? Should I have just let him toast me, then?


    After that incident, Heinrich would leave as soon as he saw me, as if he had seen something filthy. It must have been frustrating enough to drive him mad, but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do within the Temple¡¯s premises.


    I had be aplete psychopath just because I didn¡¯t want to be looked down upon.


    What if one day I got into trouble with someone who was double my size? It seemed only a matter of time before I¡¯d end up a bloody mess. In a real situation like that, I guess I¡¯d have to pick up something and swing it to win.


    But would my hopelessbat talents even do anything to help my slow and clumsy attacks?


    Living a peaceful life was out of the question. I had no choice but to stick to this path. Trying to act good and kind now would be utterly useless.


    And, upon reflection, I probably wasn¡¯t ever really nice anyway. A man in his thirties who got genuinely angry at kids was definitely someone with issues, right?


    Thanks to me, the already-still atmosphere in ss A became even more ominous.


    Was this for real? Did I seriously be the viin in my own novel without even trying? No matter how I looked at it, I seemed to be the bad guy. The one without any real abilities but a foul temper, causing disruptions like some early-stage antagonist.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart, can we have a talk for a moment?¡±


    It was after Thursday¡¯s integrated education sses, and after dinner, when Vertus called me.


    ***


    After dinner, Vertus took me to the table on the terrace that was meant for tea time. He was still wearing a pleasant smile, and it seemed he had already prepared a pot of ck tea.


    ¡°Do you want some tea?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Vertus carefully poured the ck tea into my cup. He added milk to his own, enjoying it as a milk tea, while I drank mine in. The prince did not seem to harbor any hostility towards me.


    His expression alone wasn¡¯t enough for me to make out what he thought about my casual manner.


    Knowing that expressions did not reveal everything, I did not let my guard down.


    He was aspiring to be a swordmaster. So far, those who had picked fights with mecked physical strength. However, the prince could grind me into the dust if he so desired. He could do so both politically and physically.


    I was no match for him in either respect.


    If Vertus decided to go up against me physically, I had no idea what I would do.


    Adopting the typical cowardly attitude of acting strong only against the weak while behaving like a weakling against the strong seemed like the right y.


    Vertus looked at me with a gentle smile. It was a friendly demeanor that showed no sign of hostility.


    Ludwig had been deceived by this attitude of his, and many others had fallen for it too.


    Yet even I, who should not have been fooled, felt like I could be swayed by his gentle smile as well.


    ¡°People have been making quite a fuss, asking me to do something about this situation, so I decided to speak to you on their behalf.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®do something¡¯?¡±


    ¡°The kids are afraid of you.¡±


    He¡¯d put it mildly by saying they were afraid, but it probably meant they despised me.


    ¡°Of course, I can understand your behavior to some extent. Kaier did exhibit some rather aggressive behavior on the first day, even in the changing room.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kaier definitely bore some me regarding his behavior and his allegations of unauthorized admission into the Temple.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t me, but rather the prince, who was angry at Kaier¡¯s statements that had undermined the authority of the Temple. Was he secretly relieved that I had said those things to Kaier and defended the Temple?


    ¡°I heard that your response was not provoked by a personal insult, but rather by an affront to the Temple.¡±


    Whether Vertus had found that out through Mr. Effenhauser or some other way, he knew the arguments I had made. That also meant that he was aware that I had put on the guise of a patriot as well.


    ¡°As a student of the Temple, I should ideally view everyone with an impartial eye, but I can¡¯t help but lean toward being a patriot myself.¡±


    What? This development of the story was kind of odd.


    ¡°Reinhart, I really like your attitude and the way you think.¡±


    This was... Seriously getting weird!


    I was almost shaking more than I would have if I had been threatened with death.


    What was happening here, and where was this going?


    Vertus heard my patriotic speech, and now he admired my patriotism? Sure, it was only natural for the prince to be patriotic, but was that the reason why he now had a favorable view of me?


    He could restrain himself from reacting to personal insults, but when it came to the Temple being insulted, he admired someone who would go as far as to throw a fist in defense of patriotism.


    Vertus was toying with his teacup while maintaining a faint smile.


    ¡°Still, I think the incident with Heinrich was a bit excessive. Of course, I¡¯m not saying that it is more wrong to offend a royal family member than amoner.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your ssmates are... let¡¯s say, being a bit overly imaginative.¡±


    ¡°Imaginative?¡±


    <i>¡®What is he talking about?¡¯</i>


    Vertus looked out at the night view of the Temple, still smiling, as though he had some secret understanding.


    ¡°Someone who¡¯s utterly devoid of talent would not dare touch the Schwartz royal family without something or someone to rely on...That¡¯s the kind of fantasy that they¡¯ve concocted.¡±


    I began to grasp what he meant. It seemed they viewed my actions as so insane that it was almost considered mysterious.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying... Essentially, they don¡¯t think Ick talent, but that I must be hiding something incredible?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That might be a talent, or it could be the power of a family...¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for some hidden ace up my sleeve, my behavior would be iprehensible. There was no way someone would irrationally beat up a member of royalty unless they were a madman with no understanding of the consequences.


    ¡°It¡¯s umon, but not unheard of. There are those who hide their noble lineage and enter the Temple asmoners.¡±


    I was aware of that. There were those who could not go about their lives if their family name was revealed publicly, or those who, for various reasons, preferred not to draw attention and thus kept their background hidden. There had probably been cases where some arrogant noble kid had underestimated another by thinking they were just amoner and had ended up getting taught a nasty lesson.


    Anyway, that was what they thought I was: one of those guys who had hidden his noble identity.


    ¡°The more serious problem is that Heinrich has started to believe it himself, too.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Recently, Heinrich had been avoiding me whenever he saw me. I¡¯d assumed it was out of disgust, but was it genuine fear?


    ¡°And what kind of backing would one need in order to have no fear when confronting the Schwartz royal family?¡±


    The situation was unfolding in a way I hadn¡¯t anticipated at all. A backing strong enough that one would throw a punch without a second thought when shing with the Schwartz royal family...


    There could only be one answer to that.


    ¡°It seems the kids believe you to be a hidden member of the royal family.¡±


    Children¡¯s imagination could sometimes go beyond what adults could dream up. These fools. Did they really think that another royal would hide themselves in a ss that already had two clearly-visible royals?


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that that¡¯s not true.¡±


    Vertus looked at me as if he wasn¡¯t one to indulge in the children¡¯s flights of fancy. And he continued to smile that gentle smile of his as he sipped from his teacup.


    ¡°So, Reinhart. I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you have something or someone that you¡¯re relying on? Who¡¯s got your back?¡±


    Vertus knew that the idea of a hidden royal was nonsense, but he was still curious. Curious about my true background. It seemed that even Vertus didn¡¯t think of me as just an empty-handed nobody.


    But my so-called background could never be revealed, because it was the kind of information that could make me an enemy of all humankind.


    So I sighed and crossed my arms.


    ¡°Obviously there¡¯s nothing. After all, who¡¯d want to be someone who punches people just because they¡¯ve got something or someone to fall back on when things get tough?¡±


    I was still going to go down this route.


    It was already toote to change it. I was going to be the madman with nothing up his sleeve. What did it matter if I got beaten down or tangled upter on? I still had the Dreadfiend ring, which enabled me to disappear at any time.


    Vertus had a slightly stunned expression, and stared nkly at me.


    ¡°Oh... so, there¡¯s nothing... nothing significant then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°So it was really just because you were in a bad mood?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    Vertus had been smiling the whole time, but now, his lips twitched.


    ¡°Ha, ha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha. Haha!¡±


    Suddenly, he burst outughing. It was as if he had lost his sanity; he keptughing like that for a long time.


    Then, after that longugh, Vertus looked at me.


    His gaze sent a chill down my spine. It felt as if a character with small, narrow eyes had suddenly opened their eyes wide.


    It was the real Vertus, someone with a slightly unsettling presence. He looked at me with those eyes and quietly tipped his teacup.


    ¡°In a situation like this, most people would tell a lie.¡±


    <i>¡®A lie? Technically, it </i>was<i> a lie. I do have a backup. You just wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine who or what it is at all.¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you had imed to have some powerful backup, I would have ignored you from now on.¡±


    Vertus was showing his true colors. Unlike the others who had been spouting nonsense and acting tough, he was on a different level.


    Although he was just a young teenager, his gaze chilled me to the bone.


    ¡°Responding honestly to me was wise, Reinhart.¡±


    It seemed he had expected me to lie to avoid a crisis or keep others from messing with me. Because if I¡¯d done so, the others would continue to keep away.


    Had he done some investigation into my background? Did he already know I was nobody significant and was thus probing to see what kind of person I was?


    I shrugged my shoulders nonchntly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it also possible that me saying I¡¯m nobody<i> is</i> the lie?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not you have something or someone backing you up may remain unknown, but at least I know that you¡¯re certainly not a noble.¡±


    Vertus set down his teacup and ran a finger along the rim of the cup.


    ¡°Because a person who doesn¡¯t even know how to hold a teacup properly couldn¡¯t possibly be a noble.¡±


    The ck tea had been part of the n all along. Vertus had sized me up based on the way I held my teacup and sipped my tea.


    Realizing that my unconscious actions had been giving information away sent shivers running through my body.


    Even though he was a character I had created, the fear he instilled in me was hard to put into words.


    He would have ignored me if I had bluffed. Yet, I¡¯d just inly said I was nothing special. So what was he going to do then, knowing this information?


    ¡°You should have bluffed, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever thought about what Heinrich von Schwartz could do to you?¡±


    I had considered it, of course. My body had acted before my mind in the moment, butter on I¡¯d contemted the consequences of messing with a royal of the First Principality, Kernstadt.


    However, I knew about Heinrich von Schwartz, and was confident that nothing serious woulde of it.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that the moment you step out of the Temple, you could disappear without a trace because you offended the Schwartz royal family?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of that, yeah.¡±


    No. I hadn¡¯t thought of that at all. There would never be such an incident in the first ce.


    ¡°Then, when I told you that Heinrich fears your unknown background, wouldn¡¯t it have been in your best interest to keep that fear alive?¡±


    ¡°It would have been.¡±


    ¡°Then why tell me the truth? Heinrich could very likely harm you, and you should have been afraid of that.¡±


    Heinrich was a direct member of a royal family, and had enrolled in the Royal ss.


    But he¡¯d been as good as abandoned.


    No one in the Schwartz royal family liked Heinrich. Therefore, his status was nothing but a shell; in reality, he was someone without any power or influence.


    That was why I already knew there would be no retaliation on behalf of a royal who had been tossed off to a distantnd.


    However, letting slip that I was aware of this would be suspicious indeed.


    So, why did I reveal a truth to dispel a lie that would have worked in my favor, in order to maintain a secret?


    ¡°Because there¡¯s nothing to be gained from telling such a shallow lie in front of an imperial prince.¡±


    Saying that I¡¯d already predicted that the prince would see through it seemed like a better choice. I judged that trying to deceive Vertus to stay safe from someone like Heinrich was a more dangerous course of action.


    My words made Vertus look at me intently.


    ¡°What if I were to tell Heinrich this? Wouldn¡¯t that put you in a very difficult position?¡±


    It felt like I was walking on thin ice. If I turned Vertus into an enemy, my life would be in danger. Although I had chosen to take the ¡°crazy madman¡± route, there was no reason to provoke him if it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    ¡°You won¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because you said you would ignore me if I lied. Doesn¡¯t that imply that you have something that you¡¯re prepared to run with if I told you the truth?¡±


    I had nowid out my cards and told Vertus the truth. If my thinking was correct, Vertus had a different course of action nned for when I told him the truth.


    <i>¡®Hmm.. should I press further and suggest that I¡¯m not someone who can be ignored so easily?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Plus, in my opinion, Heinrich can¡¯t touch me regardless of my background. Assuming he has at least the minimum amount ofmon sense.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°If he were to kill me, then the death of a Temple student, especially one from the Royal ss, wouldn¡¯t be an ordinary matter. The news would spread across Gradium.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And if I died at this time, the situation would be too obvious. If amon-born Royal ss student suddenly died after getting into a fight with a royal from the First Principality, it would be too obvious who killed who.¡±


    If I were to die now, it would be tantly obvious who had killed me, and naturally, Heinrich would be the focus of the investigation.


    Vertus¡¯s smile had gradually returned. ¡°Couldn¡¯t the Schwartz royal family use its power to cover up the incident?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they might.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    I smiled back at Vertus.


    At this point, I was past caring. It was all or nothing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe our homnd, the great empire, would be swayed by any principality. Instead, it would demand ountability for staining the honor of the Temple.¡±


    The word ¡°homnd¡± seemed to curl the corners of Vertus¡¯s mouth upward. Did Vertus have a stronger sense of patriotism than Effenhauser?


    My death would be a much bigger event than one might think. Although it wouldn¡¯t actually happen¡ªor, at least, I judged that it would not¡ªconsidering the trust I had in the Temple and the empire as well as the significance of my status. And Vertus seemed to admire my ability to assess the situation as I had done.


    Vertus liked smart people. It was true that I had improvised my response, but the level of my judgment was definitely beyond that of my peers. Of course, my familiarity with this world also helped a lot.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Vertus smiled as if there was no need for further conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve found someone so audacious so captivating.¡±


    <i>¡®Um... What is going on here exactly?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart, I see a bright future at the Temple ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s great.¡±


    Why was it that the first person I¡¯d gotten close to at the Temple was a viin?

 Chapter 37

    <h4>Chapter 37</h4>


    How was it that the first friend I¡¯d made in the Temple was someone who I was convinced I couldn¡¯t be friends with?


    The qualities of a capable viin:


    1. Treats their subordinates well.


    2. Makes people want to be their subordinate.


    Bing Vertus¡¯s subordinate actually seemed beneficial in some ways, but I was still nervous. It was sort of like being a double agent.


    <i>¡®Are you really nning on treating me like your subordinate? Because if that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s going to be hard to maintain long-term.¡¯</i>


    If I became Vertus¡¯s subordinate, he would be the only noble in history to have a Demon prince as a subordinate.


    Nheless, Vertus seemed to want to maintain a close rtionship with me during our time at the Temple.


    But I knew who Vertus was. He was someone who believed in meritocracy. Whether someone was amoner, noble, or royal, it didn¡¯t matter to him. As long as they were capable, he valued them; if not, he was indifferent to their existence. He would use anyone who proved their worth, no matter who they were. That was his attitude.


    This time, Vertus sat down along the railing of the terrace, which was close enough to the ground that it was safe for him to get off.


    With his back to me, he said, ¡°Do you love the empire?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a lie. I truly loved it. This was the best ce to live in the entire continent.


    ¡°Why do you love it?¡±


    He was the type who detested predictable answers.


    ¡°Because of money.¡±


    ¡°... What? Money?¡±


    Vertus turned his head to look at me, his eyes wide with surprise. I figured that he would find out anyway if we continued to interact, so I decided to be more honest.


    ¡°How could I not love a ce that lets a homeless beggar with nowhere to go live in such a pce, just because they found something unusual about him?¡±


    ¡°... A beggar?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not just an ordinary guy without a background, kid.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I came from the streets.¡±


    <i>¡®I was a beggar, you see!¡¯</i>


    Vertus seemed genuinely shocked, unable to imagine such a thing, his mouth slightly agape. It was clear that he had not done a background check on me. Looking baffled, or maybe just shocked, he was silent for a moment before regaining hisposure and nodding absently.


    ¡°Ah, I see... Okay... I understand what you mean.¡±


    A beggar who roamed the streets. That was who I was.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like the fact I¡¯m a beggar, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±


    Being amoner and being a beggar were twopletely different things to Vertus, especially because Vertus was not just any prince, but the prince of the imperial empire of Gradium. That meant that a royal figure like him would be closely associated with a beggar.


    ¡°No. It actually makes me like you more.¡±


    Vertus¡¯s response was unexpected. He wasn¡¯t just being nice and understanding of my situation, but rather preferred the fact that I was a beggar.


    ¡°Because it ensures your loyalty.¡±


    Not only was I allowed to live on such a luxurious campus solely due to having some talent, but I could even have conversations like this one with a prince.


    He seemed to think that my loyalty to the empire was, in fact, something to be expected. Vertus chuckled, perhaps amused, and swayed by my reason that I was loyal because of money.


    ¡°I know that being seen with a beggar like me could tarnish your reputation, but I didn¡¯t really want to keep this a secret.¡±


    I pointed out another potential issue to Vertus. Certainly, it wouldn¡¯t paint a pretty picture, and news of my background would eventually spread.


    But Vertus dismissed it outright. ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart, you know ants, right?¡± he continued.


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±


    ¡°Did you also know that ants have their own society and hierarchies?¡±


    ¡°Like the queen ant, the worker ants, and stuff like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that sort of thing.¡±


    Vertus peered into the darkness, staring out quietly into the distance.


    <i>¡®Why is he talking about ants all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°The queen ant, the worker ants, the soldier ants. There could be more detailed divisions, and there could also be other sses of ants. Or maybe not. I don¡¯t know the specifics.¡±


    ¡°Okay...?¡±


    <i>¡®Is ignorance something to be proud of?¡¯</i>


    ¡°But why do I care about the ranks and the hierarchy of ants?¡± Vertus said coldly. ¡°Beggars,moners, nobles, kings of vassal states, dukes, counts, viscounts, barons. Why would I concern myself with such things?¡±


    This was the kind of person Vertus was.


    ¡°To me, Reinhart, everyone below me is the same.¡± Vertusughed ominously. ¡°So whether it¡¯s Heinrich von Schwartz giving me attitude, or you doing the same, it¡¯s all the same to me.¡±


    He possessed a rather straightforward logic.


    ¡°<i>Everyone beneath me is equal.</i>¡±


    He had already tolerated the small ant-like human beings mistreating him at the Temple. It didn¡¯t matter which rank of ant mistreated him, even if it was the lowest of the ants. To him, they were all the same.


    It might have sounded harsh, but ultimately, it meant that he didn¡¯t care what I, the lowest ant, did to him. It was his way of saying that I shouldn¡¯t mind talking casually to him at all.


    ¡°The essence of what you¡¯re saying is good, but why say it in such a twisted way?¡±


    <i>¡®Look at this guy, being unnecessarily sophisticated.¡¯ </i>


    ¡°That¡¯s the nature of power, Reinhart.¡± Vertus chuckled. ¡°Those who have it have the freedom to be insolent to others.¡±


    His choice of words was getting quite aggressive and I didn¡¯t know if bing close to Vertus was actually a good thing anymore.


    ¡°<i>People in power have the freedom to be insolent.</i>¡±


    ¡°But you, you don¡¯t even have that power, and yet you¡¯re insolent.¡±


    Vertus seemed amused by my audacity, despite having nothing to my name. He had made a judgment about what kind of person I was, but it appeared that his amusement had more to do with finding me a fascinating character rather than anything else.


    ¡°Plus, although you¡¯re from the gutter, you seem pretty smart, and your eloquence isn¡¯t something that one from the streets would have.¡±


    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s all sorts of people in the world,¡± I said.


    Vertus looked at me as if trying to see right through me.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll find out what you¡¯re <i>really </i>hidingter.¡±


    He seemed confident that someone of my background couldn¡¯t possibly be so smart and down to earth. He might be treating me as a friend for the moment, but he was undoubtedly suspicious of me.


    There was no way I could lie about my background, but I also didn¡¯t see any benefit to acting like a dumb beggar.


    It was an inevitable oue, so I had no regrets about my portrayal of Vertus.


    Vertus would probably never fully trust my story about being of base birth and without any connections.


    He hadn¡¯t explicitly told me to be his subordinate, nor had I said anything about wanting to serve under him either.


    ¡°But the truth is, I really don¡¯t have any talents. What¡¯s in it for you to be friends with me?¡±


    ¡°A measly talent is of no use right now anyway. That damned scanner doesn¡¯t exin all there is to a person.¡±


    When I told Vertus the truth about who I was, he also dropped any form of pretense in front of me.


    A measly talent; Vertus was categorizing the students of the Royal ss as being currently useless.


    Vertus seemed to think that relying solely on a physical scanner was idiotic. He was focused on assessing the indicators that it couldn¡¯t show.


    ¡°It¡¯s hundreds of times better to have a sharp mind instead. Of course, the problem seems to be that smart people often don¡¯t know where to apply themselves. But, given the way you¡¯ve lived, I can understand your actions to some extent.¡±


    Vertus chuckled.


    He seemed to think that I had good judgment ability and a good head on my shoulders, but when a dispute arose, I was the kind of lunatic to throw a punch first.


    And he seemed to believe that my background¡ªbeing from the streets¡ªwas the reason behind my madness.


    But... I wasn¡¯t actually from the streets...


    ¡°Ultimately, the message I want to say to you remains the same. Calm your temper and live a little more sensibly.¡±


    He¡¯d eventuallye full circle andnded back on the initial topic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, but other kids have to be reasonable, too,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Okay. For now, that¡¯s all I want to say.¡± Vertus stepped down from the terrace railing and stood facing me. ¡°When I be certain that you¡¯re my man and I can work with you, then we can talk about more important matters.¡±


    It was not yet time for Vertus to trust me, nor was it enough time for me to trust Vertus.


    But Vertus saw something of worth in me and had therefore approached me first, as if he wanted to say, ¡°I was the first one who recognized your value before anyone else did.¡±


    Now, I didn¡¯t need to put much thought into knowing who it was that saw my value first.


    ***


    I had be friends with Vertus.


    Or maybe not friends yet, exactly, but it seemed I had earned a degree of his favor, at least. He seemed to see me as someone worth using.


    There was no visible impact since we didn¡¯t act as though we were incredibly close or anything. Of course, we had easy conversations, regardless of who was watching, but it was likely that Vertus now had a reputation for being kind, even to the most unruly troublemaker.


    Friday¡¯s sses included theology, alchemy, and a generalbat training session.


    Theology was a ss for those with a talent for divine power, which meant that only Erhi from my ss, and Ashir from ss B, were in it with me. The rest were students from the other regr sses aspiring to be priests or holy knights.


    Obviously, I understood what it was, but I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around divine power at all. A demon with divine power¡ªnow that would truly be a funny title.


    Alchemy was taken by everyone who was majoring in magic. Unlike the magic ss, alchemy seemed worth learning. It consisted mostly of practical scenarios, which made it interesting as well.


    As for the generalbat training ss...


    I almost died during the ss.


    It was basically the same thing as the physical training ss, just with a different name.


    The good news, though, was that because of the rumors that were circting about me being a mad lunatic, the kids from ss A and even those from ss B¡ªexcept for Ludwig¡ªavoided making eye contact with me.


    The day I appeared for Theology ss, Erhi seemed to be avoiding me. Ashir from ss B, who majored in theology, also might have heard something since they quickly averted their gaze after our eyes met once.


    Hmm...


    This wasn¡¯t just about being a ss delinquent. Instead, it was more like being known as a psychopath.


    And it seemed that nothing had been revealed to dispel the rumor of my mysterious background.


    Was Vertus nning to just let the misunderstanding sort itself out?


    Indeed, I had a bad temper, but it was also true that Icked talents or abilities. So if a physically strong person decided to pick a fight, I would easily end up getting beaten up. However, it appeared that, because of this misunderstanding, most chose to stay clear of me.


    Did they seriously think that I was a noble in disguise?


    The imagination of kids was truly beyond the realm of my understanding...


    ***


    Members of the Royal ss were generally expected to reside in the dormitories. Given that many of the Temple students were from abroad, most of them stayed at the Temple¡¯s dormitories. However, some students who were from Gradiummuted to and from the school.


    Of course, given the massive size of the Temple, thosemuting from outside would have to wake up quite early.


    Among the Royal ss, those who owned a mansion in Gradium would often go home on the weekends. There were no mandatory weekend activities; everyone was left to their own devices to study or entertain themselves as they pleased.


    Staying in the dormitory was an option too, but staying there alone wasn¡¯t particrly appealing since there wasn¡¯t much to do on my own at the moment, and I had no brilliant ideas for awakening any abilities just yet.


    For the moment, it seemed best to tell the others about the events that happened in the first week.


    ***


    As for ces I could go, there weren¡¯t many options aside from the sewers under the Bronze Gate Bridge and the Rotary Club.


    ¡°... So you¡¯re saying you¡¯ve been beating up the kids?¡±


    ¡°... Well, essentially, yes. That¡¯s how it turned out.¡±


    Loyar, who had heard about my life at the Temple, looked at me as if resigned to the fact that I couldn¡¯t change my innate behavior.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. They were the ones who started the fight! It¡¯s not like I picked a fight with someone who was minding their own business for no reason!¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Loyar looked back at me, clearly not believing any of it.


    <i>¡®Seriously? So that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Paw.¡±


    <i>Pat.</i>


    ¡°P-please don¡¯t, Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°If you keep looking at me like that, I might just have to ask you to roll over as well.¡±


    ¡°Please, please don¡¯t, Your Highness...¡±


    I knew that she acted on instinct, more than anyone else.

 Chapter 38

    <h4>Chapter 38</h4>


    Naturally, Sarkegar and Eleris were not there; only Loyar was.


    Upon entering, the club members I encountered asked me how I was finding life at the Temple, to which I responded appropriately.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mention anything about me pummeling the kids over there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that a prince and princess of the empire have enrolled at the Temple as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How are they? Isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡±


    Loyar seemed worried about me. Enrolling at the Temple was, in a way, embarking on a quite risky adventure, and now my peers included two members of the imperial family.


    ¡°For now, nothing much has happened, but the prince seems to be trying to pull me to his side.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... that does sound dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If things really start to look bad, I¡¯ll manage to escape somehow with my ring.¡±


    I tried my best to reassure her. It seemed that Loyar was contemting the possibility that my life at the Temple might ultimately lead me into danger.


    In any case, reporting to her wasn¡¯t the only reason I¡¯de.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else I need you to look into, if possible.¡±


    ¡°What might that be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually something that Sarkegar should take care of.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much of a noble Count Argon Pontius was, but with Sarkegar¡¯s shape-shifting ability, gathering the information I sought would be rtively easy.


    ¡°The princess seems to possess some sort of supernatural power, but it¡¯s being treated as a state secret.¡±


    ¡°... Did you just say that the princess has a supernatural power?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I would like you to look into that. It¡¯s not urgent, but just the fact that there¡¯s something I don¡¯t know about her makes me feel uneasy.¡±


    It seemed necessary to find out what Charlotte¡¯s power was.


    Loyar, who might not have thought of this, frowned.


    I wanted to know about this confidential supernatural ability that the princess possessed, and whether it was a genuine power, or a lie made up in order to facilitate her enrollment in the Royal ss.


    If it were a dangerous power, I would need to be cautious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass the message on to Sarkegar.¡±


    ¡°And how¡¯s the subway business scheme going?¡±


    At my question, a smile spread across Loyar¡¯s face.


    The Rotary Club had shifted their strategy from begging and selling candies to bing subway peddlers.


    ¡°It¡¯s going very well.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How well?¡±


    Loyar exined that sales had increased to much higher levels. Along with candy, they were also selling simple snacks, and it seemed that the response from the consumers was good.


    Whatever the case, managing subway peddlers felt strange.


    ¡°We are considering which toys to sell now, but even as it is, it seems quite satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to instruct everyone not to fight with the passengers or cause any trouble. Tell them to leave the car or move to another one if there¡¯s a dispute, and that if they start causing harm to the passengers, there will be sanctions from the imperial capital. And that would mean closing down the business.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    This was an unlicensed business. If the peddlers started bing an inconvenience and a source of displeasure, the city guards could be called in to intervene and drive them out, or there would be a chance that guards would be permanently stationed in the trains.


    The ideal case would be for the ie to stabilize enough that we could cut ties with the Thieves¡¯ Guild. The idea that the group I belonged to was under the thumb of some other group didn¡¯t sit well with me.


    As I was about to leave, Loyar called out to me.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Do not go visit Eleris or Sarkegar directly.¡±


    <i>¡®Speaking of which, I was just about to stop by Eleris¡¯s ce.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°While it may be eptable for you toe and go out of our club since you are a native of this ce, visiting Eleris¡¯s shop or Count Pontius¡¯s house could be seen as unexpected and suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yes, that does make sense. But do we really have to be that cautious already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You were already being followed just now.¡±


    <i>¡®What? When? And moreover, you detected that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take any action since they appeared to be your ssmates. But from now on, you will need to be careful in your movements.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility that there might be people tracking me for any reason. That was careless of me.


    Stopping by the Rotary Club was within reason, since this ce was a part of my cover story. However, it would have been risky to make the unusual move of going to Eleris¡¯s shop or Count Pontius¡¯ household.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that I was being tailed.


    I was not a superhero, so suddenly stopping in an alleyway and saying stuff like ¡°Alright,e on out, I know you¡¯re there¡± was never an option.


    I had a rough idea as to why I was being followed and wasn¡¯t too concerned about it. Whoever it was was probably curious about what kind of person I was.


    From now on, I would have to refrain from going to the Rotary Club as well. Loyar also said that, if necessary, she would convey messages from her side.


    There was also the possibility that the prince would send someone to follow me, so when contacting Loyar, I had to be sure to check my surroundings thoroughly.


    It was a relief that I had stopped by the club first. If I had headed somewhere else instead, I might have been in a bind.


    And also...


    ¡ªTherees the poor little beggar.


    Right then, I was facing a situation that was much more annoying than having my identity exposed.


    ***


    After receiving the warning from Loyar, I headed straight back to the Temple, partly to deal with those I suspected had followed me.


    However, in the ss A dormitory lobby, the guys who had stayed in the dormitory were all looking at me with arrogant, scornful eyes. It seemed like rumors that I was a beggar had already spread like wildfire.


    And there, at the front, was Kaier and Erhi, ring at me.


    ¡°Hey, you! Weren¡¯t you hanging out with the beggars by the bridge? You¡¯re a beggar, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded in response to Erhi. ¡°Yeah. Ie from the gutters. So what?¡±


    My quick and unfazed response seemed to have caught them off guard, and their expressions grew even more absurd.


    It looked like they were going to mock me if I denied any connection with the beggars, but my forthright acknowledgment that I indeed was from the streets seemed to throw them off.


    I looked at Erhi and Kaier.


    ¡°Seems like you guys were all set to taunt me for being a beggar or make a fuss about it. But you know, I¡¯m sick of getting all worked up and punching someone over such lousy trash talk now. It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    I sighed with my arms crossed.


    ¡°If I were you, I would actually think twice before messing with someone that is from the streets.¡±


    When I stepped forward, not only did Kaier flinch, but Erhi also took a step back.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Why are you acting tough when you¡¯re just a beggar...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer... You filthy thing, rolling around with those beggars...¡±


    It was funny how they kept running their mouths even as they cowered.


    ¡°Do you really think someone who¡¯s lived through tough times on the streets would be affected by your petty provocations? And what do you think a person like that might do when they snap?¡±


    I took another step toward them, and they both retreated another step.


    ¡°What if I suddenly snap, huh? What if Ish out? Aren¡¯t you scared that might actually happen?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and approached them, and they retreated step by step until they finally stumbled into a chair and copsed into it. They seemed so petrified by my fierce words that their faces turned pale.


    ¡°You kids might be too young to realize this, but you shouldn¡¯t mess with someone who has nothing to lose.¡±


    Did they think that they could just trample over me just because I was a beggar?


    You see, real adults would understand that people with nothing to lose are much more dangerous, as they think that others have nothing to lose as well.


    ¡°Someone who thinks they¡¯ve hit rock bottom might justsh out without a second thought. Do you want me to show you? Huh? Shall I demonstrate? Shall I y along with you guys? Speak up. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Y-you... you little...¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to show you what happens or not?!¡± I snapped loudly at Kaier.


    ¡°No, no... don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Next. You, Erhi. You gonna say something or what?¡±


    ¡°What... what are you going to show us... what are you talking about?!¡± Erhi shouted back with some semnce of spirit.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you want me to show what your left eye looks like. Do you think that just because you might be stronger or fitter than me, I won¡¯t be able to use a knife on you?¡±


    As I vividly described my violent intentions, Erhi¡¯s face turned ghostly white, and he wildly shook his head at the imagined image.


    ¡°Yeah, if you want to see what happens, then go ahead, keep spying on me like you did. Do it, I dare you to.¡±


    I smiled like a psychopath, and the two kids looked like they might wet themselves right there.


    Those who were watching us secretly were no different.


    If they thought that I was a mere beggar, they must have been caught off guard. But now, having realized I might actually be more of a crazed psycho, their expressions changed significantly.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got too much time to spare on a weekend, go kick a ball around or something. Acting all high and mighty, when you can¡¯t even act your age, sheesh...¡±


    I tapped their stunned faces with a slight flick of my wrist and then left the scene.


    ***


    It seemed likely that Erhi and Kaier were the ones who had tailed me. I had half-expected Heinrich toe looking for me in a fit of excitement after hearing that I was a beggar, but he did not.


    The news of my beggar background would probably spread, and thanks to the show I¡¯d just put on, rumors of me being a loose cannon who was willing to risk it all might also begin to circte.


    While it was guaranteed that my infamy would grow because of this, it was still better to have those who got on my nerves avoid me. At the moment, I was acting tough, using sheer willpower and aggression, but with enough training, I nned to be genuinely strong.


    However, there was another matter to consider.


    Aside from all my tough talk and bluster, the important thing was my locked ability. The real issue was figuring out how to unlock this sealed power of mine.


    As the afternoon approached, I still had no solid n, just concerns.


    Just as I was pondering what next steps to take...


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    Someone knocked on my door.


    <i>¡®What is it now?¡¯</i>


    Was it time for me to ¡°show¡± something again? Had someonee to provoke another confrontation so soon? Was this deja vu?


    ¡°... Hmm?¡±


    When I opened the door, I was greeted by an utterly unexpected figure.


    A beautiful girl in training attire, an apprentice who loved <i>cheongukjang</i>, stood there.


    It was Ellen Artorius.


    ¡°You¡¯re being summoned to the training grounds.¡±


    She said that I was being ¡°summoned.¡± What did she mean by that? Who had sent her to fetch me to the training grounds?


    ¡°Who is summoning me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems like a senior.¡±


    <i>¡®A senior?¡¯</i>


    This was sudden and unexpected.


    ¡°The others are all there already.¡±


    What did she mean when she said that the others were already there?


    ***


    It seemed that someone had toe and get me, and nobody had been willing to, so Ellen had been the one to do so. But this episode of being summoned by a senior was perplexing.


    The training ground was in the form of a veryrge gymnasium. All the first-year ss A students, excluding those who were away for the weekend, were already gathered there.


    Everyone was there except for Vertus and Riana de Granz, who had arge mansion within the imperial capital. So there were a total of nine people gathered... But what were they doing?


    ¡°Is this kid thest one?¡±


    Ellen nodded, and I could see my ssmates maintaining a push-up position, and a child trying her best to look as menacing as possible standing in front of them.


    The child spoke up.


    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you see the others? Get down, now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting down?¡±


    The child wasn¡¯t in uniform, but she definitely looked younger than me. I was young, but she looked even younger, perhaps about middle-school age.


    But... she was a senior?


    Ellen took her ce and adopted the push-up position next to where the others were lined up.


    The child looked at the line of students that were face-down, and said, ¡°Guys, it seems your friend is a bit slow on the uptake, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    My ssmates were all looking at me, ring venomously, signaling me to hurry up and get down.


    Why on earth were these dignified young nobles obeying the words of this little child?


    ¡°A senior¡¯s word is not to be taken lightly!¡± the child shouted angrily.


    ¡°A small child like you is supposed to be a senior?¡±


    ¡°What did... you say?¡±


    My sudden, loud retort colored her expression with bewilderment.


    ¡°Senior my ass! A runt like you, making a scene here. One p looks like it¡¯d be enough to twist your neck, you puny thing. What are you so proud of, squawking like that?¡±


    The expressions of my ssmates, who were still in push-up position, turned bizarre.


    ¡°Y-you... do you even know who I am...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, now get lost before I give you a flick on the forehead. Shoo!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    My hand came up swiftly, and the child panicked and backed away. Her face turned ashen blue with fear.


    Her expression reflected both bewilderment and shock.


    ¡°You, you... you better brace yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good luck with that.¡±


    The little brat, her face turning a shade of frosty blue, red at me, grinding her teeth before striding out of the training ground.


    Everyone else was looking at me with disbelief, as if they¡¯d just witnessed another episode of my madness.


    This time, however, my madness seemed to be met with a sort of wee relief.


    ¡°What are you guys doing still down there? Get up.¡±


    With uncertain expressions, the others hesitantly began to rise. I turned my gaze not towards the others, but specifically towards Kaier.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s all this about?¡±


    He was the easiest target now.


    ¡°Uh... well, it¡¯s just that... That was... um...¡±


    Kaier hesitated, as if obeying mymand and exining the situation was a blow to his pride.


    ¡°Hey, speak up!¡±


    My menacing demand finally prompted him to stutter.

 Chapter 39

    <h4>Chapter 39</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s just ridiculous.¡±


    Once I heard Kaier¡¯s story, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a hollowugh because of how dumbfounded I was.


    What had just happened was apparently a tradition that was passed down in ss A.


    Apparently, it was called ¡°water draining,¡± a sort of ritual meant to prevent even the most prestigious nobles and royals in the Royal ss from acting out and forcing them to stay in line.


    The idea was to instill a sense of equality in everyone, regardless of how high they could soar or how low they would crawl, because at the end of the day, they were all students, and thus on equal footing. It was an infamous tradition that had been handed down from generation to generation.


    In effect, it involved second-year students disciplining first-year students. During this session, they were berated not to ever lose to ss B, with threats that they would be ¡°killed¡± if they did.


    That was why they were doing it today, on the weekend of the first week of school.


    Regardless of one¡¯s social standing, the only hierarchy that mattered here was that of seniority¡ªseniors over juniors. That was why everyone had been ordered to get down on the ground, and they were all being given a hard time. Indeed, everyone, whether royal ormoner, seemed to be on the receiving end of the unjust punishment. And from the looks of it, those who had never experienced such treatment before had found it all very shocking.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that such an hical tradition was being passed down in the ss A dormitory without my knowledge. It was probably because most of what I¡¯d written pertained to the ss B dormitory.


    Now that I looked back on it, it seemed like the ss A students¡¯ aversion to losing to ss B might also have been due to the pressure from their seniors.


    While ss B had kind seniors who would snack on sweets andugh together with them, ss A seemed filled with people with rotten characters, regardless of their year.


    And right now, the one with the most rotten character in ss A was surely me.


    ¡°So, you mean to say that ss A has always had someone ofmoner background take charge of educating the first-years in this manner?¡±


    ¡°It seems so...¡±


    ¡°And that little child earlier, what about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a second-year student... Her name is... Her name is...¡±


    ¡°Rudina. That¡¯s her name. She didn¡¯t mention what her talent was,¡± Connor Lint chipped in.


    So essentially, ss A¡¯s important event was being managed by someone from amoner background, who was stepping all over the pride and authority of the royals and nobles. Moreover, the person in charge of it this year was that brat who looked like she had skipped a grade.


    Anyway, it seemed that everyone had been gritting their teeth and enduring this treatment just because it was a tradition, however ludicrous it might seem. Even if their pride was hurt, being dismissed from the Royal ss would have been even more humiliating in their eyes.


    They probably endured it, thinking that other royals and nobles in the Royal ss had gone through the same thing.


    In any case, while the royals and nobles were silently swallowing their pride and undergoing this degrading event, a kid from the slums hade out of nowhere and started causing trouble, demanding to know why he should partake in such nonsense.


    ¡°...¡±


    That exined why everyone seemed to be focusing on me.


    Everyone was still milling about the training grounds, wondering if it was okay to leave.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Number 4, Harriet de Saint-Ouen, the one with the talent for magic, called out to me. She seemed anxious.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If this goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility?¡±


    It seemed like she was questioning why I hadn¡¯t bent my pride when they all had. Despite her pretty face, there was a poisonous edge to her words. What a total brat.


    ¡°If this does go wrong, what exactly is supposed to happen?¡± I asked in reply.


    ¡°The seniors will obviously look down on us.¡±


    It sounded like she was worried about getting on the bad side of the seniors.


    ¡°And if they look down on us, how does that <i>actually</i> affect us?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, what exactly would happen if the seniors look down on us?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well...¡±


    ¡°Are we not allowed to attend sses, or will we be unable to sleep? If those guys beat us up, we can just report it to the teacher. Why are you all acting like idiots, crawling about on the ground silently just because ¡®it has always been this way¡¯? Don¡¯t you guys have any guts? You seem to have less pride than me, and I¡¯m from the streets! <i>Tsk</i>.¡±


    I scanned them all with a disdainful expression, and all their faces turned red with embarrassment, except for Ellen and Cliffman. They were probably all worried about the serious consequences of not listening to a senior¡¯smand, and had forced themselves to remain silent while thinking of the honor and social recognition that woulde after graduating from the Royal ss. They might have even been forewarned about disciplinary actions.


    It was disgusting, but they had been willing to bear with it and move on until I¡¯de along and disrupted the whole situation.


    ¡°Anyway, this is all your responsibility! I did as I was told! I¡¯m not in the wrong! Got it?¡±


    Harriet seemed to have thrown away all her dignity and pride, yelling at me and ming me for the whole situation.


    ¡°If anything goes wrong with my life at the Temple, I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡±


    Harriet must have kept quiet because she hadn¡¯t suffered any direct harm, but now that she thought she might be caught up in the aftermath too, she wasshing out angrily at me.


    <i>¡®Oh, is that so?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Kill me? You¡¯re spouting some big words there. Do you think that I can¡¯t beat you up just because you¡¯re a girl or something?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°In the Royal ss, equality is determined by talent alone. What does social status or gender matter? If you act like trash, I¡¯ll leave my fingerprints etched into your cheek for a week. Got it?¡±


    When it came to death, I was the veteran. I was the only one who had experienced it already.


    <i>¡®None of you have died before, have you? Well, I have!¡¯</i>


    As I took a bold step forward, Harriet recoiled in rm and stepped back.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting all high and mighty when all you¡¯ve got is nothing but a somewhat thick skull rolling around in there. Who are you to kill me?¡±


    ¡°T-th... th... thick skull?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Thick skull.¡±


    As I treated Harriet, the daughter of Duke Saint-Ouen, as if her skull was the only good thing about her, the expressions of the people around us became quite a sight to behold.


    ¡°Ha, ha... Ha! Ha!¡±


    It seemed that Harriet felt an even greater insult than when she had been made to do the push-up position a moment ago. Her face had turned red, and she was so flustered that she couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    And then...


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Bring out that bastard from earlier!¡±


    A group of individuals barged into the training grounds.


    ***


    There were five of them, probably all from the second year, so they¡¯d be about eighteen years old. Of course, that little brat from earlier was included among them.


    ¡°Is it that kid?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± eximed the brat Rudina, who hid behind her male ssmates and pointed a finger towards me.


    It was surprising how petite she was when she was beside her ssmates. She was like a little sister who had called her older brothers over after she got into a fight. Even the male ssmates seemed to have the attitude that they were protecting their younger sister.


    The apparent leader of the group gave me a skewed nce.


    Seeing a high schooler acting tough in front of my eyes made me want to throw up on the spot.


    ¡°Hey, kid. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You must be some illustrious noble, who doesn¡¯t know how things work in the Royal ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not from a noble family.¡±


    His mistaken supposition that I was from a grand and noble lineage causedughter to erupt among the first-year students, despite the tense situation.


    ¡°Are you guysughing? Is this funny to you guys?¡±


    The atmosphere grew tense again at the senior¡¯s remark.


    ¡°So what, then? Are you royalty or something?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    His expression then turned strange. I wasn¡¯t a noble, nor was I royalty, so there could only be one conclusion.


    ¡°What? Are you saying you¡¯re part of the imperial family then? But Vertus is the one from the imperial family. That doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±


    ¡°Who said I was from the imperial family?¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m neither noble, nor royalty, nor imperial. I¡¯m from the streets, a gutter rat.¡±


    Everyone was taken aback by my bold deration.


    ¡°... Gutter rat? You mean you are a beggar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a beggar. You got a problem with that?¡±


    Everyone seemed to be taken aback by my nonchnt confession. The apparent spokesperson for the seniors folded his arms and stared at me with an incredulous look.


    ¡°Okay, and what¡¯s your point? Do you think that separates you from everyone else? Even the nobles and royalties were following our orders!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do something that I don¡¯t want to do. It¡¯s that simple. What does social status have to do with that? Can¡¯t a beggar have pride?¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Is that what you think?¡±


    He unfolded his arms and began advancing toward me.


    ¡°Alright then. I feel like beating you up a bit, so I¡¯ll do as I please.¡±


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    I was struck before I had the chance to react.


    I realized instantly that this guy was the real deal.


    ***


    The atmosphere chilled even further.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>...¡±


    It was incredibly painful, and the pain was all I could think about. This guy¡¯s fists were seriously no joke.


    ¡°Also, you were speaking in a really casual manner all along. Am I your friend?¡±


    As I clutched my stomach and backed away as he started to approach me slowly.


    I had acted impulsively until now, and expected that I might run into a character like him without being properly prepared.


    But the fact that it was not a ssmate but a senior was beyond my expectations. It was clear that I stood no chance against someone with a definite talent in physical abilities and a year¡¯s worth of advantage.


    ¡°If youe to the Royal ss...¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°You have to follow the traditions of the Royal ss.¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°Ughh!¡±


    ¡°Back when I was in your year, I would have been dead if I even dared to do something like what you did. Understand?¡±


    An eighteen-year-old was pulling the ¡°back in my day¡± card as if he was some old man, and I was helplessly suffering blow after blow. Unable to just stand there and take it, I charged at him.


    ¡°<i>Heup</i>!¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re trying to hit a senior, huh?¡±


    He evaded my punch with a simple tilt of his head and seemed astonished that I even dared to throw a punch. He scoffed and grabbed my hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna need to teach this bastard a real lesson.¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    In the chest.


    ¡°Seriously.¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    Then in the abdomen.


    ¡°You really wanna die, don¡¯t you?¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    ¡°<i>Huck</i>!¡±


    A blownded on my face.


    Everyone, ssmates and seniors alike, was watching me get pummeled with vacant expressions.


    Unexpectedly, the expressions of those watching me get hit didn¡¯t seem like satisfaction, but horror.


    As I was held by the hair and struck continuously, I realized something.


    I might be bad at fighting, but it seemed like I had still won the fight.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get beaten to dea¡ª¡±


    <i>Grasp!</i>


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°<i>Agh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Gotcha, you piece of shit.¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Aghhhhh</i>!¡±


    I grabbed the guy¡¯s crotch and squeezed with all my might. I scored a direct hit, and like seizing a victory crown, I took hold of his jewels.


    Hmm... I supposed it was about average for high school students.


    ¡°Now, I want you to beg for your life.¡±


    ¡°<i>Aghhh</i>! Hey. Hey. Let go. Let go, I¡¯m telling you nice¡ª<i>agh</i>!!! Stop!¡±


    The limits of his vocal cords and his manhood were being seriously tested in front of everyone.


    The other seniors witnessed the appalling scene and tried to approach me to make me stop.


    ¡°Hey, stop it already!¡±


    ¡°<i>Aghh</i>! This guy¡¯s crazy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, you bastards!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°<i>Urghhhhh</i>! <i>Aghhh</i>! <i>Unghhh</i>!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna twist it! Would you like that?! Should I just twist it off? Huh? Just try me. I¡¯ll spin it a full circle! Do you want to see this guy living the rest of his life as a sterile dud? Huh? If youe any closer, this guy¡¯s family line ends with him!¡±


    My threats held them at bay, and none dared toe closer; meanwhile, I tightened my grip further.


    ¡°Let go! Let go! Let gooooooooohuhuhuhuhuhuh!¡±


    ¡°Say ¡®please have mercy on me¡¯, and I¡¯ll let go.¡±


    The male students, witnessing this horrifying scene, instinctively tensed up and covered their own crotches.


    ¡°Ha-have! Have mercy! Have mercy on me!!!¡±


    ¡°You have to say the word ¡®please.¡¯ Come on now!¡±


    <i>Squeeze!</i>


    ¡°Please have mercy on meeeeeehoohoohoohoot!<i> Hoot</i>!¡±


    The guy, by this point, had started making noises like a little girl.


    ¡°Did you really think I was going to let go? Not a chance!¡±


    <i>Squeeeeze!</i>


    ¡°<i>Krrrhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu</i>! <i>Eeeeeeek</i>! <i>Eek</i>!¡±


    He was really making some oundish noises, and I almost got goosebumps just listening to it.


    ¡°Take your little crew of brats and get lost,¡± I muttered darkly. ¡°You might have been able to beat me up this time, but next time you do that to me again, be ready to say goodbye to your precious one for good. Next time, I¡¯m really going to twist it right off.¡±


    I let go of him and watched as he copsed onto the floor, writhing in pain.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°<i>Kek</i>!¡±


    ¡°Take your scumbag friend and get lost, you pieces of shit.¡±


    As a finishing move, I delivered a ser kick to the guy¡¯s face.


    ***


    It seemed that attending to the guy foaming at the mouth and writhing on the ground was an urgent matter, as two of the seniors hurriedly gathered him up and disappeared with him.


    ¡°Crazy, psycho, pervert!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±


    The little kid called Rudina had tears welling up her eyes as she followed the injured senior who was getting carried out. It seemed like she was extremely shocked at what just happened.


    However, one senior remained on the training grounds. She also had a look of disbelief and horror at what she had witnessed, but she seemed rtively calmpared to the others. She was a female senior.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna leave too?¡±


    ¡°Hey junior, you¡¯re making the situation far too serious.¡±


    ¡°Well, should I have just stood there and taken a beating without even trying to fight back?¡±


    ¡°Junior, I¡¯d like to talk this out nicely. Since there are no other seniors around, could you at least show me the minimum of respect?¡±


    There was a persuasive undertone in her voice that made me feel slightly uneasy.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was, but there was something about her that seemed very strong, and made her seem more adult-like. She was likely hinting to me to stop speaking so informally to her. Since she was willing to speak to me nicely, there was no reason for me to respond with a lousy attitude.


    The other kids seemed to have given up trying to understand how the situation was unfolding.


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll do that. So, what do you wish to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a second-year in the Royal ss, A-2, Adriana. You said your name was Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Wow, formally introducing ourselves?! Did I finally find someone who was normal?


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing this because we want to. It¡¯s been carried on from generation to generation, so the upper-ssmen pressure us to do it, and to do it quickly.¡±


    It was a typical way of perpetuating an unjust system; being forced to do it even if you didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Rudina is naive. She¡¯s not the type who can show actual scorn. She was probably forcing herself to say harsh words to you guys despite not meaning it on the inside. The upper years chose her and made her do it against her will.¡±


    ¡°Why not just refuse then? Why do it if it only results in everyone getting hurt?¡±


    ¡°Because this is how it¡¯s always been. I know, it¡¯s strange and doesn¡¯t make sense. But abolishing something that has been carried on without valid reason can actually lead to moreplicated problems.¡±


    It seemed very clear that Adriana herself disliked doing such things. Due to pressure from the upper-ssmen, a little kid like Rudina had been forced to carry on the tradition, regardless of her will.


    ¡°If we admit to the upper-ssmen we didn¡¯t carry on the tradition, then the third-year students will probablye and find you, like how we just did now. If that happens... are you going to do the same thing you just did then?¡±


    She asked if I would perform the same embarrassing and dismissive acts I had just done to drive away the third-years.


    ¡°As the students go up in grades, so does their strength increase. You may get seriously injured.¡±


    That¡¯s right. One grew stronger with time spent at the Temple.


    I was fortunate to have found a way out this time by grabbing the second-year student¡¯s sensitive parts, but such a chance wouldn¡¯t even present itself if those from even higher grades came to confront us.


    ¡°And the teachers, do they just stand by and watch all this happen?¡±


    ¡°They all turn a blind eye.¡±


    It must have been favorable for the teachers if the students who were prone to acting all superior and mighty were restrained like this by the upper-ssmen. They let the students deal with the overly bold ones themselves, and even tacitly encouraged the action.


    ¡°Junior, let¡¯s just end here. If this esctes any further, we might get a scolding from the upper-ssmen and that¡¯ll be it for us, but it¡¯ll be much worse for you when they find out.¡±


    Essentially, her proposal was that I should just cower andply like everyone else. Adriana was persuasively suggesting this in quite a gentle manner, and it was clear that she wasn¡¯t willing to endure significant trouble to break this cycle.


    She was basically asking me to stop making a scene and just y along for once.


    I understood what she meant, and I could tell that she was a person I could finally work with.


    ¡°Tell the third-years toe then. There must be someone among the upper-ssmen who¡¯s pushing this behavior, pressing you guys about why it hasn¡¯t been done.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Adriana seemed taken aback. She had not expected that I would escte things further.


    I dealt with the second-years, and now, bring on the third-years!


    Challenge epted!


    ¡°But not today, and not tomorrow either,¡± I said as I shed a cunning smile.


    ¡°Tell them toe on Monday. Specifically, Monday night.¡±


    I knew exactly why they had chosen the weekend toe for us. Adriana also seemed to understand immediately what I was getting at and bit her lip slightly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if those third-year punks have the guts to tell Vertus de Gradias to go down into a push-up position as well. Why does such a thing have to be done during such a leisurely time like the weekend? It¡¯s like they purposely chose it to be on a Saturday! I absolutely will not ept what¡¯s being done right now. This is something that everyone should endure together. I promise that if they show up on Monday, I¡¯ll ept the tradition quietly.¡±


    There was a <i>clear</i> reason why they had specificallye on the weekend.


    They must have waited until the prince returned to the imperial pce for the weekend.


    Even within the Royal ss, no one would want to mess with a prince. Although they might have dared to do this to other royals or nobles, touching the prince of the imperial capital would have seemed off-limits even to them.


    ¡°If those third-years don¡¯t show up on Monday, I¡¯ll go ahead and assume that this sort of thing isn¡¯t going to happen anymore.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone was shocked that I would audaciously bring up the prince.


    Adriana closed her eyes and sighed briefly.


    ¡°You really are something else.¡±


    Theposed senior left these words behind as she quietly left the training grounds. It seemed she never expected someone would be crazy enough to bring the prince into this.


    I turned to Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    ¡°There, I¡¯ve taken the ¡®responsibility¡¯ you kept on talking about. Happy now, thick skull?¡±


    ¡°... D-don¡¯t... don¡¯t call me thick skull! I-I¡¯m way smarter than someone like you! By a long shot!¡±


    ¡°Okay sure, a mediocre thick skull. Good now?¡±


    ¡°Y-you! You little¡ª!!¡±


    She yelled till her face turned red, but it was clear that she was relieved that a solution to the earlier incident had been found, whatever it may be.


    As the others began to disperse one by one, the looks they gave me appeared different from before.


    It was as though they had discovered a useful attribute in the crazy psycho that was to be avoided¡ªthere was a peculiar sense of recognition.

 Chapter 40

    <h4>Chapter 40</h4>


    At first, I certainly tried my best not to stand out too much, but now it had be a case of letting things take their own course. The fact was, I had already caused a lot of trouble and had received far too much attention, and it was toote to go back.


    Well, whatever. Things would work out somehow.


    It was true that from the moment I¡¯d refused to suffer the upper-year¡¯s hazing, the way the others looked at me had changed, although I wouldn¡¯t say that it was exactly friendly.


    The fact that I was the audacious guy who¡¯d told the second-years toe back with the third-years when the prince was around had only added to my reputation.


    Somehow, it seemed I was bing the crazy guy who consistently exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations, no matter what those might have been.


    ¡°... You used my name on the seniors?¡± Vertus asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I told Vertus the truth after he returned to the dormitory on Sunday. I figured it was better for him to hear it from my own mouth than to find out about itter from someone else. We were speaking on the terrace that we¡¯d drank tea on previously. It was a secluded andfortable ce that was suited for such conversation.


    Vertus seemed taken aback that I had used his name to ward off the seniors.


    ¡°I knew there was such a tradition in the Royal ss, and I had been wondering why they weren¡¯t doing it to us... but it turns out that they were hesitating because of me, huh,¡± Vertus didn¡¯t bother to speak kindly or pretentiously in front of me.


    It seemed like Vertus had known about this tradition, and had been curious about why it wasn¡¯t happening.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do if the seniors show up on Monday? If we go by that logic, wouldn¡¯t it be your fault that I¡¯d be crawling on the floor and not the seniors¡¯?¡± Vertus asked with a sly smile, his eyes seemingly asking if I had a death wish.


    ¡°They probably won¡¯te on Monday anyway. But even if they do, it would be quite amusing.¡±


    ¡°Amusing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Whether you¡¯re forced to the ground or not, <i>they¡¯re</i> going to be the ones who are going to be shaking on the inside.¡±


    Would they dare to throw a punch at a prince who refused to bow down to them? Whether they did or did not, it would be funny either way. Or, in the case that Vertus <i>did</i> obediently bow down to them, the ones who gave the order might just have a heart attack. No matter how much the Temple preached equality and emphasized the importance of seniority, given the present situation where imperial authority had greatly increased, the imperial prince and princess were the second-most revered individuals in the world.


    Principles and reality werepletely different. Other princes and great nobility could be contended with, but an imperial prince was fundamentally different from all of them in terms of his ss.


    Vertus couldn¡¯t help butugh at the sight of someone shamelessly peddling his name.


    ¡°Alright, fine. But it still is a serious offense to use the name of an imperial prince in such a manner. I¡¯m assuming you didn¡¯t invoke the name of your fellow ssmate Vertus, but rather you used the name of Imperial Prince Vertus de Gradias. Surely, you didn¡¯t imply that I was one of your peers, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that how that works?¡± I replied.


    He was right. I wasn¡¯t simply asking them toe back when my ¡°friend¡± Vertus was back at the campus, but was daring them to do the same to the imperial prince.


    Shoot. Did my careless action finally anger him? Was I about to face retribution? Was it time for me to use the ring and run?


    ¡°Normally, wiping out your whole family would be the appropriate response. But I don¡¯t particrly want to go that far. Since you¡¯ve used my name once, I should be allowed to use you once too, right? That¡¯s only fair.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Was I even of any use to him? Regardless, Vertus was essentially proposing a fair exchange with me. Although invoking the name of an imperial prince within the Temple was technically not forbidden, it was still rather bizarre.


    ¡°I believe you share a few sses with my half-sister.¡±


    He must have been referring to Charlotte.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. Just, if you notice anything unusual about her, let me know.¡±


    So he was basically asking me to keep an eye on Charlotte de Gradias, and if anything out of the ordinary arose, I was to report back to him. He wasn¡¯t necessarily asking me to get closer to Charlotte, nor was it a directive to engage in any fraudulent activities¡ªit was simply a request to observe her.


    In the end, though, it seemed I was gradually bing a chess piece in Vertus¡¯s long game. It was irksome to think about.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I wondered if there would even be anything unusual to report. I barely exchanged words with Charlotte to begin with. To her, I waspletely non-existent, someone not even worthy of recognition. Did she even know who I was?


    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t I ask you to try to get along well with the others?¡± said Vertus with a sigh, feigning annoyance.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? By my standards, I¡¯m getting along just fine. After all, you could say I saved the others from getting harassed today as well,¡± I said, taking undue credit.


    Vertus let out a derisiveugh at my undeserved self-praise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think calling Lady Saint-Ouen ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯ qualifies as getting along well,¡± he remarked.


    <i>¡®Did she already tell you what had happened?¡¯</i>


    ***


    My private talks with Vertus were hardly a secret. As a result, my ssmates had begun to look at me in a peculiar way.


    We seemed like an unlikely pair, yet there we were, chatting away. And from a distance, one might even think that we were close friends.


    It was even more odd to think that Vertus didn¡¯t seem particrly angry at a self-professed beggar using his name so lightly.


    Everyone seemed confused about the situation.


    ¡°Ve... Vertus!¡± cried Erhi as he approached, looking ashen as he ran up to Vertus, who had just left the terrace.


    ¡°Yes? Do you have something to say?¡± Vertus responded.


    ¡°Y... you should be careful of that guy...¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to worry about Reinhart. He¡¯s just a bit awkward, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡±


    Well, even from my own point of view, I wouldn¡¯t describe myself as merely awkward.


    The conversation between them seemed to be spiraling into spection that I, the bottom-feeder that I was, might one day recklessly harm the prince due to my barbaric nature.


    Their voices faded as I got further away.


    Come to think of it, at this moment at least, I seemed to be more useful to Vertus than Erhi was.


    A rumor was slowly spreading, creating the image that I was somewhat closer to the prince than the others, which was mystifying to the other students.


    So what? It wasn¡¯t my problem.


    I, too, was unsure about what to do.


    Vertus would definitely treat me well the moment I proved I was useful to him. Whether it led to a closer connection or necessitated a separationter on, right now it seemed best to coborate with Vertus, as long as it did not involve any harm to Charlotte.


    As I headed to the dorm from the lobby, I saw Harriet sitting at a table, sipping tea and reading a book.


    When our eyes met, she furrowed her brow.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Every time she saw me, she would let out an exaggerated ¡°<i>Hmph</i>!¡± and turn her head away sharply.


    What was with her? Her reactions were so dramatic that it was almost cute.


    <i>¡®Hey, what¡¯s the deal, noble high school girl? ¡®Hmph¡¯? Seriously, when did that be a thing?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°What... What did you say?!¡± Her face turned red with rage again, but I just shrugged my shoulders.


    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t directing that at anyone. Why? Is your name Thick-Skull or something?¡±


    ¡°Uh... u-um...¡±


    She was getting conditioned by the words ¡®thick skull,¡¯ reacting every time she heard the word ¡®skull¡¯ even before I said anything.


    ¡°I thought you were smart, but apparently not.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    She sprang to her feet and stalked over to me.


    ¡°You keep provoking me to make me mention my status and breach the regtions, and you¡¯re nning to report me to the teachers after that so that I¡¯ll earn demerit points, right?!¡±


    It seemed her imagination had taken her on a wild flight of fantasy. My provocations were, in her mind, to incite her to exim something like ¡°How dare a peasant like you...!¡± and thus break the school rules.


    She must be thinking that, since I was a bit crazy, I might be doing it just for the thrill of it.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really have any particr intentions behind it...¡±


    ¡°Then why do you keep doing this to me! I don¡¯t have a thick skull! Do you get it? Why are you like this, you beggar brat?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. The trade-off is just too good. With just one word, ¡®skull¡¯, I can make you produce all kinds of reactions. Wouldn¡¯t you do it too if you were me?¡±


    ¡°What? Trade-off? What trade-off?¡±


    With just one word, I could elicit such dramatic reactions from her¡ªit was too fun not to continue.


    I walked past her as she stood there, dumbfounded, her face reddening, trying to find the right words to respond.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute, really.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what did you say? What did you just say...?¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯re cute. Regardless of whether you¡¯re a genius, a noble, or whatever, all kids your age should act cute, like kids do. And you¡¯re doing just that.¡±


    ¡°What... what are you even saying?¡±


    She seemed utterly confused, unable to determine whether my words were apliment or a scathing insult.


    Who knew tormenting a well-bred noble youngdy could be so entertaining? She seemed to question the situation, asking herself things like, ¡°How could I receive such insults from a beggar? Is this really happening? This can¡¯t possibly be happening, can it?¡± She lookedpletely shell-shocked, trying to make sense of the situation while clearly being unable to ept it.


    I chuckled to myself all the way back to the dormitory.


    ***


    We had amon ss on Monday, and there were various incidents that day.


    The first incident:


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    The second-year senior whom I had previously given a hard time hade looking for me in ss. He hadn¡¯te alone, but was apanied by the same seniors from before, except for Adriana, the one with theposed demeanor.


    There were four of them, including that little kid who red at me as if she wanted to exterminate me.


    The seniors¡¯ entrance caused the temperature in the ss to drop suddenly.


    Before I could say anything, he suddenly threw something at me.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    To be precise, it wasn¡¯t aimed at my face or any other part of my body; itnded squarely on my desk.


    It was a glove.


    I knew what this meant.


    ¡°You previously gave grave insult to the honor of Ard de Gritis, me, the heir of the Gritis family.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem as agitated as he was before.


    ¡°Thus, to repair this damaged honor, I am here to challenge you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°... A duel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a duel.¡±


    What kind of archaic nonsense was this?


    ¡°You can choose the time and ce. There, witnesses will observe our duel.¡±


    The others found the idea of a senior challenging a junior to a duel unbelievable.


    ¡°So, you were embarrassed because you tried to bully someone a year younger than you but ended up having your balls squeezed, screamed like hell, and now you¡¯re issuing a duel to protect your ego?¡±


    Those around me had to make a supreme effort not to burst outughing. The seniors red at those around us, trying to intimidate the students who were trying to hold theirughs, but even they couldn¡¯t hide their quivering lips.


    Regardless of whether or not he was a senior, the situation was hriously absurd.


    ¡°What you did was foul y! You scoundrel! Pervert!¡± the little brat, Rudina, yelled as she pointed her finger at me.


    ¡°If I¡¯m getting beat up like that, of course I¡¯d do anything to get out of that situation, even if that meant foul y. What are you even saying? Should I have just taken the beating quietly? Huh? Are you saying the weak should just stand there and let themselves be beaten up?¡±


    ¡°You talk too much. If you¡¯re going to refuse the duel and embrace dishonor, then so be it. It¡¯ll just prove what kind of man you are¡ªsomeone who can only win through such unclean methods,¡± Ard de Gritis responded, without any visible emotion.


    I knew from experience that if we fought, I was sure to be crushed. No¡ªnot just crushed, but severely injured.


    A duel, then... I recalled inserting a duel scene. Within the Temple, students could engage in a duel when there was mutual agreement, as long as they did not use real swords.


    I knew I would have a hard time, but I wouldn¡¯t die from a duel.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I ept.¡±


    It seemed no one had anticipated that I would agree to the duel¡ªnot even the challenger himself. My ssmates and the other seniors all seemed shocked at my response.


    ¡°Remember¡ªthis time, I won¡¯t be taken down by the same dirty tricks you yedst time.¡±


    I needed a situation that pushed me to my psychological limits, and a duel might just do the trick.


    That was why I epted the duel, despite knowing that I would be severely beaten.


    Whether the duel served that purpose for me or not, I wasn¡¯t sure, but it was all I could try.

 Chapter 41

    <h4>Chapter 41</h4>


    After the seniors left, it was natural that the atmosphere in the ss became awkward.


    ¡°Hey, you. Come have a quick talk with me.¡±


    ¡°About what exactly?¡±


    Although the rest had left, the little senior Rudina hadn¡¯t, and called me over. There was no aggression in her voice when she spoke. Although she had been ring at me as if she¡¯d wanted to kill me just moments before, she now had a frightened expression.


    She took me outside, and led me to a stairwaynding where it seemed no one would overhear us, before speaking up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°Out of my mind?¡±


    ¡°Ard is Number 3 of ss A, in the second year. Don¡¯t you understand what that means? Do you have a death wish?¡±


    It seemed she had assumed that I would embrace disgrace and refuse the duel. She knew that I had won the previous fight by targeting a vital point and not because I was actually good at fighting.


    ¡°He won¡¯t actually kill me.¡±


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t have any talent or abilities. What makes you so confident to ept a duel? Are you an idiot?¡±


    Adriana told me yesterday that this brat had been forced to carry out the hazing tradition, and that she actually had a very soft heart on the inside.


    Indeed, looking at her now, she seemed to be in quite a state of distress. She had been excited at the thought of taunting me if I¡¯d refused the duel, but since I had chosen the crazy option of epting it, she was the one who¡¯d gotten scared.


    ¡°A duel is no joke. I¡¯ve seen kids get badly hurt. Hurry up and go apologize to Ard and tell him that you¡¯re sorry! This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, you idiot! Even Ard was going to let you off the hook if you just apologized to him!¡±


    She was so flustered that she even spilled the discussions she¡¯d had with the second-years to me. Since they knew that Icked any fighting skills, it seemed they had nned to propose the duel, thinking I would back down and apologize to them, after which they would ept the apology and pretend like nothing happened.


    Yesterday, this bratty kid had caused a scene, but it looked like Adriana was right¡ªthis kid really seemed nice.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just life?¡± I said as I shrugged my shoulders nonchntly. ¡°If I get beaten up, then that¡¯s what happens.¡±


    Rudina seemed utterly unable to understand my calm reaction.


    The duel was set to be in two weeks¡¯ time, to be held in the training grounds of the first-year ss A dormitory. I set the date as if I had some sort of secret weapon or skill that would allow me to beat a second-year from the Royal ss in a duel in just two weeks.


    All I could hope for was that being in a psychologically-extreme situation might somehow work in my favor.


    I didn¡¯t want to face a situation as dire as an escape from the Demon King¡¯s castle where death was a distinct possibility. I hoped that the duel would be enough.


    While I was indeed bracing myself for a severe beating and felt somewhat intimidated, I couldn¡¯t just keep wasting time while my ability remained locked away, so I had to do something about it.


    [New Event Update - Duel with Ard de Gritis


    Description: Ard de Gritis demands satisfaction for the dishonor you¡¯ve brought upon his name through a duel. Your chances of winning are almost non-existent.


    Objective: Proceed with the duel.


    Reward for victory: 600 achievement points


    Reward for loss: 200 achievement points]


    As if it were to be expected, an event system message was triggered.


    In this case, I¡¯d receive a reward even if I lost the duel.


    The reward had to be for just going through with the duel. Since there was little to no chance of winning, it was likely that I might also avoid the duel altogether.


    That was good news, as I¡¯d still get something as a reward even if the duel didn¡¯t necessarily awaken my talent.


    Was this basically the system¡¯s way of consoling me before I took a beating?


    Although I was the one who had volunteered for this, it was still a bit depressing.


    ***


    Duels were permissible within the Temple grounds, but a teacher had to be present as a witness. This was to ensure that the duel between students wouldn¡¯t end with someone actually dying.


    ¡°...¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser was watching me silently. I had previously arranged for Mr. Effenhauser to be the witness for the duel, and so I reported the details of the duel to him.


    ¡°If the duel is agreed upon by both parties, there is no problem. Write down the location, ce, and date.¡±


    He got straight to the point without asking me if I was crazy or saying anything else unnecessary. The fact that he showed no worry and did not try to interfere was both nice and peculiar at the same time.


    The rumor that Reinhart of A-11 was going to have a duel with a second-year spread naturally within ss A and even to ss B. To be exact, this happened during the joint education physical education ss.


    ¡°Reinhart? What on earth happened? You¡¯re having a duel? And moreover, with a second-year?¡± Ludwig asked me during a short break after we finished our running and strength exercises.


    The unexpected conversation seemed to have caused Ludwig to be worried about me.


    ¡°Just some things happened. It¡¯s too long to exin.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to apologize and end it there? You might get seriously hurt.¡±


    Ludwig tenaciously argued that I could get hurt and that it would be best to just apologize and end the situation.


    Even though we were split into sses A and B, the kids from ss B were looking at me with concern as well, perhaps because we were all in the same year. And those who seemed to know the details of the situation were more shocked.


    Yet, for some reason, Charlotte was staring at me intently. Her gaze felt distinctly different from that of the other kids. It wasn¡¯t just my imagination, and I was positive about that.


    Right after the physical education ss, as I was exhaustedly making my way to the changing room, Charlotte called out to stop me.


    ¡°You¡¯re Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±


    Charlotte slowly approached me and then ced something in my hand.


    ¡°Read it.¡±


    Leaving me with those cold,manding words, Charlotte walked away towards the ssroom building.


    There was a single sentence written on the note.


    ¡°<i>Stay in the ssroom after ss.</i>¡±


    What was she trying to do?


    I¡¯d been asked by Vertus to keep an eye on Charlotte, but now it seemed like Charlotte herself wanted something to do with me as well.


    ***


    With physical education over, themon sses came to an end. Mr. Effenhauser gave the dismissal, and all the students left the ssroom.


    Since the life-threatening escape from the Demon King¡¯s castle and even after my arrival at the Temple, I hadn¡¯t exchanged a single word with Charlotte.


    Had she figured out my identity? If that was the case, I would have to leave the Temple and go into hiding. But if she <i>had</i> realized, how?


    After all the students had cleared out, I remained in the ssroom as per Charlotte¡¯s instructions.


    <i>Whoosh.</i>


    The door slid open, and Charlotte entered the ss A ssroom.


    It wasmon for one¡¯s personality in a crisis to differ from their usual demeanor. The Charlotte I had seen, fully aware that her life was in danger, weeping while cradling what I presumed to be her mother¡¯s body in the detention cell, was the Charlotte I remembered.


    However, she seemed like apletely different person. Charlotte de Gradias seemed utterly cold as she stood before me now. Was this the real Charlotte?


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Charlotte approached me and casually sat on the desk next to mine, looking at me.


    ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t want to associate with someone of your kind.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®Why¡¯s she acting like this all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I heard you go around stirring everything up. You like to stand out, have a nasty temper, and even today, you epted a challenge to a duel proposed by a senior...¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have heard rumors about me and had formed a very negative impression of me. I hadn¡¯t exactly been on my best behavior, so I couldn¡¯t me Charlotte for thinking poorly of me.


    Still, her words stung a little.


    ¡°Do you behave more aggressively towards others because you think that being of low birth will make them disregard you otherwise?¡±


    Charlotte was blunt with her words as she tried to feel out the intentions behind my behavior. She seemed to think that I was acting tough so others wouldn¡¯t look down on me.


    After pursuing the conversation further, it didn¡¯t seem like she had figured out my true identity.


    So then, if that was the case, what did she actually need from me?


    ¡°I heard you were from the streets, so I did some research on you.¡±


    <i>¡®Research?¡¯</i>


    Why look into me? Just because I was a beggar?


    The rumor had started to spread on Saturday. Did that mean she¡¯d looked into me in that short span of time?


    ¡°I know who you are.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? What does she know?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Who sent you, the kind of people you¡¯re surrounded by, and which organizations your group is connected to.¡±


    Chills ran down my spine.


    Charlotte might have not known that I was a demon, but she knew something else.


    She knew about the Rotary Club and the fact that it was supported by the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°Just keep in mind that dealing with vermin like you is not part of my regr business.¡±


    She did not dislike me for being annoying and troublesome.


    She despised me solely because she thought I was associated with a criminal organization, a social evil.


    The influence Vertus wielded was indeed dangerous, but it was now clear that Charlotte, having returned to the imperial city,manded a force that was not to be underestimated either.


    How had she been able to uncover such information in such a short time?


    Just the fact that my origins were revealed had allowed her to track down the Rotary Club and even find a lead that connected them to the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    The situation was bing seriously entangled.


    ¡°Hold on... I... I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would naively believe you if you simply said that the gang of beggars who took you in sent you to the Temple just to educate you?¡±


    Charlotte leaned against the desk, then approached me with a piercing gaze as if she found the situation ludicrous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with your pathetic act. If you continue to pretend to know nothing, I will immediately order the city guards to sweep that filthy sewer clean.¡±


    Denying the connection would be futile.


    Neither Vertus nor Charlotte were the sort that I could control. In fact, Charlotte was more critical than Vertus. While Vertus did not seem to have investigated my past, Charlotte had not only dug into my background, but could also bring Loyar into this.


    Under normal circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t have even bothered dealing with someone like me.


    But this was <i>not</i> a normal circumstance.


    Ultimately, Charlotte had a purpose for approaching me. Denying my connection with them would only put the Rotary Club in danger.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± I responded, as though conceding to her.


    Charlotte pulled something out of her pocket. She spread the piece of paper out, and on it was a portrait.


    ¡°This child.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    Of course, I knew who it was.


    It was me, with my horns hidden by a magical disguise.


    ¡°Find this child, and find out everything about him. If he¡¯s alive, find out where he¡¯s living. If he¡¯s dead, find out where and why he died, and who killed him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Find him. No questions asked.¡±


    Charlotte stared at me with cold eyes that suggested she would destroy everything I had if I failed to locate the child.


    ¡°Wait. Even if I try to find him, what can I possibly do...? You¡¯re asking me to find someone whose name and other details <i>you</i> don¡¯t even know. You would have more of a chance to fi¡ª¡±


    Charlotte only narrowed her eyes at my argument that I was just part of a beggar¡¯s organization and couldn¡¯t possibly do much with my limited manpower and resources.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. The only important thing is that you find him faster than Vertus does.¡±


    I had killed knights of Duke Salerion. I didn¡¯t know what had happened to Dyrus, but surely Dyrus and I were both targets of Duke Salerion.


    It was certain that Vertus was also looking for me, just as Charlotte was.


    Charlotte appeared to be mobilizing all the manpower she could to find me. That¡¯s why she resorted to involving an organization that she would not normally even spare a nce at.


    ¡°What if... What if I find him and hand him over to Vertus?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡±


    I was in ss A, which meant that I would naturally be closer to Vertus.


    Cold fury flickered in the depths of Charlotte¡¯s eyes. ¡°But if that happens, not only will I destroy your organization, but I will make sure that your death wille at my hands.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it. The person you¡¯re looking for is right in front of you!¡¯</i>


    I never expected that Charlotte would be searching for me so desperately. She must have been unable to forget me, or what had happened before.


    She probably thought that, if Vertus found me first, he would kill me.


    ¡°But, why... Why is this guy so important to you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. You just have a person to find, and that¡¯s what you need to do.¡±


    Charlotte pushed the portrait against my chest as if there was no need to offer an exnation to someone like me.


    ¡°Report to me regrly on the status of your investigation. From now on, getting good grades at the Temple is not your highest priority. This is. Understand?¡±


    The lives of everyone in the club, as well as my own, depended on this task.

 Chapter 42

    <h4>Chapter 42</h4>


    The boy who had saved Charlotte¡¯s life, but soon disappeared and was nowhere to be found...


    Charlotte seemed to think that that boy might have be a street beggar, wandering the streets. That¡¯s why she thought that a beggar like me might have some connections with the streets and instructed me to find that boy.


    A student from a beggar group who had enrolled in the Temple. To Charlotte, I must have seemed like the perfect person to find the boy she was looking for.


    However, although Charlotte¡¯s reasoning seemed logical, she wasn¡¯t entirely being rational when it came to this. The flickering emotions in her eyes when she asked me to find him actually showed that she was far from calm, and was not being objective.


    In fact, it rather seemed like she had lost her senses, threatening me and insisting that I find him by any means necessary, as if she had been unable to control her emotions.


    Charlotte had conducted a quick, thorough investigation into my background, but she seemed incapable of making a rational judgment.


    She should have found me suspicious after hearing the various stories from Dyrus in the first ce, but Charlotte¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t reflect that at all. She merely seemed desperate to find somebody she found extremely important to her.


    There exists, at one time or another, people who are simply incapable of suspecting another person, and that was Charlotte. She seemed entirely unable to harbor any suspicion toward the me that had saved her. Perhaps she believed that I had either run away, or had been kidnapped and killed.


    If Charlotte had even the slightest inkling that I could have been a demon or in disguise, she would have doubted me from the get-go.


    Considering my origins as a beggar, the date that my official identification was issued, and her inquiries among the beggars, Charlotte should have easily realized that I was someone who had appeared out of nowhere.


    However, Charlotte was so obsessively fixated on finding Baalier that she merely saw me as a tool for her search, rather than harboring any doubt about who <i>I</i> really was.


    I felt both pleased and distressed at the same time. After all, I was in a position where I had to deceive Charlotte, who was so desperately searching for me.


    I was on a strange mission of being tasked with finding my own self and bringing myself to Charlotte. All of this would have been easily resolved if I showed up in front of Charlotte as Baalier, but then, she probably wouldn¡¯t let me go, and use any means to try to keep me by her side.


    What was I to do?


    Moreover, one of my aplices, Sarkegar, was the one who had kidnapped the princess. So revealing my true identity was out of the question, and simply standing before Charlotte as Baalier was dangerous too.


    This was not something I could work out alone.


    I had to discuss this with Loyar, Eleris, and Sarkegar.


    In any case, I found myself perfectly wedged between Vertus and Charlotte.


    From that moment on, my actions would determine if mying to the Temple was the worst decision or the best one.


    ***


    Although I was closer to Vertus in a physical sense, my heart was with Charlotte.


    Honestly, I felt terribly sorry. It was distressing that I couldn¡¯t appear as myself before her even though she had searched for me so earnestly. And moreover, I, the Demon prince, was basically Charlotte¡¯s worst enemy.


    And now, the club hade within the princess¡¯s reach. I wasn¡¯t sure what Vertus would do, but if the princess thought I was up to any mischief, she could now wipe out the Rotary Club, bring up my association with the Thieves¡¯ Guild, and either get me expelled from the Temple or at least harshly punished.


    Pleading ignorance was futile as well, since Charlotte had already seen through everything.


    She didn¡¯t know the most important truth about me, but she knew all the facts that could put me in a problematic situation.


    I couldn¡¯t tell Vertus about the orders Charlotte had given me, as just speaking of it would be enough to cost me my life.


    I didn¡¯t know what to tell Vertus if he asked what Charlotte and I had talked aboutter.


    Both Vertus and Charlotte were looking for Baalier, each with different objectives. Vertus sought revenge against Baalier, while Charlotte was trying to protect him.


    The situation was getting more and more tangled.


    Speaking of which, I wondered what had be of Dyrus. Obviously, I couldn¡¯t ask Charlotte about it, but I was still curious. If he had faced retribution from Duke Salerion, he would have already been killed. All I could do was hope that Charlotte was taking good care of him.


    But who was I to worry about someone else, anyway?


    Both heirs to the empire¡¯s throne were expecting something from me. Things would be more straightforward if I only had to deal with one side, but being entangled in both their schemes was a mess.


    That aside, I had to discuss Charlotte¡¯s matter separately.


    But that was not all.


    I had to prepare for the duel with Ard which was set for the week after. While I was sure I¡¯d take a brutal beating, I couldn¡¯t just sit around and let time pass.


    ***


    When I returned to the dormitory, someone called out to me.


    ¡°Hey, beggar.¡±


    ¡°What is it...?¡±


    It was no other than Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    When I responded, she covered her mouth andughed.


    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t direct that to anyone specific. Why, are you a beggar?¡±


    Was she seriously using the trick I used against her?


    ¡°Yes, I am. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Hm?¡±


    She seemed taken aback by my unexpected response, and her expression grew dumbfounded.


    I didn¡¯t remember setting her up as a character with such characteristics, but why was she acting so cute?


    She reminded me of a niece who was trying to pretend to be an adult by acting all smart and tough. She was so endearingly clueless that I couldn¡¯t even get angry.


    ¡°Yeah, I am a beggar. What about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that... uh...¡±


    She seemed like she¡¯d been expecting a wild reaction from me, as if calling me a beggar would have caused me to get extremely angry and frustrated. However, now that I¡¯d reacted calmly and asked her what she wanted from me instead, she seemed at a loss for words.


    ¡°I... I h-heard you¡¯re going to duel, right?¡±


    <i>¡®Why are you pretending that you heard that from someone when you were literally right there at the scene? It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re trying toe up with some kind of random conversation to cover up your shock.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the senior is really strong and scary. You¡¯re seriously gonna get beaten up pretty badly.¡±


    ¡°If I get beaten up, I get beaten up. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to beat me to death or anything.¡±


    My nonchnt response seemed to stun her.


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m practically pissing myself from fear.¡±


    My nonchnt acknowledgement of my fear, seemed to leave her even more baffled. It seemed that, although she knew I was a peculiar guy, my reaction only further reinforced her assessment of me as an iprehensibly strange person.


    ¡°If you¡¯re so scared, then why did you even ept the duel?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? Maybe something in me just snapped.¡±


    I didn¡¯t even try toe up with a story to exin to her how I was trying to awaken some supernatural power by being ced in an extreme psychological situation.


    Harriet stared at me as if I were out of my mind, and eventually shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯ll have to enjoy watching you get thrashed,¡± she said, shing a deliberately wicked smile.


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    ¡°... Hmph!¡±


    Paying no attention to her reaction, I headed toward the training grounds.


    As I thought about it, though, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that I seemed to have managed to have a surprisingly calm conversation with her.


    ***


    Although my physical abilities were not significantly behind those of my peers, they were nothingpared to those who had true talent inbat.


    Of course, there were also those like Erhi de Raffaeli, who had the talent but didn¡¯t put in any effort at all.


    On the ss A dormitory training grounds, there were always two students practicing by themselves with practice swords, repeatedly striking dummies or honing their stances.


    They were A-2 Ellen Artorius and A-5 Cliffman.


    Each followed their own routine, diligently repeating their training daily. They didn¡¯t even go out on weekends, and dedicated their entire days to practice, practice and more practice.


    Despite training in the same space all this time, though, I could bet everything I had that they¡¯d never exchanged a single conversation until now.


    I picked up a practice sword.


    But what exactly did one do for swordsmanship practice?


    Those guys who were over there seemed perfectly capable of keeping themselves busy on their own.


    In novels, this was typically written merely as ¡°training in swordsmanship,¡± so I didn¡¯t know what specific process that entailed. Improvements to an individual¡¯s skill would also generally be glossed over, with vague notions of ¡°leveling up¡± or ¡°increasing in rank,¡± or even just simply that ¡°they got better than they were before.¡±


    Since neither of these two on the training grounds were the type to teach me even if I asked, I just began swinging the sword in random directions.


    However, I wasn¡¯t necessarily swinging aimlessly. I recalled the swordsmanship movements I had learned the previous week and followed them as if reying those memories. Not to mention I also trained my moves while studying the manuals provided as well.


    Topress it all into a single word, ¡°Swordsmanship,¡± belied the enormous amount of work that had to be done.


    It wasn¡¯t just about swinging a sword. I realized the importance of the strength in my wrists and forearms as well as my footwork.


    The two of them, silently wielding their swords, on weekdays and through the weekends, suddenly seemed immensely impressive to me.


    ***


    ¡°<i>Huff</i>... <i>huff</i>...¡±


    After dinner, I continued to wield my sword and practice.


    I was on the training grounds along with Ellen, who had stayed to practice even after Cliffman had returned to the dormitory. Of course, Ellen didn¡¯t just practice wielding the sword the whole day, but left the training grounds and returned frequently, continuously finding ways to spend time by herself.


    Time passed, and eventually, I was the only one left on the training grounds, swinging my sword.


    Did this actually lead to any improvement?


    It had been only a single day, and I was already tired and exhausted. I needed to be ustomed to this sort of training, not just because of the duel that was in two weeks, but also because I couldn¡¯t rely solely on my audacious nature to get me through forever.


    Then came the realization that the third-year students hadn¡¯te looking for me, despite me stayingte into the night. It seemed my prediction was correct; they did not want to meddle with the prince directly.


    Did that mean they wanted to oppress the second-year students, but were too afraid of Vertus?


    Although the third-year students didn¡¯t show up, someone unexpected hade to the training grounds.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, junior. I came because I heard you were here.¡±


    It was Adriana, the second-year senior with a calm demeanor.


    She looked at me lying sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat, my practice sword strewn beside me, and she furrowed her brow.


    ¡°What brings you here, senior?¡±


    ¡°... Rudina asked me toe.¡±


    ¡°The little brat?¡±


    <i>¡®What could she have asked for?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes. Rudina was worried. She said that Ard is also seriously preparing for the duel and that you might end up half-dead. She asked if there was any way to persuade you to give up the duel.¡±


    The little brat indeed was so kind that it made me feel guilty about the harsh words I¡¯d previously said to her.


    Adriana sighed as she looked at my worn-out state.


    ¡°But I see that you¡¯re not cking around either, and trying to do something about it as well.¡±


    ¡°Well... yeah.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to beat Ard in just two weeks no matter how much effort you put in. I suppose you know that much yourself, right?¡±


    Adriana seemed truly unable toprehend why I was doing all this. Why ept a duel that was clearly lost, and why wear myself out on the training grounds swinging a sword when there was no chance of victory?


    ¡°I have to at least try.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to lose. And it¡¯ll be a terrible defeat, too.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°... Instead of voluntarily enduring a greater humiliation, you should just apologize to him before it¡¯s toote. Surely you realize you crossed the line and are also in the wrong as well. Besides, Ard isn¡¯t as bad a person as you think he is.¡±


    ¡°I never thought of him as a bad person.¡±


    I could understand why he did what he did, even though I was the one who ended up in this mess. It must have been humiliating for him to be humiliated in that manner by a junior.


    Adriana bit her lip slightly.


    ¡°If you know you¡¯re going to lose and you don¡¯t think Ard is that bad a person, then why can¡¯t you just apologize and avoid the duel?¡±


    ¡°Just because.¡±


    I picked up the practice sword, rose to my feet, and began practicing my stance again.


    ¡°I need to get beaten up a little.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Just something I have to go through.¡±


    <i>¡®Do you really think I want to get beaten up just because I want to or something?¡¯</i>


    <i>Swish! Swish!</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m doing this so that maybe enduring a beating would finally provide me a way out of this hopeless situation for good!¡¯ </i>


    After watching me for a while, Adriana sighed.


    ¡°Junior.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Adriana slowly approached as if to stop me, then took the sword from my hand.


    She effortlessly performed the motions I had just been attempting. Unlike my clumsy movements, hers were wless, like perfectly-executed choreography.


    ¡°Ugh... Why am I even showing you something you can¡¯t even follow...?¡±


    Adriana sighed as if she herself could not understand why she was demonstrating such a thing and handed the practice sword back to me.


    ¡°Try that.¡±


    I imitated exactly what Adriana had just shown me and executed the motion on the dummy.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We looked at each other in silence.


    She came closer, grabbed my arm, and began to move it around. My arm flopped about limply. It was obvious that most of my strength had drained away.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point swinging away like this when all your strength is gone. You¡¯re just going to end up hurting your wrist.¡±


    Adriana looked at me as if I were hopeless, then suddenly closed her eyes. A white aura gathered around her hands and began to flow into my body.


    ¡°This, this is...¡±


    ¡°... Oh I forgot, you¡¯re new here.¡±


    Adriana opened her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be a holy knight.¡±


    It appeared she had a talent for swordsmanship and divine power. Second-year A-2 Adriana was Number 2 in ss A, so it was reasonable to assume she had other talents as well. Even so, already being able to use divine spells at her age was quite remarkable.


    She had used a divine spell to restore me, and as a result, the soreness and fatigue in my muscles seemed to have faded slightly.


    ¡°Now, try again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With my strength now restored, I expressed my gratitude and tried to imitate the motion that Adriana had shown me again.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    However, nothing changed.

 Chapter 43

    <h4>Chapter 43</h4>


    ¡°Your basic physical fitness is simply too poor. You shouldn¡¯t be wielding a sword. You should focus on physical training first,¡± said Adriana between deep sighs. She seemed perplexed as to why she was even bothering with such a hopeless person.


    ¡°Starting tomorrow, wake up two hours earlier than usual. And wait for me in the main lobby.¡±


    Whether it was out of annoyance or concern, Adriana seemed unable to leave me alone. Whatever it was, there was no way I was going to decline someone who was offering help.


    I wondered why she was even bothering to help a junior like me, who picked fights with her own ssmate.


    The next morning, I was in the lobby at six o¡¯clock, which was significantly earlier than my usual wake-up time, dressed in training clothes. Although it was so early that the ce was only dimly lit, it seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one in the lobby.


    Other students wereing out one by one for physical training in the morning.


    Ludwig and Ellen were there as well.


    ¡°Reinhart? What brings you here? nning to do some exercise in the morning?¡± Ludwig eximed.


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Great! Shall we go together then?¡±


    <i>¡®That burst of energy from you is good and all, but don¡¯t overestimate my physical capabilities.¡¯</i>


    ¡°No. I¡¯d suffer from cardiac arrest in a heartbeat just trying to keep up with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on, could it really be that bad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positive it will be. So please, go on without me.¡±


    Running along him would be likemitting suicide. Even Ellen couldn¡¯t match him when it came to stamina. That was how outrageous his A+ rank stamina was.


    ¡°Hey, Ellen! Want to run together today?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ellen answered curtly, then left the dormitory lobby.


    Ludwig, looked at the perpetually-brusque Ellen, then turned to me andughed.


    ¡°Does Ellen hate me?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Ellen probably wouldn¡¯t give any of us the time of day.


    After sending off those who were leaving for their morning exercise, a bit of time passed before I saw Adrianaing down from the second floor. Her shoulder-length hair was tied up in a ponytail.


    The senior was veryposed, and she had a somewhat modern beauty about her. You could say she looked just like a ¡°real¡± high-school girl.


    I gave a slight bow, and Adriana responded by nodding her head instead of a verbal greeting.


    Adriana was probably the person I showed the most respect to at the moment.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this look bad to your peers?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What would?¡±


    ¡°You helping me with my physical training.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have to be slightly better at either physical strength or fighting, so....¡± With a groan, she started stretching and loosening up her body. ¡°That way, I wouldn¡¯t have to hear any rumors about Ard picking on a kid far weaker than him just because he felt like it.¡±


    So basically, there was sufficient reason for her to help with my training, even if it was for the sake of Ard¡¯s honor. That¡¯s what she meant. Although I was still certain to lose, I was still grateful for her help.


    A prospective holy knight with superior swordsmanship skills who, given that she woke up at this time, had to be diligent as well. And to top it all off, she was kind and had a calm demeanor.


    Damn, was she really the perfect human being? She was so admirable for a high school student thatparing her to me, someone who shouted profanities at kids far younger than myself, made me feel inferior.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, junior.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Adriana ran ahead, and I matched her pace from behind.


    ***


    ¡°This is much worse than I thought.¡±


    ¡°<i>Huff... huff... huff....</i>¡±


    I ran until I could taste the sweetness of my breath, but Adriana showed no signs of fatigue. She infused me with her divine power, helping me recover my stamina. As a result, my heart, which had been racing, gradually calmed and my breathing stabilized.


    What in the world was this feeling?


    It felt like I was running while doping on anabolic steroids. Even though I was mentally exhausted, my body recovered its strength, which was a really strange feeling.


    ¡°Hurry up and follow me. I also have my own training to do, so I can¡¯t keep looking after you, junior.¡±


    ¡°Ah... okay.¡±


    When my mind and body were pushed to the limits, Adriana¡¯s divine power allowed me to recover physically. However, this made things even more maddening, as my mind was wearing down while my body remained invigorated.


    ¡°This... This feels really weird!¡± I shouted as I ran.


    ¡°If you think about it, it¡¯s basically cheating, so wouldn¡¯t it be strange if it didn¡¯t feel weird?¡± responded Adriana.


    ording to her, since I was able to keep going even though I normally wouldn¡¯t have been able to, it was natural to feel like something was off.


    ¡°<i>Huff... huff...</i> if prospective holy knightspete in marathons then... <i>huff... </i>they¡¯d just win them all... <i>huff...</i>¡±


    ¡°I guess that would be the case, only if it was allowed! And are you really going to keep talking when you can¡¯t even catch your breath?¡±


    Adriana continued to run effortlessly even as she criticized me.


    It seemed quite a number of students in the Temple were motivated to do their own physical training in the morning.


    ¡°Your ssmate named Ludwig, I see him sprinting around the Temple at full speed.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s... he¡¯s just naturally... like that...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as naturally, junior. You get there by doing it and putting in the effort. So don¡¯t just do this once and give up; keep it up and be consistent with it. The Orbis ss kids do this kind of thing together every morning. Some of us in the Royal ss could really learn from their example.¡±


    Indeed, as Adriana said, the Orbis ss¡ªthe other of the two elite sses at the Temple¡ªseemed to collectively wake up at dawn to work out, regardless of their major.


    Were they doing some kind of military training?


    ¡°You said not to talk while running... <i>huff</i>... why do you keep making me talk then...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Sorry.¡±


    Running and then receiving healing, running then getting healed again... it was enough for one to lose their mind.


    And it wasn¡¯t just running she had me do. Adriana then took me to a physical training facility and started putting me through strength exercises.


    I could feel just how devilish divine power was. She would heal any muscle pain I had with her divine power, then have me exercise again, and when the muscle soreness intensified, she would heal it once more and make me keep going.


    I realized that with this method, the potential for muscle growth would be no joke. What kind of ¡°roids¡± would this even be called? The ¡°Divine Roids¡±?


    ¡°I¡¯m only healing you because your muscles are way too weak. Strength training to an extent is good, but too much can ruin your body.¡±


    Since I was still well in my beginner phase of weight training, Adriana continued to monitor me closely while also performing her own training.


    ¡°When you exercise while forcing your body to recover using divine power, there¡¯s something inevitable that you must do.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Eat a lot.¡±


    Even though all my energy had been depleted, the divine healing was forcing my body to maintain its physical strength. Adriana advised me that this would drain a huge amount of nutrients, so it was better to eat a lot more and more often than usual, particrly something that contained more protein.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I¡¯m confident I can do well in today...¡±


    ¡°Ha, I guess so.¡±


    Adriana chuckled, amused by my remark.


    It felt like it was the first time I had seen her smile.


    ***


    After finishing the strength training, Adriana used her divine power on me onest time and then left. She didn¡¯t seem to use it on herself, so it was as if a real-life healer had stuck by my side during my workout.


    If she were living in the modern world, she¡¯d probably be massively sessful as a personal trainer. People obsessed with muscle growth would absolutely love her coaching.


    My body was fine, but I was mentally drained, so I returned to the dormitory. After showering and changing clothes, I headed straight to the cafeteria. Even though it wasn¡¯t mealtime yet, I felt so hungry that my vision was blurring.


    Or, perhaps due to the intense amount of exercise, I actually felt like I had no appetite. It felt less like hunger and more like apulsion that I needed to eat something.


    Usually, the cooks would prepare the food elsewhere and bring it to the cafeteria when mealtime arrived, but there was still a kitchen avable.


    Not only were there simple snacks avable at any time, but ingredients were also stocked up in the kitchen for students to preparete-night munchies.


    Chefs could be called in on request to make something to eat, or students could whip up something for themselves.


    I wondered how many people <i>actually</i> knew how to cook. Most would probably just end up frying an egg or something before calling it a day.


    This part of the setting of the story was new to me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed to have finished her physical training as well and was in the cafeteria, munching on a pile of beef jerky.


    It made sense; the morning workout had left her feeling hungry, and she hade to look for something to eat before breakfast. From what I remembered, she usually ate much more than the others at breakfast. How high could her metabolism rate possibly be, that she could both exercise and eat that much?


    I peered into the ce where they kept the ready-made snacks, and saw that it was practically empty. When I turned around, there was Ellen, nibbling on her beef jerky.


    ¡°Is that all there is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Was beef jerky the only thing that was in here?¡±


    ¡°No. There used to be bread and other things too.¡±


    Normally, a variety of foods would be stocked in the storage, but since not many people went for the ready-to-eat foods, it seemed they weren¡¯t restocked often.


    It appeared that the only thing left over from Ellen¡¯s repetitive morning raids was the beef jerky.


    ¡°Does it taste any good?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    She shook her head as if to say she was eating it simply because it was there, not because she was craving it. Seriously, how hungry was she?


    Not wanting to snatch any food from Ellen, I had no choice but to enter the kitchen. Fortunately, it seemed no one had been consuming the raw meat, as there was plenty of it stored up.


    I wasn¡¯t nning on making anything fancy; I was too mentally tired for that.


    I simply took out some eggs and bacon and started frying them in a pan. The savory smell of bacon filled the air. Then, I carelessly threw in some asparagus as if stir-frying them. Following Adriana¡¯s advice to eat plenty, I cooked five eggs and a generous portion of bacon.


    I felt like having some carbs as well, but I had no desire or energy to boil pasta or cook rice. It just felt like too much of a hassle.


    I piled up the massivebo of eggs, bacon, and asparagus on arge te and carried it out to the dining hall.


    Ellen was still working her way through the beef jerky, but I couldn¡¯t miss the sight of her nose twitching, even from where I stood.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Stop looking so gloomy and eat this instead.¡±


    I may have been a total dick when it came to my temperament, but that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t have any human decency in me.


    I handed Ellen a fork, which she epted as she sat opposite me. As I watched Ellen eat the fried eggs, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°Hey, you do know that we¡¯ve got plenty of eggs and a bunch of other stuff in the kitchen, right? Why don¡¯t you use those and cook something simple instead of eating the beef jerky that doesn¡¯t even taste good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never tried cooking.¡±


    ¡°Just because you¡¯ve never tried, does that mean you can¡¯t do it? Are you just going to give up that easily?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stared back at me, taken aback by my sudden scolding. For some reason, she looked as if she was about to get even more gloomy.


    She was clearly taken aback by my sudden nagging.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to do something, you can always just try to learn, you know... kids these days... anyway, eat up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    <i>¡®They say even dogs should not be disturbed when eating... Was I too harsh on her? What am I even doing? I should just eat as well.¡¯</i>


    <i>Omnomnom...</i>


    Wait, why was she eating the food so freaking quickly?


    ¡°Hey, do you mind? Eat at a human pace, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It seemed like my words weren¡¯t doing much, so I also began to move my fork more quickly. In the end, Ellen ate more than half of what I made.


    ¡°You really have a big appetite, don¡¯t you? It must be tough to stuff your face more intensely than a beggar, but you seem to manage just fine.¡±


    ¡°... I was hungry,¡± Ellen said while awkwardly avoiding my eyes.


    I only meant for her to take a bite, but she really ate more than half of what I had made. To be honest, that was definitely crossing the line.


    ¡°You know you have sses with me today, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    It was Tuesday, and I had back-to-back swordsmanship sses with Ellen.


    She nodded her head, acknowledging it. After all, she wasn¡¯t dumb, just indifferent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have another round of lunch together.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re gonna have round two of </i>cheonggukjang<i>.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 44

    <h4>Chapter 44</h4>


    Expecting dramatic changes in just one day was too much to ask for.


    Nevertheless...


    Current stats:


    [Strength 4(F+)]


    [Agility 4.7(F+)]


    [Dexterity 5.2(D-)]


    [Mana 10(C)]


    [Stamina 6.5(D)]


    My strength had increased by 0.5, agility by 0.3, and stamina by 0.6. For some unknown reason, even my mana had risen by 0.1.


    Of course it wasmon to make bigger gains in physical abilities when the original stats were low. And it wasn¡¯t just the effects of the single-day training, but also the result of following the Temple¡¯s curriculum for a while. However, the divine power-assisted training clearly appeared to be effective.


    However, Adriana didn¡¯t seem to think that the approach was a particrly good one, so there had to be a downside to it.


    Besides, my mind and body felt disconnected, which resulted in considerable fatigue.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure whether I would devote my future to swordsmanship for good, but for the moment, it only seemed practical that I should learn something rted to my physical abilities.


    That week, I went into both the theoretical and practical swordsmanship lessons with a different mindset than the previous week. There wasn¡¯t any significant improvement, though.


    Ellen was a top student, and despite being in the Royal ss, I was falling slightly behind. I didn¡¯t concern myself with how I was perceived by the students from the regr sses. If I had cared about such things, I wouldn¡¯t have been behaving so recklessly in the first ce.


    <i>¡®After all, those in the Royal ss are selected by talent, which means there are plenty of less-capable individuals around. That means that I¡¯m not particrly odd, and that in the Royal ss, effort hardly matters!¡¯ </i>At least, that was what I wanted to use as an argument, but it would make me look even worse, so I couldn¡¯t bring myself to actually say that to myself.


    Of course, there were some guys in the same Royal ss who seemed to look down on me because of the difference in our skills.


    Although they were annoying, there were too many things I had to pay attention to, and so I couldn¡¯t give those guys the lesson they deserved. And honestly, I didn¡¯t even remember their names.


    I had to prepare myself. In the future, more people would pick fights with me, and those who already disliked me would try to avenge their past humiliations when they felt they had grown stronger or if they ever perceived me to be weak.


    The duel in two weeks was just a trigger for my growth. I had to continue with my physical training in the future, which would include both swordsmanship and hand-to-handbat. I couldn¡¯t learn magic here, and I hadn¡¯t awakened any supernatural powers. I also didn¡¯t have the talent for divine power yet, so there was no point in training for that as well.


    The only thing I could rely on was my physical fitness, which grew as I trained.


    I couldn¡¯t end up just being someone with a foul temper. I needed to be someone who has true strength and, ultimately, break free from the clutches of both Vertus and Charlotte.


    There was no time to fool around.


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t seem to taste as bad asst time.¡±


    Regardless of what I thought, Ellen, who had grimaced at the smell of the <i>cheonggukjang</i> the previous time, was eating it again with surprising calmness.


    Was it because she¡¯d gotten used to it, now that it was her second time?


    ¡°... But that doesn¡¯t mean it tastes good.¡±


    Ellen rified her statement firmly, as if to prevent any misunderstanding.


    But then, why did she follow along if she didn¡¯t particrly like it? Was it because I was buying?


    Perhaps she had a trait for enjoying free meals or something?


    Whatever the case, she managed to eat her meal in a much better disposition this time, and even let out a mighty belch after.


    Come to think of it, this girl was truly something else...


    ¡°Hey, when you think about it, if you¡¯re getting treated by a beggar, doesn¡¯t that make you something worse than a beggar?¡± I said to Ellen after leaving the restaurant.


    Ellen looked at me when she heard my criticism. It wasn¡¯t really a re. It seemed more like she was lost in thought.


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    With that, she smoothly secured another meal together in the future.


    <i>¡®Could it be that I¡¯m actually quite a fine guy?¡¯</i>


    Of course, Ellen left again without any proper farewell, just like before.


    What a callous girl she was.


    ***


    As someone who didn¡¯t have any particr specialties yet, I didn¡¯t have much to learn from my sses. I had dropped the magic ss with Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s permission, and added horseback-riding lessons in its ce, as it seemed like riding horses mighte in handy someday.


    However, during that ss, I nearly peed myself from fear. Climbing onto a beast that possessed its own free will and entrusting my life to it did not make sense to me. I should have invented cars powered by magical stones when setting up this world.


    I also came to realize just what an incredible level of horsemanship Dyrus disyed when he had carried me away from the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    That morning¡¯s physical training had already depleted my mental energy for the day, yet there was no time to rest. After sses ended, I reviewed what I had learned at the training ground until the evening, and then applied it as I continued my physical training.


    When I became so tired that I could hardly move, I found myself missing the recuperative effects of divine power.


    I wondered if Adriana mighte to help in the evening, but she didn¡¯t. To be honest, hoping for that much assistance would have been too selfish of me.


    Still, I didn¡¯t forget what Adriana had told me. After eating a hearty dinner and allowing some time for my stomach to settle, I resumed my jogging and strength training.


    It felt like an enormous strain, and it seemed this amount of exercise would normally harm the body. But the thought that Adriana would somehow fix it encouraged me to push even harder.


    ¡°<i>Pant</i>... <i>Pant</i>...¡±


    Sweat dripped onto my palms, making me worry that the practice sword would slip from my grasp.


    Did I really need to go this far?


    I was someone who naturally avoided any form of physical activity, so Icked this kind of willpower. All I was good at was writing novels in the corner of my room, and this kind of hard work and intense effort fell outside of my interests and talents.


    These thoughts came up dozens of times, especially when my breath ran short and my fingers trembled uncontrobly.


    The duel was set up for me to lose anyway. All this training was for the long run.


    So maybe it was okay to take it easy. Even with the most intense effort, there was no way I could grow strong enough to beat someone a full grade above me within just two weeks.


    Whenever suchcent thoughts crept up, though, I forced myself to grip my sword harder.


    I¡¯d surely lose the duel two weekster, but knowing that I would lose was no excuse to becent.


    I was not going through all this trouble just to smack someone a grade above me once.


    <i>¡®Inhale</i>!¡¯


    <i>Thump! Thump! Thump!</i>


    Myck of care while crafting the original narrative led to the opening of the gate, which would result in the deaths of countless people, which could possibly include me as well.


    I was essentially doing this to avoid dying when that happened.


    If I grewcent because the crazy things that I wrote about were not going to happen soon, I would undoubtedly regret itter.


    The mess that I made while writing the narrative progression of this novel already filled me with enough regret. I didn¡¯t have the right to becent orzy.


    At the moment, I was just someone with a nasty temper.


    But eventually, I aimed to be someone with a nasty temper who was also determined.


    ¡®<i>Inhale</i>!¡¯


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Unfortunately, there was no cartoonish scene where the training dummy exploded into pieces from my strike.


    ¡®<i>Inhale</i>!¡¯


    <i>Thump!</i>


    However, the scarecrow <i>was</i> umting numerous scratches, one by one.


    ***


    In some interactive teenage romance simtion games, there¡¯s often a sequence where the yer has to decide where to spend their free time¡ªlike heading to the music room, gymnasium, scienceb, rooftop, and so on¡ªin a school setting.


    In such games, certain characters tend to appear in specific ces. There might be someone musical in the music room, an athlete in the gymnasium, or an intellectual character in the scienceb. That sort of thing.


    So basically...


    ¡°... You¡¯re quite something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I seemed to have figured out all of Ellen Artorius¡¯s usual ces.


    She was sitting alone in the dining hall, eating a sausage.


    Her schedule consisted of heading to the lobby in the early morning then going for physical fitness training, then the dining hall, and then the training grounds after school. And then the dining hall againte at night.


    She was a creature who thought of nothing but food and exercise.


    As for myself, I was likely to be annihted by Adriana tomorrow, so I¡¯de to the dining hall to load up on nutrition, and just happened to find Ellen there as well. She must have eaten like this every day after her training.


    I opened the cupboards containing the ready-to-eat food, but they still hadn¡¯t been restocked.


    Wait... then what was she eating?


    ¡°Are you just eating that as it is?¡±


    She had a te full of sausages in front of her, and she was chewing them and swallowing them down. My look of disbelief made Ellen point to the sausage she was eating.


    ¡°Sausages can be eaten as they are. You don¡¯t have to cook them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, they <i>are</i> smoked, so you¡¯re not wrong. But why would you eat cold sausages, of all things?¡±


    She must have rummaged through the remaining food storage after running out of all the ready-to-eat foods and found the sausages. And since sausages were already cooked, she was just eating them straight up.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn on the stove, put the sausage in a frying pan, roll it around a bit, and <i>then </i>eat it? Is that too difficult for you?¡±


    <i>¡®Just use some cooking utensils, for goodness sake! I never described you as being stupid, or having the ¡®dimwitted¡¯ attribute! If anything, you¡¯re supposed to be the smart and talented character!¡¯</i>


    Why was the supposedly-smart character acting so dumb?


    Ellen shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know how to use them.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, I haven¡¯t used them before.¡±


    She probably couldn¡¯t be bothered to learn how to use them in the first ce. She definitely had the trait of avoiding hassle and beingzy. As a result, I, who was seeing all this right before my eyes, was extremely frustrated.


    ¡°Just give it here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen watched me in silence as I took the te of sausages. What, did she expect me to give it back? If she was meant to be the gluttonous character, she <i>would</i> have demanded it back. However, she didn¡¯t ask for it back, but just kept staring at me.


    Disregarding her stare, I took out more sausages, put them in the frying pan, and heated them to at least a ptable temperature.


    <i>¡®Why would you eat such an expensive sausage, made from the finest ingredients, in such a raw state?¡±</i>


    Ellen was still staring intently at me when I brought over a generous helping of cooked sausages.


    It was then that I saw why she had just been sitting there the whole time.


    ¡°Why does it feel like you kind of enjoy having me do stuff for you all the time, and that you don¡¯t n to refuse it any time soon?¡±


    I got the feeling that she knew full well I would end up grilling the sausages and bringing them back to her. That was why she had waited silently.


    As I said, while I may have a bad temper, I also had a heart. That meant I was willing to share my food with someone who had a cool temperament but no heart.


    We started eating the sausages with forks.


    ¡°How much better is this? Huh? With the juices bursting out? it¡¯s made to be eaten like this, not gobbled down raw, like a stray dog wolfing them down on the street.¡±


    Ellen just kept eating the sausages, no matter how I nagged at her. It seemed like nothing I said fazed her at all. ¡°Bark all you want, I¡¯ll eat anyway.¡± Was that it?


    After eating sausages for a while, I put my fork down, and Ellen did the same.


    ¡°Too salty.¡±


    Ellen nodded in agreement with myment. ¡°Yep.¡±


    The sausages were too salty to be eaten alone, and it was hard to continue. They really had to be eaten with rice, ording to the natural order of things. Or at least some bread.


    We were eating sausages and washing them down with just water, and although we both wanted to eat more, we just simply couldn¡¯t. However, Ellen seemed reluctant to leave any leftovers, and so was I.


    There were still about fifteen sausages left.


    I let out a huge sigh.


    My whole body felt like it was about to give up due to fatigue. But I hated the idea of wasting food too. Despite that, the idea of taking the leftovers and turning them into a dish felt like I would be doing her another favor, and that irked me.


    ¡°Hey. From now on, you¡¯re going to do as I say.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Voluntary service was over.


    It was time for her to contribute too.


    ***


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re doing great.¡±


    I nodded as I examined the finely-chopped onions. I wasn¡¯t sure how different swordsmanship was from using a kitchen knife, but Ellen could follow my instructions perfectly.


    I¡¯d say it wasn¡¯t a matter of swordsmanship, and that she simply had good dexterity.


    ¡°Do you know how to cook anything at all?¡±


    ¡°No. This is my first time cooking.¡±


    It seemed this was the first time she had ever handled a kitchen knife. But if she was this good already, well, she might have made a great chef instead of a swordswoman. Of course, that would have been a waste, given her immense talent forbat.


    ¡°Next, the carrots. Do it the same way.¡±


    <i>Dice, dice, dice, dice.</i>


    I watched as she quickly chopped up the carrots. I directed her step by step, as though controlling an avatar.


    I could do it myself, but not right at that moment. I was so drained that I was certain I¡¯d cut my own fingers if I tried to hold a knife.


    I didn¡¯t n on making anythingplicated. The kitchen was stocked with utensils and ingredients, but it was night time, so something simple was better.


    There was rice, but cooking it seemed too troublesome. Making bread from flour was, of course, even less appealing.


    So, I decided to stir-fry the vegetables and rice with some oil, add water, throw in the sausages, and make it into some sort of porridge. Neither the presentation nor the name of the dish mattered to me. Why bother if it looked like dog food or not? I was fine with it as long as it was edible. Besides, some might even call this dish a risotto.


    I didn¡¯t mind as long as it tasted decent, and as for Ellen, she had safely made it all the way through her second attempt at <i>cheonggukjang </i>and was officially on her way to liking it more and more. And once I saw her eating raw sausages, I deduced that her pte was, in my opinion, as discerning as a stray dog¡¯s.


    Ultimately, it meant she could eat just about anything.


    Ellen began to stir all the chopped vegetables and rice as I instructed. She executed the task with the precision of a ruler. What a piece of work it was.


    She was fully qualified to be a disciple of my makeshift cooking.


    ¡°Just remember this recipe and do it yourself from now on. Then you can serve it to me next time.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    Was she trying to say that she wouldn¡¯t even bother cooking for herself, let alone for someone else?


    Yet it was amusing to see that she was doing whatever I asked her to, despite iming it was annoying.


    Of course, her obedience might also have had something to do with the saltiness of the sausages. Perhaps it was making her morepliant.


    I added water and sausages to the pan at the right time, and it soon began to boil. I randomly threw in whatever herbs were at hand, and since the sausages were salty, I didn¡¯t add any extra seasoning.


    After the mysterious sausage porridge waspleted, we brought it back to the dining hall.


    Ellen, without giving it another look,dled out some into a bowl and started gobbling it up.


    Her eyes suddenly went wide.


    Obviously, it wasn¡¯t because it was too delicious.


    ¡°You idiot! Didn¡¯t you know it would be too hot if you just ate it right away?¡±


    Ellen seemed incredibly shocked at the intense heat.


    I handed her a ss of water as she struggled with the heat, and she guzzled it down. She was definitely clever and smart, and had good physical qualities. But was her intelligence diminished by her gluttony? Did she be dull-witted in front of food?


    ¡°How is it? Much better, isn¡¯t it? Impressive and amazing, right?¡± I boasted as I watched her cooling and eating the porridge, which made hers stare directly at me.


    ¡°I was the one who made it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh really? All you did was just move your arms. I was the one who gave all the instructions.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who <i>actually</i> did it.¡±


    Was she arguing with me? Was she trying to pick a fight over this?


    I mean, I knew for a fact that I would get destroyed if I <i>did </i>pick an actual fight with her, so it was advisable if I just stayed calm.


    Ellen scooped another spoonful, then cautiously blew on it.


    ¡°We made it together,¡± she said.


    Suddenly, I felt so petty that I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say in response.


    No, it wasn¡¯t that I <i>felt </i>petty, I actually <i>was</i> petty.


    ***


    After eating thete-night meal with Ellen, I returned to my room to find someone already inside. It was one of the servants. In the Royal ss, the dormitory had servants who took care of cleaning the rooms.


    However, it was unusual for them to be cleaning during the night, as they typically did so during the daytime, when we had sses.


    In any case, there was nothing suspicious in my room. I had organized and gotten rid of the list of characters after memorizing it.


    Though the servants roamed about in their maid uniforms, I had not had any direct interactions with them. We didn¡¯t say anything to each other.


    As I entered the room this time, however, the servant in my room approached me and closed the door behind me.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Something was off. An eerie sensation crept over me.


    The servant looked at me and spoke briefly.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    <i>''Huh?!''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Sarkegar.¡±


    So <i>this</i> was how he was going to deliver his message? In-person, and not through some secret and indirect method?!

 Chapter 45

    <h4>Chapter 45</h4>


    Just as I could enter the Temple without any big issues, Sarkegar too could make it in with ease despite the numerous barriersid throughout. However, I never expected him toe in disguised as a female servant in the middle of the night.


    Now that I thought about it, the person Sarkegar had initially transformed into, Count Argon Pontius, was male. That brought me to the question¡ªwhat was Sarkegar¡¯s <i>actual</i> gender? Or were Dreadfiends a race without gender?


    ¡°How did you even get into my room?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that difficult, Your Highness.¡±


    Sarkegar had a master key that all servants had. I didn¡¯t know the specifics, but there were probably various ways to acquire it without any difficulty.


    At any rate, there were several tangled issues that I had to consult the others about, so I had to speak with Sarkegar at some point.


    ¡°From now on, instead of Your Highnessing directly to me, I¡¯ll be the one toe to you.¡±


    Sarkegar, being skilled in transformation magic, could definitelye contacting me without getting caught.


    Because of where we were, Sarkegar did not embellish his statement with excessive ttery orments this time, as he often did.


    ¡°First, regarding the matter of the princess¡¯s supernatural power.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did you find out anything?¡±


    Sarkegar shook his head.


    ¡°If one were willing to take significant risks, it could be possible to find that out, but I came here to report the information I gathered first, before delving further into that.¡±


    It seemed Sarkegar deemed it important to report what he had learned so far, even though he had not found out about Charlotte¡¯s power yet.


    ¡°Currently, there¡¯s widespread talk within the imperial family regarding the princess¡¯s supernatural power, especially among those belonging to Prince Vertus¡¯s faction. They suspect that the princess¡¯s power is fake, and that that is the reason it hasn¡¯t been disclosed until now.¡±


    ¡°That means Vertus¡¯s faction does not know what the princess¡¯s supernatural power is, either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Even the prince did not know what the princess¡¯s supernatural power was. This left open the possibility that Charlotte was not really a superhuman, which ultimately meant that it was likely that her attending the supernatural power sses was merely an act to keep her in the Royal ss.


    ¡°That would mean that the only person who knows about the princess¡¯ supernatural power for sure is the emperor...¡±


    Although the teacher of supernatural powers had taken Charlotte aside to do something during ss, there was a chance that even then, the ability was not one that could be observed, and that nothing at all would happen.


    In that case, Vertus wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out the truth either.


    ¡°So, that means that after the emperor, the two who are most likely to know about the truth are Mustang, the ss B homeroom teacher, and the teacher of the supernatural powers ss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the assumption.¡±


    The truth behind the princess¡¯s ability was a very significant secret, so neither of them would be likely to speak about it carelessly. Neither of them seemed the type to be easily manipted, either.


    They were both teachers at the Temple. One was the dedicated teacher in charge of instructing superpower-wielding individuals with dangerous talents, and the other was the Royal ss homeroom teacher. Neither of them was ordinary.


    ¡°So, what did you mean when you said taking significant risks?¡±


    ¡°If many people knew the secret, I could disguise myself as one of them, but in this case, the secret is known by so few people that it would be difficult to uncover.¡±


    Mustang and the supernatural power ss teacher would be residing at the Temple. They could not be easily interfered with, as they held positions of significant importance among the Temple¡¯s teachers.


    ¡°Hmm... regardless of whether her supernatural power turns out to be real or fake, the situation is going to beplicated...¡±


    Did she lie about having a nonexistent supernatural power just so that she wouldn¡¯t fall behind Vertus? If so, how long could that lie be sustained? That would mean that the emperor himself was endorsing the lie and making it seem like a fake supernatural power was real.


    And would the imperial family go out of their way to inform a very few teachers, including Mustang, the B ss homeroom teacher of the first grade, about the lie, and ensure their silence?


    What if her power was real? If it was real, then why would they even need to hide it? I knew the answer to this question. It seemed almost self-exnatory.


    ¡°If the princess really does have a supernatural power, then it must be something... exceedingly awkward or embarrassing to disclose.¡±


    ¡°I also believe that would be the case.¡±


    Her power had to be of such a nature that it could damage the honor of the imperial family or perhaps the dignity of the empire. What could it possibly be?


    ¡°Alright. If it¡¯s risky, let¡¯s put it aside for now. The truth will reveal itself eventually.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. A wise decision.¡± Sarkegar responded.


    We would put the matter of the princess¡¯s power aside for the moment.


    ¡°I also have something to discuss on my end, as well.¡±


    ¡°Was there some kind of ident?¡±


    I was going to have to engage in a duel next week, but it did not seem like a good idea to tell him this, as he would probably flip out or disy some unnecessarily-excessive loyalty.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the princess again.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The princess is looking for me.¡±


    Sarkegar seemed briefly confused. It seemed he didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    ***


    After hearing my story, Sarkegar¡¯s expression turned grave.


    Indeed, this issue was far more serious than the duel. If handled incorrectly, it could not only endanger me but also destroy the very foundation and base of our activities, the Rotary Club. Adding to that, the fact that Vertus had also started to pay attention to me made Sarkegar¡¯s expression grow even more serious.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Temple seems to be a dangerous ce. It might be best to keep a low profile and leave¡ª¡±


    ¡°If I do that, I might be safe, but the club will surely be done for.¡±


    Charlotte would sweep away the Rotary Club in an instant if I disappeared. Money was a very important foundation for us. Although I didn¡¯t know how it had turned out this way, the club had be an indispensable financial lifeline for all of us. Even though I no longer needed the money, Sarkegar still did.


    ¡°It¡¯s a cruel situation indeed. To think that the princess is trying everything she can to repay the debt that she incurred to you when you saved her has unexpectedly be a problem for us now...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Um, weren¡¯t you the one who kidnapped her? It doesn¡¯t really make sense for you to say that... Without you, who knows, I might have been able to reveal my true identity to her.¡¯</i>


    But what was done was done. We couldn¡¯t go back in time.


    ¡°So, it turns out I have been assigned the absurd task of looking for myself, and I have no idea what to do about it. Should I just fabricate some evidence that I¡¯m dead and show it to them?¡±


    ¡°If the princess could be satisfied with such an answer, it would be best... However, we cannot predict how the princess will react after she finds out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡±


    Let¡¯s assume that Baalier died, and we showed Charlotte the forged evidence proving that. How to convincingly fabricate such evidence was something to think aboutter, but let¡¯s say for now, that she was convinced.


    Wouldn¡¯t she attempt to get rid of both the club and me, since we would be deemed useless to her? It seemed certain that she had a very unfavorable impression of me, given my apparent connections to criminal organizations and all.


    ¡°If we sessfully handle the task for her, there¡¯s a chance she might discard us afterward, and if we don¡¯t, she might think we¡¯re useless and dispose of us anyway...¡±


    We would be faced with a problem whether or not we carried out the task.


    I felt cornered, but as I i directed my thoughts along this path, my mind cleared up.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do the job, but little by little.¡±


    ¡°A little at a time?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At the very least, she won¡¯t touch us as long as we show that we¡¯re working on it and making some progress.¡±


    Damn it. I never wanted Charlotte to be my enemy, but small lies seemed to lead torger ones, and now I was being forced to tell even bigger lies to her.


    ¡°On the contrary, if she feels like we¡¯re making progress, she¡¯ll want to protect us rather than get rid of us.¡±


    As long as Vertus thought I was useful, he would keep showing interest in me. Charlotte would be the same. If I showed that I was making some progress in finding Baalier, then she would at least leave me be, regardless of her like or dislike toward me. In fact, if the club or I were in danger, she might even try to help.


    Both Charlotte and Vertus had something inmon: they hid their true selves from the regr students. Charlotte might act like a shy person in ss B, but the sharp words she¡¯d directed at me were anything but kind.


    They were so alike that no matter which one of them became emperor, I was sure that the fate of the empire would be the same one way or the other.


    Anyway...


    The situation was far from good, but I wanted to think positively.


    I wasn¡¯t just simply caught between Vertus and Charlotte.


    ¡°To be honest, when you look at it from a different perspective, you could say that I¡¯m currently in a position where I can use them both as I please.¡±


    Sarkegar smiled at my bold words.


    ¡°I am in awe of Your Highness¡¯s insight.¡±


    <i>¡®Can you not smile so wickedly at me with that elegant face? It¡¯s giving me the creeps.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The short-term goal was the duel that would be held the following week, and the long-term goal was to prove my usefulness to Charlotte, and while doing so, stay in Vertus¡¯s good graces.


    And the very long-term goal...


    ¡°<i>Pant</i>... <i>pant</i>... <i>pant</i>...¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to show much improvement in just one day, but this is seriously worse than I thought, junior.¡±


    Physical fitness training.


    Adriana pumped divine power into me, who was on the verge of exhaustion, to help me recover. A prospective holy knight earnestly training the next Demon King. What an absurd situation.


    If you thought about it, Adriana was basicallymitting a sin in real time. If Adriana ended up in hell, would it be my fault?


    Anyway, I had to keep up this routine. A basic physical foundation was needed in order to support swordsmanship and essentially anything else. It was like I was attempting to do a bench press, but did not even have the strength to lift the bar. What use are skills if the basic foundational abilities aren¡¯t there to support them?


    Therefore, even though it felt like I was losing my mind while my exhausted body recovered its energy, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and get back to jogging.


    My schedule consisted of morning training with Adriana, and then following her advice to eat well by snacking on something before breakfast. More often than not, I would end up eating with Ellen, who always showed up at the same spot. Convenient, ready-to-eat food was soon stocked up as per my request.


    After attending sses, I would repeat training sessions until dinner. After eating dinner, I¡¯d train again and eat once more before going to bed.


    Despite my poor physical fitness and perhaps due to the assistance of divine power, I could genuinely feel my physical abilities improving bit by bit.


    Thursday morning hade.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use divine power for <i>your</i> training?¡±


    If suchfortable and rapid growth was possible, why wouldn¡¯t she use it? I was curious.


    ¡°Eating stimnts every day would harm the body, wouldn¡¯t it? That¡¯s the reason. You can¡¯t recover from starvation using divine power. It might seem like a mockery, but growth aided by divine power isn¡¯t natural.¡±


    Divine power could restore physical energy, but didn¡¯t replenish the nutrients that had been expended. So, it really was like doping. That was why she continually reminded me to eat well and eat plenty.


    Was this some kind of stim-pack or something?


    ¡°This is only for a while. Once you reach a certain level, you¡¯re going to have to rely on your own strength, junior.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Adriana implied she was helping me out in such a way because I wasgging so much, and that she wouldn¡¯t keep providing this ¡°stim-pack¡± indefinitely.


    I was hardly aware of what was going on with Ludwig and ss B, but things seemed to be rolling along just fine on their own.


    Normally, ss B would have seen its share of conflicts, with the meddling ss A kids popping up regrly, but I seemed to have drawn all of ss A¡¯s attention, leaving the students with no time to pay attention to ss B.


    It was like the minor viin-characters¡¯ hatred and animosity were all being absorbed by me, a big-time viin, leaving no aggro for the protagonist.


    This was not what I intended.


    Anyway, I kept on training, training and training some more.


    Because of this, I naturally found myself running into Ellen often, since our daily routines were almost identical. We mostly encountered each other at the training ground and the dining hall.


    That was pretty much how it went. Seeing her eating anything and everything in front of me made me so exasperated that I ended up cooking food for myself and sharing some with her. Of course, I made sure she knew that I was doing her a favor each time.


    ¡°You¡¯re really lucky you ended up in the Temple,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°Because you could have ruined your household just by eating all of the food.¡±


    Watching Ellen gobble down an enormous amount of pasta that I¡¯d purposely made to test her limits made me wonder if she genuinely had some kind of ck hole in her stomach.


    Ellen looked at me with a nk expression.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here because I wanted to,¡± she retorted, as if casually spitting her words at me.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°The Temple summoned me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... right.¡±


    Was she rebutting myment about her ruining her household? Had she even been talking about herself just now?


    She never talked about herself with anyone; hence, no one except the prince knew that she was the younger sister of the hero, Ragan Artorius.


    And yet, she had now revealed to me that she¡¯de to the Temple because she¡¯d been asked to, not because she wanted to, just because I¡¯d given her a bit of grief about her eating habits.


    Of course, I was aware of her story and background, since I was the one who had written it out, but it was still surprising that she would talk about it to me.


    She was right. As soon as the empire found out that Ragan Artorius had a young sister, they had begged her toe to the Temple.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    With that response, I could confirm that I had, it seemed, be the first person to sessfully make Ellen annoyed.


    ***


    Training was more intense on weekends. The weekday sses almost felt like some sort of break, and since I trained even harder during my personal free time, the weekends were nothing short of experiencing hell firsthand.


    Adriana, as usual, spent even longer periods coaching me through various training regimens over the weekend, and I also had to eat tremendous amounts of food.


    Sunday came around...


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not quite how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the kitchen, I became the ultimate backseat cook while I watched Ellen prepare her food. She had entered the kitchen this time and insisted on cooking after I had repeatedly cooked for her while boasting about it. It seemed she was tired of hearing me take all the credit.


    The dish of the day appeared to be beef stew with plenty of tenderloin. When I asked if she knew how to make that, she said that she often ate it at home.


    ¡°Oh... Oh? Are you sure about that? Oh, sorry don¡¯t mind me, just do your thing. It was just ament.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to add salt there?¡±


    ¡°Come on, this is overcooked... You¡¯ll have a sore jaw trying to chew this!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re missing something... But it seems like you don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Adding herbs at such an awkward time... hmm.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen simply looked at me silently in response to my ongoingmentary and criticism.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to look at someone like that while holding a knife in your hand.¡±


    My voice shifted into a respectful tone thanks to my apprehension, but she just stared at me nkly, knife in hand.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯d rather you just get angry at me, rather than staring at me wordlessly with that kitchen knife! Please, that¡¯s too scary!¡¯ </i>


    After a moment, Ellen turned her attention back to cooking.


    ¡°Calm down... It seemed like one more word from me and you would have actually stabbed me then.¡±


    Of course, my mouth never actually took a break from the nagging.


    Ellen¡¯s reactions were of a different sort from Harriet¡¯s cute ones; it might seem like she never reacted, but in reality, she did.


    To be honest, I¡¯d understand if she got angry enough to punch me.


    Despite my incessant nagging, Ellen was undeterred, and finally finished cooking. She carried the enormous amount of stew over and set it down on the table. Perhaps because of her apparent indifference earlier, I felt the need to annoy her even more.


    We each dished ourselves a bowl of the stew and ate a spoonful.


    I stared intently at Ellen.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had been half-teasing and joking the whole time, but the oue was still as expected.


    ¡°Too salty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She said she often <i>ate </i>it at home, but didn¡¯t say anything about <i>making</i> it herself.


    In the end, she re-cooked the stew ording to my instructions and managed to create a stew that was edible.


    ¡°How is it? Edible now, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! Because it was done by <i>me</i>!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was provoking her right up until the end, and was rewarded by the sight of the veins on Ellen¡¯s forehead popping out, her skin taut with irritation. I was thrilled at my aplishment of having angered the stoic statue.


    Ah, I had to be a sadist indeed.


    And then, on Monday evening...


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite how it¡¯s done,¡± Ellenmented nonchntly as she watched me wielding my sword on the training grounds.


    ¡°... What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing it right,¡± she insisted.


    Ellen had begun to exact her revenge for all the times I had given her excessive advice and acted like a know-it-all.

 Chapter 46

    <h4>Chapter 46</h4>


    The consequences for having angered the stone-faced Buddha were severe.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even weirder than before.¡±


    Ellen pointed out something wrong in every swordsmanship movement I showed her. Then, she demonstrated the correct motion cleanly in front of me.


    ¡°This is how you do it.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Try it.¡±


    Damn it. What goes aroundes around. I was just trying to have some fun by teasing the kid, but I¡¯d ended up really ticking her off, and I was now paying the price.


    As I awkwardly attempted to mimic her movement, she shook her head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯spletely wrong.¡±


    Once again, Ellen showed me the precise movements, step by step, and told me to do it again. Of course, whatever I did would surely look strange in that kid¡¯s eyes, because my motions were extremely clumsy.


    In the end, as a consequence of having irritated the stone-faced Ellen Artorius, she began to point out problems in my swordsmanship and give specific advice.


    It was actually a good thing that the strongest person in my ss was voluntarily giving me advice. If I had personally asked for help, she would have found it bothersome and refused.


    However, as a result of me driving her crazy with my nitpicking and old-fashioned nagging, Ellen was now helping me not because she wanted to; she was giving me advice out of frustration and revenge.


    The oue was definitely a good one, but the process to get there was just messed up.


    It was even more annoying because it had happened unintentionally.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    Ellen kept repeating ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡± as if she were seeking revenge for all the advice she¡¯d had to put up with.


    What... what was going on?


    I mean, I should have been absolutely grateful. One of the strongest beings in the world who possessed phenomenal talent was looking over my swordsmanship. It was right to be grateful.


    ¡°... Why can¡¯t you do it?¡±


    But I was annoyed. What¡¯s worse, I didn¡¯t even have the right to be annoyed. I was getting back exactly what I had dished out, just in a different context, and it was infuriating.


    I was the embodiment of hypocrisy. When I did it, it was funny, but when it happened to me, it was irritating. I was the ssic case of a hypocrite.


    It made sense if a kid like her acted like this since she was still young, but for me, a fully grown man, it was seriously messed up.


    ¡°Look, I get that you¡¯re gifted, but if you¡¯re going to give me advice, can¡¯t you at least teach me properly?¡±


    Confronting my hypocritical, childish nature head-on made me a bit passive-aggressive.


    ¡°Like this.¡±


    Ellen demonstrated the sword movements with perfect precision, and her gaze seemed to question why I couldn¡¯t do it. It felt like I was being prodded all over.


    <i>¡®Okay fine, I admit it, I¡¯m the embodiment of hypocrisy. But you, let¡¯s see youter at the dining hall.¡¯</i>


    ***


    From that day on, whenever something needed to be made in the dining hall, Ellen would end up cooking and I would be by her side giving her advice, possessed by the spirit of an extreme nitpicker, endlessly nagging her. And on the training ground, Ellen would watch me as if <i>she</i> was the one who possessed the spirit of an extreme nitpicker, giving me advice.


    Two friends exchanging advice for the well-being of the other... it sounded like a beautiful friendship when put into words.


    But in reality, the only thing that grew through our constant exchanging of advice wasn¡¯t friendship, but mere malice.


    When in the kitchen...


    ¡°Ah seriously, how can you not get this simple thing? Is the measuring cup just for disy? You should just buy a cookbook and actually try reading it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s annoying.¡±


    When on the training grounds...


    ¡°Just move your arm like this, by just this much. Why can¡¯t you do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out of strength, that¡¯s why. It would be weird if I were able to even move properly after all these hours of training, dummy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you said earlier as well.¡±


    ¡°... Well... I was definitely better earlier, wasn¡¯t I? I was in a better state then, so I must have been!¡±


    ¡°... If you thought that your performance back then was better... I think you should be very distressed right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so full of yourself. Yeah, I get it.¡±


    We exchanged so much advice, but we had built up a chain of malice that connected one to the other.


    Despiteining about the hassle and how annoying it was, it seemed clear that Ellen had found some fun in cooking something herself, perhaps having grown tired of the ready-to-eat foods.


    Even though she struggled, she stubbornly followed my instructions. Strictly speaking, it seemed like she preferred to learn and make food on her own even if she had to endure my nagging, rather than eating what I made and listening to me boasting about it.


    On the other hand, I also had to¡ªsomewhat reluctantly¡ªfollow Ellen¡¯s instructions and struggle with it to improve my physical skills through her swordsmanship training.


    But my swordsmanship form wasn¡¯t the only thing I was receiving advice on.


    ¡°Alright. Come.¡±


    Ellen and I also sparred as well. When I lunged in, thrusting my practice sword, Ellen deflected my de with hers, slid it away to the outside, and at the same time, hammered her right shoulder into my sr plexus.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>Cough!</i>


    As soon as I fell, Ellen pointed her sword at my neck.


    ¡°You¡¯d be dead now.¡±


    Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t about shing and crashing des together like they did in the movies. Rather, it was about ending the match with a single strike. Life would leave you in a moment if you took a single thrust in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Hey, using your body to attack isn¡¯t part of the rules. Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡±


    Ellen cocked her head at my frustratedint.


    ¡°There are no such things as ¡®rules¡¯ when you¡¯re in a life-or-death battle.¡±


    It was a chilling thing to say for a child her age, but it was true, so I couldn¡¯t argue.


    After that, Ellen continued with our practice duels, showing me various forms of swordsmanship, methods of attack, and techniques for subduing an opponent. Ellen even knew things that hadn¡¯t been taught in the theory sses.


    It was true that training with a live, moving opponent was far more beneficial than practicing movements alone or with a practice dummy.


    Out of curiosity, I looked up her physical data. It was posted in the ssroom, although the details weren¡¯t revealed and her talent was understated. It was almost like a simplified system status chart message, and was something that existed in the original work too.


    Royal ss first-year A-2, Ellen:


    [Strength 16.5(B)]


    [Agility 18.3(B+)]


    [Dexterity 20.2(A-)]


    [Mana 23(A)]


    [Stamina 15.3(B-)]


    Talents:


    [Weapon Mastery] [Mana Control]


    Compared to the status chart shown to me by the system, hers was greatly simplified. The physical scanner couldn¡¯t disy information it couldn¡¯t assess, such as the rank of her swordsmanship or other skills.


    Despite Ellen¡¯s tremendous talents, the Temple had downyed her abilities, listing just weapon mastery and mana control. Weapon mastery, while specific, still epassed a wide range of abilities, and mana control also included aprehensive range of talents such as mana operation, mana attunement, and mana growth.


    Just possessing those two alone would be enough to put her above Vertus, but they had deliberately ranked her as second.


    In fact, she didn¡¯t even need any talents.


    Ellen far surpassed me in just her physical attributes, since mine were peppered with F and D ranks.


    In the rank ssification system, the higher one¡¯s rank increased, the less it would change, even if the absolute numbers kept increasing.


    In such a ssification system, Ellen¡¯s status was already considered unbelievably high.


    An S-rank status was beyond ordinary human ability, and that rank was reserved for masters or higher.


    I wasn¡¯t certain about herbat level, but she would easily be an A-rank.


    No one else in the Royal ss, much less among her peers, possessed such a level of physical abilities.


    <i>¡°Cough!¡±</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Urgh!¡±


    ¡°Oof!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    I wondered if she was just trying to beat me up under the guise of sparring.


    But I also learned a lot.


    Swordsmanship, I realized, was not just about using a sword; it epassed everything, including fists and feet. There were techniques that seemed almost like wrestling, such as deflecting the sword and grabbing the opponent by the cor to flip them over, or using the unarmed hand, which was also crucial. Techniques also involved wielding the sword with both hands, confronting an enemy¡¯s de with one hand and then subduing them with the empty hand, or even grabbing the enemy¡¯s de or one¡¯s own de to attack.


    There were so many techniques that it was impossible to remember them all.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    She knocked my sword away and almost pounced on me, pinning me down and pointing her sword at me, doing all sorts of bizarre maneuvers.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±


    She always made it a point to tell me that I was dead after subduing me.


    ¡°You¡¯re heavy! Get off of me, damn it...¡±


    Even if it was a practice duel, she shouldn¡¯t just climb onto me any way she wanted.


    During our sparring, Ellen showed me numerous ways to finish off a person with a sword right in front of me, some of which were quite shocking.


    ¡°... Are you mocking me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re beating me with the sword held in reverse?¡±


    She had struck my head with the cross-guard while holding the practice sword by the de. Being on the receiving end of such a move left mepletely dumbfounded. This was the epitome of humiliation.


    Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°... It¡¯s an actual technique, used against heavily armored enemies.¡±


    ¡°You mean to say there¡¯s really such a ridiculous technique? What if you cut your hand?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t cut that easily.¡±


    Ellen insisted that it wasn¡¯t just a trick she was doing with a practice sword, but that it could be used in real situations as well, but I still couldn¡¯t quite trust her.


    Anyway, after experiencing it, I knew for sure that Ellen was far beyond her peers when it came to swordsmanship.


    When Ellen taught me various swordsmanship techniques, including how to subdue an opponent, she also encouraged me to try them on her. In other words, she was essentially telling me to go ahead and beat her up, which caused me to hesitate, but I had no choice but to proceed.


    I practiced what I¡¯d learned, deflecting the sword or using the non-sword arm, and even techniques that were simr to the grounding moves found in martial arts that flipped the opponent over.


    Even as I executed these moves on her, I began to wonder if this was really okay.


    ¡°You¡¯re too slow, and your moves are clumsy.¡±


    Pinned beneath me, Ellen shook her head as if to say that this wasn¡¯t it, not at all.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s not the point! If I was a teenage boy, my heart would be racing right now! Don¡¯t you realize you¡¯re crossing a line here?</i>


    <i>¡®Can¡¯t you see Number 5 Cliffman right there, who¡¯s fiddling with his sword alone, stealing nces at us and unconsciously drooling at the sight? He¡¯s looking at us as if we were doing something we weren¡¯t supposed to!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Try it again.¡±


    Both Ellen and I were drenched in sweat from bickering back and forth for so long.


    Normally, one would think this would be an opportunity for mutual affection to blossom, but my opponent was absolutely impassive, and to me, she just seemed like a kid.


    As a result...


    <i>ng</i>! <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°My hand is going to be ripped apart!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    We both werepletely focused on swordsmanship training and battering each other with advice.


    ***


    The date of the duel was set for Sunday, right after lunchtime.


    From the Friday before that, Ellen began to instruct me in something odd.


    ¡°Endure.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>tter!</i>


    She vigorously struck the t side of the sword I was holding out in front of me. The practice sword slipped from my grip and rolled across the training ground floor.


    ¡°All swordsmanship skills are useless if you drop your sword.¡±


    It was as if I had dropped something that was considered as important as my life.


    ¡°Your grip strength is too weak.¡±


    My grip was so weak that a single hard strike like that was enough to make me lose the sword. That Friday, instead of practicing subduing techniques, Ellen focused on testing whether I could hold onto my sword. She hit my sword hard, expecting me not to drop it. Naturally, my hands grew numb, and the more we trained, the more strength seemed to leave my grip.


    And then...


    <i>ng</i>!


    I didn¡¯t know how long we had been at it when the practice sword broke apart as Ellen struck its t side again.


    ¡°What... what the?¡±


    My hands didn¡¯t hurt when the sword broke, but how was Ellen capable of smashing a sword with another sword simply by striking it?


    As she looked at the broken practice sword and picked up its remains, shemented, ¡°Practice swords are meant to be fragile. They break easily.¡±


    It seemed as though it wasn¡¯t her first time witnessing the destruction of a practice sword.


    ¡°They use something so flimsy in the Temple?¡±


    ¡°If the practice swords are too sturdy, that would also pose a problem.¡±


    Practice swords had no edge to them. They were deliberately designed that way to prevent injuries, considering the serious trouble that could arise from idents that urred during practice.


    Moreover, it appeared that they were intentionally made from a weaker material, because more durable practice swords could still cause harm when wielded as a blunt-force weapon, even without an edge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drop the sword.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done!¡±


    With the sword broken, I copsed onto the floor of the training ground, unable to do much more. My grip strength was totally gone, and I couldn¡¯t go on anymore.


    Grip strength was definitely important.


    That was why Adriana emphasized grip strength during strength training. She kept saying that a strong grip was essential, and continuously made me train it.


    That day, Ellen had focused solely on striking my sword with powerful blows all day to see whether I would drop it or not. Cliffman had gone off to rest, leaving only the two of us on the training ground.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t always just the three of us there. Vertus and Erhi also came to train sometimes.


    Vertus watched me training with Ellen with an odd smile on his face. He didn¡¯t say anything about my duel, but he seemed secretly pleased to see me trying to do something about it. His gaze was like that of a superior watching his first and most capable subordinate doing well on their own.


    In addition, I did not find myself in any conflicts with the other kids during this period, as I was fullymitted to training for the duel. They didn¡¯t bother me much either, perhaps because I had built some sort of a reputation with them.


    Still, the uing Sunday was going to be the main event for everyone.


    It was the day that the psycho thug Reinhart would get a taste of his own medicine. Everyone who disliked me was going to watch the duel.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to lose,¡± said Ellen abruptly.


    Until then, she hadn¡¯t said a single thing about my duel.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t unaware of it. She must have known why I was suddenly so devoted to training.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Everyone told me that I was going to lose, and so I was aware of that too. Ellen certainly knew that I was not brimming with confidence, so why did she bring this up all of a sudden?


    ¡°Do you want to win?¡± she asked out of the blue.


    I couldn¡¯t fathom why she was asking this. Did it mean that she at least considered me somewhat close, to ask such personal questions?


    Did I want to win? Of course I did.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    I obviously preferred winning. Whether I could do so or not was a separate question. The reward in terms of achievement points if I won were three times higher!


    Ellen hadn¡¯t been looking at me, but she suddenly met my eyes. Her calm, dark blue eyes were focused on me.


    She really did look like someone out of a painting.


    ¡°There¡¯s one way you could win.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    What was she talking about? No matter how I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t see how I could possibly beat someone from the second year who had better talents in swordsmanship than me.


    But whatever the case, Ellen seemed to think there was at least one way I could win the duel.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Think carefully about what a duel really is about.¡±


    That was all Ellen said, and she didn¡¯t borate any further.


    ¡°What kind of half-exnation is that?¡± I muttered, imploring her to tell me what she meant.


    But Ellen kept her mouth closed, as if she did not want to disclose any more information.

 Chapter 47

    <h4>Chapter 47</h4>


    It was the day before the duel, and like any other Saturday, I had physical training with Adriana in the morning and continued to receive support from her divine power.


    After breakfast, Adriana called me outside again to administer more training.


    ¡°<i>Huff</i>... <i>Huff</i>...¡±


    I could definitely feel that my strength and stamina had increased significantly over this short training period. The rapid growth rate and the fact that I could feel it in my body gave me a sense of euphoria despite the physical and mental pain I was going through.


    "Junior, don''t do anything today and tomorrow morning. Just have a good rest."


    "Okay."


    Adriana could restore my stamina with her powers. However, if I overexerted myself now, it could negatively impact the duel the next day. I was well aware of that and fully intended to stop training at this point.


    Although, I did wonder what difference it would make to be in peak condition when it came to a duel that I was bound to lose anyway.


    Adriana trained me not just in the morning that day, but all through the afternoon. After training, we sat on a bench in the park in front of the dormitory. Adriana handed me a water bottle, and I drank eagerly, drained by the extra intensity of that day¡¯s workout.


    ¡°<i>Huff</i>...¡±


    Adriana looked at me in my exhausted state, a peculiar smile on her lips.


    "Junior, you¡¯re really strange."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It seems like you have a fair bit of patience, and the tenacity to follow the training I¡¯ve been giving you so far. So why do you act so rashly toward others?"


    It seemed the past week had led her to conclude that I wasn¡¯t someone whocked patience or diligence. Yet, she did not understand why I acted so impulsively and brought such humiliation upon myself.


    "Because I don''t want to be ignored," I replied.


    "Huh?"


    "If you let certain individuals provoke you once, they will certainly do it a second time. And If you endure it twice, it will happen a third and fourth time, and you eventually just end up being taken advantage of."


    Adriana sighed deeply.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that tiring? Always getting upset over small things, having to fight and sh with someone every time?"


    "It''s just how it is."


    After finishing the water in the bottle, I stared nkly into the park, full of lush greenery in the form of trees and shrubs.


    "I think it would be better to live a tiresome life as someone who can stand up for themselves, rather than living tiresomely as someone who gets helplessly bullied."


    "Really... I seriously can''t understand you, junior,¡± Adriana replied with a shake of her head. Apparently, she couldn¡¯t see where I wasing from.


    "Anyway, there''s something I want to ask," I said.


    "What is it?"


    Adriana looked at me intently, as if poised to answer anything within her knowledge.


    "One of my ssmates said that there is exactly one way I could win the duel. Do you have any idea what it might be?"


    "Huh?"


    Adriana appeared puzzled by the strange question and was momentarily lost in thought. The one way I could win. What did Ellen think that could be?


    "Well... Honestly, I have no clue," Adriana replied with a shake of her head. She didn¡¯t know what it was either.


    Yeah. Ellen probably wouldn¡¯t tell me either, even if I grabbed her by the cor and threatened her. I¡¯d be more likely to be hit instead.


    <i>¡®Whatever, if I lose, then I lose.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The time for the duel had arrived.


    The week of training had really helped improve my stats. After all, I¡¯d received a tremendous boost during training.


    Current stats:


    [Strength 4.8 (F+)]


    [Agility 5.0 (D-)]


    [Dexterity 5.9 (D-)]


    [Mana 10.1 (C)]


    [Stamina 8.1 (C-)]


    My strength had increased by 0.8, agility by 0.3, dexterity by 0.7, and my stamina had seen a dramatic increase of 1.6. The training with Adriana had probably contributed to the growth in strength and stamina, while the sparring with Ellen ounted for the increase in dexterity.


    But why did my mana increase again?


    There were also slight changes in the subcategories.


    Abilities in possession:


    [Control Demon (D) (Unique ability of Archdemons) (Not usable in the current state)]


    [Self-Deception (Locked)]


    [Pseudo-Swordsmanship]


    [Overall rating: Low-level Demon King]


    [Combat ability: F+]


    ... What was that over there?


    What was Pseudo-Swordsmanship about? It wasn¡¯t even ranked F, justbeled as Pseudo-Swordsmanship. Were they saying I didn''t even qualify for F-rank swordsmanship yet? Were they too reluctant to even write ''Lowest-level swordsmanship'' or something like that?


    The increase inbat ability from F to F+ was also seriously ridiculous. It would have been better to just leave it at F; F+ somehow looked even worse.


    All that intense training just to get Pseudo-Swordsmanship as a result was almost enough to break my spirit.


    At least there was a significant improvement in stamina. My abilities had improved in general, and eventually, I would hit some limits. When that happened, I''d have to use achievement points or something, but as for now, what I could do with my body would have to be enough.


    Afternoon came, and I was on the training grounds of the first-year A ss dormitory.


    It was where Ellen and I had crossed swords countless times. But that day, there was quite a crowd gathered.


    There were people who hade to see me lose.


    Vertus was not there. It seemed he had returned to the imperial pce for the weekend, and he either didn¡¯t care to see the oue of my duel, or he just wasn''t curious at all.


    From ss A, everyone was there except Number 1, Vertus, and Number 3, Riana de Granz. Unexpectedly, Ellen hade to watch my duel. It basically meant that every one of my ssmates who had seen me cause trouble with the seniors back then were watching as well.


    Surprisingly, there were even a few people from ss B.


    "Let¡¯s go, Reinhart! Do your best!"


    "Yeah, thanks."


    Obviously, the good-natured Ludwig hade to cheer me on. He seemed to have brought along two people he was especially friendly with from the ss. It was B-9, Delphine Izadra, and B-10, Lanian Sesor. I had never had a conversation with either of those two, and it felt like I would likely never do so in the future either. It was somewhat ironic that the characters I¡¯d written about the most were the ones with whom I had nothing to do with.


    There was also someone slightly off to the side, but who was undoubtedly there to watch the duel¡ªit was Charlotte, quietly observing me.


    It felt intense. She was definitely not there to cheer for me. She was most likely just there to watch¡ªeither to see how I''d fare in the duel or possibly to inquire about my progress in searching for Baalier.


    Somehow it felt like she was assessing my usefulness.


    Among those I hadn''t expected was B-3, Scarlett. With her red eyes and red hair, she stood out starkly. I had never had any interactions with her as well; why had shee to watch this? She didn''t seem like someone who would be interested in other people''s affairs, and strictly speaking, she would have preferred to avoid setting foot in ss A.


    "Why did that witch with the freak eyese? She¡¯s so annoying."


    Scarlett had no reason toe since she couldn''t stand Erhi, yet there she was, watching my duel from a distance. She was quite far away from Erhi, but she definitely had her eyes on me.


    <i>¡®What could it be?¡¯</i>


    This wasn''t something that happened in the original story, so a new motive must have arisen that hadn¡¯t existed before.


    That was it for the first-years, and most of them probably hoped to see me crushed, except for Ludwig. I couldn''t tell what Ellen was thinking. She was just squatting in a corner, watching me.


    "Be prepared to get thoroughly thrashed today, you low-life beggar," Harriet teased with a spiteful chuckle.


    "Yeah, enjoy the show."


    "... Huh?"


    "I said have fun watching."


    "What, what in the..." My nonchntment that she should enjoy watching me get beaten up left Harriet with a dumbfounded expression.


    Prejudices seemed to be important. At first, I¡¯d been ticked off and had said something rash to her, but once I started seeing her as just a cute kid in my head, everything she did appeared cute to me.


    It was just like when a stereotypical viin character in a novel started doing adorable antics, and unexpectedly became a favorite character.


    It just proved that one could never know what would happen.


    The second-year seniors from ss A seemed to be fully represented. In fact, there were more than ten second-year seniors there, so I assumed that some from ss B hade too.


    Were they all here to see the face of a junior who dared to challenge a senior?


    Among those faces, I only knew a few. My opponent, Ard de Gritis, Adriana, and the little girl named Rudina who looked like she was about to cry as her gaze flickered between Ard and me.


    I should really treat her with something niceter on. It was terrible to have said I''d hit such a nice girl like her, saying I¡¯d twist her neck and all... when she was so young and innocent!


    Yeah, I deserved to go to hell!


    Then there was the overseer of the duel, Mr. Effenhauser.


    "It seems you guys are ready, so let''s proceed."


    A real duel would involve actually risking one''s life. However, as a matter of course, a duel between students should never be a matter of life and death.


    That was why duels were only held under the supervision of a teacher who had the power to intervene at any time.


    Mr. Effenhauser made noment about students dueling, since it was technically not in breach of any rules. It was as though he didn¡¯t mind, and was willing to allow them to go ahead.


    If it had been Ms. Mustang, she definitely would have tried to stop us, telling us not to do something so foolish.


    Their personalities were pr opposites.


    ¡°Ard de Grits has dered that Reinhardt has insulted his honor in the incident... that is, I will just read it as written in the report."


    Mr. Effenhauser began to read the report that was filed regarding our duel.


    ¡°Two weeks ago, on Saturday, the student Number A-11 from the first year, Reinhart, by grabbing and squeezing the crotch of the student Number A-3 from the second year, Ard de Gritis, has caused...¡±


    <i>Pfft</i>!


    <i>Hah</i>!


    <i>Tskk</i>!


    The students, regardless of their year, tried to stifle theirughter as Mr. Effenhauser read that part with utter seriousness, without cracking a smile. He ignored the reactions and continued reading.


    Even both Ard and I were trying to keep a straight face, but Mr. Effenhauser impressively managed not tough.


    "Ard ims that he was subjected to mental and physical distress and indeed, sexual humiliation, and as a result, his honor was tarnished. Therefore, he demands an apology for the incident from student Number A-11, Reinhart, and has requested a duel, to which A-11, Reinhart, has agreed. Is this correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... <i>pfft</i>!¡±


    Arde managed not tough until the end, but I found it so funny that I could barely reply, my voice shrinking as I failed to stifle augh.


    ¡°State what each of you hopes to gain from the other in case of victory.¡±


    At Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s prompt, Ard responded, ¡°I wish that Reinhart will kneel before the seniors and apologize for his rudeness, and vow to continue respecting and honoring his seniors henceforth."


    Ard essentially wanted my apology and my respect as his prize for winning. By respect, it meant that from now on, whatever the seniors did to me, I would have to bow and scrape to them. Mr. Effenhauser then looked at me.


    <i>¡®Hmm... the prize of victory in a fight where the odds of winning were bleak...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I hope that the seniors will refrain from imposing their unjust behavior not only on me, but also on my ssmates. Of course, an apology is in order as well."


    My words seemed to pique the curiosity of the other students.


    Even if it was clear I was bound to lose, they probably hadn¡¯t expected me to demand that the seniors not harass my ssmates as my prize.


    Why such a reaction?


    I was just posturing about a reward I would likely never receive, anyway.


    "Good. The god of war, Alse, will side with the righteous."


    A duel was, after all, a barbaric act. ¡°The god of war will side with the just and bless the chosen with victory¡±? That was all just bullshit.


    Then, just as Mr. Effenhauser was about to dere the start of the duel...


    "Teacher."


    Ard, unable to conceal his annoyance, raised his hand.


    ¡°I invoke my rightful privilege as a duelist to nominate my champion."


    What...? What on earth was he talking about? Champion?


    "Name them."


    "My champion is from the third year, A-7, Mayaton."


    Ard, his face contorting, stepped aside, and someone took his practice sword and stood before me.


    The person who received it seemed incapable of containing their amusement, with a grin spreading across their face.


    It was then that I realized that the number of spectators wasn¡¯t because seniors from ss B had shown up as well. It was the third-year ss A students who had shown up.


    "So you''re the one who told us toe over when the prince was on campus?¡±


    The third-years were infuriated by what I''d said, so they had taken Ard¡¯s ce in the duel. I had dared them to challenge Vertus while he was around, and because they ultimately couldn''t follow through, their pride had been damaged as well, and they wanted to take matters into their own hands.


    Ard¡¯s frustrated expression made it clear that he¡¯d probably beenpelled to step aside instead of doing so willingly. Adriana too was wide-eyed, seemingly unaware that events would unfold like this.


    The champion looked down on me with a sardonic smile.


    "Let''s see if you have any skill to match that mouth of yours, junior."


    I finally understood what my one means of victory could be...


    ¡°Champion,¡± Or Substitute Warrior (´ú‘ðÊ¿).


    A duelist had the right to appoint someone else to fight in their stead.


    I nced over at Ellen Artorius, who was squatting idly in a corner, quietly observing me.


    ¡°....¡±


    She met my gaze and nodded.


    The one way I could win.


    It was at that moment that Ellen had implied that she would be my champion.

 Chapter 48

    <h4>Chapter 48</h4>


    The situation was evolving differently than I¡¯d expected. I initially had no thought of winning the duel itself, but I never anticipated that a third-year student would participate.


    <i>¡®How petty are these guys? They don¡¯t have the guts to discipline anyone when the prince is around, but will shamelessly steal the ce of a junior in a duel?¡¯</i>


    The slim chance of winning seemed to have be even slimmer, and it felt like nothing much had changed.


    However, the guy named Mayaton was staring at me, seemingly thinking about how he would thoroughly teach me a lesson.


    My ssmates were just as flustered by the sudden appearance of the third-year duelist.


    Ellen woulde out and stand for me if I appointed her as my champion. But no matter how outstanding she was, could she possibly beat a third-year? Regardless of her talents, this opponent had spent two more years in the Temple.


    Despite this, I still believed that she could win. I didn¡¯t know what kind of guy Mayaton was, but Ellen could surely beat someone like him.


    To beat Ellen, one would have to be a superhuman or somewhere close to that level, and this third-year wouldn¡¯t be like that. Such people would be extremely rare even within the entire cohort of the Temple, so it was highly unlikely that someone at that level would be such a jerk.


    The sudden change in the situation seemed to cause a shift in another person¡¯s emotional state as well.


    Adriana.


    Adriana did not just seem flustered by the situation, but also angered by it. The senior with the calm demeanor was looking at me silently.


    I could see in her eyes that she was willing to fight on my behalf as well.


    Adriana had always detested these inevitable traditions. It was so apparent that even her dislike for these seniors was in to see.


    Seeing a third-year stoop to fighting a first-year in a duel seemed to be thest straw.


    Adriana¡¯s eyes spoke to me. They were urging me to choose her as my champion.


    I thought I was making a mess of my life at the Temple, but having two people willing to fight on my behalf gave me hope that perhaps I wasn¡¯t doing such a bad job after all.


    ¡°If there are no objections, we will start the duel shortly. The duel will end if the oue is clear, or if one side admits defeat.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, I have a proposal,¡± Mayaton said to Mr. Effenhauser. ¡°Can we make it a rule that the duel ends only if one side admits defeat?¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because the oue seems clear already. Therefore, I want to teach this rash junior a lesson in manners.¡±


    He was essentially proposing that the duel would not end unless I admitted defeat myself. He was confident he would win, and so he didn¡¯t like the idea of the duel ending as soon as the swords shed. His goal wasn¡¯t just to beat me. It was to trample over mepletely.


    ¡°Reinhart, do you agree to these terms?¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s exactly what I wanted, you moron.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, but I have a condition of my own.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ellen and Adriana¡ªthey would both fight for me. The situation had changed, and it was clear that I had drawn a more vicious opponent than Ard. Perhaps Ard hadn¡¯t nned to beat me that harshly. But this guy, he was definitely going to beat me up worse than Ard would have.


    Since the situation had changed, so had the judgment.


    ¡°Mayaton is a third-year, and I am a first-year. There is a definite difference in abilities between us.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser nodded as if to agree.


    ¡°As is my rightful authority as the challenged...¡±


    Whom would I call?


    ¡°I request a handicap on my opponent.¡±


    No one. I chose not to call anyone.


    ***


    When Ellen had told me to think about what a duel was really about, she was implying the use of a champion, hoping that I would catch on.


    That¡¯s why, when Ard chose a champion, something else came to mind instead.


    A handicap.


    If there was too much of a disparity in weight sses between opponents, one could ask for a handicap. That was precisely the case at the moment.


    Neither Ellen nor Adriana seemed to expect that I would ask for a handicap instead of a champion. Yes, if the champions hadn¡¯t appeared so unexpectedly, I probably wouldn¡¯t have thought of the handicap either.


    Mayaton burst into cynicalughter at my words.


    ¡°Hey junior, do you really think you can beat me?¡±


    He wasughing, but he seemed truly furious. He clearly seemed offended that I really thought I could win against him with just a handicap.


    Mr. Effenhauser, acting as the witness for this duel, nodded.


    ¡°Very well. During the duel, Mayaton is prohibited from using his left hand,¡± dered Mr. Effenhauser.


    It was Mr. Effenhauser who chose the handicap, not Mayaton himself. Mayaton sneered and hid his left hand behind his back as if the handicap was of no effect to him.


    I might not have considered it a significant handicap before, but since my recent sparring with Ellen, I learned how vital the role of the off-hand could be. Sealing away one arm was a tremendous disadvantage. Of course, even so, the likelihood of oveing the difference in our sses was still very slim.


    All eyes were on us when Mr. Effenhauser announced, ¡°Begin the duel.¡±


    Mayaton didn¡¯t rush in immediately. Holding the practice sword in his right hand, he slowly approached me with his left hand hidden. I had no strategy in mind. Would any of the numerous techniques I¡¯d learned from Ellen even work against him? Superior technique might ovee the disparity in ss, but I had only crammed my techniques in a short period of time.


    I still didn¡¯t know swordsmanship. To think I did after that little bit of training would be pure arrogance.


    Mayaton approached me without any sign of wariness, as if he were just out for a walk.


    ¡°Are you frozen or something?¡±


    As he came within range with his sword pointed forward, I tried to push aside his sword and advance.


    -<i>ng</i>!


    ¡°<i>Argh!</i>¡±


    As if he could see such a moveing, he struck down the sword I was holding with both my hands using just one of his. The shock forced me to retreat several steps backward. Even though I was holding the sword with both hands, my palms felt like they were about to rip open.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡±


    Mayaton stared at me intently after I was pushed back several steps.


    He was confident that he could subdue me at any moment, but he was toying with me instead. It was as if he intended to trample on my pride and make me realize that I was nothing.


    Mayaton slightly leaned his body forward, then immediately charged at me.


    <i>ng</i>!


    He began his attack.


    <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    More specifically, he was attacking the sword in my hands, not me.


    His moves were deliberate.


    <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    As soon as I lost my grip on the sword, he aimed a swift kick at my abdomen.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    As I followed my sword and rolled along the ground, I realized something. This would continue until I surrendered. Until I crushed my own pride and admitted defeat with my own lips.


    Until then, this bastard was going to keep going.


    ¡°Junior, you know you can¡¯t drop your sword in a duel.¡±


    He kicked the practice sword that had flown from my hands back toward me.


    ¡°Pick it up.¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    As soon as I picked up the sword, Mayaton charged at me again and once more struck the side of my practice sword.


    The sword I just barely grasped slipped from my grip and tumbled across the floor.


    Mayaton looked at me andughed.


    ¡°Pick it up.¡±


    I was beginning to understand why Ellen had trained me not to let go of the sword.


    She knew I would endure this kind of humiliation.


    ***


    <i>ng</i>!


    The strength in my grip was weakening.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    Every time I dropped the sword, he punished me, hitting me with his elbow, kicking me, mming a knee into me¡ªeach blownding heavily.


    ¡°Someone like you, with no skills, nor a single thing to rely on,¡± he mocked.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Why does someone like you choose to act up?¡±


    He had no intention ofpletely knocking me out. Rather, he would repeat the process of looking down at my crumpled body, kicking the practice sword next to my head, then knocking my sword away, and watching me pick it up again.


    The humiliation that came from the very act of the sword slipping from my grip and having to retrieve it was no joke when I actually experienced it.


    I felt a weight of misery and self-loathing hanging over me, realizing I was nothing more than a toy to my opponent, even though he was a piece of trash beating up someone two years younger than him.


    I knew I was going to lose, and that I would continue to be humiliated like this. And not just that, I knew I was going to continue being subjected to this physical abuse, which was incredibly painful.


    As I gripped the sword again, he approached and once more struck my de.


    <i>ng</i>!


    My palm was torn open, and blood began to flow out.


    This was no longer a duel. It hadn¡¯t been a duel from the start.


    His steps were not those of someone approaching their opponent for a duel.


    He simply strolled over, and with a casual swing, my sword was knocked away. Then he assaulted my defenseless body with kicks and blows, toying with me as if I were merely there for his amusement.


    He looked down at me as I struggled to get up from the ground, sneering at how pathetic I looked to him.


    ¡°I like how, even though you¡¯re nothing but trash, you have the eyes of a swordmaster.¡±


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Get down, you bastard.¡±


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been so much better if you just epted the situation like a nice kid?¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Huuk</i>!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost. You know you¡¯ve lost. Just say it. It¡¯ll be easier for you.¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Krgh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Uugh</i>...¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to say it?¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°If you won¡¯t, that¡¯s your loss.¡±


    He showed not the slightest bit of pity as he watched me, still attempting to rise even while I fumbled around on the ground.


    I might have a bad temper, but this guy was on a different level.


    He was beyond having a bad temper; he was cruel.


    Just as I had tried to make up for myck of skills with cruelty, he was also that kind of person.


    And he was clearly, iparably stronger than me.


    The more I tried to rise and resist, the more he seemed to enjoy it, not out of admiration, but out of delight. It was as if he was watching a worm that would eventually be crushed wriggling beneath his feet.


    As I gripped the practice sword once more, I sensed the atmosphere around me.


    Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s face and eyes were devoid of emotion.


    However, the faces of most of my ssmates were distorted.


    There is a phenomenon in any kind of match that urs when one side starts to lose miserably. The spectators often find themselves unknowingly rooting for them out of pity, wishing they could do just a bit better and not lose so deplorably.


    Right then, I was the one who was being dreadfully beaten.


    Even Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who had been gleeful at the thought of me getting taught a ¡°lesson,¡± was now looking pale and bewildered, not knowing what to do. She kept looking back and forth between me and Mr. Effenhauser, her eyes clearly wondering why the match wasn¡¯t being stopped when the oue was so clear.


    She must have imagined me getting beaten up, but she couldn¡¯t have envisioned it being this pathetic and brutal.


    Meanwhile, others still managed to remain calm.


    Ellen was looking at me quietly, and so was Charlotte.


    It was the ones who used to hate and dislike me that were actually paralyzed with fear. They were probably worried that I might actually die.


    Although duels at the Temple were different from real battles and could be considered child¡¯s y, in the end, they were still called ¡°duels.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just a simple fistfight.


    The duel wouldn¡¯t end as long as one side didn¡¯t admit defeat. Mr. Effenhauser also wouldn¡¯t intervene unless my life was in danger. Besides, I didn¡¯t even want such an intervention.


    As I stubbornly kept getting to my feet, it was not Mayaton¡¯s expression that began to twist, but the expressions of the other students.


    It seemed they now wished that I would just surrender.


    They hoped that I would ept defeat and back down. They probably didn¡¯t understand why I was pushing myself like this.


    In my battered state, my grip weakening and my entire body creaking, I looked at Mayaton.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to win.


    Yet, I found a desire rising within me.


    I knew I couldn¡¯t win, but against that detestable, cruel, despicable bastard like him...


    ¡°Just take one hit from me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Even if I was beaten down and trampled, just one decisive hit would do.


    ¡°Just take one hit, you piece of shit!¡±


    I was determined tond at least one blow.


    Due to my immense rage, all ns of awakening my supernatural power by being ced in a psychologically-extreme situation were forgotten.


    I had simply been hit too many times.


    I had been hit so many times that my anger surged to the very top of my head.


    If I couldn¡¯t manage tond a solid hit on that bastard¡¯s thick skull, I¡¯d be haunted by it, unable to sleep for a month.


    I charged at him with all the strength of my youth, and he, as if questioning my audacity, prepared to deflect my blow. He was ready to kick or strike me with the t of his sword.


    I hadn¡¯t intended to use ¡°it¡± for such trivial situations.


    But I was too infuriated to hold back.


    [Activating ¡®Revise¡¯]


    [You need 20 achievement points to activate the incident.]


    As I brought my sword down from above, aiming for the sword blocking my path...


    I manifested ¡°what normally wouldn¡¯t happen¡± into reality.


    The moment my sword collided with his, his sword shattered into pieces.


    <i>ng</i>!


    The practice sword that Mayaton used to block mine crumbled, and his face was quickly filled with astonishment.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Kuhuk</i>!¡±


    My practice sword struck his head from above, and simultaneously, I drove my knee upward, targeting hisher regions, which had been the cause of this duel.

 Chapter 49 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 49 [Illustration]</h4>


    I remembered Ellen telling me that the practice swords were not made of a particrly sturdy material. The Revise function made it so that events that were supposed to happen did not happen, or those that were not supposed to, did. Additionally, the less likely an event was to ur, the more achievement points were required to make it happen.


    That meant, conversely, that events with higher usibility required rtively fewer achievement points.


    It was not imusible for a worn-out practice sword to break. Therefore, I was able to manifest the incident with just a small number of points.


    It was definitely more usible than making someone who was trained in closebat suddenly fall over or surrender. In the end, I was essentially able to use what was avable to me to the fullest, and seeded innding a blow on him.


    Ard knew exactly what that pain felt like for himself, and he instinctively curled his legs up while Mayaton clutched at hisher regions with an expression of agony and backed away.


    ¡°<i>Cough</i>... Y-you damn... you damn bastard...!¡±


    Unfortunately, it seemed like I hadn¡¯tnded a direct hit, as he didn¡¯t fall over but only broke out into a cold sweat.


    I knew for a fact that as soon as he recovered from the shock, a more terrible oue was waiting.


    Since the practice sword had broken, Mr. Effenhauser took out a new practice sword and threw it toward Mayaton.


    I couldn¡¯t spare any time to let him pick it up.


    If he recovered from his injury, I would be as good as dead.


    While the guy was still trembling, fumbling about trying to pick up the practice sword after getting hit in the groin, I charged at him.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    Instead of swinging the sword at him, I mmed into him with my body. I saw Mayaton crumble without being able to regain hisposure and reversed the grip on my practice sword.


    <i>Smack</i>!


    I then struck his head with the crossguard, just as Ellen had shown me before. Though the move was meant tobat an enemy in heavy armor, in this instance, I used it to deliver a blow to shock him.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ahh</i>! You, you damn son of a bitch!¡±


    The move would have been dangerous enough that it might have split his head open if it had been delivered with full power, but since I had lost a lot of strength, all it did was make him feel pain. I had at least hoped that he would faint from the attack, but that did not happen.


    <i>Smack</i>! <i>Smack</i>! <i>Smack</i>! <i>Smack</i>!


    While he was still recovering from the pain, I kicked and stomped on him and smacked his face.


    Unfortunately, my body was already at its limit, and I couldn¡¯t inflict any meaningful injury to him. He merely hunkered down in a crouching position and endured my feeble attacks. He, too, would have to dere surrender for the fight to officially end, but I knew he would never do that, and was going to wait until he recovered.


    <i>Smack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Kek</i>!¡±


    The moment I dreaded came quite quickly. As he pushed me away, he staggered and stood up.


    Any sense of leisure was gone. His face was flushed bright red, likely from the humiliation of being taken down by a first-year junior.


    This had already gone far beyond a duel. It was now an all-out dogfight.


    It was nothing more than the scuffle between two kids, with no pride, no honor, no respect¡ªnothing. His eyes gleamed murderously.


    The onlookers were watching with peculiar expressions. Had they begun to cheer as though they thought I could win because I, who had been helplessly attacked until now, had performed an unexpected counterattack?


    ¡°Yeah, you know what, I don¡¯t want you to surrender either. Let¡¯s fight until I kill you, please,¡± Mayaton said.


    That was not going to happen. He was still waiting, recovering, watching me as he got himself ready to fend off my charge.


    I would have felt okay to surrender, now that I¡¯dnded a solid hit on him in return. It would have been fine to give up.


    In fact, surrendering right after giving him a blow like that basically meant that I had won, at least by the looks of it.


    That <i>would</i> have been the best course of action, but...


    ¡°Surrender? Yeah, I¡¯m never going to. No way, you damn bastard.¡±


    I wanted to win.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to win.¡±


    After striking that obnoxious brat once and seeing his face distort, I finally realized the true pleasure of revenge.


    ¡°You think you can win just because you pulled off a cowardly ambush?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    I wanted to win. I really wanted that arrogant fool who thought he could easily teach a young junior a lesson to ultimately face defeat, and have to kneel before me and apologize.


    That was why I wanted to win.


    If I lost, I would have to kneel down in front of him and Ard and apologize. Getting beaten up was one thing, but it was another to apologize for something I didn¡¯t even believe was wrong.


    I didn¡¯t want that. There was no need to justify my simple dislike for something using grand reasons, or to make it into a convincing plot point in the story.


    I just hated losing. No one likes to lose.


    There was no way I was going to get beaten up by that obnoxious little pest and then kneel in front of him after losing.


    I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the look on his face after all the assurance he had of his own victory, after he mocked me, trampled on me and kicked me but then got defeated by me.


    I was curious to see what miserable expression he was going to make when he refused to ept his defeat and showed an even uglier side of his character.


    I wanted to inflict even more humiliation on the one who had humiliated me.


    Therefore, I wanted to win. I desired victory.


    He came toward me.


    His attack, filled with rage, would not just leave a small cut¡ªit was liable to break something for sure. If I allowed the next attack tond, there would be no ¡°after that.¡±


    There was a limit to how long one could hang on through sheer tenacity and determination, and I was reaching it.


    Breaking another practice sword would be imusible for the story and would thus require more achievement points. In fact, it might even be impossible.


    So I didn¡¯t even know how tond another blow, let alone win this fight.


    ¡°How exactly do you n to beat me? Come on, show me.¡±


    I had no answer to that.


    But still, I wanted to win. Just because I didn¡¯t have a method didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t desire to win.


    Whatever happened, I needed to see him fall at my feet.


    <i>¡®Ah....¡¯</i>


    It was then that I realized...


    I shouldn¡¯t have gone into this thinking that I was going to lose in the first ce.


    Instead, I should¡¯ve thought that although I would lose the fight, I <i>desired</i> to win it.


    No, not just desire. That was not nearly enough.


    Although there seemed to be no way to win, and in a situation where defeat seemed inevitable, I still should have desired victory and moreover, been certain of my victory.


    What I needed to do now became clear.


    I steadied my breath and looked at my approaching opponent.


    He approached with a sneering smile. ¡°So, how exactly do you n to win?¡±


    <i>¡®How?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Somehow.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The answer was decided.


    I looked at him as I gripped my sword.


    ¡°Somehow, I <i>will</i> win.¡±


    In this situation, I was being obstinate. I didn¡¯t know how to win, but somehow, I would win.


    This was sheer obstinacy.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind.¡±


    Mayaton seemed to think that I had gone mad after being pushed to my limits, and the expressions of the others around us suggested that they thought the same.


    But no. That was not it.


    I wasn¡¯t being driven to the edge of mental breakdown. Rather, I hade to a logical realization. I had realized how my own power operated.


    The name of my power was called Self-Deception, which meant that I had to believe in myself and believe that it was going to happen.


    It was not about hoping for victory.


    And it was not about predicting my victory either.


    Even in a situation where there was absolutely no possibility of winning, I had to think that I would win. I had to believe it. That was what was necessary for this power to work. That was the power I possessed.


    It was not about wanting, wishing, or hoping for anything. It didn¡¯t need reason, cause, or foundation; I just had to blindly believe that it would happen.


    Like a child throwing a tantrum, like a fool being obstinate. Only when I believed with such conviction would my power awaken.


    Believe like that, and regardless of cause and reason, it would happen. It was a power that could enhance my being and grant me power in that way.


    ¡°Watch, and see for yourself.¡±


    In the end, it evolved into the ultimate paranormal ability, a verbal dexterity (ÑÔì`).


    ¡°Somehow, I will defeat you.¡±


    [Awakening - Self-Deception (×Ô¼º°µÊ¾)]


    That was my power.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    My opponent seemed to lose patience. He closed the distance a little more, then dropped into a crouch and charged toward me.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°<i>Kuh</i>...<i>ugh</i>!¡±


    It was a move that I clearly shouldn¡¯t have been able to react to, yet I did. I flowed to the side and struck his face with the t of the de.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    Mayaton fell on his face without finishing his move as I mmed him to the floor and left him sprawling on the ground.


    I suddenly stopped feeling any of the pain that had wracked me, or the wounds that were covering my body.


    In a state of extreme exhration, I grabbed the hair of the staggered opponent before me.


    ¡°<i>Kuh</i>...<i>huk</i>...¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to understand what was happening to him, and the onlookers were equally dumbfounded. It was hard for them to believe that someone who could barely keep himself upright just moments ago could suddenly exhibit such strength.


    Holding onto his hair, I mmed his head down into the floor.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Gack</i>!¡±


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Grk</i>!¡±


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Guah</i>!¡±


    Mayaton¡¯s body shivered violently from having his head struck against the training ground floor three times in quick session.


    Mr. Effenhauser, who had not intervened while I was being beaten up earlier, did not step in either as I drove Mayaton¡¯s head into the floor. He simply observed us with a terrifying level ofposure.


    Everyone must have been confused about what was happening.


    ¡°Surrender.¡±


    <i>¡°Huh</i>. <i>Huk</i>... Ho-how... how did you...¡±


    ¡°You know that if you pass out, you lose automatically, right? Do you want your head to be mmed into the ground until you pass out? I¡¯m fine with that.¡±


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Guh</i>!¡±


    <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>!


    In this situation that had been reversed without any clear reason or warning, I grabbed the mess that was Mayaton¡¯s hair once again, forcing him to look me straight in the eyes.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°<i>Hu</i>...<i>huhk</i>...¡±


    ¡°That I will, somehow, defeat you.¡±


    It was as if pure obstinance had be reality.


    That was exactly what Self-Deception was. The more imusible the belief I held, the stronger my power became.


    The moment I understood how to use my ability, I started to fully believe in it, and it seemed that my vague belief in victory would be strong enough to secure victory over Mayaton.


    I was genuinely convinced that I could win, somehow.


    The look in his eyes no longer held the madness, cruelty, brutality, or pleasure that it had before.


    His eyes were filled with iprehension, as well as fear of the current situation and of me.


    Yes. Bing an object of fear was a good thing. Moreover, it was even better if the fear wasing from the same guy who had once beat me up and looked down on me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°So, say it, senior. You¡¯ve attended the Temple two years longer than me, you have superior physical abilities, and your swordsmanship is better than mine. Admit to everyone but even then, you got your ass kicked by a first-year!¡± I shouted.


    I let out a maddened roar, and I could sense the gasps from the crowd.


    ¡°Don¡¯t like that? Then you can just keep face-nting on the ground.¡±


    I lifted his head high, ready to m it down onto the floor once more.


    ¡°I-I... I¡¯ve lost.¡±


    I¡¯d finally managed to trample on his pride and extract a deration of defeat. Mr. Effenhauser acknowledged the oue calmly.


    ¡°I dere Reinhart the winner.¡±


    [Event Complete - Duel with Ard de Gritis]


    [You have received 600 achievement points as a reward for your victory.]


    And then, as soon as my victory was secured, my vision went pitch ck.

 Chapter 50

    <h4>Chapter 50</h4>


    Damn it.


    I had promised to face-nt him, but it was I who had face-nted in the end.


    ¡°....¡±


    I remembered hearing Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s deration of my victory, so the oue must not have been reversed without my knowledge.


    I was probably in an infirmary or some simr kind of space. The curtains were drawn, so I couldn¡¯t see if anyone else was there.


    Soon, someone appeared and pulled the curtains open.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, senior.¡±


    It was Adriana. She approached me and gently ced her hand on my forehead, then slowly nodded as if she judged that I was in an okay condition.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°You won the duel, but then you suddenly copsed. This is the dormitory¡¯s recovery room.¡±


    Recovery room? I didn¡¯t know there was such a thing. I wondered if Mayaton was here, too.


    When I looked around, Adriana shook her head as if she knew what I was searching for.


    ¡°That senior is in a different recovery room. You didn¡¯t think they¡¯d put you in the same room, did you?¡±


    Considering I had practically crushed his head, he would probably need rest and care as well.


    Adriana sat down by my bedside and sighed.


    ¡°Junior, you knew what I was trying to do, right?¡±


    She was probably talking about that look in her eyes before.


    ¡°Well, yes...¡±


    ¡°I could have fought for you.¡±


    Her eyes were questioning me, asking me why I¡¯d chosen not to rely on her for help and had done something reckless instead.


    ¡°Did you expect your supernatural powers to awaken just in time? Were you hoping for something so unbelievable to happen or something? Was that why you made such an iprehensible statement earlier on, that you <i>had</i> to take a beating?¡±


    Adriana seemed angry. In any case, she must have already scanned my body once while I was unconscious, and would have figured out that my abnormal strength was due to the influence of sudden supernatural abilities.


    ¡°It all worked out in the end. Isn¡¯t that what matters?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I mean, I did hear about your unusually-excessive aptitude, but... you still took an incredibly reckless risk.¡±


    I knew that I hadtent supernatural powers and had realized how they could be awakened. Nheless, what I had done had required immense luck. It was basically equivalent to diving headfirst into the ground, only to find out that the ground had shattered on impact instead of my skull.


    ¡°If things hadn¡¯t gone well, what¡¯s the worst that could have happened?¡±


    Adriana seemed lost for words at my nonchnt response.


    ¡°Junior, you still have six years left at the Temple, and you¡¯ve only just started your freshman year. It was an incredible coincidence that you were able to use supernatural powers this time. Are you going to keep taking these reckless risks to awaken your other talents in the future?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t n to do that again. Not particrly...¡±


    Supernatural powers were a special case, and for the rest, I nned to buy talents with achievement points anyway, so there was no need to continue doing this nonsense any longer...


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t do anything so reckless again. And don¡¯t start acting all high and mighty with your seniors just because you won this duel as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to happen again soon...¡±


    Everyone must have thought my terrible temperament would finally be broken this time. Unfortunately, upon having discovered how to use my supernatural powers, I¡¯d ended up grabbing a third-year senior by the hair and pounding his face into the ground at the sparring hall.


    Thanks to that, Reinhart had now be an even crazier individual to others.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m really going to have to discipline you myself. Got it?¡±


    Adriana was ring at me menacingly. I wondered what it would be like if she were to discipline me. I wasn¡¯t sure if she meant it verbally or physically.


    ¡°Yes, got it. I¡¯ll try to restrain myself.¡±


    The fact of the matter was, I didn¡¯t want to be disciplined by someone who was angry out of concern for me. After all, this anger came from a ce of concern, not hatred.


    And of course, even if I really fought with thisdy, I¡¯d definitely get my ass handed to me. The fight with Mayaton had ended the way it did because of his carelessness; had it been a proper duel, it probably would have been over in less than five seconds.


    ¡°Still, I am honestly very grateful to you.¡±


    Even if everyone else saw me as a madman, I knew I had to treat the person who had been willing to fight for me properly.


    Adriana sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a junior that I have to fight for. I just want a junior who gets along well with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Then you must be looking for the guy named Ludwig, in ss B.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean... Are you seriously going to make me have to say it? I¡¯m saying you should be more like him, junior. ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it might be a little toote in this life of mine to change.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, seriously.¡±


    <i>Smack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ack</i>!¡±


    I had eventually pissed Adriana off so much that she smacked me on the head.


    Maybe my real talent was being able to piss off just about anyone.


    ***


    I received treatment from the nurses in charge of the recovery room. I had forced my body beyond its normal limits to summon a strength I should not have been able to possess in the first ce. That pushed my body beyond its natural physical limits, so fainting was inevitable. However, my condition did not require intense care, so I was able to leave the recovery room soon after.


    Almost immediately after, a consultation with Mr. Effenhauser took ce.


    ¡°... Self-Deception, huh...¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed to be pondering the fact that I had awakened my supernatural powers during the duel.


    ¡°Interesting, Number 11. Among the many talents you possess, supernatural powers might have been one of them, but I was skeptical when you said you were going to awaken it somehow. However, you seemed to have found a way to make that happen by epting the duel from your senior, and while it was a foolish act, I guess you were right, since the oue was favorable.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I just thought it would somehow work out, and it somehow did.¡±


    ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s such a thing called a talent for luck, luck can be considered a form of talent as well, since it cannot be acquired through effort alone. However, from now on, using your abilities to attack someone is strictly prohibited unless under special circumstances, like a duel. But, since your ability is not obvious when used, it¡¯s disadvantageous. Then again, that actually might be an advantage for you.¡±


    Whether or not I used my ability and enhanced my body was practically imperceivable, to an extent. Therefore, it was an advantage to those who used it, but a disadvantage from the perspective of a teacher who needed to make judgments.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything foolish.¡±


    ¡°Good. I think you¡¯re reckless, but I don¡¯t think of you as a fool.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser continued to look at me impassively. He always had an intimidating aura, stirring a strange sense of fear simr to the one I felt when faced with Vertus¡¯s cold demeanor.


    ¡°Rolendria will be surprised to hear about you. You may leave now.¡±


    Rolendria was the teacher of the supernatural power control ss.


    She was bound to be surprised because the guy who kept saying that it would somehow work out had actually made it work somehow.


    ***


    Rumors that Reinhart had awakened his supernatural powers during the duel with a senior had already spread, not only throughout the whole ss but also among the seniors. A freshman had fought a third-year, and during the fight, the freshman had awakened supernatural powers and beat them up; it was an outrageous urrence, so it was only natural that rumors would spread.


    The duel itself was already the talk of the entire Royal ss, and to top it off, the freshman had won it. It would have been odd if it hadn¡¯t be the talk of the town.


    ...


    Even so, I had not expected it to blow up this much.


    ¡°Are you Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°I heard you put on a show back there, huh.¡±


    ¡°Mayaton... That punk really needed a good beating.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s this? You¡¯re just a cute little boy! How adorable! Can I give you a hug?¡±


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯m not a baby. I¡¯m seventeen already. And I¡¯m definitely not the ¡®cute¡¯ type either.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Shall I buy you a little tasty treat? Hm? Do you like macarons?¡±


    At the moment, the dormitory belonging to the first-years from ss A was swamped with seniors who had heard the rumors and had gathered to gawk at me.


    In a way, this was to be expected.


    A third-year had tried to beat up a first-year, hijacking a duel between him and a second-year and forcing a face-off with him.


    By this point, Mayaton would have already been marked as a delinquent by those who either had no interest in or hated the unjust management of juniors, since not everyone in ss A enjoyed the harsh hierarchies.


    Many of the seniors from the fourth year onwards lost interest in such matters as they entered thetter half of their high-school years. Those seniors had already developed a distaste for Mayaton for even attempting to bully a freshman.


    And not only that, he¡¯d even lost to the freshman.


    With all that, it was no surprise that as much as the seniors disliked Mayaton, they were equally curious and perhaps even fond of me.


    And although Reinhart wasn¡¯t extremely handsome, he was set up to be above average in terms of looks.


    So, I could sort of understand why the female seniors were going all gaga, saying things like, ¡°Aww, you¡¯re like a baby, you¡¯re so cute.¡±


    ¡°How can a kid so young be so down to earth already? I heard that you told him that if you won, you¡¯d ask the seniors not to bully you and your friends anymore?¡±


    On top of everything else, my careless deal that I¡¯d made with the senior, which had been made when I hadn¡¯t thought of winning, had also spread, making it appear as if I were some sort of incredibly generous and righteous guy who looked out for his friends.


    ¡°Well... yeah... I did say that...¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re such a kind kid.¡±


    Of course, my actual ssmates in the now-bustling dormitory lobby shed expressions of disbelief upon hearing thesements since they knew the <i>real</i> me.


    The seniors were praising the ¡°crazy madman¡± Reinhart as a righteous and kind-hearted kid. My ssmates looked like they wanted to vehemently deny it, their faces screaming, ¡°No, he¡¯s not like that at all!¡±


    ¡°From now on, if anyone bothers you,e to me. I¡¯ll give them a thrashing myself, okay? If there¡¯s any problem,e straight to the fifth-year ss A homeroom, got it?¡±


    <i>Rumble</i>! <i>Rumble</i>!


    At twenty-one, fifth-year students were college-age.


    ... Of course, she wasn¡¯t <i>really</i> older than me, and was also just a kid to me.


    The female senior summoned a small lighting storm in her right hand, showing off her powers.


    Why was she summoning a Rasengan from Naruto all of a sudden?


    The level of supernatural powers among the seniors had to surpass that of the first-years, given their age.


    Some even praised me by saying how encouraging it was to have someone like me who could speak up righteously for others, and that the Temple needed more students who could do the same.


    These were praises that neither my ssmates nor I couldprehend.


    If there were more kids like me around, the Temple would be headed for disaster.


    Still, to them, I was merely seen as a nice kid on the surface.


    Even the male seniors came around and patted my head, saying I did a good job as well. However, some of the female seniors crossed the line at times.


    ¡°What a poor kid... I heard you¡¯ve had a tough life, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, well...¡±


    It seemed like the female senior had heard about my background. She suddenly pulled me into a hug and proceeded to stroke my head.


    <i>¡®No, wait. Hey! This isn¡¯t okay! I¡¯m a seventeen-year-old and in the prime of my youth!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m so d that you¡¯vee to the Temple.¡±


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t do this to me! This... Viewed from my side, this would actually be considered a crime!¡¯</i>


    As word spread that I was born a beggar and from the streets, people couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how I could have grown up to be so upright in such a harsh environment.


    A tremendous misunderstanding about me had unfolded among the seniors, and I couldn¡¯t even get the chance to exin.


    I was exhausted now. Truly exhausted.


    I had be a star at the Temple, all because of a single duel.


    ***


    Regardless of the seniors¡¯ misunderstandings about me, once the seniors had all left, the way the others looked at me also changed somewhat.


    This was probably partly because they knew I had awakened my supernatural powers, and also because they had sensed something in the way I had gritted my teeth and fought back despite the harsh treatment by the senior.


    Kaier, Erhi, and Connor Lint, who disliked me, would now look at the ground as they passed by me. It felt as if they¡¯d realized they couldn¡¯tpete with me now, not just in terms of ability, but even in mentality.


    It wasn¡¯t because I was good at fighting. Rather, the way I kept getting up no matter how many times I was beaten seemed to instill fear in them. In the end, they were just kids, so it was natural that I appeared peculiar to them all of a sudden.


    And then...


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen nced at me and sharply turned her head away, passing by without even looking at me.


    <i>¡®Well, that was an unexpected reaction from her. Wasn¡¯t this the moment that she was supposed to say something like, ¡®You should¡¯ve been beaten up more¡¯?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what!¡±


    When I called out to her, she stopped as if she had been waiting for it and reacted sharply. I could see that her face was slightly flushed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡± I asked, and Harriet frowned.


    ¡°Why would I have anything to say? What could I possibly have to say to someone like you, you gutter child? Oh yeah, there is something. You should¡¯ve been beaten up more instead of winning in such a cowardly manner by using your supernatural powers.¡±


    There it was. The reaction I was expecting.


    ¡°Really? For someone who says that, you seemed pretty nervous when I was getting hit by that senior.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what, what are you talking about?!¡±


    Her face reddened even more, as if she hadn¡¯t expected me to notice her during the duel.


    ¡°I saw how pale you turned, and how you were hopping from foot to foot anxiously,¡± I replied with a sinister smile.


    I knew that she had been muttering, ¡°What do I do? What do I do?¡± under her breath, hoping somehow that Mr. Effenhauser would stop the duel, watching anxiously all the while.


    Despite the beating I¡¯d been receiving, I saw everything that was going on around me. To be precise, there wasn¡¯t much else to do but observe my surroundings since I had no choice but to take a beating.


    Regardless, I saw how she¡¯d fretted even more when Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t intervene as she¡¯d hoped he would.


    All of that pointed to one conclusion...


    ¡°Were you worried about me, by any chance? That¡¯s kind of cute.¡±


    Her face turned beet red and she stuttered, ¡°Absolutely not! N-no, no, not at all! Y-you¡¯re joking, right? Wh-why would I...! I mean... do you think I would worry about some beggar like you? How dare you... I was rather d that you got a beating!¡±


    That pretty much confirmed that she was worried about me. After all, who wouldn¡¯t feel a bit of sympathy after seeing someone being so pitifully beaten up?


    I walked up to her and, without mercy, squeezed and wriggled her reddened cheeks with my palms.


    The cheeks of the dignified daughter of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen were now squished like steamed buns.


    ¡°!¡±


    She was so shocked that someone would dare do such a thing to her that she couldn¡¯t even scream, and merely looked stunned.


    ¡°<i>Mmrph</i>! <i>Mmmrggh</i>!¡±


    Her extremely surprised reaction to being treated so nonsensically was incredibly adorable. When I let go, her face was still scarlet, and her lips quivered as she stood there dumbfounded.


    ¡°How dare you... how dare you touch my body? Someone like you? This is absurd. How could... how could... how could a gutter child do this to me...¡±


    She was so angry and bbergasted that she couldn¡¯t even shout. Her eyes were practically trembling. It seemed I hadn¡¯t triggered mere anger this time, but an overwhelming sense of shock and disbelief.


    Not only had I dared toy hands on her noble self, but I had also squashed her face like a bun and giggled about it.


    Moments like these were when she was the cutest.


    The moments when her expression screamed a denial of reality, her mind reying one single thought thinking, ¡°This can¡¯t be happening to me!¡±


    ¡°<i>S-sniff</i>... <i>Sob</i>! <i>Sniff</i>! <i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    But then, contrary to my expectations, she suddenly began to cry.


    ¡°Oh, uh, um...¡±


    This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me!? You slum rat, why do you always only pick on me! Why do you always do this to meee! Stop it! <i>Sob</i>! <i>Sob... sob... sob</i>! Stop teasing meee!¡±


    <i>¡®Uh... what do I do now...?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 51

    <h4>Chapter 51</h4>


    Harriet started crying.


    I realized that while I could handle someone who was trying to pick a fight, I waspletely at a loss as to what to do when it came to a crying child.


    I took Harriet, who was crying in the hallway, to the dining hall, and handed her a macaron that was in my pocket.


    While I offered it to her, I was taken aback by how fumbling and awkward my attempt to console a crying child seemed. It was like something an old person would do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it, it¡¯s disgusting because you touched it! It¡¯s dirty! Throw it away and get lost, I¡¯m not eating it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not mine. The seniors gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°You touched it, though! That makes it dirty! It¡¯s filthy, throw it away, I won¡¯t eat it!¡±


    Harriet kept on sobbing inconsbly.


    <i>¡®What should I do? Really, what should I do?¡¯ </i>


    I felt like a grandfather who had upset a child by excessively teasing them because they were cute. Even if she were cute, I¡¯d definitely gone too far by teasing her too much.


    It was amon scenario, where an old person pinched a kid¡¯s cheek because they thought they were cute, and made them cry instead.


    I clearly had done something wrong...


    No, I had <i>definitely</i> done something extremely wrong.


    ¡°Hey... I¡¯m sorry, okay? I¡¯m sorry, I went too far. I apologize... so please don¡¯t cry?¡±


    ¡°Go away! Who are you to tease me, calling me Thick-Skull and making fun of me?! Nobody else does that to me¡ªnot even my dad, my mom, or my brothers! So why do you, nothing but a beggar from the streets, do that to me?!¡± Harriet wailed out oud.


    I sighed. ¡°Well, you make fun of me by calling me a beggar, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you <i>are</i> a beggar! So why would calling you a beggar be considered making fun of you? It¡¯s the truth!¡±


    I really wanted to give a sharp retort, but if I said something like ¡®Same goes for me! You really have a thick skull, and that¡¯s why I call you one¡¯, it would only make her cry even more, so I shut my mouth instead.


    <i>¡®Ah, I see.¡¯ </i>


    I thought of a different approach.


    ¡°Hey, no, I wasn¡¯t teasing you. I only did that because I really thought that you¡¯re cute.¡±


    ¡°<i>Sniff</i>... Huh?¡±


    Finally, a reaction. She looked at me as though I was spouting nonsense out of nowhere.


    Well, if I were to be straightforward, her having a thick skull and being cute were both true.


    ¡°Think about it. Did I call you Thick-Skull just now? All I said was that I thought you were cute. Being called cute is apliment, so why would you take it as me insulting you? Huh? You called me a beggar, and I responded by saying you were cute. When did I ever tease you? I didn¡¯t, did I? Is it teasing to call someone cute because they¡¯re cute?¡±


    ¡°You pinched my cheeks andughed at me!¡±


    ¡°No, I only did that because it seemed like it would make you look even cuter. And it really was very cute.¡±


    ¡°... <i>Hup</i>!¡±


    She hupped while ring at me, seeming to ponder over my words. Surely, I hadn¡¯t done anything like calling her by that nickname this time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going to respond by saying that someone lowly like me isn¡¯t allowed toy hands on someone of a higher status like you. Remember, we¡¯re ssmates, right? Maybe that¡¯s not allowed after graduation when we get out of the Temple, but as long as we are students at the Temple, we¡¯re all the same. Remember?¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    She seemed to struggle to find the right words to put together. Perhaps she was worried that if she said something presumptuous like ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that to me,¡± she¡¯d get in trouble with the teacher.


    After thinking for a while, she red at me.


    ¡°... From now on, don¡¯t touch me with your dirty hands,¡± she eventually managed to murmur under her breath.


    Was this a sign that her anger had somewhat subsided?


    ¡°Okay, I get it. I won¡¯t. I was rude just now. I¡¯m really sorry. So could you please take this and forgive me already?¡±


    As I continued to apologize in a humble tone, her expression seemed to soften.


    The fact that a crazy freak like me who did not seem like the type to ever apologize was desperately asking for forgiveness seemed to have improved her mood.


    If someone with an incredibly notorious reputation was going to this extent to apologize, it must mean that they were truly sorry.


    ¡°Please? You probably haven¡¯t tried this before, but it¡¯ll be good, I promise. Try it.¡±


    I kept offering the macaron to her, and she looked at it in disgust.


    ¡°I... I-I don¡¯t want... I won¡¯t eat i¡ªFine. I¡¯ll eat it! I said I¡¯ll eat it! You¡¯re just like my grandma! So annoying!¡±


    Harriet eventually took the macaron from me reluctantly, munching on it as though she had no other choice.


    Ah... I really felt like an old person.


    <i>¡®Hmm, this is a serious problem. I¡¯m not even that old yet. But... I genuinely can¡¯t think of any other way to console a crying child!¡¯</i>


    I felt way too old!


    She continued to eat the macaron without looking at me, then said, ¡°A while ago today...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a while ago?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t it hurt when you were beaten up by that senior?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it hurt like hell.¡±


    I had already recovered, but it really had been terribly painful.


    It wasmon sense that I would have been in extreme pain if someone hit me like that. Why was she asking such an obvious question?


    ¡°Why did you fight then, if it hurt that badly? Why didn¡¯t you just surrender? If it weren¡¯t for your lucky burst of supernatural powers, you would have never won.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you surrender? You said it hurt like hell.¡±


    It seemed like Harriet couldn¡¯tprehend why someone would keep getting up just to be beaten again when defeat was inevitable. Of course, I¡¯d had something of a n myself, since there were supernatural powers and various other factors that allowed me to keep the fight going, but she still was confused as to why.


    ¡°You know, sometimes in life, you meet someone you just can¡¯t stand losing to.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It just turns out that the opponent was that kind of person to me.¡±


    The third-year, almost as if he were trying to educate a junior, had snatched away the position in a duel and, despite the opponent being a first-year, trampled him ruthlessly. What he had done was neither honorable nor cool.


    I just didn¡¯t want to lose to that kind of person.


    I roughlyid out my thoughts to her in that manner. To be fair, what I said was both close to and yet somewhat different from the truth.


    Harriet seemed to ponder for a while before saying abruptly, ¡°You¡¯re gonna die early if you keep that up.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not dead yet, am I?¡±


    I gave her another bizarre response, expecting her to snort or make some sarcastic remark, or her usual ¡°<i>Hmph</i>!¡±


    But Harriet, who had been quietly nibbling on the macaron for a while, didn¡¯t offer any cliched response.


    ¡°... Actually... Back then, you were kind of....¡±


    <i>¡®Kind of what?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Kind of...¡±


    Harriet struggled to speak for a while, then suddenly she sprang up from her seat.


    ¡°<i>Hmph</i>! I don¡¯t know, you idiot!¡±


    And with that cliched remark, she quickly disappeared from the scene.


    <i>¡®Yeah, sometimes it¡¯s nice to have these sorts of predictable characters in your story.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Just because I won the duel didn¡¯t mean that everything was settled. My supernatural powers were still at the level of a mere beginner, and I needed to get used to using them. Self-Deception was just the beginning¡ªthe real goal was to master verbal dexterity.


    So, I headed back to the training grounds.


    Two NPCs always frequented the area: Cliffman and Ellen.


    I haven¡¯t spoken with Cliffman yet, but I recognized him by sight since we always encountered each other on the training grounds.


    Ellen, who was swinging her sword, stopped when she saw me. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but then again, maybe not. She was just staring nkly at me.


    <i>¡®Should I boast about my victory? Or should I thank her for being willing to stand in as a champion for me?¡¯</i>


    As I contemted what to say to her...


    Ellen gestured with her chin.


    She was drawing my attention to the racks that held the practice swords.


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly how you should have fought,¡± She said.


    Wait, was she just preparing to roast me with some advice this whole time?


    I expected at least some congrattions for winning or questions about my superpowers from her, or even that she would boast about teaching me new swordsmanship techniques.


    Ellen¡¯s unchanging attitude deted my previously-elevated mood somewhat. It felt like a reminder that, despite my victory, there was still a long road ahead for me to go.


    Right. I was far from being satisfied.


    Grasping the practice sword, I gave a wry smile.


    ¡°Well, starting today, things are going to be different,¡± I said to Ellen.


    Or so I thought...


    I ended up getting thoroughly beaten up by her.


    ***


    It was Monday, and training never stopped.


    I woke up early to do physical training with Adriana. Adriana told me that since we were no longer short on time, she would not be assisting me with her divine power anymore.


    As a result, I realized just howfortably I had been training until now. Every moment felt like I was dying. Truly.


    Afterward, my routine was the same.


    Before breakfast, I would make a quick snack to eat with Ellen, then eat breakfast again before heading to ss.


    Since I was no longer receiving a boost from divine power, I wondered if there was a need to eat as much as before. However, considering the excessive amount of exercise I was doing, I still decided to continue snacking between meals.


    Above all, there was a very timid part of me that felt the need to get back at Ellen for her nagging in the training ground by doing so in the dining hall¡¯s kitchen.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Vertus, who hadn¡¯t returned to the Temple but went directly to the ssroom block on Monday, couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment after hearing about the oue of the duel from other students. The one who exined it to him was none other than Kaier.


    ¡°Wow, Reinhart, what a surprise!¡± Vertus eximed immediately after hearing the exnation.


    ¡°Uh, yeah...¡±


    ¡°I knew you had infinite aptitude, but to acquire a supernatural power among all of the potential talents... that¡¯s truly something.¡±


    Vertus offered a subtle smile, as if apologizing for underestimating my potential.


    There were quite a few who were ufortable with me bing a superhuman, and among them, the most uneasy was naturally Heinrich von Schwartz, who had been talking about frying me and whatnot before.


    Heinrich seemed unable toprehend that I had be a superhuman in such an unbelievable way, and he deliberately avoided looking in my direction.


    ¡°H-honestly, it was mostly luck...¡± Kaier muttered timidly to Vertus, who merely shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Really? I think the truly impressive thing was his decision to keep fighting in that condition, rather than the supernatural power he got.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I-is that so...¡±


    Kaier had painted the story to show that I was miserably losing the fight until I suddenly reversed the situation with a burst of supernatural powers out of nowhere. Basically, he described me as someone who had just got lucky.


    However, it seemed Vertus valued my sheer will to continue fighting despite being relentlessly beaten, more so than the fact that it was supernatural powers that led me to victory.


    Vertus never really cared about the talents that the members of the Royal ss possessed. Even if the students¡¯ talents were outstanding, he knew that the students themselves were still just kids. So, while he <i>was</i> surprised that I had awakened supernatural powers, he seemed more impressed that I¡¯d kept getting up and fighting against a third-year senior despite getting severely pummeled by him.


    He valued intelligence and mental strength over talent and power.


    He understood that no matter how extraordinary an ability was, it was useless without the brains to apply it. And even if one had the brains, they were even more useless if they ran away in the face of adversity.


    The more I looked at Vertus, the more I wondered if he was actually a good guy.


    No, wait. Was I being brainwashed by him? Was all of this part of his n, making even the author who wrote him genuinely like him, even when I knew full well he was problematic? I knew the oue, yet I couldn¡¯t imagine it happening. Was I truly bing a fool?


    <i>The creator falling for his own creation, how pathetic is that?</i>


    Just as I was about to have a mental breakdown...


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    The door had slid open, and someone entered.


    It was Ard de Gritis, the other party involved in the duel.


    He hade to the very ce where he had initially offered his challenge, but this time, as the loser of the duel. Naturally, his expression was downcast. Everyone fell silent and watched the situation closely as he approached me and bowed his head.


    ¡°Having lost the duel, I recognize my mistake, Reinhart. From now on, I will not make any unfair demands on the juniors, nor will I engage in verbal or physical abuse against them. I am sorry. I have deeply reflected on my wrongful actions.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As I watched him apologize, I felt a surge of anger inside me.


    A champion was just a person who fought for the duelist, so they had nothing to do with the consequences of the duel as well.


    Thus, Mayaton, who was the one who had beaten me up, did note to apologize because, in the end, he had only been Ard¡¯s champion.


    Perhaps he hadn¡¯te because of pride, or because it hurt his self-esteem. Maybe he¡¯d brushed Ard off, or maybe Ard couldn¡¯t even consider asking him toe at all.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s sufficient.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Ard raised his head and apologized to me once again.


    His expression was filled withplex emotions.


    He seemed guilty for giving in to a senior¡¯s intense pressure and being forced to choose him as his champion, and thening to apologize without bringing Mayaton with him.


    Just as Adriana and Rudina had said, Ard really wasn¡¯t such a bad person after all.


    Rudina seemed to have the image of a lovable peer among the second-year ss A students. One could only imagine the heartache she must have endured, being ordered by upper-years to discipline the juniors like that.


    Surely, the third-years must have instructed Rudina to do it alone as well, knowing full well that she would struggle to perform such cruel acts by herself. That, in essence, was bullying.


    She must have gone with a heavy heart to do something she didn¡¯t want to do, only to return after getting verbally abused by a freshman¡ªthat freshman being me.


    From Ard¡¯s perspective, he must have been furious.


    Yes, Ipletely understood. In the end, they were all just kids. I had shown such an ugly attitude and lost my temper with these kids before, but I didn¡¯t want to stoop to the level of a fool who seriously hated children, as loathsome as someone like Mayaton may be.


    Ard had every right to be angry. What he did wasn¡¯t right, but it was certainly reasonable. Besides, I had also done plenty of bad things myself.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ve made many mistakes too. My apologies, senior. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    Everyone, including Ard, was shocked that I would say such a thing.


    Ard looked at me and struggled to speak.


    ¡°Looking at you has made me realize how shamefully I have been living until now.¡±


    He had seen someone so powerless and insignificant like me desperately rising to fight a third-year senior with all his might, while he, on the other hand, had given in to the unfair demands from the seniors and had chosen a third-year as his champion to fight me. And in the end, he had witnessed my victory over him.


    Perhaps he realized that one needed strength to ovee injustice, but giving into it didn¡¯t require any strength at all. It seemed like he regretted his inability to refuse the unreasonable demands that had been made of him.


    After saying that, Ard turned and walked away.


    I thought to myself that I definitely had to apologize to Rudinater on as well.


    Not long after, Mr. Effenhauser entered the ssroom.


    ¡°You all know that the improvement festival is scheduled to start next Monday, right?¡±


    Yes.


    It was finallying.


    The main event of the very beginning of the story: The Glory Festival.

 Chapter 52

    <h4>Chapter 52</h4>


    The Glory Festival began after the triumphant army, returning from the long journey following the victory in the Great War, entered the imperial capital.


    It would have taken an enormous amount of time if they had marched all the way on foot, but the time needed was significantly decreased because they returned via the super-sized warp gate at the forward base located on the border with the Dark Land. There was no way for me to know since I was inside the Temple, but outside, in the imperial capital, everyone had to be busy preparing food and drinks to celebrate the returning army.


    Of course, a school-themed novel did not describe all the events that happened every single day. If it did, it would be a fantasy diary, not a novel. I only described certain events that would happen at certain times, and the rest I just left empty until the Glory Festival.


    I had lived through those empty moments, experiencing various events that I hadn¡¯t been aware of but undoubtedly existed in this world, and now, the Glory Festival had finally arrived.


    ¡°In principle, the Temple ought to close for the duration of the festival period. However, as you know, the tuition at the Temple is quite substantial. So if we close the campus for the entire festival period, which is over a month long, it would not only disrupt education, but also lead toints from the students.¡±


    <i>¡®Um,ints from the students about a school closure? You meanints from the parents who sent them there, right?¡¯</i>


    If a school that charged exorbitant amounts of money for tuition decided to take a month off, the ones who actually paid the tuition would be the ones to be extremely aggravated.


    And, if I was being frank, I was more empathetic towards the parents. I agreed with them that the Temple taking a month off was basically like being robbed.


    The announcement was met by a chorus of long sighs.


    Students, especially ones like Number 8, Connor Lint, who love to do anything but study, sighed heavily at the announcement. Royal ss or not, kids were still just kids, and they loved the idea of school being canceled. You could see everyone getting excited about the potential news of a month-long break, only for their spirits to plummet shortly after.


    ¡°Hey, you rascals. Don¡¯t jump to conclusions without even hearing the announcement in full.


    ¡°Nevertheless, the victory in the Great War is the most celebratory event in all of human history. For that reason, the Temple has decided to make an exceptional provision this time, and will close for five days starting from next week.¡±


    We might not get a month off, but the Temple was taking the whole of next week off.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh yeah!¡±


    The atmosphere that had quietened down exploded with excitement at Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s calm announcement.


    Vertus didn¡¯t seem too pleased. Since the Glory Festival was a period of grand celebration, and as a royal, he probably had countless duties to attend to. It might actually prove to be an even tougher period than usual for him, unlike for the others.


    Among my peers, however, I could sense that Ellen¡¯s mood in particr had sunk. It seemed no different from usual, but having observed that exceedingly calm andposed attitude of hers countless times now, I could now vaguely sense her current feelings.


    The reason was obvious. For Ellen, the victory celebration was essentially a festivalmemorating the death of her brother, who had died fighting the Demon King.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh yeeeeeaaahhh!¡±


    Of course, Connor Lint was making amotion and acting foolishly, so much so that Mr. Effenhauser had to tell him to sit back down, which deted his excitement. Ignoring the now-disheartened boy, Mr. Effenhauser continued to ry additional information.


    ¡°This also means that, in effect, you can leave this Friday and need only return the Monday after. It¡¯s a long break, so those of you who wish to return to your family homes should report to me. I will grant you permission.¡±


    No matter how capable and talented these students were, many of them hade from far and wide. With a break of nearly ten days, it would be possible for them to return home and thene back.


    At those words, several kids¡¯ eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too carried away. The holidays start next week, so make sure you attend sses properly until then.¡±


    What he essentially meant was, ¡°Don¡¯t get excited and start nning any mischief just yet.¡± That caused the level of energy to drop. Even though they were the explosively mischievous kids of ss A, they were still kids at the end of the day.


    At that moment, they all looked rather cute and childish in my eyes.


    And what about me, arguably the most problematic of them all?


    ¡°Hehehe...¡±


    It was ten days. Ten days of freedom, with no surveince.


    It was about time I returned to Eleris. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯d seen her.


    I may have agreed with the parents more about the school closure, but at the moment, I was also a student, and the thought of having a break just felt great.


    Then, Mr. Effenhauser called me.


    ¡°Number 11.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Now, whenever that man called me, I felt a chill run down my spine.


    <i>¡®What is it this time, old man? Did I cause some trouble again? No, it can¡¯t be. I didn¡¯t do anything. I even epted Ard¡¯s apology graciously!¡¯ </i>


    Preemptively worrying about whether I had caused trouble again without even hearing about the situation made me feel as though I had the mindset of a typical delinquent, which made me disappointed in myself.


    Well, I supposed that, from the moment I had beaten up a senior, my status had transcended from being just amon ss nuisance to a supreme troublemaker.


    ¡°On Monday, you¡¯re excused from all sses. Follow me on Monday.¡±


    <i>¡®... Did I really mess up?¡¯</i>


    <i>***</i>


    Fortunately, it turned out that I hadn¡¯t caused any trouble.


    However, it felt as though I had doomed myself from the moment that I¡¯d begun to worry about any unknown misdeeds I might have caused.


    Mr. Effenhauser took me to the outdoor swimming pool beside the ssroom building.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser, without revealing who wasing, sat on a nearby bench with me and waited.


    Naturally, there was no water in the outdoor swimming pool as the weather was still chilly.


    Swimming lessons were part of physical education, but they wouldn¡¯t happen until summer.


    Now that I thought about it, the setup seemed odd.


    Couldn¡¯t they have just used the all-purpose mana stone to heat the water in an indoor pool and conduct swimming lessons indoors, regardless of the season? It was odd to see that a ce like the Temple, which had been invested in so massively, was dependent on the weather to conduct swimming lessons.


    This was a plot hole that resulted from my delusional setting that swimming should only take ce in summer, ording to the unwritten rules of school stories.


    ... I should have given it more thought before writing it down. Hastily scribbling out the story hand resulted in these illogical situations cropping up.


    But now, it made me curious.


    This was definitely a strange situation. Surely, the concept of heating water with a mana stone existed, since there were facilities in the Temple that used them to heat water to provide warm water for showers in the changing rooms.


    However, I had foolishly set up this preposterous situation where hot showers were possible, but there was no indoor swimming pool. This world created usible reasons for things I did not describe, but it didn¡¯t amend or modify the things that were written by me, no matter how nonsensical, unless I changed them myself, because they were facts that I, the author, had written.


    I stated that the Temple didn¡¯t conduct swimming lessons except in the summer, and so they only swam in the summer.


    But this world had the technology and everything else that was necessary to build an indoor swimming pool and provide warm water so that swimming lessons could take ce in the winter as well.


    Clearly, the fact that the Temple, a school which benefited from massive investment, didn¡¯t have an indoor swimming pool was already imusible. But I, the dim-witted author, had written it that way, and now it was a reality before my eyes.


    Some might say that I was overreacting over a swimming pool, but realizing that such an absurd situation was unfolding before me, because of me, made it feel like I was going mad. It was like seeing one¡¯s past cringe moments unfolding in real-time.


    I wondered: Would a usible exnation extend even to a situation that vitedmon sense and that should not exist, but existed solely because my narrative had made it so? In other words, was there a usible exnation given even for setting errors or situations where usibility wascking?


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know the reason why it wasn¡¯t possible, but maybe the teacher did. What could it be? Although this issue did not indicate a total copse of the setting, certainly, it was notablycking in reason.


    Could there be a usible exnation for it?


    ¡°In the Temple, we can take hot showers. So, if we built an indoor swimming pool and filled it with hot water, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to conduct swimming lessons during the winter as well?¡±


    I, an author, was asking their own fictional character in the novel about something that had been written by me.


    No matter how I thought about it, my case was just too different from the typical examples of entering-into-a-novel isekai scenarios. Usually, the protagonists in these stories would either be authors who had gone about their writing diligently and remembered all of their settings, or avid readers who had thoroughly consumed the story and remembered everything about it.


    But here I was, dumped into the careless novel I had written, and embarrassingly, I was unable to remember plenty of parts to it.


    Knowing the future of a slice-of-life story had no merit whatsoever! What was the use of knowing the conversation between Ludwig and Delphine Izadra regarding what to have for dinner? And how did knowing the fact that they gathered friends for a snack party at their dorm help me at all?


    Slice-of-life stories didn¡¯t have that many significant events in them, so even if the author entered them, there wasn¡¯t much to do... Of course, I was aware of significant plot points like ¡°the gate,¡± but knowing that was more embarrassing than beneficial.


    So, here I was in this ridiculous situation, where the creator was asking about parts of the creation that they had never described.


    To be honest, the fact that I couldn¡¯t even recognize where I was when I first arrived at the main stage of the imperial capital was already extremely ridiculous.


    <i>Sigh...</i>


    If god was real and he in fact did create the earth, perhaps even god would have been surprised. God would see humans invent airnes and be like, ¡°What in the world is that? You guys weren¡¯t made to fly!¡±


    This world had clearly surpassed the bounds of my imagination.


    Anyway...


    ¡°That would be possible.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser confirmed that an indoor pool with warm water was feasible.


    ¡°But why don¡¯t we have one then?¡±


    It seemed like a reasonable thing for the Temple to have, given that it wasn¡¯t short on funds or anything.


    Mr. Effenhauser just looked at me quietly.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with the suspense all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°The Temple¡¯s water supply system is unparalleledpared to that of other cities. Even so, maintaining arge-scale swimming pool for all the educational facilities throughout the Temple year-round would incur immense costs. Additionally, there is the issue of the water usage limit itself.¡±


    So the issue was the water supply? Certainly, installing and maintaining indoor swimming pools in all of the Temple¡¯s numerous schools would be excessively expensive.


    Making swimming pools just for the Royal ss made sense, but it seemed like that idea had not been taken into consideration.


    ¡°Therefore, the Temple¡¯s swimming pools don¡¯t draw water from the municipal supply, but collect rainwater during the rainy summer months. That water is then purified through magic for use.¡±


    The issue was not about weather or temperature; the decision to have swimming lessons in summer was due to issues with the water supply. There had to be a water storage tank somewhere for collecting rainwater for the swimming pool, as it wouldn¡¯t make sense for them to just wait for the rain to fill the outdoor pools.


    I hadn¡¯t specified the source of the water or the intricacies of the water supply in the novel, but I assumed that it was from the Irine River, or should I say, the river equivalent to that of the Han River. Drawing water from there would be a feasible way of maintaining the swimming pools.


    Now that I knew that the issue had to do with issues concerning water usage, though, I got the picture. The Temple has a number of schools, and if they were all to fill their pools and change out the water regrly, it would mean that other ces might only have a trickle of water left. It seemed to be more of a problem of water distribution than total water quantity.


    Although the city appeared to be simr to Seoul, it didn¡¯t seem to have a water supply infrastructure on par with that of Seoul.


    There would also be significant costs associated with using such a vast quantity of water, as it likely wouldn¡¯t be sourced directly from the Irine River.


    Having those who had talent in ice or water magic summon the necessary amount of water for use in the swimming pools also seemed to be impractical, since the volume of water required to be summoned would be massive.


    In any case, they used rainwater. They would definitely utilize purification magic or magical tools for simr purposes.


    ¡°Then why not just continue to purify that water and use it throughout winter?¡±


    ¡°Even if we use purification magic, no one would want to swim in the same water that¡¯s been purified all year round.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    That made sense, actually.


    Regardless of whether the water was safe or not, going into the same water year-round did sound rather unappealing. So, essentially, they could heat the water using mana stones, but the reason swimming lessons were not held during winter wasn¡¯t because of the cold, but because there was no rain.


    As for why there was no indoor swimming pool, perhaps it was just to catch just a little more rainwater. In times when it didn¡¯t rain enough to fill the pools, they would have no choice but to use the water supply instead. After all, Mr. Effenhauser only mentioned that it was expensive, not that it was impossible to run the pools using the city¡¯s water system. Nheless, it suggested that the Temple tried to save wherever possible, including on water usage.


    In any case, it turned out that there <i>was</i> indeed a reason for the bizarre situation I had set up.


    Who was it? Who was the one behind all this, thinking all of this through on my behalf? I almost want to find them and bow to them in gratitude.


    ¡°Why are you even curious about that?¡± Mr. Effenhauser asked, as if it was a very unexpected question.


    I couldn¡¯t exactly say, ¡°Because I¡¯m a blockhead who¡¯s trying to figure out who cleaned up the mess I made.¡±


    ¡°Oh well... I was just wondering. Why do we have an outdoor swimming pool, and why can¡¯t we swim in the winter.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you want to have swimming lessons in the winter too?¡±


    ¡°Sorry? Oh, well... yeah, I guess it would be nice.¡±


    Why was he asking me that?


    Mr. Effenhauser looked at me for a moment and then turned his head away.


    ¡°... I see. It doesn¡¯t seem like you have any impure intentions in asking that question.¡±


    ¡°... Impure intentions?¡±


    <i>¡®Why would asking about theck of swimming lessons in winter be construed as having impure intentions?¡¯</i>


    Oh... wait. No way.


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser, are you by chance suggesting that I asked that question because I wanted to see female students in swimsuits?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®This guy. I know for sure what he was thinking.¡¯</i>


    The way he looked at me earlier, he must have been checking to see if there was any lust in my eyes. And having decided there wasn¡¯t, he just let it go.


    Confronted with my sharp observation, Mr. Effenhauser averted his gaze.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s definitely flustered right now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser, while I do admit that I am a troublemaker, I am absolutely <i>not</i> a pervert. I ampletely innocent in that regard.¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right! Even though she¡¯s a different species, if I had to choose, I¡¯d prefer someone like Eleris!¡¯</i>


    Wait. In this world, that might actually cause more issues. If I said that I preferred demons, especially vampires, not only would they treat me as an outsider, but they might even hang me.


    <i>¡®Would I be seen as having a necrophilic tendency? But then again, I am a demon too, so isn¡¯t that fine then...?¡¯</i>


    Were vampires even part of the demon races in the first ce?


    Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly constituted a demon in my setting.


    ¡°Hmm... in contrast, I have no choice but to believe that the moment you made known that you had such suspicions about a student, it¡¯s likely that you¡¯re the one who is more perv¡ªehem.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Don¡¯t they say you only see what¡¯s in your own mind?


    I was innocent! I was actually just thinking about the errors in the setting and nothing else!


    ... I supposed that setting the world up such that swimming was only reserved for the summer itself was kind of perverted of me as well... but I didn¡¯t have any dirty thoughts earlier on, not a single one!


    Mr. Effenhauser, apparently at a loss for words, did not respond to me at all.


    This guy... Despite his poker face, I could feel his internal embarrassment from where I sat. Yes, he was only human after all. It had to be.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯ve arrived. Make sure you attend your ss.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser, having spotted someoneing from a distance, quickly vacated the area as if he were escaping a crime scene.


    Was this guy seriously running away?


    Nevertheless, just seeing Mr. Effenhauser flustered felt like enough of a win. He wasn¡¯t as fearsome as I had made him out to be.


    ... Ultimately, he was a character I¡¯d put into the story, so it was funny and ridiculous at the same time that I had been both intimidated by him, and then relieved that he wasn¡¯t actually a bad person.


    But what was that about attending ss? Weren¡¯t all sses that day supposed to be canceled?


    As the person approached, I realized what ss Mr. Effenhauser was talking about.


    It was the teacher who was responsible for conducting the supernatural power sses for those in the first year of the Royal ss.


    The person who had questioned why I was in that ss when I didn¡¯t even possess any supernatural powers.


    It was Ms. Rolendria.

 Chapter 53

    <h4>Chapter 53</h4>


    Ms. Rolendria could not hide her surprise when she saw me at the outdoor swimming pool.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this in my life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time as well.¡±


    <i>¡®What, did you think I saw thising as well? It¡¯s my first supernatural power!¡¯</i>


    Ms. Rolendria sighed.


    ¡°Coming to a supernatural power ss with no abilities, and then gaining a supernatural power after just a few weeks...¡±


    Of course, this was beyond rare, verging on the bizarre. The person who was trying his hand at everything, iming that they could do anything, had actually be something all of a sudden. I must have been seen as a sure fail in her book, but to her surprise, I¡¯d made aeback.


    ¡°Today¡¯s session is more of an assessment than a lecture, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°An assessment?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Superhumans were managed with great care. Since the power I possess hasn¡¯t been properly characterized, there had to be a process to judge my ability precisely. Those with abilities deemed too dangerous or too uncontrolled were sometimes dealt with secretly. I remembered clearly establishing such a setting.


    So, while they recognized my supernatural power that had manifested the day before, the Temple still needed to determine what kind of power it was exactly, and assess it in order to decide whether or not I could continue my education at the Temple.


    That was why they let me be on Sunday, but as soon as the regr sses began on Monday, I was treated as an exception.


    It was crucial to urately judge my abilities first. They would not let me return to the ss until they fully determined if I could control my supernatural power and what kind of power it was.


    At this stage, my Self-Deception ability was not considered dangerous.


    While I was unconscious, they must have assessed my physical condition, and as a result, they came to understand that I had been endowed with supernatural powers.


    Self-Deception was the name of the supernatural power. The name of it didn¡¯t seem to inspire much concern. If the name of the power had been something like ¡°World Destruction,¡± the Temple would¡¯ve taken immediate action.


    Not that there even was such a supernatural power.


    Ms. Rolendria sat next to me, skimming through the report about my ability. She must have already gotten a full understanding of it by now.


    The outdoor swimming pool was probably chosen as the ce for the exam due to the need for a spacious and rtively isted area.


    ¡°ording to the report, during a duel with a third-year senior named Mayaton, you seemed to struggle at first, but there was a sudden and tremendous surge in your physical abilities. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser had likely written the report. He would have also been the person capable of most urately assessing that duel.


    ¡°Can you tell me what exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Initially, I was tired, and the pain made it difficult for me to even move properly. But then, I suddenly felt invigorated, and Mayaton¡¯s movements, which I shouldn¡¯t have been able to see, became crystal clear to me. Then my physical abilities started to increase as well.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I see. If that¡¯s the case, a more appropriate name for the ability would be ¡°Physical Enhancement,¡± so why ¡°Self-Deception¡±? Perhaps it¡¯s rted to the words you spoke during the duel?¡±


    I knew Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s report would be detailed. It would certainly include how I¡¯d said I was going to ¡°find a way to win somehow¡± as well.


    There was no reason or need to hide my abilities. If my supernatural power had been listed as ¡°Verbal Dexterity,¡± it might have been a different story, but at this stage, it was no more than physical enhancement.


    ¡°I was in an unfair situation, and as it probably says there, and I was helplessly taking a beating.¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct.¡±


    Ms. Rolendria nodded. Clearly, she had already read through the entire report.


    ¡°First, I felt humiliated and indignant, and had the desire to win. Subsequently, it grew beyond that, until I knew for sure that I would certainly win.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Ms. Rolendria cocked her head as though puzzled by what I was saying. It was one thing to have a hope of winning in a dire situation, but believing that it was a foregone conclusion that I would win was another thing altogether.


    Of course, I had been pushed into a psychologically extreme situation, but I had also realized how to use my ability during the duel. Unfortunately, the teacher wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it if I exined it that way.


    So I decided to change my wording a bit.


    ¡°At the time, the only thing in my mind was that I absolutely had to win. I couldn¡¯t lose to someone like that. So, I thought to myself that there was no way I could lose to such trash like him, and that I would <i>certainly</i> win.¡±


    I slightly altered the ¡°I will win no matter what¡± mentality that I had used to activate the Self-Deception power, saying instead that I believed that I couldn¡¯t lose to someone like Mayaton. I packaged it by saying that I couldn¡¯t let something so devastating happen to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    Ms. Rolendria still did not seem to fully understand it.


    To activate the power, I first needed to believe that there was no way I was going to lose to Mayaton. It was when this strong belief existed that the ability called Self-Deception appeared. The way it worked was akin to hypnotizing myself.


    It was a force that would only activate if I truly believed in myself.


    ¡°Okay, sure. Since no one knows exactly why or how supernatural powers manifest, your situation could very well be possible.¡±


    Supernatural powers were an unexined phenomenon. This premise also worked to my advantage.


    A single phenomenon was enough to exin away the existence of supernatural powers, no matter how strange the circumstances of their manifestation might be.


    It would be suspicious if I had suddenly used a top-level magic spell despite not having studied magic and utterlycking in knowledge.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t be out of the ordinary for me to suddenly use a supernatural ability, because the principles behind such powers were not yet fully understood.


    That was why Ms. Rolendria was not suspicious of me, even though she might find my case strange. Moreover, the premise that I had ¡°infinite aptitude¡± also worked to my advantage in exining how I acquired a power, no matter what kind of power it was.


    ¡°In that case... Self-Deception is deemed a power that enhances your physique, and activating it requires you to convince yourself that something will happen. At least, that¡¯s what it seems like to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, probably... that¡¯s the way I see it as well.¡±


    I myself had to be vague about my ability, so I responded ordingly.


    ¡°But... this supernatural power of yours is really quite unusual. It¡¯s not one bit intuitive.¡±


    Indeed, she was true.


    Supernatural powers like pyrokinesis, summoning electricity, teleportation, telepathy, and others were intuitive. They were supernatural abilities that could be exined in a single sentence.


    But Self-Deception? That was a bizarre supernatural power, and the boundary between what it could and could not do was unclear. That¡¯s why it hadn¡¯t been included in my novels, as it would be a headache for a non-protagonist character to possess such an ambiguous ability.


    ¡°First of all, even though the initial manifestation was rted to enhancing your physique, it might not stop there. Let¡¯s say your ability manifests when you hypnotize yourself strongly into believing something else.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°For example, let¡¯s say you strongly believed that your body would turn into water. Would your physical body then be water?¡±


    Was this person out of her mind?


    Putting aside whether that was possible or not, what would even happen to me if it <i>did </i>work?


    ¡°Teacher, if I really be water after doing that, there¡¯s a high chance I might not be able to revert back. Would that be considered suicide or murder?¡±


    The teacher jumped at my specific question.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying <i>hypothetically</i>, not that you should actually go and try that, you silly goose,¡± Ms. Rolendria hastily rified, wanting to avoid any misunderstanding.


    She then sank into deep thought. The curriculum for the supernatural power ss was inherently about control, management, and enhancement of abilities. However, since my power was uncharacterized, she faced her own difficulties.


    She pondered for a moment before her expression suddenly hardened.


    ¡°Reinhart, your power might actually be a very dangerous one.¡±


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    ¡°If the power of belief could turn things into reality, wouldn¡¯t that be incredibly dangerous, even if it only applies to yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure...?¡±


    It was true that it was going to be a dangerous powerter on, but it was nowhere close to that right now.


    ¡°What if you believed that you¡¯re a god? You might actually be a god, no?¡±


    Damn. This teacher really had quite an imagination.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think it works that way...¡±


    ¡°But still... since we don¡¯t yet fully understand what your ability is...¡±


    Although she had a point, I knew that my ability was not that insanely powerful yet.


    ¡°Hmm... hmmm...¡±


    Despite this, Ms. Rolendria started to seriously contemte what kind of trouble my vague ability could lead to if it became dangerous.


    As amusing as the situation might be, this misunderstanding could be incredibly dangerous for me.


    If my power worked based only on my own beliefs about myself, and all those beliefs became fact, she could begin to consider my power as no different from other world-ending powers.


    Leaving aside the actual potency of it, that line of thought itself was logically sound, and that made my power dangerous.


    ¡°Teacher, I don¡¯t think my power can manifest such surreal abilities, and I¡¯m certainly not a big fantasizer myself. Me, a god?¡±


    She did, in fact, have a point. I was, after all, the creator of this world, so it would be weird for me to disagree with her.


    I¡¯d even say that, when it came to this world, I was something even more significant than a god.


    Hey, I even named the gods in this world myself.


    Believe it or not, me being the creator of this world was a fact.


    Ms. Rolendria was essentially asking me, the creator, if believing I was the creator would be dangerous.


    <i>¡®Well, you¡¯re right! I am the creator! But in this world, the creator is as good as nonexistent! Even if I believe in something, nothing happens here!¡¯</i>


    I was the ¡°Almighty Creator¡± who had died of high blood pressure from reading hatements. Could there be any situation more bizarre than this one?


    Ms. Rolendria furrowed her brow at my protest that I did not have such wild fantasies.


    ¡°Well, that phase has passed, so it should be fine, but...¡±


    Phase? What phase was she talking about?


    ¡°You know, sometimes middle school students seriously believe they are gods... Not just any gods, but incredibly evil beings, or they think they are dragons who lost their memories for their own amusement or something... It¡¯s a surprisinglymon thing.¡±


    Ah, was she talking about ¡°eighth-grader syndrome¡±[1]?


    ¡°It¡¯s just a phase young teenagers who are in puberty typically go through... but if a child with your abilities began to seriously behave that way... your power might turn out to be something very dangerous. That¡¯s what I¡¯m getting at.¡±


    Ms. Rolendria was entertaining the fanciful thought that if I caught this eighth-grade syndrome, I might use my ability to bring about the end of the world.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll admit, I did go through a rough patch in eighth grade, but I¡¯m done with that! I swear, that phase is over! I </i>was <i>nicknamed ¡®Grim Reaper¡¯ for some reason, but that was a long time ago! I¡¯m not like that now! You might think it hasn¡¯t been that many years since I left my middle school years behind, but in reality, it¡¯s been almost two decades!¡¯</i>


    The sudden recollection of my cringe-worthy past was enough to make me shudder.


    ***


    Apparently, this world¡ªalready so simr to Seoul¡ªeven had eighth-grade syndrome as well. Ms. Rolendria made it quite clear that, it might be okay for other students to have such a syndrome and entertain such thoughts, I was not to entertain such notions under any circumstances.


    Well, technically, I was <i>already</i> a god in this world. It was just that nothing really changed because of it.


    Eventually, we began an actual test to determine the limits of my abilities.


    We climbed down adder to the bottom of the swimming pool, which was about two-and-a-half meters deep.


    <i>Snap</i>!


    With a flick of her fingers, Ms. Rolendria summoned a stone the size of a baseball. It made sense that she was a high-level mage, given that her role was all about controlling or subduing superhumans on a day-to-day basis.


    ¡°Here is a stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that it¡¯s a stone.¡±


    <i>¡®So what am I supposed to do with this stone that¡¯se out of nowhere?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Try to crush this stone by convincing yourself with your Self-Deception that you can do it.¡±


    Hmm. Crushing a stone with sheer grip strength, huh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we usually start with something like crushing an apple, and then gradually increase the difficulty?¡±


    Right? Wasn¡¯t that how it was supposed to be? Beginning with easy tasks and progressing to more challenging onester on?


    ¡°You know we shouldn¡¯t waste food like that.¡±


    The teacher dismissed the idea of using an apple in an incredibly serious tone. To her, there was no good reason for doing that.


    In any case, I took the stone and held it in my hand.


    I had to believe it.


    That I had the grip strength to crush this stone.


    I sincerely believed it.


    Ms. Rolendria looked at me with an intrigued expression.


    ¡°<i>Mmph</i>!¡±


    However, despite my efforts, nothing happened.


    1. ?2?/Eighth-grader syndrome refers to a specific set of behaviors or attitudes that often manifest during the second year of middle school. Individuals with this ¡°syndrome¡± tend to adopt a self-centered and fantastical attitude, often imagining themselves as global heroes or protagonists. The term ismonly used to poke fun at certain behaviors exhibited by children or teenagers, depicting a somewhat exaggerated or whimsical stage of their pubertal development. ?

 Chapter 54

    <h4>Chapter 54</h4>


    Supernatural powers weren¡¯t considered to be that strong at lower levels. This was why Ipletely ignored Heinrich and his Pyrokinesis ability.


    When a new ability awakened, the initial burst could be quite powerful, but afterward, in a stabilized state, its power would not reach the same peak.


    ¡°Did you feel your grip strength improve at all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my palms are tingling, so it seems like it.¡±


    I definitely felt that my grip strength had actually increased. If not, my palms wouldn¡¯t be hurting as if they were about to tear apart when the only thing I did was clench a stone.


    ¡°Alright then, now let¡¯s try running from here to the other end of the swimming pool at full speed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Since it was essentially an ability that enhanced the physical attributes, the assessment turned out to be no different from the physical training I¡¯d been doing. I was already doing so much of it that I¡¯d gotten used to it and didn¡¯t really resent the idea of exercising.


    I sprinted with all my might from one end of the swimming pool to the other. Honestly, this small bit of exercise wasn¡¯t enough to tire me out at all.


    The teacher seemed to check something, then yelled, ¡°Now, sprint back here at full speed again! But this time, use your abilities! Run as if you are believing that you are extremely fast!¡±


    This time, it was a test of speed.


    She was measuring the time it took me to reach the other side without using abilities, and once again when I used my ability.


    As I prepared to take off, I thought to myself, <i>¡®I am Usain Bolt.¡¯</i>


    I did another 50-meter sprint at full speed, and the teacher slowly nodded.


    ¡°I see. Interesting, Reinhart.¡±


    Had something changed? I definitely felt my grip strength increase in the previous test, but the change wasn¡¯t as noticeable when it came to running.


    ¡°Before using your ability, you clocked in at 8.3 seconds, but after using it, it¡¯s exactly 8 seconds.¡±


    ¡°... Honestly, I can¡¯t really tell.¡±


    I knew that it would be difficult to notice the difference when it came to something like running, so I wasn¡¯t sure if it truly was a significant improvement. That little bit of improvement could have simply been human error.


    The teacher continued to put me through various tests. They were mainly strength, endurance, and agility tests.


    As we proceeded, my mental state seemed to be more and more peculiar.


    Self-Deception meant that the deception I gave myself would be a reality.


    So, while running, if I truly believed and thought to myself, ¡°I am Usain Bolt,¡± and my supernatural power was strong enough, I could technically achieve Usain Bolt¡¯s speed, or perhaps even surpass it.


    Essentially, in order to use my power, I had to keep thinking ¡°I am XX¡± or ¡°I am doing XX.¡±


    It basically felt as if I was back in my elementary school days, when kids would make outrageous ims like ¡°I¡¯m a dinosaur!¡± just because they believed themselves to be so.


    This power almost seemed to be bringing a child¡¯s unreasonable tantrums and stubbornness into reality, and the more seriously I indulged in these tantrums, the more effectively my abilities manifested.


    So, the bottom line was... this power felt less like Self-Deception and more like ¡°Self-Brainwashing.¡± This made more sense, since I had basically brainwashed myself into thinking I was going to win ¡°somehow¡± in my duel with Mayaton.


    A power that manifested only when you managed to sessfully brainwash yourself... Leaving the effectiveness of the ability aside, it seemed rather pathetic.


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that... the fact that I have to seriously hypnotize myself into believing that punching this tree will break it is kind of... unbearable.¡±


    It felt like I was saying, ¡°Haha, my punches are strong enough to shatter trees, just watch!¡± when in reality, all I was doing was tricking myself. Why did I have to trick myself like that?! Why couldn¡¯t my thoughts just be reality?!


    It was ridiculous! Not just ridiculous¡ªit was the actual required mindset!


    Since I had discarded this power in the original story, I hadn¡¯t considered what kind of mental damage someone would take from actually using this ability.


    But now that I was actually using it, I realized that this power... was pretty embarrassing.


    ¡°What can you do? That¡¯s the kind of power it is. Now, give it a try.¡±


    Anyway...


    <i>¡®My fist can totally obliterate this tree!¡¯</i>


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    I had the wrong belief.


    Instead of deceiving myself that I could shatter the tree, I should have first believed that my wrist wouldn¡¯t break even if I hit it with full force.


    ***


    Throughout the day, Ms. Rolendria tested my abilities. She didn¡¯t just test the increase in my physical strength and athletic abilities, but evaluated other things as well.


    For example, she tested to see if I could derive other powers from my own, such as whether I could use elemental supernatural powers, like Pyrokinesis, or other ones like Telepathy, if I made myself believe I could through Self-Deception.


    Of course, none of them worked. Perhaps it would be possible in the future, but my current power level was too low to manifest anything beyond physical enhancement.


    Besides, since I always carried the me of Fire with me, it was genuinely possible for me to use it to make real mes appear while making it look like I had achieved it through my supernatural power. Because of this, I didn¡¯t really try my best during the Pyrokinesis tests.


    When all the tests were over, Ms. Rolendria slowly nodded while jotting down various notes. I had been tested throughout the full duration of sses, to the extent that we even had to have lunch there.


    ¡°Your powers truly are remarkable, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that great though...¡±


    Certainly, the power I wielded was not as strong as I believed it would be. However, Ms. Rolendria shook her head.


    ¡°You may be right that the strength you currently disy isn¡¯t significantly noteworthy. But there¡¯s something else more important.¡±


    ¡°Something else?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, your degree of enhancement is weak, but you are skilled at using and manifesting your supernatural power. So even though your ability to enhance some other aspect of yourself is minor right now, you have the ability to almost instantaneously use your supernatural power at will.¡±


    It seemed that Ms. Rolendria¡¯s focus was not so much on the ability itself, but on my control over the ability. Even though the enhancement was minimal, it was clear to her that I had consistently seeded in using my supernatural powers.


    ¡°This indicates that you, Reinhart, are quite familiar with the idea of activating the ability itself, regardless of what the ability is.¡±


    Indeed, that was not amon thing. Control over an ability was sometimes considered more significant than the power of the ability itself. I was already excelling in the act of using the supernatural power.


    I should have been pleased by this fact, yet I didn¡¯t feel particrly happy about it.


    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s as if you were born with an innate talent for Self-Deception.¡±


    That sounded good and all, but basically, she was calling me a professional at brainwashing myself!


    It seems that I had naturally be experienced at self-brainwashing from all the times I ¡°tricked¡± myself into thinking that my novels were doing well and when I disregarded any hatements that criticized all the non-usible plot twists I¡¯d written into my novels.


    Although I had chosen this supernatural power only because it was so unrealistically overpowered, it turned out to be the power that fit me the most.


    The level of the power itself wasn¡¯t that high. However, triggering it was quite easy.


    I¡¯d lived a life where deceiving myself had be a habit, so I¡¯d acquired the perfect mindset for this pathetic power named ¡°Self-Deception.¡±


    It was like a suit tailored just for me... but not one I was delighted to wear.


    I convinced myself that if someone else had this same power, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to use it as adeptly as me.


    Of course, being in a fantasy world setting certainly yed a part in my self-deception. Since I didn¡¯t entertain doubts over the existence of supernatural powers, since I knew for a fact that this was a world where it did exist, I was able to believe wholeheartedly that my self-deception was possible.


    After the tests ended, Ms. Rolendria told me that I would be allowed to attend regr sses again the following day. She had determined that my power currently did not extend beyond physical enhancement. Of course, given the enormous potential of my abilities, she intended to check on my state periodically.


    After ss, I holed up in the dormitory for the day. I wanted to skip the evening training and focus on my abilities instead.


    At the current stage, Self-Deception primarily bolstered physical traits. However, since I had only conceptualized this power and then discarded it, I hadn¡¯t described the specific problems someone would actually encounter while using it.


    In other words, there was a lot I didn¡¯t know about the ability. For example, one of the issues could be self-inflicted mental damage due to habitual self-brainwashing. Because the power worked by simply turning whims into reality, the act of seriously believing in even the most absurd situations would make me feel pathetic.


    There was one other thing as well. If I believed my punches would be strong, they became strong. However, what if a situation arose inbat when I suddenly needed to throw a kick? If I had to kick, then I would also have to believe that my kicks got stronger as well.


    Although I was skilled at triggering the ability itself, it was excessively cumbersome.


    In fact, it might be more versatile to believe that my whole body was stronger.


    In other words, I had to make my power apply more generally for it to be more suitable for fighting. Instead of thinking separately about punches and kicks, I needed to adopt a moreprehensive belief to improve mybat abilities as a whole.


    It sounded like something a holy knight would say, that believing in yourself would make you stronger, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t like that at all.


    It was like having a religion where I was my own object of faith. A crazy religion where the worshiper and the worshiped are the same. A religion where I believed in myself.


    It really felt like I was going to go insane.


    ***


    In my current state, I was only able to enhance my physical abilities, but in the future, I would be able to perform actions that surpassed these limitations. At that point, individually applying these detailed aspects would be a waste of time.


    Therefore, instead of specifying and enhancing each part one by one¡ªlike strengthening my fists, speeding up my legs, et cetera¡ªit was better to enhance my abilities in a moreprehensive sense.


    However, this required focus and prioritization.


    If I used my supernatural power to enhance my whole body, it would be less efficient than just enhancing my fists. Instead of an overly-broad belief, it could be better to believe in something slightly more concrete, such as bing ustomed to a body fit for meleebat.


    If my abilities gained strength, then I might also be able to make myself believe that I was proficient in grand magic battles, or exceptional in closebat situations.


    In the end, this power really suited me.


    I was a web novel author, and ultimately, this wasn¡¯t much different from creating a character sheet.


    At that moment, I was jotting something down in my notebook.


    Type A:


    Settings: Overall increase in muscle strength, improvement in swordsmanship, enhanced cognitive ability, faster reaction speed.


    I knew better than anyone that doing this was necessary. After establishing standards for Type A, Type B, and so on, I would not need to think about what specific parts of me were to be enhanced.


    For example, if I thought to myself, ¡°I¡¯ve be Type A,¡± and if I remember this setup, my body would be stronger ordingly. Self-Deception was, literally, the ability to be the version of myself that I held in my mind. If I memorized the physical state that came with thinking ¡®I am Type A¡¯ and I brought out the thought ¡°I¡¯ve be Type A,¡± it would be so. It was an optimal way to use my ability with ease.


    In other words, I was setting up presets for my supernatural power, and summoning the necessary settings whenever I needed them.


    ¡°....¡±


    As I continued to write, though, I felt a sense of self-derision.


    Ms. Rolendria was worried about my eighth-grader syndrome, and I was doing exactly that at the moment. It was no different from a middle-schooler giggling while writing down their imagined powers in a notebook during lunchtime.


    Eventually, I might even end up with something like ¡°Type Z: Can summon a ck me dragon with my right hand.¡±


    I might actually end up doing that kind of crazy stuff!


    I never even did this back when I was in middle school! But to think that, at my age, I was now writing a settings notebook, spelling out things like ¡°Lol, sick, I have this power now¡±...


    It made me want to die.


    <i>¡®I should look on the bright side and think positively, but I just can¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    Although I was supposed to be more mature than anyone else here, here I was, the school¡¯s biggest troublemaker, cooped up in the dormitory, immersed in creating my own character with ¡°cool¡± settings.


    My heck of a personality was one thing, but my ability was the icing on the cake.


    <i>¡®What even is the meaning of life...¡¯</i>


    While I was absorbed in character creation, themunication device in my room suddenly started ring.


    <i>Buzz</i>!


    It was called amunication device, but it was basically no different from an inte.


    Someone was calling me.


    <i>¡®Who could it be?¡¯</i>


    The only person I could possibly think of was Ellen, but she wasn¡¯t the type who would intentionallye looking for me, especially through a device.


    I turned on themunication device. I heard a familiar voice, with an unfamiliar tone.


    ¡°Come to the main lobby.¡±


    It was Charlotte.

 Chapter 55

    <h4>Chapter 55</h4>


    When I entered the main lobby, Charlotte was there, gesturing for me to follow her. Dinner time had passed and night had fallen, so the streets of the Temple were devoid of students. There were also no other dormitories near the Royal ss dormitories, which made it even more quiet.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Vertus would say if he saw me speaking with Charlotte. He would probably take a very dim view of it. However, I had to be more careful of Charlotte than Vertus, so I couldn¡¯t just carelessly ignore her.


    Charlotte seemed to sense my feelings as she sat down on a dimly lit bench between the streetmps.


    It was pretty obvious what she wanted. She likely wanted an update on my progress in finding Baalier.


    Charlotte was sitting on the bench, not looking at me, but staring nkly at the streetmp. Her expression was hard to make out because of the darkness, but as always, Charlotte had a calm, cold air about her.


    She was different from Adriana. While Adriana had a calm demeanor, she was also kind, whereas Charlotte was calm but indifferent. The other students might have also felt this kind of aura from Charlotte, but surely, she wouldn¡¯t be <i>this</i> cold toward them.


    Vertus and Charlotte had something inmon: they had both shown their true selves to me.


    ¡°How does it feel to suddenly be a superhuman?¡± Charlotte asked out of the blue, as if trying to provoke a reaction.


    I didn¡¯t see how it couldn¡¯t be a nice thing, so I told her straightforwardly, ¡°Well... it¡¯s nice?¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡± Charlotte replied, in a seemingly knowing yet inscrutable manner.


    Just what kind of ability did Charlotte have? If it were true that Charlotte had supernatural powers, it appeared that she didn¡¯t like having them much.


    ¡°Your ability, I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s Self-Deception.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of power that makes whatever you believe in be reality.¡±


    She was different from a regr student after all. She had already found out what my supernatural power was capable of. Then again, except for individuals like Charlotte, students¡¯ supernatural powers weren¡¯t really a secret, so anyone could easily find out about them.


    ¡°So, should I take it that there¡¯s been no progress in finding that child?¡±


    It was an incredibly difficult task, almost like searching for a specific person with amon surname like ¡°Kim¡± in Seoul. It was impatient of her to ask about my progress when not much time has passed since she¡¯d given me the task.


    ¡°... I¡¯m working on it.¡±


    Of course, I was not making any effort at all. There was simply no reason for me to make an effort, since there was nothing I could do.


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t rush you for progress. Just remember that if you produce no results, I¡¯ll have no reason to leave a criminal group running around that only harms the empire and is otherwise useless.¡±


    Charlotte was as good as saying that the timer for the bomb had already begun to count down.


    My n was to extend my life as much as I could by gradually reporting progress regarding the task to her, little by little.


    However, there were still many problems. Even if I were to actually make an effort to find Baalier, I might not seed in providing solid results. If I told her I found a trace of Baalier, what would that trace be, and how would I exin how I¡¯d found it?


    Both the princess and the prince were searching for Baalier, so they would undoubtedly be suspicious if I kept finding out things the two of them couldn¡¯t.


    Even if I told them that I didn¡¯t do it on my own and had support from the beggars, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to exin how this could be more effective than the secret search operations that they had to have been carrying out.


    So, although the best tactic would be to start operating bit by bit, I still hadn¡¯t decided how to properly present my supposed progress. At least Charlotte had not begun to pressure me yet, and had decided to give me some more time.


    However, it seemed that Charlotte had more in mind than just checking up on my progress.


    ¡°Hey, try it once.¡±


    ¡°Try what?¡±


    ¡°Use your power to believe that you know where the child is. Maybe you¡¯ll discover it somehow?¡±


    Ah, was that what this was all about?


    Charlotte seemed to be pinning some hope on my as-yet-uncertain supernatural powers. But unfortunately, my Self-Deception had no such capabilities. At my current level, the most it could do was enhance my physical abilities; it was impossible for it to magically provide knowledge of things I was unaware of.


    It was an absurd idea. It was basically saying that I could know what my next-door neighbor was doing simply by believing it, as though it provided me with some sort of foresight.


    Of course, I too didn¡¯t know the full extent of my Self-Deception yet, so perhaps it could be possibleter on. In its current stage, though, it was impossible.


    I should have told her right away that it was impossible.


    However, seeing Charlotte grasping at straws, trying to do anything she could, changed my mind.


    Wait a minute.


    This, if handled well, could extend the life of both me and the club. Since it was dependent on a supernatural power, it could be possible. It would be difficult to convince her if I told her I found clues and evidence through the Thieves¡¯ Guild and the Rotary Club, but if I told her that I¡¯d discovered these clues through my supernatural power, there was no reason for suspicion.


    And I was Baalier, the very person Charlotte was looking for.


    Supernatural power was an unbelievable force, something that could make the impossible possible. So it was worth a shot.


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t work... but I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t hold much expectation either. Nheless, she pulled out a portrait of Baalier from her pocket and handed it to me, as if encouraging me to take it seriously.


    ¡°... Do you... need this?¡±


    ... To think she always carried my portrait with her... Just this fact alone started to ignite feelings of guilt within me, although my conviction that running away had been the best option remained unchanged. Each time I realized how dearly Charlotte thought of me, I felt depressed.


    Damn it.


    Yet now, I had to deceive her again. The lives of Loyar and the club members were hanging by a thread.


    I didn¡¯t have a choice but to deceive her again.


    I stared intensely at my own portrait which, in truth, was apletely useless gesture.


    The Self-Deception that I was supposed to invoke involved believing that I knew where this boy was.


    However, it wasn¡¯t a matter of belief, because I was right there! This didn¡¯t make sense!


    Regardless.


    Although it was impossible for me to track the location of another person, I had to appear as though I knew where Baalier was located. While pondering how I could possibly justify such a thing, I started to speak.


    ¡°Uhm... I see some sort of castle.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    As Baalier, I began to describe to Charlotte the experiences I had gone through.


    ¡°A castle? What kind of castle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s deste... There¡¯s a huge castle, and in front of it, I can see a scene of someone, just running. They seem to be riding a horse...¡±


    Instead of making it sound like I knew where the child was, I decided to describe it in a way simr to psychometry.


    Charlotte hadn¡¯t told me the details about the child she was looking for. If I started describing Baalier¡¯s and Dyrus¡¯s escape from the Demon King¡¯s Castle, it might suggest to Charlotte that my abilities held some potential.


    By continuously proving my usefulness in this way, Charlotte would leave me alone.


    Charlotte gaped in astonishment as I recounted the details I shouldn¡¯t have known to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. There are people on horses chasing someone. And the person is running away. There seem to be monsters around too... This is all I can gather for now.¡±


    I felt the urge to bite my tongue for putting on such a ridiculous act.


    Charlotte stared at me, trembling, even her lips quivering.


    ¡°More... more... Try some more... Look further... deeper. More... Just a bit more...¡±


    Charlotte had risen from the bench and was desperately urging me to continue. I couldn¡¯t bear to meet her desperate eyes.


    I felt awful for doing what I was doing, and it was indeed a heinous act. As much as I was doing this to survive, I was toying with her emotions.


    I knew that a small lie could grow into arger one and eventually lead to an even greater lie, yet I was in a situation where I had no choice but to continue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t know... I see the same scene... the same view over and over. In the supernatural power experiments I¡¯ve done, this way of using Self-Deception never worked, but I don¡¯t know why it suddenly works when you ask me to do it... Regardless, this is all I can do for now. Maybe my powers are still too weak...¡±


    Though I didn¡¯t know the location of the child she was seeking, the mere fact that I appeared to have seen things I shouldn¡¯t have been able to know gave Charlotte a glimmer of what seemed like hope.


    ¡°Can you tell if he¡¯s alive or not? Even that much... even just that... if you knew that... please...¡±


    Charlotte, who had been so assertive when dealing with me until just now, was begging me. Even though she probably considered someone like me, with a wretched background and who was involved with a criminal organization, to be less than a bug.


    ¡°Please... Please find out... Please...¡±


    Charlotte seemed ready to drop to her knees in front of me. Her cold, proud expression was contorted in agony, and before I knew it, she was crying in front of me.


    Charlotte had been kidnapped and had suffered terrible things, and she knew that I was the only other survivor who had endured the same pain. And ultimately, it was me who had saved her life. It wasn¡¯t weird to know that I was a very special person to her.


    It was sickening to think that even the act of saving her back at the Demon King¡¯s Castle had also been fake. And here I was, having to deceive her again solely because my survival was at stake.


    To Charlotte, who was weeping and pleading just to know whether I was alive, I finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure... I really don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know where he is right now.¡±


    With the foreboding feeling that I would be continuing to tell many lies to Charlotte in the future...


    ¡°But... he¡¯s alive. I¡¯m certain of that.¡±


    I had to reveal at least one truth to Charlotte.


    Charlotte violently burst into tears, gripping my clothes tightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying... right...? You¡¯re telling me the truth, he¡¯s alive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes... That¡¯s right. I feel certain that he¡¯s alive... and only that much...¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you... thank you so much...¡±


    I watched Charlotte crying as if she was about to crumble at any moment, and couldn¡¯t help but bite down hard on my lip.


    I didn¡¯t mind myself bing a douchebag with anger management issues and being criticized by many.


    However, deceiving one person so terribly in this way was excruciatingly hard to bear.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Her words of gratitude weighed me down even more.


    ***


    My supernatural power was particrly unclear whenpared to the other supernatural powers.


    ¡°This is truly the first time this has happened. It usually doesn¡¯t work on others at all. It only feels this way with this child you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why that is as well, but... anyway it¡¯s a relief, and that¡¯s good enough for now.¡±


    Even though what I said was extremely suspicious and strange, Charlotte had no choice but to ept the result as the scenes I had described were ones only Baalier would have known.


    Charlotte seemed to have no inkling that I might be Baalier. Of course, the vague nature of my supernatural power yed a part as well.


    Charlotte instructed me not to tell anyone what I had seen, and she asked me to not share the fact that I could use my ability like this with anyone else. Unlike her previous demands, which seemed more likemands, this time, it was a request.


    ¡°You know why I am asking this... Please, Reinhart.¡±


    She had even said my name personally.


    ¡°I know. I understand.¡±


    It must have been because Vertus would most likely want to use my powers as well, given the opportunity.


    In fact, since the ability I imed to possess was essentially made up, it actually worked in my favor if Charlotte kept silent about this as well. If someone started asking why I could use my ability to know one thing and not another, that would only make things harder for me.


    Charlotte seemed as desperate to me now as she had been in the past.


    At the current moment, I had to be the only clue she had when it came to finding Baalier.


    Charlotte, after calming down a bit, seemed to reflect upon her own actions, ande to a realization.


    ¡°Oh, ah... um... well... ehem.¡±


    Depending on one¡¯s perspective, it might have seemed like the way she¡¯d acted had been a terrible disgrace. It seemed she had calmed down only for even moreplicated emotions to rise up within her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, pay it no mind. Whoever this is must be incredibly important to you, I suppose. That exins why you¡¯re like this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I offered words of sympathy to the imperial princess who had lost herposure, and she hung her head low.


    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d reach a point in my life where I... I have to beforted like this,¡± Charlotte mused as she gazed nkly up at the night sky.


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether she found it pitiful that it was the constion from amoner, from a criminal, or just the fact that she was beingforted by someone at all.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who saved me.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for him, I wouldn¡¯t have made it out of there.¡±


    Everyone knew that the princess had been kidnapped by the Demon King¡¯s forces, but no one really knew the details of what she had been through in there, and how she had managed to escape.


    It seemed as though both Charlotte and Vertus preferred to bury the matter and not bring it up anymore. Since there was not enough evidence to say that Charlotte had been the target of an assassination in her timely escape from the barracks, there was not much to stumble over anyway.


    It could easily be construed that the princess had fled on her own ord out of fright.


    In Dyrus¡¯s case, he <i>had</i> faced threats to his life directly and had even engaged in battle, but there was still not enough evidence to conclude that someone had attempted an assassination on the princess.


    Therefore, any mention of an attempt to assassinate the princess had remained under wraps, and no scandal could be made out of it. That was why no information about Dyrus saving the princess or anything about the young child who was with her hade to public attention.


    This was also why Charlotte had only mentioned vaguely that if it weren¡¯t for ¡°him,¡± she wouldn¡¯t have made it out. Speaking concretely about what really happened would be dangerous.


    ¡°<i>He¡¯s the one who saved my life.</i>¡± Was that the sole reason she was searching for him? It seemed like a usible reason, yet for her to be so distraught that she almost lost herposure was certainly odd.


    ¡°Honestly... I get that he¡¯s important to you because he saved your life...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that he saved my life,¡± Charlotte said, looking at me. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, I would have gone mad.¡±


    He had not just saved her life; she would have gone mad if it hadn¡¯t been for him.


    In that cell, Charlotte had been crying softly, holding onto the memory of her deceased mother.


    Now that I thought about it, she certainly seemed like she was in a dangerous state. Before I called out to her, she hadn¡¯t even realized someone was moving around in the corridor.


    ¡°The ce was overflowing with corpses and filled with the stench of blood, where it felt like I could go mad at any moment...¡±


    Charlotte seemed to be recalling that period of time.


    ¡°That child kept reassuring me that we would be okay, that we had already won the war, trying tofort me. He did everything he could to console me and put me at ease.¡±


    I had said all sorts of things to try to calm the trembling Charlotte. At that time, I had no idea who she was.


    ¡°He said he had lost all his memories. He didn¡¯t even know who he was or why he was trapped there. Yet, even in such a hard time, when it must have been tremendously frightening for him as well, he saw me and tried to soothe me. He didn¡¯t know who I was; just that some child was crying in that terrible ce, and he tried his best tofort her.¡±


    To her, that person had lost all his memories and yet had tried to console her just because she was shaking with fear, despite the horror that must have filled him in the midst of that ghastly scene.


    iming to have lost my memories had been a lie, but it was true that I had beenpletely lost and had no idea what to do or how to act in that situation.


    It seemed that Charlotte wasn¡¯t just trying to find me solely because I had saved her life.


    ¡°I made a promise to him.¡±


    Yes, I remembered Charlotte saying something like that.


    ¡°I promised I would help him get his memories back...¡±


    It seemed she was desperately trying to find me in order to keep that promise. Of course, I had not actually forgotten any memories because, while I inhabited the body of Baalier, the prince of the Demon Realm, I was not truly him.


    My lies appeared to have etched something akin to a permanent mark in Charlotte¡¯s heart¡ªan indelible imprint.


    ¡°Do you really have to help him find his memories?¡±


    ¡°... Why do you ask that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that... If those memories include his time being tortured at the Demon Castle and are mostly unpleasant, wouldn¡¯t it be better if he did not remember? Discovering your memories and getting to know who you are is certainly important, but there might also be memories that are better off lost.¡±


    I hoped that Charlotte would not feel too burdened by the weight of her promise. In fact, since there were no lost memories to begin with, if Charlotte felt tormented by her supposed failure to fulfill that promise, I would feel terribly guilty about what she was doing.


    Hearing my words, Charlotte looked at me with widened eyes.


    ¡°... I never thought of that... that might be true... Yes... you have a point,¡± Charlotte said.


    Perhaps it was better not to bring back terrible memories at all. Charlotte seemed to somewhat agree with that.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess we can worry about thatter and focus on finding him first,¡± she added.


    A small relief, amidst the guilt and remorse swimming within me. Earlier on, Charlotte¡¯s expression seemed to have sunk into a deep sorrow, resigning herself to despair after believing that I had died and feeling tremendous guilt over losing me. Now, though, it had improved somewhat.


    Charlotte, now slightly more spirited, looked at me and, for the first time, managed a smile.


    ¡°Find that child for me,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°Then, I will do everything in my power for you.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t that too dangerous a promise to make to someone so lowly and dangerous?¡±


    Charlotte believed that I was her link to Baalier, and that was why her attitude had also changed.


    ¡°During the duel, I thought you were nothing but reckless. I knew you had a weird personality, but to see that you were doing all that solely out of pride made me think that you were stupid as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking quite freely about someone who¡¯s right in front of you, huh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I could see in you at the time.¡±


    It seemed that Charlotte¡¯s assessment of me differed from Vertus¡¯s. Vertus had praised my tenacity for continuing to get up even after being knocked down, but Charlotte seemed to have judged me as someone who foolishly persisted instead of epting defeat because of my pride.


    ¡°However, I realized something else when I saw you win in such an unbelievable way.¡±


    Had I lost the duel, Charlotte¡¯s assessment of me would have remained unchanged. However, I had somehow achieved victory through the surreal event of awakening a supernatural power.


    That seemed to have altered Charlotte¡¯s assessment somewhat.


    ¡°Sometimes, there are times when you have to do reckless things,¡± She said quietly, having gone back to her usual, slightly icy demeanor.


    Even if it meant making a promise to do everything within her power for a student who came from a beggar¡¯s background and was tied to criminal organizations. Some things just had to be done.


    Charlotte was willing to make such a dangerous promise to a person like me, someone she would never have even been involved with under normal circumstances.


    <i>¡®Geez, I can¡¯t imagine what it would have been like if she¡¯d made such a request to someone other than me. Thank goodness she was talking to Baalier himself. Imagine if she was asking this of some weird creep!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... It¡¯s like two elephants fighting, and I¡¯m the grass that suffers because of it.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Vertus?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s quite awkward trying to act casually with both of you like this. You two might be fine, but I feel pretty ufortable, you know.¡±


    I was totally caught in the middle.


    I now had a secret I absolutely could not share with Vertus. And with Charlotte, it was the same as well. What was I supposed to say if Vertus asked me, ¡°Hey, I see that you¡¯ve been getting quite close with Charlotte, what¡¯s up?¡± And what if Charlotte said something like, ¡°I¡¯ve seen you hanging around Vertus, that¡¯s a bit... disturbing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Things could get reallyplicated.


    Honestly, although I didn¡¯t want trouble with either of them, maintaining a neutral stance while caught between the two of them would be nearly impossible.


    At my words, Charlotte¡¯s lips curved into a slight, mischievous smile. It gave off the same vibe as when Vertus showed his cunning nature.


    ¡°I trust you will handle the situation well, Reinhart.¡±


    It seemed I was caught between two people with a simr essence.


    Seriously, why did both of them have to behave so simrly?


    If Charlotte hadn¡¯t died and was just a regr character in the novel, I¡¯m sure she would have been in a simr position as Vertus.

 Chapter 56

    <h4>Chapter 56</h4>


    The struggle of having the attention of both Charlotte and Vertus had now truly begun. Charlotte was more of a help to me than Vertus at the moment, but if Vertus found out that I had sided with Charlotte, I had no idea what he might do to me.


    I did not see a good approach to this issue. It was certain that Charlotte would not bother me anymore until my powers grew strong enough that I could find Baalier.


    The problem was Vertus. I didn¡¯t know how to deal with him at all, since anything I hid from him would eventuallye to light anyway. Therefore, I decided it would be better to voluntarily disclose information to him instead.


    I made it clear to Charlotte that I did not want to end up on bad terms with Vertus, since I was in ss A. I also told her that Vertus had asked me to keep an eye on her.


    Charlotte, too, believed that I should not be harmed by Vertus in the search for Baalier. Therefore, she gave me leave to ry moderately-unimportant information to him.


    Basically, I had fully be a puppet for both sides.


    In the end, I was nothing but a hyena that couldn¡¯t do anything to the king and queen of the jungle. But perhaps one had to live like a hyena and be devious in order to survive in life.


    The next day, I had a conversation with Vertus on the dormitory¡¯s tea-time terrace.


    ¡°Charlotte... It seems like she¡¯s looking for someone.¡±


    This ce was designed like yet another designated meeting spot in one of those romance simtion games. If Ellen¡¯s designated spot was the training grounds and the dining hall, Vertus¡¯s spot was the tea-time terrace.


    Vertus listened to what I had to say, then nodded slowly.


    Though I spoke as if I had heard it for the first time, Vertus was already aware of this information. Therefore, there was nothing particrly novel about the news, but it was information that a regr student should not have known.


    ¡°Hmm... Did Charlotte tell you that directly?¡±


    I had no choice but to reveal some of the truth to Vertus, since anything Charlotte found out, Vertus would inevitably discover as well.


    ¡°She asked me to find him.¡±


    ¡°She asked you...? Hmm... yes, I see. That¡¯s possible.¡±


    Vertus nodded his head, perhaps after considering my background and realizing what it could mean.


    ¡°It seems you already know who I¡¯m looking for,¡± I said to Vertus.


    Vertus nodded in response.


    ¡°Yes, I already knew that much... Alright, so, you haven¡¯t found him yet, I suppose.¡±


    Just the fact that I told Vertus that Charlotte had instructed me to find Baalier meant that she herself hadn¡¯t found him yet. That information alone was useful to Vertus.


    ¡°I suppose she didn¡¯t ask you to find him directly, but rather act through the Rotary Club... How is it going with that? Any progress?¡±


    Vertus¡¯s calm question sent shivers down my spine.


    I hadn¡¯t told Vertus about this aspect yet. I had nned to tell him about it today, but he already knew about it. His attitude¡ªas if it was natural for him to know all this¡ªwas what really creeped me out.


    Vertus had performed a background check on me and, yet after finding out about me, he had yet to reveal what he knew about me. Now, by mentioning something I didn¡¯t think he would have known directly, Vertus was signaling that I was in the palm of his hand.


    It wasn¡¯t just the Rotary Club that he knew about. If it were Vertus, he¡¯d probably know about the connections with the Thieves¡¯ Guild as well. I knew he would catch on, but I hadn¡¯t anticipated that he would reveal his knowledge of it in such a manner.


    He saw my momentary freeze and let out a smallugh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so tense over something like this.¡±


    ¡°You could have at least told me you knew before I told you. It¡¯s really unsettling.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the typical beggar from the streets; there are some excessive elements to you. So I did a little research, that¡¯s all. So, how¡¯s the progress?¡±


    Fortunately, Vertus didn¡¯t seem to consider the possibility that I might be Baalier himself, just like Charlotte. It would be difficult indeed for him to imagine that the person he was searching for was right next to him.


    Unlike Charlotte, Vertus did not express hatred simply because I was associated with a criminal organization, although his inner thoughts were inscrutable to any but himself.


    Anyway, regarding the progress...


    ¡°How could there be any? The only thing I got was a portrait, and I don¡¯t even know his name or anything.¡±


    ¡°Right... That makes sense.¡±


    He seemed to consider it only natural for me not to have made progress, as if my finding Baalier would prove him and his own efforts weak.


    ¡°Have you heard anything about who this person might be? Anything?¡±


    ¡°No. She didn¡¯t tell me anything about that.¡±


    Charlotte had, but it didn¡¯t seem necessary to share that much with Vertus.


    Vertus sipped his milk tea while quietly gazing out at the slowly-darkening view of the Temple.


    ¡°Okay... fine. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯m also looking for that person, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... I suspected you might be.¡±


    ¡°If you happen to find a clue, make sure to inform me.¡±


    ¡°In such a situation, wouldn¡¯t it be best if I<i> didn¡¯t</i> find any clues at all?¡±


    ¡°Ha! You¡¯re not wrong...¡±


    If choosing one meant making an enemy of the other, it might be more advantageous for me not to find anything at all. Vertus nodded as if that made sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If things go on like this, it seems she¡¯ll self-destruct. If she¡¯s even reaching out to you for help, it¡¯s already a sign of that.¡±


    Self-destruction...


    Vertus seemed to think that if Charlotte couldn¡¯t find me, she¡¯d self-destruct, ruining her own chances to ascend the throne. Understanding what he meant by that only made me feel more depressed.


    Charlotte was so focused on finding me that she seemed to be neglecting the power struggle for the throne. Therefore, it seemed Vertus was quite content to just let things be.


    ¡°I did not expect it to be this easy...¡±


    Vertus let out a sigh of disappointment.


    Vertus had never wanted to see Charlotte return alive. In the end, though, she hade back. Hence, while he was on high alert and ready to confront her, Charlotte herself was fixated on finding some boy, so much so that her veins were popping out of her forehead in frustration.


    Vertus seemed disappointed, as if watching his greatest enemy self-destruct wasn¡¯t entirely satisfying. While victory was important, the satisfaction of victory mattered too.


    ¡°So, even if we cannot find the boy at all, that will turn out to be in my favor anyway. Oh, and since we¡¯re on the subject...¡±


    It seemed Vertus was done talking about Charlotte. He looked at me as if he didn¡¯t regard her as a serious threat at the moment. Perhaps her fixation on the task of finding a mere child, bordering on obsession, had caused her to lose her value as a rival in his eyes.


    ¡°By any chance, are you possibly trying to be the next master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? Oh... I can see how you might misunderstand the situation like that, but no, not at all. I¡¯ve never even met anyone from the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±


    I had previously implied that I had an association with the Thieves¡¯ Guild, but I truly had no personal connections with them. However, Vertus seemed to think that there was something unusual about a kid who was just a street rat.


    It seemed he came to the conclusion that I was going to be the next guild master, being cultivated by the Thieves¡¯ Guild, and that I had already gotten ample training from them because of it.


    I sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll believe me, but I honestly want to cut ties with them.¡±


    The original n was to fully sever my connection with the whole Rotary Club after awakening my talents. Somehow, my tail had been stepped on, and I had ended up in a situation where both the prince and princess knew about my background.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to spend my life doing dirty work. I don¡¯t like constantly feeling like someone is going to stab me in the back.¡±


    That was truly my wish. Who would want to live their whole life fighting? My values weren¡¯t so different from an ordinary person¡¯s.


    I wanted to livefortably, eat well, and enjoy life without any life-threatening worries. Since that seemed unlikely, however, I had no choice but to pursue the next-best option in this world.


    ¡°Hmm... Really? You¡¯re not just saying that because you¡¯re in front of me, are you?¡±


    ¡°Even if that were the case, wouldn¡¯t it be worthless to tell such a lie, considering you already know so much about me?¡±


    A potential future emperor who knew the identity of the next guildmaster of the Thieves¡¯ Guild? If that were true, I would have already been disqualified as a candidate to be the next head of the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    My words seemed usible enough to Vertus, who burst intoughter.


    ¡°Hmm... So, you are closer to the Rotary Club than the Thieves¡¯ Guild, is what you¡¯re saying... That¡¯s a slight disappointment.¡±


    ¡°Disappointment?¡±


    Why would he be disappointed that I wasn¡¯t favored as the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s next sessor? Was there somepelling reason about my background that Vertus had left me alone this whole time because of it?


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I tend to think that criminal power is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Inevitable?¡±


    <i>¡®What is he trying to say now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you root out the Thieves¡¯ Guild, other factions will just take their ce. That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±


    Just as algae grew naturally by the water¡¯s edge over time, even if the criminals were weeded out from the streets, more would gather and form a new power structure. Eradicating a crime organization simply made room for others to take over, andplete elimination was impossible.


    Was he trying to...


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t you agree that it¡¯d be better to own that organization? If you can¡¯t eliminate it, then you can control it by owning its source. That way, you can monitor any new criminal powers that emerge, and it allows you to deal with matters that can only be resolved in the crime organizations,¡± he borated,ying out his argument with chilling, calcted logic.


    I was beginning to see where this was going.


    He looked at me with a creepy smile.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be the guild master?¡±


    I began to understand why Vertus thought Charlotte was on the path to self-destruction. Charlotte saw me as merely a means to find Baalier, and her mind was fixated on that goal alone.


    But Vertus... Vertus had bigger ns. He was thinking of using me to dominate the underworld of the imperial city.


    ***


    In the past, the United States implemented aw prohibiting alcohol. This ultimately led to the enormous growth of mafia organizations within the country that mass-produced alcohol to counter this. Prohibiting an easily-producedmodity typically results in underground production and the emergence of organizations to distribute it. Supply is inevitably prompted by demand, and when production and supply are illegal, numerous criminal organizations naturally arise to fill the void.


    The empowerment of crime was inevitable. There will always be people who demand what should not be legal, and shadowy organizations emerge to supply these products and services.


    To facilitate this supply, crime bes organized, and thus, organized crime as an entity will surface. Such a thing could not be easily stopped just because one simply wanted to.


    Vertus deemed such a situation inevitable. If removing one group only led to someone else taking their ce, it was better to control that group instead. By doing so, one could act more swiftly against any new organization that appeared.


    Following this reasoning, Vertus had hoped that I would be the next guild master. By controlling the Thieves¡¯ Guild, he nned to eventually gain control over the entire underworld of the imperial city.


    Aside from the goal of overseeing and monitoring criminal activity, Vertus could also rely on the guild to carry out his own personal agendas, which made this arrangement seem a very decent prospect to him.


    Thus, he had made the offer to me, even though I was merely a Temple student from the Rotary Club. He was asking if I had any interest in bing the emperor of the imperial city¡¯s underworld, and was therefore disappointed when I imed I had no ties with the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    The scope of his thinking was on an entirely different level than mine. Whether or not it was right, the way he thought about things was on a totally different scale.


    Vertus assured me there was no need to rush my decision, and stated that such a grand vision couldn¡¯t be implemented immediately anyway.


    It was too momentous a decision to make on the spot, and frankly, it didn¡¯t really pique my interest. After all, involving oneself with a criminal organization and potentially taking over would entail various obligations. I wasn¡¯t sure if I had the capability for that, nor if I had the right mentality to carry out such responsibilities.


    Thus, Vertus simply extended the offer to me, then closed the conversation.


    <i>¡®Bing the master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild...¡¯</i>


    There was no denying that authority would be useful. In fact, it might offer even more benefits on top of just the authority alone. Moreover, Vertus, who was embroiled in a fight for session to the throne, had even offered to watch my back.


    I would be running what was very close to a legally-sanctioned criminal organization. Such an organization, operating on the fringes of legality, could undertake far more activities than that of an ordinary organization.


    However, the truth was that I was not a person with great ambitions. I¡¯d never managed an organization before and didn¡¯t know if it would suit me. I only needed enough money to live on, and more than that was unnecessary. So why would I bother with earning more?


    If it wasn¡¯t for the gate, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up at the Temple in the first ce.


    Regardless, the prince had given me an offer to consider, and he seemed ready to back me if I decided to be the master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    Of course, there was no real necessity for him to resort to me. If Vertus truly wanted the master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild on his side, he could take matters into his own hands and make that a reality through his own methods.


    Both Charlotte and Vertus had been able to find the Thieves¡¯ Guild with ease, but they had simply chosen not to act. Perhaps they wanted to test my usefulness or abilities regarding this matter.


    If that was their reasoning, then the prince was not yet particrly interested in controlling the underworld himself. If he deemed it an urgent priority, he could easily manage it without trying to manipte me. It was more likely that he was more interested in gauging my ambitions and determining if I waspetent enough.


    Anyway, it wasn¡¯t an urgent issue, so it was a matter to be contemted sometime in the future.


    ***


    It was apparent that the uing Glory Festival had changed the atmosphere in the Temple. While the training routines and sses hadn¡¯t changed much, a general air of excitement permeated throughout the whole school.


    Some students were already packing their bags, nning to go home during the extended school break. Some students were looking forward to the festival, while others were excited about returning to their hometowns.


    Everyone had different ns.


    ¡°The Order of the Holy Knights?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I want to see the grand return parade of the Order of the Holy Knights, and afterward, I¡¯m nning to visit the monastery. I haven¡¯t been there in a long time.¡±


    Adriana seemed positively beaming at the thought of witnessing the majestic return of the Order of the Holy Knights, and seemed proud just imagining it.


    For the sake of the Great War, the five major religions united to form a single military force. This was the Order of the Holy Knights. Priests and pdins from all religions had joined forces to be one pir of the allied army, and they were now returning victorious from the Great War.


    I was well aware of this part. The Order of the Holy Knights continued to exist thereafter, and became the dream destination for all pdins and priests to join. It was likely that Adriana also hoped to join the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°And you said you¡¯re returning to the monastery?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was raised in the Art-Ouen Monastery of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen.¡±


    Adriana had been raised in a monastery dedicated to Ouen, the god of purity. Even though she was an orphan, she had been allowed to enroll in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss due to her exceptional talents. It seemed that is why she had enrolled in the Temple, starting from the higher grades.


    If she had the divine power of Ouen, then that meant her Turn Undead spells would be extremely powerful. Of course, I had nothing to do with Turn Undead, but that meant that Adriana and I were fundamentally ipatible.


    The doctrine of Ouen would inherently contain a disdain for demonkind.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t remember all the detailed settings, but I had relearned or gained new knowledge of this world while living in the Temple. Encountering these doctrines and teachings of the religions that I had once brainstormed and written out in a hurry was a rather strange ordeal.


    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t the pdins and priests of Ouen prohibited from marrying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Adriana tilted her head, wondering why I was asking something so obvious.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s too early to decide such things at such a young age?¡±


    <i>¡®You can still consider such matters once you¡¯ve matured further. Why not live a little first and see the world before getting involved in the priesthood?¡¯ </i>


    But Adriana simply smiled at my opposition as if it was funny that someone younger than her was giving her such advice.


    ¡°If you attend some services and experience themunity, you might change your mind too, junior. There are people in the world who can live on faith alone. It¡¯s a fulfilling life, in its own way.¡±


    I began to feel slightly intimidated by the overwhelming aura of puritying from her. Lately, she had been bringing up this topic with increasing frequency. It was as though she was on her deathbed, speaking herst words.


    Adriana suddenly grabbed my hand.


    Her sudden touch did not give me butterflies. If anything, it frightened me.


    ¡°So, after the break is over, will you promise toe to a meeting with me?¡±


    ¡°Please, please don¡¯t do this...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow Ouen¡¯s doctrine strictly. Everyone within the religion is entitled to grace, junior, even you, with your prickly personality. I assure you that it can be mended. They¡¯re all good people.¡±


    All of a sudden, Adriana had begun her missionary work on me.


    <i>¡®I mean, it¡¯s incredibly kind and I do appreciate it, but it¡¯s also overwhelming!¡¯</i>


    ¡°We can all be happy, partaking in fellowship with the members of the congregation.¡±


    Adriana had somehow be the <i>noona </i>that goes to church, even though I never set foot in church myself.


    But I was too grateful to push her away. It was true that she has been very supportive in many ways, like an actual church <i>noona</i>.


    <i>¡®Yeah, I know exactly how this goes!</i>


    <i>¡®First, they approach you gently, act incredibly kind, then make you feel too guilty to refuse when they shepherd you to church. Then it happens once, twice, three times, and after the fourth time, you confess that you like them, but it turns out that they only wanted to share the good news with a non-believer like you and didn¡¯t mean to give you the wrong impression. Regardless, they still ask you toe to the next meeting, and mention that they¡¯d be sad if you didn¡¯t go anymore...</i>


    <i>¡®This is exactly how I imagine it¡¯s going to y out!¡¯</i>


    Oh, no. I was getting shbacks of my first love, who was also a <i>noona...</i>


    <i>Dear beloved noona</i>,


    <i>I hope you¡¯re doing well.</i>


    <i>I heard you got married...</i>


    <i>I¡¯m doing well... except, I suddenly found myself reminiscing about you in this other world...</i>


    <i>From... me</i>


    .


    .


    ¡°I, I actually already have a religion!¡± I blurted out in desperation, to prevent myself from being pulled into a hellish ce.


    That prompted Adriana to tilt her head in confusion.


    ¡°Huh? You already follow someone?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... It¡¯s not so much ¡®someone¡¯... But yes, I do have faith.¡±


    ¡°Oh... In who?¡±


    I looked at Adriana with a resolute expression.


    Yes, I in fact<i> did</i> have a religion.


    ¡°Me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I believe in myself.¡±


    I belonged to a religion where the only object of worship and the only worshiper was myself.


    I was both the leader and the sole member of the ¡°Church of Self-Brainwashing¡±!


    ¡°<i>My ultimate source of poweres from believing in myself.</i>¡±


    The fact that that statement was true made it even more bizarre.


    ¡°Uh... huh?¡±


    Adriana couldn¡¯tprehend what I said and stood stock-still for a while.


    After processing my exnation, she told me to stop talking nonsense and smacked me on the back.

 Chapter 57

    <h4>Chapter 57</h4>


    Friday had arrived, and after sses ended, everyone started bing overly excited, jumping around and in high spirits. As expected, the most boisterous of them all was none other than Number 8, Connor Lint.


    ¡°I¡¯m going hooome!¡± he eximed.


    Those who were nning to return to their family hurried back to the dormitories to pack their belongings, while those who were staying put began to make their own ns for the long break.


    As for me, I had decided to stay in the dormitory until Saturday, when it would be a bit quieter, before heading out. I intended to meet Eleris after taking a ride on the magic train to possibly shake off any tails that might havetched onto me. I would then transform using the ring Sarkegar gave me and go to Eleris¡¯s shop.


    I could also go to the Rotary Club, but for many reasons, I was reluctant to visit that ce. Especially because it seemed that the prince and princess had already started keeping an eye on the ce.


    In its own way, this was an honor for the club as well. This would be the first andst time they would ever garner the attention of such high-status individuals.


    Although it wasn¡¯t intentional, the situation turned out to be favorable.


    Charlotte, who had no other leads to find Baalier but me, would likely do what she could to protect the Rotary Club, and Vertus would aim to use the club as a stepping stone to take over the empire¡¯s underworld, so neither would interfere.


    Depending on my actions, they might even offer assistance instead.


    In the end, by being useful to both parties, I had smoothly transitioned into what I dubbed ¡°the ultimate middle-man.¡± I had be someone valuable to both the prince and the princess.


    Hey, maybe I was a decent guy after all!


    While some were excited about heading back, and others were thrilled to have a break, there were three exceptions that fit neither of these categories.


    Ellen Artorius was certain to spend her time dwelling on her brother¡¯s death, the once-in-a-lifetime hero in the eyes of many. This festival was likely not a good thing for her.


    Then there were Vertus and Charlotte.


    During this festive season, both of them would be extremely busy running around. Although they tried not to show it, it was clear that they were inevitably worn out by the thought of their future exertions.


    ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah?¡±


    Because of this, a rare scene unfolded. It was the sight of the two of them engaging in conversation. No one had openly mentioned it, but ever since their enrollment in the Temple, they had been ignoring each other. It was only natural that they weren¡¯t on good terms.


    Therefore, even though they had both been enrolled for quite some time, it was the first asion inside the Temple where everyone could witness them conversing.


    They walked side by side, speaking in voices just loud enough to be overheard.


    ¡ªSo, to go over the order of the ceremony again...


    ¡ªI¡¯ve memorized it all. There¡¯s no need to go over it.


    ¡ªYou do have a smart head on your shoulders.


    ¡ªNot even close to yours.


    ¡ªWhy does it sound like you¡¯re mocking me, even though it sounds like it should be apliment?


    ¡ªBecause it¡¯s sarcasm.


    Outwardly, Vertus appeared kind, while Charlotte was unmistakably blunt and curt.


    The two of them appeared to be discussing the tasks they needed to perform during the uing festival. As it was an official imperial event, both Vertus and Charlotte were expected to make public appearances.


    Everyone stared nkly at the sight of the half-siblings conversing as if witnessing something utterly improbable.


    Amidst this scene, Ellen Artorius walked out of the ssroom building, seemingly indifferent to the spectacle around her. I quietly watched her leave.


    ¡°Get lost, you damn freaky-eyes.¡±


    ¡ª<i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    All eyes were drawn to Erhi, Number A-9, who punched B-3 Scarlett in the head as he walked past her.


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying.¡±


    After Erhi passed by, Number A-10 Kaier muttered a brief curse and walked on. I wondered where Ludwig was, then realized he must have already left.


    Scarlett remained silent with her head bowed. The other students filed out as well, pretending not to notice.


    How long was I supposed to watch this go on?


    ording to the original story, this would be the point where Ludwig would challenge Erhi to a duel. However, since I had already interfered in so many ways, things had gone seriously astray.


    Of course, Ludwig¡¯s personality hadn¡¯t changed, so he might stille to Scarlett¡¯s rescue eventually. If I were to interfere again, however, the future would change once more, and things would be even more unpredictable.


    Her fiery red hair and scarlet eyes stood out.


    Scarlett lifted her head, and our eyes met.


    Everyone had already left, leaving only Scarlett and me in the hallway.


    ¡°....¡±


    Scarlett quickly averted her eyes after our brief eye contact.


    Scarlett was also one of the numerous consequences that were brought because of my plot developments.


    ¡°<i>Ludwig will save her. He wille to Scarlett¡¯s rescue one day.</i>¡±


    That idea seemed to be a total mistake. Both the reason for the bullying and the solution to it had been carelessly written. Nheless, I had written it that way and had no choice but to observe.


    A strange reality, but one that I had created.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with red?¡± I said to her in a casual manner.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Why does color matter? In the Temple, power is all that counts.¡±


    Scarlett looked up at me. She had been treated as a harbinger of bad luck because of her red hair and eyes, and had been bullied for a long time because of it. I approached her, and she pressed herself against the wall as if afraid.


    I wasn¡¯t trying to intimidate her.


    ¡°You saw it as well, didn¡¯t you? In the end, the winner is the one whoes out on top.¡±


    Scarlett hade to watch my duel.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that for yourself?¡±


    I wondered why Scarlett hade to see my fight.


    Scarlett had seen someone like her, someone from the streets, fight¡ªnot with a ssmate, but with a senior. She had seen a boy who did not have any apparent abilities or power ept the challenge of a duel from a senior.


    The oue would have been obvious to anyone. So why she had gone to watch it was unknown.


    But one thing was for sure¡ªshe had definitely seen it. She had seen me win in the end, triumphing over the senior in the fight.


    She had seen how I¡¯d kept getting up, regardless of my background or the difference in strength. She probably knew the rumors about me, someone who had nothing but still barged around everywhere and caused trouble.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± I whispered to Scarlett, whose eyes were wide with fear like those of a frightened rabbit, like a devil tempting its prey.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Want me to tell you something?¡±


    ¡°Could... could I ask what that might be...?¡±


    Oh yeah.


    Scarlett was someone who always spoke formally. Come to think of it, this was the first time we were actually having a conversation.


    Anyway, the secret about Erhi de Raffaeli that I was about to share with Scarlett wasn¡¯t anything sensational.


    ¡°That guy¡¯s just all bark and no bite.¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re a person with ss too. How long do you n to get pushed around by such a fool? You know that yourself, don¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    The troublemaker Reinhart had now gone beyond getting into fights himself; he was now instigating others to fight, pushing them to the brink. One might even believe that he was born to sow chaos in the social rtionships in the Temple, the spawn of some evil demon.


    Come to think of it, objectively, I¡¯d be not just a viin, but a superviin.


    In Batman terms, I was at least on the level of the Penguin.


    Despite beingpletely powerless, I caused quite a ruckus, and to top it off, I¡¯d hit the jackpot by awakening a superpower.


    Moreover, despite being of low birth, I¡¯d made it a daily routine to spit curses at those of noble lineage, even going as far as to physically strike some of them with my hand.


    I¡¯d pummeled a senior, and the older Royal ss students who knew nothing of my true personality thought of me as kind and just, and even promised to watch my back.


    At that moment, I had something resembling support from both Vertus and Charlotte, the two powerhouses of the Royal ss first-years and the wielders of incredible authority. Soon, I¡¯d be quite free from their control, which carried transcendent authority within the Temple. For now, at least, they had no intention to control me.


    Strangely enough, I didn¡¯t have any trouble with those who could physically overpower me. Furthermore, I was taking swordsmanship lessons from Ellen, who was considered the strongest among the first-years, and who also happened to be aloof and distant, and known for her brusque personality.


    Of course, this was all the result of me only stirring up trouble with those who decided to start a fight with me.


    And now, when it came to the issue of bullying in the Temple, I was urging the victims to stand up and fight back against the bullies.


    I was at the center of the incidents and urrences within the Temple, and I was only thinking about stirring up more trouble.


    That was me at the moment.


    ¡°...¡±


    Scarlett remained frozen for a while after hearing me say that Erhi was just a loud-mouth. However, she hadn¡¯t fought back not because she didn¡¯t know that. It was because she just didn¡¯t want to create any trouble. She believed that being expelled from the Temple would be the end of her life.


    Strictly speaking, there was no need for me to help her either, since she was better at fighting than me.


    Objectively speaking, when it came to the current power rankings of the first-years, Scarlett would be within the top five. Ellen Artorius was undoubtedly number 1, and while positions 2 through 5 could fluctuate, Scarlett would definitely be among them.


    If she set her mind to it, she could easily beat Erhi through a duel or some other way, but the trauma from the repeated bullying she¡¯d received since childhood prevented her from standing up to him.


    ***


    I nned to visit Eleris the next day, but before that, I was going to stay in the dormitory.


    Therefore, I began my usual training routine. Adriana had said she was going back home, and we only trained together in the mornings anyway.


    Thus, I found myself jogging through the students who were ecstatically leaving the Temple to start their break.


    Ludwig, with his insane stamina, ran around the entire Temple every morning without fail. Of course, such a feat was only possible for him, and I still had a long way to go.


    I never had any real interest or talent for physical exercise. Even in the moment, I couldn¡¯t say that I was particrly enjoying it. I was running with gritted teeth, out of a sense of obligation. I couldn¡¯t afford to rest. I had something to do, and I had to do it with all my might.


    I was enduring it all because of thispulsion.


    <i>¡°Huff</i>...¡±


    After running for a while, the running track led me to the top of a hill at the high-school education section of the Temple. I sat down on a bench there to catch my breath.


    I could see the vastndscape of the Temple spread out before me. Though my stamina was not on par with Ludwig¡¯s, it had clearly increased, and I could manage to run up hills like this one withoutpletely running out of breath.


    ¡°...¡±


    There were no miraculous strokes of good fortune or explosive growth. Even though I had awakened a supernatural power, it wasn¡¯t the kind of power that could turn the world upside down.


    However, although not a lot of time had passed, I had gone from barely being able to run properly without Adriana¡¯s support, to now being able to look down upon the Temple after running up a hill. My progress might not have been as fast as a car or ne could travel, but I could certainly feel myself slowly but steadily making progress.


    I was growing, little by little. This certainly wasn¡¯t the kind of fantasy life I had imagined.


    The growth was slow, and the crisis was still distant, but it was undoubtedly approaching.


    <i>¡°Huff</i>...¡±


    This seemed closer to just another day in real life, rather than something in a slice-of-life story.


    This was not the sort of story where the narrative simply glossed over years or decades of training, and suddenly presented a character who had be incredibly strong.


    It was a story where I had to experience those months, or even years, with my own flesh and blood.


    An author might simply just write, ¡°This character diligently trained for a month and suddenly became very strong,¡± and call it a day. But I, had to partake in each step of the briefly described ¡°dilligent training¡± part in real life.


    <i>¡®... I¡¯m so thirsty, I feel like I¡¯m gonna die.¡¯</i>


    At the moment, though, I needed to find some water before continuing my run.


    ***


    <i>¡®I¡¯m type A.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Come in with your attack.¡±


    Type A was a preset that specialized in swordsmanship and physical enhancements, tailored for closebat sword fighting.


    <i>ng</i>!


    <i>¡°Huff</i>...¡±


    I sighed as I watched the sword slip from my grasp yet again.


    ¡°Work on your grip strength.¡±


    ¡°I am. I¡¯ve been working on it so hard that my hands are numb.¡±


    Even when using my supernatural power, my grip inevitably loosened whenever our swords shed.


    ¡°Then use your superpower.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve been using it constantly this whole time.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She made me feel so small.


    Picking up the practice sword, I sat down on the floor with a thud. My hand was so numb that holding onto the sword had be difficult.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think something¡¯s off?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ellen tilted her head in response to my question.


    ¡°I can feel that you¡¯re definitely stronger than that third-year student I beat with a stroke of good fortune while using my supernatural powers.¡±


    And that was probably the truth. She could easily wear me out and leave me unable to move even when she was holding back and going easy on me. I could confidently say that if she had fought Mayaton, the duel would have been over in five seconds. It was not an imusible scenario. Ellen, after all, was a rtive of Artorius, the greatest hero humanity has ever had. To be precise, she had even more innate talent than Ragan Artorius.


    If Ellen Artorius were to keep training like this, she¡¯d be an even greater monster than Ragan Artorius.


    ¡°Why is that a concern?¡±


    It seemed she couldn¡¯t understand why I had mentioned how strong she was.


    ¡°I can understand how you eat so much but don¡¯t gain any weight because I¡¯ve seen people like you.¡±


    Some of them have incredibly high basal metabolic rates, and some have poor digestive efficiency. Thus eating a lot without gaining weight was definitely possible.


    I stood up and pointed to Ellen¡¯s arms and wrists.


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t be able to produce that kind of power with your physique.¡±


    Mayaton was big, but Ellen, on the other hand, was not muscr at all; strictly speaking, she had a slender frame.


    Such powering from such a fragile body defied thews of physics¡ªmagic aside, it just didn¡¯t make any human sense!


    What made it worse was that I kinda knew the reason why.


    It was obviously because of me.


    I had described her as being the strongest person in this world, excelling in both schrly and martial pursuits and all that ridiculousness, but then I had tobel her a ¡°beautiful girl.¡±


    A 188-centimeter tall, muscr behemoth might exist and be considered ¡°beautiful¡±, but would never be seen as a ¡°girl.¡± Thus, before me stood a girl who was about 163 centimeters tall and around 40kg in weight, yet possessed the power of a human tank, a physical anomaly created purely because of my unrealistic descriptions.


    Her frame appeared tock any sign of muscle, and was soft and pliable to the touch. In reality, her forearms should have been as thick as aborer¡¯s, but they were delicate and pale, and the skin was as soft as a baby¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t as if she had thick, durable bones either. Sometimes during our sparring, our bodies would make contact, and it always felt soft.


    Of course, it was true that, upon reaching a superhuman stage, one could surpass the physical limits of the body through magical enhancement, attaining strength beyond what was considered normal. However, Ellen didn¡¯t know how to do that yet, so what she was disying now was purely her own physical strength.


    <i>¡®Yeah, I guess I </i>am<i> a god.¡¯</i>


    I had shattered the physicalws of an entire world with just a few strokes of a pen.


    Ellen responded to my grumbling by shrugging her shoulders slightly.


    ¡°My family has always been strong.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. Is that the element of usibility that this world added to exin your abilities? Are your family¡¯s muscle fibers made of adamantium wire or something? </i>


    <i>¡®Well, I suppose that reason is usible enough, for someone whoes from the strongest lineage in this world.</i>


    <i>¡®¡°I was just born this way!¡± I guess you can just dismiss all the nonsense with just that one sentence. I didn¡¯t create such a setting, but maybe you were a descendant of dragons or something, since it¡¯s a world where whatever loopholes in logic I¡¯ve left out get filled in one way or another.¡¯</i>


    In the end, since this was a vition of usibility that hade from what I had written, there was no use inining about it any more. I would only be harming myself by doing so.


    There was a limit to how much growth I could achieve through training alone, and I nned to supplement that with my supernatural powers.


    Furthermore, if it was possible in the long term, I would also need to enter the superhuman stage through magical enhancement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡±


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®... Is this baseball?¡¯</i>


    I felt a sense of futility as I watched my practice sword fly to the other side of the training ground.


    Ellen had almost hit a home run with that strike.

 Chapter 58

    <h4>Chapter 58</h4>


    Ellen focused on her own training, hitting training dummies and practicing her moves diligently after I waspletely knocked out by her endless nagging and our extreme sparring.


    Cliffman had probably returned to his family, since he wasn¡¯t present at the training ground.


    To me, Cliffman was like the long-time stranger you see at the gym. The guy you greet with an awkward ¡°Ah, hello¡± internally, but never actually exchange words with. The moment we actually started to talk¡ªlike if I were to say, ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t see you here yesterday¡±¡ªI was sure the conversation would take off, but we hadn¡¯t reached that point yet.


    ¡°<i>Heup</i>!¡±


    Ellen was busy even when training alone, hitting dummies and refining her movements. If you thought about it, there was no real good reason why she even bothered teaching me. One had to be at a certain skill level to be considered a practice partner. In her eyes, I was still learning to walk.


    While I did make us meals to eat every evening, that was not such a big deal¡ªall<i> </i>I had to do was make a bit more food when I cooked for myself. She did get annoyed with my unsolicited cooking advice andments on how she cut vegetables. Regardless, she continued to tolerate me even after my duel.


    It was really kind of a strange situation.


    The term ¡°extreme indifference¡± was meant to be metaphorical, but now that I¡¯d seen such indifference in real life, it made me wonder what was really going on in her mind.


    I did once write a love letter to her for the sake of earning achievement points and got rejected. That somehow led to us having meals together, and then getting into swordsmanship training and sharing meals again. But Ellen didn¡¯t behave in a particrly friendly manner towards me, and vice versa.


    To give you an idea of this, she would walk past me on the street without even acknowledging me. It wasn¡¯t just her; even those who disliked me, like Erhi or Kaier¡ªand even Harriet¡ªwould at least make a show of their disregard for me when they saw me. But Ellen? She didn¡¯t even spare me a nce.


    We hadte-night snacks and early-morning nibbles together almost every day, bumped into each other at dawn for training, and essentially stuck together after sses ended. Yet, we hardly engaged in any personal conversation.


    It felt like we were close, yet not close at all. It felt like we were just going to go our separate ways and pretend that we didn¡¯t know each other as soon as we graduated from the Temple.


    However, amidst all this, she seemed willing to fight as my champion during the duel.


    What could all this nonchnce¡ªand indifference¡ªmean...?


    Meeting someone like her in real life felt like an encounter with a mysterious being.


    <i>¡®On second thought, isn¡¯t it better to die than to suffer like this? Why keep wondering when I can just ask her? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m one of those cancerous protagonists that¡¯s always lost and makes the wrong moves every time, frustrating the readers.¡¯</i>


    When in doubt, just ask. It was quite simple, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ellen looked at me. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you like me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I kind of knew what her answer would be, so I wasn¡¯t really hurt by it.


    I genuinely wasn¡¯t hurt.


    <i>¡®Seriously... I¡¯m not hurt!¡¯</i>


    But Ellen¡¯s reaction was a little different from before. She looked at me with a nk expression and casually asked, ¡°Do you like me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The fact that she didn¡¯t mention the time I confessed to her or replied with something like, ¡°Wait, but didn¡¯t you like me before?¡± suggested that she hadpletely forgotten that such an incident had even taken ce.


    Anyway, had we be close enough to ask each other these kinds of questions?


    I knew that her answer to my question was going to be a simple ¡°No,¡± but that wasn¡¯t the actual question that I had in mind.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Then, are we friends?¡±


    When she heard my question, Ellen stopped swinging her sword and seemed lost in thought for a moment. About a minute passed before she resumed her stance, her sword aimed at the dummy.


    ¡°It seems so,¡± she said.


    It was a typical response from her.


    ***


    It seemed that it was only then, at that moment, that Ellen Artorius had truly considered for the first time whether we were friends or not. It must have taken her quite a while to ponder over it.


    If that was the case... Vertus wasn¡¯t exactly a friend of mine, and our rtionship was one that had a hierarchy to it¡ªawkward, in a sense. Hence, it was safe to consider Ellen as my first friend in the Temple. On second thought, it was a bit funny. Given her extreme indifference, she should have been the hardest to be close with, and it was unlikely that she would make any new friends for a long time.


    However, I felt more at ease interacting with Ellen because I knew she wasn¡¯t influenced by others¡¯ opinions or any preconceptions she might have had about me. That was why we were able to make it to this sort of stage.


    Once my strength and stamina were restored, I went back to my usual routine of stance and strength training. My usual bedtime was eleven o¡¯clock. I would train on the training ground until nine, then shower and go to the dining hall for ate-night meal. Ellen usually joined me at that time.


    It wasn¡¯t like either Ellen or I had nned to wrap up our training by nine to sync our snack time; it had just naturally be our routine.


    It was nine o¡¯clock.


    Which meant it was time to end training and head for a meal.


    ¡°You seem like you¡¯re pushing yourself too hard today.¡±


    ¡°<i>Huff</i>... <i>huff</i>...¡±


    Ellen seemed different from her usual self. Her stamina was high enough to rank just below Ludwig¡¯s, yet she was pummeling a training dummy relentlessly without taking a moment to catch her breath.


    Her breathing was ragged, and she was visibly drenched in sweat. She was definitely pushing herself harder than usual.


    I didn¡¯t want to be the cat giving advice to a tiger, but something seemed off about her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop and rest?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll do a bit more,¡± Ellen said without even ncing my way.


    Well, even though she admitted we were friends, it would be silly for me to intervene any further. And she might even tell me off for pretending to be too close.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overtrain and get some rest, okay? I¡¯m gonna head off now.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t respond, and I left the training ground.


    ***


    There were hardly any students left in the dormitory, and with night approaching, it seemed that everyone had gone to bed. After showering and changing in my room, I stepped back into the hallway.


    If you took the time to consider it, the Temple had a dream living environment. Laundry and meals were provided, as well as an allowance, and anything I needed was quickly made avable. There was even ess to a kitchen to prepare food any time I wanted to, which was stocked with plenty of snacks.


    My allowance was four gold coins a month. Although that might be pocket change to the children of well-off families, it was a significant amount to me. Additionally, they would offer extra financial support for personal training or research¡ªkind of like a research grant.


    I did not see sess as having to graduate from the Temple. The very ability to live in the Temple already seemed like sess to me.


    It was a dream school that I never wanted to graduate from. I wanted to be a student of the Temple until I died, perpetually flunking year after year.


    Shouldn¡¯t that be considered a plot hole as well? That the Temple, especially the Royal ss, made one yearn to attend sses forever?


    Engrossed in such bizarre thoughts, I headed to the kitchen.


    Even though the amount of exercise I¡¯d done was not quite on par with what Ludwig and Ellen usually did, it was still a substantial amount, considering I hadn¡¯t received any assistance in the form of divine power. Hence, I needed to eat a lot. In fact, I was so active that I felt like the food I consumed was never converted into any fat.


    I¡¯d always prepared my own meals, but my culinary skills had definitely improved since I began living in the Temple. There were plenty of ingredients, and the staff would promptly restock anything I requested.


    Eating the same foods all the time could get boring, so I made a variety of dishes. I didn¡¯t want to resort to devouringrge quantities of ready-to-eat foods as Ellen did.


    I was once a person who just ordered pizzas and hamburgers to munch on while cooped up indoors writing novels, and so I had grown tired of all these fast, convenient foods.


    I was fine with my day-to-day life being routine, but I didn¡¯t particrly enjoy my diet being that way.


    I pondered what I would make as I surveyed the food that was avable in the kitchen.


    <i>¡®Hmm. Although I¡¯m not quite the person who does things like these...¡¯</i>


    To be honest, there were people that I was grateful for, and I wanted to do something for them, especially during a period like this when everyone was feeling sentimental.


    I took out a loaf of bread, nning to make sandwiches.


    There were two people at the Temple that I was grateful to.


    Firstly, there was Adriana, who had recently transformed into what I jokingly called the ¡°obstinate church <i>noona</i>.¡± Well, perhaps it was inappropriate to say that she had been ¡°converted¡± into one... Regardless of how onebeled it, she had definitely turned into something different from before, at least from my perspective.


    And then there was Ellen Artorius.


    I often expressed my gratitude to Adriana, but since Ellen and I mostly criticized each other during training, there was never a need for me to do the same to her.


    In the end, I nned to bring food to her to the training ground, which was just an extension of our usual sharing of meals, so it was nothing exceptionally out of the ordinary.


    No matter how I thought about it, I was no more than a high schooler who was excited about having made their first friend.


    <i>¡®To bepletely honest, I may have been slightly touched when Ellen said that we were friends...</i>


    <i>¡®Yes, I was touched that she considered us friends! How silly and cringy of me! I know, I know!¡¯</i>


    The sandwich I made was a club sandwich. There was no point in getting too fancy, since she was probably going to care more about quantity than quality. It was better to make a generous portion.


    A fair amount of vegetables, some cheese, and lots of ham. It was sure to be a calorie monster, but neither Ellen nor I cared about that. Given our level of physical activity, dying of something like hyperlipidemia was the least of our concerns.


    In the kitchen were baskets suitable for carrying food, and so I loaded up the sandwiches I had quickly assembled into one of them and headed to the training grounds.


    ¡°... What¡¯s this?¡±


    I was stunned by the scene that greeted me. Ellen had copsed in front of the training dummy, and the remnants of a broken practice swordy scattered around her.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be silly, you can¡¯t sleep there!¡±


    Despite my words, I was already running toward her.


    ***


    The Temple was one of the most meticulously cultivated educational institutions in the empire, and the Royal ss was the pinnacle. Beyond what I¡¯d mentioned before, several other VVIP services were avable to its students.


    In other words, I didn¡¯t know the specifics, but there were basically just a lot of incredible services.


    Of course, I was at least aware of some of these services. For example, priests who were proficient in the use of healing spells were on duty around the clock. You could think of them as school nurses, but unlike regr school nurses, they were fully capable of healing serious injuries, rather than just providing first aid.


    Although I didn¡¯t quite remember it, I must have received help from one of these priests after my duel.


    I called out for a priest as I carried the copsed Ellen.


    We entered the recovery room, a ce I had been to once before, and the priestid Ellen down.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the priest asked me as he cast a holy spell.


    ¡°It seems like exhaustion. I found her copsed on the floor of the training grounds.¡±


    She also looked a little injured. There was a red mark on her forehead, and the remnants of a shattered practice sword had been close by her. Nheless, it wasn¡¯t a serious injury.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you found her quickly. You did well.¡±


    The priest¡¯s praise seemed to indicate that things might have gotten serious if Ellen had only been discoveredter. The teacher then asked for our names and ss year, and I provided the information ordingly.


    ¡°You guys are first-years, Reinhart and Ellen. And Effenhauser is your instructor, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You did a good job, Reinhart. I will suggest amendation for you.¡±


    Oh. That was unexpected.


    The priest, who was wearing a cassock, looked at me with a kind smile that one could only describe as radiating sincere faith.


    <i>¡®Oh no, I feel like I¡¯m getting sanctified. This isn¡¯t right. I might forget my roots and be converted at this rate...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re quite troublesome, but you seem different from what the rumors say.¡±


    Ah. So my reputation had spread among the teachers too. Nevertheless, he seemed quite impressed that I had carried an unconscious ssmate and sought help, no matter what preconceptions he might have had about me.


    But amendation¡ªthat was something I hadn¡¯t considered at all. I had forgotten such a thing even existed.


    The priest briefly examined Ellen, and mentioned that she would wake up soon. He told me I could leave, but I chose to sit beside her.


    The priest looked at me with a mischievous smile, as if he knew what was on my mind.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not like that!¡¯</i>


    True to the priest¡¯s words, about ten minutester, Ellen slowly opened her eyes.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    With a low groan, Ellen, who had opened her eyes, looked back and forth between the priest and me, and her eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°...?¡±


    She grew flustered.


    The extremely indifferent Ellen was flustered.


    I made sure to swiftly etch this rare sight into my memory.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Ellen seemed to ponder for a moment, then appeared to realize the situation.


    ¡°Hey, if you sleep in a ce like that, you¡¯ll catch a cold! Are you <i>trying</i> to get sick or something? <i>Tsk</i>.¡±


    ¡°<i>Pft!</i>¡±


    The priest couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter at my old-fashioned remark, while Ellen quickly turned her head away.


    She was clearly embarrassed by the situation. However, it wasn¡¯t just the two of us here; the priest was also present.


    ¡°Ellen. Despite what he said, Reinhart was the one who carried you here. His face was pale as he cried out for help. ¡®Teacher! Teacher! Please do something!¡¯ Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Tea-... Teacher... Y-you don¡¯t have to tell her all the details... like that...¡±


    Oh man, why did he have to say that?


    Ellen nced at me. It seemed she had never expected me to do something like that.


    ¡°You seem to have practiced too excessively. Don¡¯t push yourself to the point of harming your own body. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    After that, the priest mentioned that he would put me up for amendation after the school break was over, and then left the recovery room.


    ¡°What happened? Why did you pass out there?¡±


    Ellen stared nkly at the ceiling.


    ¡°I was practicing my movements, hitting the dummy, when my sword suddenly broke... I lost my bnce and hit my head against the dummy, I think.¡±


    She seemed to remember quite clearly how she had knocked herself out.


    The issue wasn¡¯t exhaustion, but the fact that she¡¯d essentially headbutted the training dummy¡ªa kind of acute concussion, if you will.


    Wait if that was the case, didn¡¯t that mean that this was a serious matter? Or was it not...? Well, it could have been abination of both exhaustion and a concussion.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if something like this had happened to her before when I wasn¡¯t around, but what mattered was that she was safe now.


    ¡°Hey, so that means I saved your life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but take credit for my actions. I mean, who knows? If I hadn¡¯t brought the sandwiches to her, it might have been her corpse that they discovered the next day.


    ¡°<i>The most powerful talent in the Temple, dying by hitting her head on a training dummy....</i>¡±


    That would be such a ludicrous ending to a story.


    Ellen, still lying down, looked at me quietly, then gave her head a slight nod.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t as firm as usual. In fact, it sounded meek and almost sheepish.


    She had a cute side to her. I guess the charm of someone who was incredibly indifferent really shone through when their facade crumbled.


    Ellen had definitely over-exercised that day. She had swung her sword tirelessly, with more intensity and without rest aspared to her usual routine. That was why I suggested she take a break, despite knowing full well that I wasn¡¯t really in any position to be giving her advice.


    A person who was so often in control of herself had pushed herself beyond her limits, and as a result, she had ended up knocking her head on a dummy.


    Others might not know why she had suddenly pushed herself like that, but I was fully aware of it.


    Her mental state, which was usually steady and calm, was unusually unstable.


    Therefore, I didn¡¯t ask why she had pushed herself too hard.


    ¡°So, are you going toy down there forever?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The priest¡¯s holy spell should have fully restored her, so there was no reason for her to remain lying down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat some sandwiches. I made a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay.¡±


    Ellen got up briskly. She sure reacted quickly to the mention of food, like a fish nibbling on bait.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to be grateful to me, since <i>I </i>made them for <i>you</i>.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to take credit as usual.

 Chapter 59

    <h4>Chapter 59</h4>


    ¡°I want to take a shower,¡± said as she sniffed herself, taking in her own body odor.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to miss the lights-out time if you take a shower now?¡±


    Due to various events happening, it was already past eleven o¡¯clock. It wasn¡¯t like a big problem would ur if she didn¡¯t keep to the official lights-out time, but it could get troublesome if the dorm supervisor found us during their patrol. Although the likelihood of this happening wasn¡¯t that great, it was still a possibility.


    In the original work, there were many scenes of Ludwig wandering around past bedtime, too.


    ¡°I hate this smell.¡±


    Ellen hated the feeling of being damp with sweat. It certainly seemed worse than usual, and she had been quite sticky when I was carrying her.


    She always took a shower before meals as well.


    I decided to be more generous with her, since she was bound to be a little more down and sensitive than usual during this period.


    That was also why I prepared the sandwiches for her.


    ¡°... Okay, got it. I¡¯ll be at the dining hall then.¡±


    I was about to head to the dining hall, but Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°We might get caught by the dorm supervisor.¡±


    Hmm? What was she suggesting? She wanted to eat after showering, which would mean going around past bedtime, and she didn¡¯t want to risk getting caught by the supervisor, yet she insisted on eating only after washing up. What kind of nonsensical greed was this?


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just eat in the room?¡±


    Oh. So that¡¯s what she meant.


    ***


    The Temple¡¯s dormitories were not separated by gender but divided by ss, so it wasmon for boys to enter girls¡¯ rooms and vice versa. It was quite frequent for students in ss B to visit each other¡¯s rooms.


    When it came to ss A, however, it was rare to see students enter each other¡¯s rooms.


    You may wonder how a co-ed dormitory could work without any romantic anticipation, and if there was going to be any sexual tension between students.


    There was plenty of narrative to be fleshed out, whether it was in the school ssrooms or in the dormitories. If I were to separate the dormitories by gender, only male-driven narratives would be possible in the dormitory sections of the story since the protagonist, Ludwig, would be in the male dormitory.


    As an author, it would be a strategic mistake to separate the dormitories when it came to initiating events and forming rtionships among characters. Although it might have been more usible to separate them, it would probably lead to a boring story.


    What kind of fun and intriguing events could one create in a dormitory flooded purely with male characters? The most they¡¯d do is get up at dawn to y football or something.


    Therefore, the co-ed dormitory existed not out of practical necessity, but for narrative convenience. Realistic settings weren¡¯t necessary¡ªit was all about creating a setting which would make it convenient to write. Ultimately, the co-ed dormitory was implemented purely for the convenience of the author.


    Anyway, entering the room of a ssmate who was just a kid to me didn¡¯t stir up any feelings.


    And I was also a hundred percent sure that she didn¡¯t have any feelings for me as well.


    It might have been a little more thrilling if I were in the same situation with a student in the upper sses. If so, I would probably be frozen stiff, stuttering and unable to act.


    In that sort of situation, though, I would still be considered a pedophile.


    To me, all the students in the Temple were kids!


    I went to retrieve the sandwiches from the training grounds and entered Ellen¡¯s room.


    As soon as I entered her room, she dashed into the shower.


    <i>Ssh</i>, <i>ssh.</i>


    I ced the sandwich on the table and sat down.


    Her room wasn¡¯t much different from mine. It smelled slightly different, but I knew for sure that the scent wasn¡¯ting from makeup products.


    Since she wasn¡¯t responsible for cleaning, the room was naturally neat.


    There weren¡¯t many personal belongings in sight. While my room alsocked personal items, her room seemed quite sparse.


    Actually, no. My room was overwhelmingly more so. Aside from what the Temple had provided me and the textbooks or reference books for my major, I had nothing but clothes.


    There was also some exercise equipment in her room, likely for fitness training. They didn¡¯t seem like personal property, but had probably been installed by the Temple staff at her request. The private room was spacious enough to amodate various exercise equipment and machines. I had simr equipment in my room, so I was familiar with it. Aside from some minor differences, the generalyout of the room was simr to mine.


    Overall, the room was spartan, and the only thing that made it feel like a girl¡¯s room was the slightly different smell.


    In one corner of the room, where other students might have a magical research desk or something simr, there was a trunk. Unlike ordinary trunks, this one was long.


    The trunk, painted in a dark hue, was securely sealed. It wasn¡¯t toorge, and could be carried around. It was more or less an elongated rectangr case.


    I shouldn¡¯t have known it, but I knew what was inside that trunk.


    It had to be the only personal belonging Ellen Artorius had brought with her to Temple.


    After waiting a bit longer, Ellen came out of the shower. She shook her wet hair as she bustled about the room for a while.


    She was wearing a tracksuit paired with slippers.


    Now that I thought about it, she always dressed like this, and so did I.


    It was always either the school uniform or a tracksuit.


    Ellen and I sat facing each other at a table inside the room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat and go to bed quickly. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We began to eat without the need for a lengthy conversation. Honestly, I was so worn out from pushing my body to its limits these days that sleep felt like the greatest joy.


    It was unlikely that the dorm supervisor would suddenly burst in, but strange rumors might circte if anyone found out that we were together in the same room at this time of the night. However, not only was the Royal ss¡¯s dormitory empty, but the entire Temple was practically vacant because of the break.


    We silently continued eating our sandwiches. Since I¡¯d made quite a lot, it took us some time to finish them all.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    A peal of thunder echoed through the Temple, then rain began to fall outside. Ellen paused in the middle of eating her sandwich and quietly looked out the window.


    ¡°Have you finished eating?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Ellen absentmindedly gazed out the window, chewing on her sandwich.


    Her demeanor was very different from the norm, and she seemed unusually disturbed. I had written about this festival period from Ludwig¡¯s perspective and had never narrated it from Ellen¡¯s point of view. Therefore, I never specified exactly what Ellen was feeling right now.


    Because of that, I didn¡¯t really know how deeply she might have been grieving.


    Ellen stared out at the pouring rain and the asional shes of lightning. I wondered if she was afraid of the thunderstorm, or if she appreciated it. I didn¡¯t even know that much, but I assumed that she wasn¡¯t feeling afraid.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t the type to talk about herself.


    Only when the contents of that trunk were revealed would Ellen¡¯s true identity be known, and the truth that was held in confidence, which only Vertus and a few other teachers knew about, would be revealed to me.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    I was startled by her sudden use of my name.


    Ellen was looking at me.


    And she had called my name for the first time.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Those were the only words she spoke, which she delivered quietly while looking at me. She was not smiling in any particr way, nor was she being terribly blunt; her expression was something in-between.


    I was beginning to get better at gauging Ellen¡¯s moods. Of course, I didn¡¯t yet understand them entirely, but I was starting to, more and more.


    ¡°People sometimes feel lousy for no reason. There might be a reason as to why they are like that, or there might not be. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    Ellen stared at me intently in response to my unexpected and unsolicited advice.


    ¡°So, if you keep quiet too much, it can grow into a sickness on its own.¡±


    Bottling things up inside wasn¡¯t good. And even though Ellen had a patient demeanor, she also had her own emotions and thoughts. She tried to act unfazed, but always ended up reaching a breaking point, like the time she got so irritated that she started to teach me swordsmanship.


    I tended to react strongly even to small irritations, while Ellen maintained herposure no matter what happened.


    If you thought about it, Ellen and I wereplete opposites.


    And I believed that opposites often got along better than those who were of simr disposition.


    I, a person who was verbose and with a nasty temper, and Ellen, who spoke very little and had a gentle manner about her.


    ording to my standards, surprisingly, we were a goodbination. If two talkative persons got together, they¡¯d just end up with each spouting their own ideas. If two quiet people met, they¡¯d just maintain silence all day.


    Although it might not have been pleasant for Ellen to hear me telling her to speak every once in a while, I wonder what she really thought about myment.


    I wondered if she was surprised to know that I¡¯d realized she was depressed.


    After a long silence, Ellen, who had been staring nkly at the thunderstorm, finally opened her mouth.


    ¡°Do you think you would sacrifice your life if it meant that you could save the world?¡±


    It was an unexpected question.


    But I knew what she meant by it.


    Ellen ultimately believed that death was death. Even if it saved the world, it was still the loss of a single, precious life. People might admire the hero Ragan Artorius, but Ellen was still mourning her brother¡¯s death.


    That was why Ellen both missed and resented her brother.


    Because I knew this, I did not dismiss her question.


    ¡°Well... I guess you never know until you¡¯re actually faced with that situation.¡±


    Any talk about what we would do in a hypothetical life-or-death dilemma was meaningless until we were truly confronted with it. People who said they would never sacrifice themselves might end up doing the opposite, and those who imed they would might hesitate when actually put to the test.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to die like that.¡±


    Even if giving up her life could save the world, Ellen was certain she wouldn¡¯t make that choice.


    She only had one life and she had no intention of giving it away, even if it meant trading it for the world.


    I looked at Ellen and nodded.


    ¡°I understand thatpletely.¡±


    I knew, however, that Ellen Artorius would eventually risk her life for the sake of the world.


    ***


    Ellen rose from her seat and walked toward the ck trunk. Without a word, she cleared away the basket containing the sandwiches and ced the trunk on the table.


    <i>Click</i>,<i> click</i>.


    She unlocked it and silently revealed what was inside the trunk.


    ¡°... It¡¯s a sword. And an unusual one.¡±


    Within it was a longsword. It wasn¡¯t incredibly fancy but that didn¡¯t mean it was excessively simple, either.


    The sword was covered with smooth lines, and the fuller was engraved with ancient characters of an unknown script.


    It was anguage that I should not have been able to read, yet I could. The system provided me with a means to trantenguages, and so I was capable of reading and speaking thenguages of this world. Because of this, I was able to decipher this as well.


    I hadn¡¯t described in detail the message that was engraved in ancient script, so its meaning was new to me as well.


    ¡°<i>Forged with tears.</i>¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what this meant. But I <i>did</i> recognize what sword it was.


    It was Ellen Artorius¡¯ sword.


    Before that, it had been the sword of the hero, Ragn Artorius.


    ¡°This sword is named ¡®Lament¡¯.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    This was the heirloom that Ragn Artorius had left to Ellen before he took part in the Great War.


    It was said that the hero Artorius carried two divine swords.


    The sword of the god of war, Alse, known as Alsbringer, and the sword of the god of the moon, Mensis, called Lament.


    Alsbringer, used by Ragn Artorius to y the Demon King, became a national treasure of the empire. However, aside from a select few who knew about Ellen Artorius, no one knew where Lament was. Its whereabouts would be revealed, along with Ellen¡¯s identity,ter on.


    Ellen was revealing her true identity to me by showing Lament. Even though it may have been difficult to recognize a divine sword just by its appearance, its name was known to everyone.


    After all, Lament was one of the two symbols of the hero Artorius.


    ¡°I knew it. I knew there was something special about you.¡±


    Since I already knew of this fact, faking a surprised reaction felt unnecessary, and so I simply showed a rather neutral reaction. Ellen seemed satisfied with my response, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly in a smile.


    It was hard to keep on looking at her as she smiled. It made my heart race for some reason.


    [Achievementplete - Ellen¡¯s Truth]


    [Ellen Artorius revealed her identity far earlier than expected.]


    [You have received 500 achievement points.]


    Unexpectedly, I even received achievement points for it.

 Chapter 60

    <h4>Chapter 60</h4>


    Ellen did not particrly ask me to keep her identity a secret. Whether she thought it would be okay if others found out now that she had revealed it to me, or if she just believed that I wasn¡¯t the type of person to babble about it elsewhere, I did not know.


    Of course, if Ellen¡¯s true identity were revealed, it would create a major uproar in the Temple. Since I certainly did not want that to happen, I had no intention of spreading the word.


    However, it seemed Ellen felt a bit better now. Perhaps she foundfort in knowing there was finally someone who truly understood how she felt.


    It was the next day...


    ¡ªMic test, mic test. Greetings, dear citizens of the imperial capital.


    ¡ªIn the midst of your busy travels, I have stopped here to suggest a fine item to you all.


    ¡ªEveryone, look at this! It is carved out of wood, with an iron core inserted in the middle. Yes, in professional terms, we call it a ¡®top¡¯.


    ¡ªAnd this is no ordinary top¡ªit¡¯s a magical top.


    ¡ªI will now demonstrate to everyone a piece of magic, right before your eyes.


    I was currently on a magical train headed towards the Aligar district. The subway peddlers who had been sent out by the Rotary Club were appearing on every train. They seemed to have gotten quite used to the gig, and they had remarkable skills for marketing and selling even the most trivial items on the trains.


    I also saw parents traveling with their children who only bought something just because of their child¡¯s eagerness.


    I was informed that the ie that came from this operation was quite satisfactory. However, I doubted that this business couldst long. After all, the magical trains were a public space, and the peddlers were using it at their own convenience. Moreover, although none of the passengers said anything explicitly, quite a few seemed annoyed by them.


    The main objective of this n was to create an alternate revenue stream so as to eliminate the club¡¯s dependency on the Thieves¡¯ Guild. Of course, Vertus had also made a proposal that we take over the Thieves¡¯ Guild altogether. That proposal, however, was still on hold.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes?¡±


    ¡°Who gave you permission to do business here?¡±


    One of the passengers, who had apparently lost his patience, finally confronted the subway peddler.


    It was a tense moment. I had warned Loyar to be vignt about this and to prevent any brawls from happening. A fight must not break out.


    The man approaching the street vendor looked quite fierce and intimidating.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you that if I caught you selling stuff on this train line again, I¡¯d teach you a lesson?¡±


    As I listened to their conversation, however, it seemed the context was not what I thought it to be.


    ¡°Well, actually... we were the ones who set up our shop here first...¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? We said we¡¯d do it, and that this is our spot!¡±


    What exactly was happening?


    ¡°Ah, yes. I will get off at the next station...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me catch you again, got it?¡±


    I felt like I was beginning to understand the situation.


    The smell of honey had drawn a swarm of flies.


    ¡°You bloody unscrupulous swine. This business we¡¯re doing may be slightly shady, but there¡¯s still a system to it and you ought to respect it!¡±


    ¡°... Wh-what?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the street vendor who had spoken up; I had stood up and made that statement.


    ¡°What... Who are you? Some little brat...¡±


    I approached the man with a fierce appearance. The passengers looked dumbfounded. The situation had gone beyond hostile to downright bizarre.


    After all, a passenger had suddenly be agitated, and was confronting another person who seemed like a thug.


    ¡°Hey, punk, listen. If you¡¯re the new guy in this business, you should just quietly do business in a corner somewhere, and not just barge in like you own the ce. If you¡¯re going to copy someone else¡¯s business idea, don¡¯t you think the least you can do is get tips or advice from your seniors who have more experience than you? Show some respect and stop messing with someone¡¯s bread and butter before I do something about it.¡±


    ¡°This... this little... What are you saying...? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m the fucking guardian of justice, a student from the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, you bastard.¡±


    Being a student from the Temple¡¯s Royal ss meant that you were recognized as someone with special status immediately after you enrolled, no matter if you entered as amoner. So messing with them could have serious consequences.


    The subway peddler from the club finally seemed to realize who I was, and his eyes widened in recognition.


    Even though we were not previously acquainted, he seemed to remember that there was a club member who had enrolled in the Temple.


    ¡°Temple student or not, you¡¯re still a brat with no human decency whatsoever¡±


    Not only did the thug not believe me that I was a Temple student, but it seemed he had now grasped the situation and looked ready to ¡°educate¡± me properly.


    He raised his right hand and tried to p me in the face.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    With a slight backward tilt of my head, I dodged his swing.


    ¡°Oh look at this guy. Aren¡¯t you old enough to know better?¡±


    I was strong.


    Stronger than the old thug in front of me.


    ¡°You dare to try to hit a minor?!¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    I struck his shin hard. While it wasn¡¯t enough to break it, the blow was strong enough to send him crumbling to his knees.


    ¡°I may be considered an underachiever in the Temple, but I¡¯m not weak when we¡¯re out here, you bastard!¡±


    Even if you were inst ce amongst national-level athletes, at the end of the day, you were still considered a national-level athlete.


    So I was essentially sparring with national-level athletes on a daily basis. And when Icked the skills, I fought with barbarism.


    Now, I was able to easily beat those who fought with barbarism using my own skill.


    This was the practical result of enduring Ellen¡¯s harsh training.


    All the passengers on board initially tensed up when they saw the thug picking a fight with the subway peddler.


    Then they seemed confused at my sudden entrance, with me yelling and cussing, and now, they were in disbelief when they saw the thug struck to the ground by a young kid.


    The training I¡¯d undergone certainly improved my stamina, strength, and reflexes. With the added assistance of my supernatural abilities, I could easily take down a clumsy thug. Moreover, since the thug was caught off-guard, it wasn¡¯t surprising that he would copse from a single blow.


    Fighting with an adult was not something to be done recklessly, so all I did was throw him off the train at the next station.


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Hey, old man, consider yourself lucky today. If it was someone else, you would¡¯ve ended up dead in a dumpster by now. Got it?¡±


    His eyes bulged. Clearly, he was shocked as the realization that he had gotten thrown out of the train by a kid hit him.


    The passengers were staring at me as if I were some kind of monster.


    I let out a sigh.


    I never intended to get involved in such a situation, but seeing that jerk ruin the club¡¯s business in front of me made me roll my eyes.


    I thought I was only temperamental at the Temple, but it seemed like the newfound confidence that came from my newly-acquired abilities was turning me into a more obnoxious person.


    The club member was standing there and looking at me, utterly stunned.


    ¡°Tell your boss I¡¯ll stop byter.¡±


    ¡°Uh, um... o-okay, will do.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn jerks. Who do they think they are, trying to snatch away someone else¡¯s living like that?¡¯</i>


    I was still seething with anger and wore a scowl, which caused the people around me to cautiously avoid me.


    ***


    After getting off at the station, I changed into the other set of clothes I had prepared and used Sarkegar¡¯s ring to alter my appearance. No one seemed to be following me this time, but I knew I had to make a habit of disguising myself and shaking off any tails. Not only was my demonic identity an issue, but being known as a former Rotary Club member was problematic as well.


    Themotion I had just caused on the subway was eptable.


    The only real danger was the two individuals who knew about my association with the Rotary Club, as they were both keeping their eyes on me.


    After all, why would I worry about bing infamous outside the Temple when I was already notorious for causing a ruckus inside? I may as well live like I had nothing to lose.


    I wound my way through various ces and alleyways on the way towards the Aligar marketce. The area, also known as the nd of unscrupulous merchants,¡± was still teeming with a suffocating number of hustlers running their schemes. There were numerous standoffs between sellers who were trying to overcharge their clients, who were in turn trying to avoid being ripped off.


    When I entered Eleris¡¯ shop, I saw her sitting quietly, in a simr pose as the one she¡¯d been in the first time I¡¯d seen her. Just like thest time, there were still no customers.


    ¡°Eleris.¡±


    ¡°Hm? How did you know my...¡±


    Eleris, who was using an alias, was naturally startled when a stranger suddenly addressed her by her real name.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    She must have wondered how a stranger knew her name, but when she realized it was me, she quickly stood up from behind the counter. She came over, locked the shop door, and peered outside cautiously.


    ¡°Oh dear. It¡¯s dangerous for you toe here on your own, Your Highness,¡± Eleris said, almost scolding me.


    I shrugged my shoulders nonchntly. ¡°I was careful enough. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t taken a direct route by train, but had taken a detour by transferring train lines, and even changed my clothes. If someone still managed to tail me after all that, I would actually consider generously rewarding them.


    Eleris, still seeming uneasy, rapidly chanted something like a spell before slowly nodding her head.


    ¡°Yes, it seems safe now.¡±


    She smiled brightly, as if finally relieved.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Highness. Have you been well?¡±


    ¡°Uh... some things have happened.¡±


    Eleris suggested we talk in a more rxing ce, and pulled me by the hand to lead me upstairs.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but the cool feeling of a vampire¡¯s hand felt reassuring.


    ***


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    After listening to all my stories, Eleris, who was already pale, turned even paler.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should say it¡¯s typical of you, Your Highness... In some ways, it seems you¡¯ve even managed to outdo your past self.¡±


    Apparently, my outrageous actions were quite a shock to her, even considering how much of a total douchebag of a <i>mangnani</i> I¡¯d been before.


    I couldn¡¯t me her, as not only had I not stuck to the original n of keeping a low profile, but I¡¯d ended up beating up some other students and also had a duel with a senior. As a result, my name had spread among the upper-ssmen.


    <i>Hmm. A Demon Prince infiltrating the Royal ss and bing a star there... </i>


    It was truly an absurd situation.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t just beat anyone up for no reason; they started the fight.¡±


    Eleris sighed. ¡°What are we going to do about this temperament of yours?¡±


    She continued to sigh deeply as if she was at her wit¡¯s end when it came to dealing with me.


    ¡°Hey, but I haven¡¯t used this even once yet.¡±


    I pulled out the relic Eleris had given me, the me of Fire, from my pocket and showed it to her.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news, at least...¡±


    While I <i>was</i> curious about what would happen if I used it, there had yet to be an emergency dire enough to use it.


    Eleris asked me if I was hungry, then rummaged around a bit and brought me some food.


    ¡°What? You¡¯ve got food here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I stocked up on some frozen meals just in case you mighte by.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. How thoughtful of her.¡¯</i>


    Eleris warmed up the frozen pasta with magic and handed it to me. While it wasn¡¯t incredibly tasty, the fact that Eleris had prepared it made it more satisfying than anything else.


    As I wolfed down the pasta, Eleris watched me with a faint smile.


    ¡°I never imagined that you would develop supernatural powers.¡±


    ¡°Right? That¡¯s what I said as well. I never even intended it to happen.¡±


    Eleris seemed truly amazed that I had awakened a supernatural power. I tried to exin my superpower to her in detail, but since it was quite peculiar, there was a lot to exin.


    ¡°It... it seems like a very powerful power you have... but... um...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    The mechanics of my ability, where I had to brainwash myself in order to make my thoughts into reality, appeared somewhat bizarre to Eleris.


    Not to mention, I currently had a total of 2280 achievement points. I had used 20 points on the Revise function during the duel, and I¡¯d gotten 600 points as a reward for winning the duel, plus an additional 500 points after Ellen revealed her secret to me.


    With that, I could acquire a new talent. I was not allowed to have more than one supernatural power, so I was wondering what to choose for my next talent.


    Objectively speaking, although the pace of my growth was slow, the things I was doing were quite extraordinary.


    To awaken two talents after being enrolled in the Temple¡¯s high school program for less than a semester was unheard of. People might envy me for having infinite aptitude, but at least they wouldn¡¯t be skeptical about the talents I was able to acquire.


    I was contemting whether to choose abat-rted talent or a magic-rted talent next.


    Talking about the Temple with Eleris kind of made me feel like a son meticulously reporting to his mom everything that had happened while he¡¯d been away in boarding school. Eleris¡¯s expression helped to cement that feeling, especially when she sighed deeply in reaction to the fights I¡¯d been getting into.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much what I¡¯ve been up to. How about you? Any newstely?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... There have been some happenings here and there.¡±


    It seemed that Eleris had run into her share of events while watching over this shop as well.


    ¡°First of all, visiting like this is definitely dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡±


    That was why I¡¯d taken an intricate detour in order to shake off any tails.


    Eleris shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, this ce has been identified as the location where you werest spotted.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether Vertus or Charlotte had discovered this, but their followers had discovered that I had been there. I guess it was inevitable since a young kid wandering around this area trying to sell scrolls was unusual so most merchants thought I was a scam and probably remembered my face as a result.


    My n the first time I¡¯de to this marketce was to earn some money and then go into hiding. Meeting Eleris had been pure coincidence.


    ¡°Have these agents been here as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They didn¡¯t seem to suspect me, but since this was the only ce where they found any clues, they¡¯re keeping an eye on this shop.¡±


    It turned out that Aligar marketce was the only ce where I had been seen. Therefore, those looking for me were monitoring this ce.


    It wasn¡¯t just the ones tailing me that was the problem. The Aligar marketce itself was already under surveince. This was why Eleris said it was dangerous for me toe here.


    ¡°And, I¡¯ve also heard the rumor...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°That, you stole a Fireball scroll from a shop... I heard that it was from Mr. Borton¡¯s scroll shop, and they seemed to have gathered some specific evidence from there. It appears to be the scroll I had purchased from you, Your Highness.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. I think I know who she¡¯s talking about.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t stolen; that guy gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that so? Well, Mr. Borton was furious, iming someone had stolen his Fireball scroll...¡±


    ¡°That guy was such an asshole to me.¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t seem to understand what I was talking about.


    ¡°Wait, so everyone thinks I¡¯m going around selling some fake demonic scrolls that look somewhat convincing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what that guy said to me while all the others were telling me to shove off?¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Eleris asked as she tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°He said he would pay me to draw up an exact copy of the scroll. The way he mocked me was so aggravating, but he genuinely seemed to think it was a good business idea, and so he gave me one of his scrolls to copy. And that¡¯s how I got the Fireball scroll.¡±


    After listening to my exnation, Eleris furrowed her brow.


    ¡°... I never thought he was such a bad person. Lying about it being stolen, too...¡±


    Eleris shook her head in genuine disappointment. Then again, it seemed almost no one in this marketce was truly generous, so what was there to be disappointed about?


    ¡°Tricking someone into purchasing a fake scroll when they believed it to be real could lead to them dying. How could he even think of doing such a thing...?¡±


    Magic scrolls were expensive. Although I was still not quite sure how adventurers made a living, a party of adventurers that didn¡¯t have a mage in their squad mostly bought scrolls for use in emergency situations. However, if such a scroll didn¡¯t work when it was most needed, the whole team could end up dead.


    That was why this Mr. Borton guy was the scumbag of scumbags in this pit that was already overflowing with immoral traders.


    Elerisughed and looked at me.


    ¡°You did well, Your Highness. People like that need a dose of their own medicine.¡±


    ¡°I mean, he was so excited that he just handed it over to me himself.¡±


    Blinded by greed, the guy hadn¡¯t even managed to see a step ahead and had just handed the Fireball scroll over to me. It was pitiful when one¡¯s greed didn¡¯t corrte with their intelligence. Scams should be reserved for the ones who were street-smart. A fool like him wouldn¡¯t even be able to pull off a simple scam like that due to his own stupidity.


    Anyway, I fully understood Eleris¡¯s point that this ce was dangerous for me, since it was thest ce I¡¯d been spotted.


    ¡°Ah, dang it. I nned to stay here during the school break.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Temple a much morefortable ce to stay in?¡±


    Eleris seemed puzzled as to why I would want to stay here, especially since I had the ring, and thus had no worry about being exposed.


    ¡°But you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Ah... is that so? Thank you, Your Highness,¡± Eleris said with a nod and a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked and confirmed that there¡¯s no one watching this ce right now. I believe it should be fine for you to stay for a few days, as you nned.¡±


    Forget the title of swordmaster or supernatural powers; nothing could beat magic. Magic was indeed the most convenient thing in this world.


    While I nned to stay with Eleris for a while, I wasn¡¯t just going to fool around for the entirety of the break.


    ¡°By the way, about the Rotary Club... Earlier, it seemed like there was some kind of power struggle going on. Do you know anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Loyar doesn¡¯t have the habit of informing us about the internal affairs of the organization unless it¡¯s something very serious.¡±


    After all, the organization hadn¡¯t been created deliberately, but had coincidentallye into existence on the streets. That was why Loyar, despite being in charge of the financial aspect of things, did not seem open when it came to discussing the organization¡¯s operations.


    ¡°It seems about time for us to have a gathering and talk things out,¡± Eleris suggested.


    There was no regr meeting in ce, so when she mentioned having a get-together, I nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 61

    <h4>Chapter 61</h4>


    That night...


    ¡°Your Highness, are you asleep?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet.¡±


    I was lying in the bed, and Eleris was seated in the chair by the bedside. I definitely felt ufortable falling asleep, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t mind her presence at all. It was a strange feeling.


    ¡°Why, do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t respond with a clear yes or no.


    After a long silence, Eleris said quietly, ¡°I do not think that humans are better beings than demons.¡±


    I wondered what she was getting at. Eleris was gazing at me steadily. Sadness lingered in her red vampire eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Demons are a mix of many races, while humans are a single-blooded species.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know which race was better or worse. There were many individual demon races with superior racial traits. However, even if they were physically superior to humans, they might still beparativelycking in intelligence. Perhaps there were even races that werecking in both, or races that were superior in both.


    Eleris shook her head in response. ¡°That is not what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Then? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I do not believe humans are more virtuous than demons.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Is that what you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Eleris might have considered the demons¡¯ defeat to be a fortunate event, but perhaps she simply hated war.


    Factually speaking, Eleris was basically a betrayer of demons.


    ¡°Humans as a race know what prosperity is.¡±


    To Eleris, the Demon Realm focused only on war, and was all about establishing a stronger army and better weaponry. However, humans as a species knew how to focus on life itself. She had felt this difference after she came to the imperial city, and did not wish for such a world to be destroyed.


    The whole Demon Realm revolved around the sole purpose of war with humans, and Eleris did not like that world.


    ¡°But humans go to war with their own kind and kill each other too,¡± Eleris said.


    Yes, humans also waged war andmitted massacres against their own kind. Eleris disliked the demon world, but she knew that even the human world had its dark side. Perhaps Eleris merely thought of human society as the lesser of the two evils, and did not think humans were more virtuous than demons.


    ¡°That¡¯s why at times, the wickedness of humans is utterly repulsive.¡±


    ¡°Like that Borton guy, the swindler?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. He could be considered one example.¡±


    A man who would y with another¡¯s life for the sake of money. That could indeed be seen as the epitome of human malevolence. However, it didn¡¯t seem like that was the story Eleris was aiming to tell.


    Eleris remained silent for a while, trembling quietly as if lost in thought.


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°What is it? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow... You will find out tomorrow...¡±


    It seemed Eleris could not bring herself to say any more out loud.


    ***


    The following day...


    I headed to the Rotary Club with Eleris. It was the same meeting ce as always; arge cavity inside a drainage channel.


    The sound of the water streaming inside the cavity was loud, probably because of the recent rain.


    Loyar was standing in front of a campfire, quietly observing us. We had contacted Sarkegar beforehand, and he had alsoe to the meeting.


    While Eleris was casting a soundproofing spell, Sarkegar approached and hugged me tightly.


    ¡°Your Highness!! I never doubted you! I believed you would be the owner of a mighty power someday! Truly, Your Highness, you are befitting of your lineage, one that inherited the qualities of a world ruler! It is my earnest hope that you will progress quickly and bring down the fury of the Demon Realm on those human scoundrels¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you quiet down? I think I might start bleeding from the ears.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    He always talked too much.


    Since Self-Deception was an ability that was rtive to the size of one¡¯s belief, the ability would have been really effective if Sarkegar wielded it. He, without a doubt, believed that I was going to be the next great leader of the Demon Realm, and his belief was so strong and firm that I probably wouldn¡¯t have to do anything in order for it to be a reality.


    Eleris had already conveyed the broad details to everyone when she called them the day before to schedule the meeting, so there was no need to go over how I became a superhuman.


    ¡°Your Highness, aren¡¯t your actions a little too shy? At first, I heard that you were going around beating up kids, but now, a duel?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders in response to Loyar.


    ¡°What can I say? If you act cocky, you deserve a beating. That guy was such a coward that I couldn¡¯t help but m his head into the floor.¡±


    When I described how I had forced Mayaton to surrender, strong emotions had yed across Loyar and Eleris¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Your Highness is truly born with the qualities of a ruler. The ruthlessness! The pride! The fighting spirit! All are the virtues befitting a great monarch!¡± Sarekegar eximed.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m talking about, Sarkegar!¡± I responded.


    ¡°Yesssss, Your Highness!!¡±


    Sarkegar couldn¡¯t keep it in, and his entire body shuddered with the depth of his gratitude.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that Your Highness is relying too much on violence...¡± Elerismented.


    ¡°And I heard that you caused a ruckus on the magical train yesterday as well,¡± Loyar added with a sigh.


    ¡°A ruckus?¡± Eleris asked.


    Eleris looked surprised as if she was hearing about it for the first time. I hadn¡¯t mentioned it earlier, having concluded that speaking about the incident on the magical train would only elicit more nagging from her.


    Loyar looked at me as if I was like a leaking bucket, causing trouble everywhere I went.


    But I had something to say about that, too.


    ¡°Well, if you want to butt into someone else¡¯s business like that, you ought to find a way to do it respectfully, instead of brazenly sitting down where someone else has alreadyid out their mat, right? Even if the club¡¯s activities may be morally questionable, it¡¯s stillmon sense to at least give some sort of offering if you want to step into a space someone else has already established. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t just let these fellows take over the business the club had established by telling the club members to shove off without offering anything in return. Not a chance.


    Loyar narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°Supernatural powers aside, it seems the education that the Temple provides is quite impressive, since you¡¯ve only <i>just </i>enrolled and yet you¡¯re already capable of beating up an adult man.¡±


    <i>¡®Is she mocking me right now? She¡¯s trying to insinuate that all I learned in school was how to fight with other students, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well, she has a point, actually.¡±


    Logically speaking, it¡¯s impossible for someone trained in a mixed martial arts academy to get beaten up by some street thug. Of course, it also helped that I had supernatural powers, and that I had caught my opponent off-guard.


    Students at the Temple were still young. However, students like the guys in fifth and sixth grade withbat talents could easily chew up practically any ordinary human once they were back out in society again. Not only were they talented, but the Temple did not allow their students to grow up to be weak and worthless.


    ¡°Moreover, you told us not to get into fights with others, yet you got into one yourself. Why?¡± Loyar asked.


    I was the one who had told them not to start any sort of fight on the train and had warned that we could face sanctions and be made to shut down our operations if we attracted too much attention.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean that we should just let people who are trying to steal our business off the hook. Should we just sit idly by when someone tries to mess with our business right in front of us?¡±


    If we¡¯re going to get robbed one way or another, we might as well throw a punch.


    ¡°Does this sort of thing often happen to the members of the club?¡±


    I sat down uncertainly, and Loyar nodded.


    ¡°It seems word has gotten out that our club has started a new type of business that makes decent money. Consequently, there are now quite a few copy-cats around, some of which are genuinely trying to make it into an organized business.¡±


    The magical trains were a public, open space, so if arge, unspecified number of people saw others selling stuff on the subway, some would naturally begin to wonder if that was something they could do as well.


    Hence, individuals had started to do business on their own, and others were even trying to organize themselves into a more legitimate business.


    ¡°So, the ones who are forming an organized business group are nting people on the trains and driving out other peddlers.¡±


    ¡°Idiots... They¡¯re going to cause the business as a whole to be shut down at this rate.¡±


    The mere presence of thugs on the train was creating an atmosphere of fear, and the bullying that we faced was already a negative factor for us. Once the passengers started filingints, it would only be a matter of time before security was deployed. Then, business and whatever else would cease to matter, because no one would be able to use that space.


    The ones trying to monopolize the business would eventually ruin it for themselves. It seemed that, because of my instructions to Loyar not to get into fights, she had merely been observing the situation develop without taking action.


    <i>¡®You pretend to be indifferent to my words, but in reality, you¡¯re so obedient! Are you really a dog or what?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible to track down each one of these organizations and take them down?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe that even merchants on the magic train were now involved in power struggles.


    <i>¡®This ce never ceases to amaze me with the unexpected...¡¯</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing stopping us, but... the club members aren¡¯t exactly skilled at fighting to begin with.¡±


    The club was made up of homeless people and beggars who had no real experience in fighting. Even if the club members resorted to physical force, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against an organization that had even slightly-skilled fighters.


    ¡°This means that I would inevitably have to step in and fight myself, but as you know, our base of operations has be quite well-known. So, if I go around demolishing thesepetitors one by one, I would likely attract the security forces, and that could adversely affect Your Highness.¡±


    Loyar was a lycanthrope. If she got caught by security, it could lead to troublesome issues, and that might ultimately lead to me. Vertus had promised to have my back, but if it was revealed to him that Loyar was a demon, it wouldplicate matters.


    ¡°Hmm... This is a difficult issue.¡±


    If this continued, the organized business groups would continue to try to exert control over the entire subway, and eventually, the security forces would intervene and prohibit all merchants and peddlers from essing the trains.


    Doing nothing meant that we would have to shut down the business, but taking action had its own significant risks as well.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we use magic to do something about it?¡± I asked Eleris, hoping that magic¡ªthe versatile cheat code of this world¡ªcould offer a solution.


    Eleris replied immediately, ¡°I am averse to violent methods, but if we were to resort to that, the repercussions and investigations due to magic-induced violence could be even more severe than those arising from physical altercations between gangs. Another option is domination, but as it¡¯s been mentioned before, that is a highly dangerous method.¡±


    If a violent incident or homicide involving magic urred, the empire would carry out an intense investigation, since magic had the potential to cause a massacre when misused. Likewise, though, using magic to dominate everypeting business organization was just as dangerous.


    Sarkegar looked at me with an ominously-pleasant smile. ¡°Your Highness, if it¡¯s a matter of killing them all, please leave it to me.¡±


    Indeed, with his shape-shifting abilities, Sarkegar could easily wipe out the thugs without leaving any evidence behind.


    Of course, this made Eleris¡¯s face turn pale.


    ¡°Carrying out a massacre in the heart of the imperial city? Whether it¡¯s feasible or not, I absolutely cannot permit that.¡±


    Above all, seeing how casually Sarkegar spoke about killing people was so eerie that it almost sent shivers down my spine. Each time I realized he truly meant what he said, it chilled me to the bone.


    As heinous as those guys might be, killing them wasn¡¯t the solution. Yet, we had to take some sort of action...


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    While I was mulling over this, Loyar suddenly stood up and headed towards the cistern¡¯s exit.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? We¡¯re not done here yet!¡±


    ¡°There seems to be some disturbance outside. I¡¯ll go have a look thene back.¡±


    <i>¡®A disturbance?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Sarkegar and Eleris stayed by the reservoir, and I, who was also a member of the Rotary Club, followed Loyar outside. Eleris had suggested I stay put, but I felt the need to see what was happening with my own eyes.


    As we stepped outside, I saw that all the club members had gathered together.


    We pushed our way through the crowd and saw Dybun standing in front.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Loyar asked.


    ¡°Oh, boss! And... Reinhart? When did you get here?¡± Dybun asked.


    ¡°Just now,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Never mind that. Tell me, who are they?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well...¡±


    Across from where the club members were gathered, about a dozen men were staring intently at us.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! That¡¯s the guy, <i>hyung</i>!¡±


    A man with a face I recognized all too well pointed at me.


    It was definitely the guy from the subway that I¡¯d beaten up after he tried to mess with one of our club members. The man whom he called ¡°<i>hyung¡±</i> did not appreciate the sudden outburst and pped the back of his head.


    <i>p</i>!


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot? You got beaten by a kid like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, he... he might look scrawny, but he¡¯s ridiculously strong!¡±


    It seemed they had assumed I was a member of the Rotary Club and hade here for revenge. Loyar nced at me with a reproachful look that said, ¡®Why did you have to cause such trouble?¡¯


    The one who¡¯d been called ¡°<i>hyung</i>¡± looked back and forth between me and Loyar.


    ¡°So, are you the famous Hound of Irine, Loyar? It¡¯s our first time meeting, right?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much. It¡¯s just that our young friend over there who is part of your group beat up my little brother in front of everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I heard about that,¡± Loyar replied.


    Loyar stared at the guy intently, as if taunting him to continue yapping.


    ¡°Personally, I think that if someone gets beaten up by a kid, it¡¯s their own fault... But, you know, we have our own pride to consider too,¡± he continued.


    ¡°And who exactly are you all?¡±


    In response to Loyar¡¯s question, the guy performed an exaggerated gesture and pped his hands.


    He sure was good at making people feel upset.


    ¡°Ah, apologies for the bted introduction. Ever heard of Seven Stars?¡±


    <i>¡®Seven Stars? Isn¡¯t that a brand of cigarettes?¡¯</i>


    No, wait...


    ¡°My name is Argent, the vice squad leader of the Seven Stars Action Team.¡±


    The Seven Stars was basically the <i>Chilseong Pa</i>[1], right?!


    1. Chilseong Pa (???) is a well-knownrge-scale criminal organization based in Busan, South Korea. ?

 Chapter 62

    <h4>Chapter 62</h4>


    Loyar let out a short sigh as she looked at the man who introduced himself as Argent, the vice leader of the <i>Chilseong Pa</i>¡¯s action team.


    ¡°The Seven Stars, based in the Aligar district, right? Yeah, I¡¯ve heard of you guys.¡±


    The Rotary Club was a group that operated with the sole purpose of gathering information. Because of that, it seemed they were already familiar with the Seven Stars organization.


    To put it into perspective, I had basically beaten up a member of the <i>Chilseong Pa </i>that was operating in the subway around Yongsan<i> </i>district.


    ¡°Great. Then you must be aware of what it means for one of your guys to assault one of our members, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, it just seems like an unfortunate incident to me. A member of the Seven Stars getting beaten up by a teenage kid says a lot about your organization.¡±


    Loyar made that snarkyment without any particr intention of apologizing, souring the expressions of not just Argent, but the other gang members as well.


    ¡°Yeah, your guy was pathetically weak. He just copsed with a single hit from me.¡±


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t hold back and had to join in. It would have been a disappointment not to throw in ament of my own.


    ¡°Hah... You guys seem to have no clue about what¡¯s going on. Do you really think that all the members of Seven Stars are that weak? We intended toe and talk things out nicely, but it seems that¡¯s not going to wor¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who¡¯s got no clue about the situation, you motherfucker.¡±


    At my unexpected provocation, the eyes of the Seven Stars members went wide with shock, and so did Loyar¡¯s.


    ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± said the thug.


    ¡°Do you realize who you¡¯re messing with? I¡¯m a student at the Temple, a student of the Royal ss who¡¯s receiving the full support of the empire; don¡¯t tell me you spouted all that nonsense while knowing all of that.¡±


    My sudden rant ended up leading me in an unexpected direction.


    ¡°The Temple?¡±


    Although there were some that may not have known about the Royal ss, there was no one in this city who didn¡¯t know of the Temple.


    ¡°Ah, right. You might not believe it. I get it, it¡¯s hard to believe. But let me just say that I¡¯m a superhuman, and that is why I am a student of the Royal ss.¡±


    I crossed my arms and smiled at them.


    ¡°You know that if you mess with even a regr student from Temple, the security forces will step in, right? And I¡¯m not just a regr student, I am among the Temple¡¯s elite ss.¡±


    Students of the Temple were typically either from incredibly wealthy families or children of high-tier noble houses. As such, Temple students were not only guaranteed their status within the Temple, but also outside of it; their safety was one of the most important matters in the capital.


    Thest thing the empire wanted was to damage the Temple¡¯s credibility and reputation because a Temple student was harmed or died.


    And so, the safeguarding of the members of the Royal ss, who were nurtured with the empire¡¯s full support, was unmatched.


    Instead of backing down, I walked toward them and presented my cheek.


    ¡°Hey, here. Hit me.¡±


    ¡°What, what?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re curious to see what the security forces will do to an organization like Seven Stars that dares to p a student of the Royal ss, then try hitting me, you son of a bitch.¡±


    I had no intention to fight. Rather, I was inclined to let them p the other cheek as well.


    As I approached them, the group, numbering more than ten, hesitated and retreated a step.


    ¡°How could such poor street rats like you guys possibly afford to send this kid to the Temple...?¡± Argent muttered in disbelief.


    In response, I took out a metal card from my pocket.


    ¡°This student ID shows that I¡¯m enrolled in the Temple; I guess you won¡¯t even recognize it,¡± I said, confidently disying the card.


    Showing them my student ID was not a big deal for me. The thugs, upon seeing it, finally seemed to recognize that I was undoubtedly a student of the Temple.


    They would have known well enough the consequences one would face if one messed with a student of the Temple.


    ¡°Are you going to hit me or not, you fucking asshole?¡± I taunted.


    The man seemed to boil with rage, and his hand rose as if he were actually going to p my cheek.


    I had miscalcted.


    I had forgotten that these bottom-of-the-barrel types of people threw punches with their hearts, not their heads.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    In a sh, I ducked to dodge his iling hand, and as I rose, I delivered a knee right into his groin.


    It had be my signature move, the ¡°Ball Crusher.¡±


    ¡°<i>Gu... Guaaah</i>!¡± he groaned.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you would <i>really</i> hit me,¡± I said as he clutched his crotch and copsed to the ground.


    Perhaps I had be ustomed to Ellen¡¯s sword movements. His movement had been so ponderously slow that I hadn¡¯t even needed to use my supernatural power to dodge.


    Everyone else was momentarily stunned, but then...


    ¡°Get that fucker!¡± one of the thugs behind yelled, charging at me.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    Before I knew it, Loyar was standing in front of me, and had smashed in the face of the onrushing thug with her fist.


    ***


    There wasn¡¯t even a need for other club members to intervene.


    Loyar single-handedly pounded on the ten robust adult men, beating them senseless. The situation was resolved in less than ten seconds.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>, <i>ugh</i>...¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Stunned by what just happened, the other club members and I could do nothing but watch Loyar dust off her palms with amazement stered on our faces.


    It was the epitome of cool. All the thugs had copsed with just a few swings from her.


    ¡°If you thought I couldn¡¯t handle you guys, you¡¯re sorely mistaken. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t do it. I just chose not to,¡± said Loyar coldly as she nted her foot on the head of the group¡¯s leader, Argent.


    Saying this just moments after proving herself in a fight against so many was enough to send shivers down my spine.


    ¡°Drag them all inside. People are watching.¡±


    Loyar clearly deemed the sight of the groaning thugs unpleasant for the passers-by and instructed us to bring the thugs inside, leading the way towards the sewers.


    The club members tied up the thugs with rags and picked them up one by one. Those who resisted were further beaten by the club members until they were subdued enough to be bound.


    Except for Dybun, the other club members seemed to find it hard to believe that I had managed to subdue the thugs¡¯ leader with a single blow to his private parts.


    ¡°What are you nning to do with them?¡± Loyar asked me.


    It seemed as though she was asking me to take responsibility since I had started all this trouble.


    <i>¡®Fine. I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    I looked at Argent, who was still in pain, tied up and squirming on the ground.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>... You little brat... Do you really think you¡¯ll get away after all this...?¡±


    It looked like he still hadn¡¯t learned his lesson, and was still thinking of seeking even greater retribution.


    ¡°If you still don¡¯t quite understand the situation, think of it this way: you¡¯ve basically just tried to beat up a noble.¡±


    Since he persistently failed to understand what it meant to mess with a Temple student, I exined it to him in terms simple enough for an idiot to understand. Even though I wasn¡¯t an actual noble, as a Temple student, I was entitled to an equivalent level of protection.


    By attacking me, he had effectively tried to harm a noble. Upon hearing that, his face turned ghostly pale; it seemed he truly hadn¡¯t realized the seriousness of what he had been trying to do until this moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go straight to the security forces now and testify that an organization called the Seven Stars from Aligar tried toy their hands on me. Although I don¡¯t know exactly what you guys do for a living, I¡¯m pretty sure you guys aren¡¯t exactly upright citizens. Are you starting to understand what kind of trouble you¡¯re in?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure where exactly in Yongsan the Seven Stars organization was based, but it seemed likely that Loyar or Dybun knew since the club¡¯s main purpose was to gather information.


    Argent finally realized the severity of his mistake¡ªattempting to p the face of some cheeky kid had turned out to be the action that would lead to the destruction of his organization, with no room for any justification.


    I was confident that an investigation into the <i>Chilseong Pa</i> wouldmence upon my request since I was from the Royal ss and not just any other student. The mere fact that I had experienced danger in the capital would be enough to put the security forces on high alert. And if I had happened to perish, it would have been a colossal disaster for them.


    Moreover, the fact that the Seven Stars were already known as a violent criminal organization was all the more reason for the security forces to take them down.


    Argent seemed at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly, although whether due to pride or shock, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    I ced my hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Then again, brother, we live together in a cooperative society, don¡¯t we?¡± I said.


    My sudden mention of living together in a cooperative society stunned not only him, but Loyar as well, who was listening in. They seemed confused, wondering what nonsense I was going to spout next.


    ¡°Realistically speaking, what do I gain from pushing for such drastic measures and making your organization disappear? I guess it would allow us to continue our business without any further hassle, but that¡¯s really just about it.


    ¡°I understand. I get it. We¡¯re all doing this to make a living. And I get that it¡¯s natural to get angry if a young brat suddenly curses and thrusts his head towards you. I totally would have done the same.


    ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t want to do this either. At the end of the day, I might get rid of you guys and put you all in jail, but that would make me feel so guilty that I probably won¡¯t be able to sleep at night.¡±


    My sudden generosity prompted the thug¡¯s expression to contort in an odd way. Maybe this was infuriating him even more...? After all, a high school kid who had just smashed his balls in was now patting his shoulder and acting as though hepletely understood him.


    Nheless, the essence of the message I wanted to convey was that I had the power to single-handedly send all of them to jail, or even have them executed if I wanted to.


    ¡°If you¡¯re okay with it, brother, I can let this incident slide. We¡¯ll act as if it never happened. Let¡¯s go about this harmoniously. All we want is to continue our business without anyone interfering. Hey, look over there.¡±


    I pointed to the water flowing in the inner sewer pipe. This water would eventually make its way to the great Irene River.


    ¡°Honestly, if I tied a nice big stone to your legs and dropped you in there, I can bet you that no one will be able to find you until the world goes extinct,¡± I said with a sly smile, implying it would be quite easy to dispose of him on the spot The expression he showed me was priceless.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t do that. It¡¯s inhumane, isn¡¯t it?¡± I murmured softly, my hand still resting on the thug¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°But, if you mess with our business again, it won¡¯t be the Rotary Clubing after you, but the security forces. And even if the security forces don¡¯t take action, it won¡¯t matter. Our boss right here can take care of you herself. You witnessed how she could take down dozens, if not hundreds, on her own just now, right? Don¡¯t feel too bad. Perhaps, if the opportunity arises, we can have a more constructive conversation. We may be on bad terms now, but we can turn this into a favorable connection. How does that sound? Hm?¡±


    He seemed to have been overwhelmed not just by my youth, but by the very fact that a kid was the one making such a statement.


    After suffering through a series of threats that ranged from the destruction of his organization to his own murder, and then being told that we could forget that all this had happened... In the end, he nodded his head with a bewildered expression.


    He might have thought that my mention of the security forces was a bluff, but he had just witnessed Loyar¡¯s overwhelming fighting prowess with his own eyes.


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    I patted his shoulder and stood up.


    Loyar and Dybun seemed to have been entranced by my rambling, and were looking at me as though under some sort of spell.


    ¡°Let¡¯s untie him and let him go. I think he understands us well enough,¡± I ordered, and both Loyar and Dybun could only nod nkly.


    ***


    After the incident was resolved and we were heading back to the campfire, Loyar asked in a disbelieving tone, ¡°Your Highness, does the Temple also teach the art of speech and persuasion?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, not particrly.¡±


    Loyar seemed to find it hard to believe what she had just witnessed¡ªa person swayed solely by words. It made her wonder if her prior perception of me was just a prejudice she had formed about me.


    ¡°Sometimes I feel like you¡¯ve be apletely different person.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well. Since I don¡¯t remember what I used to be like at all, it¡¯s hard for me topare,¡± I admitted with calmness that seemed to amuse Loyar.


    So what if I had be someone else? After all, I was still an Archdemon.


    ¡°Anyway, do you think they really understood your warning? If you indeed have influence over the security forces, perhaps we should consider that route. It is not unlikely that they would seek revenge.¡±


    Loyar was right. There was a definite chance the thugs would seek to retaliate or engage in some other foolishness again.


    ¡°If they¡¯re stupid enough not to understand the warning and act rashly again, then we really do have something to worry about. If you catch wind of them trying anything suspicious, let me know.¡±


    There could be some in the group who might not understand my message and might retaliate rashly out of sheer anger. If this were the case, I would at least learn that these thugs could not think calmly and only acted with their emotions.


    Alternatively, if they were wise enough to understand the warning and keep quiet, I wouldn¡¯t need to get the security forces involved, and things would go as nned.


    There was a risk, but I had a solid reason for taking it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the future holds, but I¡¯m looking at the bigger picture. That¡¯s why I let them be. Those guys, in a way, could be part of the rough sketch of that picture.¡±


    ¡°The bigger picture?¡± Loyar asked curiously.


    I offered a sly grin, as the warm glow of the campfire began to draw near. ¡°I haven¡¯t made a decision yet, but I might have to swallow up all the criminal organizations within the capital.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t fully made up my mind yet, but that time might one daye.


    I couldn¡¯t just think about bing the next guildmaster of the Thieves¡¯ Guild. If I were going to go through with it, I¡¯d have to disy the kind of leadership that would astonish even Vertus.


    ¡°Y-Your Highness... Isn¡¯t your dream a bit... unusual?¡±


    Loyar seemed to be mentally taken aback after hearing that a Demon Prince intended to be the leader of the human underworld. It was as if, instead of dreaming of being a great Demon King, I was aiming to be the king of gangsters.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who was initially instructed to be a spy, but then created a whole organization of beggars instead?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Loyar¡¯s face turned red as her own departure from her initial mission wasid bare.


    She was the one who was living an unorthodox life, so she had no right to question my ambitions.


    ***


    We were only away for a short while, so Eleris and Sarkegar were still waiting for us by the campfire. They hadn¡¯t bothered to go out, likely thinking that Loyar would take care of me no matter what the situation might be.


    Loyar exined in detail to them the events that had just unfolded.


    ¡°Your Highness!! Indeed, what a confident and imposing manner! This servant cannot help but feel utterly amazed at your magnificent prowess!¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s response was, somewhat predictably, full of admiration.


    ¡°... Your Highness. Aren¡¯t you enjoying violence a touch too much? I think you did the right thing to just let them go, but... Perhaps you should learn to exercise a bit of self-restraint.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s reaction was exactly what I predicted as well. She punctuated herment with a resigned sigh and a helpless shake of her head.


    ¡°In addition, the reason His Highness released those guys is as part of his future n of taking over all the criminal organizations within the capital,¡± Loyar added.


    Upon hearing this, both Eleleris and Sarkegar looked stunned.


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure about that. I might do it, but nothing has been decided yet.¡±


    The decision would be based on whether I saw a need for such action, as well as if I was mentally prepared for it, and possibly dependent on the contents of a certain conversation with Vertus. At present, though, nothing has been decided or nned yet.


    Still, they seemed to consider even contemting such a move to be absurd. In any case, I had no ns to take any action in the immediate future.


    For now, we had sessfully dealt with the thugs from the Aligar district who were causing us trouble, but there were likely other areas still riddled with individuals and groups trying to squeeze into our business, so the issue wasn¡¯t entirely resolved.


    ¡°Catching lone, individual actors seems to be quite difficult. So, for now, if you see any organized groups trying to get into our business, find out which organization they belong to and the scope of their operations. Either Loyar or I can take action once you have that information.¡±


    It would be nice if conflicts between organizations could be settled peacefully, but shes were inevitable.


    ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t operate on every magical train route. So, instead of shing with neers right away, try negotiating with them, as though discussing territorial agreements. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to see if they are capable of seeing reason first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Even if we wanted to, we couldn¡¯t possibly im every route and area for ourselves. It might actually be better for us in the long run to help these neers and create a cooperative business environment. Of course, we¡¯d have to make sure not to give the most profitable routes to them.


    This whole thing was getting ridiculous.


    iming rights where none existed, forcing boundaries of ¡°mine¡± and ¡°yours¡±¡ªparticipating in such absurd thuggery brought me to the verge of self-disgust.


    It felt as though I was managing an actual illegal organization.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave this matter here for now. Isn¡¯t there something else we need to discuss?¡±


    I turned to look at Eleris. There was something on her mind that she had wanted to speak to me about the night before, something about the wickedness of humanity.


    She said I¡¯d learn about it today and hadn¡¯t provided any more details.


    At my question, the expressions of the three changed, each one conveying a different emotion.


    Sarkegar wore hatred. Loyar was showing anger. And Eleris, sorrow.


    It was Sarkegar who broke the silence.


    ¡°There are reports that Demon prisoners are going to be traded in the capital¡¯s ck market.¡±


    ¡°... What did you say?¡±


    What he said waspletely beyond anything I had imagined.

 Chapter 63

    <h4>Chapter 63</h4>


    As if it were bound to happen, an event was created.


    [New Event Update - Rescue Demon Prisoners]


    [Details: During the Victory Festival period, Demon prisoners are set to be traded at a ck market somewhere in the imperial city. As the prince of the demons, decide whether to rescue them or to let them be.]


    [Reward for sess: 50 achievement points per rescued prisoner]


    However, my bewilderment was so strong that I honestly didn¡¯t care much about the event.


    This time, it was Sarkegar who spoke up, and everyone was unable to hide their somber expressions.


    ¡°It seems that the nobility are secretly trading entry tickets to the auction. The prisoners will arrive here through the warp gate to coincide with the Victory Festival, and so the auction has not started yet.¡±


    Why the wealthy were trying to buy demon ves was beyond me, but it seemed that Sarkegar had caught wind of the cirction of entry tickets to the ck-market auction.


    ¡°Why the hell are Demon prisoners being traded in the ck market? What are they nning to use them for?¡± I asked.


    Loyar answered that question for me.


    ¡°... It could be simply a collector¡¯s desire, but... the purpose of the products usually traded are pretty obvious, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Obvious...?¡±


    Buying goblins or orcs from the Demon Realm on a collector¡¯s whim? And the purpose for them was obvious? What could it possibly be...?


    ¡°No way.¡±


    It was only then that I realized why they all had such expressions. Eleris nodded silently.


    ¡°The most valuable demons will undoubtedly be the subi.¡±


    The ones that would draw the mostpetition would naturally be the subi, and their use was clear. It was only then that I understood why Eleris had mentioned the evil nature of humans the day before.


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m not an expert, but aren¡¯t subi... dangerous?¡±


    If my knowledge was correct, subi were a type of nightmare demon that sapped a human¡¯s vitality. Were they really trading subi for those kinds of uses? Did they have a death wish?


    ¡°Certainly, subi can drain vitality, but there are also ways to brainwash them so they can¡¯t do that, or even perform surgical procedures.¡±


    They would eliminate the danger that the subi posed and turn them into ves. In other words, they would leave only the good parts of the subi.


    ¡°Although the prisoners haven¡¯t arrived yet, there will undoubtedly be arge number of them. It won¡¯t just be subi; incubi and many other races sold as merchandise, Your Highness.¡±


    I nodded grimly at Sarkegar¡¯s words.


    Dyrus had thought that most of the Demon prisoners would be ughtered, and I had thought the same. But human greed did not end there. They nned to distribute the humanoid demons, barely distinguishable from humans, in this manner.


    It was no different from just a ve market, only with a different race.


    In the original work I had written, there was nothing like a demon zoo. That meant there could be people breeding monstrous demons somewhere that no one knew about.


    And it was clear that most would be sold for sexual purposes.


    In their own way, Loyar, Sarkegar, and Eleris all seemed to find it difficult to stand by and watch while such a thing happened.


    ¡°So you want to rescue them, is that it?¡±


    When I asked them this, their expressions all turned sorrowful.


    Sarkegar shook his head.


    ¡°It is intolerable to just watch on as humans engage in such vile acts, Your Highness. However, I am aware of the severity of the situation. It¡¯s regrettable, but should we mount a rescue and fail, not only would it bring disaster upon us, but it could also endanger you.¡±


    Loyar seemed reluctant to agree with Sarkegar¡¯s statement, but she appeared to have no choice but to ept it. ¡°I agree. Of course, it would not be so easy to put Your Highness in harm¡¯s way, but the only demons who can assist you are the three of us. If we lose even one of us, I believe it would substantially impact Your Highness¡¯s already fragile status.¡±


    Eleris nodded as well, biting her lips slightly. ¡°I concur.¡±


    All three wanted to rescue the Demon prisoners. But they had an even greater goal¡ªmy safety.


    Had I not been here, these three would have thrown themselves into the fray, drawn like moths to a me in order to rescue the demons, as the Demon Realm would have copsed anyway, and they couldn¡¯t just stand by and observe the human atrocities.


    These three demons, who did not appear in the original work.


    This meant they had lived apart from the original story. If I hadn¡¯t interfered, they would have lived lives fitting their circumstances, probably far from where the main story took ce. Of course, it was also possible that they might have died along the way somewhere.


    I didn¡¯t know everything about this world. While I was aware of the general framework, the finer details were beyond me. The life of a random passerby was never described, although they did still exist.


    These three would have attempted to infiltrate the ck market auction somehow to rescue their fellow demons.


    The original story was still in its very early stages. If demons who had infiltrated the ck market in the imperial city were caught and killed during a rescue mission, the main characters may not have known about it. After all, the early parts of the story focused mainly on life in the Temple, which was unrted to therger events happening outside.


    At best, at this point, Ludwig would be enjoying the festival with his friends until Delphine Izadra gets kidnapped, and Ludwig would somehow manage to rescue her. It was an event that disyed the carelessness of the Temple¡¯s security, despite ims that the Temple students¡¯ safety was the Temple Guard¡¯s top priority... It was highly probable that this event would still ur, as I hadn¡¯t interfered much with Ludwig and his group, and Charlotte, the exception in ss B, was at the imperial pce.


    So basically, Ludwig was going to be running around looking for a kidnapped ssmate, and I had to run around to find my people who had be prisoners of war. It seemed like I was getting entangled in events more befitting a protagonist.


    It felt odd, as there was absolutely no slice-of-life feel to this incident. Although to be fair, getting kidnapped at the festival also seemed quite far removed from a slice-of-life scenario.


    On top of that, I was just a high school student, so this was definitely not an ordinary situation that was supposed to happen in this story.


    Anyway...


    If I hadn¡¯t been there, these three would have attempted to rescue the Demons, and they would have most likely failed. Had they seeded, demon prisoners escaping within the imperial city would have caused a huge uproar, and drawn all the attention.


    Right now, they considered me a priority, so they probably felt frustrated that they couldn¡¯t attempt the rescue.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t see why I, who was not even truly a demon, had to bepelled to do this. I had no actual ns to rebuild the Demon Realm.


    However, I didn¡¯t adhere to the belief that only humans were considered human. The three standing before me were not human, but to me, they were no different from humans. And in the end, they were absolutely on my side, which made them more important than any human out there.


    Intelligent demons¡ªessentially my people¡ªwere going to be sold into very in the imperial city, doomed to live miserable lives.


    Putting various thoughts aside, if I could prevent such a situation, I genuinely wanted to do so. If I rescued them, they, too, would be my resolute allies.


    But the risks I had to take were too great. If these three were captured or their identities revealed, there was a high likelihood that all of them would be killed; in particr, if Loyar¡¯s identity was revealed, I¡¯d be taken down along with her.


    I sincerely wanted to rescue them, but if it meant risking my life, it would make me hesitate. After all, I knew I was not some great and noble person.


    In the end, I was nothing more than a middle-aged man who had returned to his high-school days and liked to cause trouble.


    For such an individual to contemte breaking into a ck market full of wealthy nobles and gentry¡ªan event I was certain would be well-attended¡ªwas frankly absurd. The security would be tight, and it was even uncertain if I could get in at all.


    If these three, far more capable than I, would likely fail, what chance would I have?


    All of them looked glum, having apparently given up, because my protection and safety was the absolute priority.


    Moreover, they hadn¡¯t asked me for a solution, but merely informed me of the situation.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we at least talk about it first? Regardless of whether we attempt it or not?¡±


    Regardless of the situation, I couldn¡¯t just dismiss the earnest desire of these three who trusted and followed me, someone who was far from remarkable.


    A fleeting emotion flickered through each of their eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness, we cannot. Your safety and future, as the supreme leader, must be the top priority. While the situation is undoubtedly sad and infuriating, we must weigh the gravity of every action,¡± Sarkegar insisted, opposing my suggestion despite being moved by it.


    Sarkegar was someone who prioritized my safety and future above all else, so his response was expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not saying we should decide whether or not we should go through with it, I¡¯m just suggesting we talk about it and see if there are any viable options.¡±


    I pressed on without even listening to the concerns of Eleris and Loyar. Certainly, if the n of action was dangerous, I would not attempt it. Regardless of whether it was essential or not, if the mission was doomed to fail, it would merely spell a senseless death for all of us.


    Eleris was the first to speak up.


    ¡°Assuming we decide to do something, there are three pieces of preliminary information we absolutely must know: the location of the ck market, the number of prisoners, and the security situation.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    Without knowing this, we would essentially be stumbling about blindly. First and foremost, we had to find out where this ck-market auction was taking ce.


    Loyar nodded, agreeing with Eleris¡¯s point. ¡°We might be able to find some information, but details regarding the ck market are only discreetly circted among the nobility¡ªit¡¯s privileged information. It¡¯s unlikely that we could obtain such information on the streets.¡±


    She was right. Information about a ck market that clearly catered exclusively to the extremely wealthy or nobility wouldn¡¯t just be floating around on the streets, so it was improbable that we could obtain it from the Rotary Club or simr sources.


    ¡°Since I brought the information, I believe it¡¯s right for me to look into it. But first, we need to obtain tickets to enter the market,¡± Sarkegar said.


    As the market was held in great secrecy, we had to acquire tickets before we could gather any further information. Sarkegar could obtain information that circted only within the nobles of human society, which was why he had taken the risk of disguising himself as a noble of the empire in the first ce.


    ¡°How much is a ticket?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s around forty gold, Your Highness.¡±


    The entry fee alone amounted to four million won. This meant that, if someone went just to spectate without purchasing anything, they woulde out at a loss. In turn, that meant attendees would bepetitively bidding to acquire at least something from the event. It was likely a strategy to get people to spend more money by ying on their loss-aversion tendencies.


    ¡°Of course, at this stage, I don¡¯t know who is selling the tickets, but I believe I can find that out with a bit of digging on my end. Additionally, if we¡¯re willing to take the risk, we could steal a ticket from someone in possession of one and use it to infiltrate the auction under a disguise. Of course, I will have to think about what measures we should take regarding the individual we snatch the ticket from, however...¡±


    We could buy a ticket, but it would be pricey, and if we used someone else¡¯s ticket to enter, we were left with the problem of what to do with the person we¡¯d stolen it from. Whether we used an enchantment or hypnotic magic on them, we would have to alter their memories somehow, since they would have supposedly attended the auction, even if they didn¡¯t actually do so.


    We could discover the location of the ck-market auction, but the number of prisoners was not possible to find out at this stage.


    So then, who exactly was organizing this auction?


    I brought up the next question. ¡°What about the people hosting this ck-market auction?¡±


    This time, Eleris spoke up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to overthink it, Your Highness. The fact that someone can divert prisoners under the control of the allied forces and sell them on the ck market implies that they are likely colluding with those who have authority over the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s already talk spreading about the prisoners being sold on the ck market before they¡¯ve even arrived, it means that this n must have been in ce even before the Demon Realm Conquest Army returned.¡±


    The prisoners hadn¡¯t even been diverted yet, but rumors about an uing ck-market auction were already spreading, albeit discreetly, among those with such dark desires.


    I nodded at Eleris. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s already an agreement with whoever is managing the imperial prisoners, and the people in the unit responsible for the prisoners must clearly have ties to this organization?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Even if not everymander is aware of this, someone in a high-ranking military position close to the final decision-makers must definitely know of this.¡±


    Without the permission of themanding officer or one of the higher-ups in the prisoner management unit, diverting prisoners would be impossible.


    ¡°Damn it. This seems to be escting much higher than expected...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a heavy sigh. While I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how influential the prisoner management unit was within the Demon Realm Conquest Army, it was almost certain that someone close to the highest-rankingmanding officers was involved.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that even the imperial family could be involved with this,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, that is also a possibility,¡± Loyar agreed with a nod.


    If left alone, the prisoners would only face execution. Therefore, it would be dumb not to sell them off on the ck market and allow the wealthy to spend their riches.


    It was entirely possible that the imperial family itself could be orchestrating this ck-market auction. After all, it guaranteed them a huge influx of money.


    It made more business sense to sell off demon prisoners that had been neutralized and were no longer a threat, rather than just killing them.


    The ck-market auction could be an event held underground by the Imperial family tomemorate the festival. Diverting prisoners was something amander in the army could do, but it would entail taking a huge risk.


    Given that such discussions were quietly circting among the nobles of human society, it was highly unlikely that the imperial family was unaware of the auction. In fact, individuals such as Vertus and Charlotte might already be aware of this matter.


    ¡°The potential organizers of the event, though not confirmed, seem to be tremendously powerful figures.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t something that could be organized by the Thieves¡¯ Guild or basic gang organizations. It was an operation nned in collusion with the imperial family, or powers of equivalent magnitude.


    This naturally led to an estimate regarding thest requirement we needed information about¡ªthe level of security forces.


    It was undoubtedly going to be extensive.


    ¡°So we¡¯d have to break through what will definitely be a tight security, rescue an unknown number of demon prisoners, and then also find a ce to hide them...¡±


    The operation consisted of these three stages, and each step seemed impossible.


    ¡°Is there any way to do it with magic?¡±


    In the end, I had no choice but to invoke the cheat code again.


    Eleris noted my questioning gaze and shook her head.


    ¡°Since there are important guests attending, there will be a substantial contingent of security forces, and there will certainly be mages among them.¡±


    ¡°Of the same level as you?¡±


    I could tell at a nce that Eleris was a highly-capable mage.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say. The forces of the alliance, including the imperial army, would have been severely weakened, and the elite forces even more so. However, there certainly will be mages of a level simr to me, and while I do not know if they will be deployed to provide security for this event or not, it¡¯s certain they will make sure that any type of external magic cannot interfere with the auction.


    ¡°Even if there are no mages present, there will surely be anti-magic barriers or fields set up. It isn¡¯t just to prevent the rescue of prisoners, but also because a party could use magic in an attempt to manipte the auction in their favor.¡±


    Someone could try to use extensive illusion magic, hallucinations, or even mind control to ensure that they are the only bidder for an item on auction. For us, employing magic to tackle this situation was not a good option because of the definite presence of countermeasures, not just against prisoner escapes, but for various other reasons like these.


    I wondered what tactics the three of them would have originally considered. It seemed likely they would have tried something, but perhaps, in a fit of anger, they might have chosen to just recklessly charge in.


    After reviewing the situation again and again, though, this method appeared too reckless. Just the three of them, and even adding me to the mix wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Perhaps they were just all prepared to embark on an impossible task.


    Were they ready to die nobly in such an audacious attempt?


    Sarkegar would have probably leaped in, enraged by the hopelessness of reconstructing the Demon Realm, and Loyar as well, simply because she could not stand such hical events from urring. I wasn¡¯t so sure about Eleris, but it seemed likely she would¡¯ve joined the two, perhaps because of a sense of guilt or debt towards the Demon Realm.


    However, because of my presence, they had yet to make the spontaneous decision that they would have.


    Breaking into the auction and rescuing prisoners appeared to be next to impossible, and even if we were to rescue them, where would we hide them? Even if the operation seeded, it would still pose a problem, as the number of prisoners might be more than we could handle.


    Eleris seemed to be lost in thought for a while, then she tilted her head. ¡°Do we really need to do something exactly while the auction is taking ce?¡±


    Huh? What did she mean by that?


    ¡°The very day of the auction would actually be the worst time to attempt to rescue the prisoners, Your Highness.¡±


    That¡¯s when I finally understood what Eleris was suggesting.


    The moment the auction started would be when the security was at its peak. We would be attempting an already-dangerous task when our enemies were most vignt.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more feasible to act before the auction begins, or after all sales arepleted and the demons have been handed over to individual owners?


    ¡°Security would be present before the auction starts, but once the ownership transfers to the buyers, the buyers would be responsible for managing their ¡°property¡± on their own, which makes it rtively easier to extract them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... That¡¯s right.¡±


    Loyar nodded slowly in acknowledgment, as if she hadn¡¯t considered this idea before.

 Chapter 64

    <h4>Chapter 64</h4>


    ¡°Those participating in the auction will undoubtedly pay a high price for the prisoners. And the new owners might make the prisoners suffer for a while, but they probably won¡¯t kill them. Therefore, instead of entering the auction or mounting an assault, it seems reasonable to approach this with the concept of theft in mind.¡±


    ¡°Indeed... theft does seem to sound more usible.¡±


    After all the prisoners had been sold, they would be under the management of the individual buyers. At that stage, with Sarkegar¡¯s shapeshifting ability and Eleris¡¯s magic, we would be able to rescue them one by one.


    ¡°It might take some time, but as long as we know who bought who, we¡¯ll be able to rescue them one by one.¡±


    I was focusing so much on the ck-market auction itself that I had only been thinking about solving the problem during the auction.


    The fact that the demons who were going to be sold would have to endure unspeakable hardships during the time before we rescued them made me somewhat uneasy, but this was our best chance to rescue them. And to do that, what we needed were the records of which buyers purchased which demons at the anonymous auction.


    Eleris¡¯s n certainly seemed less dangerous and more reasonable.


    ¡°We may not be able to rescue everyone with that method, but it certainly seems safer.¡±


    Sarkegar nodded in agreement.


    ¡°However, after we rescue a few, rumors will start to spread about the demon ves being stolen or going missing. This will likely cause the remaining owners to increase their guards or hide their ves away.¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s objection was also somewhat valid. We would definitely be able to rescue a few prisoners if we followed Eleris¡¯s n. When that happened, news would start circting among the participants of the auction that the demon ves were being stolen or disappearing, and they would certainly start managing their ves more cautiously.


    In the end, the n might not be enough to rescue all the captives, but again, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a must to rescue them all.


    ¡°You have a point... but it seems that the safest option at this stage is to just go with this n.¡±


    I felt that Eleris¡¯s n was the best course of action. It was safer and carried less risk. Sarkegar and Loyar also seemed to think that, despite its disadvantages and trade-offs, it was the best option we had so far.


    Ultimately, my thoughts went in a slightly different direction.


    Regardless of the oue, the disappearance of the demon ves that had been sold would not merely be treated in the same way as the disappearance of other ck-market auction goods.


    If Eleris¡¯ method ultimately seeded, it would mean that some organized crime organization was stealing the demons, and that would be a major incident that would cause an uproar in the imperial city.


    The mere fact that the freed demons were hiding somewhere in the city would already be deemed a significant security threat. This would necessitate a massive number of guards being ced throughout the city, and this news would certainly reach the Temple as well.


    However, I never wrote anything about demons going missing and, as a result, ess to and from the Temple being restricted because of the uncertainty of where the demons were going to appear.


    In short, there existed a future ahead of us in which rescuing the demon prisoners through theft was ineffective.


    Eleris would have thought of this method even if I hadn¡¯t been there. Sarkegar and Loyar also reacted as if there were no other option, so if anything were to be tried, it would have been this method.


    Eleris¡¯s method would only end with a few of the demons being rescued, or them being caught shortly after they began the operation.


    The ck market trading of the demon prisoners would have happened regardless of my presence.


    And their rescue attempts would have undoubtedly urred without me as well.


    Therefore, Eleris¡¯ method would likely not produce significant results, or fail altogether.


    I was aware of these three facts.


    I didn¡¯t know what filled the void of causality, but I did know the end results.


    In the end, all the methods that these three could conceive or execute on their own would be bound to fail. Unless my presence somehow provided them with some new inspiration, that was how it would be.


    The only variable was me.


    The only possible method was something that only I coulde up with.


    I considered using The Scribe¡¯s Advice, but I was not fond of it, as it also had the potential to lead to bad oues.


    ¡°Do you have another idea, Your Highness?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    She must have clearly read that I was not entirely pleased with her method since I kept stalling without giving any definite answer.


    Eleris¡¯s method was something that I had never thought of. I had only been stuck on the obvious solutions of invading or infiltrating the ck-market auction. Hence, when Eleris suggested carrying out the rescue operation after the auction had ended, that felt like the right thing to me as well.


    However much I thought about it, Eleris¡¯s n seemed like the best one, but ironically, I also knew that it ultimately was <i>not</i> the best method.


    Why it failed was not important. After all, it would not make sense to attempt a n that was bound to fail. Of course, it was possible to modify the approach, but I needed time to consider other ns.


    First, I needed to know what we were capable of.


    ¡°Eleris, are you able to use a Mass Teleport spell?¡±


    It was therge-scale spatial magic I used once when escaping The Dark Land with Charlotte.


    ¡°I can use it, but it requires a cast time.¡±


    Eleris was already a high-level mage if she could use such potent magic. Teleportation itself was a high-level spell, let alone casting it on arge scale.


    ¡°How long would it take?¡±


    ¡°About thirty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Do we have something like a Mass Teleport scroll?¡±


    ¡°We do not, Your Highness.¡±


    Thirty minutes.


    That was a considerable amount of time.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that Eleris didn¡¯t have a mass teleport scroll, as such items were exceedingly rare. I finally realized just how exclusive the two teleportation scrolls I had used in the prologue were.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to enter the ce where the prisoners are being held and buy time until all of them can be put under the Mass Teleport spell. The auction house will have already put up defensive measures in ce to counter such tricks, Your Highness.¡±


    I nodded in acknowledgment of Sarkegar¡¯s warning. It was certain that they would be on guard against theft, especially via magical means.


    ¡°Right, that makes sense. But is it easy to prepare such high-level defensive measures in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, it isn¡¯t easy. Such systems might be operational in the Temple or around the imperial pce at all times, but setting them up temporarily and maintaining them is quite difficult.¡±


    ¡°So, is it safe to assume that defensive measures or wards that suppress spatial magic or a mage¡¯s ability are notmon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    I learned a few things from that.


    The auction ce itself would have temporary magical defense measures set up.


    Only the imperial pce and the Temple had such measures permanently in ce. Of course, since magic could still be used inside the Temple, it wasn¡¯t protected by the kind of ward that blocked all magic.


    It ultimately meant that ces with established magical countermeasures were notmon.


    ¡°So if the prisoners are not in the auction house itself, but elsewhere, we could potentially use the Mass Teleport spell to move them, assuming we are given thirty minutes to cast it, right? How many can be teleported at once using your spell?¡±


    ¡°About twenty is the limit. Maybe up to fifty, if it¡¯s at night.¡±


    Eleris, who could endure sunlight, was weakened during the day nheless.


    <i>¡®Twenty people...¡¯</i>


    It was frustrating that we didn¡¯t know just how many prisoners there were. It was certain that a considerable number of demons had been taken as prisoners, but it was likely that most had already been executed on the spot.


    As much as I hated to say it, the demons being traded on the ck market would generally be individual demons deemed desirable as merchandise.


    Probably subi, incubi, and other humanoid demons I didn¡¯t know of. The numbers would not be incredibly high. After all, I had already seen the prisoner transports when I had exited and re-entered the Demon King¡¯s castle, and I remember most of them having monster-like appearances.


    Loyar looked at me. ¡°Are you thinking of another n?¡±


    ¡°It might sound foolish, but I think that mounting our operation right when the ck-market auction begins might be the best timing after all.¡±


    Theft would either end in failure or only have minimal effect; I had no way to convince these three as to why that was so, though.


    The mass teleport spell couldn¡¯t be used at the site of the auction where the prisoners were likely being held. Therefore, we had to somehow draw them out to make it possible to whisk them away using the Mass Teleport spell.


    Twenty during the day, fifty at night.


    If we could just break all of them out somehow, we wouldn¡¯t need teleportation or anything like that in the first ce. But that was impossible with the forces we currently had.


    It was not possible with just us... so what could we do?


    ¡°Surely this ck market thing is illegal, right?¡±


    It was not just any market; it was the ck market, which meant the auction was a secret. A ndestine transaction among those backed by wealth and authority. It was entirely different from the usual underworld operations.


    ¡°When ites to legal or illegal, I¡¯m not even sure as to whether anyws regarding this exist in the first ce. After all, the trade of demon ves is a rare urrence,¡± Eleris responded.


    The trading of demons fell into a gray area, neither legal nor illegal.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s clearly frowned upon, just because of the fact that those who were dered to be enemies and worthy of extermination, the demons, are being bought and sold by the nobles of the empire,¡± Loyar added.


    ¡°So, while it may be legally ambiguous, there¡¯s certainly a moral side to it, and sufficient grounds for condemnation. I see.¡±


    That was why the trading of demon prisoners as spoils of war did not take ce in public.


    A direct invasion of the auction house was impossible for us. But if we couldn¡¯t do it, we could just let others do it for us.


    ¡°What if we spread rumors of a ck market that deals in the private sale of demon prisoners?¡±


    Mypanions¡¯ expressions turned to bewilderment as if questioning why anyone would do such a thing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it scandalous that these people are trading in demon ves when they verbally proim the need to annihte all demons? Wouldn¡¯t that be enough to tarnish the empire¡¯s dignity and incur the wrath of its citizens?¡±


    In the end, if the citizens knew that the actions of the higher-ups were so far removed from the justice they were shouting about, they would certainly be outraged.


    ¡°The citizens will be enraged, and might even storm the venue of the ck-market auction¡ªis that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°If they discover the location of the auction, such chaos could indeed ur.¡±


    Those present at the ck market might hold high status in society, but they were by no means honorable individuals. If the citizens swarmed the auction house and started to wreak havoc, they would be busy trying to run away to avoid being seen.


    There would be members with public authority present, even if they weren¡¯t supposed to be there. If the authorities used the power of the empire to subdue themotion, it would be akin to admitting that the government supported selling demon prisoners for profit.


    ¡°However, if that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t it possible that the empire could suddenly act recklessly? If they have private military forces in ce, they could use violence to repel the citizens when they converge.¡±


    I nodded at Eleris¡¯s statement.


    My tangled thoughts began to unravel, as if teasing apart a knotted thread.


    In this intricate puzzle of a situation, I saw a path that offered hope, one that was different from Eleris¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that the imperial authority of the empire is unrivaled. But the very fact that they are trading in demon prisoners would not only provoke the citizens, but it would also greatly offend more significant individuals. Which is why they are conducting these sales through the ck market, and not openly.¡±


    ¡°More significant individuals? Who could that be...?¡±


    Smiling slyly, I gave my response. ¡°The religious factions.¡±


    The Divine Cult of the Almighty had dispatched a faction with a pure mission to eradicate evil, and they were one of the very important pirs of the allied forces.


    Forces had been dispatched by all the denominations of the Divine Cult of the Almighty and had been gathered together for the Great War. Now, after the war, theyprised the most powerful group of holy knights and priests, regardless of their specific faith within the Order.


    They are known as the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°The trading of demon prisoners is, in itself, already a great insult to the Order of the Holy Knights. This will provoke a tremendous bacsh from the forces of the Divine Cult of the Almighty across the entire continent.¡±


    The citizens were not the main focus. Because the Order of the Holy Knights was a religious group, they exercised their own separate power, one not controlled by the empire.


    If this rumor spread, the Order of the Holy Knights would mobilize andpletely wipe out the ck market.

 Chapter 65

    <h4>Chapter 65</h4>


    The Order of the Holy Knights was an armed religious force that didn¡¯t fall under the control of the empire. Therefore, their actions were not driven by the national interests of the empire, as they followed their religious convictions instead.


    The very fact that they were dealing with demons they deemed necessary to be destroyed would be enough to spark an enormous conflict between the two groups. And justice would be on the side of the Holy Knights.


    "Once the Holy Knights intervene, there will be a huge uproar, and in the end, the ck-market auction and its backers, along with its participants, won¡¯t have any grounds to prevent their interference. Ultimately, the custody of the prisoners will have to be transferred to the Holy Knights."


    The empire would have to withdraw. It was not feasible for them to antagonize the Holy Knights just to make some money by selling demons.


    Since the empire had no justification for stopping the interference of the Holy Knights, this result was inevitable, regardless of the power the empire wielded.


    It was clear that killing all the demons would be the right thing to do, yet they were trading demons in secret.


    For the Holy Knights, who regarded the Great War as a sacred duty, such an act by the empire would already be seen as a tremendous betrayal. The faith prescribed by the Temple of Almighty was naturally prevalent within the empire, and the same was true within the principalities. Religion, after all, was a force that controlled the hearts of the people. Opposing them was a choice the empire would never consider.


    Eventually, they would either have to admit their own mistake or cut their losses. The prisoners would end up in the custody of the Holy Knights.


    That is why I proposed that wepletely destroy the ck-market auction. Not with our own hands, but using someone else¡¯s. Using one enemy¡¯s hand to crush another¡ªit was a very old strategy. Since we could not do it ourselves, we would make others do it for us.


    Eleris nodded. "Your Highness, that method will certainly prevent the trading of demon prisoners on the ck market. But if that happens... all of the prisoners will be executed without exception."


    "That¡¯s right."


    This strategy would merely take the prisoners out of the hands of those who wanted to exploit them as ves and ce them into the hands of those who would kill them.


    "But still, the idea is to first get those pissed-off Holy Knights to storm the ce where the diverted prisoners are being held."


    I began to exin my n slowly. This too was just one of the many gambles.


    "Surely the Holy Knights will take possession of the prisoners, and it will be done in a forceful manner. However, they probably won¡¯t consider the possibility that someone might try to whisk the prisoners away using a Mass Teleport spell. They¡¯ll be too angry to think about that.


    ¡°Of course, the Holy Knights mighte in and try to ughter all the prisoners right away. But as long as the prisoners are alive, they¡¯ll serve as evidence of the empire¡¯s betrayal, and thus, the knights won¡¯t rush to dispose of them that quickly. Rather, they will likely use that evidence to leverage an apology from the empire."


    Even if the prisoners were eventually doomed, they wouldn¡¯t be disposed of right away. At the very least, the Holy Knights would take a day or more to hold talks with the empire, which would buy them some time. This would be more of a rebuke than a discussion, though.


    "Of course, if this rumor spreads too far, sparking fears that the Holy Knights might attack the ck market, the organizers of the auction might change the location. But if that¡¯s the case, that would actually be in our favor, since the new site would likely be hastily arranged, and the organizers would not have the time to implement any anti-magic countermeasures. And it doesn¡¯t matter if the location changes, because the auction attendees will be notified of the new location anyway. Which is why we absolutely need tickets."


    A hasty change of venue would mean that the new venue might be less protected against magic use. That might make it easier to infiltrate, and Eleris could potentially teleport the prisoners out using Mass Teleport with no difficulty.


    "When the Holy Knights take control of the prisoners, they¡¯ll want to keep them in their custody, and not leave them with the empire. Our n remains the same if that¡¯s the case as well. We¡¯ll just infiltrate the ce where the knights are holding them."


    In the end, everything relied on Eleris¡¯ use of Mass Teleport.


    "Well... There¡¯s also a third method. After figuring out the route along which the prisoners will be transported, Eleris could prepare the Mass Teleport spell at a prearranged location, and when the prisoner convoy passes through it, she can trigger the spell and whisk all of them away."


    We would prepare the spell at a predetermined location and wait to intercept them. When the prisoners passed through, we could teleport all of them away.


    Ultimately, everything came down to Eleris and her Mass Teleport spell.


    The assumption that the Holy Knights would take custody of the prisoners was a precondition of this n, but I believed there was a high probability that it was going to happen.


    "In the second scenario, infiltrating the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights could be challenging. Aside from the magical protection barriers, they might detect my presence since I am an undead."


    "Ah, is that so?"


    "For the moment, the third scenario seems to be the most likely to seed."


    Whether the ck-market auction¡¯s location was changed or not was beyond our control, so we could only make a decision when the time came.


    As it stood, knowing the location at which the auction will be held, predicting the route along which the Holy Knights would escort the prisoners, and having Eleris waiting at a designated point with her spellcastingplete seemed like our best option.


    "Still, in the end, we can only save up to twenty prisoners in this scenario. All the remaining prisoners would likely end up dead.¡±


    If there were fewer than twenty prisoners at the ck market, we could save them all; however, if there were more than that, the strategy would inevitably mean abandoning the rest.


    Loyar, who had been silent until now, spoke up.


    "Your Highness, what if we use a warp gate instead of Mass Teleport?"


    "A gate?"


    "Yes. It seems usible that the Order of the Holy Knights will remove all the prisoners from the auction, and whoever is in charge of them currently would lose control over them. If that happens, then instead of saving just a few using Mass Teleport, we can use a warp gate to save everyone."


    "But that would only be possible if there¡¯s a warp gate along the route that the Order of the Holy Knights will take, right?"


    I had also thought of that as well. However, since warp gates were in fixed locations and we still didn¡¯t know where the ck-market auction would be held, it was a strategy I couldn¡¯t get behind just yet.


    "There are numerous warp gates in the imperial city, Your Highness," Loyar stated.


    Loyar was in charge of an information-gatheringwork throughout the city and therefore knew much more about the imperial city than the three of us.


    "Naturally, there is a warp gate in front of the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights too, which is one of the main institutions in the imperial city."


    No matter its route, the destination of the prisoners and their escort was predetermined, and the warp gate would inevitably be along it.


    "Alright, that sounds like a feasible n," I agreed.


    Using the warp gate, we could rescue any number of prisoners.


    "If the escort reaches the front of the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights, we¡¯ll cause amotion and have everyone flee towards the warp gate. You won¡¯t need to worry about a party pursuing us through the gate, as Eleris can simply destroy the gate that is at the exit point."


    Eleris nodded with a tense expression. "Got it.¡±


    Warp gates were bi-directional. That meant that destroying one side of the gate would prevent anyone from passing through the other.


    "Okay, good. But we still need to n this carefully in advance. We can¡¯t expect everything to go the way we discussed. First, we have to ensure that the Order of the Holy Knights finds and heads towards the exact location of the auction. We also have to hope that they don¡¯t immediately ughter the prisoners. Then, we will have to disarm the forces stationed at the warp gate. Moreover, we need to provide enough of a distraction so the Order of the Holy Knights won¡¯t pay attention to the prisoners."


    "I¡¯ll take care of distracting them," Loyar volunteered.


    "Are you sure you? You could die."


    "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m fighting them. I¡¯ll just be distracting them. There¡¯s a chance I might get hurt, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine."


    "I¡¯ll also help distract them with magic."


    With Eleris¡¯s help, Loyar wouldn¡¯t be alone in causing the diversion.


    "I¡¯ll disguise myself as one of the soldiers by the gate," Sarkegar dered, taking on perhaps the most crucial role of overpowering the defenders of the warp gate.


    Once the prisoners were through the warp gate, Loyar, Eleris, and Sarkegar would all jump in, and then Eleris would shatter the gate to prevent any pursuit. Then, we could return using the Mass Teleport spell.


    If everything went the way we discussed, it would be a perfect operation.


    However, with so many assumptions and preconditions, it was possible a variable that we had not ounted for could arise at any point.


    Although I wouldn¡¯t be taking on any direct role in this operation, I nned to observe the whole situation from afar and see how everything unfolded. Therefore, in case of an emergency, I would be prepared to use the Revise function.


    ***


    The three of them were reluctant to undertake any sort of dangerous task because I was around, but due to my orders, they were on their way to conduct a demon rescue operation.


    This operation required sowing immense chaos within the imperial city, and it was not a secret or safe task. Even if we seeded, the city would be on high alert for a while, since powerful high-level demons would have created havoc right in the heart of the imperial city.


    Even if everything went ording to n, we would all be exposed to a certain amount of risk; if things didn¡¯t go as nned, one of us might end up being sacrificed. Everyone had agreed to this fact.


    I had sternly warned the three of them that if any of them were caught or failed, and there was a risk that their true identities or mine could be revealed, they should use Sarkegar¡¯s ring to escape.


    I didn¡¯t know whether the captured demon prisoners held that much value or not. However, it seemed that the three of them couldn¡¯t stand the sight of their fellowrades living a miserable life, unable even to die if they wished. That was why they were willing to risk their lives. Though I, as the sovereign of a fallen realm, could not risk my life, I was dedicated to doing the best I could in this situation, within my capability.


    Strictly speaking, it was an action I shouldn¡¯t even be considering.


    However, by deciding to rescue the prisoners and issuing detailed instructions, it appeared that Loyar, Eleris, and Sarkegar had already developed some intangible amount of trust in me. Whether this was out of respect for me as a lord of demons or personal respect for me as an individual, I couldn¡¯t say.


    They had already epted my authority simply knowing I was an Archdemon, but from the moment I decided to rescue the prisoners, it seemed they held me in even greater respect.


    Therefore, that night, Eleris repeated words of gratitude to me several times as shey in bed.


    "Your Highness, thank you."


    "Why thank me when it¡¯s you guys who will be doing almost all the work?"


    That was the truth. The only task I had was to use the Revise function to stop events that could ur from happening and manifest events that wouldn¡¯t ur; in a way, it was the most crucial role, but it was also something I couldn¡¯t openly discuss with anyone.


    "I am grateful merely for your permission to undertake such a dangerous task."


    Ultimately, even if I did nothing, I had given them permission to take action.


    Compassion was not necessarily a trait of a ruler. Knowing this, Eleris highly valued my intentions and the decisions I had made.


    If I chose to coldly abandon the demon prisoners to their fate, Eleris and the others would have understood my decision, as I would have done what any other ruler would have done. But at the same time, they would have been saddened and disappointed on the inside.


    Amusingly, even Sarkegar, who had a different stance than Eleris, seemed impressed by my permission to allow this reckless operation and the rmendations I had made for it. Perhaps Sarkegar saw my actions as those of a lord who valued all the demons in the Demon Realm.


    As for Loyar, I still wasn¡¯t sure what her stance was, but ultimately, she too wanted to rescue the demons. And now that I had provided a concrete n, she seemed to be moved by it as well.


    "But are you sure you¡¯re okay with it? No matter how careful we are, someone, whether on our side or not, is bound to get hurt in the end."


    Eleris did not enjoy ughter or violence, but she would inevitably have to use magic to distract the Order of the Holy Knights. Since the three of them were risking their lives in this venture, it was natural that someone from the Order of the Holy Knights or someone else could get hurt or killed.


    My worry right now was whether or not Eleris would hesitate or make a mistake when the situation presented itself.


    "... I have already imed the lives of many people," Eleris muttered sadly, her eyes closed as if lost in thought. "And I¡¯ve be so used to it that I¡¯m sick of it now."


    I thought she had never intentionally killed anyone until now; instead, it appeared she was too experienced at it, and had done it too much.


    I had no words to offer to her sad self-mockery.


    ***


    The festival began on Monday, and Sarkegar would procure the auction tickets. Only then could we pinpoint the location.


    The sum of forty gold coins was enormous, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to cough up. I hadn¡¯t used any of the money that was prepared for my Temple enrollment fee. Moreover, Sarkegar, living the life of a noble, would also have reserves, which meant he could still manage to have a somewhat-independent life in case he lost his connection with the club.


    The long festival, which began on Monday, would continue for a whole month.


    ***


    Sunday went by, and it was Monday.


    We entered the streets of the imperial city, bustling with the festival atmosphere.


    ¡ª<i>Whooooooo</i>! Yeaahhhhhh!


    ¡ªLong live the allied forces!


    ¡ªLong live Artorius!


    ¡ªLong liveeee!


    People were cheering for the soldiers arriving through the giant warp gate in the northern part of the Aligar district, the Temptoan district. A continuous procession of soldiers was passing through the warp gate.


    An enormous number of people kept emerging from the blue portal within the gigantic circr gate and were marching towards the imperial pce.


    If this werepared to Seoul, it was as if they were starting a march from<i> </i>Jung-gu to Jongno, with people cheering loudly as the procession of soldiers continued to advance.


    Mounted knights and cavalry were the first to arrive, followed by a long line of infantry and others. The cheers were nonstop, and did not discriminate. Every soldier was met with the same enthusiastic apuse and praise.


    Everyone was cheering boundlessly for the allied forces for achieving a miraculous victory in the Great War.


    Ludwig was probably watching this spectacle from somewhere, too. With festivals all around and parties being held in many ces, he¡¯d be wandering around, observing, and sampling the delicious food.


    During this time, it was highly likely that Delphine Izadra would be kidnapped by someone. If that didn¡¯t happen, well, that would be good as well.


    There were a tremendous number of soldiers, all marching in step. Since this was the allied forces of humanity, an incredible number of nations and groups had participated. Each group marched while holding their own symbolic gs up high.


    This triumphant procession would continue for a long period of time. They would march on amidst the cheers of the citizens and have the honor of entering the imperial pce, receiving exceptional treatment. Those who had contributed significantly would inevitably receive the rewards they deserved.


    We were huddled a distance away, conversing amidst the outpouring of cheers from the vast crowd.


    "The prisoners mighte through a different gate from this triumphal procession."


    "That¡¯s a possibility."


    We weren¡¯t here just to witness this spectacle¡ªafter all, it was the kind of scene that would only irritate us.


    The real reason we hade this far was to determine with our own eyes if the prisoners were being dragged through the same gate as the triumphant returning army. If there was a chance to secure the prisoners now, it would be an opportunity to do so.


    We also wanted to assess the scale of the prisoner transport, if we could. But no matter how hard we looked, we couldn¡¯t spot any carriages or convoys that appeared to be transporting prisoners.


    Since this was the gate through which the triumphant forces were passing, it was highly likely that the prisoners, often seen in a more disfavorable light, would be transported to a different location.


    "Even if we seed, the only ones we can save are those at the ck-market auction, right?" I questioned, contemting the scope of our rescue operation.


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    We could only reach far enough to rescue the demons considered valuable merchandise on the ck market.

 Chapter 66

    <h4>Chapter 66</h4>


    The other prisoners who wouldn¡¯t be released on the ck market would probably be managed by the empire, and there was no clever way to extract them. No one knew whether the empire would kill those prisoners or do something else with them, such as performing experiments or research on them.


    However, there was no way we could save them as well, and even attempting to rescue them was unthinkable. It was unfortunate, but the n we had already devised was hugely dangerous as it was.


    ¡°You said that it starts on Thursday, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Sarkegar had already acquired the tickets. It was Monday, and the ck-market auction would operate from Thursday to Sunday, opening for a total of four days.


    The issue was whether or not all the prisoners would be held at the venue from the start. If the prisoners were going to be replenished daily, we would only be able to save one-fourth of the demons that would be put up for auction.


    ¡°I do think that all of them will be there...¡±


    All the prisoners were likely going to be taken into the imperial pce and detained. Therefore, rather than removing each group daily to be auctioned off, it would be more efficient to divert all of them to the auction venue from the start.


    Therefore, while the auction would take ce over four days, all the prisoners that were to be auctioned would be present at the venue.


    The best-case scenario was to figure out which gate they were being transported through before they were siphoned off into the ck-market auction venue, and to divert them right at that moment.


    There were dozens of warp gates in the imperial city. It was impossible to monitor all of them.


    We were not using the Rotary Club for information gathering on this operation, and it was only I, Loyar, Sarkegar, and Eleris who were in action. We were going to provoke a demonic uproar akin to that of a terrorist incident, and if we used the Rotary Club to gather preliminary information, it could arouse unnecessary suspicion even before the main operation.


    ¡°They¡¯re likely toe through the gate in Badelz, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I would expect.¡±


    The venue of the ck-market auction was in the Badelz district, which was stored in my head as Mapo district. It would be held underground, inside the headquarters of the Merchants'' Guild.


    The fact that the Merchants'' Guild was involved in the ck market was a bonus that came along with the discovery of the auction venue.


    When I heard where the auction was going to take ce, it seemed like such an obvious ce that I wondered why I hadn¡¯t thought of it before.


    Given that the Merchants'' Guild had experience storing numerous high-value goods, it made perfect sense that they would have storage facilities with the size, security, and necessary countermeasures suitable for temporarily holding prisoners. Naturally, it would also be easier to conduct the auction there.


    The extent of the Merchants'' Guild¡¯s involvement was unknown. However, they must have judged that it would be impossible for this business venture, which clearly involved very powerful figures, to fail. Hence, they had consented to the audacious act of holding an illegal auction within the guild¡¯s headquarters. It could have been a decision made under duress, of course, but that was beyond my knowledge.


    The location was the headquarters of the Merchants'' Guild, which, when I thought about it, was a perfect ce to conduct the ck-market auction. Also, considering the number of wealthy merchants involved with the guild, it was quite possible that they would be directly participating in the auction as well.


    Therefore, even if rumors about the ck-market auction were to spread, the likelihood that the location would change was extremely low. Even I couldn¡¯te up with a more optimal auction site than the Merchants'' Guild headquarters.


    Sarkegar, being a noble, had to attend victory celebrations and parties, so for the time being, he would not be able to leave the imperial pce. He informed us that he had to attend an event that Monday, but would make up an excuse from Tuesday onward to join up with the rest of us.


    It was highly likely that the prisoners would arrive through the gate in the Badelz district, and Loyar was currently monitoring it.


    Nheless, Eleris and I were watching the endless procession of the triumphant army just in case, alert to any possibilities.


    ***


    It was Monday evening.


    Near the imperial city, the streets would be bustling with people, and bursts of firework-like magic could be heard from afar¡ªperhaps a disy put up by the mages.


    Free alcohol and food were being distributed, so the streets were overflowing with people intoxicated by the victory as well as with drink. Strangers were sitting at tables on the street, striking up conversations, and many were hugging and dancing.


    The miraculous survival of Princess Charlotte De Gradias was, of course, one of the key topics of conversation. The valor of Artorius, the greatness of the allied forces, and the near-miraculous survival of the princess were all reasons for the public jubtion.


    There were also rumors about Charlotte having be a superhuman.


    For the moment, it seemed Charlotte was too obsessed with finding Baalier to focus on the power struggle. In fact, Vertus had said that Charlotte was on the path to self-destruction, and to some extent, I found myself agreeing with that statement.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s only right that the princess bes the empress!


    ¡ªYes! Exactly!


    ¡ªAnyone who was able to survive such hardships must surely be blessed by the gods!


    It was bing more and moremon among the popce to hear statements that the princess should be the empress, and there was hardly anyone that would counter the argument. The popr support was overwhelmingly in favor of the princess.


    The princess, having been abducted and taken into the demon world, and was then rescued dramatically, was also the sole survivor.


    Charlotte¡¯s story was just toopelling. There was nothing about Vertus that couldpete with that narrative. While there were hints that he might be a Swordmaster, that was still yet toe in the future, and bing a Swordmaster, albeit a great feat, would have little significance, as the Demon King was already dead. With the Demon King dead, there was no ce for a Swordmaster to fill.


    While apelling story was not the key factor in deciding the next ruler of the empire, it was clear that if Charlotte, who held the majority of the public support, did not ascend to the throne, immense conflicts would naturally arise.


    At the present moment, my personal opinion was that Vertus was more capable. However the public was on the side of the princess, and her power base was not significantly smallerpared to Vertus. The current situation regarding the imperial session favored Charlotte.


    From the victory celebration that was currently underway, it was evident that the citizens of the empire wanted Charlotte as their next ruler.


    Of course, we were unconcerned with such matters.


    Having confirmed at the end of the victorious army¡¯s procession that there were no prisoners under escort, we had crossed over into Mapo district. At the meeting point, we mingled among the joyous, heavily-intoxicated pedestrians.


    ¡°It¡¯s free, all free! Eat and drink to your heart¡¯s content!¡±


    Many inns and restaurants had spread tables outside their storefronts, independent of the festival organizers, generously giving away food and drink in celebration of the victory.


    The Demon Realm had been humanity¡¯s ancient foe. The sheer fact that people were now eternally liberated from their fear of demons was enough for people to distribute free food and revel in joy.


    If one had lived their entire life in the imperial city, they would never have even seen a single hair on a demon¡¯s head, and would never expect to in the future. Where, then, did their fear and hatred of demons originate from?


    Well, it¡¯s true that people fear what they do not know. And the Demon Realm would certainly have been nning to conquer the human world as well.


    We took our seats at an empty table. Loyar was hooded, Eleris had applied a bit of disguise magic, and I had not bothered with any subterfuge, since I had transformed into apletely different appearance from Reinhart¡¯s.


    Loyar spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed the arrival of several carriages covered with ck clothing through the Badelz gate.¡±


    ¡°Did you manage to see what was inside?¡± I asked.


    Loyar nodded. The surroundings were incredibly noisy, and Eleris applied some soundproofing magic on top of that to ensure that no one would overhear our conversation.


    Since this matter was unrted to the Rotary Club, we had decided to make this ce our contact point.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything, but the smell and sounds were enough to judge. The targets are confirmed.¡±


    Loyar had always had an exceptionally keen sense of smell and hearing.


    ¡°... Are you really a dog?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a bad thing... but... it¡¯s just... You always deny it, but you really are too simr to a dog, you know?¡±


    Giving a paw, having a good nose, sharp hearing, and sleeping sprawled out anywhere like a stray dog¡ªit was as if she were a dog in human form.


    Loyar frowned, while Eleris covered her mouth andughed.


    ¡°Your Highness, she¡¯s not a dog. Just someone who resembles a dog,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    At Eleris¡¯s teasing, Loyar¡¯s face reddened, then paled. It seemed Eleris found a bit of joy in subtly tormenting Loyar.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t mind it, it was just a joke. Anyway, you¡¯re sure, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Though the contents of the carriages had been visibly concealed, Loyar¡¯s acute sense of smell and hearing allowed her to deduce that the many of the carriages that arrived via the Badelz gate were indeed carrying demon prisoners.


    Loyar continued to report her observations.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the triumphant army, but the carriages were all under heavy guard. People seemed curious about the carriages, and didn¡¯t seem to know what they contained.¡±


    They probably assumed they were spoils from the Great War, and indeed, spoils of war would certainly have been transported that way. Among them, a few of the carriages contained prisoners.


    ¡°Most of the carriages seemed to be moving towards the imperial city, but I also confirmed that some were heading towards the Merchants'' Guild headquarters.¡±


    Loyar must have ascended a high vantage point to observe the procession of carriages. Of the carriages that should have gone to the imperial city, some had been diverted towards the Merchants'' Guild premises.


    ¡°There were a total of thirty carriages. Given the size of the carriages, as well as the sounds and smells, my estimation is that, on average, each carriage carried about five individuals.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re talking about approximately one hundred and fifty people...¡±


    Thanks to us having identified the location of the auction in advance, we were able to deduce which gate the prisoners would be escorted through, which had proved to be very effective. Thirty carriages meant that approximately a hundred and fifty prisoners would be traded on the ck market.


    However, Loyar shook her head at my estimate. ¡°No, my lord, I estimate it to be about a hundred.¡±


    ¡°Why? Were there actually fewer?¡±


    ¡°Not fewer, my lord. About ten carriages were carrying other things aside from the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Other things?¡±


    ¡°It seems that not only prisoners will be traded on the ck market.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see. That makes sense.¡±


    Carriages carrying other spoils from the Demon Realm were entering the Merchants'' Guild in addition to those with prisoners. So there were twenty carriages with prisoners and ten with other spoils.


    It wasn¡¯t just prisoners being traded on the ck market; spoils of war smuggled out from the Demon King¡¯s pce were also up for grabs.


    ¡°Hmm... If they¡¯re diverting prisoners, that¡¯s understandable, but if they¡¯ve also diverted other spoils of war, then it¡¯s possible that all this was done without permission from the imperial pce... Or, are these items that the pce has decided are eptable to be sold?¡±


    The likelihood that the imperial pce was not involved with this ck market affair increased slightly. Alternatively, the items being sold might be items the pce had little interest in. In either case, the chance that the imperial pce was unaware of this ck-market auction was still rather slim.


    Most of the carriages transporting prisoners were headed for the imperial pce, and that was beyond our ability to intervene.


    However, depending on our actions, the approximately hundred-or-so prisoners destined for the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s ck market could either be rescued or massacred.


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that we have preliminary information to urately assess the number of prisoners, at least. What about the security situation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed that security is tighter than usual. There were more than ten guards at every entrance and exit of the Merchants'' Guild¡¯s headquarters building, and although they are all disguised as mercenaries, they definitely do not have the air or demeanor of ordinary, run-of-the-mill soldiers.¡±


    A force of highly-skilledbatants disguised as guild guards was already protecting the headquarters. Whether they were knights or not, it would be difficult to break through their defenses with force.


    And, of course, there would be mages inside as well.


    ¡°Alright... Now we have to make it so that the Order of the Holy Knights is forced to raid the ce...¡±


    If we did not intervene, the demon prisoners would end up leading lives as ves, but they would at least be alive. As such, I did not know whether it was right to take the risk and possibly endanger their lives in the process of trying to grant them freedom.


    Ultimately, though, I had to make a decision as thest leader of the Demon Realm. I had no intention of rebuilding the Demon Realm, but was determined to rescue them.


    I was gradually realizing that a leader should not only debate what is right or wrong, but also make decisions and carry them out wlessly.


    Could I endure it if everyone was massacred by the Order of the Holy Knights due to the failure of this operation? Could I mentally cope with the oue, considering that countless lives could vanish because of this one foolish scheme?


    Some might prefer to sacrifice their freedom just to remain alive...


    Well, I did not know. Therefore, I kept my thoughts simple.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to find a way to pass this information to the Order of the Holy Knights without getting caught.¡±


    I had to seed.


    My ability would turn this thought into reality. Though Icked such power, at least for the moment, I could calm my heart with this belief.

 Chapter 67

    <h4>Chapter 67</h4>


    The Order of the Holy Knights returned together with the triumphant army. Their return was celebrated in a manner different from the grand triumphal procession of allied forces that was hosted by the emperor.


    Although the Order of the Holy Knights formed a significant part of the allied forces, they were the armies of the five temples that made up the Divine Cult of the Almighty, and for the emperor tomend their achievements would imply that he was taking on a role that was supposed to be reserved for the gods.


    Therefore, the Order of the Holy Knights returned to their headquarters to beuded and blessed by the High Priests of the five temples of the Divine Cult of the Almighty. All of the religious leaders were personally present at the headquarters for this victory celebration as honored guests.


    The main bases of each of the five temples were located in different ces, and only the Temple of Alse, the god of war, was situated in the imperial capital, Gradium.


    The five leaders of the Divine Cult of the Almighty that were dedicated to the war god Alse, the sun god Shm, the moon god Mensis, Ouen of purity, and Riter of courage hade to the capital. Once they had finished their speeches of praise and blessings for the Order of the Holy Knights, they would join the emperor for the subsequent events that marked the victory celebration.


    The reason for holding the first day of celebrations separately was not due to any political tensions, but rather due to purely religious considerations.


    Under normal circumstances, the Order of the Holy Knights, having fought a tremendous war and returned home, would celebrate their victory and enjoy some much-needed rest and rxation, though not indulging in excess. The religious leaders would also be expected to join the emperor to rejoice and share in the glory of the triumph.


    ¡°Hmm....¡±


    Yet, amidst this peaceful, warm, and festive atmosphere, where everyone was supposed to be happy, I was nning to cause considerable trouble between two powerful factions: the Order of the Holy Knights and the imperial family.


    The act of keeping demons as sex ves was not only legally wrong, but also tremendously heretical from a religious standpoint. It would be surprising if the Order of the Holy Knights and religious leaders present did not fly into a rage if wealthy individuals and nobles of the empire sought to purchase such ves.


    There was no need to wait for the auction¡¯s starting date, since I had no interest in cing the despicable imperial nobles attending the auction under arrest. Now that the prisoners were known to be in the possession of the Merchants¡¯ Guild, the Order of the Holy Knights could raid the ce immediately, without any issues.


    We were still sitting at a table in the bustling street, discussing our options.


    ¡°There are two methods: leaking information to the Order of the Holy Knights or spreading rumors to the public,¡± I said.


    Eleris and Loyar nodded in agreement. The options were either to leak information directly to the Order of the Holy Knights, or to spread rumors among the civilian poption so that they would eventually reach the ears of the Knights.


    ¡°With the former, we can expect a sure response, but it will raise suspicions about the person who sent the information. Considering the actions we¡¯re about to take, the Order of the Holy Knights might guess that demons were behind the leak, whether it¡¯s an anonymous letter or something else,¡± Eleris exined, and Loyar nodded along.


    Since we were set on doing something risky anyway, it may not matter if they suspected the informants to be demons, but avoiding any unnecessary trail leading back to us would still be best.


    ¡°Spreading rumors could lead to the assumption that the information was leaked unintentionally, which draws less suspicion towards the source. However, in this case, we can¡¯t specify when the Order of the Holy Knights will catch wind of the rumor and act upon it,¡± Eleris continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, once the rumors start, it¡¯s possible that those running the ck-market auction would act before the Order of the Holy Knights does,¡± Loyar added. ¡°They would be the most sensitive to such gossip, and they might change the location of the auction or even cancel it altogether.¡±


    I nodded in agreement with Loyar¡¯s opinion.


    Thistter method carried the disadvantage of not knowing when the Order of the Holy Knights might take action. By the time they responded to the rumor, the auction could already be over.


    ¡°Direct contact ensures a definite effect but leaves the ¡®tail¡¯ behind by providing a letter as evidence, while spreading rumors eliminates this ¡®tail¡¯, but makes the events more unpredictable,¡± I pondered aloud.


    Both methods had their pros and cons. If I could use the Preview function, I might be able to see what would happen in the future, but it wasn¡¯t something I could use at will.


    [You cannot use this function right now.]


    Every time I tried to use it, the same message would pop up.


    Damn it. I had a way to cheat, but I couldn¡¯t use it at will. They shouldn¡¯t have hinted that it was even a possibility if it was going to be like this.


    An uncertain but safer path, or a certain but slightly more dangerous one.


    I decided that predictability was a little better.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with sending the letter to the knights. If the ck marketeers or imperial side takes action first, we may not even get the chance to try our rescue n.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Both of them nodded, indicating that they would follow my decision.


    ***


    Leaking information to the Order of the Holy Knights wasn¡¯t a difficult task. We just had to send an anonymous letter to them.


    The day after the parade, we regrouped with Sarkegar and set the letter to the Order of the Holy Knights on Tuesday, informing them that beginning from Thursday, a ck-market auction for demon prisoners would take ce at the headquarters of the Merchants¡¯ Guild.


    We spent the entire Tuesday monitoring the movements of the Order of the Holy Knights. Eleris and I chose a spot where we could observe the giant temple that made up the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights from a distance, while Loyar and Sarkegar kept an eye on the area around the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters, where significant activity could also potentially ur.


    The district belonging to the Order of the Holy Knights, Roznok, was analogous to the Yangcheon<i> </i>district ifpared directly with Seoul. If any escort troops were to head there from the Mapo<i> </i>district, they would need to cross the bridge from Gangbuk<i> </i>to Gangnam.


    Eleris seemed particrly tense, possibly because we were close to the heart of the forces that wielded divine power¡ªthe very energy that was most dangerous to her.


    ¡°There don¡¯t seem to be any odd movements,¡± Eleris noted.


    More than six hours had passed since we sent the letter. Considering we had sent dozens of copies to make sure it wouldn¡¯t be ignored, it was improbable that it hadn¡¯t been taken note of.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible they¡¯re questioning the credibility of the letter. They might be discussing it internally,¡± I suggested.


    Sending armed forces to the Merchants'' Guild was a matter that would indeed require internal deliberation, and dispatching troops on the words of an anonymous letter of unclear origin would be considered reckless. Their hesitation was understandable.


    It appeared they were still having internal discussions.


    Since we did not know when they might take action, Eleris and I moved regrly to different unobtrusive spots nearby to keep watch. It was easy to blend in during the daylight hours due to the crowded streets.


    The issue would bete at night. One by one, the people returned home, leaving only the heavily-intoxicated who had copsed in the streets. When the streets finally grew eerily quiet, Eleris and I hid ourselves in an inconspicuous location along an alleyway.


    ¡°It seems they won¡¯t move today...¡±


    It was already deep into the night. It was toote for any action to be taken.


    ¡°Your Highness, it might be best for you to head back,¡± Eleris suggested.


    There wasn¡¯t much I could do by staying, and the situation would only be more dangerous. While Eleris was right, I couldn¡¯t just leave. If a crisis urred and I wasn¡¯t around to address the situation, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Revise function.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my duty to watch over this situation.¡±


    I expressed my intention to stay¡ªperhaps a bit forcefully¡ªto Eleris.


    ¡°Besides, at this hour, the magical trains have stopped running, so going back now is more of a hassle.¡±


    It was sote at night that it would be more difficult to go back to the Temple or anywhere else. It was easier to spend the night right there.


    Understanding this, Eleris hid us both in the shadows.


    Even with a grand festival during the day, the night was still night. The empty streets were filled only with the asional drunken babble.


    And then...


    <i>Clomp</i>,<i> clomp.</i>


    The sound of heavy footsteps carried over to us from afar. Eleris and I exchanged nces. She peered out from the alleyway and then nodded at me.


    In the deep of the night, the Order of the Holy Knights had begun to move.


    ***


    Since it was night, there was no crowd to get lost in. Eleris cast an invisibility spell over the both of us, and we followed them at a safe distance.


    ¡°They might detect the magic so we can¡¯t get too close,¡± Eleris whispered in a hushed tone, and I nodded in agreement.


    These were undoubtedly veteran holy knights. Nearly two hundred holy knights of the Order, fully armed and equipped, were marching. Each knight was adept at casting divine spells, and they could heal their wounds and continue fighting in the event of a battle. Having experienced Adriana¡¯s healing spells firsthand, I could imagine how formidable that power was.


    Two hundred such powerful beings were now on the move. And they were likely the elite forces, too.


    Two hundred masters of weapons and divine power were enhancing themselves with divine energy and preparing for battle. If injured, they could heal themselves, and even if they ran out of stamina, a single divine spell could restore them to optimal condition.


    These holy knights seemed more like zombies¡ªa creature more fitting of the term ¡°zombie¡± than zombies themselves.


    They were something more than the undead.


    Two hundred of the elite holy knights, so-called ¡°human tanks,¡± were heading toward the Merchants'' Guild¡¯s headquarters. If they shed with the guards there, chaos would ensue.


    ¡°What about Sarkegar and Loyar?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I sent a familiar to them.¡±


    With no equipment capable of two-way magicalmunication, Eleris was apparently using a familiar to ry messages remotely. The pair keeping watch over the Merchants¡¯ Guild would soon receive information about the approaching contingent from the Order of the Holy Knights.


    Soon enough, the knights began to cross the bridge that spanned therge Irine River, and we followed behind them.


    It was reassuring to see the n unfolding as expected. However, their moving at night made me uneasy.


    ¡°Why would they move at night?¡±


    ¡°Maybe their internal discussions finishedte,¡± Eleris spected.


    ¡°That could be the case... but they must also consider the matter urgent for them to act at this hour.¡±


    It was arguably better for us that they were marching at night. Since Eleris¡¯s powers grew stronger under the cover of darkness, the sess rate of our operation increased.


    Certainly, if the Order of the Holy Knights had mobilized during the day, it would have caused a major disturbance. A sh with the Merchants¡¯ Guild with so many people in the streets would surely expose the details of the operation to the citizens, and the intent to sell demon prisoners on the ck market would have been disclosed.


    If that were the case, the tarnishing of the empire¡¯s reputation would be a given.


    Was the Order of the Holy Knights moving out at night in consideration of the empire¡¯s reputation? Perhaps they wished to swiftly conclude the matter unseen,te at night.


    Yet, this affair could have elevated the Order¡¯s honor. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to handle it publicly?


    From a broader perspective, there was no denying that it would be better for the Order of the Holy Knights to take care of the situation quietly, however...


    With these questions in mind, I continued to trail the two hundred marching holy knights.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll give this back to you.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t forget to temporarily return the me of Fire to Eleris.


    ***


    Fortunately, the midnight march continued all the way to the front of the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters. I had worried that they might be heading elsewhere, but everything had gone ording to n so far.


    We found a spot to observe the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters from a distance away. Eleris pulled me close and used a levitation spell to reach the rooftop of a building that we had chosen as our surveince point.


    Loyar and Sarkegar were already concealed there, keeping an eye on the situation. Despite the invisibility spell that cloaked us, Loyar seemed to notice our presence and nodded in our direction, indicating that she could discern our location by scent and sound alone.


    With Loyar¡¯s senses, we didn¡¯t need to see the scene unfold with our own eyes.


    ¡°Surprisingly, there¡¯s nomotion,¡± Eleris noted, and the rest of us nodded.


    One would expect loud denouncements about sphemy and whatnot, but that was not the case here.


    Loyar shook her head.


    ¡°The voices are hushed, but there¡¯s definitely an argument taking ce,¡± she conveyed.


    ording to Loyar, they were deliberately avoiding making a scene, but the content of the discussion was still grim.


    ¡°They have received information that an underground market will be operating here, trading in demon prisoners. ¡®In the name of the gods, if you are innocent, you will not interfere with our search. Should the allegations be proven false, the Order of the Holy Knights promises to formally and respectfully apologize to the Merchants'' Guild.¡¯¡±


    It seemed Loyar could hear the entire conversation taking ce, even at that distance.


    ¡°The guards don¡¯t seem willing to give way easily.¡±


    Of course, the guards were not about to readily allow a search, even when confronted by the Order of the Holy Knights. That much had been expected.


    Loyar remained quiet for a while, perking up her ears and focusing on the conversation. In order to not disturb her, the three of us kept silent and just watched, curious about how the dialogue was transpiring.


    <i>Shing</i>!


    From afar, the clear ring of numerous people drawing their weapons rang out. It wasn¡¯t totally unexpected that a fight would break out.


    ¡°The guards have ultimately given way to the knights.¡±


    The guards, who had refused ess, were now faced with armed knights of the Order with drawn weapons and had no choice but to open the gates.


    There was no legitimate reason to deny the knights of the Order entry. The guards were simply pretending to be guards of the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters, and if they shed with the knights of the Order, the holy knights would im the desecration of the faith as justification, and the empire would have too much exining to do, starting with why members of their active forces were disguised as Merchants¡¯ Guild guards.


    The guards must have finally reasoned out that everything would be over if a confrontation with the knights urred. Of course, the moment they allowed entry and handed the prisoners over, things would essentially be over for them, but in a different way.


    Anyway, the Order of the Holy Knights had gained entry, and now, I had to prepare for my role.


    There was a possibility that the Order of the Holy Knights might execute the prisoners right there on the spot without escorting them back. That was the biggest concern everyone had at the moment.


    [Activating ¡®Revise¡¯.]


    Making things happen that wouldn¡¯t have happened, or preventing things that were about to happen...


    ¡®<i>The Order of the Holy Knights will transport the demon prisoners held at the Merchant¡¯s Guild¡¯s headquarters to their own headquarters without harming or killing any of them.</i>¡¯


    [Unable to use ¡®Revise¡¯.]


    <i>¡®... What?¡¯</i>


    The message that appeared before my eyes made my heart sink.


    They didn¡¯t even mention needing a specific number of achievement points, and just said that the function was unavable.


    Seeing that message left my mind temporarily nk. I knew that events with excessively low usibility required an enormous amount of achievement points, or they could not be brought about at all. Was this one of those cases?


    Did this mean that the Order of the Holy Knights had not considered any option other than ughtering the demon prisoners out of indignation for the attempted auction?


    ¡°Your Highness, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Eleris asked with concern, sensing something amiss in my demeanor.


    ¡°Oh, nothing... Just worried. What if they... decide to kill all the prisoners...?¡±


    I deflected her question, but my deflection was also the truth. I had intended to use the Revise function to create the scenario in which the Order of the Holy Knights would escort the prisoners to their headquarters, should they decide to execute them.


    Live prisoners could be used as evidence, to demand an apology from the empire. Therefore, it was necessary to keep the prisoners alive in order to pressure the empire.


    That was why I believed that saving the prisoners would be a usible event, but could I have been wrong? If so, I had made a terrible mistake. Because of my choice, the prisoners, who could have been saved, might now be executed on the spot.


    Cold sweat ran down my spine. What was I supposed to do? Should I use the Revise function in another way to save them? But how?


    The only far-fetched idea that came to mind was to cause the ground to copse beneath them, allowing the prisoners to escape through tunnels. But that was obviously ridiculous.


    After some time had passed, Loyar grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Your Highness, please be at ease,¡± she whispered. ¡°The Order of the Holy Knights are escorting the prisoners out.¡±


    At those words, I felt my mind go nk for a second time, as I realized why I hadn¡¯t been able to use the Revise function.


    I could only make something that wasn¡¯t going to happen, happen.


    But there was no reason to use Revise on something that was already going to ur.


    My attempt to use the Revise function was redundant because the events transpired exactly the way I had wanted to happen.


    The Order of the Holy Knights had never intended to kill the prisoners in the first ce. That was why I hadn¡¯t been able to use Revise.


    My misunderstanding about the Revise function had caused this sudden mix-up.

 Chapter 68

    <h4>Chapter 68</h4>


    The Order of the Holy Knights was extracting the prisoners, passing through the clearly displeased guards. In the face of the unquestionable justification that the Order of the Holy Knights held, the guards had no chance of stopping them.


    Someone with considerable power was likely in charge down there, yet they seemed powerless and unable to say anything. A chain of demon prisoners was winding its way out, even after they had denied their existence. They would have no defense if put on a religious trial for sphemy.


    The empire would surely seek to avoid this incident blowing up any further, and would likely attempt to cut their losses.


    The Order of the Holy Knights may have cornered the empire, or at least those involved in the incident, by exposing a significant weakness. Whether they would immediately publicize this or negotiate in order to gain something from it was unknown.


    But what was important to us was to stop the Order of the Holy Knights before that and never let them get the opportunity to use the prisoners as evidence.


    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve found all the prisoners,¡± Loyar whispered, and I signaled to Sarkegar with a nod.


    ¡°Good. As nned, proceed to seize control of the warp gate, Sarkegar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    Sarkegar began to stealthily move across the rooftop and then suddenly transformed into a ck bird, soaring into the sky.


    ¡®<i>What in the world? A bird? He can do that too</i>?¡¯


    ¡°... He¡¯s able to do that as well?¡± I whispered, caught off-guard.


    Even in the midst of the serious situation, Eleris couldn¡¯t help but crack a small smile at my dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°He¡¯s not necessarily limited to transforming into beings with intelligence,¡± she whispered back.


    ¡°Then, could I do it too?¡±


    The thought struck me¡ªwith a ring that allowed me to harness the power of the dreadfiend race, surely I could also manage such a transformation?


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rmend it. I presume it would be extremely ufortable and awkward for you. You probably won''t be able to move well.¡±


    Eleris seemed to think it would be difficult for me to adapt to the changes in body structure. The dreadfiend species must receive special training to be proficient in such transformation magic.


    Although I might not be able to move properly, the mere fact that it was possible for me was enough. Whether or not there woulde a day when I would utilize it remained to be seen.


    ¡°Approximately a hundred individuals in total. It appears they are about to depart,¡± Loyar whispered.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s also make our move.¡±


    The destination of the knights of the Order was undoubtedly their headquarters. It was an event that was destined to happen. That was why the Revise function did not work.


    Therey a distinct w in the Revise function. If an event was bound to ur, one couldn¡¯t use the function. With this information alone, I would now be able to know the future without using any achievement points.


    Of course, the annoying ¡°candy vendor¡± probably wouldn¡¯t allow me to exploit loopholes like this, and would take measures to stop this should I resort to this method.


    Nevertheless, there was no need for us to follow the contingent of knights from the Order.


    As we prepared to depart, Loyar rose, then suddenly halted in her tracks.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I whispered, noticing Loyar¡¯s pause.


    Without responding, Loyar just stood there, concentrating quietly as if there was still something left for her to hear.


    After staying still for a long time, Loyar grimaced and said in a normal tone, ¡°It seems that the Order of the Holy Knights has a slightly different agenda than what we thought.¡±


    With that, Loyar began to leap across the rooftops.


    ***


    Eleris conjured magic to transport me while Loyar moved through shadows, and all of us swiftly headed to the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights. We were to attack them as they were passing by the warp gate.


    Sarkegar would be disguised as one of the soldiers guarding the warp gate. I wasn¡¯t sure whom he had swapped with, but I had instructed him not to kill anyone, so he must have opted to knock them out, or use some other method of distraction.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is time for you to stay out of sight,¡± Eleris advised once we reached the ambush site, implying that it was no longer safe for me to be present.


    ¡°Okay, got it. But what was that earlier, Loyar?¡±


    I nced at Loyar. Her face was still twisted, as if she had heard something distasteful.


    ¡°As they took up escort positions around the prisoners and left the vicinity of the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters, those guys were snickering,¡± she exined.


    ¡®<i>What?</i>¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean? They wereughing?¡±


    ¡°They said there was plenty to ¡®share¡¯ now...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so naive as to miss the meaning of that. What was this about sharing? What were they nning to divide amongst themselves?


    ¡°That means that there was already something to share to begin with, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    Prisoners had not only been diverted to supply the ck market. The Order of the Holy Knights themselves had also been secreting away humanoid demon beings such as subi.


    ¡°When one of their subordinates questioned what they would do if this became an issue or they got caught, one of them, whom I presume to be the leader of the contingent, responded that they could just im it was for the sake of demonic research. They suggested that the other members of the allied forces and the empire would do the same thing. They also said that intercepting the prisoners who were bound to be sold as ves like this was the best thing to do...¡±


    Loyar¡¯s disgust towards the Order of the Holy Knights was apparent.


    It wasn¡¯t just the royal family or the Merchants¡¯ Guild. Even the Order of the Holy Knights was holding demon prisoners. It was now clear that various allied forces had been gradually siphoning off these prisoners. And if they got caught, they had prepared the excuse of possessing them solely for research purposes.


    When it came to the ck-market auction, the intent was clear¡ªto sell them. This provided no room for excuses, and the seizing of the prisoners by the Order of the Holy Knights was perfectly justified.


    I finally began to understand why the Order of the Holy Knights had mobilized at night. If this news got out, not only would the empire¡¯s reputation be tarnished, but it might also reveal the fact that other groups had been allotted demon prisoners. And among them, the Order of the Holy Knights, a group that was supposed to be precisely against exactly such a thing.


    Of course, if this truth came out, they would officially im to have been holding the demons for research purposes to get away with it. But everyone would know that they were hiding their true purpose for them.


    Whether there were excuses prepared or not, it wasn¡¯t necessary to let this secret be public knowledge.


    Thus, the Order of the Holy Knights had deployed in the dead of night to swallow the prisoners whole. They wanted a minimal number of witnesses to this act.


    In the end, things technically did unfold as I had nned. They weren¡¯t executing the prisoners, and were taking them to the headquarters of the Order.


    All other excuses seemed futile as I<i> </i>observed their actions.


    They hade up with a suitable excuse to seize the ves from the ck market, under the guise of condemning sphemy. They argued that it was eptable for them to possess the prisoners, when it was actually not so, given their impure motives.


    ¡°I guess things turned out as expected... but the process was absolutely despicable.¡±


    Ultimately, I had overestimated their piety.


    ***


    Even if we rescued them, the number of prisoners we saved would merely be a drop in a bucketpared to the many others that were still under human control. The demon prisoners were being held within the allied forces¡¯ camps as well as in the custody of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    The number of prisoners that could be rescued from the auction was insignificant. It was impossible to free them all since devising a n just to extract about a hundred of them had already required an enormous effort.


    After delegating the tasks, I climbed a hill a distance away. It was far, but from this vantage point, I would be able to get a general sense of what was going on if amotion broke out.


    I decided to use the Revise function onest time.


    [Activating ¡®Revise¡¯.]


    ¡®<i>Today, all demonic prisoners being escorted, along with Sarkegar, Eleris, and Loyar, will safely escape through the warp gate.</i>¡¯


    [You need 2000 achievement points to trigger this event.]


    A great escape seemed usible, but ensuring everyone¡¯s safety while doing it was a bit less likely. The high cost suggested the event¡¯s improbability, but I didn¡¯t hesitate to use the Revise function. There was no reason not to use it.


    [You have used 2000 achievement points.]


    Only then did I feel relieved.


    Though I was unsure how the things I left out would pan out, I was assured that that night¡¯s operation would conclude sessfully.


    -<i>sh</i>!


    And then, I saw it.


    A massive column of me burst forth, towering high above the courtyard in front of the Order¡¯s headquarters.


    So this was the kind of havoc that Eleris, wielding the me of Fire, could wreak.


    The magnificent mes that shot into the sky began to swirl about.


    A Firestorm, on an immense scale, began to unfold.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    Following the blinding light, a storm began to brew that seemed to rip apart the very atmosphere.


    ¡°No, this can¡¯t be right...¡±


    ¡®<i>That spell is supposed to be a distraction, right? A tactic to minimize damage and create chaos to aid their escape. That¡¯s the n, right?</i> <i>It¡¯s not some kind of a n to obliterate both the prisoners and the Order of the Holy Knights as a whole, is it</i>?


    ¡°It seems like she¡¯s going too far with this...¡±


    Were the Order of the Holy Knights so detestable that she intended to annihte them all?


    I never knew Eleris was this type of person on the inside and firmly resolved never to get on her nerves.


    ***


    It was like a descent into hell.


    <i>Rumble</i>!


    As the tremendous firestorm erupted, the knights of the Order realized that something extraordinary had just happened.


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mage!¡±


    ¡°Everyone get ready!¡±


    ¡°What... What in the world!? A spell of this magnitude? All of a sudden?!¡±


    The two hundred holy knights were trapped in the massive firestorm, together with the hundred prisoners.


    And at the center of the firestorm, there was a woman.


    She wore a hooded robe that covered her face, clutching something akin to a pendant, and had woven a disguise spell to hide her identity within the robe. She was the one controlling the firestorm.


    The idea of a mage who could wield magic of such scale without any casting time was nearly unfathomable, and many of the knights of the Order were pushed to deny the reality of the situation, even as they were witnessing it.


    <i>Roar</i>!


    From one side of the storm, a silver beast emerged with a roar loud enough to swallow even the sound of the firestorm.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just one of them!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s demons!¡±


    ¡°A werewolf!¡±


    The devilish howl of this monstrous creature was causing the muscles of those who heard it to stiffen¡ªa power known as Roar.


    ¡°Stay calm! There are only two of them!¡±


    The lycanthrope moved like lightning, charging at the knights of the Order and sending them sprawling, and suddenly, the warp gate positioned inside the firestorm became active.


    The mage simply looked at the prisoners and pointed toward the gate, without offering a detailed exnation or any desperate cries.


    ¡°Flee.¡±


    The prisoners immediately understood the simple message. Though they were puzzled by the appearance of the mage, the arrival of the lycanthrope had confirmed their hopes.


    The prisoners realized that someone was trying to save them.


    ¡°The prisoners are their target! Stop them!¡±


    <i>Bang</i>! <i>Boom</i>! <i>Bang</i>!


    These holy knights were veterans, after all. The lycanthrope was using its considerable bulk and nimble movements to knock aside the Order knights escorting the prisoners, but some had instantaneously reinforced their bodies with divine power and were striking back.


    All of them carried the formidable title of ¡®Survivor of the Great War¡¯.


    <i>Boom</i>! <i>Boom</i>!


    However, the encircling firestorm, as if alive,shed out at those who attempted to prevent the lycanthrope¡¯s advance. The holy knights engulfed in mes did not die due to their protective magics, but they couldn¡¯t avoid being repelled by the force.


    The lycanthrope, with its ferocious onught, threatened to demolish everything in its path, and it was aided by a mage of tremendous power.


    However, facing them were two hundred veterans of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°May Alse¡¯s blessing be upon our swords and bodies!¡±


    <i>sh</i>!


    Glowing with an intense light, the holy knights, imbued with sacred power, charged toward the mage.


    There were only two of them to eliminate.


    Although they had been momentarily flustered, the knights, now amplified by massive protective magic, would not be routed by two mere enemies.


    But then...


    <i>Rumble</i>, <i>rumble</i>, <i>rumble...</i>


    Something began to emerge from the activated gate. It grewrger andrger, starting to take on a distinct form.


    <i>Rumble! Rumble!! </i>


    Like bubbles frothing, the bizarrely-expanding mass soon began to take the shape of a lizard with gleaming ck scales.


    A hint of disbelief shed across the eyes of the charging holy knights.


    Amidst the towering firestorm, a winged lizard, which seemed only to exist in legends, revealed itself.


    ¡°A dr-dra... dragon?¡±


    <i>ROOOOOAAAAAR</i>!


    The lycanthrope¡¯s earlier roar seemed pitiful inparison.


    A Dragon Roar, powerful enough to shatter eardrums, rushed towards the holy knights.

 Chapter 69

    <h4>Chapter 69</h4>


    At the southern edge of the empire, near the borders of the Kernstadt empire,y the Dairatanis Forest.


    There, I stood facing a ruined warp gate, three demons, and a total of one hundred and seven demon prisoners.


    The rescue mission had been sessfully aplished.


    The destroyed warp gate was surrounded by a forest, and there were no guards or security forces in sight.


    After all, this warp gate was an abandoned one that was no longer being maintained. Choosing a metropolis as our destination for the escape would have been problematic, so we had made the escape to a warp gate that was currently out of service.


    The warp gate in front of the Order of the Holy Knights was not a mega-gate, so it could not be used for long-distance travel. The size of each gate determined the travel distance that was allowed. Gates came in three sizes: standard gates,rge gates, and mega-gates. Fortunately, the gate in front of the Order of the Holy Knights was arge gate.


    Nevertheless, we had traveled an incredibly long distance.


    After our sessful escape, Eleris had destroyed the warp gate and then teleported me here.


    "Everyone has survived, Your Highness."


    "Good. You all did a great job."


    Sarkegar and Loyar were both safe as well.


    The battle itself had notsted long. As soon as the dragon appeared, the Order of the Holy Knights were frozen stiff by the unbelievable situation they were facing, and during that time, the prisoners had sprinted through the warp gate as fast as they could.


    If the battle had dragged on, the three of them would surely have been in danger.


    The prisoners, unable to understand what was happening, wore expressions that were a mix of both relief and fear.


    However, something felt wrong.


    I was a demon myself, adorned with horns, but I couldn¡¯t see any horns or tails on the subi or incubi. They seemed no different from humans.


    Well, that was that. Anyway...


    [Event Complete - Rescue Demon Prisoners]


    [Rescued Number of Prisoners: 107]


    [You have received 5350 achievement points.]


    I had used 2000 achievement points, and had now secured over 5000 points.


    Sarkegar, Loyar and Eleris began untying the bewildered prisoners.


    It seemed best to start with some introductions.


    "I am Baalier Junior. Since the previous king has passed away, I suppose I should now simply be addressed as Baalier.¡±


    When they heard my words, all the demon prisoners who had seemed doubtful began to kneel, one after another.


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    Many of them started to weep and bow down to me.


    It was as if they had all been in despair, thinking that everything was over, and had suddenly found a ray of hope.


    While all the rest of them knelt, there was one person who did not.


    "Baalier...? You¡¯re Baalier?"


    The woman staring nkly at me seemed to be doubting her own eyes.


    "H-Her Highness, the Princess?"


    Sarkegar¡¯s shocked reaction only added to my astonishment.


    ¡®<i>Princess</i>? <i>I thought I was the only Archdemon left in the world. Aren¡¯t I</i>?¡¯


    ***


    I soon learned why Sarkegar had called her a princess.


    "She is the daughter of the Subus Queen, Reyna, who was previously one of the Four Demon Lords."


    "Ah... is that so?"


    The Subus Queen, and one of the Four Demon Lords.


    I didn¡¯t set up the Demon King properly in my novel, so I didn¡¯t know much about him, let alone the Four Demon Lords. One of them was the Subus Queen, and this person, the daughter of that queen, had recognized me.


    Judging by the familiar tone she used with me, it seemed that being of the Four Demon Lords¡¯ bloodline was akin to being royalty.


    The subus looked to be about my age in human terms and had pink hair.


    <i>¡®Pink hair? Seriously?¡¯ </i>


    Seeing it in person was quite strange. It seemed to suit her, but the feeling of aversion that arose in me was no joke.


    The subus adjusted her ragged clothes as she approached me and stood before me. She seemed hesitant, and her expression betrayed her confusion.


    Was she nervous about the situation?


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m Airi. You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    The subus who introduced herself as Airi seemed astounded that I couldn¡¯t recognize her.


    "Princess Airi, the Prince has lost almost all of his memories from his time in the Demon Realm."


    "... Why?"


    ¡°How should I know?" I said.


    The pink-haired subus seemed stunned by my words.


    The girl who called herself Airi looked slightly perplexed.


    ¡°Did you know me from before?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what memories I should have that you might be referring to, but I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t remember anything about myself.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Airi¡¯s expression turned peculiar, and so did the expressions on the faces of the many subi behind her.


    ¡®<i>What¡¯s going on? What did I do to these people? Was the fact that I lost my memory a good thing</i>?¡¯


    Still looking confused, Airi¡¯s eyes darted about before she finally nodded reluctantly.


    "Regardless of what happened... Thank you for rescuing me. I never thought you would be alive... I¡¯m d you are.¡±


    Airi seemed to believe that I had died a while ago. Indeed, the original Baalier seemed quite pathetic. He might have done nothing but run around crying ¡¯Do you know who I am?¡¯ before having his head chopped off.


    ¡°Alright, fine. I see what you¡¯re saying. How about we go over there and speak, away from the others?"


    I led Airi to one side of the forest. I could feel her trailing me hesitantly. I was not sure what our rtionship was, but it seemed like we definitely weren¡¯t on good terms. It felt as though she was being overly cautious around me.


    "Just like Sarkegar said, I¡¯ve lost all my memories from my time in the Demon Realm, and I don¡¯t even want to remember them. If I did something terrible to you, I¡¯ll apologize."


    Apologizing for things that I couldn¡¯t remember was almost bing a habit at this point. But at those words, Airi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    "No, it¡¯s fine... You don¡¯t have anything to apologize for. Rather, I should be the one to...¡±


    Midway through her sentence, Airi gave a startled jump and cupped her hand over her mouth.


    ¡°... Hm?" I questioned.


    "Ah, well, uh... um..."


    ¡®<i>What is it</i>?¡¯


    Her reaction waspletely different from what I¡¯d expected. It seemed like she was incredibly shocked simply by the fact that I had saved her.


    The way she kept looking at me did not seem to suggest fear. Instead, it seemed as though she thought I¡¯d be thest person to save her.


    "Wait a minute. Did you physically abuse me in the past or something?¡±


    "Ah, uh, n-no, I can... I can exin..."


    <i>¡®Yep, she definitely did beat me up.¡¯</i>


    While I was usually the one who abused others in the past, it seemed like my rtionship with Airi was quite the opposite.


    "I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry!"


    Airi lookedpletely flustered, as if she couldn¡¯t believe she had been rescued by someone she used to pick on.


    ***


    Airi trembled continuously as she exined to me that she and I used to be something akin to childhood friends before the Great War.


    To be precise, it wasn¡¯t so much friendship as it was her just bullying me. Whenever I acted like a hooligan, wreaking havoc wherever I went, Airi would beat sense into me, a kind of abusive discipline. In fact, since Airi was treated like royalty despite being of a different race, she had the power to do so.


    Hence, it seemed that I either ran away in terror at the sight of Airi, or only dared to provoke her when the Demon King, my strong backing, was around.


    This meant that we had a mutual hatred for each other, but in reality, I was often on the receiving end of the beatings.


    Just as I treated Loyar like a pet dog, I must have terribly tormented the young subi as well. And every time Airi saw this, she got so angry that she would beat me up.


    She had been allowed to do that because of her status as the daughter of the Subus Queen, which distinguished her from normal subi.


    The Subus Queen was the second of the Four Demon Lords.


    Therefore, in the hierarchy of the Demon Realm, Airi was the daughter of the third most powerful figure. That was why she was able to dole out harsh punishment to the Demon King¡¯s son when he got out of line.


    Airi, too, had a very high status in the Demon Realm. In the new hierarchy, where I was the Demon King, she was third in rank behind me.


    All of the Four Demon Lords had perished during the war, and Airi had been taken prisoner after their defeat.


    Naturally, she assumed that the Demon King¡¯s son, Baalier, whom she¡¯d always had a troubled rtionship with since childhood, was dead. So, being rescued by that very Baalier was something she found hard to believe. Now that I told her that I had lost my memories, it seemed like the situation made more sense to her.


    "Let¡¯s put the past behind us. I don¡¯t even remember the past, so I can hardly seek revenge for it. And I¡¯ve heard enough to know that I probably deserved those beatings anyway."


    ¡°Ah, um...¡±


    Airi seemed unable to refute my words, and I began to wonder exactly how much of a <i>mangnani </i>I¡¯d actually been.


    I might not have been <i>that </i>terrible of a person, considering she was around to discipline me. Or so I hoped.


    "Let¡¯s cut to the chase. Do you know the detailedposition of the prisoners we rescued?"


    "There are eighty-five subi, fifteen incubi, two lycanthropes, three doppelgangers, and two nightwalkers."


    The majority were subi and incubi. I wasn¡¯t sure what nightwalkers were, but all the others were likely humanoid demons.


    "What about their strength? I¡¯ve heard that the humans have done something to them."


    At this, Airi clenched her eyes shut as if the question had triggered a raw and painful memory.


    "Why? What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Ah... you said you¡¯ve lost your memories, so that exins it.¡±


    Airi gave me a look as though I should know what she was talking about, but then she remembered that I had lost my memories, and lifted her pink hair slightly.


    Hidden beneath her long hair was a gruesome scar on the side of her head that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. It seemed as if something had been torn out.


    "The humans... they cut off all our horns and tails.¡±


    So it wasn¡¯t that they were naturally without horns... The humans had forcibly removed the horns and tails of the subi and incubi to neutralize their powers.


    Tears fell from Airi¡¯s eyes as she recalled the humiliation she had suffered.


    Airi exined that, for many demons, their horns were the source of their magical power. This meant that now, without her horns, Airi had lost all of her magic, and any potential for its growth.


    All the subi and incubi had lost all of their inherent abilities and characteristics. This included the power to absorb vitality and enter the dreams of others¡ªall of it was gone.


    "They don¡¯t grow back... or do they?"


    "They can, but it takes an incredibly long time... It¡¯s virtually as good as gone. But there¡¯s more; we were all subjected to a certain procedure."


    "Procedure?"


    "Human mages destroyed all of our internal mana conduits. Even if our horns grow back, we wouldn¡¯t have the means to harness that magic... We¡¯ve been rendered powerless."


    It was all an effort to create safe ¡¯toys¡¯ for the wealthy humans and the nobility to y with. They not only destroyed the source of the demons¡¯ mana, but had also obliterated their ability to control it. The mages had sessfully disabled these prisonerspletely.


    Even though she was a high-ranking demon, and was now the Subus Queen, Airi had lost all her power and potential for growth.


    "I¡¯m sorry, Baalier... What you did for us, saving us, it¡¯s something I can never forget... Thank you. I¡¯m so grateful that I want to help you in return... but all of us have lost our powers and are now useless.¡±


    Airi began to cry, sitting down in despair. The prisoners were all demons who had once possessed formidable powers, and Airi, being the Subus Queen, would have been particrly strong, or at least had the potential to be strong.


    But they had all lost that potential. It seemed that Airi was drowning in guilt because she knew she couldn¡¯t repay the debt she owed me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t save you to put you to use in the first ce."


    Airi looked up at me with tearful eyes. ¡°What?"


    "I didn¡¯t rescue you because I had some purpose in mind."


    That was the truth. While earning achievement points was a big part of it, it had merely been a secondary factor.


    I, who had little interest in the reconstruction of the Demon Realm, had only agreed to the operation because Eleris, Sarkegar, and Loyar wanted to make the attempt.


    Inciting a rebellion in the imperial capital with a hundred demon prisoners had never been my aim.


    The loss of their powers was a sad affair for them, but their rescue was not something they needed to feel indebted to me for.


    "You guys are free to do what you want. You can return to the Dark Land, or do whatever it is you need. My only goal was to free you all, so there¡¯s no need to follow any orders from me now."


    If they chose to return to the Dark Land, Eleris would send them back using Mass Teleport.


    Airi, who had not expected such words from me, gazed at me for a long while, a stunned expression on her face.

 Chapter 70

    <h4>Chapter 70</h4>


    <i>There¡¯s no need to follow my orders. So if you want to return to the Dark Land, you can go back.</i>


    After instructing Airi to ry the same message to all the prisoners, I met with Sarkegar, Eleris, and Loyar in a secluded area.


    ¡°Good work, everyone. Nobody got hurt in the end, so everything went as nned.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Your Highness¡¯s excellent strategies and bold decisions.¡±


    Sarkegar offered me yet another tteringpliment, and Eleris was smiling as well.


    ¡°To be honest, we were lucky, Your Highness. They were frozen in shock for quite some time when the dragon appeared during the surprise attack,¡± Sarkegar said.


    ¡°Yes, it was indeed a surprise, even for me.¡±


    In reality, it wasn¡¯t a real dragon that had actually appeared; it was just Sarkegar, who had transformed into a dragon.


    Dragons were creatures of legend, and there were no eyewitness ounts that described them. Hence, Sarkegar could only manifest what was thought to be the shape of a dragon, drawn from images.


    It was possible that dragons did not exist at all, and if they did, no one knew whether they resembled themonly known image of one or not.


    If the holy knights hade to their senses even a little faster, we might not have been able to recover some of the prisoners, or either Loyar or Eleris might have been badly injured or killed.


    I felt a chill thinking about what could have happened if I hadn¡¯t used the Revise function to ensure everyone would be safe. Fortunately, the oue was good.


    ¡°I heard you let the prisoners decide their own fate.¡±


    I nodded at Loyar¡¯s statement.


    ¡°If returning to the Dark Land means they can live in peace, then let them be. There¡¯s no need to force them to follow me.¡±


    After all, sneaking nearly a hundred people into the imperial city without being noticed was beyond what I could manage. Moreover, they had all lost their magical powers.


    It was hard enough to take care of myself, let alone protect all of them.


    Therefore, returning to the Dark Land, where the influence of humans was rtively minimal, was probably the best course of action for them.


    ***


    A whileter, after hearing from Airi that they had finished their own discussions, I returned to where the prisoners were gathered.


    They all had somber expressions on their faces. They had probably learned through Eleris and Sarkegar what I was up to¡ªinfiltrating the imperial capital by attending sses in the Temple in order to reconstruct the Demon Realm.


    The idea that they were nothing more than a burden, that there was nothing they could do but watch as their prince undertook such a dangerous task in the heart of the enemy territory, seemed to make them feel pathetic.


    ¡°So, have you all made a decision?¡± I asked.


    Airi nodded in response.


    ¡°Almost everyone has chosen to go back to the Dark Land.¡±


    Airi seemed apologetic for being unable to offer anything in return for the risks I¡¯d taken to rescue them. Her sorrow seemedpounded by the fact that she had hated me and abused me tremendously in the past.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sorry. Go back to the Dark Land, and you can live without worrying about fighting or war anymore.¡±


    Moved by my consideration, they began to shed tears. They would be sent to the far border regions of the Dark Land, to ces untouched by humans.


    Their pride and identity as members of a high-level demon race had disappeared along with their horns. There were other races present as well, but it seemed they too had determined that they could not be of any help.


    It was clear that living freely in the Dark Land would be better than living as ves to humans.


    ¡°I will go ahead and prepare the spell then.¡±


    Eleris began to prepare the Mass Teleport spell. Considering the number of demons and the fact that it was night, it would take two casts of the spell to send all of them to the Dark Land.


    After roughly an hour, Eleris had managed to send most of the prisoners to the Dark Land.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With that, I was left staring nkly at those who remained.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys leave?¡±


    About ten subi, along with Airi, had remained behind and were looking at me.


    Wait a second.


    I recalled Airi saying that ¡°almost everyone¡± had chosen to return, implying that some had decided not to go.


    Airi spoke up on behalf of the group. ¡°We¡¯ve chosen not to return.¡±


    ¡°... Well, if you don¡¯t return, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I may be of no use and no help in battle, but I am still royalty of the Demon Realm. When I see you putting in so much effort here, I cannot simply return to the Dark Land and conveniently forget everything that happened.¡±


    Airi seemed to think that since I was working my butt off while undercover in the heart of the empire, despite my past as a disreputable character, she too, as a member of the Demon Realm¡¯s royalty, was obligated to try to be of some help to me. The other ten who stayed seemed to share the same sentiment.


    This was absurd.


    I understood their desire to show loyalty and their eagerness to repay their debt, but what use was staying behind? What were they going to do?


    ¡°We have lost all our powers. We know we can¡¯t be of much help. But we still have our bodies¡ªour final weapon.¡±


    ¡°... And what do you n to do with that?¡±


    Airi looked at me with resolve on her face.


    ¡°To survive in the human world, we need money.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that.¡±


    ¡°And sometimes, just the existence of a tremendous amount of money can be a threat to the human world.¡±


    I was not sure if they were implying that the empire was about to be plunged into a financial crisis or something, but such an event<i> was</i> possible.


    But what exactly were they trying to say?


    ¡°Baalier, we¡¯re going to start a business.¡±


    ¡®<i>... Huh</i>?¡¯


    Did I hear them right?


    ¡°Achieving great sess in business and gaining control over the empire¡¯s wealth would be of great help in rebuilding the Demon Realm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Your Highness the Princess is indeed admirable. I am truly in awe of your vision.¡±


    Sarkegar was nodding furiously as if utterly convinced by her words.


    ¡°Once we have regained sufficient strength, if we control the continent¡¯s financial power in a war with humans, we could surely win without fighting. Or, we could cause division and chaos within the empire. In this past war, we relied on brute force, but next time, we must use every means avable to us.¡±


    As I listened to Airi¡¯s words, the expression on Eleris¡¯ face became increasingly bizarre.


    The look on Eleris¡¯ face was one of utter disbelief as if she were wondering, ¡°What nonsense is this bitch feeding my child?¡±


    A Subus Queen, who belonged to a high-level demon race, was advising us that, in order to bring down the empire, we should seize control of its financial power.


    I understood the point that it was perfectly fair to use any means to take down the empire, but wasn¡¯t this advice rather undemonic? Instead of smashing the empire with power and magic, they were talking about inducing an economic depression...?


    And yet, she had a point. There was some truth in those words.


    But what did that have to do with them choosing not to return to the Dark Land?


    ¡°Uh... True, that does make sense. But you know I don¡¯t have the skill nor the talent when ites to business and finance, right? Plus, I¡¯m currently a student at the Temple, so I don¡¯t have the time for that. Moreover, from what I understand, starting a business requires a substantial amount of capital, and we¡¯re not exactly rolling in money.¡±


    Sure, if we started looking into crime or using Eleris¡¯s magic for illegal activities, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to start gathering money. But I wasn¡¯t about to get involved in that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that part.¡±


    Airi seemed to already have considered the issue of capital. She pointed at herself and the other subi who had remained.


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If we sell ourselves as ves to humans, we will be able to raise a huge amount of money. That can be used as the start-up capital...¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your damn minds?!¡±


    Was this some sort of twisted joke? I had rescued them so they wouldn¡¯t have to be ves, and now they were telling me they wanted to sell themselves into very to make money? What utter nonsense!


    In response to my outburst, Airi began to sob.


    ¡°But this is the best I can do!¡± she cried. ¡°In this situation, I¡¯m utterly useless, and this is the only way I can be of any help to you! If I can get revenge against those human bastards by letting my petty pride be trampled upon, then I would do it ten times, a hundred times over!¡±


    ¡°Stop it, just stop!¡±


    Perhaps because of what I had done for them, Airi even seemed ready to die if Imanded it. She seemed to have forgotten all about the past.


    ¡°Baalier, we¡¯ve made up our minds. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a small price to pay for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm. So please...¡±


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    Behind her, the other subi were prostrating themselves and repeatedly imploring me tomand them.


    ¡°Shut up all of you!¡±


    I had enough of this nonsense.


    Regardless of how I shouted, the subi continued to plead tearfully, begging to be sold as ves.


    This was pure madness.


    ***


    After I had gone to great lengths to save the subi from the ck market, these few had rediscovered their hope for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm, and had decided not to return. Instead, they were choosing to be ves again.


    Most of them had returned home, but Airi and the remaining ten had decided to repay the favor they owed me by engaging in such a bizarre course of action, aiming to use their sacrifice as a stepping stone to seize control over the finances of the empire for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    Wasn¡¯t it far too bizarre for them to reach such a conclusion? Having subi sell themselves at a high price to acquire capital, and then take control of the empire¡¯s financial infrastructure to create chaos during the next war¡ªit was quite the narrative.


    I obviously could never permit such a thing.


    Sarkegar seemed to think it was an interesting idea, but after seeing my genuine anger, he closed his mouth.


    It seemed these subi were in despair over the loss of their powers, and perhaps they were trying to prove their worth in some way.


    The more I thought about it, Airi¡¯s proposed idea of seizing control of the empire¡¯s finances sounded usible¡ªthat is, assuming I had a huge talent inmerce and finance. Which, of course, I didn¡¯t.


    I never paid attention to things like stocks in the past and knew nothing about that kind of stuff.


    Seeing my anger at her suggestion, Airi began to ponder other possibilities.


    ¡°Then, what if we work at a brothel and send you a certain amount of money every month? It wouldn¡¯t be arge amount, but still...¡±


    ¡°... Why does your mind always go down that sort of route? Can¡¯t you think of something beyond that?¡±


    Why did her ideas always swing in that direction? Was it some kind of subus trait? The thought of receiving money that was earned by them selling their bodies every month would make me want to die.


    I was certain it would do more harm than good.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that you¡¯ve lost your horns and tails, but you look human enough to blend into human society properly. If you really want to help me, don¡¯t ever do that kind of work, ever. Instead, find a proper job. You¡¯ll have to work further away from the capital for safety reasons, and you¡¯ll need new identities.¡±


    Of course, I was aware that subi grew stronger by absorbing vitality through such acts, but since they had lost their powers, wasn¡¯t that impossible for them now? If that ability was no longer avable to them, there was surely no reason or need to earn money that way.


    ¡°Us... working proper jobs?¡±


    Her question, as if such a thing was unheard of, made me sigh.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s impolite to say this to subi, but I really don¡¯t want you to work in such... fields. And I don¡¯t want money obtained that way to fall into my hands either. Loyalty is important, and so is the reconstruction of the Demon Realm, but ultimately, the Demon Realm is for demons, and not the other way around. If you want to help me, just leave me out of it and find your own way of living, okay?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! Without the Demon Realm, the demons will cease to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Your Highness...¡±


    Sarkegar tried to interject but shrank back after being rebuked by me.


    My suggestion to the subi that they find their own happiness rather than pledge loyalty to me made them well up with tears.


    It was like everything I did had the opposite effect.


    They perceived me as nothing other than a benevolent ruler, so no matter what I said, it would merely strengthen their loyalty to me.


    ¡®<i>No! I¡¯m not a benevolent ruler; I sincerely just want you all to do what you want and live your lives! It¡¯s just so bothersome!</i>¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you all are capable of, but there¡¯s plenty more out there you can do. Seriously, what¡¯s stopping you from driving a cart orying bricks?¡±


    The thought of a Subus Queen doing manualbor seemed somehow inappropriate, even if it was probably the right decision.


    ¡°But it seems unlikely that such jobs will raise enough capital for us to gain control of the empire¡¯s financial system any time soon...¡±


    Her point, that such jobs would only earn them pennies and that it would take forever to umte any substantial wealth, left me speechless.


    ¡°That was just an example. You can do anything else, just not <i>that</i> line of work. I¡¯m fine whether you run a tavern, an inn, a transportation business, or whatever.¡±


    The thought of a subus family business transforming into a transportation empire on the continent almost made meugh, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. Airi pouted and remained silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.


    She seemed somewhat disappointed that I had tly rejected her idea of self-sacrifice.


    ¡°Okay... Baalier. I don¡¯t know about anything else, but I promise not to do the work that you find distasteful.¡±


    The Baalier of the past would have felt a tremendous sense of triumph that the ¡®bully queen¡¯ would make such a statement in front of me.


    To me, though, Airi¡¯s behavior was just burdensome.


    ¡°In any way I can, I will be a person who can be of help to you.¡±


    Her expression when she said that, as if she would really do anything I asked, made me ufortable.


    Of course, I clearly understood that she meant she would find some other way to be helpful since she couldn¡¯t assist me with strength.


    However, she was after all a subus... And a queen as well...


    She was royalty, and so was I...


    ¡®<i>Hmm... I wonder if she can help me with something else...</i>¡¯


    <i>¡®Ah, no, what am I thinking? I have to get my head out of the gutter!¡¯</i>


    This body of mine was still underage!

 Chapter 71

    <h4>Chapter 71</h4>


    Airi made several promises to me. She agreed not to plot any dangerous activities without informing me first, and not to start anything without a n to conceal her identity from humans.


    The most important thing was her status. I advised her to secure a solid identity, preferably in a small town on the outskirts rather than in the capital or any of the major cities of the empire or other sovereign states.


    Loyar and Eleris provided me with specific information on this aspect.


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what Airi intended to do, she seemed to have understood the significance of what I¡¯d said. With Eleris around, we could also periodically meet via teleportation.


    ¡°First and foremost, you must dye your hair.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah... okay.¡±


    Her pink hair stood out too much.


    Even though she had been held captive during the ck-market auction, it was certain that some people had taken notice of her. It was fortunate that her true identity as the Subus Queen hadn¡¯t been exposed. If it had been, she would not have been part of the prisoners being sold on the ck market in the first ce.


    Of course, only a very few people had actually seen subi with their own eyes. If she went to a remote city in the empire, I was sure her identity wouldn¡¯t be revealed. The signs of her severed tail and horns were unlikely to be noticed unless someone deliberately looked for them, and even if they were seen, they looked more like serious scars than the remnants of horns.


    ¡°First, we need to decide where you should go.¡±


    Airi had told me that she would start gathering money in order to begin the n to control the financial system of the empire. Honestly, I thought it was impossible, but Airi seemed to need a goal right now.


    She had to do something to ovee her despair. Therefore, even while I thought it was impossible, I encouraged her to give it a try.


    I pondered where to send Airi so that she could conduct her business¡ªor essentially do anything else¡ªwithout revealing her identity.


    I gave it some thought.


    ¡°We should target a ce with many strangers passing through. Somewhere with a lot of traffic. Then it won¡¯t be suspicious if someone new appears all of a sudden.¡±


    Loyar nodded in agreement with my suggestion.


    ¡°Yes, in a small vige where everyone knows each other, a new arrival would indeed draw suspicion. A city with many neers means it¡¯s likely going to be a trading hub.¡±


    Everyone agreed with Loyar. A city that acted as a trading hub would have arge transient poption, making it easier for Airi to conduct business.


    A trade city would be a transportation hub. All cities with mega warp gates essentially served this function, and attracted travelers who traveled through both standard andrge-sized gates.


    To use Seoul¡¯s metro system as an analogy, the mega warp gates acted like transfer stations¡ªnaturally, they were where the crowds converged.


    Transportation hubs were invariably cities with mega warp gates.


    ¡°Mega warp gate locations are too convenient in terms of transportation. Someone from the empire could easily get there directly after just a few transfers through the gates.¡±


    We had to consider all the possibilities.


    ¡°Are there any maritime trading hubs that don¡¯t have gates? Even a terrestrial trading hub without a gate would suffice.¡±


    There were a tremendous number of warp gates in the empire, but that was only feasible <i>because</i> it was an empire. Further away from the capital, there were still many towns without warp gates, and there definitely were towns that still conducted their trade over long distances using carriages. Of course, a ce without a gate would have rtively less money circting through it and would not be so good for business, but safety was our biggest priority.


    I didn¡¯t have an imperial map at hand, so I couldn¡¯t consult it to make a decision.


    ¡°How about the Edina Archipgo?¡±


    Was there such a ce? I didn¡¯t remember writing about it. There were so many things here that were new to me, and I had juste to ept what I did not know. Indeed, there was more that I didn¡¯t know about this ce.


    However, if it was an archipgo, it definitely had to be an ind.


    ¡°Where is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ind nation located beyond the southern seas of Kernstadt. It¡¯s so far away that no gates from the continent connect to it. I heard that it relies solely on maritime trade with Kernstadt. Although there are gates connecting the inds to one another, from what I recall, there are no gates connecting it to the maind.¡±


    ¡°An ind, you say...¡±


    If that was the case, even if Airi¡¯s identity were to be revealed, it would take a while for the empire to track her down, given the great distance. It was likely that no one there would have a big interest in the internal affairs of the empire due to its remoteness.


    Although the economy there might not be robust, my intention wasn¡¯t for her to be a major economic power¡ªjust for her to feel that she was engaged in something meaningful.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Airi nodded in response.


    ¡°If the inds themselves are connected by gates and foreign trade is conducted exclusively through maritime routes, then the most bustling port city among those inds will be where the goods are concentrated. That ce would certainly have a substantial poption.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure about the exact size of the poption there, but they probably wouldn¡¯t be calling themselves a nation if only a handful of people were living there.


    Airi nodded, indicating that she felt reassured by the idea of heading to that location.


    However, there was still something that worried me.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She confidently asserted that she was willing to try her hand at something. Given that she appeared to be about my age, she was essentially still considered young¡ªa thought that filled me with a sense of pity.


    But my concern wasn¡¯t about whether she thought it was okay.


    ¡°The people in port cities can be rough; that¡¯s what I meant.¡±


    Sailors had to be sharp to avoid an early demise, which was why many of them tended to be rough and hot-tempered. Gangs often wandered the docks, not just because that was where the goods were concentrated, but also because the way coastal life itself was structured mandated a harsh way of living.


    I had no idea what kind of business she was nning, but likely she¡¯d be dealing in goods, and having subi for employees...


    It seemed like a recipe for an endless series of headaches, even without me witnessing it firsthand.


    ¡°Ah... My powers have weakened substantially, and although I might not develop the means to control my mana anymore, I¡¯ll soon recover my physical abilities.¡±


    She was implying that, despite her current weakened state, her physical strength would return soon. It seemed that other subi didn¡¯t need to worry about this either.


    ¡°Do you think you can handle those people?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Loyar said, as if she knew what preupied me.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... If I must say, you can consider Her Highness the Princess to be akin to your older training sister.¡±


    ¡°Older training sister?¡±


    When she said ¡®older training sister¡¯, did she mean it in terms of kinship, like an elder brother or younger sister? Why did she suddenly mention our rtionship out of nowhere?


    And did that mean that Airi was older than me? An older sister?


    ¡°Yes. Both you and Her Highness the Princess were instructed in swordsmanship by Sir Larken Simmernstait, the first of the Four Demon Lords.¡±


    ¡®<i>Who was she talking about now</i>?¡¯


    ¡°... Oh really? But then why can¡¯t I remember how to use a sword at all? Is it because I¡¯ve lost my memories?¡±


    I didn¡¯t have the slightest inkling or muscle memory of swordsmanship, and my skills were still ssified as pseudo-swordsmanship.¡¯


    Of course, it would still be strange if I remembered how to fight despite having no other memories, but if I had been taught, shouldn¡¯t there at least be some evidence of that, some kind of physical capability?


    Loyar wore a stern expression as shook her head. ¡°Even if you had your memories, there wouldn¡¯t be much to remember.¡±


    ¡°... So, are you saying I just skipped training all the time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hearing that I wouldn¡¯t have been good at swordsmanship even if I had retained my memory was a bit hurtful. Airi''s expression was ambiguous. It must have been tough reconciling her memories of my irresponsible <i>mangnani</i> past with my present self.


    ¡°So, what was it that you wanted to say?¡±


    ¡°If I may say so, Her Highness the Princess was an exceptional student.¡±


    Loyar was basically saying that I didn¡¯t need to worry about Airi, as she was on apletely different level than I was. Loyar was politely putting me in my ce.


    ¡°So, you mean she can take down any tough guy with her strength alone, without needing her mana?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... yes, basically...¡± Airi responded.


    Although weaker than before, she was still the Subus Queen, and it seemed she had also trained her physical abilities consistently.


    Right. She must have been proficient inbat if she¡¯d been able to scold and abuse the <i>mangnani </i>Baalier.


    We might have studied under the same person, but while I had skipped ss, Airi had trained diligently.


    So, in this situation where everything had been lost, there was at least one dependable aspect she could rely on.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s settle on that ce, then. It¡¯s a pity there¡¯s no way for you guys to contact us from there if anything happens, but it¡¯s still much better than being somewhere within the reach of the empire.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what they could do, but my hope was simply that they would live quietly and not get discovered.


    Considering the things I did at the Temple, I really wasn¡¯t one to talk, though.


    For now, Eleris agreed to take care of the ten subi and one Subus Queen, taking them under her wing like children abandoned by the river. They would need some starting capital as well, so Loyar decided to support them and passed that sum of money on through Eleris.


    Eleris began casting Mass Teleport to send me, Sarkargar, and Loyar away.


    ¡°The atmosphere in the imperial city will be tense, Your Highness. It would be best to return directly to the Temple.¡±


    I nodded. Eleris, who was capable of doing so many things with magic, would also be away from her shop for a while, helping Airi.


    It would be better to return to the Temple and stay out of trouble. Airi looked at me with aplex mix of emotions.


    ¡°People reveal their true selves when faced with a crisis,¡± she said slowly.


    The term ¡®people¡¯ referred to all intelligent life forms with human-like consciousness, so using the word to describe me wasn¡¯t necessarily incorrect.


    ¡°And why do you bring that up?¡±


    ¡°You said you lost your memory... but if this is your true self...¡±


    Airi ced her hand on my shoulder, looking at me with a smile.


    ¡°You have all the qualifications to be our king.¡±


    It seemed as if Airi hadpleted her reevaluation of me and hade to trust me.


    A stranger, who once harbored feelings of animosity and dislike toward me, had ended up cing her trust in me.


    Perhaps because the oue was all that mattered, I felt indifferent as to whether she trusted me or not. Airi was the Subus Queen, and depending on her growth, she could be a powerful ally of mine.


    However, she had lost her potential for growth for now.


    Gaining another ally was a good thing, and there was no reason for me not to be pleased by it.


    ¡°They said you¡¯re my older training sister.¡±


    ¡°Well... yeah. Although we did not learn much together.¡±


    She and I had shared the same master, and we were both royalty of the Demon Realm.


    ¡°Take care. And let me know if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    The Demon Realm wasn¡¯t my real homnd, nor were Airi and I truly siblings.


    However, even though I had no personal rtionship with her, the mere fact that this body shared a past with her made me genuinely hope that she would do well.


    ***


    After having heard that demons were being traded in the ck market, I had undertaken a rescue mission, and in the end, we managed to save a total of a hundred and seven demons.


    Furthermore, among them was a Subus Queen, who, like me, belonged to the demonic royal hierarchy. If I hadn¡¯t been there, Airi would have suffered a horrific life. Therefore, Airi wasn¡¯t content with receiving my help without giving anything in return; she too wanted to contribute somehow.


    Thus, Airi would begin her business in a port city in the Edina Inds, south of Kernstadt, a ce unknown even to me, the author.


    The conclusion to this incident seemed somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic, but if I could secure an elixir to restore Airi¡¯s condition, the story could take a different turnter on.


    Of course, it was still uncertain when or if I would be able to acquire such a thing.


    Even though I was not clear about the specifics of what it meant to be a Subus Queen, she was one of the Demon Realm¡¯s Four Lords.


    Even Eleris, with her overwhelming magical powers, was not one of the Four Demon Lords. That could mean that Airi¡¯s potential was even greater than Eleris¡¯s.


    Although Airi¡¯s wish seemed to be to reconstruct the Demon Realm, all I hoped for was to have one more strong ally on our side when the gate was breached. When that time came, the situation would be so dire that the need to differentiate humans from demons¡ªor anything else¡ªwould disappear.


    After these various events, I had ultimately gained an ally, the Subus Queen. Since she was heading to a ce without gates, I could only visit her via Eleris, but it was reassuring that she would be in a safe ce.


    ***


    The next day...


    The head dormitory supervisor was addressing us in the main hall of the Temple, where all the students who remained on campus had been assembled.


    ¡°Effective immediately and until further notice, all students are forbidden from leaving the Temple. Inform any students that are returning to the Temple as well.¡±


    Amidst the unsettled atmosphere, the Temple had issued a lockdown order. Not long after the Glory Festival, a terrorist attack¡ªpresumed to be the work of demons¡ªhad urred within the imperial capital.


    There were no fatalities, but the Order of the Holy Knights had been attacked in the dead of night, and many witnessed the massive Firestorm that had painted the night sky bright red.


    The students who had already returned to their homes would likely be unaware of this news, but they too would be prohibited from leaving the Temple until the situation was resolved, if they returned.


    Consequently, there weren¡¯t many of us left at the Temple.


    I was aware that what I had done was far out of the ordinary, and I fully anticipated the repercussions that could follow.


    ¡°They say the whole festival¡¯s been canceled.¡±


    Connor Lint¡¯s statement was met with a nod from Kaier.


    ¡°That makes sense. It¡¯s not an ordinary incident, after all.¡±


    In the original story, the Glory Festival would havested a whole month.


    Yet now, it had ended within just a few days. The crowds that had gathered for the festivities were naturally engulfed in an atmosphere of terror, following the unexpected terror attack.


    The festival was supposed to be a grand festival to celebrate the elimination of demons, yet this incident had urred right in the middle of the imperial city. This act was worse than sttering filth on the emperor¡¯s face. Since the demons had apparently escaped through a warp gate, the empire would do everything to track them down.


    Along with that, all the incidents rted to the ck-market auction would alsoe to light.


    The fact that groups had diverted the captives in transit and had been trying to set up an auction on the ck market, and that other demons were the ones who had mounted the operation to rescue the captured ones, would eventually be revealed.


    The fact that demons had been allowed to infiltrate the imperial city so easily, and the empire¡ªwhich had proimed forcefully the need to eliminate demons¡ªhad been trying to sell them as sex ves, would surface.


    What I had done was essentially take the empire¡¯s honor and trample it into the ground.


    In an instant, the imperial city would be shrouded in mourning, an atmosphere that was likely tost for a long while.


    [Achievement Complete ¨C Crash the Party]


    [The main story has changed because of your actions.]


    [You have received 500 achievement points.]


    Alongside the turmoil, I had earned some achievement points.


    The main storyline had changed.


    I didn¡¯t know what that implied. The grand festival that happened in the imperial city was just a background event and was not part of the main storyline.


    What I assumed the main storyline would be were the incidents that Ludwig went through amid the festivities within the imperial city.


    ¡°How can the demons instigate such an event in the imperial city...?¡±


    I could hear Ludwig¡¯s voice, heavy with tension.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared...¡±


    That was B-9, Delphine Izadra, who muttered in a terrified tone.


    My actions had led to the curfew being imposed on the Temple students, and as a result, the nned incident of ¡®The Kidnapping of Delphine Izadra¡¯ had been erased.

 Chapter 72

    <h4>Chapter 72</h4>


    Originally, Ludwig, carried away by the excitement of the festival, would have spent the entire duration roaming around with his closest friends from ss B, Delphine Izadra and Lanian Sesor¡ªNumbers 9 and 10, respectively.


    Then, in the midst of the bustling crowd, he would be separated from Delphine Izadra. He wouldtere to realize that what he assumed was simply being separated was wrong, and Delphine had actually been kidnapped by thugs. Ludwig would then report the incident to the security forces of the Temple, who tell him to wait at the Temple. Ignoring the advice from the guards to remain at the Temple, Ludwig, along with Lanian Sesor, would set out to find Delphine.


    This was the incident that was supposed to happen in the early stages of the novel.


    Ludwig eventually tracks down the thugs and faces off against them to rescue his friend.


    Surprisingly, he ends up knocking them all out.


    Ludwigcked self-confidence since he was at the bottom of the Royal ss, and no one expected much from him. However, this incident allowed him to demonstrate the true strength he possessed from all his training at the Temple and was an event that portrayed how extraordinary he was, given his superb talent rted to his physical abilities.


    The kidnapping of a Temple student was indeed a serious matter, but this event was essentially a deliberate point in the initial plot that was put in to showcase Ludwig''s considerable strength, even if it ended up sacrificing some of the story''s usibility by suddenly portraying Ludwig as a powerful character.


    Anyway, as a consequence of my actions, the foolish plot twist I had put in had now vanished, which might have actually turned out for the better. It saved Delphine from suffering the terrible ordeal of a kidnapping, after all.


    Of course, this prevented the situation in which Delphine, who was already quite fond of Ludwig, would grow even more affectionate towards him due to the incident. Regardless, though, they had always been close.


    Anyway, this was quite an unusual experience.


    Delphine would have no idea that she had been on the brink of being kidnapped, nor would she know that the whole incident had been wiped away because of some unexpected event.


    She was simply terrified by the fact that the demons had perpetrated arge-scale terror attack in the heart of the empire.


    Technically, I¡¯d done something that eventually worked in her favor, but having to keep quiet and not be able to tell her this felt strange.


    In any case, the whole Temple was in a somber mood because of this earth-shaking event that had urred on the empire¡¯s soil. The atmosphere outside the Temple was surely more somber than that of a house in mourning, and the imperial pce was likely in a state worse than that.


    ***


    "The Demon Realm must not have been entirely destroyed after all."


    "What if an even stronger Demon King is in hiding somewhere? We never saw anything like this happen even during the war."


    It was the next morning, and the students were whispering among themselves, letting their imaginations run wild with spection. If teenagers could have such thoughts, the adults would likely take it further. The mere possibility that the Demon Realm had not beenpletely annihted¡ªnot just that, but that its agents had also orchestrated an event of such a magnitude¡ªsowed great chaos within them.


    The mission to rescue the demon prisoners had ultimately led humans to realize that it was not a time to celebrate their victory over demons. Rather, it was a time to stay vignt against the remnants of demonkind.


    Had this been the right thing to do, or had it inadvertently invited further misfortune upon the Demon Realm?


    Regardless, Sarkegar, Eleris, Loyar, and I had all made a choice.


    We rescued a hundred and seven demons, but this act significantly heightened the humans'' vignce and put them on guard.


    At the moment, there were a total of six people remaining in the ss A dormitory:


    Number 2, Ellen Artorius;


    Number 3, Riana de Granz;


    Number 7, Adelia;


    Number 8, Connor Lint;


    Number 10, Kaier Vioden;


    And then there was me. Except for Number 3, all who remained weremoners who had no particr reason to go back home and therefore had not left the Temple. Number 3 had arge mansion in the imperial capital, and would always leave every Friday to visit. She had gone to stay in her mansion during the lengthy school closure but returned to the Temple the day before.


    Given that a terror incident had urred in the imperial city, it was likely that the Granz family had told her that it was safer to return to the protection of the Temple than to stay in their mansion. That probably exined her less-than-pleasant expression. She wanted to rest in her mansion, but she had been forcibly sent back to school.


    Of course, the break was still in effect, so there wasn''t really anything specific that needed to be done at the Temple.


    Ellen, in spite of the terrorist incident in the imperial city, was training as usual, and I joined her. After swinging our swords for ages in the night on the training grounds, Iy exhausted and sprawled out as usual. Ellen looked at me quietly.


    "Why do you think they did it?"


    Her question came out of nowhere, and I tilted my head in confusion.


    "What do you mean?"


    "The demons. Why would they do something like that?"


    Ellen had not spoken aloud her doubts until now, but she seemed to be wrestling with the question of why the demons had attacked the imperial city. It was unusual for the typically-indifferent Ellen to be concerned with such matters, but she seemed genuinely curious.


    "Well, how would I know that?" I responded.


    Only a few days had passed since the incident, and not many people were aware that the demons had carried out this attack to rescue other demons that had been the object of ck-market dealings. Although other ramifications were bound to arise once the full details became public, something struck me¡ªit was also quite possible that the truth might nevere outpletely.


    "I don''t quite understand why they fought the Order of the Holy Knights," Ellen continued.


    The Order of the Holy Knights countered demons. Not all demons, but the undead types were specifically highly susceptible to divine power. In fact, for Eleris, a vampire, it was the equivalent of facing her deadliest foe.


    "If they wanted revenge, shouldn''t they have targeted a different area, especially if they were able to infiltrate the imperial city?"


    Ellen had many questions.


    Since she was unaware of the demon prisoners, Ellen couldn''tprehend why the demons had attacked the Order of the Holy Knights. Her line of questioning was legitimate, but it was something that most people did not consider.


    The answer was simple.


    ¡®Demons are evil.¡¯


    With this single phrase, numerous people would abandon all attempts at further reasoning. Yet, Ellen, who viewed demons as sentient beings just like humans, raised her concerns from this different perspective.


    Ellen was raising a valid question¡ªif it was about revenge, why hadn¡¯t the demons targeted the imperial city instead of the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights?


    "It seems there¡¯s something we don''t know," Ellen suggested.


    Rather than being outraged by the demons'' actions, Ellen hade to the conclusion that they must have had a purpose for specifically attacking the Order¡¯s headquarters. She seemed certain that there was something hidden beyond what was publicly known. In the end, since Ellen did not fear the demons, she was able to logically deduce that they must have had their reasons for their actions.


    If I were truly a Demon Prince dreaming of reconstructing the Demon Realm, I would consider this the right moment to eliminate Ellen. The most dangerous enemies were not the ones who feared or belittled you, but those who sought to understand you.


    "Whatever it is, it''lle to light soon enough," I mused.


    Honestly, though, the only thought that crossed my mind was that she was quite sharp and clever, and nothing more than that.


    When I thought about it, my actions made me seem quite ridiculous.


    I had led demons in a terror attack on the imperial city, disqualifying myself as a human.


    And yet, I was watching the strongest hero of humankind developing right before my eyes, potentially bing a threat to the Demon Realm in the future, and even praising her. That disqualified myself as a demon too.


    Disqualified from both sides. What kind of person was I?


    ***


    Throughout the ongoing school closure and the lockdown, each day¡¯s activities repeated like a routine. The days were filled with nothing but continuous training with Ellen.


    After morning exercise came breakfast, then training after breakfast followed by lunch, more training after lunch, then dinner, which was subsequently followed by evening training, and even ate-night snack.


    We didn''t conduct separate training or lessons on harnessing supernatural powers. Using supernatural powers became more natural the more they were utilized, but I was currently training with Ellen, who could beat me even if I unleashed my supernatural powers to their full extent.


    Hence, the very act of sparring with Ellen was essentially a continuous application of my supernatural power, eliminating the need for separate supernatural power training.


    Strictly speaking, I was somewhat ustomed to a self-imposed perpetual routine. Most people have to follow the involuntary routine of going to work anding home, which involves a certain degree of passivity and externalpulsion.


    However, as someone who wrote for a living, I led a life where I had to write voluntarily, without anyone forcing me. The results might have been a bit... meh, but still, the point is that I wrote voluntarily.


    Therefore, I had developed the perseverance to do what I had to do each day, without anyone telling me to.


    That routine of writing daily had now transformed into a routine of daily physical training.


    But even though it was possible to craft a routine, it sometimes felt truly maddening. Even as chaos, destruction, and despair boiled over in the outside world due to the demonic terror attack, the Temple was eerily calm, as if in another world.


    So much so that I, the very person responsible for the incident, almost forgot about it as well.


    And so, on the Sunday morning before the day that the normal curriculum was scheduled to resume, I grumbled to Ellen, "Hey, don''t you ever get bored?"


    I considered myself to be strong when it came to perseverance, but she trained every day as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I thought I had patience, but shouldn¡¯t a human being take a break once in a while?


    ¡°?¡±


    Ellen, who was stretching in the lobby in preparation for her morning exercise, tilted her head in confusion. Of course, there were other members of the Royal ss who did their morning training regrly, but the overall number was significantly decreased during the school closure.


    Ellen was one of the few who still continued her daily morning exercise routine.


    "Why do you exercise every single day even when we have so many free days to rx? You''ll wear out your bones if you keep doing that."


    "Why would my bones wear out?"


    Her bewilderedeback made me frown.


    "Ugh, you always have to say something back, don¡¯t you? Never mind."


    "You can leave if you want."


    With an air suggesting that she would leave me behind if I wasted more time on pointless talk, Ellen began to run, and I caught up to her.


    "Hey!"


    I usually did my morning exercises with Adriana, but the ¡®church <i>noona</i>¡¯<i> </i>was currently in the monastery in the capital of the Saint-Ouen Duchy and wasn''t expected back until this evening. So all I could do was follow after Ellen.


    To be exact, this was a test to see if I could keep up with her incredible stamina on my own while channeling my supernatural power all the while by believing that I had monstrous physical abilities.


    Indeed, in the past, I wouldn''t have been able to keep up with her, but this time, I was able to run alongside her for quite a long time. Not only had my physical fitness improved fundamentally, but my supernatural power enhanced it even more.


    It was an impressive level of growth.


    "Hey guys! Keep up the good work today!"


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    As we were running, Ludwig zoomed past Ellen and me like a sh of light. I knew he wasn''t trying to show off, and was just full of spirit¡ªa fact I knew better than anyone. Among all the students in both ss A and B, there was no one with a disposition quite like his, and I was very well aware of that.


    "... Sometimes he can really get under your skin, you know?"


    He was still annoying. Even though I knew his personality best, he was still annoying.


    The author talking about his own main character behind their back¡ªwhat kind of situation was this?


    Crafting the typical hero protagonist who was kind, brave, and unable to stand injustice, and then finding him vexing when he was actually in front of you?


    That''s when I clearly heard Ellen murmur very quietly, "... A little."


    <i>¡®Right? It''s not just me who finds it annoying, right?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 73

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>


    ¡ª<i>Don¡¯t you think that we deserve to rest today? It¡¯s thest day of the holiday, you know? Your body may keep up but if you keep training like this, you¡¯ll start losing hair and start balding. Do you even know how scary that is?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®Balding...?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®That¡¯s right. If you exercise too intensively, your hair starts to fall out. You have to realize that your hair roots are much more important than your life. Now,e with me and get some rest before you regret itter.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®Are you balding?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡®No way! Definitely not! I¡¯ve never balded in my life! I¡¯m just telling you this because it¡¯s better to be careful now, when you¡¯re still young. You¡¯ll thank meter!¡¯</i>


    After finishing up morning training on Sunday, I dragged Ellen out to Main Street without much of a n. She didn¡¯t seem to believe my nonsense theory about hair loss but seemed to resign herself to going along with me due to my nagging.


    Still, she would have tly refused it in the past, and the fact that she was reluctantly following along now made it feel like we had grown much closer. Anyway, one needs a change of scenery every now and then.


    No matter how you looked at it, I was a person with many faces.


    If we turned back the clock a week, I was involved in nning a terrorist attack on the imperial city. After sessfully carrying out the attack, I had then returned to the Temple, where I was now whining and nagging at my ssmates to go out and have fun on the weekend.


    What was I doing?


    ¡°What do you want to eat? It¡¯s on me.¡±


    Since we skipped lunch at the Temple kitchen, we nned to eat first. Going outside the Temple was forbidden, but roaming around inside the Temple grounds was always allowed.


    ¡°Anything but <i>cheonggukjang</i>,¡± Ellen stated decisively, knowing that if she said ¡®anything¡¯, I might choose something horrible for her to eat.


    ¡®<i>What a shame</i>!¡¯


    ¡°... I thought you liked <i>cheonggukjang</i>.¡±


    ¡°I only ate it because I was hungry.¡±


    ¡°No way...¡±


    She clearly did not want to eat it. Strange, I would have thought she might have started to like it by now. Maybe she just needed more exposure?


    <i>Tsk</i>.


    It looked like I needed more time to develop her taste buds into adult ones.


    ¡°So, anything but <i>cheonggukjang</i> is fine?¡±


    Ellen looked at me sharply. ¡°I don¡¯t like weird things,¡± she stated inly.


    Since we both had swordsmanship sses on Tuesday, we tended to eat lunch together. Because of this, she had often suffered through many of my weird food suggestions.


    The durian fruit was a prime example. I wasn¡¯t sure why it even existed in this world, but it did. After trying it, Ellen, who normally would keep herposure, spat it out onto the street. She even braced herself against a wall and retched.


    ¡°What? Weird things? Come on, it¡¯s all part of the experience.¡±


    There were probably dishes like stinky tofu here too, and I really wanted to have her try a variety of exotic foods like that.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like it. You only like weird stuff.¡±


    What I actually enjoyed wasn¡¯t the weird food itself, but her reactions to eating them.


    Keeping up this act for a day or two was fine, I supposed, but if I kept it up, she might actually start hating me.


    ¡°I want to eat beef.¡±


    Ellen decided she couldn¡¯t leave it to me to choose, and went ahead and picked the menu herself.


    ¡°See, you¡¯re finally oveing your indecisiveness.¡±


    I framed it as if my constant suggestions of exotic foods were for her own good, and Ellen started walking ahead of me as if telling me to stop spouting nonsense.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m still hungry. This is not enough.¡±


    ¡°Then just order mor-... no. Actually, let¡¯s not do that.¡±


    I was about to tell Ellen, who had devoured a 400-gram sirloin steak in a sh, to order more when I realized how expensive it was and stopped myself. I felt like my allowance would evaporate if l let her continue eating more.


    ¡°You¡¯re crossing the line if you start gobbling down ten tes of food here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This restaurant we were in was on the Temple¡¯s Main Street and was on the pricier side. Although my allowance was substantial, satisfying her appetite was not just a decision, but required a preparedness on my end to empty my wallet.


    Although she always appeared to have the same expression to anyone else, I could tell that Ellen was disheartened.


    When you actually spent time observing her, she became surprisingly easy to read.


    ¡°Alright, alright! Have another one!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll have a porterhouse.¡±


    ¡°... You really know how to push it.¡±


    I regretted taking her out to eat.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re buying dessert. That¡¯s the unspoken rule around here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After polishing off a very satisfying amount of steak, Ellen nodded readily when I suggested we get dessert. Main Street wasn¡¯t just lined with restaurants; it also had cafes and entertainment facilities.


    I had only established the setting and hadn¡¯t detailed everything that was in it, but now that I was seeing it in person, there was plenty to see.


    <i>ng</i>!


    And for some reason, I could hear a ce that sounded like a batting cage.


    ¡®<i>A batting cage? Really? What¡¯s being used in ce of a pitching machine?</i>¡¯


    Don¡¯t tell me that they used mana stones as a substitute for pitching machines. Well, that would be quite convincing actually.


    And that was not all.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    I wondered what that noise was, and then I realized it was the sound of a bowstring being released.


    ¡ªBullseye!


    There was a shooting range, with bows instead of guns. And it seemed there was also a version with darts.


    How was this any different from the modern world? It felt as if the creators just pped on the most cliched things they could think of, due to ack of imagination.


    On second thought, I guess it was me who wrote it, so never mind...


    Every time I realized that this world was built in an odd medieval-modern fantasy genre, it was like giving myself a scolding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the right way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    We were looking for a dessert shop, but found ourselves walking around the entertainment district, which was full of various different activities. As we were about to turn around and leave, I heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar, but not one I knew well.


    ¡ª<i>Ughhh</i>! No! This can¡¯t be right! Why?!


    From a nearby shop came the exasperated voice of someone young. I could only see their back, but they were visibly trembling as they strained to pull the bowstring back, little by little.


    <i>Twick</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>! I missed again!¡±


    They appeared so frail while attempting to draw the bow without even knowing how to do it properly. It looked both pitiful and frustrating, and it seemed like that person was just wasting their money.


    I moved closer to get a look at the person¡¯s face, and indeed, it was someone I knew.


    ¡°Hey, senior.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    The petite individual was clearly startled by me calling them out, and identally released their hold on the bowstring.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You, you... you¡¯re?¡±


    It was the little brat of a senior, Rudina, who I had once insulted by saying something like her neck would snap if I smacked her.


    ¡°Did youe here alone? Why aren¡¯t your older brothers and sisters around?¡±


    It looked for certain that she was wandering around by herself. Had she been with anyone, they wouldn¡¯t have let this little one tremble and struggle all alone, especially since there seemed to be absolutely no hope for her when it came to archery.


    ¡°They¡¯re not my older brothers and sisters, they¡¯re my friends!¡± Rudina yelled back at me.


    ¡°Why are you yelling?¡±


    Truth be told, I owed her an apology. Not only for my harsh words when she was clearly a vulnerable person, but also because of the duel incident, especially since I¡¯d heard from Adriana how worried she had been about me possibly getting hurt.


    I had been meaning to apologize, but there hadn¡¯t been an opportunity to do so. And yet here we were, running into each other in such an unlikely ce.


    I was curious about what she was doing. Taking a closer look, the shooting range booth I was familiar with had been transformed into something resembling an archery range. Ultimately, the concept was the same: score points by hitting targets and winning prizes.


    However, the targets were quite far away, and it seemed like this little child would need about two years before she could actually hit them.


    ¡®... Did you actually think you could win this game or something?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?!¡±


    It was obvious that no matter how hard she tried, she was not going to win. Rudina was still attempting it stubbornly, which was one thing, but the owner who allowed her to continue the game despite her clearck of skill seemed to be more problematic.


    The prizes were all stuffed animals. She had such an obvious taste.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, so stop bothering me and just go away!¡±


    Rudina pushed me away as if I was disturbing her.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know which prize you¡¯re trying to get, but I can get it for you if you want to.¡±


    Rudina¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was sorry about what I did before. Truth be told, I¡¯ve heard a lot from Adriana. I¡¯ve been meaning to apologize, but the timing never seemed right. So, as an apology for what I said, I want to get the prize for you. Just tell me what you want, and I¡¯ll win it.¡±


    ¡°... Are you good at shooting a bow?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how good I was, but I was confident I could shoot better than her.


    Rudina reluctantly handed me the bow, clearly still feeling skeptical.


    ¡°Which one do you want?¡±


    ¡°That one.¡±


    Rudina pointed to an enormous bear-shaped stuffed animal. She hadn¡¯t been the nicest to me until now, yet when I asked her what she wanted, she pointed it out immediately.


    <i>¡®Kids will be kids, I guess.¡¯</i>


    Anyway, not only was that bear huge, it was also the first prize...


    ¡°Uh, well...¡±


    I paid for one try and pulled back the bowstring.


    ¡®<i>I am an archery master.</i>¡¯


    <i>Zing</i>!


    Obviously, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ***


    I needed to get 1000 points, which meant that I¡¯d have to hit the 100-point target ten times out of ten shots. Essentially, the prize Rudina wanted required a perfect score.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think you¡¯re any better than I am...¡±


    I ended up with a total score of 120 points, which was only good enough to win some basic prizes. It wasn¡¯t much better than zero.


    Rudina couldn¡¯t even pull back the bowstring properly, and while I could, I still ended up with such a pitiful score.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my supernatural power, I wouldn¡¯t have even hit the target. Since it was my first time shooting a bow, hitting the target even a few times felt like an achievement that I wanted to regard as significant.


    ¡°Uh... hmm! That... didn¡¯t go so well, did it?¡±


    ¡°What the...? Why did you act as though you were some archery master, then?¡±


    Rudina was frustrated at how cocky I¡¯d been when I wasn¡¯t really anything special.


    ¡°Hey, that was just a warm-up, the real deal starts now.¡±


    I paid the owner to go another round.


    ¡°I just have to win the prize for you right?¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect to win the top prize on my first try anyway.


    ¡°Hey. Show her how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I abruptly handed the bow to Ellen.


    ***


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    Rudina¡¯s eyes were wide as she stared dumbly at the tenth arrow, which was precisely stuck in the 100-point target.


    ¡°... My goodness.¡±


    My reaction was no different.


    ¡°... Whoa.¡±


    Even the owner had the same reaction.


    Ellen gauged the draw weight of the bow with just a few pulls, and with a casual flick of her wrist, each arrow lodged itself into the 100-point target.


    ¡°Have you ever shot a bow before?¡±


    ¡°A few times.¡±


    The talent she possessed, weapon mastery, epassed aptitude with all weapon types. Even so, how was it possible to hit a perfect score with barely a few shots? Wasn¡¯t this cheating? That target wasn¡¯t even that close!


    The owner, with a hesitant expression, handed over the first prize¡ªtherge teddy bear¡ªover to Ellen.


    ¡°Hey, kid. This stuff isn¡¯t for professionals. I¡¯ll let it slide this time, but not again. Got it?¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Certainly, if someone with a talent in archery were to y, they¡¯d sweep all the prizes, so I understood where the owner wasing from. Of course, Ellen wasn¡¯t really one with an archery talent.


    Ellen stood there emotionlessly, holding the teddy bear which was almost as big as she was. Rudina looked in stunned envy at the teddy bear, and then at Ellen.


    Without a word, Ellen handed therge stuffed bear to Rudina.


    ¡°Oh, what? You¡¯re giving this to me?¡±


    ¡°I am unable to take care of it, so I¡¯d be grateful if you could take care of it for me.¡±


    ¡°W-wow! Thank you, sweetie! You¡¯re such a good person!¡±


    Ellen was perfectly polite and respectful to her senior as she handed over the teddy bear, and Rudina seemed extremely moved. Hugging the teddy bear that wasrger than herself, she tottered but wore an expression filled with jubtion.


    ¡°Hey, even if you were the one who shot the bow, I was the one who paid, so shouldn¡¯t she be thankful to me?¡±


    ¡°... I suppose so.¡±


    Rudina nced at me as if looking at a pest.


    ¡°You have so many problems, but the biggest one is talking too much and saying unnecessary things,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s my <i>biggest</i> problem? Just that? I¡¯ll take that as apliment, thanks!¡±


    Rudina¡¯s face flushed with a mix of pleasure from the gift and irritation at my provocation. Then after a brief moment, her eyes lit up as she turned to Ellen.


    ¡°Hey, junior! Can you y that one for me too?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Rudina was pointing to the darts game on the other side. I wasn¡¯t sure what the first prize over there was, but it was surely some kind of stuffed animal as well. Ellen nodded slightly, as if to say why not.


    ¡®<i>These kids... You¡¯ve got to be kidding me</i>.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re already struggling with one giant stuffed bear; how do you n to carry another one?¡±


    ¡°Oh... I guess you¡¯re right...¡±


    She looked pitiable just carrying one stuffed bear¡ªwhat was she nning to do if she had another? Of course, I could carry it for her, but that would be a hassle.


    ¡°Forget the game, let¡¯s just go get something sweet,¡± I told her.


    I quickly grabbed the teddy bear that Rudina was holding and secured it to my side.


    ¡°Hey! Give me my bear back!¡±


    ***


    At a nearby dessert cafe, the three of us settled down and each picked our desired beverages and sweets. The table wasden with cakes, macarons, and ice cream¡ªa real sugar fest.


    Initially, it was supposed to be Ellen¡¯s treat, but since Rudina was with us, I decided to pay for dessert as well.


    I ordered some ck tea.


    Rudina took a bite of her cake and shuddered with joy, while Ellen, true to form and without much reaction, began diligently eating her share.


    I didn¡¯t really touch the desserts and just quietly sipped my ck tea. Rudina seemed to find myck of interest in the sweets odd and tilted her head.


    ¡°Is the tea good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I was no tea expert and had ordered ck tea for no reason. There was coffee avable too, but I didn¡¯t particrly want it. Rudina stared at me sipping the presumably-tasteless tea as if she was studying something bizarre.


    ¡°Why drink it if it¡¯s just ¡°okay¡±?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not fond of sweet things,¡± I said.


    I disliked sweet things, and the tea was not bad.


    Rudina gave me another look, as if I had be even more weird.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like sweet things, whye to a dessert ce?¡±


    ¡°I came to buy you guys dessert. Both of you look like you¡¯d enjoy sweets.¡±


    At that, Rudina¡¯s eyes rounded slightly, perhaps slightly touched by the notion that I hade just to treat them, even if I wasn¡¯t nning on eating myself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like sweet things either,¡± Ellen chimed in, to which I snorted.


    ¡°Yeah right. Even if you don¡¯t like sweets, you seem to love eating just about anything, so it doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with the truth, can you?¡±


    In reality, despite what she had just said, she was the one who was eating the most. Rudina was nibbling away as well, but she paused to watch Ellen nkly, who was devouring everything nonstop.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get fat if you eat like that, junior.¡±


    There was a hint of concern in Rudina¡¯sment, to which Ellen ndly replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t gain weight.¡±


    It was the perfect answer to make someone angry, especially a girl. Rudina red at me with a hardened expression.


    Her eyes seemed to be asking that question,<i> ¡°Is this girl being passive-aggressive toward me?¡±</i>


    ¡°No damn clue what kind of metabolism she¡¯s got, but she¡¯s a gym freak. She¡¯s basically exercising all day. It¡¯s true, she really won¡¯t get fat.¡±[1]


    ¡°Ah... she has talent inbat, I¡¯m guessing? I suspect that she would. And why do you keep speaking so informally to m¡ª... Never mind. Forget it.¡±


    Rudina shook her head as if acknowledging that I was not going to listen to her any time soon.


    ¡°Anyway, I wanted to say sorry.¡±


    As I turned the conversation back to what I really wanted to say, Rudina sighed as if she were getting an apology she didn¡¯t necessarily want.


    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s fine. You won the duel, after all.¡±


    Since the nonsensical duel had concluded with my victory, Rudina didn¡¯t really care much for an apology.


    She grinned at me. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t like you, but I disliked that senior even more.¡±


    It seemed that Mayaton, with whom I had dueled, did not have a good reputation. Rudina seemed to take delight in the fact that I had beaten him.


    ¡°Is that guy really that bad?¡±


    ¡°He was the one who insisted that I ¡®educate¡¯ the first-years. I don¡¯t even want to talk about the other things he¡¯s done. I just don¡¯t like him.¡±


    She was the youngest in her ss because she had skipped grades, and was also the most gentle in the second-year ss A. And so she had been pressured to discipline the juniors.


    But if she was so naive and bad at speaking ill of others, why had she thrown so many verbal barbs at me, calling me crazy and perverted? Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t that friendly to me earlier on as well.


    Of course, I may have done things deserving of all the insults from her, so I really didn¡¯t have anything toin about.


    ¡°By the way, how old are you, senior?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m fifteen.¡±


    Regardless of whether she skipped grades or not, she was obviously much younger than the real me. However, she was also two years younger than the first-years.


    ¡®<i>Fifteen years old, huh</i>.¡¯


    Was I really living amongst these kids as equals?


    The reality of just how many youngsters I was surrounded with suddenly hit me.


    ¡°What¡¯s your major?¡±


    ¡°Ah... you don¡¯t know, do you?¡±


    ¡°How could I know if you¡¯ve never told me?¡±


    What kind of ability did she have to skip three grades?


    ¡°My major is magic.¡±


    As she said this, Rudina spread out her hand.


    A small me emerged above her palm. It appeared above her hand without any incantation or gesture.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a supernatural power, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    It looked like pyrokinesis.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s magic.¡±


    <i>Crack</i>! <i>Fizz</i>!


    The small me vanished, and tiny sparks began to dance over her palm. Ellen stared at Rudina¡¯s hand as well, utterly stunned.


    ¡°What... was that...?¡±


    A me had appeared without warning above her palm, followed by electricity. She then made a spoon levitate without even touching it.


    ¡®<i>What? Multiple supernatural powers? Is that even a thing?</i>¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s all magic,¡± Rudina repeated with augh.


    She took the levitating spoon, cut a piece of cake with it, and ced it into her mouth.


    A talent that was rted to magic...


    ¡°They call it No Casting.¡±


    Now I began to understand why it looked so much like a supernatural power.


    One would normally expect a casting process when it came to magic, but she showed no sign of that. Of course, right now she was only demonstrating low-level magic, and high-level mages could conjure such basic spells without casting as well. However, Rudina would eventually be able to cast high-level spells without any incantations or preparation.


    ¡®<i>Wait, I don¡¯t remember putting anything like that in the story¡¯s setting.</i>¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m Number 1 in the second year of ss A.¡±


    Adriana, who could use divine power on cue, and had incredible talent on top of her extraordinary physical abilities, was ranked A-2.


    And here before me was a kid who had even greater talent: the top-ranked student of the second year.


    1. The difference in formality here is much greater than English allows it. Reinhart should be addressing Rudina more formally due to their senior-junior rtionship which is based on the Korean seniority culture. ?

 Chapter 74

    <h4>Chapter 74</h4>


    One generally had to be intelligent in order to skip grades. Therefore, it was somewhat predictable that she possessed magic-rted talents. The ability to use magic instantly without any casting was definitely a highly-valued skill.


    She probably had the intelligence to understand magic and also talent rted to mana operation, which meant that No Casting was just one of her many skills.


    ¡®<i>She truly deserves the Number 1 spot.</i>¡¯


    ¡°They say it¡¯s magical talent, but simr to a supernatural power. They don¡¯t fully understand what it is. It seems to be both a supernatural power and a magical talent.¡±


    Ellen and I nodded along in agreement. I wasn¡¯t surprised that there could be a supernatural power rted to magic, yet it was still quite surprising for me that a supernatural ability that I had not specifically ced in the setting actually existed.


    Then again, there had been no need, nor any reason, to set boundaries to define what supernatural powers could exist in this world in the first ce. So, on second thought, it was only natural that there would be supernatural abilities in this world that were unknown to me.


    Nheless, the ability to use No Casting inbat was immensely powerful. Depending on how it developed, she had the potential to be an incredibly formidable individualter.


    Rudina sighed while eating her ice cream.


    ¡°But what¡¯s the use if I don¡¯t have sufficient mana to support it? All you get is, at best, something no better than a portable lighter.¡±


    Even if one was gifted with a phenomenal ability, without the mana to utilize it effectively, it amounted to nothing more than a mere cigarette lighter.


    Magic was the most convenient and powerful ability. Just take Eleris, a supreme archmage, for example. She could teleport, disguise, attack¡ªthere was barely anything she couldn¡¯t do. A mage was much like a jack-of-all-trades.


    That was why bing one required many essential prerequisites.


    Being smart was a basic requirement, but one also needed the talent to develop vast magic power, the talent to control that power, and talent in the specific field of magic as well.


    Of course, these were the conditions necessary for achieving the greatest possible oue. However, if one was deficient in one of these aspects and didn¡¯t have all of these, that person would find it difficult to attain true mastery.


    The best example I knew of when it came to the importance of mana capacity was Eleris. She possessed such tremendous mana stores that she was capable of conjuring the Mass Teleport spell several times consecutively. Additionally, although it was currently in my possession, the me of Fire seemed to allow her to summon mes and use them without any casting process. Which meant that as long as her mana supported it, she had ess to pyrokinesis freely.


    Rudina seemed to have a strong talent for the use of magic itself and appeared to be quite smart as well¡ªas evidenced by her skipping grades¡ªbut she seemed to have a rtively low amount of mana.


    Even if one knew how to use magic, they could not activate the magic with insufficient mana.


    ¡°It¡¯ll get better with practice. You¡¯re still young, after all.¡±


    ¡®<i>You can¡¯tin about your mana being too low when you¡¯re only fifteen!</i>¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say...¡±


    Rudina sighed as if unsure, and ate a macaron. No matter how much sheined, it only came off as cute to me.


    Seeing a fifteen-year-old kid holding immense talent in their hands and wondering what to do about it was beyond ridiculous.


    ¡°Do you want me to tell you something that will cheer you up?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Why would it make me cheer up?¡±


    She looked at me quizzically, as if wondering what kind of cheerful story I might conjure up out of the blue.


    ¡°People are, by nature, fickle creatures. When they hear about someone worse off than themselves, they think, ¡®Oh, thank god, at least I¡¯m not<i> that </i>bad.¡¯ It¡¯s amon reaction.¡±


    It was simr to the concept of catharsis.


    ¡°... Feeling better because of that makes me seem like a bad person, though.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just human nature, I¡¯m telling you!¡±


    I myself had gone through an education system that always invited us topare our lives to the lives of the extremely poor and got us thinking that we should be d we were living a better life than them. Some countries even used this approach in their public education system, offering the same response to the many social issues: ¡°Hey, at least your life is going better than those people over there, so be grateful and live withoutints!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there are those in the world born with the talent of immense mana, but don¡¯t have the aptitude to utilize it.¡±


    Rudina went pale and even dropped the macaron she was holding.


    ¡°W-What? What did you say?! Someone born with incredible mana, but no aptitude to utilize it? That¡¯s a lie! How could that even happen?¡±


    It was indeed a ridiculous notion. It was as absurd as saying someone was born with immense muscle mass, butcked the tendons to actually make use of that strength.


    Rudina frowned dubiously as if she thought I was lying.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. He¡¯s talking about Kaier Vioden from our ss.¡±


    That was Ellen, who had been silent until then.


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was surprising enough that Ellen had answered, but even more astonishing was that she remembered Kaier¡¯s talent.


    ¡°Wow, you actually remember that?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re the one who told me about it before.¡±


    Oh.


    I recalled mentioning Kaier on the first day at the Temple, and how he was born with an enormous mana aptitude that he was unable to utilize. It seemed Ellen had remembered that conversation.


    Rudina, perhaps struck by the absurdity of Kaier¡¯s story¡ªone who was born with an overpowered talent, yet cursed with unsuitable ability¡ªstared nkly for a while, with her mouth hanging open.


    It was true.


    Kaier was born with the incredible talent of a giant mana pool, innately possessing a massive amount of it, and his mana growth was phenomenal. However, he had a poor aptitude for utilizing it, and was unable to draw on it at will. That was why, even though he was in ss A, he was firmly ranked Number 10, and it was also why he had a significant disdain towards those in ss B, since it was the only ce he could boost his sense of self-esteem.


    He was like a dam without a gate.


    ¡°I... I feel so bad for him!¡±


    Rudina¡¯s face was pale as she started to worry about the cursed talent of one of her juniors.


    ¡°So anyway, your situation isn¡¯t <i>that </i>bad, right? Now, did all your worries disappear as soon as you heard that? Did you think for a moment, ¡®Phew, I¡¯m d that¡¯s not me?¡¯¡±


    Hearing about Kaier made Rudina realize that she was in a much better situation. She had undoubtedly felt a sense of relief upon hearing of someone in a situation worse than her own, and with it, a likely twinge of guilt as well.


    Rudina gaped at me nkly for a moment, then her face turned bright red.


    ¡°You vile scumbag!¡± she yelled. ¡°You really are a bad person!¡±


    She shrieked at me for simultaneously despising a ssmate and teasing my senior.


    ***


    Rudina seemed to be wandering around the Temple alone, visibly upset because most of the other ssmates had gone back home while the school was on a break. Since she continued to hang out with us even after finishing dessert, she probably found it boring to be alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredibly quiet.¡±


    With so many having left the Temple, Rudina was unustomed to the eerily deserted surroundings.


    ¡°It must be because of<i> that</i> incident.¡±


    To be precise, it was because of <i>my </i>incident.


    ¡°Right...¡±


    Not only had people left, but there were hardly any students on Main Street. We had been the only ones at the dessert cafe.


    ¡°Do you think the Demon King has been resurrected and is taking revenge on us?¡±


    All sorts of crazy rumors were floating around, and the situation seemed to encourage everyone to let their imagination run wild.


    Rudina was probably not the only one with the notion that the Demon King might have been resurrected and was looking for vengeance against humans.


    ¡°That¡¯s something we can¡¯t know for sure,¡± I said.


    Rudina looked up at me, her eyes wide and filled with fear, and I could fully understand the anxiety that filled her gaze.


    The incident made it abundantly clear that even the imperial capital was within striking range of the demons.


    ¡°What do we do if that¡¯s actually the case? Artorius is dead. Who¡¯s going to defeat the Demon King, then?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Only a handful of Temple students knew that Ellen was Artorius¡¯ sister¡ªmyself and Vertus, and at most, maybe Charlotte. Artorius was beyond a hero; he was almost a god to the people.


    Once someone reached such a stage of heroification or deification, they were no longer discussed in the same way as ordinary folk. They were usually treated as if they were not mere human beings.


    Although Rudina referred to Artorius as the hero of humanity, Ellen would think of him as her brother.


    Did Ellen think that her brother was merely being treated as a weapon to confront the Demon King?


    Our eyes met, and I couldn¡¯t be sure what emotions were hiding beneath her calm gaze. However, she didn¡¯t seem pleased.


    Clutching the teddy bear to my side, I blurted out, ¡°Then we¡¯ll all just go down together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    Rudina kept going on about what we¡¯d do if the Demon King had been resurrected and invaded the empire, while Ellen remained silent.


    It was an ironic situation.


    The Demon King was dead, but here was a Demon Prince, who did not wish to be the Demon King.


    Artorius the hero was dead, but here was the sister of the hero, who didn¡¯t want to be the next hero either.


    Just as I was ultimately considered Charlotte¡¯s enemy, I was struck anew by the clear fact that, in the end, I was also an enemy to Ellen.


    The realization that these two, who were the closest to me in the Temple, would have the hardest time epting it when I told them the truth about me sent a sudden chill through my heart.


    ***


    Back at the Royal ss dormitory, Rudina hugged Ellen tightly, thanking her for the teddy bear.


    ¡°Thank you, sweetie! I¡¯ll cherish this teddy bear!¡±


    ¡°... Please do.¡±


    <i>Pat</i>, <i>pat.</i>


    Rudina was probably trying to enact a wholesome moment where a senior gives a junior aforting hug, but it looked more like <i>she</i> was the one getting hugged by Ellen. After ¡®hugging¡¯ Ellen, Rudina gave me a sour look, then lectured me as if she had once again realized what a strange person I was.


    ¡°Reinhart, you really need to break the habit of being so harsh.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try that in my next life.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i> You¡¯re just the worst!¡±


    <i>Zap</i>!


    Rudina grew enraged and unleashed a No Casting electric spell right against my cheek. The tingling sensation made me jump on the spot.


    ¡°Ouch, that hurts! Did you just use magic on a freshman?¡±


    ¡°Beat it! Be thankful it was only that much!¡±


    Rudina seemed ready to give me a real electric massage if I continued to tease her.


    She shed me a mischievous smile. ¡°Anyway, thank you too, Reinhart. I¡¯ll buy you dessert sometime!¡±


    Then she clomped up the stairs on her short legs, hugging the teddy bear tightly in her arms.


    There I was, sessfully forcing a person who was too nice to not only speak harshly to me, but use magic on me as well.


    ¡°Um. I think I must have a talent for making nice people angry.¡±


    It was the same with Ellen, Adriana, and now Rudina.


    It felt like I was setting a record for being annoying until I got a scolding or a smack, even though it was all pointless since there were no actual achievement points for it.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve only just realized that,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°So what?¡±


    Ellen looked at me with disbelief, her gaze fixed on me. ¡°Just saying.¡±


    We returned to the first-year ss A dormitory. As we walked along the corridor on our way back, Ellen quietly called out to me.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If the Demon King really has been resurrected...¡±


    It seemed she had been contemting that thought for a while.


    Ellen stopped and looked at me.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll have to fight the Demon King eventually?¡±


    While Rudina had whined, she had never actually considered the scenario in which she would have to fight the Demon King. However, Ellen had been continuously pondering that possibility on her own.


    Rudina naturally assumed that Artorius was the one who was supposed to fight the Demon King, which was a reasonable assumption that an ordinary person would have. In their eyes the hero fighting the Demon King was a given.


    However, Ellen knew that she herself possessed capabilities and qualities superior to those of Artorius.


    Therefore, if the Demon King were to be resurrected and war broke out once again, and if it became known that Ellen was Artorius¡¯s sister, the people would naturally expect Ellen to fight the Demon King. They would believe that no one else but Ellen could face the Demon King.


    Although she might not be ready yet, the people would hold the firm belief that Ellen would eventually be the one to defeat the Demon King.


    Ellen did not want to risk her life for the sake of the world. However, she understood that it would be expected of her, that it would be something imposed upon her. That was why she asked if I was thinking along the same lines as Rudina.


    In a way, Ellen¡¯s question could be seen as being arrogant, since it implied that she was confident she had the qualities necessary to defeat the Demon King. Since she actually did possess those qualities, I suppose it technically didn¡¯t count as arrogance.


    ¡°I sure hope you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Ellen seemed curious about the reason.


    ¡°I won¡¯t have anyone to eat with if you¡¯re not around.¡±


    Ellen narrowed her brow slightly as if telling me to stop making ridiculous remarks.


    ¡°... I¡¯m being serious right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious too, you little punk.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I exhaled a sigh and, with my arms crossed, gazed out at the view of the Temple, bathed in the light of the setting sun.


    ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t n on eating with you for the rest of my life. But not having you around at all doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want you to die.¡¯</i>


    That was essentially what I meant.


    Ellen stood facing me, with the sunset at her back. Her silhouette was backlit, so I couldn¡¯t make out what expression she was wearing.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying the reason you don¡¯t want me to die is because you find me of some use to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with that? There are people out there who would ask you to die for them, so isn¡¯t it okay for someone to ask you <i>not</i> to die for them?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Ellen¡¯s expression, but she seemed, perhaps, to be smiling.


    ¡°And besides, you¡¯re going to stomp the Demon King. You should feel sorry for him!¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t overestimate me too much.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain. You¡¯d utterly crush him, Ellen.¡±


    After all, she was beating up Reinhart, the next Demon King, every single day!

 Chapter 75

    <h4>Chapter 75</h4>


    Since the festival had been canceled, all the official events must have been as well. Therefore, when Charlotte and Vertus returned the next Monday, they didn¡¯t seem particrly tired.


    On the Monday when regr curriculum resumed, the overall atmosphere of the Temple was deeply subdued. It wasn¡¯t just an issue for the Royal ss; everywhere, the expressions of the passersby seemed dark or extremely tense.


    The air within the Temple was weighed down with a depressive energy.


    The Temple felt empty the day before because there were literally no people around. This time, however, it felt empty despite the fact that people were around.


    A heavy atmosphere hung over the Temple, exerting an invisible pressure on its inhabitants.


    And the most deste and subdued ce in the Temple was none other than the ssroom of sses A and B of the first year of the Royal ss.


    ¡°You are probably all aware that the security in the Temple isparable to that of the imperial city. As long as you do not wander outside carelessly, your safety is assured,¡± said Mr. Effenhauser.


    ¡°However, given this unusual incident in the imperial city, we are fully aware that the parents of each student might be worried. The Temple will prioritize safety, but if you genuinely feel at risk, you are permitted to apply for a leave of absence.¡±


    Indeed, since these children belonged to formidable families, there was always the possibility that the families would pull their children out of the Temple if the imperial city was deemed unsafe. Therefore, the Temple was making the exception and offering to allow a leave of absence during the semester. Extraordinary situations called for extraordinary measures.


    ¡®<i>Wait, did he say a leave of absence?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser.¡±


    The one who had suddenly raised her hand was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    ¡°Speak, Number 4.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we take a leave of absence? Can we just return next semester?¡±


    ¡°No. If you take a leave of absence now, you will be held back a year. You cannot enter the second semester without havingpleted all the general education sses of the first semester. Unfortunately, there¡¯s a general education curriculum, so there¡¯s no other way around it.¡±


    Taking a leave of absence was allowed, but one should be prepared to be held back a year. General sses had to be taken by every student, even those with a specific major, and were being held on Mondays and Thursdays. If the Temple allowed a student to move up a grade after taking a leave of absence for the first half of the school year, that would mean that there would be no penalty for only attending one semester of sses.


    I had never introduced the concept of a leave of absence in this novel in the first ce. I meant for the Temple to be sort of like a college, but not an actual one.


    However, because of the unprecedented terrorist attack, a setting I had not explicitly written about was now popping up arbitrarily. This system where one could take a leave of absence only applied to those who had graduated from the higher education program and were attending something equivalent to graduate school. At our current level, though, while the leave of absence was possible, being held back a year was an unavoidable consequence.


    Watching the future of this world getting tangled up in real time made it feel like my brain was freezing up.


    In any case, a leave of absence would guarantee being held back a year, whether you liked it or not. No one liked the idea of being held back, but it was something that some would ept if they deemed it more perilous to stay in the imperial city and brave the potential dangers just to study.


    In other words, anyone who took a leave of absence would effectively be leaving this ss altogether.


    Each of them was a member of the main story, and if even one were to be absent, the story would surely deviate significantly from what I was anticipating. It had already gone off-track, but this would further derail it.


    For now, it was a slice-of-life story, but these were all characters that had major roles to y further along in the novel, so anyone being held back a year would mean a crucial change to the plot.


    This was troublesome.


    And to make things worse, it was Harriet who had asked the question.


    ¡°Number 4, are you considering taking a leave of absence?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well...¡±


    Harriet nced around at her ssmates, and her expression grew gloomy.


    ¡°My parents say it¡¯s too dangerous out here...¡±


    Number 4 of ss A. Harriet de Saint-Ouen, the one with magical talent...


    The one who I often teased because of how innocent and charming she was.


    She was the youngest and also the most cherished of the Saint-Ouen family. Given this, it was entirely usible that the family would prefer to take their precious daughter away from the dangerous imperial city as soon as possible, even if it meant she would be held back a year.


    ¡°Come and see me after the assembly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    It was not only Harriet. Riana de Granz, the electrokinesis user who had been quiet all along, also raised her hand.


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser, I would also like to have a consultation.¡±


    ¡°Number 3, youe too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    If this continued, an unprecedented event would ur, in which two students would potentially leave ss A.


    Damn it.


    The repercussions seemed to be piling up in real-time.


    Perhaps this was the so-called butterfly effect.


    As my head was beginning to cloud with thoughts, Mr. Effenhauser called me.


    ¡°And Number 11.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    My ssmates turned to look at me, as though wondering what new trouble I¡¯d caused.


    ¡®<i>Have I already gotten to the point where everyone assumes I¡¯ve already caused trouble whenever someone calls my name?</i>¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ve earned 1 merit point. I don¡¯t need to exin why, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, sir.¡±


    Only then did I remember that I was supposed to receive a merit point for having helped Ellen when she had passed out on the training ground.


    Everyone else was shocked that the ss troublemaker had received a merit point.


    ***


    Even if the characters were to be held back a year, it wasn¡¯t like they wouldpletely disappear, since they were all characters that yed a part in the main story, after all. Of course, if the plot of the novel simply revolved around snippets of life at the Temple from beginning to the end, their absence wouldn¡¯t really matter. However, they would all be very helpful assets on our side once the gate opened.


    Each one of these students had their own side plot in the story where they would grow and be stronger. But if they were to step away from the Royal ss, it was uncertain what would happen to them and their development. Obviously they wouldn¡¯t be useless characters overnight, but they should at least be somewhere where I could keep my eyes on them.


    As I pondered what to do, Harriet and Riana, who seemed to have finished their consultations, rejoined us and sat quietly through the remainder of the ss.


    Whether or not they were considering a leave of absence, the atmosphere in the ss remained tense, as if we were all walking on thin ice.


    Most of my ssmates seemed curious as to why I had received a merit point, but that wasn¡¯t important right now.


    ¡°So, if you substitute the form like this...¡±


    The tension was so thick that even the teachers seemed to be on edge. Most of the teachers would be pretty ustomed to instructing children of noble houses by now, but they had suddenly seemed to be very careful not to disturb <i>someone¡¯s </i>mood.


    They were all cautious of Vertus.


    The week before, a terrorist incident thought to involve demons had struck the imperial city. As a result, all festivals in the city were canceled, and the honor of the empire and its imperial family had suffered a serious blow.


    There was even a rumor going about, questioning whether the victory in the Great War was even true.


    It was clear that Vertus would be in a terrible mood, and nobody wanted to inadvertently annoy the prince by doing something to offend him.


    From where I was in the very back of the ss, I couldn¡¯t see Vertus¡¯s expression, since he was seated in the front. However, it was clear that everyone was listening attentively to the lesson, cautiously and silently, as if treading on thin ice.


    Likewise, the teacher seemed intent on proceeding with the lesson diligently, trying to hide their desire to leave the ssroom as quickly as possible.


    ***


    Lunchtime was one hour, and the atmosphere was just as tense throughout, which made for an unusual experience.


    Not only was the mood in the imperial city grim, but the atmosphere in the Temple was also notably dark. During the lunch hour, when students from all grades went to eat, the air in the dining hall was icy cold, punctuated only by the quiet clink of moving utensils.


    This was to be expected, as not only was Vertus present, but Charlotte was as well.


    Though the two of them were only first-years, even the seniors ate quietly, not wanting to disturb the prince and princess, who were clearly not in great spirits. This was more evidence of the enormity of their presence in the Royal ss.


    Some, however, seemedpletely unbothered by the mood.


    <i>Om nom nom...</i>


    Ellen Artorius, who had at some point started to have lunch with me, was one such person.


    Of course, she was known to be quiet in nature, so whether she was being consciously mindful of others or not did not make much of a difference. She was just focused on eating, going back for seconds, and eating again.


    It felt genuinely creepy to be in such arge cafeteria with hundreds of people seated in it and only hearing the sound of silverware, especially considering how it was usually abuzz with chatter.


    Neither Vertus nor Charlotte appeared to be in a bad mood, but neither did they seem particrly happy either. They were eating quietly, and everyone refrained from speaking to them.


    At this rate, some people were bound to choke on their food. Honestly speaking, though, even I felt somewhat wary of the pair.


    Yeah, that¡¯s right. A man in his thirties doing all he could not to disturb two seventeen-year-olds...


    ¡°You know, you seem like the only person who¡¯s not troubled by what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t even respond to me and only continued to focus on her meal.


    Almost immediately, numerous stern gazes darted in my direction, skewering me.


    ¡®<i>Come on, can¡¯t I even speak using my own mouth?</i>¡¯


    ***


    By this time, I was finally able to somewhat keep up with the afternoon physical education ss. Of course, I could hardly bepared to those whom I considered physical monsters by my standards.


    Thanks to consistent exercise, my endurance and stamina had improved overwhelmingly whenpared to those who were specializing in magic or nonbat fields.


    ¡°Reinhart, stop using your supernatural powers. Consider this a warning.¡±


    The physical education teacher had called me out and given me a warning, believing that my sudden improvement in running was due to my usage of my supernatural powers, which the teacher considered a way of cheating.


    ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t using them?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, your supernatural power pertains to physical enhancement, am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, but... I really wasn¡¯t using it.¡±


    I was telling the truth; I hadn¡¯t used my powers.


    Of course, I would use my supernatural power when sparring with Ellen or when training alone to get ustomed to using it, but during ss, I intentionally refrained from using it to avoid attracting unwanted attention.


    The teacher frowned at my protest.


    ¡°... A kid who couldn¡¯t even run properly until recently, suddenly improving his stamina by this much? You¡¯re better off admitting that you¡¯re just lying straight to my face.¡±


    Although a different teacher took each subject, the teachers did keep track of each student¡¯s profile. Hence, they would all be aware that I had awakened my supernatural power.


    Until recently, I had struggled significantly in physical education, but I was suddenly much better at running, so the teacher seemed convinced I was using my supernatural powers.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you the truth! I didn¡¯t use it!¡±


    For the teacher to insist that I had when I hadn¡¯t was infuriating. The strident tone of protest in my voice caused the teacher¡¯s face to wrinkle, and the already-grim atmosphere in the training grounds grew even more tense.


    Everyone was running while also observing the interaction between the teacher and me.


    ¡°Are you arguing with me?¡±


    The physical education teacher was known for being tough enough to even give the noble children a hard time. It would be impossible to train these privileged students so rigorously without sufficient courage.


    ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you; I¡¯m just stating the facts. I didn¡¯t use my supernatural power.¡±


    ¡®<i>What am I supposed to do? Lie and say that I did use it?!</i>¡¯


    My straightforward protest seemed to make the teacher¡¯s temper re. The teacher¡¯s eyes bulged, ready to retort when suddenly...


    ¡°Te-teacher!¡±


    That was Ludwig, who had hurried over from afar.


    ¡°... What is it, Ludwig?¡±


    ¡°Reinhart has been getting up early every morning to exercise for quite some time! I¡¯ve seen it all!¡±


    Ludwig, who thought that I was on the receiving end of an undeserved dressing-down, stepped in unasked to defend me. He exined to the teacher that I regrly exercised at dawn and had been training intensely, and so it would be only natural for my stamina to improve.


    ¡®<i>Wow, I knew you were nice, but I didn¡¯t know you were this nice! Ludwig! You truly are the protagonist!</i>¡¯


    After hearing Ludwig¡¯s exnation, the physical education teacher looked at me skeptically.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ve seen him train several times on his own, and sometimes with Ellen as well.¡±


    The physical education teacher flicked his gaze between Ellen and me, and slowly nodded his head.


    ¡°I see. So you¡¯ve really been putting in the effort, Reinhart. I apologize for using you of cheating.¡±


    The physical education teacher readily admitted his mistake. It seemed he had been somewhat prejudiced against me, possibly because of my reputation as a troublemaker within the Temple.


    ¡°Well... I guess you had enough evidence to think that way, so I can¡¯t me you either.¡±


    Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, there was no reason for me to continue to talk back to him. It was evident that the other students had been focusing on this situation, even while pretending not to.


    ¡°What a relief, Reinhart!¡± Ludwig said.


    ¡°Oh yeah, thanks.¡±


    Encountering this guy during my early morning workouts had unexpectedly helped me.


    ***


    After the physical education ss was over, which was more grueling than training, most of the students groaned in pain as they began to shower.


    Somehow, I found myself among the group that was not making sounds as though they were dying. This group consisted of only me, Vertus, Ludwig, and Cliffman.


    The other guys began to murmur among themselves as they saw my body. Those who weren¡¯t murmuring seemed just as surprised when they looked at me.


    Ludwig, who was washing up, caught sight of my body, and his eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°Reinhart... What happened to your body?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because I had be incredibly muscr.


    ¡°Your whole body is bruised. What happened?¡±


    My entire body was covered in bruises that were shades of blue and purple.


    ¡°Well, if you keep getting hit here and there by a practice sword, or falling and rolling around, you end up like this whether you like it or not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to hurt yourself seriously if you don¡¯t get it checked out. You should go see a priest quickly.¡±


    ¡°Why would I go to a priest over something like this?¡±


    Even if I fully recovered from these bruises, they would merely reappear again that night during my own training. In fact, I had to be thankful to have only ended up with minor injuries after training with Ellen.


    Part of the reason I avoided seeking any treatment was to get used to the pain itself.


    In the future, there might be a time when I suffered a serious injury, and when that happened, I didn¡¯t want to be rolling around in pain, unable to do anything, and end up dead.


    Everyone seemed to think I was quite a tough guy for being battered like this.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re working hard, Reinhart. Keep it up.¡±


    <i>Pat, pat.</i>


    Out of the blue, Vertus, who was on his way out after showering, patted my shoulder a couple of times as he passed by.


    Man, it was so scary to hear that from Vertus whilepletely naked and in the shower.


    Everyone else seemed shocked by what Vertus said to me.


    That particrment from him, though seemingly insignificant, was the first thing he had said all day, which made it even more nerve-wracking.


    It felt all the more peculiar because it seemed like a casual remark, without much thought behind it.


    ***


    After physical education, the end of the day approached, and it was soon dismissal time. Mr. Effenhauser left, and the students prepared to head off as well.


    The students, perhaps stressed out because they had spent the entire day as silent as mice, exited the ssroom as if they were escaping from hell itself, rushing out with marked urgency. Among them, the most eager to leave was Number 9, Erhi de Raffaeli.


    As always, he had a chronic habit of picking on Scarlett from the ssroom next door while on his way back.


    Brushing aside the day¡¯s somber mood as if it had never been a thing, Erhi instinctively pped Scarlett on the back of her head.


    ¡°Hey, Freak Eyes.¡±


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Scarlett flinched and let out a low cry of pain at the sudden blow.


    ¡°I told you to stay out of my sight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He had intended to just utter that one contemptuous remark and walk away, as he had always done, since everyone had always ignored his behavior.


    It seemed that my words of advice to Scarlett, to just fight back for once, had had no effect on her. At this rate, Scarlett would continue to be bullied for a long while.


    However, it seemed the situation that day was about to take a turn for the worse.


    Not for Scarlett, though, but for Erhi.


    ¡°Hey, you, stop right there.¡±


    An icy-cold voice stopped Erhi in his tracks as he was trying to flee the scene.


    ¡°Wh-... what?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Erhi who stopped; all the other students had stopped as well.


    It was as though time in the corridor hade to a stop. Everyone stopped at one person¡¯s singlemand.


    Themand was meant for Erhi, but the voice was so piercingly cold that it froze everyone.


    ¡°I was just going to observe and see how far you were going to go with this, but I can¡¯t let it slide anymore.¡±


    ¡°Huh? W-what... what do you mean...?¡±


    The person who had spoken walked slowly toward Erhi, staring him down with a chilling expression.


    It was Ludwig, who had been destined toe to Scarlett¡¯s aid at some point in the novel.


    Only those who were not part of the original story could disrupt the plot and bring about a change to such predetermined storylines.


    One of those disruptors was me.


    ¡°Who are you to keep messing with my ssmate?¡±


    And the other was Charlotte de Gradias.


    ¡°Oh... that... because...¡±


    Erhi had been picking on Scarlett because she came from a low background. However, even though Charlotte was in ss B, Erhi had no intention of talking back to a princess.


    ¡°Because what? Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Well, she... she just annoys me.¡±


    ¡°From my perspective, <i>you¡¯re</i> the one that¡¯s annoying, hitting my ssmate for no good reason, just because her hair and eyes are a little red. Is that a good enough reason for you to bully her?¡±


    Erhi, who had simply intended to continue his usual harassment like any other day, had triggered Charlotte¡¯s temper. Normally, she might have let it pass to avoid stirring up trouble, but Charlotte was in a particrly foul mood today.


    In such a state, witnessing this aggravating scene must have irked her enough for her anger to boil over.


    As the atmosphere continued to sour, Vertus stepped in.


    ¡°Oh,e on. Why are you like this? I¡¯ll talk to him and make sure it¡¯s sorted out.¡±


    Charlotte stared at him intently. ¡°You¡¯ll talk to him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. It¡¯s bad behavior, so I¡¯ll make sure he understands and doesn¡¯t do it agai-...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do me a favor and manage your people better.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s cold words cause Vertus¡¯s mediating smile to freeze. She favored Vertus with a passive-aggressive, almost mocking, smile.


    ¡°Make sure your people don¡¯t engage in the sort of disgraceful behavior that tarnishes the empire¡¯s honor. That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say,¡± Charlotte said, punctuating her words with a chuckle. ¡°Oh, you realize that I¡¯m talking about ss A, right?¡±


    She was implying that those in ss B were her people, and those in ss A were Vertus¡¯s. Although she made thement about the ss distinction, I sensed there was something deeper behind it.


    It was evident in Vertus¡¯s tense and hostile expression.


    The backers of the ck market were Vertus¡¯s people.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯sment about managing his people better was essentially a jab at Vertus to manage his power or informationwork more strictly.


    Charlotte turned away, nonchntly taking hold of the bewildered Scarlett¡¯s hand as she did so, and the two of them left the building together.


    Vertus seemed momentarily stunned, thrown off by Charlotte¡¯s unexpectedment, made straight to his face. However, it didn¡¯t take long for his usualposure to return.


    ¡°Erhi.¡±


    Erhi looked pale, as he believed that he was the reason for Vertus¡¯s humiliation.


    ¡°Ye-... yeah...?¡±


    ¡°Consider it bad luck. My sibling is not in the best mood today.¡±


    ¡°Oh... y-yeah... Yeah, okay.¡±


    Vertus gave a wry smile, patted his shoulder quietly, and continued to watch Charlotte¡¯s departing figure.


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if those two grew closer from this incident, actually.¡±


    ¡®<i>I think I know what¡¯s going through his mind right now.</i>¡¯


    Instead of feeling insulted, Vertus was focused on the fact that Charlotte had drawn Scarlett in and called her part of ¡®my people.¡¯


    He was the type of person who understood the power of knowing who others valued.


    That was why Vertus was happy for Charlotte and Scarlett to be friends.


    No matter how you looked at it, he was definitely a scary guy.


    Vertus suddenly turned his gaze on me.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, could we talk for a moment after we go back?¡±


    ¡®<i>Why me all of a sudden?</i>¡¯

 Chapter 76

    <h4>Chapter 76</h4>


    After school, Vertus didn¡¯t summon me to the usual tea-time terrace where we always had our conversations; instead, he brought me to his room.


    Vertus¡¯s room wasn¡¯t much different from mine. I guess that just because it was a prince¡¯s private quarters didn¡¯t mean it had to be more splendid or anything like that. However, for someone with the talent to be a swordmaster, he had an unusuallyrge collection of books. Of course, there was physical training equipment as well, but there seemed to be more bookshelves than anything else.


    A hardworking viin¡ªnot too bad. But being right next to him and observing him so closely was kind of scary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Sure.¡±


    Vertus brewed some ck tea for me. Vertus actually appeared to prefer doing things himself, aspared to life at the pce, where he would be served everything without having to move a finger.


    Vertus also didn¡¯t disy any overwhelming sense of superiority that might have been hidden inside him, and even came off as just a nice guy.


    ¡°So, how was your holiday? Did you get some good rest?¡±


    ¡°No, it actually felt more exhausting than usual.¡±


    Indeed, during the terrorist incident, my thoughts were so tangled up that it felt as if my head was going to split open, and after that, I endured relentless training sessions with Ellen, pushing my body to the limits.


    It seemed that my days off had actually been more intense.


    Vertus chuckled lightly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. It seemed like it, judging from the state of your body.¡±


    He must have been referring to the bruises all over my body, and was giving me high marks for the fact that I was gritting my teeth and really pushing myself in training.


    If all he cared about was spirit and enthusiasm, then not me, but Ludwig, would have been the perfect subordinate. After all, he was someone who would eventually rise to be almost on par with Ellen, relying purely on fighting spirit and enthusiasm alone.


    But why did he insist on calling me here? It didn¡¯t seem like he just wanted to have tea for the sake of it.


    ¡°Comparing you now to when school first started, your improvement is indeed remarkable. Still, while it¡¯s good to train, don¡¯t overdo it so much that you harm your body. Remember that we¡¯re still developing teenagers.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Vertus had warned me several times that too much training at a young age could be detrimental, and I was mindful of that as well.


    I didn¡¯t ask Vertus about anything, as I didn¡¯t want to poke a hedgehog for no reason.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other motive for me wanting to talk to you; I was just genuinely curious about something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How did you be close with Ellen?¡±


    ¡®<i>Shouldn¡¯t he be super busy and preupied with his own matters? Why is he asking such an unexpected question?</i>¡¯


    Vertus scratched his head and smiled.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that I tried talking to her a few times, but you know, she¡¯s not much of a talker... But she trains with you and talks with you often, doesn¡¯t she? I was wondering if there was a secret or something.¡±


    Indeed, besides myself, Ellen didn¡¯t really engage in conversations with anyone else in ss. If everyone knew about Ellen¡¯s background, there would have been a mountain of folks trying to get close to her, but only Vertus knew.


    In our ss, Ellen was seen as someone who was incredibly skilled but too blunt and hard to approach.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to exin.¡±


    The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had just happened over time, without any deliberate effort. If someone asked me how to be friends with Ellen, I wouldn¡¯t be able to give them a clue.


    ¡°Uh... to be honest, I think I just interacted with her without any intention of bing friends.¡±


    ¡°... That just made it even more confusing.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Vertus sighed in response to my clueless answer. ¡°I see.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t done anything particrly nice for her. To be precise, it had started with me teasing and provoking her, and it then somehow turned into what it was now. It just happened¡ªeating meals together, sharing snacks, giving and receiving relentless advice and nagging, and before I knew it, we had be friends.


    Of course, even though we had be friends, nothing much had really changed.


    ¡°Reinhart, you sure do have a strange knack for things. You get into all sorts of trouble wherever you go, but you end up bing friends with Ellen, who¡¯s maybe the hardest person to get close to.¡±


    Even Vertus, who considered all of the talents of the current students to be nothing special, appeared to hold Ellen¡¯s abilities in high regard. Obviously, though, part of it was because of her background.


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking this out of curiosity, but... Do you like her?¡±


    ¡°... No, not at all.¡±


    I liked her, but definitely not in <i>that </i>way. Why did Vertus suddenly ask such a question?


    He continued to gaze at me as if trying to read my true intentions.


    ¡°Hmm... well, okay. You really seem to have no interest in girls at all. You even called Saint-Ouen a thick-skull.¡±


    Vertus chuckled as he thought about my indifferent behavior toward girls.


    ¡°I¡¯m just far past that age to be interested in them.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t this the <i>perfect </i>age to be interested?¡±


    ¡°Not for me, I guess.¡±


    I spoke as if I was the one who was not interested, but in reality, it was the others who weren¡¯t interested. Besides, to me, they were all just cute little kids.


    ¡®<i>If only you could be a bit cuter and more childlike for your age.</i>¡¯


    ¡°But why do you ask such a question?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder why?¡±


    Vertus continued to smile without giving me a straight answer. It seemed like he had some hidden motive, yet he wasn¡¯t going to spill it. I guess there was no real reason why he should be revealing the truth to me in the first ce.


    ¡°It was just a hypothetical question for the far, far future, if at all,¡± Vertus said as a way of deflecting my inquiry, indicating that he wasn¡¯t going to borate further.


    From what I knew about the setting of the novel, though, Vertus was interested in Ellen for her power, and not in a romantic way. And he likely wouldn¡¯t be in the future either.


    Hence, there was no reason for him to care whether I liked Ellen or not. So, then, why ask?


    ¡°Anyway, what do you think about this recent incident?¡±


    Vertus introduced a very heavy topic in an attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction.


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    I doubted what I¡¯d heard with my own ears.


    ¡°I mean the recent terrorist incident,¡± he replied. ¡°Surely you know of it, right?¡±


    Would he really care for the opinion of someone who came from the streets? Surely, the fact that I was from the streets seemed to make him a bit less guarded around me, but was that enough that he would actually trust my words?


    ¡°Uh... Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about it. But I can¡¯t see it as anything but a big incident.¡±


    I gave the simplest answer I could think of, something amoner might say. Demons mounting a terror attack in the imperial city was obviously a big matter.


    Vertus hummed and nodded slowly.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± he asked as he looked at me, as if expecting a different answer.


    Of course, if I thought about it seriously, I could probablye up with a better answer. However, as one of the masterminds behind the incident, I couldn¡¯t just offer up another answer on the spot. To express an opinion on the matter would be a risk in itself, as I might inadvertently reveal things that Vertus didn¡¯t know about.


    Vertus didn¡¯t seem to suspect me or anything like that. He just seemed to want an answer that wasn¡¯t ordinary. It looked like he was testing my insight.


    Having considered this, I came up with a response.


    ¡°Well... I do wonder how an incident like this could happen now, since the Great War has ended. And why, of all things, was this a confrontation with the Order of the Holy Knights? Perhaps there are other reasons behind this that are not known to the public yet... That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. I¡¯ve been at the Temple until now, so I don¡¯t really know the details.¡±


    I drew the idea for my response from Ellen¡¯s previous musings. There must have been other reasons for the incident hidden beneath the surface. If not, from the demons¡¯ perspective, there would be no point in picking an unnecessary fight with the Order of the Holy Knights.


    Vertus nodded as if to acknowledge my train of thought.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to give you more details about all the reasons behind it. But yeah, you have a valid point, though.¡±


    From Charlotte¡¯s words earlier on, I could infer that it was Vertus¡¯s forces who were behind the ck market organization. Whether Vertus had a personal hand in it or not, it was eventually his side that had tried to carry out the ck-market auction, and information on it had leaked to the demons.


    That¡¯s why Charlotte had taunted him by suggesting that he had to manage his people better, since it was unprecedented for a horde of demon prisoners to escape, followed immediately by a terror attack in the imperial capital.


    Judging by his demeanor, though, it didn¡¯t seem like Vertus was particrly upset.


    ¡°As you know, there¡¯s hardly anyone but you that I can have these kinds of conversations with within the Temple.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Right.¡±


    Vertus needed someone who knew his true self, and could also be somewhat of a conversational partner. He may have had such a counterpart in the pce, but hecked such a person in the Temple.


    Everyone at the Temple was too young, and for now, Vertus had an outer persona that portrayed him as kind.


    He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s being said that this incident has sowed chaos, but honestly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that bad.¡±


    That statement was rather shocking,ing from an imperial prince.


    Vertus didn¡¯t bother to warn me not to talk about this elsewhere, as he probably assumed I was smart enough not to go about spreading rumors so easily.


    What did he mean when he said he didn¡¯t think this incident wasn¡¯t bad?


    His nned ck-market auction had fallen through, the imperial family¡¯s reputation was tarnished, and the incident had given his political rival a reason to criticize him. How could this not be considered a bad thing?


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Do you think an empire that now dominates all thends of humans could have been established if there were no Demon Realm in the first ce?¡±


    I was taken aback by Vertus¡¯s question.


    ¡°Without an enemy, humans won¡¯t unite.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Or, to put it a bit differently, humans create enemies in order to unite themselves. People like Scarlett are a perfect example of this.¡±


    Humans need enemies to unite. They even go as far as to deliberately designate something that isn¡¯t an enemy as one, for the sake of unity.


    On a smaller scale, within a group of friends, this could take the form of finding a target to bully.


    On arger scale, if the group was expanded to epass a nation, the country could create hypothetical enemy states to encourage its citizens to unite.


    Humans need to create enemies in order to unite, and those who wanted to encourage unity would set up artificial enemies. That was what Vertus meant. It was a narrative that applied to the Allied Forces versus the Nazis, themunist and capitalist blocks, and to all manner of divisive issues without clear answers that led to split factions.


    Essentially, Vertus was saying that the concept wasn¡¯t much different from bullying a fellow ssmate. To unite, you needed to create enemies.


    ¡°Now that the Great War has ended, the situation in the empire is going to be increasingly unstable. The very species that united against amon enemy will have lost that enemy. So, they will begin to be greedy, and look out for their own interests.¡±


    The existence of the Demon Realm served as a grand justification for humans to unite. The empire could exist because of the existence of the Demon Realm. But now that the war against the Demon Realm had been won, humans no longer had a grand cause to unite them, nomon enemy to face. Vertus predicted that this would eventually lead to the empire¡¯s fragmentation.


    In fact, I had nned to pursue such a storyline in this novel. When there was no more slice-of-life material left to write about, I intended to set off a major event rted to this issue.


    I had contemted a scenario where nations within the empire would splinter, leading to the empire¡¯s dissolution and the onset of war. However, I eventually abandoned this option and chose the storyline that began with the opening of the gates instead.


    Obviously, Vertus would not be aware of the future opening of the gates, so he was just predicting the most likely event to happen from his current perspective.


    The unity of humans, who had lost theirmon enemy, would ultimately fracture, and the empire, after enjoying a golden era, would end up disintegrating amidst a war between humans. Without the appearance of the gates, the history of this world would undoubtedly unfold in that direction.


    ¡°However, right on time, the demons caused havoc in the imperial capital.¡±


    The forces of the Demon Realm, thought to have been annihted, wreaked chaos in the capital during this period of uncertainty. As a result, people¡¯s fear of the Demon Realm persisted, and as long as that fear remained, the empire could maintain the same cohesion it had enjoyed before the demise of the Demon Realm.


    ¡°Fear is a very effective tool for governance and unification.¡±


    Therefore, despite suffering considerable losses, Vertus considered this event¡ªwhich had caused people to fall into the grip of fear¡ªmore necessary for the empire than ever before.


    He acknowledged that there might have been some damage to the empire, but he was looking further ahead. He thought that these terrorist acts caused by the demons could actually aid in the preservation of the empire.


    Vertus likely knew that the Dark Land no longer posed a real threat to humans. Therefore, the uprisings of mere remnants of the demon forces were neither capable of destroying the empire nor delivering a meaningful blow. Ultimately, their existence was a benefit to the empire.


    I had to agree, to some extent, with Vertus¡¯ bold perspective.


    When I thought about it, he might actually be pleased to know that the candidate for the next Demon King was still alive. If the existence of an enemy maintained the unity of humanity, then he might even wish for the reconstruction of the Demon Prince¡¯s forces.


    Of course, even though I agreed with him, I wasn¡¯t going to suddenly reveal my true identity to him. Vertus seemed to be testing whether I could think that far¡ªor perhaps, he was also trying to see if I showed any signs that I was agreeing with him on this point.


    I had no idea how Charlotte would react to this, or what the reactions might be within the imperial family itself.


    Experiencing how the perpetrators of an incident felt about it in real-time was a strange feeling.


    I wondered if Airi and Eleris were doing well.


    That aside, though, I had more pressing matters to attend to.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen, and Riana de Granz...


    I had to find a way to prevent both of them from taking leaves of absence. My rtionship with Harriet could hardly be described as close, and I had never even had a conversation with Riana de Granz.


    What was I to do? With Harriet, perhaps I could find a way to talk to her, but someone like Riana, who hardly knew me, would likely ignore any plea from me, especially if it was asking her not to take a leave of absence.


    ***


    It was after dinner...


    I put aside my worries and immediately went looking for Harriet in the dormitory.


    I quickly encountered a problem.


    ¡°... Where did she go?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t in the magic researchb, her room, the lobby, or the dining hall.


    Come to think of it, I only knew the spots where Ellen usually hung out, and not the others. If Harriet wasn¡¯t in the dormitory, then I would have to look for her outside...


    Fortunately, there was still someone I could ask. Harriet might not have been in the magic researchb, but someone else was.


    I headed back towards the magic researchb and flung the door open.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah?¡±


    The girl who replied sounded somewhat frightened.


    In ss A, there were only two students who majored in magic¡ªHarriet, and this girl. That was why they were close.


    Adelia, A-7, who specialized in summoning magic and magical crafting.


    She excelled in the area rted to summoning through magic and crafting objects imbued with magic. Her talent in magical crafting was particrly important.


    On a small scale, magical crafting might involve something like a magicalntern, but on arger scale, it could include designing things asplex as a magic train.


    I had never really had a deeper conversation with her as well, and it seemed like she was scared of me because of my reputation.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the thick-skull?¡±


    ¡°Th-, thi-... thick-skull?¡±


    It was evident by the way she stuttered when I called Harriet by that nickname that she was shocked.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, you heard me. Where did she go? I can¡¯t seem to find her.¡±


    I could feel her struggling with a dilemma. Answering my question about Harriet would be like acknowledging that her friend¡¯s nickname was ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯.


    She was just trembling her lips nervously without saying a word.


    ¡°Ah,e on. I¡¯m not going to do something bad to you or anything. I¡¯m just asking where she is.¡±


    ¡®<i>Why is she trying to make me out to be the bad guy? I honestly never hit someone just for the fun of it, so what¡¯s up with the scared look?</i>¡¯


    ... Now that I thought about it, she might actually have a valid reason to be afraid.


    I grew impatient, and the girl shook her head rapidly.


    ¡°Uh, um... Sh-she had to go use the transceiver...¡±


    She eventually chose to acknowledge that Harriet¡¯s nickname was indeed ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯, which left a visible trace of guilt on her face.


    ¡°Oh, is that where she is?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes...¡±


    The Royal ss dormitory possessed a magical transceiving device, and a room in which transceiving magic could be used. Of course, the downside was that the other party also had to possess a magical transceiving device. I had no use for it, but if a student¡¯s parents were influential or wealthy enough to own a magical transceiving device, they could be in regr contact with them.


    It seemed that Harriet was currently there.


    Adelia¡¯s eyes kept darting to me, hinting that she wanted me to leave, now that she had provided the information.


    Since Harriet hadn¡¯t gone somewhere far away, she would probably return to the dormitory soon. Adelia seemed so distracted by my presence that she didn¡¯t seem to be able to focus on anything else.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? With... with me?¡±


    ¡°Who else could I be talking to?¡±


    Adelia was trembling so hard that her hands were shaking visibly.

 Chapter 77

    <h4>Chapter 77</h4>


    If the designated ce for those withbat talents was the training grounds, then for those with magical talents, it was undoubtedly the magic researchb. While individual rooms could be equipped with a research bench, the facilities in theb were naturally more robust and extensive.


    In ss A, there were only two individuals with magic talents, so essentially, they were the only ones using it.


    Since no one else used theb, it was cluttered with what appeared to be the two girls¡¯ personal belongings, which were strewn all over the ce.


    Since no one knew which items were important and which were not, the cleaning staff could not clean the ce unless they were specifically asked to do so.


    Hence, theb was aplete mess.


    "You¡¯re really enjoying the personal space here, I see."


    Aplie of tes filled with leftover food was piled up on one side, and for some reason, there were clothes scattered about, which I couldn''t understand. I cleared a space on the sofa next to the cluttered side table and sat down.


    Adelia hesitantly sat on the other side, her face blushing red.


    "Hey, why don¡¯t you just ask someone to clean this all up?¡± I asked. ¡°It''s not like you''re the one who has to do the cleaning.¡±


    "O... Okay...¡± Adelia responded, her voice as faint as a mosquito''s. Her head dropped, and her expression resembled that of a child being scolded.


    Theb was full of research equipment and things I didn''t recognize, and the mess was ridiculous.


    "By the way, do you know if Harriet decided to take a leave of absence?"


    "It seems like she has...¡± Adelia muttered in a gloomy voice.


    Harriet and Adelia shared the same major, so they were close. Harriet had a tendency to look down on the ss B students and had a strong sense of privilege, often despising those of amon background. However, although Adelia was amoner, even Harriet couldn''t stand being lonely, and made Adelia an exception.


    "What will you do if she really leaves school?"


    "I don''t know... I really hope she doesn''t, but that¡¯s just my opinion.¡±


    Adelia did not appreciate the idea of Harriet taking a leave of absence as well. Her hands and feet fidgeted continuously, as if my presence made her nervous.


    I did conceive of her as a character with an extremely timid nature, but actually seeing it with my own eyes made me genuinely ufortable. It was as if I was bullying her or something.


    Anyway, Adelia didn''t want Harriet to leave the Temple.


    "Then why don''t you try to convince her to stay here instead?" I suggested.


    It would be great if she could handle this task for me.


    At my words, Adelia lifted her head to look at me, her eyes filled with horror.


    "H-how can I... Harriet is of such high... high nobility... How could I possibly make such a request...?¡±


    Adelia was still not used to the Temple¡¯s dynamics, so despite being close to Harriet, she was still intimidated by her. Given the immense gap in their social standing, Adelia struggled with thoughts about whether it was appropriate for her to speak in a certain way to someone like her, or to be friends with her.


    "Hey, it¡¯s okay. If you want to do something, just go for it. Why overthink it so much?"


    In principle, within the Temple, students were supposed to treat each other as equals, and it was forbidden to exploit one¡¯s social rank. Of course, there were those like me who took this principle at face value, and then there were those like Mayaton who exploited it. But there were also those who couldn''t ept it at all.


    This was true for nobles and royals, but also formoners, like Adelia, who was in front of me.


    At my words, Adelia''s eyes darted about frantically, betraying her nervousness.


    "Th-that might be easy for you... but... for me, it''s scary.¡±


    She seemed unable toprehend how I dealt with everyone so nonchntly.


    "How could I say something that would go against what the Duke of Saint-Ouen has decided...?¡±


    It seemed that, in her mind, making such ament was not only being rude to Harriet, but it was also an affront to Harriet''s father, the Duke of Saint-Ouen.


    Wow. She really was the epitome of pessimism. Some brats in ss A had such excessive pride and self-esteem that it made them unbearable to look at, but dealing with someone with such rock-bottom self-esteem was also a headache, in a different sort of way.


    "Wow... You sure are going to live a pretty tough life with that kind of mindset.¡±


    "W-why are you being mean to me...¡±


    Adelia, who had reached the pinnacle of social awkwardness, whined softly in response to my sarcastic remark, and then quickly mped her mouth shut in sudden shock. She seemed to think that I was angry because she had talked back to me.


    If Harriet had a thick skull, Adelia was a coward.


    She was timid to the max, but in a cute and charming way.


    She felt intimidated by Harriet because she was a noble, and she was scared of me because, despite being amoner, I came off as a thug. I guess I¡¯d found a friend who got scared easily.


    "D-do you.... dislike the idea of Harriet taking a leave of absence as well?" Adelia asked in a small voice, her eyes darting about again.


    "Yeah, I don''t."


    My straightforward answer seemed to surprise her, and her eyes widened. Her gaze carried a myriad of implications.


    <i>¡®I thought you two didn¡¯t get along?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I thought you would be happy if Harriet took a leave?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Does that mean... You like her?!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Oh, so all this time, you¡¯ve been teasing Harriet because you...?!!¡¯</i>


    Wow. I had never before encountered someone whose thoughts I could read so clearly just by looking into their eyes.


    Then, suddenly...


    <i>Thump!</i>


    "Adelia? You were her¡ª"


    Harriet flung the door open and barged into the magic researchb, and froze like a block of ice when she saw me.


    Upon seeing Adelia and me sitting face-to-face and chatting, Harriet''s face turned deathly pale.


    "Y-you, you... w-why are you... why are you here?"


    "Why, is there any reason I¡¯m not allowed to be in here?"


    There was no rule that said only those majoring in magic could enter here. Harriet¡¯s pale face grew progressively redder.


    She looked back and forth between the unorganized state of the researchb and me.


    In addition to tes and leftover food, there were clothing items scattered about chaotically.


    Though it was a shared space, these two seemed to be using it like their own private workshop, so it must have felt as though I was an unwee person barging into her personal space.


    Her expression was that of someone caught in a most undesirable state by the veryst person she wanted to see.


    "G... Ge-... Get out of here now!!!" she screeched, demanding that I leave.


    Of course, there was no way I was going to leave just because she told me to.


    Not a chance.


    "No way. It¡¯s not like you two have rented this ce exclusively for yourselves."


    "Get out! Get out! Out, I said! Get ouuuut!!!"


    Her face was almost crimson, and she began to pull at my arm. It seemed she was so embarrassed that she, who would usually have been disgusted to even touch me, was willing to resort to physical contact.


    "Hey, watch it! You''re going to rip my clothes! Do you know how much they''re worth?"


    <i>¡®Probably just a couple of bucks...</i> <i>It may not be a fancy outfit, but it¡¯s the casual wear Eleris gave me!¡¯</i>


    "Out out out out out!!!"


    "Ohe on, it¡¯s not like I called you guys out for being filthy or anything! Why are you like this?"


    "<i>Aaaaack</i>! <i>Ack</i>!<i> Ack</i>!"


    Harriet, who was repeating ''get out'' like a broken record, eventually managed to drag me to the entrance of the magic researchb and tossed me out.


    It wasn¡¯t as if I had seen anything scandalous¡ªit was just a bit messy, which was totally eptable for teenagers like her, so what was the big deal?


    A little whileter, she cracked open the door to the magic researchb and peeked her head out. Her face was still beet red. Apparently, she was still unable to hide her embarrassment.


    "What do you want?" She asked with a wary expression, wanting to know what business I had for being in the magic researchb.


    "I was looking for you."


    ¡°... Me?"


    Her face turned an even deeper shade of red.


    ***


    I thought she would snap at me, demanding why I was looking for her. Surprisingly, though, after pondering for a moment, she quietly stepped outside.


    "Why can''t we just talk inside?"


    "No! I''d rather die than do that!" Harriet screamed vehemently.


    It was not like I was a corporate spy out to steal their research or anything, and besides, I¡¯d already seen the mess, so what difference did it make if I saw it again?


    ¡®<i>Kids these days...</i>¡¯


    I had no choice, and in the end, I took Harriet to the cafeteria. It was well before mealtime, so the ce was deserted.


    Surprisingly, she followed me without any resistance. She didn''t say much, but quietly apanied me all the way to the cafeteria.


    Harriet and I sat down facing each other at a table.


    "What is it?"


    Her demeanor suggested she was willing to listen to whatever nonsense I had to say. That was unexpectedly cooperative.


    Without beating around the bush, I went straight to the point.


    "Are you nning on taking a leave of absence?"


    "... So what if I am? It¡¯s good news for me, since it means I don''t have to see a disgusting beggar for a year,¡± Harriet said with a false air of nonchnce, as though she preferred it, and that it was a blessing that she wouldn''t have to see me for a while.


    "Don''t."


    "... What?"


    "Don''t take a leave of absence."


    The straightforwardness of my statement, spoken almost like amand, caused Harriet''s face to distort bizarrely.


    Furthermore, her face was gradually turning redder. In an attempt to cool herself down, she even started fanning her face with her hand.


    She had the expression of someone who had just been on the receiving end of a romantic confession.


    "<i>Pffft</i>! Hah! Ha Ha! Wh-what... What the! Ha! Ha! This is... wh-what...? <i>Pfft</i>!"


    ¡®<i>Could you at least pretend you¡¯re not blushing?</i>¡¯


    After fanning herself for some time, she finally folded her arms and red at me as though bbergasted.


    "Why should I listen to anything a lowlife like you says?"


    ¡®<i>Whoa it¡¯s not like I asked you to go on a date with me, okay? Why are you looking at me with such anticipation?¡¯</i>


    She seemed ready to revel in the satisfaction of thinking, ¡°Ha! How dare amoner confess their love to me!¡±


    She was prepared to bask in her feelings of superiority and pride.


    "Um... I''m not exactly sure what you''re thinking, but if you take a leave, you¡¯re going toe back next year as a first-year again, right?"


    ¡°...¡±


    Her expression stiffened, as though she was getting an inkling of what I was about to say. I shed her a sly smile.


    "That means you''d be a year below me and I¡¯d be your senior, right? Is that okay with you?"


    "That¡¯s ridiculous! I¡¯m just redoing a grade! That doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re still the same age!"


    Clearly, this was something she had been seriously worrying about. Despite my teasing her by calling her Thick-Skull, she was certainly no idiot.


    She must have painted a picture in her head about what the situation would look like if she was held back a year because of her leave of absence.


    She had certainly been living in fear, anticipating what Reinhart¡ªwho she knew enjoyed tormenting her¡ªmight do when he became her senior.


    "Next year, I''ll be the one <i>educating</i> the juniors. Think you can handle that?"


    "No way! You said you hated that tradition! You said it was terrible!"


    She was almost bouncing off the walls in anger as if she couldn¡¯t believe what I was suggesting, especially after I had even fought a duel over it.


    "Maybe I dislike being on the receiving end of it, but who says I wouldn''t enjoy being the one dishing it out?"


    I yed the devil''s advocate with a wicked smile, and Harriet''s mouth fell open.


    "You''re the worst! You really are insane!"


    "Yep, I¡¯ll be expecting a hundred push-ups and fiftyps around the training grounds next year. Good luck!"


    "<i>Aaaah</i>!"


    Harriet''s face grew even redder, and she began to tremble violently.


    Ah... It was just so entertaining to speak with her, seeing her offer these lively, no-filter reactions after being subjected repeatedly to Ellen''s utterly non-responsive demeanor.


    "So, think about it. If you don''t want me to be your senior next year, taking a leave of absence might not be your best option, right?"


    "Y-you! You little! You are... You¡¯re such a... <i>Ugh</i>!"


    In the end, Harriet started to quiver, and then burst into tears.


    ¡®<i>Wait, is she seriously going to start crying over this? No way, tell me this is a dream!</i>¡¯


    "<i>Waaaaaah</i>! You rotten... you rotten jerk! You trashbag...!" she sobbed. Tears began to flow freely down her face.


    "I don''t want to take a leave of absence either! I really, really don''t want to...<i>¡± </i>she said, her words punctuated by more crying. ¡°I''d rather die than have a lowlife like you be my senior! Forget it! I¡¯m not going to attend sses at the Temple anymore!"


    The thought of what an insane ssmate like me could do to her as a senior was enough to make Harriet consider dropping out of the Temple altogether.


    However, one thing became clear to me.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen had no intention of taking a leave of absence from the Temple.


    Adelia was right.


    It had to be her parents¡ªthe Duke de Saint-Ouen in particr¡ªwho were pushing for her to take this leave.

 Chapter 78

    <h4>Chapter 78</h4>


    Harriet was wailing out loud, and so I patted her on the back.


    Of course, she cried even more, telling me not to touch her body.


    With no idea how to soothe a crying child, I took a piece of candy from the ready-to-eat food storage area in the cafeteria and handed it to her.


    She squawked that she wouldn¡¯t eat it, but when I unwrapped it and brought it toward her mouth, she reluctantly ate it.


    I¡¯d rate her adorableness at ten points out of ten...


    Watching her nibble on the candy while crying was truly an endearing sight.


    ¡°Hey, I was just joking. Are you seriously going to cry like a three-year-old kid? Come on, surely you didn¡¯t think I actually was going to do that.¡±


    As soon as she stopped crying, munching on the candy while wiping her eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but start teasing her again. At that, she red daggers at me.


    ¡°Of course you really meant it! I know for a fact you weren¡¯t joking! You might not do it to other kids, but you would do it to me!¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm, you do have a point.¡¯</i>


    She was right. I wasn¡¯t interested in doing anything to the other students, but if Harriet took a leave of absence and came back the next year, It was highly probable that I would actually go out of my way to bother her even more than I was now.


    I guess she really was smarter than me after all. She had correctly anticipated my behavioral patterns that even I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    She seemed to be expecting some kind of romantic confession when I told her not to take a leave, but there she was now, suddenly looking at me as if I were her sworn enemy.


    Harriet made me realize that if I ever got the chance to have a daughter when I was alive, I would have teased my daughter the same way I did her. The little girl would cry, saying ¡°You¡¯re the worst, dad!¡±, but that would only make me want to tease her even more. I would have been a master at parenting.


    Harriet was certain that if she took a leave of absence, she would be subjected to a hellish life with Reinhart as her senior in the Temple.


    ¡°Well... Honestly, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, I can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re wrong... But anyway, if you don¡¯t want to take leave, then don¡¯t. What¡¯s stopping you?¡±


    ¡°What good would it do if I told you?¡± Harriet said with an annoyed grunt as she turned her head away, as if I would not be able to do anything even if she told me.


    ¡®<i>I don¡¯t care if you ignore my words, scorn me, or tease me for being a beggar. You¡¯ve already fallen into my hands the moment you epted this one-on-one chat.</i>¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean, what good would it do? Maybe I have some clever solution that you don¡¯t know about.¡±


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t have any clever solutions, but I thought that I mighte up with something if we talked it over. And if there was truly no way she could remain at the Temple, I could use the ¡®Revise¡¯ function to change the situation so that the Duke of Saint-Ouen could be persuaded that Harriet did not need to take a leave of absence, though I wasn¡¯t sure how many points that would take.


    Harriet stared at me intently, as if she was trying to figure something out. The look in her eyes was definitely not one of trust; it seemed like she was desperately grasping at straws.


    ¡°You¡¯d be happy if I took leave, though, right? You¡¯d get to bully me next year.¡±


    Harriet seemed to have jumped to an entirely wrong conclusion. Perhaps she wondered why I wasn¡¯t dancing with joy at the thought of being able to torment her, but was trying to find a way for her not to take a leave of absence instead.


    ¡°Oh,e on, I told you. It was just a joke. I don¡¯t want you to take leave.¡±


    ¡®<i>I can¡¯t tell you theplicated reason behind it, but it¡¯s the truth.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Why... don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡®<i>Oh my god.</i> <i>God, why do you keep making me say things to this kid that make it sound like I¡¯m hitting on her?¡¯</i>


    I guess the god in this world was technically me... the god of stupidity.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s just fun to be around you.¡±


    That was true. It was <i>very</i> entertaining.


    Harriet scowled as if she was an idiot for expecting anything different toe out of me.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>! So you <i>do</i> want me to say so you can keep bullying me!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how we get there as long as we get to the result, does it? You don¡¯t want to go on a leave of absence, and I don¡¯t want you to either, so why not work together to achieve that goal?!¡±


    I saw this as mutually beneficial, and thought that we could help each other. Harriet gave me a poisonous re.


    I really couldn¡¯t tell if she liked me or hated me, given her ambivalent attitude. Right then, her expression of loathing seemed genuine. But then again, it¡¯s impossible to like every single part of a person.


    In a way, it was kind of like <i>cheonggukjang</i>. The smell of it made one go ¡°<i>Uck</i>!¡± but then, all of a sudden, the craving woulde, and one would find oneself saying, ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s been a while since I had it... maybe I didn¡¯t hate it so much after all?¡±


    Anyway, Harriet was fuming from the tip of her toes to the crown of her head at the moment, but eventually, believing that things would be worse if she took a leave of absence, she opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°My father... he keeps telling me to go on leave.¡±


    The answer I had anticipated finally came out.


    ***


    Harriet began to exin her situation in a calm voice.


    When news of the terrorist attack in the imperial capital had spread, the Duke of Saint-Ouen was not in his duchy but at the capital. Given that the imperial celebrations had just begun, most of the influential nobles would have been in the capital.


    This meant that Harriet hadn¡¯t returned to the duchy of Saint-Ouen, but stayed in the capital instead. If that were the case, she should have returned to the Temple, but she did not.


    ¡°Since the incident happened in the capital, my father said the Temple could also be in danger. So, I stayed with him...¡±


    After the terror attack, the festival was canceled, and all official events were called off as well. The Duke of Saint-Ouen had probably kept Harriet under his protection in the capital, or in his nearby ducal residence. Since the capital¡¯s security had beenpromised, it would have been natural for him to want to keep his daughter under his own protection.


    Magic was highly-developed in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and the Saint-Ouen family were all magicians that stretched back generations. As part of this lineage, I created Harriet de Saint-Ouen as a character with exceptional magical talent.


    She was born with an incredible talent for all kinds of magic, including summoning, destruction, enchantment, magical crafting, psychic magic, alchemy, and even dark magic, among others. Harriet possessed a mind-boggling talent that enabled her to understand and acquire any magic that existed and be outstandingly proficient at it.


    The Saint-Ouen family had a deeply entrenched magical lineage, and the Duke himself was a great mage of tremendous power who participated in the Great War as well.


    At that moment, the Duke of Saint-Ouen was among the most powerful mages in the entire empire.


    Given that the Duke cherished his daughter more than anything, and with the capital considered a dangerous ce to be, he could no longer allow his daughter to continue to attend sses at the Temple. His preference was probably for her to attend a magical school within the duchy, or teach her himself, even if the quality of education would not be quite at the Temple¡¯s level.


    Honestly, someone like Harriet probably didn¡¯t even need toe to the Temple in the first ce.


    ¡°So, I had to find a way to somehow return to the Temple...¡±


    It seemed that despite her father¡¯s attempts to keep her from the Temple, Harriet had made a fuss, crying and creating drama, which persuaded her father to let her return, at least for the moment.


    But since taking a leave of absence had be a possibility, her father had probably told her that she could re-enroll in the Temple after taking a break for a year.


    The Duke¡¯s reasoning was sound. A year would be sufficient time for the perpetrator to be caught and for the capital to stabilize. In the end, it was Harriet who seemed childish for throwing a tantrum about not wanting to take this leave of absence.


    However, the important thing was that I knew for a fact that there wouldn¡¯t be any more demon-rted terrorist attacks. Of course, although I couldn¡¯t be a hundred percent sure about what would happen in the future, I could guarantee that Harriet herself would not be involved in any future attacks rted to the Demon Realm.


    <i>¡®Then again, she¡¯s already rather tangled up in demon-rted school harassment, I suppose...¡¯</i>


    Anyway, at this point in time, I was the only one who knew that the Duke¡¯s worries were unfounded.


    ¡°Try crying and making a scene, saying that you absolutely can¡¯t take leave.¡±


    ¡°I already d-...!¡±


    She was about to say she¡¯d already done so, but she suddenly froze, covering her mouth in shock. She was afraid to admit that she had whined and cried to her parents, thinking I might tease her about it.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not embarrassing for a kid to cry and throw a tantrum. It happens.¡±


    ¡®<i>It would definitely be embarrassing if I did it, but it¡¯s not if you do.</i>¡¯


    Harriet¡¯s expression grew uncertain, and, with her face turning red, she lowered her head.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Her crying and tantrums had been ineffective. From the Duke of Saint-Ouen¡¯s perspective, his daughter¡¯s life was at stake, and he could not overlook this just because she threw a tantrum. He wasn¡¯t going to give in so easily.


    ¡°Hmm... what can be done?¡±


    No line of reasoning came to mind to persuade the Duke that he had to leave his daughter at the Temple. Harriet red at me with suspicion.


    ¡°So, what? You don¡¯t have any clever ideas either,¡± she said in response to my vaguement.


    ¡°Well, I said we should think about it together. I never said I had a solution.¡±


    ¡°<i>Hmph</i>!¡±


    ¡°You never know if you have poop inside you unless you strain real hard first. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. We should strain together and push for something!¡±


    ¡°<i>Eeeeew</i>! That¡¯s so gross! I feel like throwing up!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t act like you¡¯ve never pooped in your life!¡±


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>! <i>Eww</i>! <i>Eeeew</i>!¡±


    Harriet covered her ears and shrieked as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she had heard. It seemed the more she talked with me, the worse she felt, without evening close to finding an answer.


    Offering the argument that taking a leave of absence would dy her progress was meaningless. She was special in many ways and could receive private instruction from the numerous mages in the duchy if needed.


    A childish reason would be not wanting to be separated from her friends, but the Duke would likely rebut that with the fact that she could just meet them again after a year.


    There wasn¡¯t apelling reason for Harriet to continue to stay at the Temple.


    Apelling reason...


    I guess it didn¡¯t require a good reason for a student to not take a break from school, but right now, I had to find something.


    I knew that the interior of the Temple waspletely safe, but there was no way the Duke of Saint-Ouen would believe that...


    ¡®<i>Wait a minute. If the imperial prince and princess are still attending the Temple without any issues, what is the Duke of Saint-Ouen so worried about? Who is he to be making a fuss when the imperial family is staying quiet about this?</i>¡¯


    Ah, this was it.


    Maybe I could use this as a starting point.


    ¡°The imperial prince and princess are still attending the Temple just fine, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    It seemed like neither had any intention of taking a leave. Given that both the Temple and the imperial pce were in the same capital city of Gradium, taking a leave of absence wouldn¡¯t really make sense for them anyway.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°If you suddenly decide to take a leave of absence under these circumstances, do you think the imperial siblings might start thinking poorly of the Saint-Ouen family?¡±


    ¡°What? What...? What are you talking about?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned pale when I suddenly brought up the imperial prince and princess.


    ¡°Think about it. Despite this incident urring within the capital, both the precious royal children are still attending the Temple. However, you, despite being from a ducal family, refuse to stay at the Temple because the capital is ¡®dangerous¡¯. In other words, it might seem like the ducal family is dismissing the Temple¡¯s security. Moreover, it could even be perceived as disrespectful to the prince and princess, who are still attending without a problem, right?¡±


    ¡°H-huh...?¡±


    You could make up a billion reasons, since it all depended on how you phrased things. I was pretty sure that the prince and princess would not care whether Harriet took a leave or not, but it was a potential issue that <i>could</i> arise, if one really wanted to make a problem out of it.


    Besides, the current time was a very sensitive one.


    The entire Royal ss was on edge, keeping an eye on the prince¡¯s and princess¡¯s moods. The atmosphere within the pce was likely to be just as tense, if not more so.


    At this delicate time, jumping at the offer to take a leave of absence was basically equivalent to dering that the Temple was a dangerous ce to be.


    And this wasn¡¯t just any student, but one who shared a ss with the imperial prince.


    Depending on how one interpreted things, one could make a probable deduction that Vertus was already quite upset. If the already-infuriated prince noticed the departure of the ducal daughter of Saint-Ouen from the Temple, citing a dangerous environment as the reason, it would be like throwing a stone at thin ice.


    ¡°Moreover, you and Vertus are in the same ss. You might offend the prince and the empire at a time when imperial authority is at its most powerful since its founding. Falling out of favor with either one of the royals could grow to be a huge headacheter on. And keep in mind that you might potentially offend both of them.¡±


    It was totally possible that she could easily fall out of favor with both the prince and the princess.


    Harriet had turned deathly pale, and was trembling. As strongly as she held onto her pride and sense of nobility, she also had a tendency to crumble in the face of those of higher status.


    ¡°Th-then... What should I do? Isn¡¯t this really bad?¡±


    ¡®<i>... Whoa, why is she overreacting like this all of a sudden?</i>¡¯


    ¡°... Hey, Thick-Skull. I¡¯m telling you to use this argument to persuade your father to let you stay, not to get persuaded by it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh... What?¡±


    Harriet seemed too shocked to even respond to being called by that nickname.


    It was a very hypothetical situation, and it was more likely not to be a problem. What I wanted to tell Harriet was to convince her father that it would be risky to trigger sensitive individuals during this sensitive period, and therefore, taking a leave of absence would be unwise.


    Yet here she was, trembling as if she was actually in such a situation already.


    ¡°Do you really think the prince and princess would start hating you just because you went on leave?¡±


    The Duchy of Saint-Ouen¡ªand the Duke himself¡ªwas powerful and well-respected. Even if the prince and princess might dislike her a little for this, the Saint-Ouen family was significant enough that they would be just fine.


    Frankly, aside from the prince and princess, the only ones at the Temple with status that couldpete with Harriet¡¯s were the ducal daughter of Granz, A-3 Riana de Granz, and the member of the Kernstadt royalty, A-6 Heinrich.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical argument. The probability that it¡¯s going to happen is very low, but you can still use this reasoning to convince your father that it¡¯s the right thing to do. If the Temple was actually a dangerous ce, the imperial prince and princess would be the first ones to leave, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay...¡±


    Harriet nodded as if she understood what I was getting at. Whether it would work or not, it was worth a try.


    ¡°Right. So, there are two main points I need you to remember. The first is that this period is a very sensitive one, and taking a leave of absence might make a bad impression on the prince and princess. The second is that, if the prince and princess are attending the Temple without any issues, it¡¯s because they are confident in the Temple¡¯s security, which has been significantly strengthenedpared to before, which means it¡¯s even safer now. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... okay.¡±


    Harriet nodded along, stunned by my rapid-fire speech. Whether it was effective or not, it was a n worth trying. And besides, Harriet was the ducal daughter, so even if this argument didn¡¯t work, she always had a say, and she could try a different approachter on if a better idea came up.


    Mentioning that Vertus himself had advised against Harriet taking a leave of absence might actually be quite effective.


    If Vertus were to express that he wished Harriet not to go on leave, it would greatly amplify the effectiveness of this reasoning. It didn¡¯t need to be a directment from him¡ªjust a subtle ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you kept attending the Temple?¡± would be sufficient.


    Even if the message was fairly obscure, a listener could draw plenty of conclusions from it, regardless if Vertus¡¯s reason for making such ament was something as simple as not wanting a ssmate to be held back a year.


    ¡®<i>Should I ask Vertus to have a word with Harriet about not taking leave? He¡¯d probably do it, but I¡¯m quite reluctant to owe him anything, regardless of what it is. I¡¯ll think about thatter.</i>¡¯


    Anyway, after listening to all I had to say, Harriet was staring at me nkly.


    ¡°How... how did you think of that?¡±


    After serious consideration, she found my reasoning surprisingly usible, and was astonished that I coulde up with it.


    ¡°It alles from experience.¡±


    ¡°Experience?¡±


    She looked even more perplexed, notprehending what I was talking about. Harriet and I continued to discuss more specifics about what arguments could be reasonable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously, just make it up as you go along... Why don¡¯t you just write a script if you¡¯re going to be so tedious about it?¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous, okay?! What if I forget?!¡±


    ¡°Look at you, worried about forgetting such a simple argument! And yet you¡¯re a magic major?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Thick-Skull!¡±


    ¡°What? I never called you Thick-Skull just now. Wow, you must really be one.¡±


    ¡°You implied it, even if you didn¡¯t say it, you idiot!¡±


    We bickered back and forth in the dining hall, deeper into the night.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey. Good to see you here!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In thete hours of the night, one would always see Ellen Artorius appear at the dining hall.

 Chapter 79

    <h4>Chapter 79</h4>


    Ellen was staring intently at us as we argued and jotted down notes in the dining hall. I hadn¡¯t even set foot in the training yard that day as the entire evening had been devoted to counseling Harriet. Ellen, with a towel draped over her shoulders, seemed to have finished her training and showered.


    Harriet looked at Ellen, and her posture stiffened slightly.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t talk to anyone except me. Harriet was openly disdainful ofmoners, but Ellen, despite being amoner, had a somewhat different aura to her.


    At first nce, she seemed like the sort that one could not treat lightly. In fact, if one had seen the physical abilities rank chart posted on the ss bulletin board, they would know that Ellen¡¯s physical abilities were iparable to those of her ssmates.


    Everyone must have recognized that she was an unusual kid.


    That was why Harriet seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond to Ellen, but in a different way than she would be if confronted by Vertus.


    Harriet presented herself as strong when faced with those who were weaker, and showed weakness in the face of the strong. She despised those who were contemptible, but she was intimidated by those who weren¡¯t easy targets.


    I despised that kind of character in my novels, but thanks to my incessant bullying, that aspect of her hadn¡¯t been very noticeable.


    In any case, it was just about time for Ellen¡¯ste-night snack. When I thought about it, I was used to eating around this time as well, so even without training, I was hungry as well.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to eat something?¡±


    ¡°You... you want to eat something?¡±


    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re hungry, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Harriet did not understand the situation and was confused by my sudden suggestion to eat. Ellen, who was standing there nkly, sat down next to me when I gestured with my hand.


    For the first time, instead of it being just the two of us, the three of us were about to eat something together.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Ellen had grown quite ustomed to eating what I made for her. She cooked asionally, but I was the one who cooked eighty percent of the time. I cooked four times for every one time she cooked.


    I nced at Harriet and Ellen, sitting across from each other.


    Ellen seemed to have no particr thoughts and was simply resting her chin on her palm and staring nkly, while Harriet¡¯s face had gone red, possibly due to the extreme awkwardness of the situation.


    It was an incredibly hrious sight.


    ***


    I prepared a simple chopped steak. I always kept it simple when making ate-night snack. I was usually drained of energy, and wouldn¡¯t have the strength to make anything borate.


    The quality of the meat was so good that I could often get away with making a very simple dish with it.


    However, I hadn¡¯t trained that day, so I had some leftover energy and decided to do something that involved a bit more work. Of course, it still wasn¡¯t anything difficult.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t itmon courtesy to at least set the table when someone is making food for you?¡±


    ¡°H-huh?¡±


    Harriet looked bewildered by my grumbling, while Ellen, as if she was used to it, rose to get the cutlery, setting one set in front of each of us. Harriet, seeing Ellen following my words so obediently, had an even stranger expression on her face.


    She seemed utterly unable toprehend the scene before her, from Ellen¡¯s sudden appearance to me getting up and preparing something so casually as if it were a routine.


    And then, there was another surprise.


    Harriet¡¯s mouth fell open in astonishment as she regarded the massive-sized pan filled with chopped steak.


    ¡°What...? Why is there so much?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see why.¡±


    Watching Ellen serve herself, I found myself growing curious about what kind of expression Harriet would make.


    <i>Nom, nom, nom.</i>


    Ellen started eating at an rmingly fast pace. Harriet wore a hesitant expression as she served herself some chopped steak. She speared some with her fork and tried it, and her expression became incredulous.


    ¡°... You know how to cook?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much knowing how to cook as just being able to make something edible. Don¡¯t underestimate life on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Her face didn¡¯t exactly scream that she was eating something incredibly delicious, but it also didn¡¯t look as though she was forcing down something inedible. Given the professional chefs she must have encountered in her life, my level of skill was probably a lot lower.


    Even taking that into consideration, she seemed to be surprised that I had managed to make something that was at least worth eating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to eat it,¡± I said as I started on my portion of the chopped steak. There was no need for her to force herself to eat; there was another who would dly finish it all off if she couldn¡¯t.


    Harriet quietly moved her fork around, slowly eating her food.


    To be honest, I had imagined a scenario where she would just spit it out after taking a bite, exim about how awful it was, and scold me. After all, she must have only ever eaten the finest food in her mansion.


    But she continued to eat, nibbling away.


    ***


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Harriet couldn¡¯t close her mouth as she stared at the now-empty pan. Ellen finished eating and calmly took a sip of water as if nothing had happened.


    Even though it was amon scene to me, I was sometimes still surprised by it. Sometimes, she would be so shameless that she would eat almost everything by herself and act like she hadn¡¯t touched a thing.


    She would basically devour everything like a pig and then act all innocent afterward.


    After finishing the meal, Ellen started to clean up by gathering all the used cutlery in the pan. When I cooked, she cleaned up, and when she cooked, I cleaned up.


    Harriet was staring nkly at how familiar Ellen seemed with this situation.


    ¡°... You seem to be close to her,¡± she said to me in a low voice. ¡°Do you guys always eat together like this at night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s usually around this time, after a good beating, when we¡¯d eat something together.¡±


    ¡°What? You get beaten up?¡±


    Harriet looked horrified at the mention of being beaten up. It made sense; she didn¡¯t frequent the training grounds, so she had no idea what happened there every day.


    She must have thought it impossible that I was the one getting beaten up. Her expression clearly reflected her disbelief when she entertained the thought of me being beaten up by Ellen every day.


    Well, there was no way she had seen the state of my body while I¡¯d been in the changing room either.


    I lifted my shirt slightly to show her my abdomen and side, which were covered in bruises.


    ¡°What, what are you doing...! You, what¡¯s with you? Why is your body like this?¡±


    She gasped when I suddenly lifted my shirt, then went pale when she saw my bruises.


    ¡°My pseudo-swordsmanship skills are pretty terrible, so she gives me some pointers.¡±


    ¡°Pseudo-swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡®<i>That damn pseudo-swordsmanship skill.</i> <i>I still haven¡¯t evolved it yet!</i>¡¯


    ¡°And one more thing, kiddo,¡± I said sharply to Harriet, who seemed dazed by looking at my wounds.


    ¡°K-kiddo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kiddo. If I cook the food, and she does the cleaning up, shouldn¡¯t you help out as well?¡±


    ¡®<i>If you¡¯re going to be at the dining hall at this time, you¡¯re going to need to follow the rules too.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Come on, are you just going to stand there? Aren¡¯t you going to make coffee or tea at least?¡±


    ¡°What, what did you say?¡±


    The Duke¡¯s daughter could only respond in shock when she was suddenly asked to prepare coffee.


    ***


    ¡°W-why... Why should I have to do this...?¡±


    Harriet brought a tea set over to the table, her face red with wounded pride. She didn¡¯t know why she had to do it, but since she had enjoyed the meal I¡¯d prepared, there was no way she could rebut my argument and refuse to do her part.


    ¡®<i>Right. I guess you have servants to do all this in your world. But we¡¯re in the Temple now. Although the Temple has serving staff as well, unfortunately, there are none in the dining hall at this time.</i>¡¯


    ¡°What am I doing, seriously...¡±


    Harriet¡¯s expression twisted with a twinge of humiliation as she poured tea into mine and Ellen¡¯s cups. It was perfect.


    I enjoyed this side of her too much. She would always scream, ¡°Me? Why on earth would I do that? That makes no sense!¡± but she would end up doing it anyway.


    <i>¡®Very charming. You¡¯re truly something, Thick-Skull.¡¯</i>


    ¡°For your information, I¡¯ve also tried Vertus¡¯s hand-dripped tea as well.¡±


    Vertus had actually served me tea earlier that day, during our talk on the tea-time terrace.


    Of course, it was probably not out of respect, but because he knew that I was aplete novice when it came to tea.


    Honestly, if I were to make tea and serve it to him, he wouldn¡¯t even touch it.


    ¡°Vertus served you tea...? You?¡±


    Harriet seemed stunned that Vertus would personally make tea for someone like me.


    ¡°So,pared to that, you serving me tea isn¡¯t as great an honor, or something I feel as moved by.¡±


    ¡°H-ha! Heh! Ha, ha! W-what... what did you say...?¡±


    My offhandment about the prince making his own tea made Harriet¡¯s face turn red once again.


    Ellen and I didn¡¯t usually have tea after a meal, but I made an exception this time just to find something that Harriet could do for us.


    ¡®<i>Caffeine before bed isn¡¯t great, but oh well.</i>¡¯


    Ellen began to nibble on the cookies that had been brought out together with the tea.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re drinking tea just to pair it with cookies.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Ellen continued to munch on the cookies nonstop, not bothering to deny the fact. Harriet looked at her in stunned disbelief. Her gaze seemed to question if such behavior was normal, and I quietly nodded my head in confirmation.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you... get fat if you eat too much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get fat.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet stared at me nkly.


    I felt a sense of deja vu.


    Just like it had been with Rudina not long ago, Harriet was looking at me with an expression that seemed to question if Ellen was behaving passive-aggressively towards her.


    I was too exhausted to exin it all again, so I just kept quiet.


    Ellen left enough cookies for Harriet and me before she began to drink her tea quietly. Thanks to my numerous rants about not crossing the line, she no longer hoarded all the snacks for herself.


    Harriet seemed fidgety and ufortable. It was a little funny since she so easily showed her disdain for me, amoner, yet she seemed to have a hard time dealing with Ellen, who was also amoner.


    Of course, there was something about Ellen¡¯s aura that made her somewhat difficult to approach. Harriet seemed unused to Ellen¡¯s silence.


    But then again, she was not exactly the chatty type while she was me either.


    ¡°How did you two... be friends?¡±


    It seemed inexplicable to her how someone like Reinhart, who fell squarely into the troublemaker category, and the indifferent Ellen could ever be friends. Ellen nced back and forth between Harriet and me, then after taking a few sips of his tea, set down her cup.


    Ellen stared at me intently.


    It felt like she was contemting whether to speak or not. What on earth was he nning to say?


    ¡®<i>No... There¡¯s no way she¡¯s going to say that!</i>¡¯


    ¡°It started with a letter from¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a sec!!¡±


    ¡®<i>Why on earth are you starting from there?!</i>¡¯


    I reacted so abruptly, jumping to my feet almost like a reflex, which made Ellen close her mouth. Harriet just stared at me, dumbfounded.


    I thought she had forgotten about that incident since she never mentioned it, but of course, she remembered. But then again, I didn¡¯t think she thought much of it...?


    Of course, whether she thought anything about it or not wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°U-uhh... W-we took swordsmanship sses together and uh... That one time, because of the duel, like, uh... We did some stamina training together, and then she kind of helped out with my training. And then you know, one thing led to another and here we are! Right, Ellen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Correct.¡±


    Ellen nodded in agreement, acknowledging my intense gaze, confirming my story.


    I had been so flustered that I¡¯d stuttered when I delivered my reply. Harriet nodded slightly at my overwrought exnation and seemed a little taken aback by my sudden outburst.


    ¡°Anyway, you. M-make sure to talk to your father about it tomorrow. And you have to tell me how it went, got it?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t see why I would need to tell you how it went, but okay.¡±


    With those words hanging in the air, Harriet got up and took her leave, iming that she was tired. She returned to her room, as it was almost time for lights out.


    ¡°Hey,e on... why did you bring that up?¡± I whined a little as I turned to Ellen, who tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°You said it was love at first sight with me.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry for that. Please forget what I wrote.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s expression seemed to question whether she¡¯d said something she shouldn¡¯t have, although what she¡¯d said was true.


    <i>¡°Write a love letter to a ssmate and get rejected.¡±</i>


    The price of those 200 points was hitting me hard right now.


    ¡®<i>If I¡¯d known I¡¯d have more than 6000 points by now, I wouldn¡¯t have done it! I¡¯d been too blinded by the sweetness of those 200 points!</i>¡¯


    ¡°Was it a lie?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s calm voice prompted me to look at her.


    It had <i>absolutely</i> been a lie. I¡¯d done it because I was sure she wouldn¡¯t spread any rumors, and would definitely reject me.


    Back then, Ellen had rejected me without saying anything else. But now, while acknowledging that we¡¯d grown close, Ellen was asking me if my words back then had been a lie.


    ¡®<i>If I tell her the truth, is she going to get hurt?</i> <i>But, wouldn¡¯t lying be even worse?</i>¡¯


    ¡°... Yeah, it was.¡±


    In the end, I had no choice but to acknowledge that I had lied to Ellen for the sake of those 200 points.


    Ellen took another sip of her tea and nodded.


    ¡°I thought so.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Ellen had realized that I didn¡¯t actually like her and that it hadn¡¯t been love at first sight that prompted me to write that letter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    There was no excuse, no justification to rationalize my actions.


    All I could do was apologize.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ellen replied simply, and quietly continued to drink her tea.


    She didn¡¯t ask why I had made up such a lie.

 Chapter 80

    <h4>Chapter 80</h4>


    It was the morning after, and as usual, I went out into the lobby to prepare for my morning exercise.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Hello.¡±


    The other students who regrly joined the early morning exercise began to appear one by one. There were senior students as well, and most of them were strangers to me, but ever since the duel, the seniors who did recognize me would greet me warmly.


    ... What was this feeling, this feeling that was both pleasant and awkward?


    Among the first-years, the regrs who took part in the morning exercise were Ludwig, Ellen, and me. Others who asionally showed up were Vertus, Cliffman, and Scarlett.


    Ellen had already set off, and I was waiting for Adriana. Adriana and I hadn¡¯t exactly made ns to meet up today, but I knew she¡¯d show up.


    ¡°Hey Reinhart, up early again today, I see?¡±


    Ludwig, dressed in his workout attire, greeted me cheerfully, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so... Huh?¡±


    Two people chrome from the direction of the first-year ss B dormitories, dressed in workout clothes.


    ¡°It¡¯s advisable to take a rest if you are fatigued. Please refrain from exerting yourself excessively.¡±


    That was B-3, Scarlett.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I got it. And feel free to speak casually to me. We¡¯re ssmates.¡±


    And B-1, Charlotte de Gradias.


    ¡°My apologies but, but... It can¡¯t be helped, it¡¯s a habit...¡±


    Charlotte sighed. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯ll get better over time.¡±


    The two of them were heading to get some early morning exercise together.


    ¡°If I¡¯m getting in the way, you can go ahead without me. I don¡¯t want you to do this out of obligation. Your training should be the priority, right?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Certainly, you must continue prioritizing your health. I shall remain vignt in overseeing your well-being.¡±


    The day before, Charlotte had not been able to stand by and watch as Scarlett was being harassed by Erhi any longer and had intervened. Although I didn¡¯t know what had happened in the ss B dormitory that day, it was clear that Charlotte was now apanying Scarlett to early morning exercise.


    Charlotte seemed determined to make Scarlett one of her people.


    As they were about to leave, they came across me, still waiting in the lobby.


    ¡°Oh? Hello, Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte greeted me with a slight smile. Ever since Charlotte learned that my abilities might help in finding Baalier, she stopped being so prickly towards me.


    ¡°Uh... Hi.¡±


    She was friendly to me, but in a different way than Vertus was. Scarlett nced at me and gave a small nod. Although we weren¡¯t close, I felt some kind of affinity towards her. She had not solved the harassment issue in the way I advised her to, but it seemed that the issue would disappear while she was under Charlotte¡¯s protection.


    Problems were being resolved, each in its own way.


    The Delphine Izadra kidnapping case had been wiped away, and Charlotte had sorted out Scarlett¡¯s bullying.


    ... I felt like Ludwig was bing less and less needed. Was he just turning into another guy from ss B who was nothing more than the lowest-ranked person in his ss?


    The protagonist¡¯s presence was slowly fading away, and I didn¡¯t know if it was really okay.


    On second thought, it actually might be a kind of bias to think that the protagonist always had to be the most significant character in an isekai story.


    I mean, weren¡¯t things okay the way they were now? The way things got to this point were slightly different, but ultimately, the same oues had been achieved. Besides, Ludwig was a total madman when it came to working hard, so he would be strong on his own eventually anyway.


    While I was pondering whether these bizarre story developments should be left alone...


    ¡°Oh, sorry, junior. I didn¡¯t know you were waiting for me.¡±


    The church <i>noona </i>with the perpetually calm and kind demeanor was brisklying down the stairs.


    ***


    Adriana, who was joining me for a workout after a long while, did not hold back her praise, noting that my stamina had greatly improved.


    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve been working hard, junior. It¡¯s not a drastic change, but you¡¯ve definitely improved.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Just keep it up.¡±


    My physical abilities had clearly improved a little more during the week that Adriana had been away, as I wasn¡¯t feeling as exhausted as before.


    ¡°Shall we slowly increase the tempo now?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±


    Of course, by Adriana¡¯s standards, I was still falling short by a considerable margin.


    <i>Huff</i>...<i> Huff</i>...<i> Huff</i>...


    It was good that my stamina had improved, but since Adriana increased the intensity of the workout to match my progress, the end result was the same¡ªabsolute exhaustion.


    What was the point of improved stamina if this monstrous senior was going to push me to my limits anyway? My future still seemed immensely daunting.


    Afterpleting a full routine of cardio and strength training, Adriana and I sat down on a bench to rest.


    ¡°I would say that even managing to follow along this far is impressive,¡± she said. ¡°By the way, I heard that the Order of the Holy Knights was attacked by agents of the Demon Realm.¡±


    Although Adriana had been staying in the Art-Ouen Monastery, she had also heard the news about the terrorist incident.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what they¡¯re saying.¡±


    A flicker of anger danced across Adriana¡¯s calm eyes.


    ¡°The demons haven¡¯t been exterminated yet.¡±


    Her expression brimmed with the will to join the Holy Knights and go against them immediately. Even the ever-gentle Adriana shared the same hatred for demons. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of expression she would show if she knew that the person she was nurturing with both knowledge and resources was, in fact, a demon prince. It would likely not be a pleasant sight.


    ¡°Thankfully, I heard that there were no fatalities.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a relief. It¡¯s all thanks to the blessing of the gods.¡±


    Gods¡¯ blessings my arse! I was the one who had worked my hardest to ensure that nobody died. I had ended up using the ¡®Revise¡¯ function, but it was indeed a stroke of luck that no fatalities urred among the Order of the Holy Knights.


    Wait... Since I was technically like the creator of this world and I had used the ¡®Revise¡¯ function to prevent deaths, I guess it had indeed been the blessing of the gods, then.


    Huh... A statement that was both right and wrong.


    ¡°The Second Great War might happen someday in the near future.¡±


    That may be what Sarkegar wanted, but I had no intention of letting that happen. Come to think of it, Adriana¡¯s admiration for the Order of the Holy Knights seemed imcable.


    ¡°Hey senior, are you nning to join the Order of the Holy Knights?¡±


    Adriana could already use divine power. With such talent, entry into the Order of the Holy Knights seemed almost certain.


    Upon hearing my question, Adriana nodded.


    ¡°I was originally nning to go to graduate school, but now I¡¯m thinking of joining right after graduating from the Royal ss.¡±


    Adriana had intended to pursue further education after graduating. However, now that this incident had urred, she was aiming to join the order immediately uponpleting the six-year Royal ss program. With demons causing trouble in the capital, Adriana had decided to expedite her ns to join up.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, junior?¡±


    Adriana looked at me quizzically.


    ording to what I had seen, the Order of the Holy Knights clearly seemed to be corrupt. They, too, were holding demon prisoners like subi. If it were to be discovered, they would probably im that it was for research purposes or something of the sort, but the actual use was fairly obvious.


    It was hard to determine the extent of the corruption, but it was difficult to see them as a pure and righteous order. The Order of the Holy Knights was merely a powerful armed force, nothing more.


    The thought of Adriana joining such a ce was indeed concerning. I wondered if she would detest it and leave, or be just another corrupt holy knight.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing...¡±


    At the moment, at least, Adriana¡¯s eyes were filled with pure sincerity.


    I had no right to tell Adriana not to join the Order of the Holy Knights. After all, there was still a lot of time left before that could even happen.


    Anyway, it felt strange to see the repercussions of the incident I had caused rippling outward in all directions. I had only made the move with the motive to rescue the demons.


    As a result, though, the event had strengthened the empire¡¯s unity even more.


    Not only that, but some were considering taking a leave of absence from the Temple, and some were thinking of joining the military.


    Witnessing how a single event led to dozens, if not hundreds of secondary incidents and consequences felt almost surreal. I knew that all things in the world were connected, it was a strange feeling to see it firsthand.


    I couldn¡¯t predict any of it.


    ¡ªShall we take a break?


    ¡ª<i>Pant</i>... No... <i>Pant... </i>I can go on a bit more.


    ¡ªIt is advisable for you to take a rest, Charlotte.


    ¡ªNo... no... I¡¯m fine...


    A distance away, Scarlett and Charlotte were running. One nce was enough to know that their levels of stamina differed greatly, but Charlotte was gritting her teeth, trying to keep up.


    In a way, this scene was also something I had created. Erhi had rubbed Charlotte the wrong way during a sensitive period, and as a consequence, she had ended up starting a conversation with Scarlett.


    Every event in the world had a cause and effect.


    But the thought of one cause leading to hundreds of events, which in turn could branch out further into hundreds of different oues, was enough to make my head hurt.


    Too many unexpected things had happened, and they would only go on to be the cause of yet another hundred events.


    If that were the case, causal inference became meaningless, as it would be chaos just to try to unravel the sheer volume of cause-and-effect urrences.


    There was one, and only one conclusion to this...


    ¡°I see that the princess is also working hard.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    It was impossible to clean up every mess I made.


    ***


    I didn¡¯t know what was going to happen to Harriet, but there was still Riana de Granz to deal with. If she decided to take a leave of absence from the Temple, I had no idea how to prevent it, as we hadn¡¯t even talked before.


    With Harriet, we at least had some sort of karmic bond with each other. Yes, even karma created connections, and that was why I was able to talk to her...


    Unexpectedly, the answer to my problem came from an odd ce.


    After breakfast, I saw Vertus speaking with Riana de Granz.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I said. I was thinking that, if possible, you shouldn¡¯t take a leave of absence.¡±


    Vertus¡¯s sudden remark took Riana by surprise, and she tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m not pressuring you, but since we¡¯ll be seeing each other at the Temple for quite a while, wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay together, rather than have an awkward senior-junior rtionship because of a one-year leave of absence?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Vertus was speaking gently to her. There was no coercion in his tone, as though it were merely an expression of a desire not to be apart. However, beneath that smile, I could read the hidden intent:


    <i>¡°If you¡¯re going to leave the Temple, be prepared to face the consequences.¡±</i>


    I could clearly interpret that underlying message. Whether Riana understood that intent or not, she still nodded with a stiff expression.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll talk to my parents about it.¡±


    I guess a prince was still a prince, after all.


    Vertus¡¯s request was essentially equivalent to amand. In fact, because it had been framed as a request, it was even more coercive.


    A request for a favor from the prince was basically the equivalent of a threat.


    But, what could it be?


    Of course, in this situation, Vertus urging her against taking a leave of absence was the best oue I could hope for. I had actually been considering asking Vertus for a favor, even if it meant owing him one, in order to persuade the students not to take a leave of absence. But Vertus had already taken it upon himself to do so without my prompting.


    ***


    I fully expected what was about to happen next.


    ¡°W-what do I do now?!¡± Harriet wailed as she came to me, her face as white as a sheet.


    Tuesdays were for attending sses that were individually chosen by each student, so I usually didn¡¯t run into Harriet. That day, though, she caught me near the front gate of the Royal ss dormitory, just as I was about to go to my morning lecture.


    I instantly knew why she was in such a state.


    ¡°Did Vertus tell you not to take a leave of absence?¡±


    ¡°H-how did you know?¡±


    ¡°I saw him saying that to Granz earlier.¡±


    Since he had done it with Riana de Granz, it made sense that Harriet would have received a simr request from Vertus as well. This would exin why she was so flustered, and why she hade to me¡ªthe one person she felt she could talk to about it.


    ¡°What should I do? Do you think I really got on his nerves?¡±


    Harriet looked as if she was about to cry, as though she believed that getting on the prince¡¯s nerves would lead to her demise. Though I didn¡¯t know what was in her heart, the fact that she came whining to me, someone she outwardly detested, suggested that she was extremely frightened.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what should I do?¡¯ I think it¡¯s actually a good thing.¡±


    ¡°A good thing...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what you were nning to use as an excuse has now be the truth, hasn¡¯t it? If anything, it would be easier to get permission from your father, not harder.¡±


    Her reason for not taking a leave of absence was based on the fear of Vertus¡¯s reaction, but now Vertus himself had asked her not to go on leave. Thus, the argument was not a hypothetical anymore; it had be a reality.


    In fact, Vertus had made things even easier for her. Instead of being d, though, she was trembling, worried that she really might have displeased Vertus in some way.


    ¡°But... even if I get permission not to go on leave... doesn¡¯t this mean that Vertus already dislikes me?¡±


    Although she was now free from being pressured to take a leave of absence, she was still worried that she had fallen out of favor with Vertus for even considering it.


    ¡°Hey, Thick-Skull. Listen carefully, okay? I think you being this nervous about it is actually being even more rude to him.¡±


    ¡°Huh? W-what... What do you mean?¡±


    I¡¯de to understand another characteristic of this girl: when she¡¯s emotionally cornered or scared, even if I called her Thick-Skull, she would not react. Deep down, she had already persuaded herself that ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯ was part of her identity.


    ¡°Maybe Vertus just wants to keep all his ssmates together, and asked you not to take a leave of absence. Maybe his intentions were pure.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah... maybe...¡±


    ¡°However, you being all nervous about whether he actually resents you or hates you already shows that you¡¯re treating him like a narrow-minded person. Get it?¡±


    The way she was whining, wondering ¡°What if the prince gets angry at me?¡± made it seem as though she already thought of Vertus as a petty person. When she realized what she was doing, Harriet¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°No, no! T-that¡¯s not correct! I... I didn¡¯t think of it that way!¡±


    ¡°Then just rx. He¡¯s much more generous than you think.¡±


    After all, Vertus was the kind of person who¡¯d said it didn¡¯t matter whether a noble or amoner spoke informally to him or not.


    Harriet¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, as if surprised that I might know Vertus well. ¡°How would you know that?¡± they seemed to ask.


    ¡°R-right... He even made tea for you, didn¡¯t he...?¡±


    ¡®<i>Are you suggesting we¡¯re close because of the tea we shared? Or are you trying to say that Vertus is such a generous person that he would even serve tea to someone as lowly as me? I have a strange feeling that it¡¯s thetter...</i>¡¯


    Harriet finally seemed to grow a little more relieved, and the color started to return to her pale face.


    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°Anyway, th-thank... thank you...¡±


    Wow. Was she really thanking me? The way she was blushing made it clear how difficult this was for her.


    She seemed so relieved that she¡¯d lost control over her legs, and she staggered as she started walking towards the train station.


    ¡°Hey, wait up! I need to get on the train too.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    She was now faced with the cringe-worthy situation of having to ride on public transport with someone she had just awkwardly thanked.


    ¡°So, about the ¡®thank you¡¯ you said just now. How grateful were you, exactly? Can you exin it in detail?¡±


    As I teased her with a grin, her face turned visibly red.


    ¡°Go away! I¡¯m gonna walk back!¡± Harriet fumed as she quickly scampered away from the train stop.


    Shortly after, having realized that she had a long way to walk, she returned, her face even more flushed.

 Chapter 81

    <h4>Chapter 81</h4>


    On Tuesday, I attended swordsmanship ss with Ellen, and in the afternoon, I had horse riding ss. Perhaps Pseudo-Swordsmanship was still considered a type of swordsmanship, as my assigned teaching assistantmended me on the significant improvements in my sword-wielding abilities during the practical swordsmanship ss.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not very good.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re much betterpared to before.¡±


    The teaching assistant did not hold back on his praise, noting that I had clearly been working diligently, even when there were no formal sses.


    On the other hand...


    ¡ªHmm. It seems you¡¯re not quite there yet, Ellen.


    ¡ªYes, teacher.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s try a little more. That was slightly disappointing. You need to lower your center of gravity.


    ¡ªYes, teacher.


    Ellen was not learning from a teaching assistant, but directly from the teacher, and to my surprise, she was being corrected quite a bit, without much praise. In fact, Ellen was the one who received the most criticism.


    I supposed it was only natural. Since I was starting at zero, even a small amount of improvement would bring inpliments.


    But Ellen had started from a hundred, and it would be meaningless to just keep saying that she was doing well all the time. In the end, this was not apetition, but education, and a teacher had to teach something, even to students who were seemingly perfect.


    That was why Ellen was subject to an incredibly high standard¡ªher skills were iparable to those of her peers.


    Someone who scored zero on all their exams will be recognized for scoring a ten in one exam, while someone who consistently scores ny marks would be criticized for not improving when they scored another ny.


    This was the advantage of being a <i>mangnani</i>.


    If I¡¯d been reborn into the body of the swordsmanship prodigy Ellen...


    ¡ªYou¡¯re still not there yet. Your ability to measure the distance with the sword iscking.


    The kid who was doing well was being harshly criticized for not being good enough.


    ¡°Wow, great job, Reinhart! Let¡¯s try one more time! That¡¯s impressive!¡±


    What a relief that I¡¯d ended up in the body of Baalier, who wasn¡¯t good at anything.


    But then...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Reinhart? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. For a moment there, I felt a sense of futility...¡±


    A wave of self-disgust rolled over me as I noticed myself feeling relieved for being a loser.


    ***


    As always, I had lunch with Ellen that day and finished the afternoon with horse riding ss. Harriet had probably not talked to the duke yet, so I wondered what would happen to her.


    In Riana¡¯s case, I didn¡¯t know what would happen even though Vertus had spoken to her about it. In any case, if Vertus¡¯ sudden request stopped the students from taking a leave of absence, then that was ultimately a good thing.


    With that thought, I returned to the dormitory, only to run into apletely unexpected person who was waiting for me.


    ¡°Ah, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a moment?¡±


    Charlotte was the one waiting for me, and made a peculiar request out of the blue.


    ¡°Do you want to head outside?¡±


    She wanted to know if I could apany her outside the Temple.


    ¡°Yes. Would that be okay?¡±


    ¡®<i>Wasn¡¯t it dangerous to go outside right now?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I can... but aren¡¯t we still prohibited from leaving the campus?¡±


    The investigation into the recent demon terrorist incident likely hadn¡¯t been concluded yet. Therefore, the ban on Temple students leaving the premises was still in effect. Charlotte shrugged her shoulders in response.


    ¡°There are exceptions for some.¡±


    There was no argument against her implication that people like the prince and princess received special treatment at the Temple.


    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯re going out without even a security guard? Are you sure that¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°It has to be.¡±


    Charlotte seemed quite adamant about leaving the Temple with just me.


    ¡®<i>What¡¯s up with her? Doesn¡¯t she have any sense of danger at all?</i>¡¯


    Seeing my bewildered expression, Charlotte covered her mouth andughed.


    ¡°There are precisely three people in the empire who are safest right now.¡±


    Charlotte pointed her finger in a specific direction. If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, it was in the direction of the imperial pce.


    ¡°One person, you¡¯re probably aware of.¡±


    Then, she pointed towards the dormitory.


    ¡°There¡¯s Vertus.¡±


    And this time, she pointed to herself.


    ¡°And me.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure of her justification, but she sounded confident as if she was certain there was no danger aimed her way.


    ***


    It seemed Charlotte felt no anxiety over only having me apanying her.


    Temple students were currently not allowed to go outside, but Charlotte managed to get not only herself but me out as well, simply by demanding it at the entrance to the Temple. They did not even inquire about the reason for our departure.


    Since the sses had ended around three in the afternoon, there was still plenty of daylight left. Charlotte wrapped a robe about herself. She seemed to have prepared in advance.


    She was a more publicly recognized figure than Vertus was, and it made sense for her to cover herself up.


    Noticing me growing uneasy, Charlotte smiled faintly from within the folds of her robe.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry so much. I¡¯ve already prepared several defensive measures if anything should actually happen.¡±


    Charlotte walked on ahead, as though I was being silly for being so concerned.


    ¡°But where are we going?¡±


    ¡°To the Aligar district shopping area.¡±


    I finally understood why she insisted on going out on a weekday.


    The ce where Baalier wasst seen... Charlotte intended to go there herself to see it firsthand.


    ***


    We boarded the magical train, Charlotte with her robe on, while I was dressed in ordinary clothes.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have just used the warp gate?¡±


    It was rare for people to use the warp gate to travel between districts¡ªafter all, it wasn¡¯t a free service. Still, someone like the princess would be able to use it for free.


    Charlotte shrugged. ¡°Since the terrorist incident, the management procedures for the warp gates have been tightened. I¡¯d rather not leave a usage record.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The demon prisoners had escaped using a warp gate. While that wasn¡¯t publicly known, it seemed that the incident had triggered a significant tightening around the security of the warp gates, which included keeping a record of its users.


    And I, for my part, was technically supposed to be unaware of the reasons behind the heightened security around the warp gates.


    ¡°What does that incident have to do with the warp gate?¡±


    ¡°Umm... I¡¯ll tell you after we get off,¡± Charlotte replied with a gesture for me to be patient. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t a conversation to have in a ce crowded with people.


    On second thought, even though I was here at her invitation, wasn¡¯t there a chance that Vertus or someone else might be tailing us? Was she so sure that no one was following us, or did she think it didn¡¯t matter if they were?


    ¡®<i>You might be one of the three safest individuals in the empire, but I certainly am not one of them. What am I going to do if Vertus finds out that I¡¯m flitting back and forth between his side and yours?</i>¡¯


    Anyway...


    Here I was, unexpectedly riding the magical train with the princess, engaged in a forbidden adventure.


    I had to admit that it was certainly a unique experience that not just anyone could have.


    ***


    After getting off at the Aligar district station, we headed towards the shopping area.


    ¡°The suspects who caused that incident escaped through a warp gate. That¡¯s why,¡± Charlotte said, without going into detail about the trading of the demon prisoners.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they chase them through the gate?¡±


    ¡°They nned it all out,¡± Charlotte said, calmly filling me in on the parts she could talk about. ¡°They forcibly activated a previously closed gate and escaped through it, then destroyed the warp gate at their destination.¡±


    Pretending to be clueless about an incident I was fully informed about was quite distressing.


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t understand why we¡¯re going to the Aligar shopping district. I really feel like I¡¯m walking on a tightrope.¡±


    I was involved with both Vertus and Charlotte and did not want to find myself trapped in a sticky situation. Having my real identity exposed was not even the issue now. I was afraid of ending up in the absurd situation of having to run away because both sides saw me as a traitor.


    Vertus probably already suspected that there was some connection between Charlotte and I, and just hadn¡¯t said anything to me about it yet. The same probably went for Charlotte.


    Despite this, I felt slightly more inclined towards Charlotte out of a sense of guilt, and that made it possible for me to speak to her more candidly than I would with Vertus.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°I need you for my own reasons, and while I don¡¯t know Vertus¡¯s intentions well, it seems like he looks favorably on you for his own reasons too. Right?¡±


    Charlotte had likely seen or overheard my exchanges with Vertus.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what Vertus thinks about me, but I¡¯d say we¡¯re not on bad terms,¡± I replied.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, you can rest assured that Vertus will not harm you. You can rx. Strictly speaking, you should be more wary of me, but as you know, I need you too.¡±


    Charlotte was more direct when she spoke to me, and her tone carried a different weightpared to Vertus¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m safe as long as I¡¯m in the Royal ss? Why?¡±


    ¡®<i>Just because we¡¯re ssmates?</i>¡¯


    ¡°As you know, the Temple assesses students through exams and grades them, right?¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just individual exams; there are group exams too, and there are subjects or activities that require teamwork. Are you aware that these are also part of the evaluation?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    This was all too familiar to me.


    ss A and ss B faced off in sspetitions, and the oues were indeed reflected in the grades. Naturally, there needed to be some kind ofpetition between the sses, since that was where the satisfaction came from¡ªwhen the protagonist¡¯s ss, the underdogs, triumphed over the elite ss.


    It might not be that rational that group activities would have a bearing on individual grades, but I had intentionally included this in the setting of my novel to fosterpetition between the sses.


    ¡°So, if you harm or worsen rtions with someone in your ss¡ªor, to speak more bluntly, get rid of them¡ªwouldn¡¯t that put you at a disadvantage during group activities?¡±


    ¡°Yes... that would.¡±


    In many cases, simply having fewer members inherently put the group at a disadvantage. I¡¯d invented many bizarre group activities for the sake of fostering the spirit ofpetition between sses A and B.


    In short, tampering with your own team could hurt your grade.


    ¡°So, Vertus won¡¯t touch me because if he does something to me, it might hurt his grades?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So he¡¯ll leave you alone, unless it¡¯s something truly significant.¡±


    ¡®<i>Vertus might be smart, but he doesn¡¯t seem like the type to obsess over grades.</i>¡¯


    ¡°That seems a bit far-fetched... Are grades that important?¡±


    ¡°They might not have been before, but now they¡¯re quite important,¡± Charlotte said, looking at me intently.


    At the moment, grades at the Temple were very important to both Charlotte and Vertus. That was why Vertus wouldn¡¯t try to get rid of me carelessly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to exin, right? If something happens to either of us, that would mean that the imperial authority of the other party will be revoked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do know that...¡±


    On the first day of admission to the Temple, the emperor had sent a decree to the Royal ss. It was addressed both to Charlotte and Vertus, and at the same time, it was also a warning to their followers within the Royal ss not to engage in any foolish acts.


    Indeed, until the imperial session was firmly established, neither of them could afford to harm the other.


    The emperor surely had to know about Vertus¡¯s prior attempt to kill Charlotte. While not knowing the details of it, it seemed the emperor had chosen not to take issue with Vertus¡¯s actions.


    However, he wanted to prevent any future situation in which one member of the family would spill the other¡¯s blood.


    Vertus and Charlotte, in fact, had to be hoping fervently for each other¡¯s safety. If something were to happen to either of them, the authority that the emperor held was so strong right now that apletely unrted third party could end up being appointed emperor.


    That was the current situation.


    ¡°If you consider all that, do you think that the grades we achieve at the Temple would influence one¡¯s ability to seed the throne, or not?¡± Charlotte asked.


    It was nonsensical to think that the one who graduated from the Temple with better grades would be the emperor or empress, even taking into consideration that the Temple was the continent¡¯s most elite educational institution. For such a decision, that criteria alone would not be sufficient.


    Even if it didn¡¯t exert absolute influence on the decision, though, it would certainly have a significant impact.


    Vertus and Charlotte were both in the same academic year.


    Therefore, their grades were an indicator of which of them was morepetent.


    Moreover, their achievements at the Temple were not going to be determined solely by their own individual efforts. A great deal of it was also determined by group activities and assignments.


    Grades at the Temple would inevitably have an effect on the imperial session. They would have a meaningful impact, even if they weren¡¯t the absolute determining factor.


    ¡°So, if one person is missing from their ss, it¡¯s a significant loss.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Having one less person around for a group activity would be a significant loss. Therefore, Vertus would not directly harm anyone in his ss unless it was truly necessary, as that could impact his performance and standing at the Temple. That was Charlotte¡¯s point.


    Only then did I realize why Vertus was persuading those who wanted to take a leave of absence to stay. If two students were to drop out, the ss size would shrink to nine. That would be two less than ss B. Arguments against unfair group evaluations would be futile, and Vertus would somehow still have to achieve better results than ss B.


    Before this, the importance of grades at the Temple may not have been so important to Vertus, but they had now be very significant.


    That meant that they were of great importance to Charlotte as well.


    ¡°Wait. So does that mean that the two of you were intentionally separated into ss A and ss B?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... we can¡¯t dismiss that possibility.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t know what Charlotte¡¯s supernatural power was, but the implications of the fact that they were both Number 1, but of different sses, was clear. They were both leaders of their respective ss. After all, the ability to lead ssmates was an important skill too.


    In the end, there was some truth to Charlotte¡¯s reassurances that there was no need to fear Vertus too much.


    And I could understand what Charlotte meant when she said she needed me, so there was no need for me to be afraid of her either.


    This, however, led to another question.


    ¡°Not to be rude or anything, but if you¡¯re in ss B... isn¡¯t that a bit of a disadvantage?¡±


    The sses were differentiated by talent, and ss B was considered less talented. Was Charlotte okay with that arrangement?


    Charlotte shrugged. ¡°I actually think that this is much better for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see what you mean.¡±


    The dilemma of a top student applied here as well.


    It was expected that ss A would outperform ss B.


    However, if ss B managed to surpass ss A even once, it would be seen as a miracle. That was likely why Charlotte considered it advantageous to be in ss B. In the original story¡ªalthough it might not go that way moving forward¡ªthere was a point where ss B did surpass ss A.


    ¡°Whatever the case, you seem to be giving me, someone from ss A, quite a lot of information.¡±


    Charlotte smirked as if revealing this information to me wasn¡¯t particrly problematic.


    ¡°Is that so? Vertus already knows all this anyway. But let¡¯s leave the small talk for now.¡±


    We had unknowingly entered the Aligar shopping district, the ce where numerous adventurers were being swindled, even that very day.


    ¡°The child I¡¯m looking for¡ªthis shopping district is thest ce that child was seen.¡±


    ¡°Oh... is that so?¡±


    Charlotte came here in search of traces of Baalier.


    With Baalier right beside her.

 Chapter 82

    <h4>Chapter 82</h4>


    Charlotte had a reason for bringing me along.


    ¡°Let me know if you sense anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay... I¡¯m not sure it¡¯ll work though.¡±


    She had brought me along without any particr expectations, just hoping that my supernatural power could work some kind of miracle. She thought that being at thest ce Baalier had been might help me find a clue.


    Charlotte had probably already extracted all the information she could about this ce.


    Yet she wanted to check things out for herself, and believe that bringing me along might make a difference.


    Charlotte roamed around showing Baalier¡¯s portrait to people and asking about him.


    ¡°Have you seen anyone who looks like this?¡±


    Even though she must have known that I had been focusing on the scroll shops, Charlotte meticulously wandered the marketce, asking various store owners questions.


    She asked if they had seen the person in the picture, and if so, where had they gone.


    Of course, this was the Aligar shopping district. If you weren¡¯t forking over money, you were to be treated harshly.


    ¡°What are you kids doing here? This is no ce for sightseeing. Get out.¡±


    Although she was wearing a robe, Charlotte still had a small frame, and I too looked obviously underage¡ªnot fit to be an adventurer in their eyes.


    As a result, no one took us seriously, and some told us that sightseeing wasn¡¯t allowed.


    This was considered rtively polite.


    Others were not so generous, raving at us for being kids that were not going to buy anything, and demanding to know why we were in their shops stirring up trouble. Such harsh words weremon here.


    If the people uttering those words knew that they were speaking to the First Imperial Princess, they would probably want to bite their tongues and die.


    If we had known that it was going to be like this, we would havee in decent clothes, or at least in a Temple uniform. At least that way, they might at least think that we had money.


    Charlotte let out tired sighs as she was consistently met with rejection.


    ¡°... I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but it seems like everyone is refusing to deal with us.¡±


    ¡°... Um, shouldn¡¯t you be angry, being spoken to like this bymoners?¡±


    All manner of things had been directed at Charlotte, whether she was chased away or given attention, but she never showed any signs of anger.


    In response, Charlotte merely offered a weakugh.


    ¡°I think it would be funny for me to start making a scene just because I got spoken to harshly. If I go about saying ¡®How dare you not recognize who I am?¡¯ after concealing my identity and wearing this robe, that would be ridiculous.¡±


    It seemed Charlotte had fully expected this to happen, and that getting angry at them after concealing her identity was rather silly. What mattered to her at that moment was not her dignity or honor.


    The fact that Charlotte was taking action herself made it clear how desperate she was to find Baalier.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t sense anything? Anything?¡±


    ¡°... No, not really.¡±


    ¡°I figured...¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t seem too disappointed, as if she hadn¡¯t expected much in the first ce.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Charlotte appeared to be far from giving up.


    ***


    The scroll shops were the only ces where we could gather any sort of information. Luckily, not everyone tantly rejected us.


    ¡°Why are so many people looking for that little brat? Did he end up causing some big trouble with that fake scroll or something?¡± A shop owner said.


    The scroll shop owners who remembered me generally showed this sort of reaction. ording to them, many people were running around in search of Baalier after he had tried to sell them a fake scroll.


    They seemed to think that Baalier was involved in a huge crime.


    ¡°First, some people who looked like the city guard came asking around and looking for him, and now, even kids like you guys are looking for him. Geez.¡±


    The shop owner found it strange that all manner of people were searching for one kid.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to go into the details, but it¡¯s an important matter. Could you tell us everything you remember about that child?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say, really. Some months ago, a young kid with a scroll book tried to sell a scroll here. But even though it was well-drawn, the scrolls were fake through and through. I figured he was just selling fake scrolls, so I chased him off. That¡¯s the end of it.¡±


    ¡°I see... Thank you.¡±


    The shopkeeper clicked his tongue. ¡°That little one must have certainly gotten into some big trouble. That¡¯s why you should always be honest in life. Remember that, you two.¡±


    Charlotte and I left the shop quietly after that surprise lecture by the shop owner.


    Charlotte sighed. ¡°In the end, we didn¡¯t find anything new to add to what we already know.¡±


    It must have been frustrating for Charlotte to hear the same story with her own ears, merely offering confirmation that they did not have any new information to give her.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this about him selling fake scrolls?¡±


    Of course, in the current situation, I had to act as though I didn¡¯t know why Charlotte hade to this ce, or what Baalier had done. Charlotte, peeking at me from within her robes, opened her mouth slightly.


    ¡°Did I tell you that he escaped the Demon King¡¯s Castle with me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you told me that he saved your life....¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go into the details, but he had his reasons to get away from me.¡±


    Baalier had to flee because of the possibility of retribution from Vertus. Charlotte thought she knew the reason why I¡¯d left her. Of course, she waspletely unaware that I had fled because I was a demon.


    ¡°What could a boy with no memories do? Having fled blindly, his path forward must have beenpletely dark. But then, he had magic scrolls from the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and it seems he tried to sell them here in the Aligar shopping district to get some money.¡±


    Charlotte was piecing together the truth, using the facts that hade to light. A boy had been selling fake scrolls. From there, she must have deduced that those ¡®fake¡¯ scrolls were actually demon scrolls, and concluded that the boy was indeed Baalier.


    ¡°The structure of demon scrolls are different from our own scrolls. To the merchants who aren¡¯t mages, it would have just seemed like a joke, or an attempt to swindle them.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    The scrolls of demons and humans had different structures. That was why, in my ignorance, I failed to sell the demon scrolls, until I finally encountered Eleris.


    ¡°And so, when he eventually realized there was a problem and that he couldn¡¯t sell the demon scrolls, he stole a Fireball scroll from one of the stores, or so I¡¯ve heard. But it¡¯s strange. There are eyewitness ounts of him stealing the Fireball scroll, but no one said that they¡¯d bought such a scroll.¡±


    Eleris had provided false testimony to cover up that part. Hence, the trail ended there.


    ¡°Maybe he got scared after stealing it and fled far away?¡±


    Charlotte nodded thoughtfully at my intentionally-misleading statement.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll need to search other shopping districts instead of this one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s first go to the shop that reported the stolen Fireball scroll.¡±


    To be precise, I technically hadn¡¯t <i>stolen</i> it since the store owner had given it to me directly, but I obviously couldn¡¯t correct that.


    Charlotte led the way while I followed. She seemed to want to confirm what she already knew on her own, perhaps thinking she might discover something new in the process.


    ***


    We arrived at the shop of the man blinded by greed, where a Fireball scroll had been ¡°stolen¡±.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    I never imagined that I would be back here.


    ¡°... What¡¯s this? What are you kids doing here?¡±


    The male owner, whose name Eleris had told me but I had forgotten, still looked sour and greedy. Charlotte walked confidently towards the counter.


    ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Borton, right?¡±


    His expression stiffened. Clearly, he was taken aback by someone calling his name out of the blue. Charlotte seemed to possess almost all the preliminary information.


    ¡°... Yes. And?¡±


    ¡°Some time ago, you reported that a Fireball scroll was stolen by a certain individual. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°... <i>Ugh</i>. That story again? Haven¡¯t I said all there is to say? Are they sending kids to check on me now?¡±


    He seemed tired of repeating the same story, frustrated by the persistent inquiries.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But it¡¯s an important issue, so we¡¯re still looking into it. Could you tell us once more what happened that day?¡±


    Charlotte asked nicely, rather than asserting any authority.


    ¡°They told me that if that brat gets caught, they¡¯d generously reward me with not only the stolen scroll but a hefty sum of money as well. But seeing that there¡¯s been no word up to now, I suppose it¡¯s probably hopeless. Let me ask you instead¡ªwhat kind of trouble did that kid get into in the end?¡±


    Merchants who had seen me were almost convinced that the boy in question was also involved in a different incident, since so many people were digging about, trying to find him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t tell you that information. It¡¯s an important matter.¡±


    Borton sneered as if he found the situation absurd. ¡°So they told you two what he was up to, but not me? Ah, whatever. If that kid gets caught, that¡¯s all that matters to me.¡±


    He seemed to be boiling with resentment about the stolen Fireball scroll, as if holding some kind of grudge. Watching the man fuming at me for his own wrongdoings was almost enough to cause my blood pressure to rise again.


    Normally, I would haveshed out in anger, but knowing that I couldn¡¯t afford to act out in my current circumstance, I gritted my teeth and held back. Borton¡¯s face twisted as he recalled the situation, and began to offer his version of it again.


    ¡°So, about two months ago, some kid came in with a scroll book and tried to sell me a scroll from it. But what do you know, it was a fake, drawn very borately. I told him to shove off, that I didn¡¯t want to buy his fake stuff.


    ¡°After I drove him away, I realized that the brat had sneakily pinched a Fireball scroll from my shop. I couldn¡¯t have been more furious when I found out... I tried to look for the punk, but it was no use. That¡¯s the end of it.


    ¡°And now, for some reason, people are looking around everywhere trying to catch him because he¡¯s caused some other trouble or whatnot.¡±


    He twisted his testimony in his favor, and the part about him voluntarily handing me the Fireball scroll had been changed into a story of theft instead.


    ¡°Anyway, does this even serve as a clue? We don¡¯t know whether he vanished into thin air or burrowed into the ground. I don¡¯t even know the brat¡¯s name.¡±


    Borton sighed heavily, apparently believing that catching the boy with this level of testimony alone was hopeless. It seemed he was still losing sleep over the scroll he had lost. Charlotte smiled beneath her robe as she observed the shopkeeper.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a clue.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Charlotte wasn¡¯t really looking at Borton, but scanning the shop itself.


    ¡°We already got one clue, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Charlotte had already noticed a fact that she did not originally know of from the reports that were given to her.


    ¡°What? What clue?¡±


    Borton¡¯s face was filled with surprise at Charlotte¡¯s sudden mention of a clue.


    Charlotte, disregarding Borton¡¯s reaction, suddenly took out a scroll from her belongings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell you this scroll for a quarter of its market price.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a fake. You can check it.¡±


    Borton, taken aback by a young girl presenting him with a magic scroll out of nowhere, unrolled it on the counter, and after examining it, tilted his head in confusion.


    ¡°... A Lightning scroll... It¡¯s genuine. The full price of a scroll is one gold coin, and a quarter of that would be twenty-five silver coins.¡±


    ¡°You can buy it if you want to, or not. It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Charlotte offered the scroll to him nonchntly, as if to avoid haggling over whether one gold was the correct market price or not. Borton, sensing the opportunity, handed her twenty-five silver coins immediately.


    I could tell from his face that the issue of clues and testimonies didn¡¯t matter to him, now that he had earned some easy money.


    After taking the silver coins, Charlotte smiled.


    ¡°Now, at which point in this process did I have the opportunity to steal one of your scrolls?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be an appraisal room in the back of the store, and you were able to verify the authenticity of this scroll just by looking it over at the counter. You instantly determined that the scroll the young kid brought in was a fake and chased him away. So how could that child have possibly stolen a Fireball scroll from the scroll cab behind you?¡±


    Charlotte pointed to the scroll cab behind Borton. It was set up in such a way that customers couldn¡¯t possibly ess it.


    Charlotte¡¯s deduction pierced through the web of lies, highlighting the inconsistency in Borton¡¯s story. His im that the boy had stolen a scroll became questionable since, ording to his own process of authentication, the child wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to get anywhere near the scrolls that were kept securely behind the counter.


    If Baalier had shown Borton a demon scroll and Borton had taken it to the back of the shop to appraise it, then it might have been possible for the Fireball scroll to be stealthily stolen.


    However, Charlotte had intentionally prevented the shopkeeper from concocting such a story by selling a scroll at a significantly lower price, thereby getting to observe the transaction process firsthand. Her aim had been to directly assess how the shop was run, to determine if thievery was even usible.


    With a slight tilt of her head and a mocking tone, Charlotte spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that the child did not steal the Fireball scroll¡ªor perhaps, you are hiding something. Why don¡¯t you tell us what that is?¡±


    Charlotte had seen through Borton¡¯s lies, cornering him and leaving no room for excuses.


    ¡°W-what, what are you saying?! If I said it was stolen, then it was stolen! Why you little¡ª¡±


    His disbelief was evident, and his face reddened as he attempted to step out from behind the counter.


    ¡°Hey, watch your words, old man.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Instead of Charlotte, still d in her robe, I stepped forward. Charlotte¡¯s decision not to reveal her identity suggested that she did not want to press the matter any further using her position.


    ¡°I¡¯m a student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss. If you don¡¯t want to end up a bloody mess for spewing nonsense, you¡¯d better just talk.¡±


    Since Charlotte didn¡¯t want to reveal her identity, I did.


    ¡®<i>You should be thankful, shopkeeper. If I hadn¡¯t intervened and you ended upying a hand on her, who knows if your head would still be attached to your shoulders.</i>¡¯


    ¡°The Te-Temple...?¡±


    I waved my student ID in front of him, and unlike the thugs on the train, this man seemed slightly intimidated.


    ¡°Yeah, the Temple. I don¡¯t really have anything to lose if I beat you up, but that¡¯s not true if we look at things from your side. Besides, I¡¯m confident I can take you in a fight easily. What do you say? If you think you can overpower me given your weight ss, thene at me.¡±


    I said all that menacingly, in a low voice, and he seemed stuck between the humiliation of being disrespected by a youngster and the worry of getting into trouble with a Temple student. Charlotte seemed slightly surprised that I¡¯d intervened, as she hadn¡¯t anticipated it.


    Charlotte had already seen through Borton¡¯s lies, so it was only a matter of time before she uncovered the truth. And if that was the case, I decided that I might as well contribute and show Charlotte that I could be useful.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. If you were robbed, just exin how the theft happened. And if that¡¯s not the case, then tell us what you¡¯re hiding.¡±


    My demeanor was more intimidating than that of Charlotte, who was still concealed in her robe. She remained silent, waiting to see how I would handle the situation.


    Above all, I couldn¡¯t stand idly by while this asshole spouted nonsense.


    ¡°You understand that this is a serious matter, right? You¡¯re suspected of providing false information and disrupting the course of the investigation. Do you want to talk now, or would you prefer to be dragged away by someone you don¡¯t even know into some dark basement, and get the crap beaten out of you before you open your mouth?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of expression Charlotte made in response to my improbable threat.


    It wasn¡¯t as if I could control either Charlotte¡¯s or Vertus¡¯ forces and get them to do something like that. But I still wanted to manufacture a terrifying threat.


    False information. Disruption of an investigation. Suspicions.


    Laying out words that suggested involvement in something serious was usually enough to make people start to worry.


    My words were merely a bluff. I didn¡¯t have the authority to carry out such threats.


    ¡°U-uh... s-so... so...¡±


    However, from Borton¡¯s perspective, it would be difficult to dismiss my words as a mere bluff.


    I¡¯d never intended toe back here.


    Yet now, when faced with this situation, I found myself wanting to see this scumbag get what he deserved.


    TLN: Charlotte, the detective?!

 Chapter 83

    <h4>Chapter 83</h4>


    Borton eventually confessed.


    ¡°... So, you¡¯re saying you gave it to him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I did.¡±


    However, he confessed it in a way that made it as defensible as possible, by saying that he had just given it away.


    ¡°Why would you just give a Fireball scroll to that child?¡±


    ¡°I... I felt sorry for the kid who was trying to hawk a counterfeit scroll on the streets!¡±


    ¡°... Why are you making up such an unbelievable lie? Earlier on, you said it was stolen and that he was a thief, and now you¡¯re iming that you gave it away out of pity?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right! I¡¯m telling you that I just gave it away!¡±


    Charlotte looked incredulous, as though she couldn¡¯t believe he was expecting her to fall for such a lie.


    I had thought this man incredibly stupid and stubborn when he just handed the Fireball scroll to me back then, but I was realizing that about him all over again.


    My annoyance began to boil over.


    Charlotte easily debunked this guy¡¯s lies, but he kept recycling the same obvious lies.


    ¡°Hey, old man. Do you think we¡¯re fools or something? It¡¯s obvious that you thought that the kid had a talent for drawing fake scrolls, and nned to use him to make counterfeit scrolls that you could sell yourself! You probably gave him the Fireball scroll and asked him to bring back a replica or something. But then, you began to regret what you did, and are now putting on a show!¡±


    My irritation reached its peak, and I blurted out everything I knew about the situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was thinking the same thing.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have already guessed this much, since she didn¡¯t seem too surprised by my conjecture. As Borton¡¯s excuses were exposed and the truth came to light, hisplexion turned pale.


    ¡°N-no, no! H-how can you use s-somebody of being a swindler without proper evidence? What did I do to deserve this?! I lost a Fireball scroll! I¡¯m the one who suffered a loss!¡±


    Charlotte let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Listen, Mr. Borton. Imperialw does not punish intent. Even if you intended to do so, since you didn¡¯t actually sell any counterfeit scrolls, you¡¯re not a swindler, okay? What I want is the truth. So, the child didn¡¯t steal the Fireball scroll. Am I right?¡± Charlotte said softly.


    Borton began to regain hisposure.


    ¡°Y-yes, yes, that¡¯s right. He didn¡¯t steal it. I... I gave it to him myself. That¡¯s really the truth.¡±


    In the end, he still did not admit to the fact that he had nned to mass-produce counterfeit scrolls andmit fraud. Though I couldn¡¯t see Charlotte¡¯s expression, it was clear she felt extreme contempt for the man in front of her.


    With that, Charlotte turned around as if her business had concluded and left the store.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s true! I really just gave it to him! No strings attached!¡±


    Borton protested his innocence until the end, but Charlotte didn¡¯t bother to respond any further.


    Once we were back on the street, we found ourselves standing in the Aligar shopping district amidst the rays of the setting sun. Charlotte covered her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°... Are you mad?¡±


    ¡°How could such ridiculous people like him exist?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face had be red with rage. She seemed filled with fury, from the top of her head to her toes.


    ¡°<i>Ugh... Ughhhhh!!!</i>¡±


    Charlotte trembled uncontrobly, as if she couldn¡¯t contain her anger.


    Despite the extent of her apparent anger, her reaction just seemed too cute, and I almost felt sorry for finding it so.


    She was so angry that she grabbed me and looked me directly in the eyes


    ¡°Seriously. How could someone tell such stupid lies with a straight face?¡± she said. ¡°Was he mocking me? Huh? Did he think I would believe any of that? What on earth was he on about?¡±


    Charlotte seemed more upset about Borton¡¯s boldness in telling such stupid and obvious lies than hisck of character.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe how a person can be that stupid. This is why we need to introduce a public education system throughout the empire as quickly as possible. Maybe that way fewer idiots like him would exist!¡±


    ¡®<i>Wait, is that what she was angry at this whole time?</i> <i>Is she implying that the existence of such stupid people is due to theck of a public education system? Does she feel that it is the empire¡¯s responsibility and was that what fueled her frustration? Does she feel obligated and embarrassed whenever she sees someone like Borton and it makes her angry?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I see... I think you¡¯re looking at this from a different perspective, but yeah...¡±


    As expected of a princess. She really had an altogether different way of thinking.


    However, I couldn¡¯t agree with herpletely, since I¡¯d seen plenty of fools still thriving in a world where public education was properly implemented.


    ¡°A-anyway, could you... calm down a bit?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh... Ah. Sorry.¡±


    Charlotte had be so agitated that she was nearly nose-to-nose with me, passionately airing her grievances. To be infuriated not so much by the immoral nature but by the stupidity of a citizen was a challenging perspective that I found hard to understand.


    After a few deep breaths, Charlotte seemed to calm herself down.


    ¡°Alright... I did have my doubts about him being a thief, but at least that bit has been answered.¡±


    It seemed Charlotte had had her suspicions over the reports that I had stolen the Fireball scroll. Now that she had verified the facts herself, she appeared quite satisfied that she¡¯d discovered the truth.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, you¡¯re quite something.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°Earlier on, when you were pressuring him.¡±


    She seemed to be referring to my bluff, and how I¡¯d forced the truth out of Borton.


    Charlotte looked at me with a sly smile. ¡°You¡¯ve done that quite a bit, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Her mischievous smile drew a sigh from me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say that it was my first time, but I don¡¯t do it that often.¡±


    After all, part of the reason I¡¯d lost my cool was because that asshole had kept on lying so nonchntly, and it got to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing to be skilled at something. I think highly of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if being good at bluffing is apliment or a criticism, but I¡¯ll take your word for it. Thanks.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have reassessed me again. Then, she pointed to one of the many street stalls lining the road.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat something while we sort things out.¡±


    As she said that, she jingled the pouch of silver coins she had just received from selling the Lightning scroll.


    ¡°To think that a day woulde when I¡¯d be treated to street food by Her Highness. This is an honor indeed.¡±


    In response to my banter, Charlotte gave me a slightly startled look. Even though I was a bit taller than her, I had a good view of her face, hidden beneath her robe.


    ¡°... Do you often get told by Vertus that you¡¯re disrespectful?¡±


    ¡°Eh, to be precise, I¡¯ve been told that there¡¯s a problem with my attitude.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s wonderful.¡±


    Charlotte went on to tell me that, although it might seem like I was trying to please both the prince and princess, I was actuallypletely disrespecting them.


    ¡°I honestly wonder how you would have survived in this world if you hadn¡¯t enrolled in the Temple.¡±


    Charlotte continued toy into me, implying that someone with a mouth like mine would have surely died an early death if I were amoner. Even though we were students and supposed to treat each other equally, I often went beyond informality to outright rudeness.


    ¡°Exactly... I think the day I graduate from the Temple will be the day of my funeral. That¡¯s why I¡¯m considering staying enrolled forever to avoid that.¡±


    Charlotte burst intoughter. ¡°Yeah, if you want to live even a little longer, that might actually be necessary.¡±


    Apparently, she thought that it was the best course of action for me.


    ***


    Charlotte and I bought something simr to churros from a street stall near the shopping district. They were stick-shaped pastries dusted with sugar. They looked like churros but tasted more like twisted donuts; a curiousbination.


    No matter how I thought about it, a medieval world where sugar was amon ingredient seemed odd. It was seriously weird, but I had already given up trying to make sense of it back when I first saw beggars selling candy.


    <i>¡®Right. Like I¡¯ve always said: medieval fantasy isn¡¯t quite medieval, is it!¡¯</i>


    That¡¯s just how this fictional world worked!


    ¡°Anyway... I know this might sound unnecessary, but it¡¯s kind of surprising to see someone of your stature eating something sold on the street like this.¡±


    It was surprising to see her eating moner food¡± so naturally, and doubly surprising that she was the one who had suggested it.


    Charlotte offered a strange smile in return.


    ¡°To be honest, I used to be quite a picky eater.¡±


    ¡°... Oh really?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, and I was exactly like what you¡¯re imagining right now.¡±


    The type to turn their nose up at street food or anything slightly substandard. The fact that Charlotte used to be like that seemed all the more surprising, because she didn¡¯t seem that way at all.


    This thought made me realize that I did hold some prejudices after all.


    With Vertus, no matter how nice he seemed, my thoughts still gravitated toward, <i>¡®No, this guy is bad news.¡¯</i>


    But with Charlotte, even if she did something bad or mischievous, My first thought would be, <i>¡®There must be a reason behind it.¡¯ </i>


    Perhaps that was the importance of first impressions. Or maybe I was just weird.


    ¡°When a person is so deprived of water that they¡¯re dying of thirst, they¡¯d lick a puddle of rainwater that¡¯s on the ground. And so, the same goes for food. Can you believe that I¡¯ve chewed on leather shoes crusted with mud before to survive?¡±


    Charlotte was smiling at me, but it wasn¡¯t truly a smile; it was an expression borne out of the inability to cry, looking almost like a frown.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    When I saw that expression of hers, I simply couldn¡¯t find the words to say to her.


    ¡°When someone reaches a dead end, they all be the same. Noble ormoner, in the end, they¡¯re all the same.¡±


    Charlotte had witnessed how the masks of dignity and the cloaks of status that people lived with their entire lives became worthless in the face of the absolute need to survive. And she realized that she wasn¡¯t any different.


    ¡°The most horrifying part wasn¡¯t the torture, the threats, the curses, or anything like that,¡± Charlotte said, her expression growing dark as she quietly looked down at the churros she was holding. ¡°It was seeing the people, starved to the extreme, turn on each other for food. And then seeing those same people be struck by the horror of their deeds afterwards and go mad.¡± Charlotte looked at me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the demons that scared me the most while I was there. It was the humans.¡±


    It was humanity that she feared the most.


    ¡°I was afraid that I could just as easily be one of them if I was pushed to my limits as well. That was the most terrifying and dreadful aspect for me.¡±


    Charlotte found the decline that humans went through more horrifying than demons because she knew she could easily be like them.


    ¡°It was so terrible and frightening, and I felt like I was going mad... No, in that ce, I had already gone mad.¡±


    I remembered that time clearly.


    Charlotte was holding onto a corpse, weeping.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t go into details, but I remembered how she looked at that time, and I understood why she did not borate any further.


    She had been holding onto a corpse.


    She looked as though she was in immense pain.


    ¡°Then, a child came to me. The only other survivor besides myself, unbelievably, appeared right before my eyes.¡±


    When Charlotte had been sobbing softly, unable to even weep properly, I had appeared.


    The only other survivor besides her.


    ¡°That child gave me the only bit of food he had found. He didn¡¯t even take a bite of it himself.¡±


    It was just a single biscuit. Something that was far too meager to fill a stomach.


    ¡°I was literally on the brink of going mad... but it was thanks to that child that I managed to stay sane...¡±


    The boy who had generously handed over his precious food to her.


    The only other survivor besides herself.


    It seemed that, at that time, Charlotte found reassurance in my mere existence alone. She appeared to have been moved simply by the fact that someone else was alive.


    I knew that all of that was a lie, and I could not bear to meet Charlotte¡¯s gaze directly as she ryed this memory to me.


    Perhaps feeling weighed down by the heavy topic, Charlotte let out an exaggeratedugh.


    ¡°So, yeah. I haven¡¯t been fussy about food since then.¡±


    ¡°Ah... So, do you mean that after what you went through, everything tastes good to you now... or something like that?¡±


    Charlotte shook her head.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve realized that I¡¯ll never eat anything more delicious than what I¡¯d had at that moment. So now, whatever I eat, it¡¯s just okay to me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that she hade to appreciate all the food she ate after that incident.


    Rather, she understood that she would never experience a more profound taste than the biscuit she had eaten then; therefore, Charlotte was no longer fussy over food.


    ¡®<i>Wow... Not finding anything good just because nothing will beat the taste of what you had back then</i>?¡¯


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a pretty pessimistic way to think?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s a lot better to be a pessimist rather than go insane?¡± Charlotte asked with a wry smile.


    It was sad to hear her having to hold the thought of not going mad itself as a blessing.


    But Charlotte¡¯s smile was so beautiful that it left me momentarily dazed.


    ¡°Can you stop telling me things that I shouldn¡¯t know? At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if you said, ¡®Now that you¡¯ve heard all this, I¡¯m going to have to kill you!¡¯¡±


    ¡®<i>Let¡¯s be honest, you and I aren¡¯t even that close! Of course, it does seem like you¡¯ve opened up to me a bit, but isn¡¯t this a little too sudden? Or have you always wanted to tell someone these thoughts but never found the right person, so you just grabbed the first sucker who came along and proceeded to unload your feelings?</i>¡¯


    Charlotte responded with a sly grin.


    ¡°Ah, you know me too well! Yep, sadly, I¡¯m going to have to kill you now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, in that case, I¡¯m out. I apologize for any inconvenience I¡¯ve caused until now. Peace.¡±


    I stood up abruptly, and Charlotte grabbed the hem of my clothes.


    ¡°Ohe on, I was just kidding!¡±


    It seemed she found teasing me quite amusing.

 Chapter 84

    <h4>Chapter 84</h4>


    ¡°... By the way, is this all you¡¯re going to have?¡± Charlotte mumbled in disbelief as she looked over at the churros that I had barely touched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like sweets.¡±


    Fried refined carbohydrates with a bonus sprinkling of sugar powder on top? Just thinking about it made me feel suffocated.


    Why did people even eat such a thing?


    I mean, I <i>had </i>eaten the candy that Eleris had given me, but that was different.


    Charlotte¡¯s mouth fell open slightly in astonishment at my words.


    Her expression suggested that she couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around what I¡¯d just said.


    ¡°You find it surprising that I, of noble status, eat anything without fuss, but I find it more surprising that a former street beggar doesn¡¯t like sweets. Am I the weird one?¡±


    A princess who didn¡¯t mind eating street food, and a former beggar who imed to not like sweets.


    Both were unusual in their own way.


    At least the princess had a good reason, and wasn¡¯t being as ridiculous as I was.


    ¡°Um, I¡¯d say my case is a bit different from a princess like you. I¡¯ve been eating nothing but low-quality food, and only now, upon tasting more refined things, have Ie to realize what I truly like and don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... I really don¡¯t want to say this, but you sound pretty spoiled.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course! I¡¯m being nurtured in the world¡¯s best educational institution, and eating only the finest food.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t even know what to say, seriously.¡±


    As if she couldn¡¯t believe how odd I was, Charlotte was left incredulouslyughing in despair.


    ¡°So, what <i>do</i> you like then?¡±


    ¡°A nice warm meat stew.¡±


    As I described something simr to a <i>gukbap</i>[1], Charlotte¡¯s expression grew increasingly more puzzled.


    ¡°... How should I put it... Talking with you sometimes makes me think of a very stubborn middle-aged man. Both your way of speaking and your tastes...¡±


    Was she trying to say I sounded like those condescending old men? To be fair, considering my age, I suppose it¡¯s natural I might seem that way.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll take that as meaning I seem mature.¡±


    ¡°Just know that maturity isn¡¯t always a good thing.¡±


    I clearly understood that she was sarcastically saying that rather than aging like fine wine, I was like moldy old cheese. I reluctantly crammed the remaining piece of churro into my mouth.


    ¡°... What? I thought you didn¡¯t like it? Why did you just eat all of it suddenly?¡±


    After chewing for a long while and finally swallowing the dreadfully sweet thing, I sighed.


    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t want to eat it, it would be wrong to discard a gift from the princess.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what Charlotte would think if I threw the princess¡¯s gift into the trash can, but I knew that there was nothing good about doing so.


    Of course, there was more meaning in the fact that it was from Charlotte, and not the princess.


    ¡°... The fact that you even care about such things is what¡¯s truly absurd.¡±


    Charlotte seemed as though she was on the verge of giving up trying to understand me.


    ***


    Our brief snack break was over.


    We sat on the bench, continuing to watch the passersby along the street.


    ¡°I¡¯ve realized that there are definitely things you onlye to know by seeing them for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah... after what happened earlier, it does seem that way.¡±


    Charlotte let out a deep sigh.


    Charlotte had instructed her people to investigate the Aligar shopping district. Yet, even the super-obvious discrepancy behind the shopkeeper¡¯s reported theft had not been discovered by them.


    ¡°I suppose realizing that my people only do what they¡¯re ordered to do is a harvest in itself.¡±


    ¡°<i>Only do what they¡¯re ordered to do.</i>¡±


    That might not be seen as entirely positive, but just the fact that she realized there were deficiencies within her own ranks was considered as something gained.


    It wasn¡¯t even particrly difficult information to uncover, but they had only done what they¡¯d been told to do, and had ultimately given Charlotte an unreliable investigation report without even caring to double-check the facts.


    Of course, the only reason I¡¯d been able to act the way I had back at the scroll shop was because I knew the truth. And Charlotte, in her own desperation, had taken it seriously.


    If I hadn¡¯t known the truth, I may have just let the situation be.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they at least have themon sense to know this though? If I order them to dig a well, it¡¯s because I want water, and not because I just want to dig a hole in the ground,¡± Charlotte said.


    She seemed extremely disappointed in her subordinates.


    She had instructed them to gather information about Baalier in the Aligar shopping district with the clear intent of finding Baalier, but they had only carried out the inquiry in a literal sense and reported trivial information back to her. Therefore, it had fallen upon Charlotte herself to verify the unreliable information.


    ¡°There are things that I¡¯vee to realize only after seeing them with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°What could that be?¡±


    Charlotte looked at me intently, as if to say, ¡°You really don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°The reports I received were organized into a document that detailed which shop owners gave which testimony,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes. As expected.¡±


    ¡°With that in mind, you start to see things when youe here and investigate it for yourself, such as the locations of the shops that offered testimony. Then, you naturallye to understand...¡± Charlotte pointed to one side of the shopping district, which was the entrance we hade through. ¡°The route.¡±


    At Charlotte¡¯s words, I felt a shiver run down my spine.


    ¡°The child entered through that entrance over there and visited each and every scroll shop that was in sight, just like we had done today. It seems he was kicked out by most of the owners, but all the shops that offered eyewitness testimonies are on this side.¡±


    Charlotte pointed to the opposite end of the shopping district. ¡°There are no more eyewitness testimonies beyond that Fireball scroll shop that we visited earlier. Hence, there is no need to go beyond that point. The trail ends right there.¡±


    I had known all along that Charlotte was smart. Much smarter than me.


    You couldn¡¯t get a feel for locations through documents alone.


    However, being at the scene made it easier to see these locations more clearly, and then connect those locations to reveal the route that the child had taken.


    ¡°If he really stole the Fireball scroll, it would make sense for him to vanish, and we could assume that he escaped to avoid being tracked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ve learned that the scroll wasn¡¯t stolen. So, that child wouldn¡¯t have had much reason to run away.¡±


    If the scroll had been stolen, the boy would have left the shopping district to sell the scroll elsewhere. Hence, it made sense for the trail toe to an abrupt end.


    However, the truth was that the scroll hadn¡¯t been stolen; the shopkeeper had handed it over to him willingly. Therefore, there was no reason for him to flee, and so no reason for the trail to suddenly end.


    ¡°If the child failed to sell the demon scroll he originally had, then he would have tried to sell the Fireball scroll he received from the shopkeeper since he needed the money. There are two possibilities: first, Mr. Borton did something to the child and lied to us in his testimony just now. However, seeing how foolish he was earlier, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s smart enough to do that.¡±


    I began to feel a chill throughout my body.


    ¡°That leads to the second possibility: the child went into the next scroll shop. It is very likely that hisst visit was the Fireball scroll shop, or¡±¡ªCharlotte pointed¡ª¡°that ce over there.¡±


    She was pointing at Eleris¡¯s shop.


    Charlotte had managed to arrive at the truth with only the limited information given to her.


    ***


    I had to prevent Charlotte from reaching Eleris¡¯s shop.


    ¡°I-I see... but it might not necessarily be that ce, right?¡±


    ¡°It might not be, that¡¯s possible. Maybe they just kicked him out for good and forgot about it.¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to suspect Eleris right away.


    ¡°But the fact that there are no more eyewitness ounts from this point onward means that someone amongst the scroll shops along this route after thatst Fireball scroll shop is lying. It¡¯s highly probable that one of these shop owners did something to that child.¡±


    ¡®<i>Damn it. There¡¯s not enough evidence for me to argue against this.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte was making a very logical deduction, so it was impossible to dismiss her suspicions as foolish.


    Even if I <i>did</i> manage to distract her, Charlotte was not going to overlook a single clue she had. Hence, if there was even a slight chance of finding a trace of Baalier, she would still press Eleris for information.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t he have disappeared somewhere else besides the scroll shops?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... You¡¯re right. If he was carrying a scroll book around this shopping district, he would have already been a target for pickpockets and other foul criminals.¡±


    Charlotte nodded at my suggestion to not focus solely on scroll shops. If the child had been wandering around the marketce with a scroll book for an extended period, it was usible that he could have been pickpocketed or robbed of his items.


    ¡°But that¡¯s something we can consider after securing testimonies from the next five scroll shops along the route. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    More information was always better.


    For the moment, Charlotte suggested we visit all the scroll shops in turn to figure out if any of the shopkeepers were lying first, before considering other possibilities.


    In the end, I could find no reason for me to stop Charlotte from heading to Eleris¡¯s shop, and doing so would only raise unnecessary suspicions.


    And then, there was the most important issue...


    At that moment, Eleris would be on the Edina Inds tending to Airi and herpanions and had yet to return.


    I couldn¡¯t decide whether Eleris being away was a good or bad thing, but one thing was for sure¡ªthe situation was developing in an unpredictable manner.


    I was confident that my true identity would remain undiscovered. But if Charlotte began to suspect Eleris, there was a high likelihood that her true identity as a vampire could be exposed.


    There was no other choice.


    I had to use the Revise function.


    ¡®<i>Charlotte wille to believe that investigating Eleris¡¯ shop is unnecessary.</i>¡¯


    [You need 10,000 achievement points to trigger this event.]


    ¡®<i>Damn it.</i>¡¯


    Charlotte¡¯s determination to find me was too strong. Making her dismiss a significant clue was nearly impossible due to theck of usibility.


    <i>Thud</i>!<i> Thud</i>!


    ¡°Hmm... it seems to be locked,¡± Charlotte said as she tilted her head. Eleris¡¯s shop was locked.


    Eleris had not yet returned.


    ¡°... I guess it could just be their day off,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we check out the other ces first? They¡¯ll return eventually, won¡¯t they?¡± I suggested.


    I tried to stay calm and suggested a new approach. But Charlotte was still gazing intently at the locked door.


    What had started with a simple suspicion had now grown into the chance for potential evidence. I could clearly sense a subtle spark of excitement in her expression.


    It was as if she had finally found a clue that she thought she would never find.


    Even I couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback by this bizarre situation.


    With just several insignificant eyewitness ounts at her disposal, Charlotte had sessfully pinpointed the location where I had disappeared.


    Ignoring my suggestion to visit another scroll shop, Charlotte headed straight to the weapon and armor store next door. It seemed as if she hadn¡¯t heard me at all.


    The middle-aged man with a scruffy beard paused from polishing armor and tilted his head.


    ¡°... Why are kids like youing to a ce like this?¡±


    Instead of inquiring about Baalier, Charlotte began questioning the shopkeeper.


    ¡°Is the scroll shop next door closed for the day?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Elena seemed to have gone away for a while. She hasn¡¯t opened her shop for some time now.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s alias was Elena.


    Eleris had closed the shop for quite a while, which meant that she wasn¡¯t around at present. This situation was spiraling in a direction I hadn¡¯t anticipated, in the worst possible way.


    ¡°How long has the shop been closed?¡±


    ¡°Uh... sincest Monday. When the festival started. I suppose she might have taken a long vacation to coincide with the festival.¡±


    At that, Charlotte¡¯s expression became somewhat disheartened. The owner¡¯s supposition that Eleris might have taken a long vacation to match the timing of the festival was quite usible.


    The festival had ended, but she could still be away on her extended vacation.


    ¡°Is the owner young?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s young and very beautiful. Around here, there are thousands of guys trying to¡ªno, what am I saying... Never mind.¡±


    He seemed to realize he was saying too much and scratched his head. Clearly, Eleris seemed to suffer a fair amount of hassle in that regard.


    ¡°But why are you looking for Elena? No offense to her, but there are plenty of other scroll shops around here.¡±


    He spoke quite freely, perhaps because he didn¡¯t consider us his customers. He seemed to be kinder than most of the other shopkeepers around the area.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good reason. Do you know when this Elena will be back?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... well, she didn¡¯t say where she was going or anything like that when she left.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who might know?¡±


    I wanted to stop this conversation at once, but there was no way I could just interrupt it.


    ¡°Well... Elena doesn¡¯t really participate in the Merchants¡¯ Association meetings, and although she gets along with everyone, she doesn¡¯t have any particrly close friends. I mean, hardly anyone here has even had a meal with her. Still, people say she has a kind nature and is too soft to be a merchant...¡±


    She was on friendly terms with everyone, but not particrly close to anyone. Although she was making a living as a merchant, she seemed out of ce among the fiercelypetitive merchants of Aligar.


    Questioning leads to suspicion, which soon turns into certainty.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t know the exact details, but she could sense that Eleris was an odd person.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Charlotte smiled as if she had made a decision.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Leaving the bewildered shop owner behind, Charlotte grabbed me and nted herself in front of Eleris¡¯s shop door.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to force our way in.¡±


    Her suspicions had turned into near certainty now, and Charlotte seemed ready to employ a more forceful approach.


    A blue glow emanated from beneath her robe,ing from the earrings she wore.


    I finally understood why she was perfectly alright walking around by herself without any guards.


    Charlotte possessed an artifact simr to the me of Fire I had, and she probably had more than one.


    ¡°Break.¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    With just one word, there was a loud explosion, and the door to Eleris¡¯s shop broke apart. It shatteredpletely, as though struck by an invisible st.


    ¡ªW-what was that?!


    ¡ªWhat¡¯s happening?!


    ¡°You guys! What are you guys doing!¡±


    The sudden explosion threw the street into chaos.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    But Charlotte, unbothered by themotion, walked confidently through the wreckage of the shattered door.


    1. Gukbap (??) is a traditional Korean dish that consists of soup (guk) and rice (bap). It is a hearty andforting dish,monly enjoyed as a nourishing meal, especially during colder seasons. It is also known to be a meal to get over hangovers in Korea. ?

 Chapter 85

    <h4>Chapter 85</h4>


    Apparently, Eleris had not enchanted the door with any kind of protective spell, and it broke apart easily.


    Of course, if there had been any protective magic on it, that in itself would have been evidence to Charlotte. In the end, it did not matter if the door was locked or not, and the presence or absence of protective magic would not have made much of a difference.


    The moment Charlotte had shifted her attention to this ce, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    She couldn''t be stopped. It was not like I could just knock her out by smacking her in the back of the head or anything.


    Ignoring themotion outside, Charlotte entered the shop.


    "Hmm... the cab is locked."


    The scroll cab in Eleris¡¯s shop¡ªone that wasmonly found in every scroll shop¡ªwas firmly shuttered. Charlotte climbed over the counter and scrutinized the scroll cab carefully.


    "There''s a magic lock installed. But then again, that¡¯s prettymon..."


    The assets of a scroll shop were the scrolls themselves. Therefore, it was natural for the cabs to be equipped with magic locks to prevent theft. Charlotte tapped lightly on the shutter of the scroll cab that upied an entire wall of the shop.


    "Reinhart, if there''s a Fireball scroll in here, what do you think are the chances that it''s the same Fireball scroll from that shop earlier?"


    "I don¡¯t know... pretty low?"


    "Hmm... Right. Although it''s quite expensive, it''s not something rare. And even if the child¡¯s scroll did end up here, they might have sold it already.¡±


    Charlotte knew very well that the presence of a Fireball scroll couldn''t necessarily serve as evidence.


    Charlotte took out a book from her inner pocket. It was a scroll book. She smoothly flipped through the pages, and soon pulled out a single scroll.


    "Still, it doesn''t hurt to check. Who knows, the demon scroll that the child was carrying around might be here too."


    It was entirely possible that she thought that Eleris had killed me and stolen the scroll.


    It was obvious what type of scroll Charlotte had taken out.


    It would be a spell for unlocking, or something in the dispelling category. Just as Charlotte was about to unfold the scroll and recite the spell...


    "Hm...? What''s going on here?"


    Eleris, who was not supposed to be there, revealed herself, slowlying down the stairs that led to the upper floor of the shop.


    "Wh-who are you guys...?¡±


    Eleris looked bewildered, ncing back and forth between Charlotte, who was about to cast the dispel spell, and me.


    She had asked a simple question, requesting our identities.


    But thanks to that, I was able to realize that Eleris knew exactly what was going on. Somehow, Eleris had returned to the shop and knew what was happening.


    Her act of not recognizing me was proof enough.


    "Oh... you were here?"


    Charlotte, who was momentarily flustered, took off her robe.


    "My name is Charlotte de Gradias. As the First Imperial Princess, I have some questions I want to ask you."


    Charlotte had decided that it was no longer necessary to hide her identity.


    ***


    Ignoring themotion outside, Eleris knelt in distress before the princess and lowered her head.


    "Wh-what brings Your Highness the princess to such a humble ce?"


    "I have no desire to drag this out. You just need to answer my questions."


    Now that Charlotte had revealed her identity, her tone grew forceful and cold. Eleris had adopted the mannerisms of amoner of the empire.


    I could only hope that things would be resolved favorably and that Eleris had prepared a usible excuse. At this point, there was nothing I could do to help.


    I had not anticipated entering this ce with Charlotte and then encountering Eleris, so my mind was already in a state of chaos.


    "You''re aware that people of various backgrounds have been looking for a certain child around this area, correct?"


    "Yes, Your Highness, I am aware."


    "I¡¯ve heard that you imed to have not seen that child. Are you certain?"


    Although she still maintained a respectful tone, Charlotte''s demeanor made it clear that, as a member of the imperial family, she felt entitled to ask questions that demanded answers.


    "Yes, Your Highness. I am certain. I have never seen such a child."


    "Look at my eyes."


    ¡°... Pardon?"


    "Look me in the eyes as you speak."


    Charlotte fixed Eleris with a piercing stare, as though she intended to detect even the smallest lie. Eleris, with some difficulty, lifted her head to meet Charlotte''s gaze.


    "Are you sure you haven¡¯t seen the child?"


    "Yes. I am certain I haven¡¯t."


    What did Charlotte read in Eleris''s eyes, since the woman was clearly lying?


    Charlotte stared at Eleris for a while, then gestured with her chin.


    "Please unlock the scroll cab."


    The Fireball scroll...


    Charlotte intended to check whether it was there or not.


    Only Eleris knew where it had gone; even I had no idea. Eleris, appearing frightened, quickly undid the magic lock.


    "Please show me your identification."


    "Oh, yes... Here it is."


    Charlotte nced at the identification papers that Eleris handed her, and quickly, as if she lost interest, went to the now-open scroll cab to rummage through it.


    While searching, Charlotte casually asked, "Was Count Perzia a decent lord?"


    It was a random question.


    ¡®<i>What did she mean by that question?¡¯</i>


    "Um, well... The Count Perzia''s domain is...monly referred to as Bishop Lendri''s domain. Count Perzia is not actually... not actually the lord...¡±


    "Ah, that''s right."


    When I heard Eleris''s response, a sudden chill ran down my spine.


    Charlotte was now inquiring about Eleris''s ce of origin.


    While I didn''t know where that was, Eleris''s fabricated ce of origin was within Count Perzia''s domain.


    Had Eleris proimed Count Perzia to be a decent lord, Charlotte would have countered that the domain was in fact being managed by Bishop Lendri. It had been a subtle trap to test Eleris, because if Eleris were truly from that ce, she would not have been ignorant of the fact that it was the bishop, not the count, who was running things.


    It was a question whose answer had to be known to all who lived there, and Eleris had answered the question perfectly.


    Charlotte, who knew of such detailed matters within the empire, and Eleris, who had conducted such solid background research to beef up her fake origin story... The two of them gave me goosebumps.


    Charlotte did not stop questioning Eleris while she rummaged through the cab.


    "Are you a mage?"


    "No, Your Highness. I do, however, handle certain technological tools."


    "Yes, it would be strange for a mage to run a scroll shop. Not that it never happens, I hear."


    After searching through the scroll cab, Charlotte stopped and crossed her arms, looking at the cab thoughtfully.


    "There are no Fireball scrolls or anything like that...¡±


    The Fireball scroll had already been disposed of somehow.


    "This is quite an unusual shop. There isn¡¯t any offensive magic in stock."


    Charlotte had identified a distinct aspect of Eleris''s scroll shop that set it apart from others.


    "Could you bring me the ount book?"


    Charlotte was determined not to leave until all her suspicions wereid to rest.


    ***


    I was able to appreciate just how meticulous Eleris was. Regardless of how the business was doing, Eleris had kept her ounts thoroughly organized.


    Eleris was on a mission as a spy from the Demon Realm in the imperial capital, and she knew she could be discovered at any time. Hence, she had taken all the necessary precautions so as not to arouse any suspicion.


    "Why don¡¯t you stock any offensive magic?"


    "That... That''s because offensive magic tends to be used in acts of violence. It would be fortunate if it were used against monsters, but I am aware that there are often cases when it isn¡¯t..."


    Eleris had considered the possibility that the scrolls she sold could be used for criminal activities. Therefore, she chose not to deal in offensive magic scrolls at all.


    It was a decision that was so characteristic of her.


    However, this was also her weakness. It was one of the few areas where Eleris hadn¡¯t been thorough enough.


    "Still, isn''t there a high demand for offensive magic?"


    "Yes, there is...¡±


    That might have been why her business wasn''t doing so well. Nevertheless, what a merchant chose to sell was totally up to the merchant.


    "Hmm..."


    After inspecting the ount books, Charlotte closed it.


    "It seems you really aren¡¯t tied to the child I¡¯m searching for."


    Charlotte''s current theory was that someone had recognized the true value of the demon scrolls, stolen the entire scroll book, and then harmed the boy. However, Eleris didn''t deal in offensive magic scrolls, and ording to what Charlotte had been able to gather, she wasn''t much of a profit-seeker either.


    It was natural to conclude that a shopkeeper who wasn¡¯t greedy would steal a scroll book or engage in such conduct.


    It seemed Charlotte had conclusively dismissed that line of suspicion. However, Charlotte still pointed at the ount book.


    "It seems like the profit from your shop isn''t even able to cover its maintenance costs, though."


    "Oh..."


    Havinge into the shop and examined the ounts, Charlotte had realized that the revenue of the shop was very low, and hade up with a new line of questioning.


    "How is this shop being maintained? You don¡¯t deal in the items that are in highest demand, like offensive magic scrolls, and it seems like you barely have any intention of making money.¡±


    The Rotary Club was supplementing the funds that were being used for the shop''s maintenance. But if Charlotte dug that far, it was highly likely that I would be implicated as well.


    This was truly chilling.


    How did thingse to this?


    "About that... I¡¯m actually operating at a loss...¡±


    Of course, Eleris had to make up the fact that she was digging into her capital to keep the business running. All she could do was say that the business was not doing well because of her ineptitude. It painted the picture of someone who had rashly jumped into the business world, was stubborn, and was now cutting into her own life savings to keep going.


    "Hmm... and yet, you even took a vacation during the festival that was being held here in the capital?"


    "Ah... Th-That''s because...¡±


    "Where did you go exactly?"


    "I just... went camping around the outskirts of the imperial capital. And then I heard about the terror incident, and only just returned today..."


    Saying she went camping was probably Eleris''s way to avoid mentioning that she used a warp gate since that would make it obvious that she had left a trace of her movements in the gate''s usage records.


    "Camping... Camping, huh."


    Charlotte seemed contemptuous that Eleris seemed to have been having so much fun by herself during such a dismal time.


    Something was off about the whole thing.


    It seemed like Charlotte was slowly bing possessed by the spirit of a military superior grilling a new recruit.


    She seemed genuinely exasperated, as if wondering how Eleris expected to make a living like this.


    "I''ve heard that all the merchants in Aligar are nothing but voracious money-grubbers, but it seems you''re an exception."


    Charlotte appeared incredulous, as if she hadn''t realized until now that there were people who stubbornly ran businesses that were doomed to fail. Atst, Charlotte seemed to conclude that there was nothing suspicious to be found within the shop.


    And then, to thest point of doubt...


    "Can I go up there?" she asked, pointing towards the stairs leading to the upper floor.


    ***


    The space above the shop, where Eleris lived,prised a living room and a single bedroom.


    "... It really doesn''t feel like a ce that someone actually lives in,¡± said Charlotte as she assessed the room, which only had the bare necessities. In the living room, there was only a table and some chairs, and in the bedroom, just a bed and a nket.


    "That''s because... I can''t afford much...¡±


    It was true that she was living a life of poverty.


    Charlotte did not find anything special in the excessively bleak room. Eleris followed Charlotte around apprehensively, and I felt as though my heart might burst from the tension.


    There was somethingmon in most homes that was conspicuously absent in Eleris¡¯s living space: cooking utensils and food storage.


    <i>Click.</i>


    "Hmm..."


    Charlotte nodded slowly as she peered at the frozen meals inside the freezer.


    Eleris had stocked up on these frozen foods recently, perhaps in case I dropped by. I didn''t know how expensive refrigerators were in this era, but the mere presence of one was enough to avoid the suspicion that she didn''t eat at all.


    Charlotte was going through Eleris¡¯s room, thinking that she might be the prime suspect in whatever might have befallen Baalier, but in reality, she was scrutinizing the home of a vampire who had infiltrated the imperial capital.


    If Charlotte suspected that Eleris might be a demon, she might have found other details suspicious, but as it was, she was simply looking for any potential traces that might lead to me.


    Charlotte then entered the bedroom. There was only a bed below the window, a nket, and a wardrobe.


    asionally, Eleris and I exchanged nces that managed to evade Charlotte''s gaze.


    ¡°<i>Are we doomed?</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>It seems so!</i>¡±


    We exchanged such silent conversations a few times. Charlotte, observing the bed, reached out her hand.


    "Elena."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "This strand of hair. Whose is it?"


    There, unmistakably,y a golden strand of hair that was entirely a different color than Eleris''s auburn locks.


    When I had disguised my horns and taken on a human appearance, my hair had been blonde. And sure enough, the hair Charlotte had picked up was also blonde.


    That was my hair. It made sense, considering I had left the Temple¡¯s premises during the festival period and had stayed at the shop for a few days.


    Charlotte was likely mistaking my hair for Baalier''s.


    Which was technically right...


    ¡®<i>Of course it''s my own hair, what else could it be!</i> <i>But that hair belongs to me in a different form! It''s not Baalier¡¯s hair, but Reinhart''s!</i>¡¯


    But why would my hair have fallen out? Well, humans usually shed hair, and it wasmon to lose some while sleeping. My only saving grace was that the hair wasn¡¯t ck.


    I suppressed the urge to rush over and count how many strands of hair had fallen out.


    "Whose hair is it, I asked," Charlotte said, repeating her question.


    Of course, Charlotte, who had apletely different perspective, began to press Eleris for answers.


    Eleris¡¯s face was already ming red. Here I was, witnessing a vampire turn red-faced for what was probably the first time in history. Did vampires even have blood to blush?


    Charlotte was bboring the point that a strand of hair, clearly not Eleris¡¯s, had been found in the bed.


    "Tha-That... It''s... my... my... boy... boyfriend''s... I think...¡±


    What other excuse could possiblye to Eleris''s mind at that moment


    "<i>AHH</i>!"


    Charlotte shrieked as she recoiled and almost flung the strand of hair from her hand.


    "I-Is th-that so..."


    "Yes... Your Highness...¡±


    Charlotte, who was still young, apparently had no suspicions regarding such matters. Both Eleris and Charlotte were, for different reasons, red-faced. Charlotte seemed unable to even look at Eleris''s bed anymore, as if she had stumbled upon something she was not meant to see.


    What thoughts were guing this know-it-all child''s mind? What was she imagining that had her so red-faced and unable to lift her head?


    "Wh-What''s your boyfriend¡¯s... name?"


    Despite her extreme embarrassment, Charlotte continued to press on, determined to confirm the details.


    Really, all I could think about was how determined she was.

 Chapter 86

    <h4>Chapter 86</h4>


    Eleris suddenlyid out an borate story about her boyfriend, and even offered detailed specifics about him. The way the information flowed so quickly and urately out of her made me feel as if this fictional boyfriend she was describing actually existed.


    In fact, it was possible this person she was talking about actually existed, given that Charlotte might check up on his identity.


    In the end, even though Eleris seemed a bit strange, it was clear that she wasn¡¯t guilty. At least, that was the judgment that Charlotte seemed to havee to.


    There was no actual evidence, only circumstantial hints, and not a single shred of proof to transform those hints into full-blown conviction.


    I wondered what would have happened if Eleris hadn¡¯t been present. There might not have been any evidence in the scroll cab, but the golden strand of hair, which could have belonged to Baalier, would have been found on the bed, and Charlotte would have pursued Eleris relentlessly with just that piece of evidence.


    ¡°... Here. To cover the repairs to the door.¡±


    Charlotte handed over two gold coins to Eleris.


    ¡°Th-Thank you, Your Highness...¡±


    Two gold coins would surely be more than the actual cost of the repairs.


    ¡°Excuse my abrupt intrusion, Elena.¡±


    With those words, Charlotte left the shop. It seemed she had no more questions for Eleris. Before she left, Eleris and I locked eyes.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No words passed between us, but it felt as if a lengthy conversation had taken ce.


    ***


    Charlotte stepped out onto the street and walked for a bit only to suddenly stop in her tracks.


    ¡°It still seems suspicious no matter how I think about it.¡±


    Charlotte still hadn¡¯t let go of her suspicions. She dragged me into an alley and looked at me.


    ¡°So... Are you saying that everything that person just said was a lie?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Even if she has nothing to do with this incident, she was just too suspicious.¡±


    Her words made my mind freeze all over again. I thought Charlotte had been convinced by the act, but apparently, she wasn¡¯t convinced at all.


    ¡°The items in highest demand in scroll shops are offensive magic spells. But she¡¯s not selling them just because there¡¯s a possibility that they could be used in a crime? That means that doing business isn¡¯t her real objective. It¡¯s as if making a profit doesn¡¯t matter to her. I looked at the ount book, and she barely makes enough to cover rent. However, the records show that the scroll shop has been operating for over two years. Which means that she¡¯s kept an unprofitable business running for two whole years.¡±


    The first point of suspicion: A scroll shop that did not sell any offensive magic scrolls.


    Also, the shop has continued to operate despite making no profit, which indicated that business was not the real goal.


    ¡°And then, the rooms upstairs. Leaving the strand of hair aside, there were barely any household items.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... right.¡±


    Whether or not Baalier was involved in this was irrelevant. Charlotte was already of the opinion that Eleris herself was too suspicious.


    ¡°It¡¯s as if the owner could disappear at any moment, and we wouldn¡¯t know what they were doing in there, or even how they lived.¡±


    The second point of suspicion: The living space was so anonymous, and there was no way of knowing anything about the owner¡¯s lifestyle from it.


    Eleris¡¯s living space, whichcked any signs of daily life, was so empty that it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising to find out that it was a vacant room.


    Leaving aside the issue of finding Baalier, the shop owner named Elena herself seemed suspicious enough that Charlotte seemed to have concluded that an investigation was necessary.


    ¡®<i>What if she uses Eleris of being a demon spy?</i>¡¯


    Of course, given her abilities, Eleris might manage to slip away when the moment arose, but then she¡¯d disappear from the capital forever, and I¡¯d never see her again.


    Something had to be done about this situation.


    Whether by diverting Charlotte¡¯s attention or some other means, I had to do something to get Eleris out of danger.


    Charlotte was already convinced that the shop was a front, and that there was another purpose behind it. She would start investigating Eleris, using her own influence or her resources, so it was only a matter of time before Eleris was identified as a demon.


    ¡°Charlotte, don¡¯t get this wrong, but listen.¡± Perhaps it would be better for me to halt Charlotte¡¯s train of thought by revealing some of the truth myself. ¡°I think we need to stop.¡±


    It was do or die.


    ***


    ¡°<i>We need to stop.</i>¡±


    At those words, Charlotte narrowed her eyes as if to say, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s expression betrayed her utter iprehension. Although the evidence wasn¡¯t perfect, she had found a lead that cast undeniable suspicion on Eleris. She probably believed that digging deeper into Eleris¡¯s circumstances could somehow lead her to Baalier.


    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, then this person is running the shop for some other reason, right? And you¡¯re wondering why she would go through the strange effort of running a scroll shop that specifically doesn¡¯t sell offensive magic spells and is deliberately operating at loss. Correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Charlotte remained quiet after that, as though she was willing to hear me out.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what her other objective is, don¡¯t you think that putting herself through all that trouble for no reason could mean that she¡¯s just kind-hearted to the point of being a little foolish?¡±


    She had an odd policy of not selling offensive magic scrolls because they could be used to facilitate violent crimes. My point was that, regardless of anything else, this suggested that the person was at least inherently good-natured.


    Charlotte nodded faintly in agreement. ¡°I suppose so. But how does that rte to us having to stop here?¡±


    ¡°ording to what you said and your spections, the person you¡¯re looking for entered that scroll shop, and I agree with that. That part seems certain.¡±


    I was trying to offer Charlotte truthful information through usible reasoning, all while attempting to get her to stop further spection.


    ¡°And surely that child realized that there was some problem with trying to sell a demon scroll. So he would have attempted to sell the Fireball scroll at the next shop, right?¡±


    ¡°That would make sense.¡±


    ¡°What do you think a shop owner like the one we just met, someone who is wary of magical terrorism, would think if she saw a kid carrying around such a dangerous offensive magic spell?¡±


    A scroll shop owner who is against the use of magic for violence and terror sees a child carrying a Fireball scroll...


    ¡°She would¡¯ve taken it away... or something like that?¡±


    ¡°She would have paid for it, taken it away, or somehow made sure the child couldn¡¯t carry it around, right?¡±


    Indeed, Eleris had bought my Fireball scroll without even knowing who I was, and she had certainly seemed angry when she¡¯d wondered why a child would be carrying something like that around.


    ¡°But she would have also noticed that the boy who had intended to sell the Fireball scroll was carrying a scroll book with him as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... probable.¡±


    It was true that Eleris had believed me to be someone who was stealing and selling scrolls, hence she had snatched away my scroll book to check for other dangerous items. And that was when she discovered the demon scroll. Charlotte looked perplexed, as if she didn¡¯t understand where I was going with this lengthy spection.


    ¡°From here on, it¡¯s all conjecture, but listen.¡± It wasn¡¯t conjecture but the truth; however, I had no choice but to phrase it that way to Charlotte.


    ¡°The shop owner probably checked the contents of the scroll book and recognized that the boy had a demon scroll. If that¡¯s the case, that means that the shop owner is probably a mage.¡±


    Eleris was a vampire mage, to be exact, but I only revealed half of that truth. Though, if Charlotte asked me how I knew, I would have nothing to say.


    ¡°If we assume that the person recognized the demon scroll, naturally, they would have asked where it hade from, right?¡± I continued.


    ¡°Yes, probably. What exactly are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte asked, seemingly confused about what I was getting at.


    She always lost herposure when it came to anything rted to Baalier.


    Of course, it was also true that what I was saying seemed quite random.


    ¡°I believe that the shop owner is protecting the child in some way or another.¡±


    Before we got to the more dangerous core of the truth, I decided to share half of the truth with Charlotte.


    ¡°If it¡¯s true that the shop owner is a mage and she can recognize demon scrolls, and if she¡¯s a good person, then it¡¯s evident that she would have helped the child after realizing the child was in danger.¡±


    Whether it was by hiding them or sending them far away, I didn¡¯t specify the method, but Charlotte seemed to be contemting various possibilities.


    ¡°If we¡¯re certain that this person is protecting the child, then isn¡¯t that all the more reason to investigate her? And how do you know whether this person is protecting the child or not? Your thoughts are mere conjecture. But fine, let¡¯s say your conjecture is true. If we go along with what you¡¯re saying, then this person is our only lead, so why should we stop here?¡± Charlotte questioned.


    ¡°Because digging deeper could actually put the child in more danger.¡±


    My words caused Charlotte¡¯s eyes to widen in rm.


    ¡°If we find the boy, that means Vertus might be able to find him too.¡±


    Finding the boy was a desirable oue, but Charlotte hadn¡¯t thought about what would happen afterward.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already caused a scene out in the streets, and I don¡¯t know how far the news has spread. But if you think you¡¯ve found a meaningful lead, Vertus might find out about it as well. If we start digging further into this and attracting more eyes, Vertus is bound to catch on.¡±


    Charlotte might be able to locate the boy, but there was a risk that this information could also reach Vertus. Therefore, in an attempt to find the boy, it was possible that we¡¯d actually put the boy in greater danger.


    ¡°I already confirmed with my supernatural power that the boy is safe. I may not know how he¡¯s getting by, but forcefully uncovering the information that this shop owner is hiding could put him in even more danger.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was insufficient evidence behind my conjecture for it to be deemed the truth.


    For it to hold, my spection that Eleris was a mage, the hypothesis that Eleris recognized demon scrolls, and the presumption that Eleris, being good-natured, would have helped the child out in a tough spot all had to be true.


    My point was that, if Eleris really had a clue that could lead to the boy, it would be better not dig into her further.


    The essence of my statement was that it was advisable not to investigate her further, regardless of whether she was rted to Baalier or not.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t be sure. Of course, I¡¯m not doubting your supernatural powers... But whether that person is genuinely protecting the child or not... we can¡¯t be certain, can we?¡±


    Charlotte seemed to believe that it was all just spection. Eleris might be a lead, but the truth was that she might also bepletely uninvolved, and the boy could have gone missing somewhere else entirely. Charlotte seemed unwilling to stop digging based on such unclear circumstances.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go back then.¡±


    ¡°Back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe if she gets the impression that we¡¯re not going to back down easily, she might spill something about the truth.¡±


    Of course, that was all nonsense.


    There was no need to pressure her or do anything of that sort. All I needed to do was signal to Eleris that it was okay to talk, and she would spill everything.


    ***


    We returned to Eleris¡¯ shop once again. The wide-open entrance meant that the interior of the shop was inly visible. Eleris, who had been sitting idly in in sight, sprang to her feet as we returned.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯ve returned, Your Highness.¡±


    The day had passed, and the crowds were thinning. People asionally cast curious nces at the shop with the gaping entrance as they passed by, but no one seemed to stop to eavesdrop.


    Charlotte nced at the open entrance, and then gestured toward the stairs.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to discuss with you upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris hesitantly went up to the upper floor, looking visibly tense.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask much.¡±


    ¡° ... Yes.¡±


    This time, Charlotte hadn¡¯te to press her for answers.


    ¡°I believe you¡¯re definitely connected to the child¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    As Charlotte¡¯s near-certain words rolled off her tongue, Eleris grew visibly flustered.


    ¡°However, I also understand that the child could be faced with a variety of dangers. Therefore, I¡¯ve formted a hypothesis that you might be hiding or protecting the child, for all we know. You¡¯re protecting the child because someone might mean to do them harm, and you¡¯ve even lied to me because letting such information reach my ears could be dangerous too... That¡¯s the gist of it.¡±


    Charlotte thought that this was excessive spection, and didn¡¯t necessarily believe it.


    That was why she wanted to do everything within her power to confirm it. She was asserting that this was her own line of reasoning, based on my conjecture.


    ¡°I will use all means at my disposal to investigate you, whether you choose to speak or not. If there¡¯s something you need to confess, you might as well tell me now. And if uncovering the truth actually endangers the child, I think it would be better to stop right now,¡± Charlotte continued.


    Charlotte took a deep breath and then looked at Eleris.


    ¡°Elena, do you think that my search for the child could put them in danger? Is that why you¡¯ve hidden the information from me?¡±


    From behind Charlotte, I caught Eleris¡¯s eye. With a slight nod, I gave her the sign.


    And clearly, Eleris acknowledged it.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Charlotte froze in shock, as I looked on nkly.


    ***


    On the way back to the Temple, Charlotte walked as if her soul had left her body.


    ¡°Be careful. You might trip over something.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ah, yes.¡±


    In the end, with all strength drained from her body, Charlotte couldn¡¯t keep walking properly and just managed to set foot outside of the shopping district only to slump down onto a nearby bench.


    Charlotte covered her face with both hands and sobbed quietly. It was then that I realized that people could react this way even because of immense joy.


    Charlotte was crying tears of bliss.


    ¡ª<i>Yes, I am protecting the child. Your Highness, I am already aware that you mean no harm to the child. I know this because the child has told me. </i>


    <i>However, there are too many out there who are after that child. That is why I could not disclose the truth, even to you. I apologize for this.</i>


    <i>Your Highness, I¡¯m only telling you this because you said that you would find out everything from me no matter what.</i>


    <i>The child is doing well, and I believe it would be better for you not to know where the child, is or what he is doing.</i>


    <i>I am also a mage. Although I¡¯m not very strong, protecting a child is well within my capabilities. It may be difficult for you to trust me, but I hope that you will.</i>


    Ultimately, Charlotte had witnessed the moment in which my conjecture became the truth.


    Charlotte had remained frozen for a long time before copsing in a heap on the spot. Then she broke into violent sobs as if she was about to run out of breath. In my attempt to protect Eleris, I had inadvertently exposed her instead.


    Charlotte had protected me, since I was a means to reach Baalier. Therefore, it was only natural that she would also protect Eleris, who was safeguarding Baalier.


    ¡°He was safe... he was safe after all. He¡¯s been safe... he¡¯s been safe this whole time!¡±


    Even though she hadn¡¯t directly seen Baalier¡¯s face, just finding out that someone was protecting him was enough. Charlotte was ovee with emotion, weeping with gratitude.


    ¡ª<i>I believe it should be possible to facilitate the exchange of information between Your Highness and the child without risking danger. Through letters, for example.</i>


    <i>However, a direct visit from you would be dangerous for both me and the child. So, when exchanging messages, it would be better if you sent someone else on your behalf.</i>


    Eleris had done more than merely understand the meaning behind the signal I¡¯d given her, and went a step further.


    ¡ª<i>For instance, the boy who hase with you today.</i>


    Eleris had even provided a pretext for me, in the guise of Reinhart, toe and go from her shop.


    What consequences my act of revealing part of the truth would bring was uncertain. But if I had done nothing, it might have led to the discovery that Eleris was a vampire.


    It might not have been the best solution, but in that moment, it had been the best one I could think of.


    Despite everything, Charlotte was relieved to hear that the boy was safe and that she could at least exchange letters with him.


    Charlotte, having regained herposure, took a deep breath and looked at me.


    ¡°This matter absolutely must not reach Vertus¡¯s ears.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Her words were a warning to me to keep my mouth shut, and her own hope that Vertus would not discover anything about the day¡¯s events.


    My oundish conjecture had been just that¡ªconjecture. And Eleris¡¯s sudden openness had been due to my prompting on the spot. Charlotte could have found it strange that Eleris¡¯s lips, which had been sealed until then, had suddenly opened.


    Nheless, Charlotte couldn¡¯t deny that it was because of me that she had been able to pinpoint the child¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡°Thank you, Reinhart,¡± Charlotte said, cautiously holding my hand.


    ¡°It was just good luck.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to meet Charlotte¡¯s gaze; her eyes were rimmed with tears as she smiled. Her hand, which was holding onto mine, felt a little cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the end.


    Charlotte would now have to do her best to protect Eleris, just as she hadmitted to protecting the boy.

 Chapter 87

    <h4>Chapter 87</h4>


    There weren¡¯t many people on the magic train back to the Temple as it was nighttime.


    Charlotte seemed to have calmed her wildly beating heart, which had been ovee with emotion, and was calmly organizing her thoughts.


    ¡°Anyway, what on earth is that Elena woman¡¯s purpose for running her scroll shop?¡±


    Charlotte had been so startled by the news that Elena knew the boy¡¯s whereabouts that she was only now organizing her thoughts about the shopkeeper.


    ¡°Well... I can¡¯t say much either, but don¡¯t mages usually have a bunch of secrets?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Although I can¡¯t fully agree with that, mages often are entrics, for sure.¡±


    It was rathermon to find unconventional and quirky characters among mages. That was not necessarily meant in a bad way; there were just plenty of individuals with strange characters in that field. So, it was not surprising toe across a mage doing something unexpected.


    ¡°I think we should first make sure that the boy is actually being protected before we give this any further thought.¡±


    Everything was still just based on testimony in the form of words. Being able to contact the boy through letters did not matter to Charlotte, and she would only rest assured if and only if she was absolutely sure that the boy was safe.


    Given Charlotte¡¯s current state, it was entirely possible she might leave Eleris alone even if she found out she was a vampire, as long as Baalier¡¯s safety was confirmed.


    ¡°I just hope she¡¯s not part of a magic society or something like that...¡±


    Charlotte brought up something unexpected, and I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°Magic society?¡±


    ¡°Um... They are groups that conduct magical research away from the eyes of the public.¡±


    Of course, I was aware of such organizations. Secret magic societies. It was intriguing and sounded a bit like something you would hear from a teenager¡¯s fantasy novel, so I¡¯d had to add it to the setting of the novel.


    A magic society would hide underground for the purpose of magical research and experimentation, or for the freedom to pursue their own studies of magic. There was more than one magic society, and they all varied widely in their nature. While some engaged in inhumane experiments, there were those who operated in the shadows to prevent any threats posed by magic as well.


    Charlotte seemed to suspect that Eleris might be a member of one such magic society.


    To be honest, this sort of suspicion was much better than her using Eleris of possibly being a demon.


    ¡°Judging by the way her store is run... at least it doesn¡¯t seem like she is part of something like the ck Order...¡±


    As the saying goes, knowing too much can sometimes be a curse and not a blessing.


    That could be perfectly applied to Charlotte at the moment.


    ***


    It had been a long day.


    We had left the Temple grounds even though leaving the campus was still prohibited, and we were now on our way back. Charlotte had managed to discover Eleris by asking questions alone. It was chilling to witness my simple actions turn into clues, clues that ultimately led to the truth.


    My thoughtless attempts to sell scrolls at various shops had created a trail, and my final encounter with Eleris had allowed Charlotte toe to the conclusion that Eleris and her store were suspicious.


    Upon arrival at the Temple, Charlotte and I went our separate ways.


    I decided to take a fewps around the Temple grounds before returning since I had missed the evening training that day.


    It didn¡¯t seem like Vertus had noticed our little excursion, nor did he know where Charlotte and I had been.


    To be frank, though, Vertus didn¡¯t really have time to be concerned about Charlotte and me. With the ck market incident leaving a trail that led back to Vertus, he had to be focusing all his efforts on resolving the matter as smoothly as possible, hard enough to make his head explode.


    I just hoped that none of it would lead back to Sarkegar.


    As soon as I finished my run and returned to the Royal ss dormitory, I noticed someone waiting for me.


    ¡°... Where have you been all day?¡±


    ¡°I was out exercising.¡±


    It was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    She seemed slightly annoyed as if she¡¯d been waiting for me for quite some time.


    I¡¯d been so focused on following Charlotte around the whole day that I hadn¡¯t given any thought to Harriet¡¯s situation regarding her leave of absence.


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡±


    When I thought about it, though, if the talk with her father went well, there really wasn¡¯t any need for her to consult me any further.


    ¡®<i>What could make her wait around for me?</i>¡¯


    If we included Vertus¡¯s prompting, it seemed almost guaranteed that the situation would have been resolved favorably.


    Harriet still wore a look of hesitation on her face, and she crossed her arms and fell silent for a moment.


    ¡°What? Did your father not change his mind or something?¡±


    ¡°... No, that¡¯s not it. He said I don¡¯t have to take a leave of absence, and if Vertus is also against it, then I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t that good news, then?¡±


    If she got what she wanted, why did she seem so restless and anxious?


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there a problem? Quick, I need to shower and sleep,¡± I said with a hint of irritation, and Harriet¡¯s expression shifted subtly.


    She seemed extremely uneasy.


    ¡°Um... it¡¯s... it¡¯s just that... my father wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡®<i>What in the world is she saying?</i>¡¯


    Harriet was young, but the Duke of Saint-Ouen wasn¡¯t someone I could deal with, not at my current level.


    ¡°Why on earth would your <i>esteemed</i> father have any interest in seeing someone like me?¡±


    My sarcasm caused Harriet¡¯s brow to furrow deeply, but she did not get angry, perhaps having given up on correcting my way of speaking long ago.


    Instead, Harriet was ying with her fingers, looking uneasy and restless. She averted her gaze and nced at me from the corner of her eyes, which only served to make her look cuter.


    It seemed she was very nervous about my reaction to what she was about to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s just... My father thought that I was incapable ofing up with all of that stuff by myself... I think he found it strange that I would suddenly argue with him over the transceiver that I shouldn¡¯t take a leave of absence because of this and that... He asked me if I was reading off a script written down somewhere, and asked me who was the one telling me to say all of that...¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    No matter how talented and smart Harriet might be, to the Duke of Saint-Ouen, she was merely his adorable little daughter.


    She was probably used to being the cute and affectionate daughter, always saying things like, ¡°I love daddy! Daddy¡¯s the best! I love you!¡± Given how the novel had been set up¡ªthat she was loved and cherished by her family¡ªit was quite usible.


    But the very same sweet, cute, and charming daughter was also probably the child who would straightforwardly dere what she liked and didn¡¯t like, saying, ¡°Daddy I want that!¡± or ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that!¡±


    That was probably how Harriet usually behaved.


    However, when would that same child suddenly start arguing, ¡°Father. Taking a leave of absence at this current time may severely anger Vertus, given his current disposition, which could be problematic. Furthermore, since Vertus has directly indicated that I should not take a leave of absence, I am apprehensive that it might tarnish the honor of our family...¡± and speaking in such a nuanced manner?


    From the perspective of the Duke of Saint-Ouen, it must have been a strange experience.


    This sudden uncharacteristic behavior would have led the Duke to the conclusion that she was reading off of something that had been written down. In fact, Harriet had actually written something simr to a script, out of fear that she might forget what to say.


    ¡°... So, you confessed that I was the one who wrote that ¡®script¡¯ for you?¡±


    ¡°... What was I supposed to do, then? My dad wouldn¡¯t believe me if I said anything else. He said that I¡¯m not the type to say things like that.¡±


    Despite being smart and talented, she was still a child and used to being coddled.


    It would be strange for her to mature so suddenly and begin to spout sophisticated sentences, so it made sense for the Duke to suspect that there was someone behind the scenes, and he was right.


    It seemed that, for whatever reason, the Duke wished to meet me.


    Harriet looked apologetic that she had mentioned my name while under pressure from her father.


    ¡®<i>This kid. Was that why you¡¯ve been anxiously waiting for me until now?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s done is done. How did you introduce me to your father?¡±


    ¡°Um... Umm...¡±


    Harriet was once again ncing at me warily, struggling to open her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t say, ¡®There¡¯s this jerk from the streets with a foul temper who barges into any ce like a damn hoodlum,¡¯ did you?¡±


    Harriet¡¯splexion went pale, as if I had guessed correctly.


    ¡°Did you actually say that? Come here, you hardheaded brat! You¡¯re really going to get it today!¡±


    I approached her slowly, and Harriet pouted as she began to back away.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry!!!¡±


    I never thought I¡¯d hear an apologying from her own mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite surprising to hear an apologying from you, but it¡¯s even more infuriating to think that I¡¯m now in some serious trouble because of what you said.¡±


    ¡°I had no choice!!¡±


    ¡®<i>Cuteness isn¡¯t going to save you this time, Thick-Skull.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Come here. You¡¯re getting a flick on the forehead.¡±


    <i>Flick</i>!


    I flicked her on the forehead with my finger.


    ¡°Ouch! Did you... did you just hit me?! You actually hit me!¡±


    ¡°Of course I ¡®actually¡¯ hit you. Should I have <i>pretended </i>to hit you or something?¡±


    ¡°This... this can¡¯t be... You... really hit me...¡±


    Harriet¡¯s forehead turned red as she stared at me in bewilderment. It seemed as if herst bastion of doubt¡ªthat I would never actually hit her¡ªhad crumbled.


    Her expression screamed, ¡°H-How could this be happening to me? Did I really just get flicked on the forehead? This can¡¯t be reality!¡±


    Indeed, cuteness was the best.


    I sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off with just this.¡±


    At my words, Harriet¡¯s face turned red again.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who hit me! What do you mean, you¡¯ll let me off?! You¡¯re the worst! You thug!¡±


    Harriet, fuming with anger, stomped off to her room.


    ***


    The next day was Wednesday, and Wednesdays were reserved for mana attunement training and supernatural power sses. This mana attunement training ss was filled exclusively with first-year Royal ss students.


    Those who majored in divine power and supernatural powers typically did not attend this ss.


    However, I attended this ss and nned to continue doing so even though I was a supernatural powers major, since magic was useful in its own way apart from supernatural powers.


    ¡ªZooooommm... Feel it.... Feeeeeel it....


    The ss consisted of what seemed like a yoga master instructing students to lie down and giving them some sort of guidance. Listening to it would make you feel strangely peaceful, and send you off into dreand. In fact, I sometimes wondered if we were all being hypnotically conditioned by this yoga master.


    The teacher didn¡¯t say anything even if the students fell asleep, so the students would wake up feeling rather refreshed, hence why everyone liked the ss. For me, too, it was just a ss where I could zone out and be refreshed.


    ¡ªThe energy... of the universe... is being transferred to you...


    ¡®<i>Ah. Here ites. The god of sleep is entering me...¡±</i>¡¯


    Everyone woke up again, looking rather dazed. It was an odd sensation. It was like having died briefly and thening back to life.


    I wondered if that yoga master was actually a mage or something. At first nce, he looked more like a Taoist priest than a mage.


    ¡°There will be a midterm evaluation in next week¡¯s ss.¡±


    That announcement snapped the dazed students back to attention. I was just as startled.


    ording to the school schedule, the next week was the start of the midterms season.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve learned anything in this ss, so what exactly are we being evaluated on?¡±


    That question came from Kaier Vioden of ss A, and everyone seemed to agree with the sentiment.


    ¡®<i>How do you evaluate a ss that seems to consist only of taking naps? What have we been taught, exactly?</i>¡¯


    ¡°There are no exams for this ss. It is simply a time to check your progress thus far.¡±


    ¡°Progress?¡±


    Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves. The fact that there wouldn¡¯t be an exam was understandable, but what did the teacher mean by progress? How could there be any progress when we hadn¡¯t been taught anything?


    Everyone looked confused.


    ¡°We will be checking how much your mana has increased, and scores will be assigned based on who shows the highest increase.¡±


    The increase in one¡¯s mana was the metric for evaluation.


    ¡°As you all know, you have all been receiving consistent mana enhancement and mana attunement training during this ss. It only makes sense that the increase in mana should be the criterion for evaluation.¡±


    Apparently, we hadn¡¯t just been sleeping all along. We were constantly being trained in our sleep.


    In fact, I noticed that even though I had only done physical training and not any special magic training, my mana kept increasing. My mana had gone up from 9.9 in the beginning to 11 currently.


    It hadn¡¯t been just a random increase; this ss was actually aiding me in increasing my mana.


    ¡°Anyway, I hope you will all have a mana-filled time until next week.¡±


    The students all gazed at him in a daze. Atst, everyone seemed to realize just how impressive this yoga master in front of them was.


    ***


    I was also now able to fully participate in the supernatural power control ss. While the raw strength of my supernatural power was not that great, no one in the ss could match the speed at which I could activate my powers.


    Of course, there was one person whose activation speed was faster than mine. While my ability was nearly instantaneous, I still required a process of thought. But for him, as soon as it came to mind, he could use his ability in an instant.


    That was none other than Connor Lint, who possessed the ability of Teleportation. Of course, the issue was that he would be left naked once he used it, rendering it impractical. The poor guy¡ªthat ouepletely negated the power of his ability.


    Anyway, after him, the fastest one was me, and then Riana de Granz.


    To me, the king of self-brainwashing, this stuff was a piece of cake.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well, but I seriously cannot tell whether you¡¯re seriously training hard to increase your physical strength, or if you¡¯re actually just using your supernatural powers. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been training hard, though.¡±


    In the supernatural powers ss, my assigned teacher really had to focus in order to determine whether what I was doing was a result of me using my supernatural powers or not.


    Of course, I could tell whether my supernatural power was activated or not, so it didn¡¯t really matter to me.


    I definitely felt that my supernatural power itself was gradually developing.


    But in the end, supernatural powers were, well...


    They were like something you would see in a cringy teenager¡¯s fantasy novel. Powers that awaken when a character unleashed a roar while in a psychologically extreme situation. In fact, in some way, I had experienced that feeling myself.


    The process by which a supernatural power developed wasn¡¯t that much different either. Powers would evolve a step further whenever the wielder was in the midst of another crisis, for example, when the main character suddenly destroys everything around them...


    Anyway, I included that in the setting of the novel because it seemed cool and convenient. But it was truly a headache now that I had to develop this ability myself.


    In the end, it seemed that my powers would grow faster if I was faced with a tremendous crisis, or when pushed to the brink.


    However, I certainly did not want to intentionally seek out dangerous and terrifying situations just for the sake of growth...


    <i>Crack</i>!<i> Fzzzzzt</i>!


    ¡°Oh, nice, Granz. You definitely seem to have better control than before. Your output seems more powerful too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Riana de Granz, also known as the supernatural prodigy...


    It would have been nice to be like her, with abilities that grew rapidly without having to do anything in particr.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as though my power was growing at a meager rate, so I didn¡¯t need to rush.


    Yet, it was my own fault for creating the world such that powers only became much stronger in a crisis.


    ***


    Ever since I¡¯d started to properly use my supernatural powers in ss, there was one particr guy whose expression turned more and more sour every time he saw me.


    That was A-6, Heinrich von Schwartz.


    The guy who had criticized me for attending the ss despite not being a superhuman, only to be thoroughly beaten up by me. He already disliked me, but now that I¡¯d truly awakened my supernatural power, he seemed even more ticked off.


    Of course, ever since he¡¯d learned that I was not someone to mess with, he stopped openly provoking me anymore.


    ¡°<i>Tch</i>.¡±


    Yet, every time he saw me, he conspicuously turned his head away.


    ¡®<i>At least Harriet looks cute when she does it.</i>¡¯


    I had no intention of bothering him, so I just chose to ignore the guy.


    On my way back after ss, I caught sight of Charlotte, who had juste out of her room. Because of the secrets we now shared, openly acknowledging each other in public spaces was risky.


    We didn¡¯t greet each other outright, but Charlotte gave me a small smile as a form of greeting.


    Unlike before, Charlotte looked like she was in a good mood. Her expression looked like that of someone who hadid aside a heavy burden from their mind.


    The other students around me seemed slightly dazed, probably thinking that Charlotte had smiled at them.


    ¡®<i>Hmm. That reminds me, I need to go to Eleris¡¯s shop to pick up a letter.</i>¡¯


    Of course, I¡¯d only pretend to pick up that letter. I still had to write it myself.


    ***


    I decided that I would fetch the letter only after the ban on leaving the Temple was lifted. Leaving the campus without Charlotte was impossible for now, and the two of us going outside together again would look suspicious.


    Once again, I found myself facing off against Ellen, practice sword in hand. Ellen didn¡¯t seem to care much whether I showed up to practice or not. If I came, she would help me with my sword training, and if I didn¡¯t, she would do her own thing.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to study for the midterms?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The general midterm exams were scheduled for the following week, and then, each ss had its own assigned midterm assignments toplete. I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it, but everyone else was studying in their own way, increasing their efforts around this midterm period.


    Both Vertus and Charlotte had to be furiously studying amidst the other imperial tasks that kept them busy, since they needed to score good grades.


    Yet here was Ellen, behaving as if it were any other day, unconcerned with the midterms or anything.


    ¡°...You¡¯re one of those know-it-alls who don¡¯t study for anything and still end up being ss valedictorian, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Since I was the one who had written her that way, it was absolutely true. When it came to intelligence alone, B-2 Louis Ankton was the smarter one. However, he was the typical ¡°nerdy¡± character, which meant that he never scored well in any of the physical education subjects. Therefore, when it came to the written exams, Louis Ankton was the top student, but in terms of overall scores, which included the subjects with private instruction, Ellen was always at the top.


    Not studying while spending time with someone who would be at the top of the ss without needing to study brought about a sort of inferiorityplex.


    ¡®<i>Should I study? Is it even necessary? But then again, realizing I¡¯m dumber than these kids would be quite demoralizing.</i>¡¯


    Ellen observed me standing still and tilted her head slightly.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to study?¡±


    She was just asking, of course.


    But to me, it sounded more like, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you study because you¡¯re not as smart as me?¡±


    ¡®<i>Is this girl trying to rile me up on purpose?</i>¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re not studying, so I won¡¯t either!¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m just not going to!¡±


    I descended into absurd stubbornness.


    ¡®<i>Grades? I couldn¡¯t care less. Once the gate opens, all this talk of Temple grades and whatnot bes pointless anyway.</i> <i>You guys can study all you want!</i>¡¯


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    Suddenly, the door to the training grounds swung open, and someone entered.


    ¡°Number 11, you have a visitor.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    It was Mr. Effenhauser.

 Chapter 88

    <h4>Chapter 88</h4>


    I immediately knew who the visitor was without even seeing who they were. It had to be Harriet¡¯s father, the Duke of Saint-Ouen.


    ¡®<i>Just how impatient is this old man that he has toe to the Temple the very next day?</i>¡¯


    Mr. Effenhauser had said that since the visitor wasn¡¯t my legal guardian, I could choose whether to meet with him or not. However, I wasn¡¯t the sort of person who had the guts to turn down a visit from the Duke of Saint-Ouen.


    I had to admit, I could only be strong when dealing with the weak and could do nothing when faced with those with power.


    We entered the main lobby of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss dormitory. Mr. Effenhauser escorted me to the visitation room and then left. I wasn¡¯t expecting much since the room was called a ¡°visitation room,¡± but it turned out to be a luxurious drawing room.


    ¡°Are you Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes I am.¡±


    The duke was a middle-aged gentleman wearing a ck suit, a ck homburg hat, and carrying a gray walking stick, finished off with a well-styled mustache. He looked less like a mage and more like a in, neat nobleman.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know the proper etiquette for dealing with nobility, so that was all I could say.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡±


    I sat opposite the Duke, and suddenly, a teacup appeared in front of me, and it began to fill with ck tea, which was being poured out from a teapot that had appeared in the same manner.


    No matter how many times I saw it, magic seemed so convenient.


    The duke did not introduce himself formally or anything like that. He just sat quietly and looked at me. Was he thinking that the mere fact that I was allowed to sit across from him was already enough of a concession?


    ¡°I heard that you gave Harriet some advice. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He cut to the chase without any preliminaries. While it might have seemed rude, I actually preferred it that way, since I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with such an important figure for too long. He seemed rather aloof, but was not overly aggressive.


    I thought he would dislike me, but so far, there was no sign of such sentiment.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°She did not want to take a leave of absence, so I just told her what I thought would be the best way to aplish that, within my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Did Harriet ask you directly for your advice?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Of course, it had mostly been just me telling Harriet not to take a leave of absence, but in the end, she <i>had</i> asked me for a way to avoid it, after which I told her what I thought, so I technically wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°Hmm... Well, it seems that the repercussions from the most recent incident are dying down without any further issues, so I do think that keeping Harriet in the Temple isn¡¯t a bad idea as well.¡±


    The demands that Vertus made were probably difficult for him to ignore as well. It appeared that the Duke of Saint-Ouen had given up on forcing Harriet to take a leave of absence.


    But why did he bother toe and take a look at me? Was he curious about the identity of the person who had filled his daughter¡¯s head with nonsense?


    ¡°I know Harriet, and she would never do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon me?¡±


    The Duke stared at me intently.


    ¡°Harriet would never ask someone of low birth like you for advice or opinions,¡± he said, observing me with no particr expression.


    ¡®<i>Why is this guy suddenly acting like a douchebag?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Yes, she would never usually do that. But she had indeed asked me about this.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Reinhart, I¡¯m not trying to insult your humble background.¡±


    The Duke of Saint-Ouen rested his walking stick on his thighs and inteced his fingers.


    ¡°Harriet has always refused to even speak with those of low birth. Given your background, Harriet shouldn¡¯t have spoken with you at all. Yet... you¡¯re telling me that you actually gave her advice, and what¡¯s more, she epted it.¡±


    Harriet was someone who didn¡¯t even bother to talk tomoners and considered them dirty. Reveling in her superiority was the way I had written her character to be, which was why she tended to look down on everyone in ss B.


    ¡°Could it be that Harriet likes you? Or that you like her...?¡±


    ¡°Uh... I-I don¡¯t know about her, but that is certainly not the case for me!¡±


    ¡®<i>What sort of wild fantasy is this man indulging in?!</i>¡¯


    ¡°You <i>don¡¯t</i> like her? Do you think that even makes sense? Or is there perhaps a problem with your eyesight...?¡±


    The Duke of Saint-Ouen looked at me with a gaze full of astonishment. He was probably wondering how a puny little street rat like me could not fall head-over-heels for his daughter.


    ¡®<i>What¡¯s with this man all of a sudden?</i> <i>Is he just nothing but a crazy father who dotes on his daughter excessively?!</i>¡¯


    And then...


    <i>Bang</i>!


    Harriet burst into the drawing room, her face red as a beet.


    ¡°D-Dad! What on earth are you saying?!¡±


    It was clear that Harriet had been eavesdropping as she, now crimson-faced, pointed towards the door.


    ¡°Out! Out! You get out of here now! J-Just, get out for a bit!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Just wait! Hang on a moment! Reinhart! I still want to speak with you further!¡±


    ¡°B-Be quiet! Dad, please, just be quiet!!¡±


    I quickly left the drawing room, leaving behind one of the continent¡¯s mightiest mages embroiled in a ridiculous spectacle.


    ¡ªThis is so embarrassing! Why did youe here? And why are you talking about such things?!


    ¡ªN-No... Listen, my dear. What I was trying to do was¡ª


    ¡ªI don¡¯t care! Just leave! Get out of here! I told you not toe!


    ¡ªA father has the right to know whether his daughter likes someone¡ª!


    ¡ªAah! No! No! No! Don¡¯t say a word! Don¡¯t say anything! Ahhh! Ahhhhh!


    Their voices spilled out of the room. Harriet was screeching at the top of her lungs, while the Duke of Saint-Ouen seemed clueless as to how to react.


    ... I guess I¡¯d been a fool to worry about what the Duke was going to say to me.


    Harriet only turned out this way because she¡¯d been coddled by such a protective and needy father.


    I sighed a long sigh.


    ¡ªI hate you, Dad! You¡¯re the worst! You¡¯re so annoying!


    ¡ªNo! Wait! I am doing all this for you¡ª!


    ¡ªI don¡¯t careeeee!


    From the way she spoke to her father, I clearly understood what kind of daughter Harriet was.


    If this was the way she usually spoke, it was no wonder her father was sure that someone else had scripted her logical arguments for her.


    I didn¡¯t want to have anything more to do with this. It was time to escape.


    Fortunately, perhaps due to Harriet¡¯s tantrum, the Duke didn¡¯t seek me out anymore.


    ***


    I wasn¡¯t sure if Harriet had managed to chase away the Duke or not, but after a while, she came knocking on my door, her face still flushed red.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s really not true! You know that, right?¡± She immediately shouted as soon as she saw me.


    ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s not true?¡±


    ¡°Dad misunderstood!¡±


    It seemed like she was referring to the part of the conversation where her father had mentioned her possibly liking me. She was fidgeting ufortably, her face all red.


    But Harriet being this transparent with me just made me want to tease her even more.


    ¡°Oo... So, you¡¯re saying you <i>don¡¯t </i>like me?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?!¡±


    After hearing my straightforward question, her face turned even redder.


    ¡°W-Why, why would I like someone like... someone like you? T-That¡¯s absurd! Why would I like someone with lowly peasant origins like you? That was a joke, right?¡±


    Harriet was stomping her feet as if what I had just said was too abhorrent to even imagine.


    ¡°Okay, forget it then. It was just a simple question, no need to get so sensitive about it. You¡¯re reacting as if you actually like me or something.¡±


    I dropped thatstment and chuckled as I firmly shut the door.


    ¡ªHey! Hey, Reinhart! Open the door!


    <i>Thunk</i>, <i>thunk</i>,<i> thunk</i>!


    ¡ªI don¡¯t like you! I¡¯m telling the truth! Open the door, you jerk!


    ¡®<i>Not a chance.</i>¡¯


    I intentionally didn¡¯t open the door for her so that she could wallow in her emotions and continue to fume.


    ***


    After Harriet finally exhausted herself and left my doorstep, I sat down at my desk.


    At that moment, I had 6130 achievement points. If I awakened one more talent, I would have 4000 points remaining. And assuming that the points required to manifest each subsequent talent doubled, I could immediately acquire two more talents right then.


    However, from what I had experienced before, it seemed like a good idea to keep some achievement points as insurance, in case of emergencies. The Revise function could help me ovee crises when things grew desperate. Hence, using up all my points seemed like a bad strategy.


    After much contemtion, I finally decided on which talent to awaken next. It was, in fact, a decision that would also set the course for my future.


    [Mana Attunement - 2000 points]


    [Mana Operation - 2000 points]


    These two talents were some of the essential prerequisites for bing abat master, and they were necessary talents for mages as well.


    They were the foundation for all actions involving the use of mana.


    These talents were necessary in order for mages to utilize their mana to perform magic. For meleebat specialists, practitioners with these talents could use magic to enhance their physical abilities.


    In any case, both were versatile talents, and it would be beneficial to possess both of them. Since I had Ellen to teach me swordsmanship, it didn¡¯t seem like I needed to unlock the area of swordsmanship just yet.


    Although both talents were necessary, I chose to acquire Mana Attunement first. Mana Attunement contributed to the growth of mana itself, and at my current level, it was more important to increase the quantity of mana than the ability to manipte it.


    [You have used 2000 achievement points.]


    With that, I possessed two talents: Self-Deception and Mana Attunement.


    I was left with 4130 achievement points, and as expected, awakening a third talent would require 4000 points.


    I decided to refrain from using my points hastily. Since I wouldn¡¯t be learning Mana Operation at this current stage anyway, acquiring the talent beforehand wouldn¡¯t be of much use.


    Whether or not to acquire a third talent could wait until after the midterms.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t particrly need to do well in the exams.


    However, like most exams, there wasn¡¯t really a reason not to do well either.


    If I decided to focus on the midterms, I would be doing it not for the grades but for the achievement points.


    [ce top 10 in midterm exams - 3000 points]


    The midterm exam-rted challenge I had previously noted was still there. The challenge was not about cing top 10 within my ss; it was about being in the top 10 out of the ten thousand or so freshmen that were enrolled in the Temple¡¯s high school education program. Even taking into ount that I was much more mature and experienced than the other students, it was not going to be an easy task.


    Furthermore, now that the challenges had been updated, two more had been added that were rted to the midterms.


    [Get caught cheating on the midterm exams - 500 points]


    [Achieve the lowest grade in the midterm exams - 1000 points]


    ¡°...¡±


    1000 points for being the absolutest among ten thousand students, and an easy 1500 points if I got caught cheating while doing so.


    Both were ridiculously easy challenges. Intentionally scoring zero on everything wasn¡¯t impossible. It was overwhelmingly easier than making it into the top 10.


    ¡®<i>Is this ¡°candy vendor¡± purposely doing this to mock me?</i>


    <i>Alright. I¡¯ll show you how I¡¯ll make it to the top 10. Just watch.</i>¡¯


    ***


    That evening, in the dining hall...


    I had cut training short, but I was still having ate-night meal with Ellen. The dish for the night was fried rice. Ellen had made it.


    Weren¡¯t characters like her supposed to have some kind of w? Now, she could even cook quite well on her own without my advice.


    ¡®<i>At this rate, her cooking might even surpass my own soon.</i>¡¯


    ¡°... I thought you weren¡¯t going to study,¡± said Ellen, reacting to my deration that I¡¯d take a break from training until the midterms were over to focus on studying.


    ¡°You know, people change their minds.¡±


    Ellen nodded as she chewed on a mouthful of fried rice. My goal was to rank within the top 10 in the general midterm examinations, not in the subjects that involved private instruction.


    Therefore, I only needed to focus on studying the subjects that were covered during the general education sses.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯d be good at studying.¡±


    ¡°... Well that was pretty random.¡±


    Apliment had flown in unexpectedly. I looked puzzled by the sudden praise.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re smart,¡± Ellen responded matter-of-factly as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    I had no idea she thought that about me. Was it because of the way I usually spoke?


    ¡°Uh... thanks, I appreciate it.¡±


    Well, hearing that actually felt pretty good.


    Then again, it seemed somewhat sad that my mood was being boosted from being told by a high-schooler that I was smart, but oh well.


    Besides, she was probably way smarter than me.


    ¡°Then do you want to study with me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Ellen tly rejected my request for her to share her intelligence with me.


    Anyway, I now had a short-term goal: Cramming.


    Even though the level of education we were talking about was only at the high-school freshman level, I didn¡¯t know if I could outperform ten thousand other students to ce in the top 10.


    I¡¯d have to take the exams during general education ss, which were on the uing Monday and Thursday. The sses that had private instruction would also be having their midterms that week, but I wasn¡¯t going to worry about those.


    I could study by myself, and given that it was just a basic high-school curriculum, I was quite confident that I could do well. However, I needed to aim for much more than just doing well¡ªI had to secure top-ranked grades.


    How were the midterms portrayed in the original storyline?


    It had only been included to demonstrate that Ludwig was not book-smart.


    He was the type of character who was brimming with fighting spirit and a strong sense of justice, but a little thick-headed when it came to academics.


    Ludwig was the guy who studied hard, but whose grades always hovered around the lower ranks. Of course, as the story progressed, he began to study with a guy named Louis Ankton from ss B, and his grades gradually improved.


    Louis Ankton was reputed to be the smartest among the Royal ss freshmen.


    Of course, Louis was a self-centered nerd by nature. And although he wasn¡¯t a bad guy, he was the kind that was so annoying that he would irk you into a rage. In fact, if I recalled things correctly, he had been the one who snitched to the teacher about my fistfight with Kaier in the locker room on my first day at the Temple.


    From what I remembered of the story, it was only from the second year of the Royal ss onwards, after Ludwig had helped and looked out for Louis in various ways, that he started to open up and help Ludwig.


    Ellen had no interest in studying, and I needed to achieve a top-10 finish in the midterms.


    This meant that there was only one solution...


    ***


    It was Thursday evening...


    I called out to Louis Ankton as we left the general education ss and were heading home.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah? Me?¡±


    ¡°Do you see anyone else around? Of course, it¡¯s you.¡±


    I approached Louis Ankton, who seemed slightly frightened and intimated, and slung my arm over his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got something I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Uh... O-Okay? Wh-What do you want to ask?¡±


    Studying with this guy would greatly increase my chances of getting into the top 10.


    However, just the fact that the notorious troublemaker in the first year had spoken to him was enough to make Louis Ankton¡¯s face go white as a sheet.


    ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m gonna hit you? Why are you so scared? Rx.¡±


    My sly smile only made him go even paler.


    I was going for the ¡°ss bully¡± approach, which unexpectedly seemed to work pretty well.

 Chapter 89

    <h4>Chapter 89</h4>


    Louis Ankton was characterized in the original work as someone who tantly ignored Ludwig because of his stupidity, and couldn¡¯t stand the sight of those less intelligent than himself. He was an outsider even within the friendly ss Bmunity. Internally, he dismissed the members of ss B as lower-level humans and lived his life drunk on his intellectual superiority.


    As a result, he learned his lesson the hard way, and eventually changed and joined forces with the rest of the ss B students.


    Although he wasn¡¯t a viin, Louis Ankton belonged to the category of annoying pest that got on everyone¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°W-Why are you... in our dormitory?¡±


    Perhaps notoriety was a form of fame after all.


    Louis Ankton was aware that I was a madman who wasn¡¯t afraid to cause trouble, which probably exined why he was being so submissive in front of me.


    After school, I had forcefully draped my arm around Louis Ankton¡¯s shoulders and entered the ss B dormitory. It was actually my first time entering the ss B dormitory, and although I encountered ss B students quite often in the privately-instructed subjects, I had never engaged in any real conversation with them.


    In ss B, Charlotte, Ludwig, and Scarlett were the only ones I was somewhat acquainted with.


    When I, Reinhart, the superviin of the first year, suddenly appeared, the students who met my gaze looked visibly intimidated, especially since I was dragging Louis Ankton around like a ve.


    ¡°Oh, Reinhart! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Charlotte, who happened to walk past us in the corridor, gave me a bright smile as if my presence there was not strange at all.


    Her smile caused aplicated feeling to rise up within me. I felt an immense amount of guilt, but at the same time, it made me happy that we seemed to be on good terms.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just here to study.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see... with Ankton?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard he¡¯s pretty smart.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to understand the situation and smiled.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Charlotte nodded, then turned to look at Louis Ankton.


    ¡°If you guys don¡¯t mind, can I join you as well?¡±


    Both Charlotte and I needed good grades in the exams, and it seemed like my announcement that I was studying with Louis Ankton sparked her interest as well.


    In the original work, Louis would have coldly dismissed fellow students by saying something like, ¡°Why should I bother helping you guys?¡± but the story had already taken a different turn.


    The first-year superviin Reinhart and the imperial princess had asked the supposedly rude and selfish Louis Ankton to help them with their studies.


    ¡°Y-Yeah! For sure!¡±


    Although I didn¡¯t know what he was really thinking, I knew that he was going to respond with a ¡°yes¡± eventually.


    And then, there was an unexpected development...


    ¡°Huh? Reinhart? What brings you to our dormitory?¡±


    Ludwig, the extremely unintelligent bird brain, made his entrance.


    ¡°Ah, Ludwig. We¡¯re about to study together. Want to join?¡±


    And there was the sweet, adorable, lovable, and kind princess, extending the invitation to him.


    ¡°That sounds great!¡±


    ¡®<i>No! I don¡¯t want to study with this guy! He¡¯s aplete mess!</i>¡¯


    ***


    It wasn¡¯t that Ludwig didn¡¯t invest time in studying. Rather, his grades were just terrible despite his efforts. He was diligent in everything, so he worked hard and put a lot of effort into studying as well.


    The original n was to get some private tutoring from Louis Ankton. I didn¡¯t mind Charlotte joining us, since she was smart as well.


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    But now that the disastrously thick-headed Ludwig had joined us, all my ns went awry. We were now sitting at the round table in the ss Bmon study room, surrounded by textbooks.


    ¡°Um... Ludwig?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Charlotte? I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so, in the context of this passage, you can tell that the speaker is denying that it¡¯s their fault, right?¡±


    We were working on a literature problem when Ludwig admitted that he didn¡¯t understand this part and asked for an exnation.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean by ¡®denying¡¯ it. It says here that ¡®he admits he was wrong¡¯, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what¡¯s written. But although he admits he¡¯s wrong, he¡¯s trying to shift the me to someone else, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Is that so? But he<i> did</i> admit he was wrong, so...¡±


    ¡°No, no, you see, that¡¯s not the point.¡±


    That ck-hole brain of his simply couldn¡¯t wrap itself around any problems, especially literary ones. Not only was he unable toprehend the context, but he was also clueless about the overarching themes. He was the kind of guy who would go back to reading the text after attempting to answer one question as if he had never read it before.


    Charlotte was patiently exining the concept to Ludwig, while Louis Ankton had his mouth agape in apparent disbelief. His expression seemed to be asking just how such a thick-headed person could possibly exist.


    ¡°Ohe on, you dumbass! This is such a straightforward question, you should be able to get it easily without needing an exnation! How on earth did you even learn to read with that head of yours?¡±


    I¡¯d finally lost my patience and snapped at Ludwig, who just scratched his head andughed it off awkwardly.


    ¡°Sorry, I just can¡¯t seem to get the hang of studying...¡±


    ¡°Reinhart! Don¡¯t be too harsh,¡± Charlotte scolded me with a slight frown.


    I didn¡¯t want to upset Charlotte, so despite my rage boiling inside me, I managed to contain my anger.


    Wow. To think this guy was the protagonist. I was in shock.


    All of this was my fault, my grievous fault.


    Anyway, now that the ck-hole Ludwig had joined us, studying was out the window, and we had inadvertently embarked on the side-project of providing therapy to this miraculously thick-headed individual.


    ¡°Okay, what is the name of thergest principality in the southern part of the empire, also known as the First Principality?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s lively question caused Ludwig¡¯s expression to turn grave.


    ¡°Ke... Ke-something. Kern? Kernheit?¡±


    ¡°Kernstadt! It¡¯s Kernstadt, you idiot! How can you get the same question wrong ten times? Huh? Even a ten-year-old knows this! It¡¯s so easy it doesn¡¯t evene up in tests! You can¡¯t even memorize this?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t me who jumped up in rage this time, but Louis Ankton. His face was beet red as he stood up, not just in shock but in disgust as well. Then he nced at Charlotte and me and sheepishly sat back down. Although he mocked others, he wasn¡¯t the type to get angry easily and normally remained calm. But this time, he¡¯d almost forgotten that the two of us were there and had just been about to erupt.


    Charlotte seemed to understand Louis Ankton¡¯s feelings and didn¡¯t scold him. Instead, with a slightly sad expression, she gently ced a hand on Ludwig¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ludwig... when you were young, did you ever seriously injure your head? Or something like that?¡±


    She had apparently concluded that there had to be something seriously wrong with Ludwig¡¯s head.


    ¡®<i>Wow, the kindest person here just made the meanestment.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Huh? No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had that kind of injury.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s mouth fell open, and she seemed slightly taken aback. She seemed to be baffled as to how his mind could be in such a state without any such incident happening to him.


    ¡°The empire seriously needs to start the public education system as soon as possible...¡±


    In a daze, Charlotte began harping on about the necessity for public education, and seemed determined to seriously implement it this time¡ªsomething she had already contemted before.


    The Temple was not a part of public education. It was an elite education system. And like me, Ludwig had enrolled in the Temple at the high-school level, which meant that he had never received any formal education before.


    So, there were essentially two extreme cases: Reinhart and Ludwig. Both did not have formal education, and yet they couldn¡¯t be more different from each other.


    With a stern look, Charlotte began to lecture Ludwig, who was staring innocently back at her.


    ¡°Ludwig, this isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s the fault of the empire, which hasn¡¯t provided basic education to its citizens up until now. There¡¯s nothing wrong with you.¡±


    Did Charlotte actually despise Ludwig or something?


    Her words were incredibly harsh.


    ¡°S-So, you¡¯re saying I¡¯m alright, then? Well, that¡¯s a relief!¡±


    ¡°Yes! From now on, the average intellectual level of the empire¡¯s citizens must be improved. We can¡¯t have more sad cases like this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Charlotte!¡±


    It was an absurd scene, with Charlotte unconsciously roasting Ludwig and Ludwig expressing his gratitude for it. Through this situation, Ludwig was basically proving his level of intelligence.


    ¡®<i>I must not get distracted by what¡¯s happening over there.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Hey, what do you think will be on the exam?¡±


    ¡°Oh... h-huh?¡±


    ¡°Come on, just take a guess.¡±


    Amidst this chaos, I had to aplish my original goal.


    ***


    Despite the shocking distraction named Ludwig, who made it impossible to study quietly the way I had wanted, I managed to sessfully pry the anticipated test questions from Louis Ankton in detail.


    It was dinner time, and I was calmly eating in the ss B dining hall.


    ¡°A-Aren¡¯t you... supposed to eat in the ss A dining hall?¡±


    Louis Ankton¡¯s eyes seemed to be asking the same question.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rule specifically about that, is there?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It was more of an unspoken custom that the students from the two sses did not mix, but there was no an actual rule against it. The other students were looking at me with curious expressions as I nonchntly entered the ss B dining hall and began to eat.


    ¡®<i>What are they staring at?</i>¡¯


    I wanted to say something, but I kept quiet for fear of getting scolded by Charlotte.


    Charlotte was basically my inhibitor.


    ¡°Phew. Thanks, everyone. I didn¡¯t know how stupid I really was until now,¡± Ludwig said with a silly smile, and Louis Ankton and Charlotte¡¯s expressions were a sight to behold.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only just realized that now? I think that just serves as further evidence of how poor your intellect is,¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Ludwig seemed to find the situation amusing. Then again, he wasn¡¯t the type to get angry easily. Perhaps his cheerful disposition stemmed from the inability to fully grasp the criticisms aimed at him because of hisck of understanding. Regardless, it was clear that he was good-natured.


    The awkward atmosphere that hung in the air because of my presence onlysted momentarily. Once I started conversing nonchntly with Ludwig, the buzz of conversation resumed, and the other students began to eat again.


    It was clear that the atmosphere in ss B was different from ss A. Everyone seemed to have a friendly affinity with each other, and someone even began to y a musical instrument.


    It looked like a ukulele.


    The brisk, upbeat tunes continued to flow, and everyone continued their meal as though such performances weremon.


    ¡°She ys well, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Ludwig asked, seeking affirmation.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s good.¡±


    The vibe in the dining hall seemed reminiscent of a medieval tavern.


    The one ying the ukulele-like instrument was B-10, Lanian Sesor.


    Lanian Sesor¡¯s talenty in music, and along with Delphine Izadra, she was one of Ludwig¡¯s closest friends. She was responsible for lifting the spirits in ss B. She would y her instrument at any time in the dormitory and even epted song requests, to everyone¡¯s delight.


    Oddly, while it seemed like a useless talent, her absence from ss B would be subtly felt by every single person. Thus, she upied a surprisingly important position.


    ¡°Nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Charlotte asked quietly, seeking affirmation.


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    Wrapped in the lively tunes, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was the kind of evening better suited for a beer than for study.


    It was certainly more vibrant than ss A, where only the sound of cutlery could be heard. Charlotte was quietly watching me with a smile. Laying everything else aside, she seemed to really enjoy thepany of these ss B kids.


    It felt good to me as well, especially as I listened to the rhythmic beats of the music.


    To be absolutely honest, I was so ready to head out for a drink.


    Although ss B was considered an inferior ss, everyone here enjoyed their time. I had set it up that way, but seeing that settinge to life was a different feeling altogether. Not that life in ss A was bad, but everyone there was engrossed in self-improvement, and an endless cycle of training. Even Ellen, if you took a closer look, was tediously dedicated to training.


    ¡°An encore for myself!¡± Lanian Sesor, caught up in her own ying, called for a self-encore.


    As I watched on, I realized anew that I had long ago forgotten the concept of enjoying life.


    This was one of those nights where I wanted to knock back drinks without a care and just copse into sleep.


    ***


    Even after dinner, I continued to study in the ss B study hall. Ludwig apologized and left, saying that he had to go for physical training. But little did he know that staying with us any longer would be the real misdeed.


    Only Charlotte, Louis and I remained in the study hall.


    Louis Ankton had helped me check off a list of anticipated test questions, which I memorized. To be honest, aside from deciding what to memorize, I didn¡¯t need much of Louis¡¯s help.


    ¡°Reinhart, I didn¡¯t know you were the type to care about test scores,¡± Charlotte inquired, and I shrugged nonchntly.


    ¡°... I mean, there¡¯s no harm in doing well.¡±


    Truth be told, I would have preferred not to care, but the need to umte achievement points had me hitting the books. Charlotte was utterly astonished that I would be studying for an exam.


    ¡°Hmm... It¡¯s just that I had the impression you were the type to say, ¡®What¡¯s the point in bothering with such trivial things?¡¯¡± Charlotte said with a teasing smirk.


    Spot on.


    She read me perfectly!


    Charlotte was smart, and I had a reasonable level of intelligence as well, so unlike how it was with Ludwig, we made quick progress, and I got almost all the practice questions right as well.


    Literature and math at this level were a piece of cake, and memorization was simply part of my job¡ªalmost like an upational habit. Since it was not feasible to double-check the settings of a novel every single day while writing, I had tomit certain parts to memory. More urately, memorization came naturally.


    Because of that, I was always confident in my ability to memorize.


    Louis Ankton was looking at me as if I were some kind of oddity.


    ¡°... What¡¯s the matter? Is there a problem?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, no.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡±


    ¡°Well... I didn¡¯t know you were smart.¡±


    Apparently, given my delinquent tendencies, he¡¯d assumed that I would be as thick-headed as Ludwig, but watching me quickly memorize information while hardly getting any questions wrong seemed to astonish him.


    ¡°What exactly did you think of me?¡± I asked, rolling my eyes in curiosity, which made him jump a little.


    ¡°Ah, no! I-I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I just...¡±


    ¡°I knew you were smart, but I didn¡¯t realize you had a knack for studying as well,¡± Charlotte said with a smile, expressing her surprise.


    It seemed both she and Ellen had the impression that I was intelligent.


    ¡®<i>I mean, that¡¯s expected. I should be smarter than you guys. It would truly be shameful if I were dumber than you all...</i>¡¯


    However, when I actuallypared myself to Charlotte, Vertus, Louis Ankton, and Ellen, it was a fact that I was the one with the lesser intellect.


    How embarrassing...


    It was especially so when it came to Ellen¡ªI lost to her both inbat and in studies. Being overwhelmingly outmatched by a high-schooler was very humbling.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s move on. The exam is just around the corner,¡± I urged.


    ¡®<i>I¡¯d better just focus on studying.</i>¡¯


    From that day on, I continued to study with Louis Ankton and Charlotte in ss B every day after thest ss of the day. I was slightly nervous about what Vertus would say if he found out I was studying in ss B, but considering what Charlotte had said, I realized that I didn¡¯t need to worry too much about keeping an eye out for him.


    Nevertheless, even among those with brilliant minds, the studying methods varied.


    Charlotte would revise her notes regrly and memorize the gist of them, doing a sort of summary in her head.


    Louis Ankton had a different method.


    ¡°This will be on the test.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s nowhere else they can get the questions from except here.¡±


    He studied by thinking about where the teachers would pull the questions from, as if he were the one creating the tests. Naturally, he memorized everything wholesale, but he would also mark the areas most likely to be on the test while studying.


    Furthermore, Louis Ankton had already mastered the general subjects and was preparing for the midterm assessments of his privately-instructed subjects. He was studyingplex magical forms that even I wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    My goal was to score high in the general subjects, so I wasn¡¯t preparing much for the midterm assessments of the privately-instructed subjects. Most of the other exams were practical anyway, and the only subjects that I¡¯d actually have to solve problems for were Alchemy and Theology.


    Anyway, Louis Ankton was spotting what types of questions mighte up, and that method was exactly what I needed the most.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for the exit restrictions to be lifted,¡± Charlotte suddenly mumbled with a sigh while we were studying.


    ¡°I agree,¡± I replied as I looked back at her. I was the only one who understood what she meant.


    Charlotte had to be more cautious, and so she wouldn¡¯t be visiting Eleris¡¯s shop herself. Once the exit restrictions were lifted, I would be able toe and go freely, and thus visit Eleris¡¯s shop on her behalf.


    That seemed to be constantly on her mind.


    ***


    Over the weekend, apart from the morning training, I did no other physical activity and simply buckled down to study. Even though I thought I had memorized everything, the intense studying fatigued me in a different way, one that I wasn¡¯t ustomed to so far.


    That was why I ultimately decided to study for the privately-instructed subjects as well, and not just the general ones. I felt like I was about to lose my mind if I kept looking at the same material until my eyes fell out.


    I was confident that I would do well in the exams, but it seemed that even missing a single question could lead to big consequences. If more than a hundred students received perfect scores across all subjects, getting just one question wrong could push you outside the top 100.


    Anyway, I somehow managed to get one question wrong in the general midterm exams.


    Thus, my ranking in the general midterm exams plummeted to 784th ce.


    Just getting one question wrong had led to this.


    I had failed the challenge miserably.


    But then, an even more ridiculous situation arose.


    ¡°This is thebined ranking for the privately-instructed subjects and the general midterm exams.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser announced the overall ranking for the Royal ss first-year students, which included the results of the midterm evaluations for the privately-instructed subjects.


    Everyone was shocked by the results.


    <i>1st ce - Reinhart</i>


    <i>2nd ce - Ellen</i>


    <i>3rd ce - Vertus de Gradias</i>


    <i>4th ce - Louis Ankton</i>


    I had inexplicably taken first ce in apletely unexpected category.

 Chapter 90

    <h4>Chapter 90</h4>


    In the general exams, I ranked 784th, but I was ranked first in the Royal ss¡¯s internal overall rankings.


    The reason for it was simple. To put it simply, I had received an A+ in all privately-instructed subjects in the midterm evaluations.


    In both swordsmanship theory and practical swordsmanship, thanks to my sparring with Ellen, my skills had improved significantly, so I won all the matches in the students¡¯ tournament until I faced Ellen.


    Was my Pseudo-Swordsmanship better than all of the other guys? Or perhaps there were strict standards in order to be considered to have the Swordsmanship skill?


    Moreover, except when fighting with Ellen, I didn¡¯t even use my supernatural powers. Of course, when I faced Ellen, I was defeated as usual in less than five seconds.


    Anyway, Ellen also received an A+ in Swordsmanship, and I, who had shown considerable improvement, got an A+ as well. At first, the guys from the regr sses who took Swordsmanship with us despised us, thinking that there was nothing special about us besides being in the Royal ss. But when they saw my skills skyrocket after just a few months, they began to whisper that I was indeed of Royal ss caliber.


    My initial horse-riding skills weren¡¯t great either, but now I had be more skilled in handling a horse than the other kids, so I received an A+ in Equestrian ss as well.


    In Mana Attunement training, where the evaluation was based on the total amount of mana increase, the yoga master teacher said my mana had increased at an oddly fast rate. Thus, I ced second, just behind Kaier Vioden, who was known for his vast mana pool, and received another A+.


    For Supernatural Power Control, my control was so extraordinary that I naturally had to receive the highest score.


    In Meditation, I also got the highest score because my ability to concentrate was deemed to be extremely strong, although it was just that I had good patience.


    As for the subjects of Theology and Alchemy, which required memorization, I studied separately for those and achieved the highest score in both. Forprehensive physical training, I had the assistance of my supernatural powers, which allowed me to clear all the physical training tests and receive the highest score.


    As a result, in the privately instructed subjects, only Ellen and I received the highest scores in all subjects.


    However, Ellen had gotten two questions wrong in the general exam.


    That was how I ended up being in 1st ce. I had initially aimed to be in the top 10 of the general exam, but had ironically achieved 1st ce in an unexpected area.


    ¡°...¡±


    Every student, even Vertus, was looking at me in bewilderment.


    ¡°<i>What in the world is this guy?</i>¡±


    Their expressions were aplex mix of astonishment and confusion.


    ***


    Regardless of my results, Vertus had effectively emerged victorious in hispetition with Charlotte this time. Charlotte¡¯s overall ranking was sixth out of twenty-two. It was expected, since she had done well on the written exam but was still physically weak and therefore could not participate in the physical education examinations, thus missing out on those grades.


    ¡°What the... How are you first? That doesn¡¯t even make sense!¡± Harriet asked me with a stunned look, seemingly unable toprehend how such a thing could have happened.


    ¡°Whether it makes sense or not, it happened, and it¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°Lies! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well done oning in eighth.¡±


    Harriet had ranked 8th, and my taunting made Harriet¡¯s face turn bright red with anger.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s because I¡¯m a magic major, so I only studied magic! There was no need for me to do well in the general exam!¡±


    Of course, Harriet was only interested in magic, so her performance in the non-magic subjects had been average.


    ¡°Oh, so what? You still lost to me.¡±


    My use of the word ¡°lost¡± made her face turn beet red. All my ssmates were watching the spectacle. I stood up from my seat and lightly tapped Harriet¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, 8th ce. You know, maybe you deserved to be 8th. Just ept it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What did you say?!¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you jealous? Jealous of me for living the life of someone in first ce? Hahahahahahaha!¡±


    My mockingughter, filled with vindictive joy, made Harriet¡¯s face go from red to purple. Vertus was covering his mouth with his hand, trying not tough at the scene, while the others seemed to be experiencing some form of cognitive dissonance when they saw me tantly teasing Harriet like this.


    They had probably expected me to bug Harriet, but certainly not to this extent.


    ¡°You, you! You!!! How dare you, you lowlife!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s taunt, as degrading as it was meant to be, wasn¡¯t the slightest bit painful to me.


    ¡°A nobledy who has been defeated by a lowlife... Oh, wait, not just defeated, but crushed in 8th ce! Hahahahahaha! How truly magnificent and sublime, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Aaaah! You! You! I¡¯ll kill youuuuu!¡±


    Harriet, seemingly unable to take it anymore, rushed at me, and I promptly opened the ssroom door and made my escape.


    ¡°Hey!!! Stop right there!¡±


    ¡°Try to catch me if you can! With your 8th-ced speed!¡±


    ¡°Why you little!!¡±


    Though I had unintentionallye in in 1st ce, I still couldn¡¯t help but feel great.


    ***


    During lunchtime, Vertus sat next to me.


    ¡°Wow, nice job, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it just somehow turned out like that.¡±


    Vertus was fine, as long as he beat Charlotte. In the original work, even though Ellen consistently scored higher than he did, he didn¡¯t really care. In fact, he was the type to consider those who performed well as superior talents, and therefore more necessary to him.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t really know whether he felt belittled by myments about living the life of someone in first ce, but he probably didn¡¯t care much.


    ¡°I knew you were working hard, but to think you¡¯re adept in both literary andbat skills is quite unexpected.¡±


    It seemed that Vertus had decided to reevaluate his opinion of me, and now regarded me more highly.


    Vertus nced over at Ellen, who was quietly eating her meal across from us.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? I thought the top student of the Royal ss being friends with the ss troublemaker was unusual, but it turns out that you were actually the one on top.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit of a harsh thing to say?¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it the truth?¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right... I can¡¯t really deny it.¡±


    It appeared that Vertus had previously believed that Ellen was the undisputed top student in the ss.


    But in reality, I was the one who had ended up in first ce, not Ellen, and Vertus seemed to find that quite amusing.


    Ellen did not show much reaction to Vertus¡¯sments. She was the type who wouldn¡¯t care even if she had ced at the top of the ss.


    As I continued with my meal, someone passed by the ss A dining hall and raised their hand in a quick greeting to me.


    ¡°Reinhart! I saw that you got 1st ce. Congrats!¡±


    He was the guy who almost always scored A+ in the various physical activities, but was perpetuallyst-ced in written exams because he was the worst at studying.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Thanks.¡±


    It was Ludwig, who had inevitably ended up inst ce again. Charlotte also passed by me and gave me a slight smile. I understood what she meant without her needing to say anything.


    Every time she smiled at me, my heart felt like it was going to stop¡ªit was aplex emotion of pleasure tinged with a bit of guilt.


    Wasn¡¯t she bothered that Vertus had eclipsed her this time?


    ¡°Anyway, Reinhart, it seems like you¡¯ve gotten quite friendly with my half-sister.¡±


    Thatment sent a chill down my spine. I wasn¡¯t sure if he only knew about the friendship I had with Charlotte, or if he knew something more. It wasmon knowledge among the ss B students that Charlotte and I were on fairly good terms.


    ¡°Uh, yeah... it just happened.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t be too nervous.¡±


    Vertus told me that he didn¡¯t particrly care about it and that I shouldn¡¯t feel ufortable around him. If it had been anyone else, I might have believed it, but when it came from Vertus, I couldn¡¯t trust him no matter how much I tried.


    Him telling me not to be nervous just made me more nervous.


    ¡°With midterms over, it looks like the group missions will be starting soon.¡±


    Vertus¡¯sment made me realize that the next event was drawing closer.


    ¡°Is it going to start as scheduled?¡±


    ¡°Since there haven¡¯t been any big issues since the demon incident, the exit restrictions will be lifted soon, and it won¡¯t be much of a concern.¡±


    The group mission. A test disguised as a field trip... was drawing near.


    ***


    As May approached, it began to grow warmer.


    There was quite an uproar when the monthly physical scan revealed that I had awakened a new talent for Mana Attunement. It was surprising enough when they found I had infinite aptitude, but to discover that I now had two distinct talents was clearly shocking.


    The buzz it generated was so significant that I decided to postpone awakening a third talent forter. If I kept awakening abilities one after another, it would be suspicious in its own way.


    There was no reason to hurry.


    As Vertus said, after Monday¡¯smon ss, Mr. Effenhauser made the announcement. Even though it was called a mission, it essentially amounted to a test.


    ¡°At the Temple, from high school onwards, each ss will be assigned one group mission per semester.


    ¡°The group mission is apetition between ss A and ss B, and while it ispetitive, it is also an earnest test of the students¡¯ teamwork, unity, and cooperative spirit. Keep in mind that those who show exceptional teamwork or contribute significantly to the group will receive extra points during the evaluation.


    ¡°The grades earned in the group mission will be reflected in your semester¡¯s total grades. Naturally, the victorious ss will receive a higher score.


    ¡°The group mission can be conducted either inside the Temple or outside.


    ¡°This is not any regr ss¡ªthis is the Royal ss. Therefore, we will be assigned more difficult tasks than the regr sses. Be aware that you may find yourselves in situations that may be quite dangerous. In fact, there have been many cases in which students have suffered injury or harm.


    ¡°Of course, it is up to the individual to choose to participate in the group mission or not. If someone decides not to participate, they will automatically fail that portion of the mission.¡±


    This was the biggest reason why Vertus needed capable ssmates, and had discouraged the others from taking a leave of absence.


    The group mission that took ce once a semester was a very importantponent of a student¡¯s grades, and a team being short even one member could be a great disadvantage.


    Although Vertus had surpassed Charlotte in the midterm exams, if ss B were to emerge victorious in the group mission, Vertus could actually fall behind Charlotte in overall grades.


    I had forced this setting into the novel to ensure that there was a real sense ofpetition between ss A and B.


    Anyway, since it was a school event, I had set up the story so that the mission was going to happen during a school field trip. I figured that it wouldn¡¯t be fun if there was nothing for students topete over, and if they simply spent the time enjoying the field trip. Without any big challenges, there wouldn¡¯t be any conflicts between the characters, and nothing special would end up happening over the course of the field trip.


    Of course, like any such event, these missions didn¡¯t always go as nned by the teachers. There could be unexpected idents,pletely bizarre urrences, and real threats or crises that might arise.


    The most convenient plot event for narrative progression was group missions.


    Now that I thought about it, it did seem rather absurd to have these precious students put through such dangerous ordeals. But what could I do? This was how the story had been written, and this was the direction that it was going.


    If you want toin,in to my past self, because I¡¯d like toin now as well!


    Anyway, the first group mission was...


    ¡°The theme of this group mission is ¡®Survival¡¯.¡±


    We were going to a deserted ind.


    The reason for the deserted ind was very trivial; I had been watching the show ¡°Survivor¡± around the time I wrote this part.


    ***


    While the clue to the group mission was survival, Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t tell us that we were going to a deserted ind. The mission¡¯s theme was revealed beforehand, but details were only provided upon arrival at the site.


    Of course, I knew exactly where we were headed. I had been wondering if the recent terror incident might lead to a cancetion, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    It was only natural for everyone to be perplexed by the sudden mention of survival.


    The good news was that the restrictions on leaving campus had finally been lifted.


    The group mission would span five days, from Monday to Friday the following week. Since the other high school sses would be on their missions during the same period, all lectures would be on hold.


    ***


    ¡°Have there been any signs of you being monitored or anythingtely?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been more attentive recently, but it seems to be clear at the moment, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Looks like Vertus is certain that there¡¯s no point following this lead further... It seems he might not have had the intention to search this area in the first ce.¡±


    Taking advantage of the lifting of restrictions, I had immediately left the Temple and headed for Eleris¡¯s shop. I could technically visit the shop as Reinhart, but there was no need to take unnecessary risks, so I went out of my way to take a roundabout path and changed my appearance before seeking out the shop.


    As always, Eleris and I were speaking upstairs.


    ¡°Anyway, do you think it¡¯s really okay to leave things as they are? Even if Charlotte has be an ally, the fact that you¡¯ve been exposed could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given it a lot of thought as well, Your Highness, but if a crisis arises, I¡¯ll be able to extract myself from the situation. It seems both Sarkegar and Loyar have decided that it¡¯s better for them to keep watch too.¡±


    Eleris had already discussed matters with the other two.


    ¡°By the way, weren¡¯t you away from the shop at that time?¡±


    Certainly, Eleris had closed up the shop. But when Charlotte had entered, she had suddenly appeared from upstairs.


    ¡°I did not weave a protection spell over the door, but I did set an rm spell. I hurried back when it detected that the door had been destroyed.¡±


    Up until that point, Eleris had been with Airi in the Edina Inds. But upon detecting that the rm on the door had been triggered, she had immediately teleported back. It had been a remarkably quick piece of improvisation from her.


    If she hadn¡¯t returned in the nick of time, Charlotte could have remained unaware of the truth, but in return, Eleris would have risked losing the shop entirely, since there were indeed several things that were suspicious about the ce.


    ¡°How¡¯s Airi doing?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s settled down in Rajak, the main port city of Edina. Things are progressing without much issue, and I¡¯ve been checking in with them. There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris could check in on Airi¡¯s group at any time with a teleportation spell, and it was reassuring to know that everything was under her control.


    We decided to maintain the status quo for the moment. If any problems arose, Eleris could extract herself from the situation. Until then, maintaining this rtionship with Charlotte would be beneficial for us too.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± I mentioned casually.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡±


    I shared something that might have seemed a little childish to boast about.


    ¡°I came in first ce.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°I said, I got first ce in the exams.¡±


    If it had been Sarkegar, he probably would have squealed ¡°Is that trueeee?!¡± and reacted in an overly-dramatic fashion, but Eleris¡¯s response was quite different.


    ¡°That is impressive, Your Highness.¡±


    She only gave me a slight smile and a small word of praise, but that in itself felt quite rewarding.

 Chapter 91

    <h4>Chapter 91</h4>


    As soon as the restrictions on leaving the campus were lifted, I went outside to get a progress report from Eleris and to share what I had been up to.


    However, there was something more important than that...


    ¡°... What is this?¡±


    ¡°I thought you might be waiting for it, so I brought it as soon as possible.¡±


    Since I had been frequenting ss B¡¯s areas, the ss B students didn¡¯t really care about me entering their dormitory anymore. Therefore, as soon as I returned to the Temple, I stopped by ss B and handed Charlotte a letter when no one was looking.


    Charlotte, knowing exactly what this letter was, quickly tucked it away.


    Her eyes were trembling violently.


    ¡°Thank you, Reinhart... thank you.¡±


    She seemed touched that I had immediately gone out as soon as the exit restrictions had been lifted, knowing that she would be waiting for this. Each time Charlotte expressed her gratitude, it felt as if my heart was being pricked with a needle.


    After all, it was all lies, and I was in a position where I had to keep lying.


    The letter contained nothing special.


    ¡°<i>Sorry for leaving without a word. I¡¯m doing well under Eleris¡¯s protection, and I hope you are safe.</i>¡±


    That was basically all the letter said, just with more boration to make it longer. It also contained certain information that only the real Baalier would know, so the veracity of the letter wouldn¡¯t be doubted.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s pretty much it. I¡¯m going to go now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    I turned and started walking away, not wanting to stand in front of Charlotte for too long.


    ¡°Congrattions oning in first, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Thanks.¡±


    Leaving Charlotte¡ªwho had spoken quietly¡ªbehind me, I left the ss B dormitory.


    The best case for me would be if this lie never came to light.


    But the fear was growing in me, and I wondered how Charlotte would look at me if the entire lie was exposed.


    ***


    Midterms had ended, and I ultimately did not clear the challenge.


    Well, people do fail sometimes.


    But it was a bit funny to think that I had aimed for 10th ce in one area but ended up cing first in another, and that cing first in this other area ironically brought me no benefits.


    Anyway, things went back to normal.


    <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°Ugh. Come on!¡±


    Once again, I picked up the practice sword that had slipped from my grasp. Ellen, as always, was just standing there, silently watching me.


    All I did was go through this routine over and over again, finally bing so exhausted that I would drop my sword. Aside from the times when Ellen inly offered herself as a dummy target, I hadn¡¯t seeded innding even a single blow on her.


    ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve gotten rusty after that short break.¡±


    It had been only about a week¡¯s break from training, but it felt as if my body had grown stiff. I could tell as I was getting beaten even more convincingly in training now,pared to before.


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean, not really?¡±


    What was she talking about? It was true that I was performing worse than before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just raised the intensity on my side a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    The reason I was getting beaten even more hopelessly than before wasn¡¯t because my body had grown stiff. Rather, it was because Ellen had been using the strength and skill of a level 1 character previously, but she was now channeling a character at what seemed to be level 1.5 to me. That was about how much I had leveled up.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news, and I feel good about that. But I¡¯m curious all of a sudden. How much have you been holding back when sparring with me?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Ellen seemed to ponder for a moment, then pointed to the ceiling with her practice sword.


    ¡°Me,¡± she said, then she pointed firmly to the floor. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the ceiling you pointed at, right? Not the sky?¡±


    <i>¡®Could she be implying that the difference in skill between the two of us was equivalent to the distance between the sky and the ground?¡¯</i>


    Ellen shook her head, reassuring me that the difference wasn¡¯t to that extent.


    ¡°But if you use your supernatural powers, it¡¯s about this much.¡±


    This time, Ellen pointed to somewhere around her knee. Without using my supernatural powers, the gap in skill was as big as that between the ceiling and floor of the training grounds, which was about five meters. When I used my supernatural powers, however, I could reach up to her knees.


    Although the difference was still huge, if what she was saying was true, it still meant that I had improved a lot.


    ¡°You just don¡¯t realize how much your skills have improved because you¡¯re always practicing with me.¡±


    ¡°... I know you¡¯re not showing off and that you have every right to say something like that, but it is kind of annoying to hear you actually say that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±


    I had nothing to say in response to her matter-of-fact reply. She was effectively saying, ¡°Of course I¡¯m stronger than you, what do you want me to do about it?¡± Indeed, Ellen¡¯s skills were also continuously improving, and at a rate that was faster than the growth of my own skills.


    Ellen felt like a target that I would never be able to catch up to.


    ¡°But I did feel it during thest Swordsmanship assessment.¡± I had felt something during the students¡¯ tournament. ¡°The others seemed too slow, and I could see every move.¡±


    Because of how my Self-Deception ability allowed me to enhance my physical skills, it was well-tailored for swordsmanship, and I felt like my physical stats would be boosted by two to three times their base level when I used it.


    My current physical ability stats were as follows:


    [Strength 5.9(D-)]


    [Agility 6.5(D)]


    [Dexterity 7.4(D+)]


    [Mana 11.1(C)]


    [Stamina 10(C)]


    Factoring the boost that my supernatural power gave me, each of these abilities¡¯ ranks would change slightly.


    Compared to when I started¡ªwith the exception of mana¡ªmy physical abilities had nearly doubled in level.


    Although I was now entering a phase where my growth would not be as significant, the results of my efforts were clearly visible. With the additional boost from my supernatural powers, I could reach a considerable level of physical prowess whenpared to peers of my own level.


    Therefore, even though I still hadn¡¯t fully mastered proper Swordsmanship, my reflexes and physical abilities alone were enough for me to defeat my schoolmates who specialized inbat. This included some first-year high school students who weren¡¯t part of the Royal ss but still specialized inbat as well.


    Since I was training with Ellen this whole time, I still felt that I was terribly weak, but in reality, when I sparred with the other students, it felt too easy.


    In fact, in the students¡¯ tournament, I hadn¡¯t used my supernatural abilities before going up against Ellen, just to avoid any unwanted gossip. And yet, I had won every match.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that those guys who had lost to me hadn¡¯t improved their Swordsmanship skill to the level of my own Pseudo-Swordsmanship. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Not everything can be justified just by what can be seen with your own two eyes. Because I had constantly sparred against an opponent of such a high level so many times, I just naturally knew how to go up against the other students in our duels, even those with decent swordsmanship skills.


    By continuously practicing with such an overwhelmingly strong partner, my skill at the sword seemed to have risen significantly without me noticing, and that level of experience could not be quantified.


    Of course, the absence of some of the higher-skilled ssmates from the swordsmanship ss might have also yed a role in my winning streak. Maybe things would be different when I took another swordsmanship ss further down the line.


    ¡°Come at me.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    I tightened my grip on my sword and thrust it toward Ellen.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    Ellen swiftly moved her own weapon to counter my thrust, drawing it up and letting it drop down from above in a downward arc.


    She could smack my sword away and grab me by the cor with her left hand to m me into the ground, or dig in and whip her right elbow into my jaw, or she might just deflect my thrust, knock my sword into the ground and then thrust at me with her pommel.


    My attacks had already been countered by her in a single move, in dozens of different ways.


    I thrust my sword along the exact same path as I had done so far, but then dug in further and jabbed my left elbow into Ellen¡¯s sr plexus, trying to copy one of her moves.


    As soon as Ellen caught the movement of my elbow pushing in, she leaned to the left to deflect the strike while simultaneously spinning to the side.


    ¡®<i>Damn it!</i>¡¯


    I had leaned too far forward, losing my center of gravity, and she had taken advantage of it.


    In that brief moment in which I was too off-bnce to react to her movement, Ellen¡¯s practice sword was already pointing at the back of my neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just because I knew of one possible oue did not mean I could see them all.


    Obviously, Ellen knew all of the possible oues. Hence, as soon as I tried to make one move, she already knew what I was trying to do, and could react to it with one of her many counterattacks. This would keep going on; the more moves I learned, the more she would just adapt.


    <i>Learning truly never stops...</i>


    ***


    It was again time for morning training.


    Adriana gaped at me for a moment when she learned that I had ced at the top of the ss in the first-year midterm evaluations.


    ¡°I know that I don¡¯t have the best reputation, but it is a bit sad to see everyone reacting like this,¡± I said, as though feeling a little let down.


    Adriana¡¯s expression flickered. ¡°Ah... sorry, junior. I know you¡¯ve been working hardtely.¡±


    Adriana, looking somewhat embarrassed, scratched her cheek. ¡°But to be honest, you don¡¯t exactly have the image of someone who¡¯s academically inclined... Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I agree as well.¡±


    The idea of a troublemaker with a brilliant mind definitely wasn¡¯tmon, and everyone had a preconceived notion that I was someone who only knew how to cause trouble wherever I went.


    Well, it was not a preconceived notion, but the truth.


    ¡°The more I get to know you, junior, the more you surprise me.¡±


    Initially, I was just the crazy guy who openly cussed at seniors, so anything I did that was remotely normal would seem surprising. The most surprising thing to her would probably be the fact that I had apologized to A-1, Rudina, from the second year.


    My physical condition had now improved to the point where I could chat with Adriana as we ran together. The average stamina level of my peers was around 6 to 7, which corresponded to a D rank, but my stamina was at level 10, which was ranked C. It was definitely above average, and with the help of my supernatural powers, it could be boosted even higher. Of course, the average stats of students withbat talents were much higher than that.


    I was not on the level of someone like Ludwig, who could sprint around the Temple at full speed without slowing down. That guy had a stamina of 30, which was ranked A+. In some aspects, he was even more of a beast than Ellen.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s your first group mission, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Then that means the first mission must be about survival, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Do the themes stay the same over time?¡±


    ¡°Um... yeah, as far as I know, they generally do.¡±


    ording to her, the first group mission was usually a survival mission. That was something I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°What¡¯s the theme for your own group mission?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Seize.¡±


    <i>¡®Seize...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Seize¡± was a type of group mission that had several variations. It sometimes could be a trench-capturing mission simr to Capture the g, or it could be the kind where a team wins by securing some item located at a specific ce. Of course, these missions were organized on a massive scale, so they tend to be prolonged battles, and situations involvingbat among students could arise as well.


    The first-years did not engage in such activities since we couldn¡¯t fully control our strength yet.


    But survival missions also involved plenty of dangerous situations, in their own way.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to do well in survival, junior.¡±


    ¡°... It sounds like you¡¯re saying I¡¯ll do well because I¡¯m from the streets.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it.¡±


    ¡°I said I was from the streets, not raised in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... that¡¯s not what I was trying to say.¡±


    Adrianaughed while keeping a steady pace beside me.


    ¡°Noble-born students usually drop out in the middle of survival missions.¡±


    The survival mission would basically require the wealthy, noble kids to sleep in the damp, humid wilderness crawling with bugs¡ªeverything those who had been raised delicately found hard to ept...


    ***


    It was May, and May in this world was blooming with nature. Honestly, at this time of year, it wasmon to want to push all thoughts of studying aside and just roll around on the grassy fields around the Han River[1] and enjoy the beautiful weather. Indeed, there were probably countless people doing just that right then.


    The festival had been cut short, but it seemed like people were getting back to their everyday lives. The investigation into the terrorist incident had been wrapped up without the culprits being apprehended, and despite the sense of unease about the demons still lingering, the people were slowly regaining their vigor.


    The empire had looted a tremendous amount of riches in the course of its victory, and all the nations that had participated in the war had gained immense wealth.


    Ultimately, it was the wealth obtained from the Demon Realm that brought about the golden age of the empire.


    And this golden age was dawning in May, when the weather was perfect for being outdoors.


    ¡°Ugh... why is it so hot out here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the heat... it¡¯s so humid.¡±


    The entire cohort of first-year Royal ss students of the Temple passed through arge gate, and on the other side, someone who seemed to be a high-level Temple mage used a Mass Teleportation spell to send us to an uninhabited tropical ind.


    [You have a new event update - Group Mission]


    [Description: The theme of this group mission is survival. Survive until the end of the mission.]


    [Objective: Do not drop out until the mission¡¯s end.]


    [Reward: 1000 achievement points]


    And, as expected, an event had been triggered.


    1. A famous river in South Korea ?

 Chapter 92

    <h4>Chapter 92</h4>


    Twenty-two students¡ªincluding myself¡ªwere gathered on a white sandy beach, with clear seawater behind us.


    Following the instructions that were given, everyone was dressed infortable clothing instead of uniforms, and we had also been advised to wear long sleeves and pants. As a result, we all appeared somewhat simrly dressed.


    Of course, ss A and ss B were situated quite far apart from each other.


    Mr. Effenhauser stood in front of ss A.


    The students seemed perplexed by their arrival at such a location. The only one who wasn¡¯t flustered was Ellen, as if she had been prepared for any kind of event to ur. Even Vertus seemed noticeably intimidated, even if it was just a little.


    Mr. Effenhauser began the briefing.


    ¡°This ce is an uninhabited ind within the empire¡¯s Kamsencha Archipgo. The size of this ind is about three times that of the Temple.¡±


    Though it was uninhabited, the ind was veryrge. It was covered in a tropical rainforest, so beyond the sandy beach in front of us was a huge jungle.


    ¡°You all must survive on this ind for approximately five days, beginning today until Friday evening. Each of you will be given one bottle of drinking water. You may utilize themon supplies here for hunting or gathering. You must simply survive until Friday, by any means necessary.¡±


    Surviving for five days might have seemed like a brutal task, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. All of the students stared nkly with their mouths wide open after Mr. Effenhauser made his announcement. The noble-born students, in particr, were the most appalled, questioning whether surviving in such a hostile environment was even possible.


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t this dangerous? We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s out here... What if someone gets hurt or something happens...?¡± Harriet murmured, as if in a daze.


    ¡°Exactly. It seems too irresponsible to just tell us to survive somehow,¡± said Heinrich von Schwartz, echoing her dissatisfaction.


    ¡°This mission is by no means mandatory. If you want to give up, you can do so at any time. Just be aware that if you do so, you will fail this portion of the ss,¡± Mr. Effenhauser stated unequivocally.


    Naturally, telling noble-born students¡ªor any student for that matter¡ªto survive on a deserted ind for five days sounded insane. Not only was the group gathered here full of nobles, but they represented some of the empire¡¯s best talents. That was why they received exceptionally favorable treatment in the Temple.


    However, with special treatment came special assessments.


    This mission had been assigned based on such logic.


    ¡°You will all be issued one of these button-shaped artifacts.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser pulled something that looked like a button from his pocket.


    ¡°If you are in an emergency situation or wish to give up, use this. It will transport you immediately to a safe ce. But remember, if you use it, you will be considered to have withdrawn from this mission.¡±


    One could give up whenever they wanted, and there was a mechanism in ce to respond in case of any idents.


    There were students who already looked like they were going to press the button the moment they received it. However, if a student kept failing the group missions, they faced the possibility of being held back a year.


    No characters were held back a year in the original work, but with the changes in the storyline, anything could happen now. Mr. Effenhauser, as always, onlyid out the facts, with a detached and impartial attitude.


    ¡ªKids, whatever you do, do not overdo things. While grades are indeed important, safety is the priority. While this ce is a lot safer than you guys think, if it gets too hard, use the artifact right away. Do you guys understand me?


    Meanwhile, a distance away, Ms. Mustang¡ªwhose personality was theplete opposite of Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s¡ªwas briefing her students. Somehow, though, her words seemed more rming.


    ¡°If you have any questions, speak up now,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said.


    Vertus raised his hand. ¡°Are there any dangerous monsters here?¡±


    Vertus¡¯s question belied his hope that such a risk hadn¡¯t been overlooked before sending the students to this ce.


    ¡°We do not provide information about the ind; that is the rule. However, I can tell you one thing,¡± Mr. Effenhauser stated calmly. ¡°This mission has been designed to test what skills you can demonstrate in the face of a crisis, and to observe your behavior in a real-life situation.¡±


    Nothing about this ind was assured.


    We already possessed abilities. Now, it was a matter of seeing how we could utilize those abilities. The mission was designed to see whether we were selfish or cooperative, rational or irrational.


    ¡°You are the Royal ss. You, who are privileged even within Temple, must prove yourselves much more than those in the regr sses.¡±


    While some with immense power might cry and copse, others, with less strength, would grit their teeth and strive to ovee. The group missions were devised in order to test this fact.


    Being in the Royal ss meant enjoying very powerful privileges. Therefore, it was logical that the students had to ovee tougher trials.


    The teacher did not even disclose to the students whether the ce was dangerous or not.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for lengthy exnations. Press the button if you want to give up. If you think you can¡¯tst until Friday, giving up early is also an option.¡±


    ¡°<i>Just remember that in doing so, you will basically be admitting defeat.</i>¡±


    Everyone could easily guess what Mr. Effenhauser was implying.


    ¡°One more thing.¡±


    It was time for Mr. Effenhauser to reveal the most crucial fact.


    ¡°If certain conditions are met, the mission will end sooner than scheduled. Additionally, the ss that satisfies these conditions will receive bonus points.¡±


    A special mission...


    If certain conditions were met, the mission could end early, and the ss that met those conditions would earn extra points.


    ¡°Of course, this is a bonus mission, and is not mandatory. With that, I have conveyed all necessary information.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser then took out a button-shaped artifact simr to ours and disappeared via spatial transportation.


    He had vanished from our sight, but would be observing our situation from somewhere.


    ¡°D-Did he... Did he really just leave?¡±


    ¡°No way. How could he...?¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    The students were profoundly shocked by the fact that Mr. Effenhauser had really vanished.


    Then again, strictly speaking, wasn¡¯t this basically neglect?


    It was only now, somewhat btedly, that I fully realized what kind of story I had written.


    <i>Whoosh</i>...


    From afar, the clear seawater crashed relentlessly against the shore.


    Quite literally, we were children left stranded on a beach.


    ***


    ss B, who were gathered a distance away, was soon left alone along the seaside as well after Ms. Mustang departed.


    Both ss A and ss B seemed equally stunned. Vertus was absorbed in thought, arms crossed. He must have known this was going to happen, yet seeing it first-hand made him realize just how absurd the situation really was.


    Almost everyone was bewildered. It would have been easier to find someone who was <i>not</i> in a daze.


    Aside from myself, Ellen, and the contemtive Vertus, everyone else seemed to have lost their wits, or were standing there dumbfounded.


    ¡°What the heck is this? Why do we have to do this? How is this supposed to help us?¡± asked Connor Lint.


    ¡°I know right? What are we supposed to do if they suddenly just drop us in the middle of nowhere...¡± muttered Kaier Vioden.


    Coming from amoner background did not make the situation any more desirable. The air was humid, and the sun was scorching. No one would be ustomed to such conditions.


    The noble-born students seemed to be filled with thoughts of giving up already. Everything seemed so incredulous, and they were at a loss for words.


    If this situation was unbearable for an ordinary person with amoner background, it would be a miracle if the nobles, who had been ustomed to fine clothes, delicious food, andfortable beds their whole lives, did not break down crying in these circumstances.


    In the original storyline, ss A¡ªwith its preponderance of nobles¡ªsomehow managed to survive the first day, after which most of them voluntarily gave up. One by one, they dropped out, leaving Ellen as the sole survivor who endured until the end.


    ss Bpleted the mission sessfully, under the direction of Ludwig.


    Now that events had deviated significantly from the original storyline, though, I couldn¡¯t predict what would be of ss B. Thus, I had no intention of following the original ss A storyline either.


    First and foremost, I needed the achievement points, so I had to endure this mission through to the end. And since it was impossible to do it alone, I had to somehow drag these guys along.


    I opened themon supply box that Mr. Effenhauser had left behind after his departure.


    When I started to move, everyone began to stare at me intently. It was natural for them to whine and feel as though the situation was unbearable. If 17-year-olds could handle this situation nonchntly, that would be the real joke.


    I began to take out and organize themon supplies while all of the students watched me nkly.


    Inside the box were two machetes, a bow with ten arrows, a bundle of rope, three pots rge, medium, and small), three scale-covered throwing javelins, one axe, three small knives, one fire starter, eleven water bottles, and eleven button-shaped artifacts.


    The supplies were rather sufficient, and more than I had expected. They were basic, yes¡ªbut the supplies were appropriate enough, given that the students had been left to their own devices.


    The other students were watching what I was doing in a daze. I put the others out of my mind for a moment and looked at Ellen.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to give up, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°Vertus, you won¡¯t give up either, will you?¡±


    Vertus shook his head as well, though his expression was grave.


    Unlike in the original work, Charlotte was now in ss B. That was why Vertus wasn¡¯t going to give up.


    There were two people aside from myself who absolutely would not give up. I picked up a machete, then handed the bow and arrows to Ellen.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head ind with Ellen. You take care of things here.¡±


    ¡°Huh... go ind? You¡¯re going in there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have to look for something.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s safe, though? We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s in there.¡±


    ¡°Come on, how dangerous can it be?¡±


    Vertus was clearly bewildered by my readiness to enter the jungle. It made much more sense to leave the overall leadership to Vertus. Though he seemed momentarily flustered, he quickly regained hisposure.


    ¡°Okay, I got it, Reinhart. I¡¯ll handle things here.¡±


    Even in this situation, Vertus was still Vertus. He didn¡¯t want to be involved in the nasty, hands-on work. By stepping aside, I was essentially offering to take on that burden, while he could focus on theparatively simple task of controlling the other kids from a leadership position.


    Vertus, who had been raised infort, would find this situation as dreadful as anyone.


    ¡°You,e with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I led the way, and Ellen followed quietly behind me.


    It turned out that Ellen and I were the odd ones out.


    ***


    Ellen was proficient with the bow, which was why I had her follow me; if any animals appeared, she would be in charge of hunting them.


    <i>Whack</i>! <i>Whack</i>!


    Ellen and I moved deeper ind, with me cutting through the dense vegetation with the machete.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s ridiculously hot,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Ellen replied.


    Both Ellen and I were drenched in sweat. Ellen seemed annoyed by her long hair, and tied it up with a hair tie to keep it in ce. Beads of sweat glistened on her face and on the nape of her neck.


    At least we had the good fortune of not having to deal with the jungle¡¯s worst viins¡ªmosquitoes.


    This was a test, a mission. Even though Mr. Effenhauser hadn¡¯t provided any information about the ind, I knew a lot about it.


    This ind was a controlled environment. Therefore, there were no mosquitoes that could carry life-threatening diseases, as they had been eradicated from the outset. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that there were no insects at all.


    There could definitely be unforeseen emergencies, but this wasn¡¯t a fully-untamed wilderness.


    <i>p</i>, <i>p</i>!


    As I cleared the brush with the machete, the noise startled some birds into flight.


    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you shoot down the birds that are flying away with the bow?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not <i>that </i>good.¡±


    Ellen was proficient with the bow, but archery wasn¡¯t her specialty. She wasn¡¯t at the level of an expert marksman.


    I had no intention of going in too deep.


    Soon enough, I spotted what we were looking for.


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    I smiled wryly and pointed towards a cluster of trees.


    ¡°Have you never seen a coconut before?¡±


    The most clich¨¦d element in a deserted-ind-survival story: coconuts.

 Chapter 93

    <h4>Chapter 93</h4>


    The most important thing while surviving in the tropics was drinking enough water. It was more important than food, as one could die from dehydration. Coconuts were the perfect food when it came to survival, as they could satisfy both hunger and thirst to some extent.


    I twisted off one coconut after another. It was my first time climbing a tree, but with Self-Deception, my physical abilities were such that I was somehow better at climbing trees than monkeys. Surprisingly, I was able to scurry up quite easily.


    Ellen, too, had climbed another tree and effortlessly twisted off some coconuts. I had climbed up without much difficulty, no doubt, but how on earth could she climb trees so well?


    After plucking about ten coconuts, I mbered back down to the ground. We returned to the shore, each holding five coconuts.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>


    ¡°What... What¡¯s all this?¡±


    As weid down the coconuts, the guys who were still dazed looked at us in shock. The ss B students were bustling about in the distance, busy with something, but the ss A students still seemed to be at a loss.


    ¡°Did... Did you guys really bring all this back this quickly?¡±


    Vertus appeared to be astonished by what I had done.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to make do and drink these if we run out of water.¡±


    We had eleven water bottles, but once we were out of water, we¡¯d have no choice but to drink the juice from the coconuts. It seemed that the personal supplies had already been distributed, as each student had an escape artifact and a water bottle in their hands.


    Everyone was sitting idly in the shade, and seemed clueless about what to do next. Even Vertus seemed to be in the same boat as everyone else.


    I supposed it would have been even stranger if the prince had managed to set up a camp smoothly in this situation.


    For now, we could put aside the urgent matter of acquiring drinking water. Moreover, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had given up yet.


    ¡°Reinhart, let¡¯s talk for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    Vertus took me to a spot slightly away from the other ss members.


    ¡°Where did you learn to do this kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I learned anything; it¡¯s just that doing something is better than doing nothing, you know? If you stay still and don¡¯t do anything, you¡¯re just wasting energy, so it¡¯s better to do something instead of letting that happen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    To Vertus, it must have looked like I was very used to this situation; he seemed to think I was an expert in survival. Truthfully, I just had lots of indirect experience, and actually doing it was new to me as well. Vertus was equally dazed by the current situation, just like the others.


    I had no choice but to give him some advice.


    ¡°First of all, we need a ce to sleep, no matter how crude it may be. A ce that can provide shelter from the sun and rain.¡±


    We needed a shelter, however basic it might be. Vertus nodded in understanding.


    ¡°But how do we make such a thing, especially in this situation?¡± Vertus asked.


    Setting up a shelter would mean doing something that none of us had done before. There wasn¡¯t any TV show like ¡°Man versus Jungle¡± in this world, so it was natural that Vertus didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Trees, vines, and palm leaves are all over the ce. We can weave something together with those.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Will that really work? Just using leaves?¡±


    I had been pondering over how such a thing could be done, even before we started this survival mission. I knew how to build a hut, and could if I absolutely needed to, but I wasn¡¯t confident in making it well.


    But there was no need for me to do it when there was someone else who could do it way better.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to think about that. There¡¯s someone who¡¯s good at that sort of thing.


    ¡°Number 7, Adelia. She¡¯ll be able to handle it well.¡±


    Her talent was in magical tool crafting. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if that had anything to do with building a hut, but she had a talent for designing and crafting things that was iparable to an ordinary person.


    She would at least be able toe up with a more usible blueprint than I could.


    It felt a little forced, sort of like getting an art student to paint a wall just because they had experience with paint.


    ¡°Hmm... Maybe.¡±


    ***


    Vertus returned to the shade where the hopeless ss A students were gathered and called Adelia over to him.


    Then he asked her if she had any ideas about how to build a hut.


    ¡°U-Um... If you ask me to make something like that all of a sudden... We don¡¯t even have equipment or tools here...¡±


    She was skilled in magical crafting and summoning magic, yet she looked perplexed when suddenly asked to build something out of nothing.


    ¡°We can use trees for the pirs, and probably palm leaves for the roof. Do you have any other good ideas?¡±


    Vertus¡¯s words shook Adelia, and she mumbled in a shaky voice, as if shrinking with intimidation, ¡°U-Um... It might work if we made it like a tripod, maybe... But, do we really have to sleep here?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re not nning on giving up, then it seems we have no choice.¡±


    Although Vertus was smiling, no one was brave enough to say ¡°Sorry, I really can¡¯t do this¡± when faced with that smile. Of course, after spending one night in this ce, everyone would probably give up all sense of decorum and discipline.


    Harriet was sitting on her heels with her face buried in her knees, not saying a word.


    She might have been crying. It was a situation worthy of tears, after all.


    ¡°Um... If we <i>were</i> to make it... we¡¯d need trees and vines. And a lot of those big things over there... those leaves,¡± Adelia muttered, as if visualizing something in her mind.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    Vertus was just as frustrated, but losing to ss B would be even more distressing, and so he tried to artificially lift his spirits.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s get up and start doing something. We can give up if it seriously seems hopeless, but we have to at least try something before that, right? Giving up without even trying would be toome, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Vertus pointed to Kaier, Erhi, and Connor Lint, who were standing around in a daze.


    ¡°Can you three get as many vines and leaves as possible from ind?¡±


    Everyone needed to be assigned a task of their own. Although they all looked somewhat reluctant, none of them had the nerve to refuse Vertus¡¯s orders. It seemed that a n of action wasing smoothly to Vertus once he started to put his mind to it.


    ¡°Saint-Ouen. Can you use your magic?¡±


    When Vertus called her name, Harriet, her eyes still red, looked up with a bewildered expression.


    ¡°O-Oh... pardon? Um... I¡¯m not that high-level yet...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You just need to be able to cut down a tree that¡¯s about that size,¡± Vertus said, pointing to a tree that would yield an average-sized log. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Um... I think I can do it,¡± Harriet replied, nodding gloomily and epting the task at hand.


    ¡°Good. Cut down as many trees as you can, and be careful not to get hurt since it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Despite her low spirits, Harriet stood up, ready to carry out the task given to her.


    ¡°Ellen, and Cliffman. Can you assist Adelia in setting up the camp as she requests?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Ellen and Cliffman possessed the most physical strength out of all the students in ss A, so it made sense for those two to handle the tasks that required brute strength.


    A clear picture seemed to have formed in Vertus¡¯s mind. He seemed like he knew exactly what to do despite not having been given much information. Perhaps his morale was recovering, and that was fueling his eagerness. To think that he¡¯d onlye to life now that he had the chance to give orders to others; viin or not, he was naturally the leader type.


    The remaining ones without roles were me, Riana de Granz, and Heinrich von Schwartz.


    ¡°Vertus, can I take those two and assign them roles?¡± I asked.


    At my words, Vertus tilted his head quizzically. Both Riana and Heinrich seemed appalled at the idea of me taking charge of them. Since Heinrich disliked me and Riana had never even had a conversation with me, their reactions were understandable.


    ¡°Hmm... Do you have a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Well... It seems to me that these two might be the most important among us.¡±


    ¡°...Really?¡±


    My unexpected praise made both of them look at me strangely.


    ***


    Heinrich von Schwartz, Pyrokinesis...


    Riana de Granz, Electrokinesis...


    In my opinion, these two supernatural powers could be the key to our survival in the jungle.


    Heinrich eyed me with a look full of wariness, as if questioning what business I had with him.


    ¡°... What do you want us to do?¡±


    ¡°Are you still mad about what happened in the past? If we¡¯re in the same boat, we might as well row together,¡± I said.


    Heinrich swiftly turned his head away and clicked his tongue in annoyance. I refused to indulge in petty squabbles when our situation was already dire.


    ¡°... But what about me?¡± said Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Just wait. I¡¯ll exin everything in a minute.¡±


    It was clear that Riana was also on guard against me. I didn¡¯t really feel like giving a detailed exnation, and frankly, I didn¡¯t particrly want to be friends with either of them.


    Given the circumstances, I had to make use of them as much as possible. If they refused, I was prepared to coerce them into cooperating.


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be responsible for lighting all the fires we need. For starters, we have to make potable water.¡±


    ¡°... Potable water?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to need drinking water, aren¡¯t we? Aside from Harriet, you¡¯re the only one here who can control fire at will.¡±


    Though I had once called him less useful than a pocket lighter, he was obviously better than a pocket lighter¡ªif he could keep his mouth shut.


    ¡°Ask Adelia how to make a water condenser. After that, keep making water.¡±


    ¡°You... Are you treating me like a flint? And you think you can order me around?¡±


    Heinrich¡¯s expression soured as if he felt insulted, and I sighed.


    ¡®<i>He¡¯s getting on my nerves again. Should I beat him up?</i>


    <i>¡®No. Let¡¯s not make the situation any worse.</i>¡¯


    I sighed. ¡°Whether I ask you to do it or I get Vertus to do so, it¡¯s the same thing. Do you want to do this the hard way? If you don¡¯t cooperate, we¡¯ll all dehydrate and die within two days.¡±


    Dehydration was a serious issue in this tropical environment. It was true that I was actually treating him like a flint, but if he didn¡¯t do this task, we¡¯d have to keep hydrating with coconuts. Creating a water condenser and boiling seawater to make fresh water was a simple but essential task that needed to be done.


    Even if he hated taking orders from me, he¡¯d just end up hearing the same from Vertus anyway.


    ¡°Tsk. Fine. I¡¯m only doing this for everyone¡¯s sake, and not because you told me to. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, okay. Thank you so much.¡±


    Heinrich seemed to ept the task and quickly disappeared, clearly not wanting to talk with me anymore. That left Riana de Granz, who seemed to be somewhat wary of me.


    ¡°And you,¡± I said, ¡°you¡¯re going to hunt.¡±


    ¡°... Hunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I pointed towards the sea.


    ¡°To be exact, we¡¯re going fishing.¡±


    We were going to do something simr to using a car battery to electrify the water and stunning the fish before hauling them in.


    ***


    If you electrify a stream with the charge from a car battery, the fish will be stunned and float to the surface. Doing this was considered illegal in the real world, but obviously, there would be no suchws here, and even if there were, when on a deserted ind, survival trumpsw.


    I led Riana towards the seashore.


    <i>Rush rush rush</i>...


    ¡°Just to make sure, you don¡¯t get shocked by electricity, do you?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Riana, being an electrokic, was inherently immune to electrical shocks, so she couldn¡¯t be harmed by her own electricity.


    Riana seemed quite hesitant.


    ¡°Try using your ability in the sea.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work...¡±


    She hesitated but then began to concentrate, while I stepped far back, just in case I got electrocuted as well.


    <i>Zap</i>! <i>Zap</i>!


    Blue currents of electricity crackled from Riana¡¯s outstretched hand and exploded into the waves. Indeed, her control over her powers was exceptional.


    <i>Rush Rush Rush</i>...


    And then, nothing special happened.


    Riana clicked her tongue sharply.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get wet.¡±


    Despite what she said, she walked slowly into the sea and submerged both of her arms in the water.


    ¡®<i>Hmm, she¡¯s a bit prickly, but follows through with what she¡¯s asked to do.</i>¡¯


    This time, though it wasn¡¯t visible to the naked eye, it seemed like she activated her ability while her hands were submerged.


    However, there was no drastic change in the oue. The sea remained calm, and no stunned fish floated to the surface.


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s not going to work.¡± Riana said, turning to face me.


    ¡°... Yeah... you¡¯re right.¡±


    I had only ever heard of battery fishing, and had never actually tried it before. I couldn¡¯t tell if Riana¡¯s power was insufficient, or if something else was the issue. As she came out of the water, she frowned at her wet shoes.


    It seemed like my foolish request had merely seeded in getting her shoes wet, and it annoyed her.


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to do, but for it to work, I¡¯d have to dive or swim close to where the fish are. My attack range isn¡¯t that far. Plus, I can¡¯t swim.¡±


    She seemed prickly, but also thoroughly exined things in detail, which was strangely endearing.


    Anyway, I had assumed that with electricity, she could at least stun the fish in a wide area, if not electrify the entire ocean. But that was not the case.


    I was never good at science, so I guess I owed her an apology.


    ¡°You can¡¯t swim...? What if I carry you further inside and then you electrify the water¡ªAh, never mind. Then I¡¯d get shocked.¡±


    ¡°... Didn¡¯t you top the ss?¡±


    Riana looked at me incredulously, as if questioning how such a stupid person could have ced first in the ss.


    It was a pity; if I couldn¡¯t make use of her ability, catching fish would be out of the picture.


    ¡°What¡¯s the range of your ability right now?¡±


    ¡°Five meters.¡±


    At her current level, her ability wasn¡¯t that strong. As I continued to ponder, Riana sighed and began to tie up her hair.


    ¡°Ugh, just don¡¯t mind me,¡± she said, as though I was in her way. ¡°I¡¯ll walk around in the shallows, and when the fish get close, I¡¯ll shock them.¡±


    With that, Riana began to walk toward the sea again.


    Riana de Granz...


    Being rather aloof and having a somewhat abrasive manner of speaking, she was initially perceived by the ss B students as having a bad temper.


    However, after the animosity between ss A and B was resolved, it turned out she wasn¡¯t as ill-tempered as everyone believed. It was just the way she spoke, and since ss B students didn¡¯t encounter those from ss A often, they simply didn¡¯t know what she was really like.


    That was how I set her character up, but it felt peculiar to see her behave like this right in front of me.


    Distant, and a little kind, if not quite so... It felt a little odd.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Riana said.


    She stopped just before reaching the water, and then turned back to look at me again.


    ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t touch fish.¡±


    This was another characteristic I had assigned to her¡ªshe had an unexpectedly finicky side to her.

 Chapter 94

    <h4>Chapter 94</h4>


    Riana, who couldn¡¯t touch fish, seemed to have decided that this wasn¡¯t the right situation to use such excuses, and she eventually started wandering around the shallows again.


    I had never once been to a tropical resort in my life before, and I never imagined that I would see such a scene like this on a deserted ind.


    Of course, the scenery was magnificent, but now was not the time to appreciate it.


    ¡°Move aside! It¡¯s going down!¡±


    ¡°Aah!¡±


    <i>Crackle crackle crack</i>!


    The tree started to bend in one direction and copsed with a massive boom.


    Harriet, who had snapped the tree trunk, was in fact the most flustered of all.


    ¡°Eeek! Bugs! There are bugs!!!¡±


    To be precise, she was panicking because of the bugs falling from the tree. Although Harriet disliked the situation we were in, she was able to use various types of magic, and was the most indispensable to us.


    ¡°As far as trees go... I think this should be enough for now. Let¡¯s bundle these trees together and cut them into pieces now.¡±


    Adelia made the suggestion, and Harriet nodded her head weakly in agreement.


    Harriet had cut down about five trees, and now it was time to turn the wood from these trees into pirs, floors, or anything that could be useful to us. Cliffman was stripping the branches with a machete, and Ellen was chopping the tree trunks into smaller pieces with an axe.


    The others were also continuously gathering palm leaves and vines, while Vertus was overseeing the work and helping wherever hands were needed.


    ¡°I wonder how ss B is doing.¡± Vertus seemed curious about how the other ss was faring. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re doing <i>something</i>.¡±


    The students of ss B, off in the distance, were also busily moving about, engaged in some activity.


    ¡°What could those ¡®specific conditions¡¯ be...?¡±


    If certain conditions were met, the mission would end, and the ss that achieved it would receive bonus points. Hence, if we didn¡¯t want to stay here too long, another option would be to explore the ind further.


    Vertus didn¡¯t not seem to want to stay in this environment for long. Therefore, he would rather strive to meet those conditions.


    ¡°Reinhart. Uh...¡± Vertus began to say something to me, but sighed instead. ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s pointless to search blindly without knowing what it is. Let¡¯s not make any risky moves for now. Let¡¯s make sure the camp is properly set up before we think about it.¡±


    It seemed he wasn¡¯t sure if he should assign me such an ambiguous task.


    Vertus and I began rolling the logs aside.


    ¡ªSomeone grab this!


    A desperate voice called out from the direction of the beach.


    ***


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°What is this...?¡±


    ¡°Why is it so big?¡±


    ¡°Eww!! That¡¯s disgusting!¡±


    Everyone stopped their work and stared nkly as I brought over the object that Riana had caught but couldn¡¯t touch herself. Harriet and Riana were panicking, finding it repulsive.


    What I was holding wasn¡¯t a fish.


    What was caught resembled a crawfish, but it was a monstrous thing, about five timesrger than themon lobsters most readers would be familiar with.


    ¡°This has to be super delicious.¡±


    Ellen nodded vigorously in response to myment. She seemed to be already thinking about eating it.


    It was justmon sense that the bigger the crustacean, the better it would taste.


    ¡°... Shouldn¡¯t we first determine whether it¡¯s safe to eat or not?¡± said Vertus cautiously. He seemed to be trying to calm me down, as I seemed to be getting overly excited at the sight of this giant crawfish that had suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if we just cooked it thoroughly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... But it might be poisonous or something. You¡¯ll never know.¡±


    Vertus¡¯s caution was, in fact, the most rational judgment, given the environment we were in. If we ate anything carelessly, it could lead to disaster.


    ¡°The teachers must be watching us from somewhere, so if we try to eat something strange, they will surely warn us, right?¡±


    If the kids were about to eat something dangerous like poisonous mushrooms, the teachers would surely step in and interfere. This wasn¡¯t a real survival situation, but a ss mission. Therefore, when I mentioned that the teachers would warn us if we were about to eat something inedible, Vertus finally conceded the point.


    ¡°But how are we supposed to eat this thing anyway?¡±


    Riana, regardless of how it might actually taste, seemed appalled by its grotesque appearance, as if the creature was too disgusting to consider eating. I supposed some people might have a phobia of crustaceans.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to overthink it. We can either grill or steam it,¡± Vertus said.


    The noble-born students, especially the girls, seemed to have a hard time imagining themselves grilling food over an open fire in this setting, and their expressions began to sour.


    ¡°But one of these won¡¯t be enough for all of us,¡± Vertus continued


    Although we had caught what seemed to be a giant lobster, it was hardly enough for eleven people to eat. Riana, who had been drinking water from her canteen, looked dazed by Vertus¡¯s remark.


    ¡°... Okay, I¡¯ll go back and catch more.¡±


    It must have been distressing for her to catch something that she couldn¡¯t even touch. Meanwhile, everyone was drenched in sweat, busily carrying out their tasks under the sweltering heat, and they were guzzling the water from their canteens as though it was nothing.


    ¡°If you guys don¡¯t conserve water, you¡¯ll regret it,¡± I warned them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just pick more coconuts?¡± replied Connor Lint nonchntly.


    I red at him. ¡°Do you think climbing trees is easy? Do you want to pick them yourself?¡±


    ¡°O-Oh... No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    He had carelessly made a remark about something he wasn¡¯t prepared to do himself.


    Wait a minute.


    Number 8, Connor Lint...


    His ability was teleportation.


    ¡°... Now that I think about it, it¡¯s actually only right that you do it,¡± I said.


    Even though using his powers had the unfortunate side effect of leaving himpletely naked, it would technically be alright if no one was watching.


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯re in charge of the coconuts,¡± I continued.


    ¡°Uh, wh-wha-what?¡±


    Knowing about this side effect of using his power, the other ssmates began to snicker quietly.


    ***


    After appointing Connor Lint as the coconut ve, I ventured alone into the jungle.


    I was not sure how this was going to pan out, but to be frank, I wasn¡¯t overly concerned with winning or losing the group mission. For me to seed and gain the achievement points, the goal wasn¡¯t about winning the group mission¡ªit was just about survival.


    As long as I made it to Friday, I would gain achievement points; it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary for ss A to win. That was why there was a part of me that was somewhat hoping for Charlotte¡¯s team to win.


    Therefore, I had no intention of looking for those ¡°specific conditions¡± myself. I mean, it wasn¡¯t as if I could discover them easily, even if I wanted to.


    I wasn¡¯t confident in archery, so my current armament consisted of a jungle machete and three javelins. I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d be able to hunt with these, but I had brought them along just in case.


    However, my current goal was not so much hunting as it was finding fresh water.


    The ind was quiterge, and also had a mountain range, so if I searched diligently, I might just find running water. If so, there wouldn¡¯t be a need to fuss about gathering coconuts; we could just draw water from there.


    I actually knew for a fact that there was a stream on this ind somewhere, and was trying to find it. Of course, I didn¡¯t know its exact location, so I was searching blindly.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    The dense underbrush was hard on my stamina, as I had to cut my way through with the machete. Even advancing ten steps proved to be incredibly tough. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if the whole ce waspletely overgrown with vines, so it was possible to move quickly through the clearer paths from time to time.


    After walking for a while, I eventually had to stop.


    It was possible that I would copse from exhaustion if I continued on like this, so I decided to return, putting value on the fact that I had at least zed a trail.


    <i>Kweeeek</i>!


    Suddenly, the cry of a beast rang out.


    The nature of the scream made it clear that it wasn¡¯t just a normal situation. I looked towards the source of the noise and saw someone hustling through the jungle, chasing after something.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    <i>Kweeeek</i>!


    Someone was running through the jungle, loosing arrows, and it seemed that theynded a shot, given how the beast¡¯s screams grew even louder.


    With her long hair tied back and fluttering behind her, the girl darted through the woods like a squirrel. It was B-9, Delphine Izadra, the girl with the talent for archery.


    <i>Swoosh</i>! <i>Ping</i>!


    <i>Kweeek</i>!


    The beast being pursued must have fallen, since the archer quickly came to a halt as well.


    Not only was her physical ability to sprint and maneuver through the jungle impressive, but she also managed to hit a rapidly-escaping wild animal with her bow while on the move.


    She was best friends with Ludwig and, at the same time, one of the main heroines of this novel.


    ¡°... How am I going to carry this back?¡±


    She seemed to be pondering how to transport the creature she had caught.


    ¡°Hey, need some help?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? Who¡¯s there?¡±


    Delphine was startled by the sudden, unfamiliar voice. When I showed myself, she finally rxed.


    ¡°Oh, uh... Reinhart, right?¡±


    Since I had been in and out of ss B quite a bit, she still recognized me, even though we hadn¡¯t spoken much.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? You caught something this big?¡±


    The animal lying there was a wild boar, nearly the size of arge dog. It had been hit by four arrows, one of which was embedded precisely in its head.


    ¡°If it¡¯s hard to carry it by yourself, I can help.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Yes! Thank you.¡±


    She seemed relieved, since she¡¯d been worrying about how to bring the boar she¡¯d taken down back to camp.


    ***


    Together, we dragged the fallen boar back to the beach, taking frequent breaks along the way.


    ¡°Phew... It really is heavy...¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    I never realized that carrying a dead animal would be such a difficult task.


    ¡°Your archery skills are no joke, huh?¡±


    To be more exact, it was amazing how she managed to shoot with such precision while flying through the jungle. Delphine smiled at myment.


    ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯m ustomed to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from Talfarad. Almost everyone there learns to hunt.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Is that so?¡±


    Of course, I already knew this.


    Delphine Izadra was from a group of rangers in Talfarad, a mountainous country in the northern part of the empire. Talfarad was famous because almost all its citizens could shoot a bow, and Delphine was regarded as a prodigy among them.


    That was why she¡¯d been admitted into the Temple¡¯s Royal ss solely based on her archery talent.


    Since she¡¯d grown up hunting in rough terrain from a young age, this environment must have felt like home to her.


    Even though she only focused on archery currently, she wouldter on develop the ability to use a unique power called Spirit Magic.


    In fact, part of her background was that the rangers of Talfarad carried the lineage of elves, a race thought to be long extinct. Delphine received a strong inheritance of that power, which was why she had such incredible talent in archery, andter became capable of using Spirit Magic.


    Of course, that part of the story was bound to happen only muchter.


    Delphine Izadra, being as close as she was to Ludwig, also had a kind and gentle personality. Since I frequented ss B and often crossed paths with her, she didn¡¯t seem to be frightened by me.


    ¡°How about you guys? Is everything going well on your side?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying various things, but who knows how it will turn out.¡±


    ¡°Really? With so many outstanding kids in ss A, I thought everything would be taken care of swiftly.¡±


    Under normal circumstances, ss A and ss B were supposed to be rivals. However, since I had drawn all the aggro early on, ss A still looked down on ss B as if they were insignificant, but did not hate them. Moreover, many in ss B, who had kind personalities, did not resent ss A.


    This was why the rtionships between the two sses hadn¡¯t deteriorated like they should have, and why we could casually ask each other about our situations, even during apetitive mission like this.


    Delphine was certainly right¡ªss A was full of exceptional individuals. But as talented as they were, there were also a lot of whiners, so I wasn¡¯t sure how things would turn out.


    ¡°After tonight, there will be more than one or two kids left crying.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hmm... That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve done a lot of camping myself, but I¡¯m worried as well.¡±


    Delphine was used to sleeping outdoors like this because she had gone on many hunting trips. However, she was worried because the other kids might not have the same experience, which was why she had taken it upon herself to hunt for food in the jungle.


    After several breaks, we finally managed to drag the wild boar all the way to where ss B¡¯s camp was set up on the beach.


    ¡°Phew... Good job. Thank you, Reinhart.¡±


    Delphine, who was wiping away her sweat, shed me a bright smile. She certainly couldn¡¯t have dragged the boar back on her own.


    ¡°What... What is this?¡±


    The members of ss B, who were busily working on their camp, were shocked to see a wild boar being brought in.


    ¡°Wow... How did you manage to bring this down... Oh? Reinhart? What brings you here?¡±


    Charlotte, who was leading ss B in the same way that Vertus was with ss A, tilted her head with a mix of wee surprise and curiosity upon seeing me with the boar.


    ***


    Charlotte, with her wavy, borate golden locks tied up neatly, had her sleeves and pant legs rolled up. Judging by the dirt covering her palms, she had been busy working on something.


    ¡°Oh, I ran into him in the jungle, and he helped me carry it back. I couldn¡¯t have moved it on my own.¡±


    Once Delphine exined things, not only did the expressions of the members of ss B change, but Charlotte¡¯s expression also grewplicated. They all seemed to share the same thought: ¡°We¡¯re grateful that you helped, but what are you doing helping our ss?¡±


    Charlotte sighed deeply, then smiled.


    ¡°Reinhart... I know this is a cooperative mission, but it¡¯s still apetition between our sses, you know. Why are you helping the opposition?¡± Charlotte chided me lightly.


    I merely grinned in response. ¡°Ohe on. You didn¡¯t expect me to just leave empty-handed, did you?¡±


    My cheekyment, implying that I could use a leg of boar, made Charlotte break intoughter.


    ¡°Haha, crafty as ever. Is that what you wanted after all? Well, then, since Delphine caught it, she should decide what to do with it.¡±


    At Charlotte¡¯s words, Delphine shrugged her shoulders with a grin. ¡°Hmm... Sure, we can afford to share.¡±


    Delphine pointed towards the shore, giggling.


    ¡ªBahaha!


    ¡ªHey everyone! I caught another one!


    ¡°After all, we have a fool who¡¯s on a roll to catch a week¡¯s worth of food in just one day,¡± Delphine continued.


    It was Ludwig, holding up a sizable fish impaled on the tip of a javelin, jubntly shouting to everyone else.

 Chapter 95

    <h4>Chapter 95</h4>


    Delphine took care of butchering the boar herself.


    Thanks to her experience with hunting, she was quite skilled with the knife. Some watched on with fascination, while others couldn¡¯t bear to look, likely nauseated by the sight.


    Although I was one of those who felt squeamish, I forced myself to watch how it was done until the end. It was unlikely that any of the noble and precious ss A students would have the guts to do such a thing, so I figured I at least should learn how it was done.


    ¡°Wow... that looks pretty difficult,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Hmm. To be honest, I don¡¯t really know how to do it properly myself. I¡¯m just copying what I¡¯ve seen the adults do.¡±


    After removing the arrows that had been embedded in the boar¡¯s flesh, Delphine removed the boar¡¯s innards, hung the boar upside down, and began the bloodletting process by making an incision in its neck.


    The sight of the red blood dripping down the creature¡¯s neck was nauseating. Naturally, Delphine¡¯s hands were covered in blood, turning them a bright red.


    <i>¡®Wait a minute... I get that this is good and all... but is this really safe to eat?¡¯</i>


    Weren¡¯t parasites a problem? I <i>did </i>set up this part of the novel so that such things wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but it still felt slightly iffy experiencing the situation in real life.


    <i>¡®It should be fine as long as it¡¯s properly cooked, right...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take a while to drain the blood and skin it. Come backter, and I¡¯ll cut off a portion of it for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Alright then.¡±


    As I turned to leave, there was Ludwig, his shirt off and his eyes wide open, holding a spear with a fish impaled on its end.


    ¡°... Delphine! What is this? Eek! Look at all that blood! Huh? Reinhart? What brings you here?¡±


    He seemed surprised to see me there.


    ¡°You came at the right time. Want to take a fish? Honestly, we¡¯ve got quite a lot on our hands,¡± he said.


    Of course, the hero of our hearts, Ludwig, casually threw me one of the wriggling, freshly-caught fishes, and nobody questioned why he would give it to me.


    Before I even realized it, a fire was already crackling, and fish that had been skewered on sticks were ced over it to cook. B-2 Louis Ankton was watching the fish being roasted with an expression that said, ¡°Ugh... why do I have to do this sort of work?¡±


    Indeed, there seemed to be an abundance of fish.


    I had designed this survival mission as a means to demonstrate the determination and discipline of the ss B students. ss A, whose students were very talented but highly averse to dirty work, would be contrasted with the rtively less-talented but more versatile students from ss B, who could handle various tasks.


    Objectively, ss B students were much more practical. There wasn¡¯t a single one of them who would say, ¡°Oh dear! How could I, so noble and refined, be engaged in suchbor?¡± That was why, in practice, ss B students were bound to achieve better results.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll enjoy it,¡± I replied to Ludwig, who smiled and said to let him know if it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Charlotte, who was looking on, shook her head and sighed. ¡°Has everyone forgotten that this is apetition?¡±


    Despite what she said, her eyes were smiling.


    ¡°Come get some of the meatter!¡± Delphine shouted to me as I was leaving.


    It seemed that any preconceived notions she had about me had vanished entirely after I had helped her carry the boar back.


    ***


    ¡°... They gave it to you?¡± Vertus was taken aback when he heard that I had unexpectedly received a fish from ss B.


    ¡°Yeah, they just gave it to me because they had too much.¡±


    ¡°How did you end up there in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I went ind and saw that Delphine had caught a boar; it looked heavy, so I helped her carry it back. She told me to go backter to get some of the meat.¡±


    ¡°There are boars here?¡±


    Vertus seemed more surprised by the existence of the boar than the fact that I had helped out ss B. The other guys also seemed taken aback.


    ¡°Does that mean there could be dangerous animals around here as well? What if we¡¯re attacked at night?¡± Kaier said, sounding concerned.


    ¡®<i>Hey buddy, what do you mean by ¡°dangerous animals¡±? A boar is already a dangerous animal!¡¯</i>


    ¡°We might have to stand guard at night or something,¡± Vertus suggested. His sense of caution had been heightened upon learning about the boar.


    ¡°Okay, Reinhart, fine... Anyway, having something to eat is good news,¡± he continued, deciding to view my assistance to ss B and acquiring some food as positive developments, even though he seemed to have more on his mind.


    ¡°Anyway, it looks like the camp ising together pretty well,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, it seems to be working out somehow.¡±


    The structure hadn¡¯t quite taken on the appearance of a full-fledged house yet, but at least it wasing together.


    ¡°It¡¯s more impressive than I expected,¡± I added.


    Harriet dripping with sweat, continually used her magic to shape the logs.


    She had thinned out several wooden beams and propped them against each other, simr to a camera tripod. The tips were tied together with vines to ensure stability, and the side walls were created by winding vines around the beams and slotting palm leaves in between to form a barrier.


    ¡°It looks like two people could sleep in one of these,¡± Adelia said, to which I nodded.


    Although snug, two could fit. Since there were eleven of us, we would need to make six structures¡ªor five, with three people sharing thest one.


    Building the huts toorge would increase the risk of copse, so going small seemed to be the right choice. Adelia appeared to have many concerns.


    ¡°It might leak if it rains...¡± Adelia said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to ept that,¡± I replied.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to construct apletely waterproof shelter in these circumstances. Just having a ce to lie down and sleep was a blessing in itself.


    Adelia seemed deep in thought, trying to figure out how to create a better living environment.


    ¡°Still, if we could make the logs t like nks, we would be able to construct something resembling a floor.¡±


    Of course, the problem was that Harriet would have to do all of that by herself.


    I walked past the construction site and headed towards the fire.


    There was Heinrich von Schwartz, in charge of maintaining the fire that kept our makeshift distition apparatus running. In the sweltering heat, he was gathering wood to keep the fire burning, stoking it whenever it died down.


    His face, which was normally pale, had turned beet red from the heat. He stared vacantly into the fire, seemingly devoid of energy to argue orin.


    Within therge pot that was suspended over the fire was a smaller pot, which was already starting to collect water. It wasn¡¯t enough to drink yet, but if we kept the process going, it could provide water for everyone. We just had to hold on until we found a source of freshwater.


    ¡°Why do you have a fish?¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°You got it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I ced the fish on a broad leaf that I used as a cutting board and began to clean it. I didn¡¯t exactly know how to do it, but I had a rough idea of the process.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Heinrich gasped when I brought the knife down swiftly and chopped off the fish¡¯s head, putting an end to itsst iling motions. I sliced open the belly, removed the guts and roe, and scraped off the scales. I didn¡¯t know what kind of fish it was, but it looked somewhat simr to a sea bream, and seemed edible.


    Heinrich stared at me with a frightened gaze as I sat next to him and nonchntly cleaned the fish. I skewered the fish onto a stick I had prepared earlier, and nted it next to the fire over which the pot of seawater was boiling to cook them.


    ¡°Let me know once this is fully cooked. It will take some time. And if you see salt starting to form in that pot, collect it. We should at least try to eat something salty in the absence of anything else.¡±


    ¡°Uh, o-okay.¡±


    Heinrich immediately responded in the affirmative. You should never mess with a man with a knife in his hands.


    ***


    Everyone worked as if in a trance, almost out of their minds due to the heat and exhaustion, and time passed quickly regardless of their level of motivation. The canteens that had been distributed to each person had been emptied long ago.


    The production of distilled water continued, and since Connor Lint had been harvesting coconuts, we were well-stocked in the hydration department, at least for the moment.


    Connor Lint and Erhi argued as they consumed their coconuts.


    ¡°... Tastes like nothing.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s tasty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just suffering from heat stroke¡ªthat¡¯s what that is.¡±


    Whether it tasted good or bad, we had to drink it until we found fresh water.


    Fortunately, although Riana de Granz couldn¡¯t stand to handle fish, she could use electricity to stun them, which allowed us to catch five fish in total.


    So, by dusk on the first day, we had finished setting up our camp and began grilling the fish and lobster over a sizable central bonfire. We also started grilling a leg of a wild boar, which had been provided by ss B. Both the fish and the meat were seasoned with salt.


    ¡°... I see we don¡¯t even get things like forks and knives...¡± Harriet muttered absentmindedly, with a vacant look on her face.


    ¡°What else were you expecting, in a ce where we have to use leaves as tes?¡± I countered.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet didn¡¯t reply, which was unusual, since she typically had a retort ready all the time. Perhaps she was feeling too disheartened.


    Despite being in such a dazed state, Harriet had done the most work that day. Without her magic, it might have been impossible for us to set up a camp.


    Harriet cast a longing gaze toward the other side of the shore, pouting slightly.


    ¡°What are they so excited about? Do they think this is fun or something?¡± she asked.


    ss B had finished constructing their camp and, with their food prepared, most of them were ying in the sea. They seemed unconcerned about the future, and intent on enjoying themselves.


    Meanwhile, we were sitting in a circle around the fire, staring nkly. Food was being grilled over the fire, and even though we were certainly hungry, everyone seemed hesitant to begin eating.


    Atst, Vertus spoke up. ¡°Look, I get that everyone¡¯s finding this hard. It¡¯s strange and ufortable to sleep and eat like this here. But this is still our first cooperative mission. We don¡¯t know what other missions we¡¯ll have toplete in the future, so we can¡¯t fail right from the start, can we?¡±


    He was smiling, but I suspected that underneath it, he was boiling with frustration just like the rest of us. Nheless, no one dared to whine in front of him.


    Vertus grabbed a skewered fish, and without any hesitation, he tore off a chunk of its flesh and began to eat as though it wasn¡¯t piping hot. We all watched absentmindedly as the imperial prince casually ripped apart the fish while on a deserted ind, with no hint of his usual royal demeanor.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually quite edible,¡± he said, smiling with a smudge of fish oil glistening at the corner of his mouth. ¡°So, let¡¯s eat, shall we?¡±


    Vertus chose to lead by example and bent his pride to keep the nobles from ss A from being so uptight.


    Regardless of how he truly was on the inside, if he could wear such a perfect ¡°mask¡± all the time, maybe he wasn¡¯t all that bad of a person. After all, Charlotte wore a simr mast as well.


    ¡®<i>Ugh, now I really don¡¯t know what to think.</i>¡¯


    ***


    Vertus was distributing the cooked food among the ss members. He knew that they would probably eat if he was the one giving it out.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet¡¯s eyes widened as she took a bite out of the extraordinarilyrge lobster tail. She then nced over at Adelia, who was sitting next to her and doing the same thing.


    Both their eyes went wide, sharing the same surprise. Although they had certainly eaten lobster before, they had likely never had one of such monstrous size.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying how delicious it is,¡± Harriet muttered in a tone of despair, as though the very act of finding the lobster incredibly tasty had brought about a sense of defeat.


    The amount of food, though substantial, wasn¡¯t quite enough for eleven people. Harriet hadn¡¯t been able to eat even half of the fish Vertus gave her, but the lobster seemed to have been satisfying enough for her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet smacked her lips, as if wanting more.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    I poked the portion of the lobster tail that I had received with a wooden skewer and handed it over to Harriet. Her eyes widened.


    ¡°W-Why would you give this to me?¡±


    ¡°Just take it. Don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m too tired to argue.¡±


    I forced it toward her, and she epted it with a dazed expression.


    She¡¯d worked the hardest that day, and out of all of us, she was the least ustomed to this kind of environment. Therefore, I decided to look out for her for the duration of this mission, since it was going to be tough going forward as well. She was probably sad and depressed, so the least I could do was keep her belly full.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet quietly began to nibble on the lobster tail I had given her, still as tired and worn out as ever.


    And then...


    ¡°Ellen? Where are you going all of a sudden?¡± Vertus asked.


    Ellen Artorius had suddenly stood up and started walking away. Vertus called out to her in confusion, but she didn¡¯t respond and eventually broke into a run, picking up a javelin along the way.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s she... what¡¯s she doing?¡±


    Harriet watched nkly as Ellen sprinted into the twilit sea.


    ¡°Nice,¡± I said to myself. I had an inkling of why she was behaving that way.


    About thirty minutester, Ellen Artorius returned, having skewered three lobsters, simr in size to the one we had just eaten, on her javelin.


    ¡°What the... how did she...?¡±


    Everyone stared at her in shock as they began to reassess the seeminglyposed and indifferent girl, Ellen.

 Chapter 96

    <h4>Chapter 96</h4>


    Thanks to Ellen¡¯s unexpected decision to go on an evening hunt, everyone ended up filling their stomachs with lobster meat.


    For the picky eaters, lobster was preferred over tediously picking through the grilled fish or the tough wild boar meat.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m so full...¡±


    Everyone was making contented sounds, which was quite a luxury given that we were trying to survive on a deserted ind.


    Of course, it seemed like the food still wasn¡¯t enough for Ellen, who was slicing off the wild boar meat with a knife and eating it.


    ¡°Amazing, Ellen. We owe you our lives.¡±


    Vertus was smiling as he observed everyone finishing their meals with satisfaction.


    Ellen pointed towards the sea. ¡°There were also plenty of huge ms.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s great.¡±


    It seemed like Ellen was already thinking about eating those the next day.


    It¡¯s often said that big eaters think about what they¡¯re going to eat next while they are still eating, and she was exactly like that.


    The rest of the ss vaguely thought of Ellen as just ¡°the indifferent student with good skills¡±, and they probably didn¡¯t know much about the real her.


    That day, though, they learned a bit more about Ellen.


    Like the fact that, while eating something, she would just randomly jump into the sea ande back after a sessful hunt, or how strong she was as she chopped wood with her ax.


    <i>Om nom nom.</i>


    Or how she could eat such an absurd amount of food.


    They might have thought that she ate quite a lot during meal times at the Temple before, but this time, they truly<i> </i>realized just how much.


    The fact that her appetite was unchanged in this situation was so odd, and Harriet mumbled to herself in a daze, ¡°Wow... I saw her eating a lot in the past as well... but wow, she sure does eat a lot.¡±


    ¡°Hey, try this.¡±


    ¡°... W-What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to eat. Give it a try.¡±


    I handed her something that looked like the meat of a white squid, which Harriet cautiously bit into. When she did so, her face twisted into a bizarre expression.


    ¡°Wh-What is this? Is it coconut?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We have to eat everything we can here.¡±


    Despite her initial reaction, Harriet continued to chew the coconut flesh, which gave a satisfying crunch, before swallowing it. Everyone stared at me as I began to scoop out the inside of the coconut.


    ¡°Don¡¯t throw these away, since they¡¯re edible. Use a knife or whatever you have to scoop them out and eat.¡±


    One by one, with hesitant expressions, the other students started to drink the juice and gathered the empty coconut shells together.


    ***


    The sun had set, and evening turned to night.


    As the meal came to an end, Vertus naturally started to give orders to the others.


    ¡°Good work today everyone. It¡¯s dangerous, so don¡¯t go into the forest, and just stay along this coastline for now. Those who want to sleep early, go ahead and sleep.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also be keeping a watch throughout the night, since we can¡¯t be sure what might happen. I think we can take turns, with each person standing watch for one hour at a time, but it sure is tricky to keep track of time here...¡±


    I knew that some people were able to tell time just by looking at the night sky, but I didn¡¯t know if there was someone like that in our group.


    ¡°It seems... it looks to be around eight o¡¯clock now,¡± Adelia said as she gazed absent-mindedly at the sky.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d you can tell the time. That¡¯s a relief. Then let¡¯s make our bedtime ten o¡¯clock, and after that, we¡¯ll take turns to keep watch based on our assigned numbers, for one hour each. Since Adelia can¡¯t keep checking the time, we¡¯ll rely on each person to be honest about the length of their watch.¡±


    He was requesting that the person on watch should switch once they thought that roughly an hour had passed. It wasn¡¯t precise, but there was no better method.


    That meant Vertus would take the first watch, and I¡¯d be thest. Being thest was essentially the same as not having a watch at all.


    ¡°Okay. Just remember not to go into the forest. Those who want to sleep, sleep; those who need to rest, go ahead and rest.¡±


    Despite the extreme situation we were in, Vertus somehow managed to take charge of and console the students who had been on the verge of mentally breaking down, and we made it to the first night.


    The most exhausted one of all was likely Vertus himself.


    ***


    Nearly everyone was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically. Thus, even those who hadined about not being able to sleep in such a ce, or about the bugs, seemed more than willing to give the cramped cone-shaped huts a chance. And once they went in, they didn¡¯te back out.


    They probably fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground. Fatigue conquered everything, after all.


    As for Heinrich, he was still managing the fire, making distilled water, and filling the empty water containers.


    Having observed the day¡¯s activities, it seemed he¡¯d realized just how vital water was, and now believed that the task he was assigned was the most important one.


    It was a moonless night, so the sky wasden with a staggering number of stars, and even the Milky Way was visible.


    I edged a little closer to the seashore and sat down. The water and the night sky were so clear that the sea seemed almost transparent.


    It was an absolutely breathtaking scene. Now, atst, I could enjoy this view with some peace of mind.


    The ss B campsite still looked pretty rowdy. They were probably partying like they were on vacation.


    ¡°Phew... Why are they wasting their energy like that?¡±


    <i>Thump.</i>


    Vertus, who had arrived unnoticed, sat down beside me.


    ¡°They must have energy to spare,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hah... I envy them,¡± replied Vertus.


    His voice was heavy with emotion, and it was unclear whether he envied their ability to enjoy the situation, or their energy to keep ying even into the night.


    ¡°Reinhart, you were a big help today.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you and Ellen suddenly heading into the forest, at least three people would have given up on the spot.¡±


    My initiative to take action had given the others who had wanted to give up a moment of hesitation, and more than anything, it had even stopped Vertus¡¯s own thoughts of giving up.


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy to think how, on one hand, you have ss A sulking all day long, wondering why they have to do this kind of ¡®nonsense¡¯, while on the other hand, you have ss B, who seem like they¡¯re on an excursion, full of excitement and yingte into the night...¡±


    ss A seemed to be reluctant participants, while ss B was enjoying themselves, and Vertus acutely sensed the difference in attitudes.


    ¡°... We really don¡¯t stand a chance against them.¡±


    He forced a bitter smile. We were enduring this, while they were enjoying themselves. It was clear to see what the oue of this mission would be.


    In a way, Vertus was showing weakness. He seemed to be under immense mental pressure, and stressed enough to make such a statement to me. The situation may have been harsh, but in the end, it was just a deserted ind, where the inconveniences of meeting life¡¯s basic needs were the only real challenge.


    However, Vertus probably didn¡¯t want to admit that he was stressed out just because of the difort of not having food, clothing, or shelter.


    He would realize that, as a person, he was only that much, and that realization would wound his pride.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here.¡±


    That statement sounded truly sincere.


    ***


    ss A consisted of seven males and four females, and there were a total of sixpleted huts.


    Therefore, two people shared one hut, and one of the male students had a single hut. That person was Vertus. He had taken on the role of the leader in this situation and, being a prince, it seemed only natural.


    Of course, everyone knew that this small privilege wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    It was still early dawn when Kaier Vioden, the person who was keeping watch before me, woke me up. His bleary eyes were a clear sign that he was struggling with the ufortable sleeping conditions.


    ¡°Keep the pot filled with water, wake everyone up if there seems to be a danger, and don¡¯t let the fire go out. That¡¯s all you have to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He might have still been reluctant to interact with me, but I didn¡¯t really have any strong feelings about him anymore. Honestly, at this point, he wasn¡¯t significant enough for me to either like or dislike.


    The other people on watch before me had kept the campfire alive. After I confirmed that Kaier had crawled into his palm-leaf hut, I pushed some of the leftover wood used to build the shelters into the fire.


    Since I was thest one in the rotation, I didn¡¯t need to wake anyone up. And since there was no set time to wake up, there was no reason to wake anyone when daylight arrived. Everyone would wake up in their own time.


    The camp was set up such that the huts formed a circle around the central campfire.


    The six huts had their entrances slightly obscured by palm leaves, but the interiors were still partially visible through the gaps.


    Everyone seemed to be sleeping like the dead within. After fetching seawater to fill the pot, and replenishing the firewood, there wasn¡¯t much else to do.


    <i> </i>I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, when suddenly...


    <i>Rustle.</i>


    There was a rustling noise from one of the huts, and someone poked their head out.


    ¡°Are you done sleeping?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    It was Riana de Granz, looking disheveled.


    She crawled out of her hut and staggered to her feet, her body almost creaking. I wondered why she was getting up when she hadn¡¯t slept enough.


    Suddenly, she started walking toward the forest.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡±


    She ignored my question and kept walking in silence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go into the forest! It¡¯s still night.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Come on, what is it? Say something or¡ª¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    When I tried to grab her, she smacked my hand away roughly and red at me.


    Her gaze was chilling, cold enough to freeze me on the spot.


    ¡®<i>What¡¯s her problem? She seems really pissed off.</i>¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shit. Are you happy now?¡±


    With a threatening aura that suggested she would not hesitate to harm me if I said another word, she vanished into the jungle.


    The fact that she¡¯d responded so straightforwardly made it pretty clear that it was an emergency.


    ***


    The girl who went off to relieve herself disappeared as if swallowed up by the jungle fog.


    ¡°... What should I do?¡± I mumbled to myself in a daze in front of the campfire.


    Had something happened to her? Or was it just constipation?


    If there was trouble, I¡¯d have to go help, but what if she was in an embarrassing situation? Would it scar the delicate sensibilities of ady from the ducal house forever?


    ¡®<i>Isn¡¯t it strange that she¡¯s been gone for over twenty minutes, though? I haven¡¯t heard any screams, though.</i>¡¯<i> </i>


    Could she be so tired that she¡¯d fallen asleep while doing her business?


    ¡®<i>No way...</i>¡¯


    Could it be?


    With apprehension, I rose from my spot and approached the forest.


    ¡°Hey! If everything is okay over there, show me one spark! If you¡¯re facing some kind of trouble, show two sparks! And if you don¡¯t give me any sign, I¡¯m heading in!¡± I shouted toward the forest.


    Silence ensued for a moment.


    And then...


    <i>Spark</i>! <i>Spark</i>!


    Faint flickers of light, like that of electricity, were visible from deep within the forest. Had she really gone that far in?


    Well, she was conscious, and there was some kind of problem.


    I had a rough idea of what it could be.


    ¡°Uh, if you need... something to wipe with, just give one spar¡ª¡±


    <i>Spark</i>!


    Before I could even finish, there was another sh of electricity.


    It seemed our clumsy friend had rushed into the forest without thinking ahead, and hadn¡¯t realized she had nothing to wipe herself with.


    ¡°Just use the nearby leaves to wipe yourself! It¡¯s not like we have that kind of stuff here!¡±


    <i>Spark</i>! <i>Spark</i>! <i>Spark</i>! <i>Spark</i>! <i>Spark</i>!


    I couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say, but it felt like she was telling me to stop spouting nonsense. Then again, where in this situation would you find anything clean to wipe yourself with? She had to be asking for something reasonable.


    ¡°Or... do you want me to bring you some seawater?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a moment of silence, there was a spark.


    <i>Spark</i>!


    A single spark.


    ***


    I carefully ced a medium-sized pot filled with seawater close to where I thought she was.


    ¡°... You can use it, but be careful... Because, you know, we might use this for cooking or somethingter... You get it, right?¡±


    There was no reply, but we had reached an unspoken agreement.


    After a while, Riana returned with the empty pot.


    ¡°...¡±


    Her expression suggested that her dignity as a human being had been severely trampled upon.


    For a preciousdy who had been raised delicately in a ducal family, it must have been an unbearable experience.


    What had I done, assigning such a mission to these kids? The embarrassment should have been hers, but I felt more ashamed.


    She seemed like a marite,controlled by unseen strings, staggering forward without even looking at me as she walked toward the sea.


    Quietly, she began to rinse the pot in the seawater.


    The seat of her pants was slightly damp.


    ¡°I give up,¡± she said as she ced the pot back in its original spot.


    The pot had indeed been scrubbed clean.


    <i>¡®Still, let¡¯s not cook anything in that pot. Ever,¡¯ </i>I resolved firmly.


    Anyway, after enduring such an ordeal, it seemed Riana had been hit hard, and was giving her situation some serious reflection.


    How could I ask a 17-year-old girl, who had been raised so tenderly and given every indulgence, not to quit after going through something like this?


    Honestly, even Vertus would have admitted that this was too much.


    ¡°Come on... isn¡¯t it a waste to quit after, rather than before, doing... that?¡±


    She should have given up before she¡¯d done the business, if that''s what she wanted to do. At my words, Riana looked at me with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°... I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah. If you quit after doing something you can¡¯t bear, that would make you feel even worse, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As I observed Riana, I realized that a person who was embarrassed beyond a certain point did not even blush anymore due to apleteck of shame.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯ve already thrown myself away now...¡± she muttered. With that self-deprecatingment, she crept back into her hut.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Resignation, eptance, and finally, self-mockery.


    I was witnessing a rare phenomenon. After being pushed past the point of resignation, she actually seemed to ept the situation.


    It was the same if someone had already rolled around in the mud and be dirty¡ªbing dirtier stopped mattering to them.


    But... was the situation so extreme to require such a level of self-deprecation?


    <i>Sob.</i>


    A whileter, I heard the sound of sniffing from Riana¡¯s hut, but it was unclear if she was crying, or doing something else.


    ¡®<i>What even is... poop...</i>¡¯


    These were the thoughts that I found myself pondering, beneath the splendid, star-filled night sky.


    It was a night that triggered a variety of thoughts and imaginations.


    ***


    Some more time passed.


    <i>Rustle.</i>


    There was a rustling from another hut as someone else emerged.


    ¡°R-Reinhart...¡±


    The person who had called my name in a quivering voice was none other than Harriet.


    She looked at me as though she was about to cry.


    ¡°Wh-What do I do...?¡±


    I recognized her expression as one that only the truly desperate and urgent wore. Her plea was evident, perhaps because she knew that I had taken care of her in the past.


    Her expression was crying out, saying, ¡°Please do something about this situation for me.¡± There was no pride or anything of that sort. It was cute in an entirely different sense, but now held an additionalyer of pity.


    There was nothing more difficult to witness than Harriet in such distress.


    I quietly ced the medium-sized pot into her hands.


    ¡°Wh-What is this...?¡±


    ¡°Fill this pot with some water before you go.¡±

 Chapter 97

    <h4>Chapter 97</h4>


    Harriet, who seemed afraid to enter the jungle alone, stood still before the expanse of greenery for a long time. She kept looking over at me nervously.


    She wanted to ask me to go with her, but she realized that suchpanionship would only lead to an even more disastrous oueter. Eventually, she entered the jungle alone.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even Harriet, who suffered from habitual blushing syndrome, came staggering back after everything was over, herplexion ghastly pale.


    Silently, she went off to the beach, scrubbed the pot clean, and with a look of utter resignation, set the pot down next to me.


    ¡®<i>Note to self: Absolutely never use this pot...</i>¡¯


    ¡°... If... If you mock me for this... I-If you do, I¡¯m seriously going to kill myself!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even said anything, but Harriet had already started to worry about me teasing her. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, her face still pale. Surprisingly, she hadn¡¯t threatened to kill me if I mocked her, but rather herself¡ªan indication of a deep sense of self-loathing and embarrassment.


    She was essentially saying that mocking her with what had just happened would be the same as killing her.


    Her expression seemed to say, ¡°You don¡¯t really want to see me dead, do you? You don¡¯t hate me that much, do you?¡±


    Even though I had no intention of teasing her, I knew that if I were to do so, it would be the same as taking her life.


    ¡®<i>Okay, I might have a lot of issues, but I¡¯m not </i>that<i> cruel.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Did something just happen? If you¡¯ve got nothing to do, stop wandering around and go back to sleep, kiddo.¡±


    I pretended to be clueless, and Harriet finally shed a few tears.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    She wiped the corners of her eyes with her hand.


    ¡®<i>Wait, didn¡¯t you just wipe yourself with that ha¡ªForget it.</i>¡¯


    I refrained from teasing her, even in my own mind.


    ***


    When people are in an entirely unfamiliar environment and are subjected to extreme stress, there are generally two oues: either they get diarrhea or they start to suffer from constipation.


    This often happened in military boot camps, and constipation thatsted over a week was quitemon. However, those who arectose intolerant might get diarrhea after consuming the milk provided in the mornings. Of course, some simply got diarrhea for no reason as well.


    The current circumstances were very embarrassing for those suffering from diarrhea. It was natural that quite a number of them would be afflicted with this condition, as a sudden change in diet tended to cause more cases of diarrhea. In fact, those who ended up suffering from constipation had a reason to be d, since they didn¡¯t have diarrhea.


    I was the type of person to get constipation in these types of situations, and surprisingly, that still held true despite theplete change in my physical body after entering this world. Obviously, I never described this sort of issue in the actual novel.


    Now that this situation was my reality, though, I realized something very important. In a group survival situation, the most critical matter wasn¡¯t survival, but dealing with bowel movements. This situation made one realize how wonderful toilet paper was, and how luxurious it was to have a change of underwear.


    ***


    The next morning...


    Those who had managed to relieve themselves still seemed mentally exhausted, although not for the same reason as the night before. They looked like they had been burned up internally, with nothing but ash remaining. This was especially true among the female students, who seemed to be experiencing an even greater sense of shame and embarrassment.


    Of course, everyone¡ªmyself included¡ªhad the same desperate desire to wash themselves.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all? Did something happenst night?¡± Vertus asked. He noticed the particrly rotten expressions that Riana and Harriet wore, and asked if they were sick.


    ¡°Huh? Oh. No... just... The sleeping conditions were a little ufortable...¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    As they made their excuses, the two of them nced not at Vertus, but at me.


    Harriet had an expression that screamed ¡°Please! Please don¡¯t tell anyone!¡±


    Riana¡¯s expression was that of firm resolve, as if to say, ¡°If this bes gossip, one of us will have to depart this world.¡±


    I¡¯d be the first to admit that I¡¯m a bit of a scoundrel, but I wasn¡¯t a total asshole. Although acknowledging that I was a scoundrel made me seem like a lost cause...


    ¡°Should we just boil the meat left over from yesterday? It¡¯s gotten so tough that I don¡¯t think it can be eaten as is,¡± suggested Connor Lint, holding up the medium-sized pot.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Riana, and Harriet I cried out simultaneously.


    ***


    Ellen and I¡ªthe girl who had managed to catch three lobsters by diving into the sea the night before, and I, who could swim¡ªbecame responsible for sea hunting. Riana¡¯s method of waiting for the fish toe to her took too much time.


    Harriet noticed that Ellen and I were about to enter the sea and called out, ¡°Are you going into the sea?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need to catch something for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°... Are you a good swimmer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m good, but I do know how to swim.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face was slightly red. It seemed as though her perception of me was changing in real-time during this group mission.


    ¡°Do you... need help with that?¡± Harriet said, looking back and forth between Ellen and me. ¡°A spell to breathe underwater, or something like that.¡±


    ¡®<i>Oh? Please, say no more.</i>¡¯


    ***


    Harriet cast an underwater breathing spell on Ellen and me. She said it wouldst about thirty to forty minutes.


    Being able to breathe underwater was an incredibly odd sensation. It didn¡¯t necessarily feel like having water in the lungs, but it was a bizarre and indescribable feeling.


    ¡®<i>What if the magic suddenly wears off at an awkward moment? Do I just end up gulping in a ton of water and dying? Better to surface with some time to spare.</i>¡¯


    Opening my eyes underwater wasn¡¯t too difficult either.


    With the underwater breathing spell, and the fact that both Ellen and I were decent swimmers, we could afford to go deeper.


    A spectacr underwater seascape, filled with colorful coral reefs, unfolded before my eyes. It was so beautiful that, for a moment, I simply wanted to enjoy the view.


    Ellen swam through the water with grace, her arms, legs and waist in a fluid motion, and she began collecting the abalones that were attached to the underwater rocks.


    Ellen looked almost like a mermaid as she moved through the water.


    It wasn¡¯t just because she was pretty, but she moved so freely and effortlessly underwater.


    She really <i>was</i> good at everything.


    Ellen¡¯s swimming through the sea seemed to go beyond mere skill; it felt graceful.


    ¡ª?


    Ellen noticed that I wasn¡¯t picking up any shells but just staring at her, and gave me a puzzled tilt of her head. I shook my head to let her know that it was nothing.


    Sometimes, you just end up staring at her nkly like that.


    I collected abalones and ms, putting them into theting that Adelia had woven from vines the day before. I didn¡¯t bother with those that were too small, since it was clear they wouldn¡¯t be worth the effort.


    I was hoping to catch some lobsters since they were the food that seemed the least objectionable to the kids, but none were in sight.


    It required tremendous physical energy to scramble around in the jungle, and moving around underwater wasn¡¯t any less demanding.


    If it weren¡¯t for the underwater breathing spell, I would have expended twice the energy. Harriet¡¯s talent, being skilled in using magic from any field, once again proved to be impressive.


    I kept collecting abalones and various other types of shells. I would have tried to catch arge fish if I had seen any in the area, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any around.


    Then, I saw Ellen feeling around the ledge of a rock when a camouged octopus suddenly revealed itself.


    The octopus shot out a cloud of ink, attempting to escape, and in response, it was immediately skewered by Ellen¡¯s javelin.


    ¡ª?


    Ellen, seemingly caught off-guard by her own catch, tilted her head again as she stared at the octopus, impaled on the end of her javelin.


    Ellen pointed the end of her javelin toward me, showing me the octopus dangling from it.


    ¡ªI caught a monster.


    At least, that looked like what she was trying to mouth at me. It seemed like it was the first time she had ever seen an octopus while it was still alive.


    ***


    It was only natural that everyone back at camp was horrified by the appearance of the gigantic cephalopod.


    ¡°Ee, eek!¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up...¡±


    Harriet turned pale and couldn¡¯t even look at it, while Riana, feeling nauseous, staggered into the jungle.


    ¡°... I know it¡¯s edible, but seeing it like this kind of puts me off,¡± said Vertus, who had eaten octopus before. He seemed reluctant to eat one that was this fresh.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat it, then don¡¯t. I¡¯ll eat it by myself if I have to.¡±


    Besides the octopus, we had also caught plenty of abalones and ms, so we could grill those instead.


    I decapitated the octopus, removed the innards, and scrubbed it roughly with salt. We had collected quite a bit of salt, so using it for this purpose was not an issue.


    Ellen watched from the side as I washed the octopus vigorously in the seawater.


    ¡°Does this taste any good?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I reckon you would eat it just fine.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem to care about how it looked, as long as it tasted good.


    After finishing with the octopus, I returned to camp. As I had requested, Adelia and Harriet had used processing magic to cut arge stone into a t, grill-like shape that could be used as a stone grill b. Heinrich had collected firewood and lit a fire underneath the b, which had been secured in an appropriate position.


    When the grilling b, thoroughly cleaned, started to dry from the heat, I ced the ms, abalones, and octopus on it.


    <i>Sizzle</i>!


    ¡°Ew, disgusting!¡±


    Everyone looked on in horror as the octopus twisted about on the hot stone grill.


    In the end, only Ellen and I ended up eating the octopus.


    ***


    Now that the camp had been established, and with the help of magic that let us breathe underwater, obtaining food wasn¡¯t difficult.


    However, we were still busy.


    Once the most basic needs are met, people began to crave the thing.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    ¡°Whew... I¡¯ve finally made one...¡±


    Now that the camp had beenpleted, we were trying to upgrade it. After spending a night in camp, it became clear that the moisture seeping up from the ground was causing everyone a great deal of difort.


    Therefore, the current objective was to create a raised floor by cutting logs in half lengthwise and attaching them together, then pitching the tents on top of this tform. Harriet and Adelia, who were magic majors, handled most of the wood-splitting, but the other guys were also busy, collecting vines and leaves like the day before, each one contributing to the effort.


    I entered the jungle with Ellen.


    ¡°Do you think there will be any water here?¡±


    Ellen seemed unsure if there would be drinkable water on a deserted ind. After all, we had only ventured out to look for freshwater at Vertus¡¯s request.


    ¡°Since there are wild animals about, there has to be a source of water somewhere. There¡¯s bound to be a stream with drinkable water, or ces where rainwater collects.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    My argument seemed to convince Ellen that there was water somewhere. Although we were not as swift as Delphine Izadra had been the day before, Ellen and I still made a slow advance, cutting through the jungle foliage.


    I was armed with a machete and three javelins, while Ellen had brought along a short bow and a machete. We also brought water bottles with us, so we could search for a considerable length of time.


    However, there wasn¡¯t necessarily a need to find water specifically for drinking purposes.


    If my prediction was correct, it would rain the next day.


    In the original story, ss B lost all their poorly-constructed tents to the wind, and ended up cold and soaking wet, their body temperatures plummeting to dangerous levels.


    In other words, if we prepared enough rainwater collectors, we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about drinking water.


    However, the water I was searching for now was not just for drinking, but for washing. It was apparent that everyone was stressed out from not being able to change clothes. If we located a freshwater source, even if we didn¡¯t move the camp there, it could be marked as a ce to go if someone desperately wanted to wash themselves orunder clothes.


    If we kept going on the way we were, it was likely that not being able to clean themselves or their clothes would drive some to forfeit voluntarily. Although I disliked how everyone was whining, at the moment, everyone was needed in some capacity or another, so it was better for me if they all held on.


    This deserted ind, though mainly covered in jungle, sloped upward toward the center, like a mountain.


    The overgrown mass of trees made it difficult to judge visually, but in such terrain, we were likely to find water in the fold of the mountains, where valleys would form. I had already determined the probable position of a valley by climbing a tree earlier, so we knew which direction to go.


    ¡°It¡¯s so damn exhausting.¡±


    I wondered if this was what people meant when they described dreadful heat. My clothes, soaked with sweat, clung to my body unpleasantly, and I felt as though I might turn into liquid any second.


    Ellen seemed just as exhausted. She was panting, and her breathing became irregr.


    ¡°Should we head back?¡± I asked her, since we risked exhaustion if we went on further, but Ellen, though seemingly struggling, shook her head.


    ¡°I think I hear the sound of running water.¡±


    ¡°... Are you sure it¡¯s not just a hallucination?¡±


    To be honest, her hearing was probably better than mine, but could this be simr to the illusions people experienced in the desert, when they believed that they saw an oasis? Perhaps she was experiencing something like a mirage.


    ¡°No... I think I really hear it,¡± Ellen said with a nk expression.


    ¡®<i>Wait. Now that I think about it, can¡¯t I enhance my hearing as well?¡¯</i>


    I put myself under Self-Deception.


    ¡®<i>I have bionic hearing.</i>¡¯


    Indeed, once I focused on my hearing, I could detect sounds more acutely. It seemed that reinforcement of this sort was now within my ability.


    The rustling of leaves in the wind, the cries of unidentified insects, the chirping of birds...


    Amid these sounds, there was a gentle flowing or a soft rustling¡ªthe sound, which made me think of running water, was unmistakable.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯sing from that direction.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Now that we had both confirmed it, Ellen took the lead without hesitation.


    ***


    As I predicted, we came across a ravine, and a stream flowing through it. It likely originated from the top of the mountain and flowed down to the lower areas.


    It was considerablyrge.


    The stream was wide, and as I peered into the piercing blue depths, it appeared quite deep in some areas.


    The flowing water was clear, not turbid.


    Normally, drinking such water in tropical regions would be a death wish, as parasites and pathogens would thrive in it. However, this wasn¡¯t a real, authentic jungle. The water quality here would be meticulously managed, whether by purification magic or some other means, so it would be safe to drink.


    No dangerous animals were in sight.


    Ellen cautiously approached the stream and scooped up some water in her hands, eagerly drinking to quench her thirst.


    She must have been extremely exhausted. This was the first time I¡¯d seen her act so decisively. Drinking the cold water seemed to refresh her, and she shivered.


    Of course, I felt the same way.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡±


    <i>Ssh</i>!


    I didn¡¯t think of anything else and just threw myself into the water.


    ***


    Since the ravine was quite deep in certain ces, there were areas where the water pooled to form something like a natural swimming pool. In a spacious section of the ravine, the water was almost three meters deep. I sat submerged in the shallower region, staring nkly into space.


    Ellen was swimming, and even leaping in and out of the water like a seal.


    Though her face did not show it, she seemed ecstatic, and was having a great time. The water was eerily blue and clear, so I could see everything as Ellen swam enthusiastically underwater.


    It felt like watching a seal swimming in a zoo, although she was closer to a mermaid.


    Technically, I would have had to check if the water was drinkable first, but since I knew that it was safe, I filled up my empty water bottles and drank heartily.


    I let out a sigh of relief.


    I wondered if the others woulde here to the ravine even if they knew it existed.


    If they came here to bathe or doundry, they¡¯d be drenched in sweat on the way back anyway. And if we considered relocating the camp entirely, I suspect there would be a serious uproar due to the grueling effort that would be required, like the day before.


    ¡®<i>Hmm. I¡¯ll leave the decision to Vertus.</i>¡¯


    After swimming for a while, Ellen crawled out of the water. She wrung out her hair, then looked at me and gestured towards the lower part of the ravine.


    ¡°Go over there.¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take off all my clothes.¡±


    ¡®<i>... Ah. She¡¯s that excited, I see.</i>¡¯


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to go skinny dipping¡ªshe likely just wanted to wash her clothes. I headed downstream and vigorously scrubbed my clothes in the flowing water before shaking them out andying them on a sunlit rock ledge.


    ¡®<i>Given the strength of the sunlight, they should dry up soon enough. Or will the humidity stop them from drying out? Ah, whatever.</i>¡¯


    <i>Ssh</i>! <i>Ssh</i>!


    Although she wasn¡¯t visible from where I was, I could still hear the sounds of Ellen swimming upstream. Of course, even after washing our clothes like this, they¡¯d probably be soaked with sweat again on the way back. Still, it wasn¡¯t bad to wash them at least once like this.


    In the original story, Delphine was the one who discovered this ravine. Perhaps not that very day, though. Of course, with the addition of Charlotte as a variable, it was hard to know how things would turn out.


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    Suddenly, Ellen called my name out loud.


    ***


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Ellen was wearing her clothes, despite them not being fully dry, and she had a stern look on her face. I could feel the tension within her.


    ¡°Why? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s off. We shouldn¡¯t stay any longer.¡±


    Ellen began to point out certain parts of the ravine, both upstream and downstream.


    ¡°There are animal bones scattered around here.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    If Charlotte¡¯s presence altered the original storyline, then me bringing Ellen here also altered things. Ellen wasn¡¯t just enjoying herself in the water; she¡¯d noticed something odd, and had spotted some clues.


    Ellen pointed to the opposite side. ¡°Over there as well.¡±


    There were animal bones, and marks that seemed different from anything I had seen previously.


    ¡°Someone lit a fire there. It can¡¯t be the teachers. This seems to be rted to the ¡®special conditions¡¯ they mentioned...¡±


    After a while, Ellen carefully reached a conclusion. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be an uninhabited ind.¡±


    Someone else was living here, besides us.


    Ellen was one step closer to unraveling the secrets of this ind.

 Chapter 98

    <h4>Chapter 98</h4>


    The remnants of a meal and a fire led Ellen to conclude that someone besides ss A and B must be living on the ind.


    ¡°Does this have something to do with the ¡®specific condition¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It must be rted.¡±


    As we made our way back, Ellen was more vignt than before. It should have urred to her that, as long as we were here on a mission, it was unlikely for us to encounter a life-threatening situation.


    However, that didn¡¯t preclude something unexpected from urring. Ellen led the way with heightened caution, and I followed her.


    Thanks to her intelligence, she¡¯d pieced together the clues.


    Nheless, we returned to camp drenched in sweat, not only because of the weather, but because of how tense we were.


    It was an important discovery. As soon as we reported it to Vertus, he immediately halted all activities and gathered everyone together.


    The kids¡¯ faces lit up when they heard we¡¯d found water, but their expressions turned to disbelief when they learned there was someone else on the ind besides us.


    Connor Lint¡¯s face turned white with fear.


    ¡°W-What should we do? Are they cannibals?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?!¡±


    His fear started to spread amongst the group, and everyone else grew pale as well.


    Of course, Vertus remained calm.


    ¡°The fact that this isn¡¯t an uninhabited ind must rte to our mission, too. I¡¯m sure the higher-ups in the Temple had this all nned out. There¡¯s no need to be too afraid. The specific condition that was mentioned must have something to do with this something, or someone.¡±


    He concluded that, since this was all part of the mission, the situation was under control.


    ¡°So does that mean that, if we find this other person, the mission will immediatelye to an end?¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if that was the case, but we can¡¯t be certain of that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    The condition that we had to fulfill could be rted to the presence of this other survivor besides us. If so, the mission would end the moment we found that survivor. Vertus¡¯s words caused the atmosphere to change drastically.


    Harriet¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°S-So, all we have to do is find that person?¡±


    The kids were all hoping for a quick way to escape this environment. Vertus nodded at her.


    ¡°We can¡¯t know for sure. But finding this person will definitely contribute to us being able to finish this mission more quickly, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s search the whole ind! If we find that person first, we¡¯ll be able to leave.¡±


    That was Kaier¡¯s suggestion, and everyone else seemed to agree. Rather than idling around, it made sense to find this other survivor who was on the ind and bring the mission to a close.


    ¡°Hmm... That seems to be the right choice, but...¡± Vertus seemed thoughtful as he looked at me. ¡°Reinhart, what do you think?¡±


    All eyes turned to focus on me.


    I could tell that their evaluation of me had changed. These guys, who had been treating me indifferently until now, had begun to see how my actions usually led to quick results. Now, they seemed to think of me as some kind of solution machine.


    Even those who disliked me felt that, for the moment, it was right to follow my lead.


    Honestly, though, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to give out any more hints. While it was true that I wanted to lead ss A in a different direction aspared to the original storyline, if I gave them more hints, it would result in a victory for ss A.


    Frankly, I wanted ss B to emerge victorious in this mission so that Charlotte would gain more influence.


    ¡°Umm... I¡¯m not really sure. How about we all head to the ravine first?¡± I suggested.


    In essence, I was proposing that we enjoy the refreshing water without giving the situation too much weight. Given the situation we were all in, it ended up being the best suggestion.


    ***


    Ellen expressed her concern about potential danger, but everyone else, enticed by the thought of cold, refreshing water, failed to be persuaded by her.


    It took approximately thirty minutes for our group of eleven to reach the ravine, following the route that Ellen and I had cleared.


    Despite being drenched in sweat and tired, the promise of being able to wash up at the end made everyone continue to follow Ellen and me, who were leading the way.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    As soon as we arrived at the ravine, the kids¡¯ eyes widened in amazement at the sight of the vast expanse of water, which wasrger than they had imagined.


    After a brief silence, everyone dove into the water.


    ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s so cold!¡±


    ¡°Be careful, there are some deep areas as well.¡±


    However, it seemed like my words fell on deaf ears as everyone jumped into the water joyously. Ellen plunged into the water as well and began to ssh around.


    Although she had advised against this course of action because of the potential danger, seeing the water again seemed to silence her objections.


    ¡ªWoohoo!


    The water provided the sweat-soaked kids sce in the midst of the exhausting heat. They finally began to y and giggle like children their age. Even Vertus leaped into the water without hesitation, sporting a genuine smile.


    ¡®<i>That¡¯s right. This is the way kids should be.</i>¡¯


    ***


    Since the ravine was rather deep, some of the kids slipped and ended up swallowing water. Of course, Ellen, Vertus, and I, who knew how to swim, pulled them out.


    There were some bizarre situations as well...


    ¡°Nguh!¡±


    Connor Lint had fallen into a deep part of the pool, but just as suddenly, he appeared on the bank.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Cr-Crazy! He must be crazy!¡±


    ¡°Hey,e on dude!¡±


    Connor Lint had managed to teleport himself out, but only his body, leaving his clothes behind. The female students screamed at the sight, while the male students burst intoughter at the spectacle.


    ¡°Ah! Ahh! Don¡¯t, don¡¯t look!¡±


    ¡°Clothes! Someone bring him his clothes!¡± Harriet yelled irritably while covering her eyes, and Vertus chuckled as he fished Connor Lint¡¯s clothes out of the water and handed them to him.


    Teleporting out in the face of danger was understandable, but that idiot could have waited.


    All the students had been ying around in onerge pool of water, but then the girls huddled together and whispered among themselves.


    Harriet, acting as their representative, called out to Vertus, who was sitting in the water, almost in a daze.


    ¡°Hey, Vertus.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Saint-Ouen? What is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to go up there... to, um, clean ourselves...¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment as she stumbled over her words. Vertus seemed to get the gist of what she was saying and nodded in understanding, even without hearing the full exnation.


    ¡°Oh, ohh. I see. Are you sure that¡¯s okay, though? We don¡¯t know what might be around here...¡±


    It seemed Vertus had fully grasped the fact that they wanted to wash not just themselves, but their clothes as well. However, he was unsure whether it was safe to strip down and bathe, given the uncertain surroundings.


    ¡°Ellen said she would keep watch to see if anyone approaches.¡±


    ¡°Ah okay. That¡¯s fine, then. I¡¯ll make sure none of the guys go over there.¡±


    Harriet and the other female students began to ascend to a higher part of the ravine which was out of sight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you guys what not to do, do I?¡± Vertus asked, and the boys, with sheepish expressions, nodded timidly.


    It seemed like the guys were already getting worked up just by the thought of the female students undressing up there.


    It was blindingly obvious that they were imagining things that they shouldn¡¯t have. It was written on their faces¡ªthese guys looked downright possessed by lustful thoughts.


    Connor Lint stared at the female students who were climbing up the slope, his expression twitching.


    It seemed like he was considering using teleportation to sneak a peek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about doing anything. I¡¯ve got my eye on you,¡± I warned.


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean?! Who¡¯s thinking of doing what?!¡± Connor Lint retorted, shaking his head vigorously.


    Of course, the boys eventually forgot about it, and began washing their own clothes and spreading them out on the rocks to dry, after which they continued to y in the water again.


    Since this lower area couldn¡¯t be seen from above, and vice versa, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    The biggest troublemaker was Connor Lint.


    ¡°Watch this!¡±


    <i>Pop</i>!


    Now that it was just the boys, he began to use his teleportation skill liberally. He performed extravagant stunts such as teleporting himself high above the water¡¯s surface and diving in.


    ¡°I¡¯m water-walking!¡±


    <i>Pop pop pop</i>!


    Aside from the one drawback of him losing his clothes each time he teleported, Lint was able to teleport multiple times in quick session. His power activation speed and the level of the power itself were truly top-notch. However, he was a pitiful guy whose performance only manifested at the expense of human dignity.


    Vertus, too, hadpletely stripped, just like the others. Since we usedmunal showers during physical education sses, seeing each other naked wasn¡¯t exactly a new experience.


    ¡°There are definitely signs that something or someone was here,¡± he said with a sigh.


    He¡¯d noticed the scattered animal bones and the remnants of meals, and seemed to have grown certain that the ind was not uninhabited. He looked over at me, sitting there nkly, and asked, ¡°Would it be a risky choice to move camp here?¡±


    ¡°There are pros and cons. It would be good if we found the other survivor, but there¡¯s also the chance that we might encounter wild beasts.¡±


    Vertus nodded. Since this ce had ess to water, it was a good ce to set up camp. The other inhabitant¡ªwhom we presumed to be a survivor¡ªwould likelye here to fetch water as well, which meant that it would be easier to discover them.


    However, there was no telling what threats we might face at night. Plus, it meant abandoning the camp that we¡¯d established so far.


    Vertus decided to postpone the decision.


    ¡°Let¡¯s gather togetherter and talk it over.¡±


    Sometimeter, after finishing with theundry and drying our clothes, we all regrouped. The female students definitely looked much more refreshed, and even Harriet was smiling for the first time since our arrival on the ind.


    Seeing the improvement in their expressions was a relief.


    ¡°You all understand that this is a good ce to set up camp, right?¡± asked Vertus, and the others nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s consider whether to build a new camp here or return to the original one,¡± Vertus continued.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Riana, who had seemed sure to advocate for staying, shook her head. The other female students nodded in agreement. All of them except Ellen seemed to go slightly pale.


    ¡°Just now, over there... a snake appeared.¡±


    ¡°This thing.¡±


    Ellen held up a fairlyrge snake¡ªdead, with a javelin stuck in its head.


    The word ¡°snake¡± alone was enough to make use to the unanimous decision to leave.


    ***


    When we eventually returned to camp, everyone was drenched in sweat once again, heaving sighs of exhaustion. However, the effort wasn¡¯t exactly in vain, since we had fully replenished our supply of water.


    While we had drunk from the water bottles we¡¯d refilled on our trek back, we had still brought back a big pot full of water, which meant that we didn¡¯t have to worry about being short on water for a while.


    The sun was beginning to set.


    ¡°Should we rest for the day?¡± Vertus suggested. Any more sweating would render our earlier baths useless.


    ¡°How about weplete the work on the camp before resting?¡± I said, offering an opposing opinion. We had yet to install the wooden flooring in our huts.


    At my words, everyone red daggers at me. They were usatory looks, as if saying, ¡°Why must we be made to work when all we want to do is rest?¡±


    ¡°Well... I mean, since we¡¯vee this far, shouldn¡¯t we finish what we started at least?¡± I continued.


    ¡®<i>These kids... Prepare to thank me tomorrow.</i>¡¯


    ***


    We proceeded toplete the work on our camp, and after Harriet cast an underwater breathing spell on us, Ellen and I set out to hunt for dinner.


    Even if our objective was not to hunt, walking under the sea while under the influence of underwater breathing magic was a fascinating experience.


    Ellen seemed to share my sentiment, asionally stopping to stare intently at the small fish making their way through the coral reefs.


    When Ellen extended her finger towards them, a small yellow fish nibbled on it, while she watched it quietly. As I observed this scene in silence, our eyes met.


    ¡ª...


    ¡ª...


    Although we couldn¡¯t talk underwater, we could understand each other¡¯s feelings just by the look in our eyes.


    The way Ellen¡¯s ck hair swayed in the current was quite striking.


    Our catch consisted of threerge lobsters and two fish resembling red snappers¡ªarge enough haul to feed eleven people with some to spare.


    After emerging from the sea,pletely soaked once again, we stood on the beach as the sun was setting.


    Noticing that Ellen wasn¡¯t following me back to camp, I turned back. She was standing there quietly, gazing at the burning sunset.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go! Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    At my urging, Ellen stopped admiring the scenery and walked towards me, her back to the sunset. The strong backlight hid her expression, and I couldn¡¯t tell what she was feeling.


    ¡°I think this is fun.¡±


    She was probably smiling.

 Chapter 99

    <h4>Chapter 99</h4>


    After halving the logs, they wereid out to form a rectangr floor.


    After which, the makeshift huts that had been fashioned were ced on top of it.


    We constructed additional huts that day, enough that each person could have their own. The kids epted my suggestion to tie down the huts to the logs with vines to prevent the newly-made huts from being blown over or tossed about by the wind, and each hut was secured firmly to the wooden support.


    If we had left them they were, they would all be smashed and blown away by the rainstorm that would hit us the next day.


    The order for the night watch remained the same as the previous day.


    Everyone seemed in slightly better spirits, perhaps because of the newly installed log floors, which were an improvement over the previous night. However, most seemed to feel slightly disgusted with themselves for findingfort in the slightly better sleeping arrangements, given the situation.


    Everyone was equally exhausted by the day¡¯s events, and all fell asleep, regardless of the condition of our camp. I was no exception.


    ***


    It was deep into the night when...


    <i>Gush Gush Gush</i>...


    The sound of rain...


    <i>Rumble</i>! <i>Rumble</i>!


    Thunder...


    <i>Whooshhhh</i>!


    And wind...


    The patter of the falling rain and the howling wind entering through the slit in the hut made it impossible to stay asleep.


    Given our current conditions, constructing a hut that waspletely weatherproof was out of the question.


    ¡°What the¡ª! It¡¯s raining all of a sudden?¡±


    One by one, the kids began shouting in rm from inside their huts. Sleepingfortably in this chaos was out of the question. Dark clouds swirled overhead, and with the campfire extinguished, visibility was down to zero. We were in literal darkness.


    Only the intermittent shes of lightning provided any source of light to be able to see anything.


    A storm was raging.


    ¡ªDon¡¯t go outside! Stay in for now!


    That was Vertus¡¯s shout.


    Even though the rain was seeping into the huts, stepping outside meant gettingpletely drenched. Staying put was a slightly better option, and provided some shelter against the rain and wind. It was impossible to fall back to sleep, but enduring this until the sun rose and the rain subsided was the only choice avable.


    Going outside now would only result in a rapid drop in body temperature due to exposure to the elements.


    ¡ªIt... it¡¯s going to fly away!


    However, it seemed not all the huts were firmly secured. Some looked like they were about to copse.


    ¡ªIf it copses, quickly move to another one!


    Even in such a desperate situation, Vertus calmly issued instructions to the other kids, who had been seized by confusion and fear. If we hadn¡¯t reinforced the floor with logs, we¡¯d now be lying on wet, damp sand.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    Atst, unable to withstand the strong winds, someone¡¯s hut copsed with a crash.


    ¡ªAah!


    That scream belonged to Harriet.


    ¡ªI, I can¡¯t see anything! What should I do?


    Enveloped in the heavy darkness, Harriet seemed to be in a state of panic. It would have been nice to use magic to create some light, but in that situation, it was impossible to remain calm enough to cast a spell.


    ¡ªI, I can¡¯t see anything! What should I do?! I, I feel like I¡¯m going to be blown away!


    ¡ªSaint-Ouen! Get into another hut!


    ¡ªI, I can¡¯t find one because I can¡¯t see anything!


    <i>sh</i>!


    A sh of lightning arced across the sky, allowing me to pinpoint Harriet¡¯s location. I emerged from my hut. She was crouched down on the ground, groping around aimlessly.


    ¡°Wh-Who are you...?¡±


    Harriet seemed to feel both relief and fear as someone grabbed her in the darkness. I fumbled my way back into my hut, dragging Harriet with me. I made her lie down in the remaining space next to me.


    ¡°Calm down, Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°R-Reinhart?¡±


    It was funny yet sad that she immediately recognized that it was me, even in all this chaos, just because I had called her by that nickname.


    I could sense her relief at hearing that nickname and knowing that it was me.


    ¡°Vertus! I¡¯ll take care of her!¡±


    ¡ªGood job Reinhart!


    ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s just rain.¡±


    I patted the back of the trembling girl who was drenched in fear and shivering from the rain. ¡°The rain is going to stop. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah...¡±


    She wasn¡¯t just trembling in fear. Her shivering seemed to stem from her feeling cold as well.


    ¡°Use a heat spell or whatever you have to keep warm. You¡¯ll have nothing to worry about then.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    She seemed to be trying to calm herself down, taking deep breaths as I had shown her.


    <i>Rumble</i>!


    ¡°Aah!¡±


    Unfortunately, finding calm didn¡¯t seem easy amidst the unrelenting roar of the savage winds and peals of thunder. She was caught in some of the worst conditions possible, even before she¡¯d had a chance to adapt to the unfamiliar environment, so it was only natural that her mind would not settle down.


    The huts creaked ominously, and it seemed a few more had broken apart. Some of the kids screamed, and I could see others rushing out to gather those who had been disced.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Harriet¡¯s expression in the darkness, but I could definitely feel her shaking. Nevertheless, my continuous patting seemed to be effective, because she soon managed to activate a spell.


    She had apparently conjured up some sort of heat source using magic, because a faint yellow orb materialized, which begant to spread warmth around it.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Although the light wasn¡¯t very bright, it was just enough to vaguely illuminate the surroundings. The wind continued to howl outside, but the orb¡¯s effect was simr to having a small campfire inside the hut.


    Harriet, having calmed herself, began to summon more orbs one by one, and started floating them toward the other huts.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re...?¡± I said.


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    I must have looked a little stunned, as I hadn¡¯t expected her to act in such a way. Harriet stared at me as if she had done something wrong.


    ¡°... No, never mind. Keep going.¡±


    In a crisis, we needed to help each other.


    It was a simple gesture, but seeing Harriet acting on her own to help others made me feel strange. Maybe she thought that, since she¡¯d received a lot of help, it was only natural for her to help others. Still, that wasn¡¯t like her at all.


    Fortunately, the orbs of light that Harriet summoned seemed to seed in easing everyone¡¯s anxiety.


    <i>Rumble</i>!!


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    The storm continued to rage on.


    Falling back to sleep would be tough, but at least we were no longer cold.


    ***


    The storm which had raged through the night finally began to calm down in the morning.


    Of course, the rain hadn¡¯t stopped. A deluge of rainwater was still pouring down from the sky. Waves were crashing violently against the beach, and in the distance, more intimidating waves churned about at sea.


    Even with waterbreathing spells, venturing into those waters would be suicidal.


    The morning brought with it improved visibility. It made sense to wait for the rain to stop, but it seemed that it would continue through the uing night as well. Staying put meant a day of hunger, and possibly even going without food until the next morning.


    While water wasn¡¯t a problem, food definitely was.


    ¡°Wh-Where are you going?¡±


    Harriet looked panicked as I started to rouse myself and get up. Summoning all those heat orbs at night had left her drained. She must have been the most exhausted among us.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to do something. You rest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As I walked out into the pouring rain, Vertus, who was already outside, waved me over.


    ¡°It¡¯s a total mess out here.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was necessary for him to be out there, but Vertus had been checking on the three huts that had been ruined overnight. It looked like he was making sure everyone was ounted for and safe.


    ¡°Reinhart, we have a problem.¡±


    ¡°Problem?¡±


    Vertus¡¯ expression had turned gravely serious.


    ¡°Kaier has disappeared.¡±


    Originally, at this point, all of ss A, except for Ellen, should have given up.


    That was why the incident that should have urred in ss B¡¯s ranks had now ured in ss A.


    ***


    Kaier Vioden had vanished, and Vertus was currently trying to understand the situation.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something weird going on. Normally, if it rains, the person on watch should have woken us all up... but that didn¡¯t happen, did it?¡±


    Kaier had the watch just before mine. If the storm had started while he was on duty, Kaier should have woken everyone up to prepare, but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Erhi, who was on watch before Kaier, said he definitely woke him up. He saw him start his watch before he went to sleep...¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t awoken by anyone.¡±


    Kaier didn¡¯t wake me. We had all woken up only because of the noise of the storm.


    ¡°It seems something happened to Kaier while he was on watch... At least, that¡¯s the situation at hand.¡±


    Something must have happened to Kaier before he could wake me for my turn, leading to his disappearance.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that Kaier faced some kind of situation and decided to give up voluntarily. Or this situation itself could be part of the mission, or he might have wandered into the jungle and gotten lost... It¡¯splicated.¡±


    Vertus nodded at my spections, which was more or less guesswork.


    ¡°This must be part of the mission, right?¡±


    ¡°It would seem so, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Vertus seemed to be looking for certainty. It was unclear whether Kaier had given up, had gotten lost in the woods, or if something truly unfortunate had happened to him. If the situation wasn¡¯t under control, Kaier¡¯s life could be at risk, but the teachers provided no hints despite all this.


    It was all on us to figure it out and resolve the issue.


    Whether we searched for Kaier, gave up, or uncovered the truth, was up to us.


    ¡°There are three usible possibilities right now,¡± Vertus continued calmly amidst the downpour. ¡°One: for some reason, Kaier went into the jungle in the middle of the night. It could be something like needing to relieve himself. During that time, the storm blew in, and he lost his sense of direction, which means that he¡¯s now wandering lost in the woods.


    ¡°Two: a survivor on this ind has kidnapped Kaier or harmed him in some way. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s likely that Kaier has given up, or been eliminated. Especially if that survivor is part of the mission and being directed by the teachers.


    ¡°Three. ss B has kidnapped Kaier.¡±


    Vertus was considering a possibility that hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind. He had ss B on the list of suspects too.


    ¡°ss B? Why would they?¡±


    ¡°The way to clear this mission is simply to survive until Sunday. But that¡¯s only to ¡®clear¡¯ this mission and not ¡®win¡¯.¡±


    Surviving until Sunday would allow us to clear the mission, but not emerge victors.


    Ultimately, this mission had both a cooperative element as well as apetitive one.


    Vertus was considering every possibility, including the possibility that ourpetitors were also suspects.


    ¡°There¡¯s another way to win, aside from just satisfying the special conditions,¡± Vertus continued.


    I sensed I knew where Vertus was heading with this.


    ¡°If you make the opposing side give up, you can win by just enduring until Sunday.¡±


    Vertus had caught on to another method of emerging victorious in this survivalpetition, one that even I, the author, hadn¡¯t thought of.


    He was truly beyond imagination.


    Of course, Vertus was aware that this third option was a much less likely scenario, but he also believed that Charlotte would surely be aware of this possible path to victory. Even though such an aggressive approach was unlikely, he still believed the possibility existed.


    Hence, Vertus asked me, amidst this chaotic situation, to check on what ss B was up to. As the only one from ss A who frequently interacted with ss B, I wouldn¡¯t raise any suspicions, he reasoned.


    He left me to make my own judgments regarding the sharing of information regarding our current situation and any other issues with them.


    ***


    Braving the downpour, I made my way to ss B¡¯s camp, which was also in disarray.


    The huts in ss B¡¯s camp were all irreparably destroyed, and the camp seemed deserted. If I hadn¡¯t demanded that our huts be reinforced in preparation for such a severe storm, ss A would¡¯ve suffered the same fate. It seemed the ss B students had decided to abandon the camp for the time being, and were going to assess the situation again once the rain stopped.


    Given the amount of destruction they had faced in the middle of the night, any attempt to salvage their camp would have been futile.


    They were likely gathered somewhere inside the jungle, probably under arge tree.


    ¡°Charlotte! Ludwig! Delphine!¡± I called out as I entered the jungle, aimlessly shouting for Charlotte and Ludwig. It didn¡¯t take long before I found Ludwig, who appeared from behind the trunk of arge tree.


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Are you alright?¡±


    Ludwig approached me through the rain with a relieved expression as I drew closer.


    ¡°Whew, what a disaster this is.¡±


    ¡°Is everyone gathered over there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s rough. They¡¯re not in a good condition.¡±


    Following Ludwig¡¯s lead, I reached the other members of ss B, who were huddled together under a big tree, trying to shelter from the rain. They were just as drenched as the students from ss A, since there was noplete protection from the rain.


    Fortunately, there was a floating sphere of light, simr to but slightly different from what Harriet had summoned, radiating warmth that seemed just about enough for them to endure the miserable situation.


    At this point, I knew that it was a student named Ashir, with a talent for Divine Power, who was maintaining this minimum amount of warmth with divine magic. He was the one who had summoned the orb.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte, who had been sitting quietly, rose from her spot, pulled me over, and made me sit close to the sphere of light. ¡°Did youe to investigate us?¡±


    Charlotte gave me a feeble smile, as though she could see right through my intentions, even in these dreadful conditions.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that you¡¯re wrong. But it looks like the situation here is pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. It hit uspletely out of the blue in the middle of the night.¡±


    All the members of ss B were shivering visibly, and Ashir seemed overwhelmed just maintaining the divine magic.


    ¡°How are things over there?¡±


    ¡°Our camp got hit pretty hard too. Not as badly as here, though, but still not great.¡±


    Charlotte nodded as I spoke. I checked on the other members andpleted my assessment of the situation.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re missing one person.¡±


    At my words, everyone¡¯s expressions stiffened slightly. There weren¡¯t many in ss B that I knew well, so the absence was noticeable.


    ¡°Louis Ankton, is he missing too?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s expression changed at my question.


    ¡°Huh? Does that mean you¡¯re missing someone on your side as well...? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve lost Kaier.¡±


    It seemed the disappearances weren¡¯t solely confined to one side.


    People had disappeared from both groups. The original storyline revolved around Lanian Sesor¡¯s disappearance from the ss B group, but that part had changed slightly.


    Immediately, the possibility that Vertus had proposed¡ªthat ss B might be the culprits behind the disappearance¡ªvanished. ss B would go searching for Louis Ankton once the rain stopped.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go into details given the circumstances,¡± I told Charlotte, looking at her.


    Charlotte would be able to deduce quite a bit from the one single clue that one student was missing from both ss A and ss B.


    ¡°There¡¯s a ravine in that direction, with a stream of drinkable water. We found it yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Drinking water?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This news caused the expressions of the ss B students to shift slightly. Although it was raining, the existence of drinking water was crucial information.


    Charlotte looked conflicted about receiving such information for free.


    ¡°Take care, Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, Reinhart. Be careful on your way back.¡±


    Charlotte saw me off, watching until I had gone quite a distance.

 Chapter 100

    <h4>Chapter 100</h4>


    ¡°Hmm... So you¡¯re saying that someone is also missing from ss B...¡±


    Vertus, after having heard my report, nodded slowly.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit absurd to think that a student from each ss both coincidentally lost their way in the jungle.¡±


    It seemed that Vertus hade to the conclusion that searching for the survivors on this ind was the right course of action to take.


    ¡°I thought we had it bad...¡±


    Vertus could not hide a bitterugh upon hearing that ss B¡¯s camp had beenpletely devastated, and that our situation was somehow better.


    ¡°Alright. Someone is attacking us, and whether we like it or not, we have to catch that bastard. It¡¯s probably the ¡®specific condition¡¯ that the teacher mentioned. But, of course, we¡¯ll still need food to keep going in this situation,¡± Vertus said.


    The first order of business was the search for the culprit, and the second was the collection of food. Just one task on its own was overwhelming, but now we had to tackle both simultaneously.


    ¡°In this urgent situation, the only ones who can properly wield force are probably just me, Cliff, Ellen, Granz, and you...¡±


    Harriet required casting time for her magic, and Adelia had not learned any offensive spells. Heinrich¡¯s abilities were not yet at a level where they could be used for offense, and Connor Lint and Erhi were not yet capable of fighting.


    Therefore, only five people had actualbat abilities, and we still couldn¡¯t determine who our opponent was.


    ¡°It looks like Ellen is the only one who would be able to move on her own in this situation, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Good. Fortunately, we have Heinrich, who can ignite mes even in the rain, so cooking our catch shouldn¡¯t be difficult. If we end up not finding anything, we might have to just scrape the coconut shells.¡±


    With that, Vertus headed towards the camp and shouted, ¡°Everyone! It¡¯s tough to be out in the rain, but I need all of you out here!¡±


    At Vertus¡¯s summons, everyone began to crawl out of their huts, looking shabby.


    Kaier was gone, and there were a total of ten of us remaining. We were all standing in the rain, and since none of us had slept from the time the storm hit, our faces were all haggard.


    ***


    Vertusid out the situation methodically.


    Kaier Vioden was missing, and additionally, one person from ss B was missing too. Both seemed to have been abducted by another survivor who was on the ind. This was presumed to be part of the mission, and it was likely that from now on, each night, we would be targeted, or those wandering alone in the jungle would be hunted down.


    Before we fell victim to the survivor again, we needed to find and subdue them. Otherwise, we¡¯d be picked off one by one and fail the mission altogether.


    ¡°From now on, Reinhart, Ellen, Granz, Cliffman, and I¡ªthese five¡ªwill be split into three teams to search the forest and hunt. The rest of you should tidy up this camp and repair the damaged huts. If possible, create as many rain collectors as you can to secure drinking water, but do not go too deep into the forest. We don¡¯t know what might happen.¡±


    After assigning tasks to those staying behind, Vertus gathered those who had been called on to enter the forest.


    ¡°Ellen, it looks like you¡¯ll have to go in alone. Are you okay with that? If that seems too much, you can move as a team of three.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    Ellen prepared a short bow, arrows, and a single knife. That was sufficient for her.


    ¡°Good. Cliffman, you¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Granz, you move with Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    In this manner, three teams were formed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just subdue any survivor you find. Try to identify who it might be thene back. We¡¯ll formte a n then. Let¡¯s prioritize securing food for now.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement with Vertus¡¯s words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    <i>Gush, gush, gush</i>!


    Through the pouring rain, we entered the jungle.


    ***


    Riana was a bit different than the rest of the ss A students who had entered the forest just now. She was a superhuman. Of course, I was also superhuman, but my abilities were more attuned tobat.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    Consequently, Riana had significantly less staminapared to the others, and with the ongoing rain causing her body temperature to drop, she was struggling.


    The orb that Harriet had made for us had timed out. As it flickered out, Riana struggled even harder to move through the rain.


    ¡°... Should we go back?¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Although she was exhausted, it seemed she disliked the idea of being a burden, and she gritted her teeth and continued walking with determination in her eyes. That moment made me realize how much my stamina had improved, but also how weak Riana¡¯s was.


    Of course, if abat situation arose, her lightning abilities would be far more helpful than mine.


    After walking for some time, I inevitably had to stop.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep going like this. Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    Too weary to speak, Riana slumped down against a tree stump as if relying on it for support. Because of the torrential rain, the ground had turned to mud. Her lips were turning blue, a sign that her body temperature had dropped significantly.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay? Maybe we should head back.¡±


    Instead of responding to my suggestion, Riana lifted her hand weakly.


    ¡°Give that here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that.¡±


    Taking the machete from my hand, Riana suddenly began to focus her gaze intensely on it.


    After a moment...


    <i>Zzzzzzt</i>!


    The raindrops falling onto the de began to evaporate. It seemed Riana was running a current through the machete, heating it up. She then cooled the heated de in the rain, and hugged it like a hot pack. She was already applying her ability in a practical way.


    ¡°I just want to burn it all down,¡± Riana muttered irritably.


    It seemed she disliked the idea of trudging through the jungle in such conditions. Of course, who would actually enjoy this?


    After a while, color returned to Riana¡¯s face, and she handed me the machete.


    ¡°You should do the same.¡±


    The de was warm, heated to just the right degree.


    ¡°Oh, o-okay...¡±


    The more I looked at her, the stranger she seemed¡ªseemingly unkind, yet oddly considerate.


    ***


    Due to Riana¡¯s stamina issues, our progress was much slowerpared to the other teams. We had to take breaks intermittently, using the machete as a hot pack, hugging it to recover some body heat before moving forward again.


    ¡°What happens if we get lost? As a matter of fact, aren¡¯t we already lost?¡±


    The heavy rain seemed to have caused Riana to lose her sense of direction. I pointed up to the sky.


    ¡°We can climb a tree to check.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Climbing trees was simple, and even if we got lost, we could regain our bearings from a higher vantage point. If we really couldn¡¯t find our way, we could just keep going in any direction until we reached the sea, then follow the coastline. Riana seemed content with that n, quietly clinging to the jungle machete as if it were a cherished doll.


    ¡°But how are we supposed to find an animal worth hunting in this rain¡ª¡± Riana was grumbling when her eyes suddenly widened. ¡°Isn¡¯t that it, over there?¡±


    I followed where Riana was pointing, and saw a deer drinking from a puddle of rainwater that had collected in a small depression in the ground.


    I ced a finger over my lips, gesturing for silence, and Riana nodded with a tense expression.


    The deer hadn¡¯t noticed us yet.


    It was about fifteen meters away, beyond the range of Riana¡¯s abilities. I had a javelin, but I wasn¡¯t ustomed to throwing spears. Even with the aid of my supernatural powers, could I bring it down with one blow?


    ¡°Let¡¯s approach it slowly,¡± I whispered.


    Riana nodded silently. Luckily, because of the heavy rain, the deer didn¡¯t detect our footsteps.


    We managed to close the distance to about ten meters. It seemed easy enough to hit it from this range.


    However, if we didn¡¯tnd a fatal blow, it would just run away.


    ¡®<i>What do I do?</i>¡¯


    We only had one javelin, which meant we only had one chance. I took out the javelin and showed it to Riana.


    ¡°Can you create an electric current and make it linger inside this?¡±


    I was wondering if, instead of simply heating the metal with electricity, it was possible for her to leave a residual current in the javelin itself. Normally, it would be impossible, but she had already shown an aptitude for applying her abilities in a practical manner.


    In simple terms, it was like applying a lightning enchantment to a weapon.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I can do it.¡±


    Riana concentrated and began to run a current through the de of the javelin.


    Then...


    <i>Zzzing</i>!


    ¡°Ughhhrrrghr!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Of course, running a current through the wet javelin would electrocute the person who was holding it, something both Riana and I hadpletely forgotten about.


    ***


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t killed.


    However, it was a natural consequence that the deer had run away, scared off by the strange scream I¡¯d let out as I was electrocuted.


    We were just a pair of clowns...


    Both of us stood there in the rain, soaked in a sense of self-loathing for having carelessly let the deer escape.


    ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t you, an electric ability user, have known better?¡±


    Riana red daggers at me for my audacious retort.


    ¡°Oh, and how did you manage to ce first in ss with that kind of brain?¡±


    ¡°Did you just make ament about my brain?¡±


    ¡°Be d I didn¡¯t call you a noodle-brain. Oh, it would actually be fortunate if you were indeed a noodle-brain, since at least it wouldn¡¯t conduct electricity. What a pitiful, clumsy brain you have.¡±


    That was how she differed from Harriet.


    As stubborn as she was, the real difference was that not only did my jabs not affect her, but her retorts hit me even harder. If the argument went on, it might actually escte to a physical scuffle, so I backed off.


    ¡°... Okay, I admit defeat. Let¡¯s drop it.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Getting into a tussle with someone who wielded electricity on a rainy day? That was basically like begging for a heart attack to happen.


    In any case, we had both gotten overly excited at the prospect of securing our prey, and had lost our ability to make rational judgments. Upon reflection, I realized how stupid it had been for me to ask for a lightning enchantment during a downpour, and how it was just as crazy that Riana hadplied.


    I sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s try to find it again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably run far away.¡±


    We began to walk in the direction that the deer had fled. The heavy rain had turned the ground to mud, and it was impossible to make anything out. We had neither the talent nor the technique for tracking. Apparently, watching a few episodes of ¡°Survivor¡± or Bear Grylls didn¡¯t equip one to track down animals.


    We had no choice but to walk aimlessly.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s gone far off¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    Fortunately, the deer hadn¡¯t gone far. After about ten minutes of walking, I saw some bushes twitching in the distance.


    <i>Rustle</i>!


    The bush was shaking unnaturally. There was something there, but whether it was the deer or not, we couldn¡¯t tell. Both Riana and I approached stealthily, maintaining silence, holding the javelin ready in case an immediate response was required.


    <i>Kyaaaah</i>!


    A chilling, low roar that seemed to stiffen every muscle reverberated through the air.


    It was a wild beast.


    As we drew closer, we saw a jaguar. It was growling in a threatening manner and standing over the deer it had just caught¡ªthe same one we had been pursuing.


    ¡°!¡±


    Riana was petrified by the sight of the beast, and so was I. The sight of the animal alone made my body go rigid.


    This was crazy.


    There wasn¡¯t anything like this in the original work.


    Or perhaps there had been, but the original story simply hadn¡¯t touched on it?


    I gently grabbed Riana¡¯s stiff arm and started to back away slowly.


    The jaguar had spotted us, and if we got any closer, it would charge. Whether I could react in time to match the agility of a member of the cat family was uncertain.


    Riana looked at me with terror-filled eyes and silently mouthed some words.


    ¡ªWhy is that kind of thing even here?!


    ¡ªIt is what it is.


    Riana seemed on the brink of a mental breakdown, as if questioning the absurdity of this mission, while I calmly guided her backwards, beating a steady retreat.


    The beast had caught its prey, and was unlikely to chase after us.


    There were two options...


    ¡ªShould we fight it and steal the prey, or should we just retreat?


    ¡ªIs that even something worth pondering?


    Riana red at me, hurling verbal abuse at me with just her eyes alone, as if I were some sort of lunatic.


    ¡ªWe can drive it off by throwing the javelin, using electricity, like before.


    A pause.


    ¡ªAre you actually a noodle-brain? Did you already forget you got electrocuted earlier?


    Riana seemed genuinely concerned now, as if she thought there was something seriously wrong with my head.


    ¡ªNo, not me. You.


    Of course, I hadn¡¯t forgotten the shock I¡¯d received earlier on. We had to throw the lightning-enchanted javelin somehow, but she had to be the one to throw it, since she was immune to electricity.


    ¡ªMe? You want me to throw the javelin and hit that thing? Do you think that¡¯s doable?


    ¡ªYou thick-skull, who said anything about hitting it?


    I pointed to a puddle near the thicket where the beast lurked.


    ¡ªJust aim for that puddle over there.


    The whole ce was dotted with puddles due to the rain, and the ce where the jaguar had caught the deer was almost certainly covered in water.


    Only then did Riana seem to grasp what I was suggesting.


    ¡ªBut what if it dodges? It might attack us.


    ¡ªIf it charges at us, I¡¯ll try to do something about it.


    ¡ªWhat can you possibly do?


    ¡ªJust do it. I¡¯ll handle it somehow.


    My physical abilities might not be as quick as a beast¡¯s, but if the jaguar charged, it would enter Riana¡¯s range. If I could attract its attention for even a moment, Riana could attack it with her electricity.


    It didn¡¯t seem like a life-threatening situation, so I was willing to take that risk.


    Riana seemed uncertain, but eventually, she took the javelin. To avoid any possibility of me getting shocked, she stepped back a bit and, with a doubtful expression, threw the javelin with all her might.


    Then...


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°... Did that really just happen?¡±


    The javelin had missed therge puddlepletely, and buried itself directly into the trunk of a tree. It was so spot on that it looked as if she had intentionally aimed for it, which made the miss all the more frustrating.


    <i>Kyaaahh</i>!


    Sensing the attack, the jaguar charged.


    ¡°W-What do we do now!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    I grabbed the machete and held it out in front of me, facing the charging jaguar. The beast rushed toward us with rming speed, almost too fast for the eyes to follow.


    If I tried to stab it, it was going to dodge. So I switched my grip, holding both the handle and the de horizontally, the way Ellen sometimes did when demonstrating her half-swording technique. Instead of stabbing it, the idea was to block and fend off the attack.


    ¡°Just sh it!¡±


    I deceived myself.


    This time, it was not about physical enhancement.


    ¡®<i>My body will be an instor!</i>¡¯


    <i>ng</i>!


    As I thrust the jungle machete horizontally into the charging jaguar¡¯s jaws, a blue spark shed in Riana¡¯s eyes.


    <i>Kyaaah</i>!


    ¡°<i>Ughhh</i>!¡±


    I felt an agonizing surge of electricity contracting and rxing my muscles from my head to my toes.


    The jaguar, repelled by the force, stumbled. I couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    Forcing my unresponsive body to move, as if awakening it, I charged towards the jaguar.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    I brought the machete de down, right on the beast¡¯s head. It did not feel like I was slicing through something. It was more like the sensation of something breaking, jolting straight through my hand.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    The fight hadsted less than five seconds.


    Yet, thanks to the quick activation of abilities by both Riana and me, and the fast response time of our supernatural powers, we had managed to achieve this oue, which would have been impossible otherwise.


    ¡°Are you... are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Phew...¡±


    I looked at Riana and gave a wry smile.


    ¡°Sometimes you¡¯ve got to get electrocuted like that to kill off any parasites that might be in your body.¡±


    ¡°What... What are you even saying?¡±


    Riana gave me a look of serious concern, clearly wondering if being zapped by electricity twice in rapid session had scrambled my brain.


    Damn...


    A wild beast had just charged at me. It was a wonder I¡¯d managed to react to it at all.


    One wrong move and I could have been eliminated right then and there.

 Chapter 101

    <h4>Chapter 101</h4>


    Hauling back the deer on its own was already difficult enough, so there was no way we could have brought back the jaguar as well. I¡¯d heard from somewhere that one shouldn¡¯t consume carnivorous animals, so I didn¡¯t even want to bring it back anyway.


    Riana was utterly exhausted just from helping to transport the single deer, and her stamina was seriously depleted.


    ¡°Huff... Huff... Huff...¡±


    Upon returning to camp, Riana copsed near a tree stump, where Heinrich had managed, through great effort, to kindle a fire. The pouring rain threatened to extinguish it, but Heinrich kept the mes alive, resulting in a continuous plume of rising steam.


    ¡°Granz, are you okay?¡± Heinrich asked with a concerned look, and Riana nced at him, her arms and legs trembling.


    ¡®<i>Oh yeah, that¡¯s right...¡¯</i>


    I remembered that the setting was that Heinrich had a crush on Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Do I... look okay to you...¡±


    ¡°Ah, right... Well, no.¡±


    ... Somehow, I felt like I understood why she was pretending to be all tough.


    She was basically just a female version of me, a female version of Reinhart. Hence, she spoke in a gruff manner and acted tough, but in the end, got all the necessary jobs done.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a jaguar basically like a tiger?¡± Harriet asked.


    Harriet had asked us how we¡¯d managed to capture the deer, and was astonished when she heard about the wild beast that we¡¯d encountered during our hunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a tiger, but something simr.¡±


    ¡°... And you killed it? <i>You </i>did?¡±


    She seemed doubtful, unable to believe it. Surely, it must have sounded like a tall tale that two 17-year-olds had fended off a jaguar.


    I pointed toward the deer corpse.


    ¡°Well, do you think it¡¯s possible to do something like that with <i>my</i> mouth?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah...¡¯</i>


    Only after the words had left my mouth did I realize that the way Granz and I spoke was exactly the same.


    In any case, the deer¡¯s neck had been torn open, and it was clearly not something that could have been done with human teeth.


    That confirmed to Harriet that we had indeed encountered a wild beast.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Harriet asked, peering at me with a slightly worried face.


    ¡°... I got electrocuted, but I¡¯m alright.¡±


    ¡°Electrocuted? Why would you get¡ªOh.¡±


    Harriet seemed to suddenly remember that I hade back with Riana, and nodded nkly.


    It was actually Riana who had nearly killed me, and not the jaguar.


    However, Harriet had asked me if I was hurt, and I didn¡¯t mind that at all.


    Despite the ongoing rain, the camp had been considerably rebuilt. The copsed structures had been restored, and those busy working would return to the fire that Heinrich was tending whenever they grew too cold to warm up before getting back to work.


    I tied the deer¡¯s hind legs with vines and hung it on arge tree branch, just the way I had seen it done from over someone¡¯s shoulder.


    Then...


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°Yeek!¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°Eck...¡±


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    I chopped through the deer¡¯s neckpletely with an axe. I could have slit the artery, but the carcass was already muddy, and the area that the jaguar had sunk its teeth into was most likely severely infected with bacteria. Blood began to flow out, and frankly, it was not a pleasant sight.


    Next, I slit the deer¡¯s belly open and removed the entrails.


    My ssmates were all horrified by the gruesome scene. Their expressions seemed to ask, ¡°How could anyone do such a thing?¡±


    Harriet, Riana, and even Adelia were shaking violently.


    ¡®<i>Hey, I feel just as nauseated and as close to vomiting as you guys!</i> <i>But since none of you would even dare to do it if I asked you to, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s doing it!</i>¡¯


    ¡°Dammit. Do you think I¡¯m doing this because I <i>want</i> to? You guys are looking at me like I¡¯m some kind of animal. Do any of you want to do it? Huh?¡±


    When I shouted irritably, they all evaded my gaze.


    Of course, even I had to admit that with my face, hands, and clothes all drenched in bright red blood, I looked horrifying.


    ***


    Both the campsite team and the hunting teams had to perform tremendous physicalbor without even having breakfast, in the midst of the unrelenting downpour. It was only natural that everyone was incredibly exhausted, even if they weren¡¯t necessarily suffering from dehydration.


    Even with Heinrich present, grilling meat in the midst of a torrential downpour was a difficult task.


    After bleeding and skinning the deer, I chopped up the deer meat using an axe and a machete. It was a rather violent process, more akin to hacking than cutting, since Icked the skill in both butchery and de-boning.


    I ced the chunks of meat into arge pot and boiled them.


    It was a crude and simple operation. If there had been spices or other ingredients, I might have been able to make something that resembled a proper meal, but none were avable. The only seasoning we had was salt.


    Heinrich and Riana both helped to heat the pot with fire and electricity, assisting the boiling process.


    As the pot simmered and the meat cooked, I could see the change in everyone¡¯s eyes. It was the third day already, and we were all on the brink of going mad from hunger. No one cared about the taste; we just wanted to eat something, anything, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the meat to be cooked.


    When the meat was almost ready, Vertus and Cliffman returned from the jungle.


    Vertus¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the remaining chunks of deer meat.


    ¡°Oh, did you guys catch this?¡±


    It seemed Vertus also had some sess, having caught a total of seven creatures, including birds and small animals.


    ¡°How did you manage to catch so many?¡±


    In a way, I had stolen the prey that some other animal had caught, but Veruts had genuinely taken down seven animals himself.


    It dawned on me that I had forgotten just how formidable Vertus was, not just mentally, but physically as well.


    ¡°These guys won¡¯t offer much in the way of food, though.¡±


    Even so, I was amazed he had caught seven.


    Vertus chuckled as he saw the look in my eyes. ¡°Reinhart, hunting is quite amon hobby among the nobles, you know. Of course, it¡¯s not usually hunting of this kind.¡±


    Since Vertus stood at the pinnacle of high society, it made sense that he was familiar with hunting.


    But when nobles went hunting, didn¡¯t they just wait around to shoot prey that was driven towards them by their servants? Vertus seemed to be doing slightly more than that, especially since Ellen had taken the bow, meaning he aplished this hunt with just a spear.


    Vertus¡¯ actual hunting skills must have been impressive.


    Vertus looked around the camp and then asked me, ¡°Has Ellen returned yet?¡±


    ¡°It seems like she hasn¡¯t.¡±


    Ellen hadn¡¯t returned. She was somewhere out there, and we didn¡¯t know what she was doing. But neither I nor Vertus was worried about her running into trouble since we knew what she was capable of. The others seemed a bit concerned, though.


    ¡°It seems Erhi isn¡¯t around either.¡±


    Hisment made me realize that Erhi de Raffaeli was not at the campsite either.


    In response to Vertus¡¯s query, Heinrich said cautiously, ¡°Erhi... he said he was going to...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°He went into the forest... to look for Kaier.¡±


    His friend was missing, and since no one else seemed intent on searching for him, he had recklessly entered the jungle by himself.


    After hearing this, I looked over at Connor Lint, who was also staring nkly into the deeper part of the jungle.


    Connor Lint, Kaier Vioden, and Erhi de Raffaeli.


    Those three were extremely close, so it was natural for them to worry about each other.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a chance to stop him before he just rushed in...¡±


    Erhi had run off solo, at a time when acting alone was highly unsafe.


    Vertus¡¯s brow furrowed as he pondered the situation, before finally letting out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put these thoughts aside for a moment and eat first.¡±


    For now, the deer meat alone was enough to feed us, so we stopped our work and gathered to eat the fully cooked deer meat, skewered on wooden sticks.


    It was tough but edible, as it had been seasoned with salt.


    As I answered Vertus¡¯s questions about how we managed to catch the deer, the topic of the jaguar came up. When he heard how Riana and I had coborated to ensnare the jaguar, Vertus seemed momentarily stunned.


    ¡°A jaguar? It¡¯s surprising enough that such a creature was out there, but even more so that you managed to stop it.¡±


    Honestly, if I was to be exact, Riana was the one who had stopped it, and I had just dealt the final blow. But the fact that I had managed to withstand being struck by lightning was, in some way, a testament to my abilities as well.


    While we were eating, Harriet suddenly burst into a vacantugh.


    ¡°Heh, heh-heh... Heh...¡±


    ¡°... Thick-Skull... Why are you freaking everyone out all of a sudden...?¡±


    A jolt of worry ran through the rest of us when the usually gloomy and irritable girl suddenly startedughing like she was out of her mind. Harriet was soaked from the rain, listlessly chewing on the tough deer meat andughing mindlessly.


    ¡°Saint-Ouen? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Even Vertus seemed concerned as he checked Harriet¡¯splexion.


    Had she eaten some kind of psychedelic mushroom while I wasn¡¯t looking?


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just... In just a few days, we¡¯re all here eating like this, as if it¡¯s normal... And suddenly... suddenly it seemed funny to me...¡±


    That sentiment seemed toe from a profound contemtion, like a moment of enlightenment¡ªin just a few days, here we were, together, eating deer meat boiled in saltwater under the rain, regardless of our social status. This realization seemed to hit everyone simultaneously.


    In fact, everyone was now eating with satisfaction, without anyints, content merely with the fact that there was food at all. The deeper the hunger, the less it mattered what they were eating. This had to be some form of self-derision.


    It seemed that Harriet wasn¡¯t even angry anymore; she found the absurdity of the situation amusing.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, it is kind of funny.¡±


    Vertus, too, seemed to suddenly find the situation ridiculous and chuckled as he continued to tear into the meat.


    The nobles, especially, wereughing senselessly, and theirughter didn¡¯t seempletely negative, which was rather bizarre. Their expressions suggested that they hade to some new and unexpected realization.


    ***


    Even after we finished our protein-packed meal, Ellen and Erhi had still not returned.


    Connor Lint appeared anxious about Erhi noting back.


    ¡®<i>Would he run into the jungle too if left on his own?</i>¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not so worried about Ellen, but something might have happened to Erhi.¡±


    Vertus seemed troubled, absorbed in thought. Searching for them could entangle us in even more trouble, which would be another headache to deal with.


    ¡°Alright. The campsite team will keep working on what needs to be done, and the hunting team will go on a search for Erhi, and do a little reconnaissance. But don¡¯t go in too deep.¡±


    Riana slumped and raised her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t do any more today.¡±


    Although the meal served to replenish some of her energy, she had overexerted herself by carrying the deer back with me earlier in the day.


    ¡°Are you too exhausted, Granz?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t move even if you beat me.¡±


    Apparently, Granz wasfortable speaking bluntly even with Vertus.


    ¡°Alright, then it can¡¯t be helped. In that case, Cliffman, me, and Reinhart will each head out individually. Since we¡¯re all going alone, don¡¯t go in too deep. Let¡¯s just sweep the nearby area ande back. Let¡¯s return in a maximum of one hour¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    One person¡¯s solo action was now causing three others to have to set out on their own. This incident would probably mark Erhi as unhelpful in Vertus¡¯s eyes moving forward.


    With Vertus and I armed with machetes, and Cliffman wielding a javelin and an axe, we entered the jungle, each going in a different direction.


    ***


    ss A¡¯s bottom trio, the three hopeless stooges: Kaier Vioden, Erhi de Raffaeli, and Connor Lint.


    Originally, Kaier was the one who despised and trampled on ss B at every opportunity, Erhi had the role of bullying Scarlett until he received a lesson from Ludwig, and Connor Lint, though not particrly a bully, was known for chasing after girls.


    They were in ss A, but frankly, they were just a trio of nobodies. They had tried to pick a fight with me, the bottom student of ss A, but ever since they¡¯d been put in their ce, they behaved in a subdued way.


    Their talents were notable, but either their effort wascking, their abilities were mediocre, or they had exceptional talents that came with significant ws.


    Despite this, the three of them were very close friends. While it seemed only natural for Erhi, who was so close to the other two, to worry about Kaier¡¯s disappearance and venture alone into the jungle, it was also somewhat surprising.


    Kaier was clearly doomed to fail the mission, and following the typical thriller narrative, Erhi would be the next one to fail. If you don¡¯t stay put when you¡¯re told, you¡¯re basically asking to be the next victim. That¡¯s how these stories typically go.


    Then, as each subsequent person acts alone in searching for the lost friend, they be victims one by one¡ªthe ssic development of a thriller.


    It was funny to think about it. If this were a ssic thriller plot, then surely Ellen Artorius, who one would expect to be the final survivor, would perish trying to save the protagonist in the end.


    And Harriet, theiner, wouldn¡¯tst long either.


    <i>What¡¯s that? The timid, terrified, supposedly first-to-die Adelia is the final survivor? So, in the end, the main character was actually Adelia!</i>


    That summarized the predictable way in which a ssic thriller would develop.


    If our story was going to follow that narrative, then those who disregarded the warnings and went searching for the missing person would end up dying alongside them.


    Out of the three of us, then, who would be the first to bite the dust?


    It wasn¡¯t likely to be Vertus, so it was between Cliffman and me.


    Solely based on character significance, it seemed right for Cliffman to be the one, regardless of individual ability.


    Or, alternatively, while the three of us were away, the camp¡ªleft with only nonbatants¡ªcould be attacked.


    I walked through the jungle, apanied by these useless thoughts. After all, the concern over that night¡¯s dinner had been resolved.


    Honestly, whatever happened to Erhi was none of my concern, so I didn¡¯t intend to actively search for Erhi. I was out for a leisurely stroll through the jungle.


    Surviving until the end of the mission would grant achievement points. Therefore, the oue was irrelevant to me. If I found Erhi, good; if not, so be it. I was hoping for ss B to win, but I wasn¡¯t going to do anything that would look suspicious, like giving them hints.


    Walking alone through the pouring rain, the sights of the jungle drew my attention anew.


    If there was a verdant hell, this would be it. The realization hit me anew: nature was beautiful, but when it was overwhelming, it could be dreadful in its own way.


    Everything should be in moderation.


    <i>Gush, gush, gush...</i>


    In such a ce, there was no need for ASMR rain sounds.


    Being pelted directly by the rain wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant, though.


    Even if the rain stopped, that brought issues of its own. Even if I couldpletely dry off that night and sleep, the jungle would be even more humid than usual when we entered again the next day, and I might very well be steamed alive then.


    As I thought about the next day, my mood soured preemptively, and just when I was beginning to think it might be time to head back, I heard voices cutting through the rain.


    ¡ªMove out of the way, I said.


    ¡ªAnd what if I don¡¯t?


    The sound of conversation drifted through the rain and reached my ears.

 Chapter 102

    <h4>Chapter 102</h4>


    Pushing through the underbrush, I cautiously moved forward and came upon a bizarre scene that was unfolding before my eyes.


    Erhi and Scarlett were confronting each other. Something was on the ground next to Scarlett. It seemed to resemble some sort of animal, indicating a sessful hunt.


    Erhi was blocking Scarlett¡¯s path and provoking her.


    That bastard never changed his habits, and had picked a fight with Scarlett upon encountering her.


    ¡ªHey you, Freak-Eyes, do you think you¡¯re something? Are you talking back to me now?


    ¡ª...


    ¡ªYou¡¯d better leave that behind unless you want trouble.


    It appeared as though Erhi was trying to snatch away the animal Scarlett had hunted down. Why was this bastard, who had entered the jungle to find his friend, needlessly picking a fight with the wrong person?


    Just as I resolved to intervene before that fool Erhi did something even sillier...


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Uck!¡±


    I saw, in vivid detail, how Scarlett¡¯s swift kick to Erhi¡¯s belly sent him flying through the air. She slowly walked towards the fallen Erhi and nted her foot firmly on his face.


    ¡ªThe princess said...


    ¡ªYou, you freak-eyed wretch...


    ¡ªThat no matter what I do to you, she¡¯ll protect me.


    ¡ªWh... What?


    Erhi seemed startled, and that revtion was met with two more kicks to his abdomen, courtesy of Scarlett. I could clearly see him curled up in pain, gasping for air.


    Scarlett fixed Erhi with a chilling gaze.


    ¡ªThe only reason I¡¯m not repaying you in kind for all the horrible things you did to me is because I don¡¯t want to be the same imbecile as you.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Kek!¡±


    After delivering one final kick to Erhi¡¯s face, Scarlett murmured quietly,


    ¡ªBe careful. I¡¯m not sure what I might do to you if I lose my self-control.


    It seemed like Scarlett was struggling to contain her surging desire for vengeance. Apparently, she believed that if she lost even a hint of restraint, she might end up killing Erhi.


    Erhi, hisplexion now pallid, couldn¡¯t even look up at Scarlett as she walked away.


    He must have known that Scarlett was far more skilled than him. But he was a scoundrel who kept bullying her, knowing that she¡¯d endured it out of fear of expulsion from the Temple.


    However, now that Scarlett had gained an ally named Charlotte, she no longer feared that punishment.


    Unlike the original story, Scarlett had gained Charlotte¡¯s backing.


    Consequently, she was able to subdue Erhi all by herself, without Ludwig¡¯s help.


    Once Scarlett had left, I waited before emerging from the underbrush. I looked at Erhi, who sat still, crumpled and trembling in fear.


    ¡°Re... Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡±


    I grabbed the cor of the idiot who was slumped on the ground and pulled him forcefully to his feet.


    ¡°Did you see that? You saw that, right?! That freak-eyed moron hit me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I saw it.¡±


    ¡°That freak-eyed moron finally showed her true colors! That son of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut the hell up.¡±


    I red fiercely at Erhi, annoyed that I had to even listen to all that.


    ¡°Is getting beaten up something to be proud of, you pathetic fool?¡±


    <i>p</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Howe you never learn to keep quiet, and always cross the line?¡±


    Erhi had run his mouth unnecessarily, and got hit by me as well.


    Knowing that I was not one to be trifled with, he didn¡¯t dare utter the nonsense about how a peasant would dare toy hands on a noble.


    He knew very well that if he said such things, I¡¯d merely strike him again like the madman I was.


    ¡°You should be worried about what Vertus is going to say, and not this nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Wh... What?¡±


    Because of his unauthorized solo action, three ssmates had been forced to risk danger by entering the jungle alone.


    It wasn¡¯t the beating from Scarlett that was the problem, but what he¡¯d have to face upon his return. My words made him go pale, and hisplexion turned ashen with worry.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to be useless. That can happen. In a group of people, it¡¯s a natural urrence.¡±


    Vertus was leaning against a tree and addressing Erhi, who stood before him with his head bowed.


    There was a smile on Vertus¡¯s face, but it was clear to me that his mask was about toe off.


    ¡°But you see, I think there¡¯s a difference between someone being useless and someone being unnecessary,¡± Vertus continued.


    Uselessness and being unnecessary were different.


    It was okay to be useless. At the very least, a useless person did not harm the group.


    However, an unnecessary person was essentially someone who caused damage to the group. Hence, it was better to get rid of them.


    Erhi was neither physically fit like me, Cliffman, or Ellen who could scout the forest, nor did he have supernatural powers or magic like Harriet, Adelia, or Riana. Moreover, Connor Lint had at least been consistently fulfilling the role of providing a steady supply of coconuts.


    Among the students who were talented in Divine Power, Ashir from ss B was at least able to use divine magic, albeit on a very small scale. But Erhi couldn¡¯t even do any of that.


    With talents in Swordsmanship, Divine Power, and martial arts, he belonged in ss A, but due to hiszy and arrogant nature, he made no effort to improve himself.


    Erhi was a prime example of talent not corrting with skill.


    That was why, along with Kaier, Erhi was in charge of trivial tasks, tasks that anyone could do. And in this dire situation, he¡¯d decided to act alone, necessitating others to take unnecessary risks.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone from being just useless to being utterly unnecessary,¡± Vertus pointed out unreservedly. ¡°Erhi. Do you want to be someone who is unnecessary?¡±


    ¡°No... No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Vertus.¡±


    Though Vertus¡¯s tone was kind, the message was chilling.


    Vertus, who was teetering on the edge of extreme stress, was trying his best to maintain hisposure. In the midst of it all, though, Erhi had gone against the directive to avoid solo action. In other words, he had provoked Vertus at a very bad time.


    The ramifications were sure tost a while. It would have undeniably degraded Erhi¡¯s standing in Vertus¡¯s mind.


    Erhi, who had never heard such words from Vertus, was trembling.


    The others, though they hadn¡¯t heard everything clearly, were also looking over with concern.


    ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯ve done wrong, it¡¯s only fair you receive a punishment. Starting tonight, the night watch shifts will be in pairs.¡±


    Just the previous night, Kaier, who had been alone on the night watch, had gone missing. Hence, Vertus had decided to double the night watch going forward.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be on full-time night watch tonight. Let¡¯s make that your punishment,¡± Vertus continued.


    There would always be two people on watch, starting from that night, and Erhi was to keep watch all night, while the other person on watch with him would rotate.


    ¡°Th-Thank you, Vertus.¡±


    Erhi was actually thankful to Vertus for the rtively lenient treatment. It could have been much harsher.


    The camp had been reorganized, and there was enough food for the evening. Everyone was currently focused on making rain catchers to store rainwater. Once the rain stopped, they would have to continually produce distilled water again.


    As evening approached and the rain began to slowly let up, Ellen returned.


    ¡°... Wh-what is that?!¡± Adelia eximed, her eyes widening in astonishment as she muttered in bewilderment.


    Everyone was more surprised by what Ellen had brought back rather than her return.


    <i>Thump</i>.


    Ellen casually dropped what she had been carrying onto the ground.


    ¡°Picked it up on the way.¡±


    It was the jaguar that I had killed, but hadn¡¯t managed to bring back.


    The fact that she had dragged it back all by herself was impressive, especially since it must have been heavier because of the rainwater that soaked it. Everyone was curiously observing the dead jaguar, lying there with a cracked skull.


    When she heard that this jaguar was the one that Riana and I had brought down, Ellen tilted her head and offered a nonchnt ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Eek... poor thing. I feel sorry for it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I almost died because of this thing. What¡¯s there to feel sorry about?¡±


    Harriet seemed to pity the jaguar, with its head bashed in. Heinrich, on the other hand, appeared to have a different take, one that wasn¡¯t at all sentimental.


    ¡°But... What do we do with this? Can we even eat it?¡±


    While there was some consensus about eating the meat from the likes of deer and wild boars, there was an apparent apprehension over the meat of a predator.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not eating it,¡± Riana said.


    She looked reluctant to eat it, and it seemed that others shared her hesitation.


    ¡°Still, since Ellen went through all the trouble of bringing it back... Doesn¡¯t it feel a bit wasteful to just cast it aside?¡± Vertusmented.


    Honestly, even with her incredible strength, bringing it back all by herself must have been a terrible struggle.


    <i>¡®Hmm.¡¯</i>


    I suddenly remembered a saying that cat meat was good for the back.


    If that were actually true, how beneficial would the meat of a feline predator be for the back?


    ¡®<i>If that¡¯s the case... Since it¡¯s huge... Would it be, like, incredibly good for you?</i>¡¯


    I was momentarily curious, but I didn¡¯t really want to find out for myself.


    My back was doing just fine, and it wasn¡¯t like it was needed for anything yet...


    Vertus pondered for a moment beforeing to a decision.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about the meat, but if we skin it and sell its hide, it could fetch a high price. As for the meat, we¡¯ll eat it if we run out of other food.¡±


    He seemed to be thinking about what to do after the mission was over.


    ¡°Since Reinhart and Granz caught it, and Ellen brought it here, maybe the three of you can split the proceeds from the sale?¡± Vertus continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    Riana shook her head, indicating she wasn¡¯t particrly interested in money. Ellen and I made eye contact, but nothing seemed conclusive.


    ¡°Even if we decide to sell the hide... I¡¯m not exactly confident in handling that task.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well... skinning it properly is important, too, I guess.¡±


    Vertus scratched his head, as if to say that there was no helping it if we couldn¡¯t properly skin the animal. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, this could be worth about twenty gold coins. Even if it¡¯s not in the best condition, I¡¯m guessing we could still get at least half of that.¡±


    Twenty gold coins... That was ten million won.


    ¡°... I think I can do something about it,¡± I said.


    Indeed, there was nothing quite like money to spark one¡¯s creativity.


    ***


    I didn¡¯t have the confidence to skin the animal and process the hide myself, and if left alone, the carcass would begin to decay by the time the mission ended.


    So I took Ellen with me, and we dragged the jaguar¡¯s corpse over to where ss B was.


    ss B had almostpleted rebuilding their camp, and was just sitting down for a meal.


    ¡°What¡¯s this...?¡±


    The students from ss B were naturally surprised when Ellen and I suddenly appeared, hauling the jaguar carcass. They all stared nkly at therge feline creature as if it were some oddity.


    ¡°Hey, Delphine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Reinhart? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Can you skin this nicely for me?¡±


    While <i>I </i>might have been clumsy at skinning, I knew that Delphine would know how to do it well.


    Delphine pped her hands as if she understood what I had in mind.


    ¡°Well... I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll do a great job. I¡¯m not a professional, you know. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s sell it once the mission is over and split the earnings. As for the meat, if you guys from ss B want it, go ahead.¡±


    Since we only needed the hide, I decided to give away all of the meat to ss B. Everyone on our side was hesitant about consuming it anyway.


    As for Ellen, Delphine and I...


    The three of us agreed to split the profits. Of course, given the circumstances, we had to consider the possibility that the hide might dpose, or that the quality of it might not be good enough to sell.


    ¡°It¡¯s already unbelievable that such a creature even exists, and also how it was taken down. And now, you nning to sell its hide is just... amazing.¡± Charlotte shook her head in utter amazement, speechless at the absurdity of the situation.


    Her eyes said it all: ¡°Are you kidding me? Isn¡¯t this mission at all important to you, you idiot?!¡±


    ¡®<i>Hey, strictly speaking, it was Vertus who suggested selling the hide!</i>¡¯


    ***


    Somehow, with me somehow bing the intermediary, sses A and B, who should have beenpeting, were engaged in an unintended coboration.


    Of course, it was cooperation that was promoted by the prospect of money. As darkness fellpletely and the rain finally stopped, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.


    Heinrich and Riana began to dry the wet firewood, and soon a proper bonfire was started. Everyone gathered around it, drying their damp bodies. Vertus also began to cook the animals he had caught by smoking them above the bonfire, since, if left alone, the humid weather would quickly cause the meat to spoil.


    Despite the small number of people, the sight of everyone huddled together by the fire, trying to warm up, almost resembled what one would see at a pre-dawnbor market.


    ¡°Whew... Somehow I feel like, by tomorrow, we¡¯ll be wishing it was raining again.¡±


    Everyoneughed at Harriet¡¯s grumbling. Everyone had cursed the rain while it was falling, and the zing sun was just as annoying when it shone.


    As we ate the smoked meat that had been prepared for dinner, we dried off our wet bodies.


    ¡°By the way, Ellen, you were in the forest the longest today. Did you find anything?¡±


    Ever since Ellen had suddenly returned carrying the jaguar, I hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask her what she¡¯d been doing all day.


    ¡°I found a camp, possibly made by the other survivor.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened at this momentous piece of information. Their eyes seemed to question why she hadn¡¯t mentioned such important news earlier.


    ¡°I waited to see if they would return, but they never did, so I gave up and came back. It seems they¡¯ve made several camps, and live in whichever they feel like,¡± She continued.


    She had found a survivor¡¯s camp. But it wasn¡¯t just one camp; there were likely multiple camps scattered about.


    And there was more...


    ¡°There was something like a boneyard, too. And there were human skeletons in there.¡±


    ¡°Heeek!¡±


    The survivors were presumed to be cannibals...


    At that revtion, a palpable sense of horror swept through the group.


    ¡°This is one hell of a malevolent setup.¡±


    Vertus seemed to suspect that this wasn¡¯t just a simple group mission assigned by the Temple, but something designed to instill trauma.

 Chapter 103

    <h4>Chapter 103</h4>


    Everyone seemed way too frightened, even considering that it was all part of the mission.


    Doubts were starting to creep in about whether this was really just a group mission, and it was bing tantly clear that some were thinking it might be better to just give up, since the situation felt so dire.


    However, clues about the survivor were gradually umting.


    The survivor attacked the camp at night, and they had multiple camps scattered throughout the ind. It seemed they ate their meals at their camp, but it was impossible to tell which camp they would be at any given time.


    The survivor appeared to be a cannibal.


    It was uncertain whether there was only one survivor, or if there were several.


    By now, everyone had realized that capturing the survivor was the specific condition for the mission.


    Capturing whoever was on the ind was the quickest way toplete the mission, but it also posed considerable risk.


    After finishing dinner, the group prepared for bed, unable to hide their apprehension.


    ¡°The rm system has been set up.¡±


    Harriet had installed a magic rm system around our camp that would go off if anyone besides us approached. That was the best safety measure we could take for now.


    Everyone entered their own makeshift shelters, soaked in a feeling of unease.


    Erhi would stay up all night to keep watch.


    ***


    <i>Beep, beep, beep</i>!


    The ring of the rm threw the camp into chaos.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡±


    Those who came to their senses quickly crawled out of the shelter. Cliffman, Ellen and I were the first ones to react.


    The rm had sounded, but by the time we realized it, it was toote.


    ¡ªAaah! Help meeee!


    ¡ªAah!


    We could hear two screams echoing from within the darkness of the forest. The others emerged from their shelters as well. They seemed to know that something had happened, as they were all stricken with fear.


    ¡°Wha... What do we do?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face was pale with fright.


    Both of the appointed watchmen had been kidnapped.


    ¡°It looks like Erhi and Adelia have been captured...¡±


    Both Erhi, who was on permanent watch, and Adelia, who was presumably on duty at this time, had disappeared.


    ¡°If they¡¯ve taken two, they¡¯ll definitely be slower. If we follow them now, we might be able to catch them,¡± Cliffman suggested.


    Vertus nodded quietly in agreement.


    ¡°That may be possible, but...¡±


    Everyone stared into the dark jungle, which had be even more forbidding. It seemed like they were finding it hard to take the first step in.


    Could we really go into that pitch-ck darkness and capture the attacker? It was clear that we wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish anything clearly, and the likelihood of us encountering danger was high.


    ¡°I can use light magic.¡±


    Adelia had been kidnapped right before our eyes, and Harriet stepped forward, as if to somehow ovee her fear.


    Vertus looked at Harriet and nodded.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s leave right now.¡±


    Ellen and Cliffman, who were the most skilled atbat, armed themselves with machetes, while Vertus, Riana, and I each took a javelin.


    ¡°It might be even more dangerous to stay in camp. If we¡¯re going to go, all of us need to move together,¡± said Vertus. ¡°Grab everything you can, down to the smallest knife.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    If we yed our cards right, we could end the mission that night.


    ¡°<i>Rescue the two kidnapped ssmates and leave this dreaded deserted ind.</i>¡±


    This moment seemed to offer an unparalleled opportunity.


    ***


    In the middle of the night, the jungle was bone-chillingly dark.


    <i>Rustle</i>... <i>Rustle</i>...


    Harriet led the way, summoned a sphere of light to illuminate our path, with Ellen and Cliffman nking her as guards.


    Vertus and Connor Lint were in the center, while Riana, Heinrich, and I took up the rear. Heinrich also lit a piece of wood, creating a torch to maintain the fire and illuminate our rear. Both the front and rear of our group could offer light to guide the way.


    ¡°There are footprints left behind.¡±


    ¡°Where? Show me.¡±


    The rain had stopped, enabling Ellen to spot the intruder¡¯s footprints. Vertus narrowed his eyes at the sight of the footprints.


    ¡°They¡¯re not well-defined... but it¡¯s clear the attacker isrge.¡±


    Judging by the size of the footprints, the intruder was definitely arge individual. That seemed to make sense, considering they had managed to flee with two kids, either being carried or slung over the shoulder.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep following these tracks.¡±


    Following the footprints could lead to us capturing the intruder. Everyone sensed the heightened tension, anticipating the possibility ofbat.


    ¡°Is... is this really... okay?¡±


    Connor Lint¡¯s words betrayed his doubt. He was questioning if this was truly part of the mission. His worries were in line with everyone else¡¯s.


    ¡°<i>Is this really just part of the mission? What are the teachers doing? Could this, in fact, be a real situation?</i>¡±


    Perhaps even this suspicion and fear had all been nned by the teachers as part of the group mission. However, students being kidnapped right before our eyes made us wonder if there was a need for such things to really happen in a test.


    However, what awaited us was a potentially more dire situation...


    We all moved forward in silence, thoroughly vignt of our surroundings. The intense fatigue had been momentarily lost amidst this terrifying tension.


    After walking for some time, those in the lead suddenly came to a halt.


    ¡°There¡¯s something over there.¡±


    At that warning, everyone held their breath. There, where Ellen was pointing, something shimmered, like a faint light.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Should we go after it?¡±


    As we briefly exchanged opinions, the distant light started moving toward us.


    Shortly, we could make out who they were. Someone who moved through the jungle as swiftly as the wind soon revealed themselves.


    ¡°Are you guys also out searching?¡±


    It was Delphine Izadra.


    ***


    It turned out we were not the only onesbing the jungle in the middle of the night; ss B was also on the move. It was the first time since the group mission had begun that we were gathered in one ce, albeit a few members short.


    ss A and B hade together. Charlotte and Vertus, while not exactly joining forces, both wanted to resolve the current situation quickly. They quickly started a conversation.


    ¡°Two people have been kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charlotte and Vertus were holding a discussion as representatives of their respective sses, while the rest were keeping guard of the surroundings.


    Although there was apetitive aspect to this mission, students of both sses were mentally exhausted. Focusing on victory was one thing, but Charlotte and Vertus both seemed eager to share information if it meant bringing an end to the mission as soon as possible.


    ¡°Both Lanian and Cristina were kidnapped as well.¡±


    The day before, one person had been taken from each ss, and now, it was two each. The remaining number of participants was down to eight per ss. Vertus, with his arms crossed, stared into the darkness of the forest.


    ¡°Given the timing of it all, I¡¯m confident that it can¡¯t possibly be just one person mounting these attacks...¡±


    As with the day before, it was impossible for a single attacker to hit two camps simultaneously. Vertus seemed to think there were at least two attackers. Charlotte nodded in agreement with his spection.


    ¡°Yes, I know for a fact that there¡¯s more than one.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯ve confirmed that?¡±


    ¡°We were further ahead of you guys. We discovered that the tracks split into two.¡±


    Thanks to Delphine, who was skilled in hunting and tracking, ss B had been able to move more quickly and discover more information than us.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯se to this, let¡¯s each follow one of the tracks.¡±


    There were two sets of tracks.


    Charlotte proposed that ss A and B each follow one set, and Vertus agreed.


    One set of tracks led deep into the ind, while the other seemed to head in the opposite direction. Charlotte left the choice up to Vertus, who chose to follow the tracks leading further ind.


    ¡°But if there are two attackers and capturing both is the condition for sess, what happens if both groups capture one?¡± asked Riana. She was wondering if there could be a situation where both sses imed victory.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s about scoring extra points, they might evaluate other aspects as well... But I think it¡¯s more troubling that we need to catch both toplete the mission.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t just one but two attackers, the mission wouldn¡¯t end until both were apprehended. Thinking about that seemed to cause Vertus a headache.


    It was nighttime, and despite having some light, visibility was limited. While we continued to follow the tracks, ss B, which could rely on Delphine¡¯s tracking expertise, would likely be able to move more quickly.


    The howling of unknown nocturnal creatures could be heard in the jungle at night.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    ¡°Wh-what was that!¡±


    The sound of something stirring in the thick underbrush startled the kids, and I was no exception.


    Cold sweat beaded on everyone¡¯s faces and the backs of their necks.


    ¡°There might be nocturnal predators around that could suddenly attack us. Be careful.¡±


    We had already confirmed the presence ofrge felines and other dangerous predators. Leaving the attackers aside, there was a real possibility that these predators might attack us as well.


    It was obvious from everyone''s expressions that they believed entering this dense jungle in the middle of the night was madness.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    ¡°The ravine,¡± Ellen said.


    Soon, we reached the ravine that we had discovered earlier on.


    ¡°It looks like they crossed the river here,¡± she continued.


    Just as Ellen had said, the tracks ended at this point in the ravine. However, due to the torrential rain, the ravine was almost flooded, and the water was about to overflow its banks.


    ¡°How did they make it across?¡± Vertus asked.


    The state of the ravine, and the water flowing through it, was such that jumping across was out of the question. If we stepped into it, we would be swept away in an instant.


    Yet, it seemed clear that the attackers had crossed it.


    ¡°Look, over there... Can¡¯t we use this?¡±


    Connor Lint set down the bundle of rope he had been carrying over his shoulder.


    ¡°Oh right, we have this. Good job bringing it.¡±


    Following Vertus¡¯s instructions to bring whatever we could, Connor Lint had brought the rope along. Honestly, it seemed unlikely that Connor would be of much help, and he¡¯d been brought along only because it wouldn¡¯t be sensible to leave him at camp. Unexpectedly, however, the rope he had turned out to be useful in this situation.


    ¡°We could tie this to a tree on this side, and fix it to the opposite bank in order to make it across.¡±


    Naturally, such an idea urred to everybody.


    ¡°But how do we take it to the other side?¡±


    The fact remained that we needed to transport one end of the rope to the other side. Vertus looked at Ellen.


    ¡°Ellen, can you jump across?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s response merely confirmed Vertus¡¯s belief that it was absurd to leap across such a distance.


    We needed to cross, but there was no way to get the rope over to the other side.


    ¡®<i>No, that¡¯s not entirely true. There </i>is<i> a way.</i>¡¯


    ¡°If we tie a stone to the end of the rope and throw it across, that could get it to the other side,¡± I said.


    Vertus nodded.


    ¡°We could do that, but that only gets the rope across. It won¡¯t be tied to a tree or anything. In the end, someone has to cross over to tie it¡ª¡±


    Vertus mped up mid-sentence as realization dawned on him.


    It wasn¡¯t just Vertus. Everyone looked silently at Connor Lint.


    There was one person who could make it across.


    Someone whose body was capable of making the crossing.


    ¡°Hey... you guys... W-Why me? Why do I...?¡±


    Vertusid a hand on Connor Lint¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We believe in you, Lint.¡±


    Connor Lintcked the guts to refuse that kind of insistence.


    ***


    The operation proceeded smoothly, with the female students all averting their gazes from the ravine as Connor Lint used Teleportation to cross to the other side of the ravine naked. Cliffman tied a stone to the rope and threw it across, and Connor Lint hurriedly tied it to a nearby tree.


    Then, I crossed the ravine on the taut rope and handed the clothes I was holding to the guy on the other side.


    ¡°W-What kind of ridiculous situation is this...?¡±


    ¡°At least you are contributing,¡± I said.


    Connor Lint turned red with embarrassment. ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up for this!¡± he shouted.


    Nevertheless, Connor Lint¡¯s abilities had turned out to be quite useful during this mission. Once dignity was set aside, no one was as exceptionally gifted as him.


    ¡°Hey, guys! It¡¯s okay to cross now!¡±


    A fierce torrent roared through the deep ravine below, and all of us had to make it across, relying on just one rope. Naturally, those who weren¡¯t gifted inbat talents hesitated, and their hesitation was obvious to all.


    Harriet, in particr, was pale as a ghost, trembling as if she believed there was absolutely no way she could do this.


    Ellen was the next to cross after me, and Cliffman followed after her.


    As Cliffman made his way to the midpoint, clinging fiercely to the rope, Ellen, Connor Lint, and I saw something...


    Something that was approaching from behind the group...


    ¡°Wh... what... What is that...?¡± Connor Lint murmured, his face turning ashen.


    ¡°Run!¡± Ellen screamed.


    ¡°What are you guys doing? Run away, you fools!¡± I shouted.


    Only when my yelling joined Ellen¡¯s did the others look behind them.


    In the darkness, something was approaching the remaining kids. Something with glowing, blood-red eyes.


    A survivor on the uninhabited ind...


    Vertus stared nkly at the approaching behemoth, murmuring to himself in disbelief, ¡°The survivor is not... human...?¡±


    It was not a human...


    ¡°<i>Kror</i>!¡±


    A greenish face with crimson eyes.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    The kids scattered in panic and began to flee at the appearance of an orc.

 Chapter 104

    <h4>Chapter 104</h4>


    The first thing the orc did was not to seize the kids, nor to attack them.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    The orc smashed through the rope with its stone axe so that we could neither cross over to them, nor they to us.


    ¡°Cliffman!¡±


    <i>Ssh!</i>


    ¡°Ugh! Ack!¡±


    Cliffman, who had been dangling from the rope, fell into the water flowing through the ravine and was swept downstream. Ellen, Connor Lint, and I were stranded on the opposite side of the ravine, while the orc started chasing after the other fleeing kids.


    ¡°Wh-What is this? What¡¯s happening?! Is, is this even allowed?¡± Connor Lint eximed.


    Connor Lint, having seen Cliffman being swept away by the river and the massive, hulking orc emerging to pursue the other kids, was trying his best to deny reality.


    Orcs...


    They were a staple monster in medieval fantasy, and although I had intentionally arranged for them to exist in this world, seeing one in person was extremely chilling.


    In this world, orcs were not the trash, weak mobs that every other novel portrayed them as.


    Think about it¡ªwhy would a race with such overwhelmingly superior physical attributes whenpared to humans be considered mere weaklings?


    As I said before, while I didn¡¯t pay much attention to historical uracy, I had a peculiar persistence and stubbornness for things, which consequently made this phenomenon possible.


    Anyway...


    Seeing a Dwayne Johnson look-alike appear before your eyes with green skin, wielding a stone axe and roaring, would be enough to unnerve anyone, wouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Damn it....¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected the creature to make its appearance in such a manner, and I too felt a shiver run down my spine.


    Connor Lint¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Cliffman...¡± he mumbled in a daze.


    ¡°He probably failed the mission. The teachers will save him.¡±


    If he was left as he was, he would certainly drown, so he must have been rescued by now. The button-shaped artifact that we had been given at the beginning was a device that would allow us to give up during the mission, but it also served as a device that would cast a Recall spell in an emergency. The moment Cliffman¡¯s extreme distress was detected, he would have been summoned to where the teachers were.


    In the end, there would be no life-threatening situations during this mission. It was only meant to simte scenarios that came perilously close. That orc was merely a puppet, obeying all the summoner¡¯s orders. If the students were truly at risk of dying from the orc¡¯s attack, the Recall magic would be triggered, and they would be automatically withdrawn from the mission.


    Even knowing all of this, however, my legs tingled with anxiety. I wondered just how terrified the ones who didn¡¯t know this fact would be.


    ¡°If we defeat that thing, the mission is over, right?¡± Ellen asked calmly.


    ¡°... Probably?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re nning to take that thing down?¡±


    Connor Lint seemed incredulous at Ellen¡¯s nonchnt remark. Meanwhile, Ellen was gripping her machete and looking towards a distant flickering light.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    It was just one orc, but its massive frame wasrger than that of an adult man. Ellen seemed tock the confidence to even assert that she could take it down easily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only know if I try.¡±


    However, she seemed intent on attempting it.


    ***


    The orc was on the opposite side of the ravine, and all we were armed with was a severed rope, one machete, one javelin, and one small knife. But the biggest problem wasn¡¯t our weaponry...


    ¡°We can¡¯t even see clearly enough to do anything...¡± Connor Lint said.


    Connor Lint was right. We were missing the most crucial element¡ªlight. Harriet, Heinrich, and Riana, who could create light, were all on the other side. We had no light, and to confront the orc, we first needed to cross to the other side.


    ¡°We could reconnect the rope to get across,¡± I said.


    ¡°A-Are you serious? You¡¯re actually considering crossing that?¡±


    Connor Lint was horrified by my suggestion.


    The rope had been cut, but the severed end on the other side wasn¡¯t too far away. There was enough spare rope to re-tie the broken ends together.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to cross, stay here.¡±


    At my words, he adamantly refused to stay and feltpelled to use his Teleportation ability. While Ellen turned away, Connor Lint attached the rope I had thrown across to the other side¡ªnaked, of course. The cries of the other kids and the wailing of the orc echoed from deep within the forest.


    After crossing over, I handed over his clothes. As he dressed himself hastily, Ellen crossed over as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We couldn¡¯t move fast because it was dark, but we started heading in the direction of the screams. Ellen led the way slowly, making sure of the path ahead. Connor Lint was in the middle, and I covered the rear.


    ¡°This can¡¯t... This can¡¯t be a good idea...¡± Connor Lint¡¯s voice trembled. He was convinced we were doing something dumb.


    The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that my past self had been insane. Did I seriously subject high school kids to this sort of experience? Wouldn¡¯t this leave them with traumas that they would never fully recover from?


    <i>Rooooar</i>!


    <i>Aaaahhhh</i>!


    Hearing the monstrous bellowing and the screams in the distance only solidified my belief that I had truly been a mad author.


    ***


    As the students of ss A were fleeing, Heinrich tripped over a vine, and the pursuing orc immediately attacked him. Almost instantly, he disappeared amidst the glow of the Recall spell. That effectively reassured the children, as it showed them that this was indeed part of the mission, and that being attacked by the creature didn¡¯t mean death, but simply withdrawal from this trial.


    Out of those who were fleeing the orc, only three of them were left: Vertus, Riana, and Harriet.


    ¡°Saint-Ouen! Can you use offensive magic?¡±


    ¡°I-I can, but I don¡¯t think I can do it right now!¡±


    One needed to be focused in order to use magic, and the current situation didn¡¯t allow for that, as focusing on escape alone was challenging enough.


    <i>Rooooar</i>!


    <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>!


    The orc, no longer moving stealthily, was bellowing as it chased after the children.


    Vertus clenched his teeth as he ran.


    Though it was all part of the way the mission had been set up, it was quite obvious and imusible to think that other humans could be living on the ind, a ce where various wild beasts existed. Despite seeing the excessivelyrge footprints, he had also been toocent in thinking that they might belong to a taller person.


    If he had considered it more deeply, he might have noticed the clues that should have warned them of this bizarre reality that they were facing¡ªbeing hunted by an orc.


    ¡®<i>That thing has sufficient intelligence as well,</i>¡¯ Vertus thought.


    The orc had intentionally waited for the moment the group was split up, trying to cross the ravine, before it attacked. It had even gone as far as to sever the rope while someone was in the middle of crossing it, causing Cliffman to fall into the ravine.


    It would be a mistake to assume the orc was just a simple-minded monster.


    ¡°Granz! Can you take that thing down with your lightning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure!¡±


    Harriet had the ability to use offensive magic, but it was difficult for her to concentrate in the current circumstances, and while Granz¡¯s lightning would be quick to cast, they did not know if it would be sufficient to take down the orc.


    Since Cliffman had been swept away with the machete in his hands, their only weapons were the two javelins that were in the hands of Vertus and Granz. Although Vertus wasn¡¯t at Cliffman¡¯s or Ellen¡¯s level in terms ofbat prowess, he had been training consistently. Since he had some talent inbat, he was aware that, if it came down to a physical fight against the orc, he was the only one with a potential advantage.


    <i>Rooooar</i>!


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get caught!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s sobbing cry suggested that this chase was nearing its end.


    ¡°Granz! I¡¯ll confront it. When I do, see if your lightning works!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Saint-Ouen, I know it¡¯s tough, but prepare your offensive magic. Try to concentrate as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°O... Okay, I¡¯ll give it a shot!¡±


    ¡°Climb a tree or something as well. It might try to attack you.¡±


    ¡°O... Okay...¡±


    The situation was desperate.


    ¡®<i>I wish Ellen was here. Or Reinhart, at least,¡¯</i> Vertus thought.


    He didn¡¯t know what choices those stranded on the other side had made, and now he had to face the orc with only these two by his side.


    If they could buy time, Riana¡¯s lightning might take down the orc. And if the lightning proved ineffective, then Harriet would have to attack the orc with her offensive magic.


    Most importantly, though, defeat did not necessarily equal death.


    <i>Thud</i>... <i>Thud</i>...


    However, for anyone confronting the orc, a behemoth that towered over two meters tall and was packed with muscles, it was impossible not to lose all hope and envision death looming before them.


    <i>¡®A fictitious scenario like this one must be intentionally designed to judge whether a student would be useful in realbat situations, or give up out of fear and prove themselves useless. It probably also assesses qualities like cooperation and leadership as well,¡¯</i> Vertus thought.


    He could vaguely determine why the mission had been set up like that.


    But knowing that did not help him make rational sense of the towering green monster in front of him. Even if the violence is fictional, sometimes what you see is all there is.


    To Vertus, the orc was a monster he had only read about in books. It was one of the most abundant demons in this world, and all of them were executed after the Great War.


    Humans had waged war against armiesposed of such monsters, and had emerged victorious. They had trampled over, torn apart, and killed monsters that were tens or hundreds of times more dangerous than any orc in order to achieve victory.


    The descendants of these victorious humans now aspired to the most dignified positions in the empire, and Vertus, aiming for such status, could not cower before an orc that was presumed to be merely something summoned by the teachers.


    Vertus was fine with losing, especially considering he was still young.


    <i>Grrrrr</i>....


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    However, he could not sumb to fear.


    One who aspired to be the next emperor must not fear such trivial matters.


    ¡°Come at me, you monster.¡±


    Vertus pointed his javelin at the orc.


    ***


    <i>sh</i>! <i>sh</i>!


    <i>Rooooar</i>!


    ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re fighting.¡±


    <i>Thud</i>! <i>Thud</i>!


    The sounds of the rampaging orc could be heard a distance away, apanied by periodic shes of lightning. Ellen and I quickened our pace.


    ¡®<i>What in the world is happening over there?</i>¡¯


    Heinrich wouldn¡¯t have been able to use his abilities inbat yet, and Harriet wouldn¡¯t be able to calm herself enough to cast spells in this situation. Most likely it was Vertus and Riana who were fighting.


    As we trudged on, we started to make out the scene, despite still being some distance away.


    It was nothing short of a desperate fight.


    <i>Zap</i>!


    <i>Gruh</i>!


    The orc, struck by a bolt of lightning that had been conjured by Riana, grimaced and stumbled back a few steps. The attack clearly had an effect, but it didn¡¯t seem to be enough to critically injure the creature.


    A javelin was already lodged in the orc¡¯s abdomen, and Vertus, wielding the javelin he received from Riana, was fending off the orc¡¯s approach. It was a wonder how he had managed to endure so far, considering how utterly battered he looked.


    Since it would have been impossible for him to overpower the creature using pure strength, Vertus must have been dodging and rolling, doing everything he could to avoid being hit.


    The lightning inflicted damage, but it only momentarily staggered the orc, and the javelins did not seem capable of dealing a fatal blow to the beast.


    ¡°<i>Kwaargh</i>!¡±


    Charging with its stone axe, the orc lunged at Vertus, who attempted to swiftly move to the side.


    And then...


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°D-Damn it...!¡±


    Vertus tripped over one of the many vines strewn along the ground, losing his bnce and tumbling. It was an inevitable mistake in the dimly-lit surroundings.


    The orc¡¯s axe was swinging down towards Vertus¡¯s head.


    ¡°Vertus!¡±


    <i>sh</i>!


    With a burst of light, Vertus¡¯s body disappeared.


    Vertus had been eliminated.


    ¡°<i>Rooooar</i>!¡±


    The orc, as if bellowing in victory, now charged towards Riana.


    <i>Zap</i>!


    <i>Gruh</i>!


    Riana remainedposed, pushing back the charging orc with her electric shocks whenever it came within range.


    The orc seemed to have caught on, realizing Riana would continue to fire off electricity, and it no longer tried to approach her closely.


    The orc changed its strategy.


    It grasped its axe and, with all its might, hurled it towards Riana.


    ¡°!¡±


    Caught off guard by the ferocious speed, Riana couldn¡¯t react in time, and her body vanished in a sh of light.


    Two of them had just been eliminated in front of my eyes.


    Thest one left was Harriet, who, for some reason, had climbed up a tree. The creature retrieved its axe and was now poised to throw it at Harriet.


    ¡°Oh no...¡±


    Harriet turned pale as she saw the axe aimed at her.


    The orc hurled it at her, and...


    <i>ng</i>!


    Ellen made her entrance, skillfully deflecting the flying stone axe.


    ***


    This survival mission to a deserted ind had been intended to demonstrate two things.


    Firstly, it would reveal that ss A had too manyiners, and it was difficult to get them to work together in a practical situation, while the students of ss B, despite being less talented, were overflowing with enthusiasm and always did what was necessary withoutints. This was the first point¡ªthat ss B was actually better than ss A.


    And the second point...


    <i>Roooar</i>!


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    <i>sh</i>!


    <i>Guah</i>!


    The second point was that Ellen Artorius from ss A was the only one who did not give up.


    Showing that Ellen hunted the orc alone would also demonstrate that she was immensely strong, much stronger than her peers by far.


    This was the first arc that established Ellen as a significant character in the entire story.


    In the original story, all of ss A, except for one, voluntarily withdrew, and not a single one from ss B chose to drop out voluntarily.


    However, while ss B emerged victorious in this group mission, Ellen was the only one who fulfilled the ¡°special condition¡±.


    This special condition was taking down the orc.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    ¡°<i>Gasp</i>!¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    It was obvious that Ellen was vastly outmatched in terms of strength. However, she deftly parried the creature¡¯s blows, dodged its attacks, and was methodically inflicting injuries upon it with her machete.


    The machete was not an ideal weapon for stabbing, and the orc¡¯s sturdy frame wasn¡¯t easily cut either.


    The wounds she inflicted were mere scratches on the orc¡¯s massive body. Yet, it was clear that the damage was umting, and Ellen was managing to deflect or evade every attack with impressive agility.


    For a moment, I could only look on, dumbfounded, as Ellen fought with such extraordinary moves, but I soon realized that this was no time to be a bystander.


    Of course, engaging in close range was risky, and interfering carelessly would only hinder Ellen¡¯s efforts.


    ¡°<i>Gasp</i>!¡±


    I enhanced my physical abilities and threw a rock at the back of the orc¡¯s head while it was turned away from me.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    <i>Roooaarrr</i>!


    Annoyed, the creature turned to roar at me, and Ellen didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to strike its back with her machete.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    <i>Guagh</i>!


    Caught between us, the creature rolled to the side, keeping both Ellen and I within its line of sight. It was clearly infuriated, already annoyed that it was struggling against what it perceived as inferior opponents.


    The orc, covered in blood, seemed to be deliberating whether to deal with me first, or with Ellen. Ellen was the more dangerous adversary, but the orc might have been considering whether it would be better to eliminate me quickly, if only for a moment.


    Despite knowing that my life wasn¡¯t on the line, I couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat.


    <i>Roarrrgh</i>!


    The orc charged at me, and I sidestepped, smoothly avoiding its rush.


    <i>Thoom</i>!


    Its stone axe whirled through the air, striking a tree instead of me. The sight of therge tree almost split in half by the stone axe was an absolutely chilling disy of brutal strength.


    Ellen seized the moment when the orc was caught off-bnce and darted towards it as the orc brought its stone axe down in a vertical chop.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    Dodging the axe as it struck the ground, Ellen reached for the javelin that had presumably been driven into the orc¡¯s abdomen by Vertus.


    <i>Squelch</i>!


    <i>Rraaargh</i>!


    Wrenching the javelin from the giant¡¯s body with one hand, Ellen wasted no time and thrust it straight toward the orc¡¯s eye.


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    <i>Kwaaarrrgh</i>!


    It was a seamless set of movements performed in an instant, almost as if she were dancing. She moved like water, without any superfluous actions, and the orc had no time to react.


    The orc, now debilitated and with one eye gone, staggered backward. Without any need for me to intervene, Ellen had nearly neutralized the orc on her own.


    And then...


    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s ready...¡± came a somewhat deted exmation.


    <i>Rumbleeee</i>!


    A sound much more menacing than that deted exmation arose, and the jungle surged with crimson light. ncing behind me, I saw Harriet awkwardly perched in a tree, a burning sphere of scarlet mes floating to the right of her face.


    With a grunt, she yelled, ¡°Everyone, get away from that thing!¡±


    The orc, injured in the eye, began to stumble backward, but Harriet, who hadpleted her spell, was faster.


    <i>Psssshhhhh</i>!


    Both Ellen and I threw ourselves backward onto the ground, distancing ourselves from the orc.


    Then...


    <i>Boooommmm</i>!


    A huge explosion tore through the jungle.


    ***


    I had set the novel up such that the Fireball spell was equivalent to an anti-tank rocket, in modern terms.


    <i>Screech</i>!


    A tremendous explosion rang out, loud enough to cause our ears to ring.


    It was only natural that the orc, which had taken a direct hit, was sted to pieces. And it was only expected that Harriet would lose her bnce due to the shockwave generated by the explosion. She wobbled and tumbled out of the tree.


    ¡°Ah, Ahhh!¡±


    If things continued to y out this way, the orc would be defeated, only for Harriet to be disqualified due to potential death from a fall. She was too far away for me to catch her.


    Immediately, I yelled towards Connor Lint, who was a safe distance away, ¡°Hey! Catch her!¡±


    ¡°Wh-What? Huh¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Go and catch her, dammit!¡±


    Caught between embarrassment and the safety of his ssmate, Connor Lint quickly made his decision and performed a series of instantaneous teleports, miraculously catching Harriet in mid-air and gentlynding on the ground.


    Of course, he was stark naked all the while.


    ¡°Th... Thank y¡ª<i>eek</i>!¡±


    ¡°Th-there was no helping it!¡±


    Harriet was shocked to realize who had caught her, and even more so when she saw that her savior was the nude Connor Lint.


    Connor Lint put Harriet down and then disappeared again in a series of instantaneous teleports, evidently mortified by the situation.


    How many times today had that boy taken off and put on his clothes?


    Harriet looked bewildered, ncing back and forth between Ellen and me. Suddenly, her face crumpled up and she crawled over to me, clinging on desperately.


    ¡°That was... That was so scary!¡± she said, sniffing and sobbing. ¡°Waaah! Uaaaah!¡±


    Now that she finally felt safe, Harriet began to cry, clinging to me as she did so. She probably had no idea how she¡¯d managed toplete the Fireball spell in such a state of panic.


    And why was she clinging to me when it was Connor Lint who had saved her? He had to be feeling incredibly wronged by this...


    ¡®<i>What should I do?</i>¡¯


    It seems like I may have nted the g with her a bit too strongly during this mission.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be scared of after you¡¯ve sted it to pieces? You did great, kid.¡±


    ¡°Waaaahhhh!¡±


    I gently patted Harriet¡¯s back while she wept bitterly.


    In the original story, it was Ellen who hunted down the orc and of course, Ellen <i>had</i> dealt it a significant blow.


    However, it was Harriet, who¡ªin the original story¡ªwas supposed to give up on the mission on the second day, who had performed the remarkable feat of taking down the orc.

 Chapter 105

    <h4>Chapter 105</h4>


    There were four survivors from ss A: Ellen, me, Harriet, and Connor Lint.


    Harriet, who had been exposed to immense fear and stress, and then somehow managed to find enough calmness to use a high-level offensive spell, quickly passed out and fell asleep.


    I carried the sleeping Harriet back to camp, and afterying her properly down in the hut, I went out to where the campfire was.


    The fire had been extinguished, but the day had already broken, giving the sky a dark blue hue.


    ¡°... Shouldn¡¯t the mission be ending now?¡± asked Connor Lint, his voice filled with hope.


    We had discovered that the other survivors were actually orcs, and had even managed to take them down. Since that was so, then the mission should be over by now.


    ¡°There must be one more left.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so...?¡±


    There were two trails. If the trail that ss B had followed also led to an orc, that meant that there were, in fact, two orcs that needed to be hunted.


    ¡°So, does that mean we have to hunt thest orc?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If ss B manages to hunt down the orc that they were after, that would probably signal the end of the mission.¡±


    But there was a problem.


    ss B did not have the capabilities to fight an orc.


    Originally, the orc was supposed to chase them until only Ludwig and Delphine were left, and then Ellen would make her dramatic appearance and confront thest orc.


    At that point in time, Ellen would have already hunted one orc down on her own, and she would then take down the remaining one as well.


    Ludwig was supposed to be utterly astounded as he watched Ellen demonstrate her skills for the very first time... But since Ellen was, at the moment, right in front of me, such an event was not going to happen.


    If they faced the remaining orc, ss B would lead themselves to destruction. At that moment, though, Ellen and I were simply staring nkly at the sky together.


    What were we to do...


    I wanted to help Charlotte somehow, but it would mean that Ellen would have to step forward. Given her personality, it was likely that she would follow me willingly if I suggested going.


    ¡°Uh, what... What is this?¡±


    Suddenly, all of our artifacts began to glow.


    <i>sh</i>!


    We were all teleported somewhere in a sh of light.


    After the sudden activation of the Recall artifact, we found ourselves on a beach that was simr yet different from the one we had just been on. One of the differences was that, near the shore, there was a line of bungalows, like what one would expect in a resort.


    ¡°The special mission has beenpleted. As of now, the group mission is concluded.¡±


    In front of us stood Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang. Harriet seemed even more surprised than the rest of us, having been suddenly teleported while asleep.


    The sky was gradually bing a bright sky-blue...


    ***


    ¡°Four ss A survivors in total. One orc hunted down. The individual who made the kill was A-5, Harriet de Saint-Ouen.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser looked over at ss B.


    ¡°One survivor from ss B. One orc hunted down. The individual who made the kill was B-1, Charlotte de Gradias.¡±


    Charlotte was frowning with her arms crossed, looking displeased.


    There was only one survivor from ss B: Charlotte. And it was Charlotte who had taken down the orc.


    That simple result had so many implications that I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit dazed.


    Charlotte must have used her supernatural powers to take down the orc, since she couldn¡¯t have used a weapon. Although I didn¡¯t know what Charlotte¡¯s supernatural ability was, it was clear that she could take down an orc on her own.


    Originally, Ellen was supposed to hunt down both orcs, and as I had anticipated, ss B had failed to take down the orc. However, Charlotte, the single unexpected variable, had managed to take it down.


    ¡°You will be notified of the overall results and the oue of who emerged victorious in the missionter on. For now, rest.¡±


    After mentioning that we could freely use the bungalows behind us, Mr. Effenhauser walked away brusquely, as he always did.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard. Rest up today.¡±


    Ms. Mustang led all of us, regardless of ss, towards the bungalows, and suggested we take the time to getfortable.


    The cooperative mission had ended...


    [Event Complete]


    [You have received 1,000 achievement points.]


    Honestly, leaving the achievement points and everything else aside, all I really wanted to do was wash up and crash into bed.


    ***


    Those who were eliminated earlier had been summoned back here through Recall magic to wait until the mission was over.


    ¡°Waiting¡± might sound boring and mundane, but it was actually a reward in disguise. This ce was designed like a beach resort, very different from the wild jungle that we had just been in moments ago.


    We were on a crescent-shaped ind, with a deep bay that was filled with calm water, perfect for swimming. And unlike the rough meals we had been having until now, proper food was served, and there were appropriate amodations for resting in.


    Since the mission had ended, this ce was ours to enjoy, and we¡¯d spend the entire weekend here, just rxing.


    So, in a way, those who had been eliminated first really hit the jackpot.


    I sprawled out and slept until around noon. New clothes had also been prepared for us, so I changed out of everything, from my underwear to my outerwear.


    At the beach, I saw Ludwig and others from ss B sshing around in the water and having fun. Everyone was wearing swimsuits, which was a slight change from before.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Vertus, who had changed into resort-style clothes, waved at me. He was holding a cup containing a lemon-vored smoothie in his right hand. I was lying on a sunbed, idly sipping on fruit punch.


    I was not usually into sweet things, but sometimes I did crave something sugary, especially in situations like this. It was all about pumping in those calories.


    I was sprawled out,pletely rxed, mentally exhausted while enjoying the cool drink that was entering my system.


    Vertus was doing the same thing. It made him seem like a rich, handsome kid living the high life.


    Vertus flopped down onto the sunbed next to me and burst out into a resignedugh.


    ¡°I would have given up sooner if I¡¯d known it was going to be like this.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    It seemed ridiculous to Vertus that the participants who had been eliminated had actually been having a better time than him. Of course, surviving on the ind longer earned you a higher individual score, so for those that cared about grades, it was far better tost till the end.


    Vertusy down on the sunbed next to me and sighed.


    ¡°Now that the environment is supporting us, it feels like heaven.¡±


    When we thought it was a deserted ind, we had been desperate to leave, but now that we were in this part of it that was properly set up, it was ridiculous how the scenery suddenly began to catch our eye, making this ce feel considerably more beautiful.


    ¡°Still, I hope we don¡¯t have to go through this kind of ordeal again,¡± he said.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Having experienced the ordeal I¡¯d set up first hand had made it even more horrific. Forcing kids to y out a real-life episode of ¡°Survivor¡±. When I thought about it now, it was a wonder how we managed to survive at all.


    Anyway, the mission had ended on Thursday morning, not on Sunday evening as originally scheduled. Therefore, we could spend the remaining time which included the weekend on this precious beach resort.


    Now, the real ¡°field trip¡± began.


    Vertus got up from the sunbed, looked down at me, and smiled.


    ¡°Anyway, great job, Reinhart. They seem to be asleep right now, but pass along my respect to Ellen and Saint-Ouen as well.¡±


    ¡°Will do. You did well too.¡±


    I¡¯d taken the initiative to do something first, and Vertus had stepped up to lead the others after that. It was true that he¡¯d gone through a lot as well, and had even gone head-to-head with an orc.


    My gaze met Riana¡¯s, who waszily sipping her drink a couple of sunbeds over.


    ¡°You too. You did a great job.¡±


    Riana nodded while still lying down. ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡®<i>Would it be an exaggeration to say that this cooperative mission has fostered a sense of camaraderie among us ss A students?</i>¡¯


    I was starkly reminded that a unique sense of bonding often developed among people who had gone through hardships together.


    ***


    As noon passed, those who were passed out began to stir awake.


    ¡°Ugh... every part of my body aches. I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡±


    ¡°Are... Are you okay, Harriet?¡±


    ¡°No... How about you, Adelia?¡±


    ¡°Me? I... I just... got teleported here as soon as I got captured... It was scary and shocking, but I¡¯m not hurt.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good... Let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The dining hall¡¯s over there.¡±


    ¡°Finally, I can have something good to eat...¡±


    Harriet, looking exhausted, rose and headed towards the dining area with Adelia. Evidently, roaming through the jungle in the middle of the night had taken its toll on both of them, both mentally and physically.


    Harriet caught my eye on her way to the dining area.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Harriet avoided my gaze slightly as she walked off.


    Now that we were in a safe environment, all sorts of memories had to be flooding back to her¡ªthe instances of her clinging to me, crying, whining about what to do, and many other things.


    In moments where she experienced mental breakdown, she depended on me, and now that it was no longer necessary, it seemed her sanity had returned. Her mind was probably filled with thoughts like, ¡°What have I done? Did I seriously say that? I must have been crazy!¡±


    She would probably be like this for a while...


    ¡ªReinhart! Aren¡¯t youing to swim?


    Ludwig, sshing around with some others a fair distance away, gestured and called out to me. Now that the mission was over, they were purely in it for the fun.


    ¡°Swimming¡¯s gotten boring, you nutcase!¡±


    ¡ªReally? Well, it can¡¯t be helped then!


    Were they actually crazy? How could they keep ying like that?


    <i>Puff</i>!


    And then, I saw a girl in a swimsuit doing breaststroke far out in the sea beyond the bay.


    It was none other than Ellen.


    Ellen, after faffing about for a while, finally came back, a lobster skewered on the end of her javelin. Dressed in her swimsuit, she approached me and pointed at the sizable lobster on her spear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat this.¡±


    ¡°... This again?¡±


    It was somewhat surprising that she was willing to eat it together, but did she really want to eat this <i>again</i>?


    ***


    While everyone was enjoying thevish food spread before them at the dining hall, Ellen specifically brought the lobster she had caught.


    She was only wearing a tracksuit over her swimsuit. In fact, there were quite a few from ss B eating in their swimsuits as well.


    ¡°... Do you really want to eat this again?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to eat it cooked with seasoning.¡±


    Ellen seemed curious about how delicious the giant lobster¡ªwhich was already tasty on its own¡ªwould be once it had been properly prepared. She had dropped it off with the staff working at the dining hall, and they were preparing it.


    All the staff who were working in the resort were from the Temple, so the chef preparing our food would also be a member of the Temple staff.


    Therefore, their skill was indeed guaranteed.


    However, it seemed like Ellen wasn¡¯t nning on eating the lobster at all, since she had already piled her te with fried rice, sausages, and pasta, and was devouring it all. Perhaps she was making up for all the times she hadn¡¯t been able to eat her fill, as she was eating more than usual.


    Soon, the grilled lobster with garlic butter and gratin was served.


    Indeed, the well-prepared lobster was even more delicious.


    The appetizing smell naturally attracted the attention of those in the dining hall who were having their meals.


    However, there was only one lobster dish, since it had been personally caught by Ellen.


    ¡°You guys can have some.¡±


    At her invitation, Harriet, Riana, Adelia, and even Vertus came over and had a taste.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird how I¡¯m not sick of it, and it¡¯s still delicious.¡±


    Everyone praised the cooked lobster for being better than expected.


    ¡°I kind of feel like the one we had on the first day was more delicious... Eek.¡±


    Harriet found the one we¡¯d eaten on the first day more tasty, possibly because it had been so unexpected, and there was some sort of psychological discounting at y. She flushed red, seemingly displeased with herself for finding it tasty.


    Indeed, such factors couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    Even the students from ss B hesitantly asked if they could have some, and then tried a bite.


    ¡°You eat a ton but you¡¯re still willing to share?¡± I asked Ellen.


    ¡°I can always catch more.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that how it is?¡±


    It was a simple mindset: if there¡¯s a shortage, just catch more.


    I thought I¡¯d had my fill of lobster for a while, but after tasting it, it turned out to be delicious enough that I ended up eating quite a bit.


    And then, I remembered something I had forgotten.


    ¡°Ah, the leather hide!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The thought had apparently struck Ellen at the same time.


    ***


    After we finished our meal, Ellen and I went looking for Mr. Effenhauser. It seemed he was also intent on enjoying himself like the rest of us, as he was lyingnguidly on a sunbed wearing something like an aloha shirt.


    Honestly, this world was really strange to me...


    The outfits here were so inconsistent with the supposed time period, just like my mental state was. There were things like aloha shirts and synthetic fibers and all that, yet how these things were being made was beyond me.


    It was a ridiculous amalgamation of modern, medieval, and fantasy elements.


    ¡°If you¡¯vee to ask about ¡®that¡¯, I¡¯ve collected it. It¡¯s been sent for chemical treatment, and you¡¯ll be able to retrieve it by the time we return to the Temple.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser had provided an unexpected answer to my question about the jaguar hide. I hadn¡¯t expected that he would take care of such things, now that the mission was over.


    ¡°Think of it as spoils from the mission.¡±


    It seemed he had left it with someone who specialized in taxidermy. The money we earned from selling it would be split between Ellen, me, and Delphine.


    Having finished our meal, Iy down on a sunbed, and Elleny down on the one next to me.


    In my current state, I felt as though I could sleep until the day after tomorrow.


    We received a fairly generous allowance from the Temple, so it wasn¡¯t like I was in urgent need of money. It was just nice to have, really.


    ¡°What will you do with the money?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particr.¡±


    Ellen seemed to have no particr ns either.


    Though she didn¡¯t say much, she must have been quite tired as well, for she soon fell asleep.


    She had done her job exceptionally well, without a singleint.


    Ellen had looked seriously exhausted in the jungle, and I had only seen her dirty and disheveled until now. However, she had cleaned up now, and her face and hair were bright and dry.


    I draped a towel over her legs and got up from my spot.


    Just having a ce to sleep, food to eat, and clothes to wear could turn a stark hell into paradise.


    It made you realize life really wasn¡¯t all thatplicated.


    ¡ªReinhart! Come in! It¡¯s fun!


    ¡°Do you seriously have a thing for swimming or something?¡±


    Ludwig had, once again, gone into the water after eating and was having a st.


    <i>Tap.</i>


    ¡°So, what do you say?¡±


    The one who had suddenly approached me and tapped my shoulder was Vertus.


    ¡°We don¡¯t get to do this often, so should we go y?¡±


    That reminded me that Vertus hadn¡¯t gone into the sea even once during the mission.


    When you think about it, it was almost like a boss¡¯s orders.


    I sighed. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    ¡®<i>I¡¯ll show you how an </i>ahjussi[1]<i> ys in the water.</i>¡¯


    1. ¡±Ahjussi¡± is a Korean term used to address middle-aged or older men. ?

 Chapter 106

    <h4>Chapter 106</h4>


    I stirred up one heck of a ruckus in the water.


    As soon as Vertus and I entered the water, the three stooges of ss A (Erhi, Connor Lint, and Kaier) also jumped in. Aside from Delphine, all the members from ss B who were in the water were boys as well.


    Then, after a little while, a surprising pair began to approach the water¡¯s edge.


    ¡°U-Um... I... I kindly decline...¡±


    ¡°Why? It looks fun, doesn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°I-I am embarrassed...¡±


    Charlotte, in her swimsuit, was pulling Scarlett, who was also in a swimsuit, toward the water. They were wearing the standard swimsuit given by the Temple, that was not anything like a bikini, but more like a school swimsuit.


    Still, the boys¡¯ gazes still drifted their way, and their expressions turned to nk stares. Since both of them were incredibly beautiful, it was unavoidable.


    Erhi, perhaps because he still remembered being hit by Scarlett, couldn¡¯t bring himself to look in that direction.


    ¡°Can we join in too?¡± Charlotte asked as she approached, and Scarlett¡¯s face turned bright red.


    ¡°Of course, Charlotte!¡±


    Ludwig warmly weed them, and Vertus cracked a smile.


    As soon as Charlotte entered the water, Vertus scooped up a bucketful of water and sshed it towards her.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Charlotte, drenched in water, red at Vertus, who had sshed the water at her.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Charlotte demanded, while Vertus giggled.


    ¡°This is just how you¡¯re supposed to y while in the water,¡± he said. ¡°Are you seriously mad? You can¡¯t be.¡±


    <i>Ssh</i>!


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really going to get mad. Are you mad just because of a couple of sshes of water? Can¡¯t you take a joke as a joke? Are you that twisted?¡±


    <i>Ssh</i>!


    ¡°Stop it, you jerk!¡±


    Charlotte was on the verge of spewing some harsh words.


    ¡°Hey, hey, if you came in to y, you should y. What¡¯s the point in getting angry? Hahahaha!¡±


    Vertus suddenly burst into madughter and continued to ssh water furiously at Charlotte, who screamed and started sshing back.


    ¡°Ahhhh! You lunatic!¡±


    ¡°Guys, help me out!¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t bully Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte eventually sent out a plea for help, and Ludwig and Scarlett, among others, began to attack the imperial prince.


    ¡°Wah! Whoa!¡±


    The scene that unfolded was both fierce and not fierce at the same time. Vertus wasn¡¯t pretending to be nice; he was openly picking on the princess. Since he was doing it more in a teasing manner, rather than making it a serious confrontation, it created more of an amusing atmosphere than a tense one.


    This was somethingpletely different from the original development I had orchestrated, and I couldn¡¯t tell if this scene was harmonious or menacing.


    ¡®<i>Maybe you two can actually get along.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Guys! You guys should help me too!¡± Vertus eximed.


    Eventually, the chaotic scene turned into a full-fledged ss battle.


    ***


    The fierce water fight ended in victory for ss B, who had the numerical advantage.


    ¡°This is the worst...¡±


    Charlotte, despite having gained the upper hand in the battle, was now suffering from reddened eyes and nose due to Vertus¡¯s persistent attacks on her alone. It seemed she had inhaled a lot of water through her nose. Of course, Vertus had the same issue, having swallowed a crap ton of water as well.


    ¡°We may have lost, but we surely fought well,¡± Vertus said with a giggle, and Charlotte red at him with narrowed eyes.


    Though they were supposedly out for each other¡¯s lives in order to im session to the throne, at that moment, they just looked like normal siblings.


    Charlotte glowered at Vertus. Her gaze was chilling, and she muttered ominously, ¡°Let¡¯s y ¡®watermelon splitting¡¯. The loser gets a flick on the forehead.¡±


    ¡°You want to y that all of a sudden?¡±


    Vertus seemed a bit taken aback by Charlotte¡¯s abrupt suggestion.


    Charlotte truly seemed to want to give Vertus a real beating.


    ¡®<i>More importantly, though, how do you even know the game of watermelon splitting?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Are you scared you might lose?¡±


    ¡°Ahahahahaha!¡±


    Vertus burst intoughter at Charlotte¡¯s provocation, then looked down at her with a sinister expression.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°Bring the watermelon!¡±


    Both Vertus and Charlotte, though kind and gentle towards others, were ofpletely opposite personalities when talking to each other.


    ***


    A watermelon was left alone on the sandy beach. Charlotte and Vertus stood across from each other, the watermelon in between them. They would spin around ten times, and the first to break the watermelon got a chance to give the other a good flick on the forehead.


    Both of them had their eyes covered with towels.


    ¡°U-Um, guys... Don¡¯t you think this is a little dangerous?¡± Ms. Mustang said.


    Ms. Mustang seemed anxious as she watched the students gear up for the watermelon-splitting game with bats in their hands.


    ¡°The one who breaks the watermelon first after spinning in ce ten times wins!¡± Ludwig said.


    Ludwig acted as the referee, and everyone gathered around to watch the impromptu watermelon-splitting contest with a mix of nervousness and fascination.


    ¡°Ready... On your marks... Begin!¡±


    At Ludwig¡¯s cue, Vertus and Charlotte began to spin on the spot.


    To be honest, the idea that two of them shared a sense of camaraderie was merely my own personal guess.


    A momentter...


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Oops, that was a mistake.¡±


    Charlotte, instead of hitting the watermelon with the bat, had struck Vertus on the head.


    She had not swung her bat downard, but had swung upwards from right to left. It was evident to everyone watching that she hadn¡¯t been targeting the watermelon from the start.


    Somehow, while wandering around dizzily, she kept moving towards the sound of Vertus¡¯s voice, rather than the watermelon.


    ¡°How could you do something like this!¡±


    ¡°It was a mistake!¡±


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Oops, another mistake.¡±


    ¡®<i>Charlotte... Is it Vertus¡¯s head that you want to split, and not the watermelon?</i>¡¯


    Vertus removed the towel from his face, giving Charlotte a cold re.


    ¡°You¡¯re finished.¡±


    ¡°It was a mistake, okay? You¡¯re gonna get mad over a mistake? Didn¡¯t you say not to get serious while ying?¡±


    ¡°You clearly did that on purpose!¡±


    Eventually, a chase ensued between Vertus and Charlotte, who had thrown off her towel as well. Naturally, Vertus¡¯s physical superiority meant that Charlotte didn¡¯t manage to run away for long, and was eventually caught.


    Vertus, furiously mad, lifted Charlotte and threw her into the sea.


    ¡°Die! Drown and die!¡±


    ¡°Ugh<i>, y</i>ou lunatic!!!¡±


    <i>Ssh</i>!


    The hriously menacing sight of the two of them bickering made everyone erupt intoughter.


    ***


    The emperor¡¯s decree that both royal children would be stripped of their royal rights if either of them suffered mental or physical harm due to the other¡¯s actions meant that their fights would never escte too far in the first ce.


    So, in the end, all they could do was bicker, and the funniest part was that both of them were actually furious with the other, yet neither could do anything more.


    Instead of the original scenario, where ss A and B couldn¡¯t stand each other, both sses seemed to be on decent-enough terms that students from either ss could at least hold a conversation with each other.


    Dinner time came, and after everyone had finished their dinner, the teachers gathered us together. To ensure there were no infections or parasites left in us, the mages and priests cast various types of purification spells on us. Though I was a bit nervous, thanks to Sarkegar¡¯s ring, there was no risk of my true existence being exposed.


    After the medical checks werepleted, the teacher announced the results to both sses.


    ¡°Both ss A and ss B havepleted the special conditions. However, there were four final survivors from ss A, but only one from ss B. After taking into ount various evaluation scores, this mission concludes with ss A¡¯s victory.¡±


    As expected...


    The story arc that should have ended with ss B¡¯s victory had, due to the changes in development, concluded with ss A¡¯s triumph.


    Ultimately, Charlotte didn¡¯t manage to secure a victory.


    Mr. Effenhauser posted a piece of paper on one side of the dining hall wall.


    ¡°Although the winning ss receives bonus points, it doesn¡¯t mean that the losing ss will all receive poor scores. Check your individual evaluation scores here.¡±


    Being in the winning ss didn¡¯t automatically guarantee the highest score, the same way losing didn¡¯t guarantee the lowest scores. After all, anyone who did nothing and cked off couldn¡¯t receive the highest score just because their team won.


    However, it wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°Additionally, individual members who greatly aided their ss or yed a pivotal role during the mission will receive bonus points. For ss A, these are numbers 1, 2, 5, and 11. For ss B, they are numbers 1, 9, and 11. The reasons are attached to the individual evaluation records.¡±


    Bonus points...


    Vertus, Ellen, Harriet, and I received bonus points, and from ss B, Charlotte, Delphine, and Ludwig were the recipients.


    Vertus must have received the points for taking on the leadership role and enduring the hardships, Ellen and Harriet for ying crucial roles in the orc hunt and for their constantbor. As for me, it was probably for taking on various inconvenient tasks.


    It seemed a simr consideration had been taken when awarding the bonus points to the students in ss B.


    ¡°Remember, bonus points are also included in the evaluation record, and at the end of the semester, the individual with the highest bonus points will receive a special award. Moreover, be mindful that bonus and penalty points can be exchanged.¡±


    If you received penalty points for breaking school rules or causing trouble, you could offset those with the bonus points you¡¯ve already earned, sort of like an immunity privilege. Of course, these points reset at the end of the semester.


    Anyway, although ss B lost, it was likely that Charlotte had scored quite high. I didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d done it, but she had somehow managed to hunt down the orc sessfully as well.


    While Mr. Effenhauser was exining various other things, Ms. Mustang was distributing slips of paper to the seated students.


    ¡°Finally, write down the name of the person you think yed the most significant role in your ss during this mission.¡±


    It was time to choose the MVP.


    I debated between nominating Ellen or Harriet, and eventually submitted Harriet¡¯s name.


    I briefly considered writing my own name down, but the moment I contemted it, I felt like a crazy, arrogant prick, and restrained myself.


    The voting results for ss A: Vertus¡ªtwo, Ellen¡ªtwo, Harriet¡ªfour, Reinhart¡ªthree.


    The voting results for ss B: Charlotte¡ªsix, Delphine¡ªthree, Ludwig¡ªtwo.


    Thus, Harriet and Charlotte were selected as the MVPs.


    ¡°Me... me? Why, why?¡±


    Harriet seemed utterly surprised by her selection, and her face flushed red.


    ***


    As MVPs, Harriet and Charlotte each received an additional point, making it two bonus points for each of them for this joint mission.


    In the evening, ss B suddenly made a campfire. ss A couldn¡¯t understand why those from ss B, with their seemingly endless energy for bonfires and ying with fire, decided to start another fire out of the blue.


    But then, Lanian Sesor started ying an instrument and singing along, which was not too bad in its own right.


    It seemed like the students from ss A were scattered around, some resting or heading to their bungalows to sleep early.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they ever get tired?¡± Harriet muttered incredulously as she watched the spectacle unfold.


    It seemed strange to her that, having maintained such intense energy while on the deserted ind, they seemed to get even more excited when told to rest.


    ¡°I guess they¡¯re just excited,¡± I said.


    I was lying on a sunbed, observing the scene, while Harriet was sitting on the sunbed next to mine.


    ¡°Anyway, if you have something to say to me, just say it.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned red, visible even in the dim night.


    ¡°Wh-What! I... I don¡¯t have anything to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, huh? Okay then, if you say so.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lying there quietly, she approached hesitantly and took a seat next to me, then spent quite some time hemming and hawing, not saying anything coherent but not stayingpletely silent either. I had a good guess as to what she wanted to say.


    Finally, after much hesitation, she opened her mouth.


    ¡°Uh... Th... Th-th-thank you.¡±


    ¡®<i>So you¡¯ve been agonizing all this time just to say that, huh.</i>¡¯


    It seemed she wanted to express her gratitude for how I had continually looked out for her during the mission.


    Of course, I looked at Harriet and cracked a smile.


    ¡°Hehe, is that so?¡±


    ¡°... Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you thankful for? And how thankful are you? Can you describe in detail what it was that I did that you¡¯re so thankful for?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so thankful, surely you must have a reason. What are you grateful for?¡±


    As I snickered and stood up slowly to question her, she started inching back.


    ¡°Hm? Tell me, what exactly were you so grateful for? Huh? Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    As I switched into teasing mode, Harriet grimaced. ¡°Eek! I knew it! I hate you! You¡¯re the worst!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you just say you were thankful?¡±


    Her face turned beet red.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± she yelled at me, then stormed off to her bungalow.


    ***


    This was a long-awaited break. The time at the Temple seemed almost to be a relentless session of training days, so having a moment where I could just zone out and do nothing felt extremely rare.


    The mission had been intensely demanding, far beyond the usual rigors of training, and this extended break felt like a just reward.


    Ellen, having enjoyed exploring underwater with a water-breathing spell, requested that Harriet cast the spell on her again.


    ¡°... You find that fun?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After sending Ellen off, Harriet cast the water-breathing spell on herself as well, and went into the sea with Adelia. When they returned, they seemed thrilled, chatting excitedly about their incredible experience.


    As for me, I embraced this rare respite by spending most of my time sprawled on a sunbed, eating and then just sprawling some more. Once we returned to the Temple, the relentless schedule and training cycles would resume, and days of rest like these wouldn¡¯te by any time soon.


    Hence, I was totally devoted to resting.


    That meant that, aside from eating and sleeping, I was basically continuously sprawled out.


    ¡°... Are you a mollusk or something?¡± Charlottemented as she approached me. It was already Saturday, and I still remained in that same state.


    ¡°Hm? Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been slumped over here since yesterday.¡±


    Lying on the sunbed like some kind of specter appeared quite peculiar to her.


    ¡°I figure I¡¯ll be grinding away again once we get back, so I¡¯m doing absolutely nothing while I still can.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s an interesting way to put it.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s splendid golden hair was tied into a ponytail. Her hair was so rich and voluminous that it seemed any style would suit her well. She did not seem to be nning to swim that day, since she was wearing a white sleeveless dress. Charlotte sat down next to me, sipping her drink.


    Charlotte had taken down an orc. Although her supernatural power was a secret, it was formidable enough to kill an orc.


    However, ever since the mission¡¯s end, Charlotte seemed to be wearing a constant air of dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Did you take down the orc by yourself?¡± I asked.


    At my question, Charlotte seemed to zone out for a moment, before she nodded slightly.


    ¡°How I did it is a secret, but yes.¡±


    The students of ss B had been taken out one by one, and the mission had concluded with Charlotte taking down the orc on her own.


    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± Charlotte asked, tilting her head slightly as if wondering why I would ask such a thing.


    ¡°It just seems like you¡¯re not too thrilled about it.¡±


    I was only willing to push that far, and not ask anything unreasonable. While Charlotte and I had grown friendlier, delving into sensitive areas still felt inappropriate.


    A powerful ability, but one that had to be kept secret... Charlotte seemed to contemte a moment, then smiled lightly.


    ¡°Um... I kind of dislike relying on my supernatural power,¡± she said, giving as much away as she seemed willing to, before smiling.


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Whatever her ability was, it seemed Charlotte disliked her own power.


    When faced with the approaching orc, she had lost herposure and used her supernatural power. Although this resulted in the orc¡¯s defeat, she disliked having to rely on her own supernatural power to solve the problem.


    ¡®<i>A supernatural being who dislikes her own abilities...</i>¡¯


    Charlotte¡¯s abilities only grew more intriguing the more I learned about them.

 Chapter 107

    <h4>Chapter 107</h4>


    We finally returned to the Temple around Sunday evening.


    ¡°Wow, home really is the best, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit odd, hearing that from the person who had the most fun.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    Ludwigughed in response to my rebuke. Whether one could truly call the dormitory ¡°home¡± was debatable, but I supposed it was something akin to that, nheless. It wasn¡¯t just Ludwig¡ªupon seeing the Temple, everyone else seemed to feel the reality of returning to daily life sink in.


    We weren¡¯t the only ones who had returned.


    ¡°Junior!¡±


    It seemed Adriana had also returned after her own group mission. The second-years were bustling into the Royal ss dormitory as well.


    The warm wee was rather heartwarming.


    ¡°Ah. Hey, senior.¡±


    ¡°Did you just get back, junior?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Reinhart...¡± said Rudina.


    Next to Adriana stood student A-1 from the second year, the overachieving youngster who had skipped grades, Rudina.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the first thing I see as soon as I return to the Temple is you... This must mean I¡¯m out of luck next week,¡± bemoaned Rudina as she crossed her arms and shook her head, cursing her own luck.


    ¡°It looks like all you¡¯ve gained from your group mission is how to trash-talk.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Trash-talking? Do you want to see me get mad?¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough.¡±


    As Rudina red at me with fiery eyes, Adriana intervened to calm the situation down.


    ¡°Please understand our situation, junior. We lost this group mission, so Rudina is a bit upset.¡±


    ¡°What? No! That¡¯s not it! Besides, we practically won!¡±


    ¡°It looks like you really are upset because you lost.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡±


    It seemed that, for this mission, the second-years from ss A had lost to their ss B rivals. I couldn¡¯t help butugh as I looked at Rudina.


    ¡°Since you look pretty upset about losing, I will be generous, only because I¡¯m in a good mood thanks to our win,¡± I teased her with a smirk, and Rudina¡¯s face turned bright red with anger.


    ¡°Adriana! Reprimand him!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    <i>p</i>!


    ¡°Ouch! Why did you hit me?!¡±


    ¡°It looks like you got better at getting on people¡¯s nerves, junior.¡±


    Adriana, possibly afraid that Rudina might lose her temperpletely and cause a scene, took Rudina¡¯s hand and led her into the dormitory.


    ¡°Anyway, congrattions on winning, junior! See you tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Adriana! Go reprimand him more!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go inside and have dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    The two of them walked away, hand in hand, looking more like sisters than ssmates in every aspect¡ªnot just in terms of height, but their whole demeanor as well.


    ***


    After dinner in the Temple for the first time in a while...


    ¡°... I know I¡¯m not one to speak, having just gotten back myself, but aren¡¯t you returning to routine too quickly?¡±


    Right after dinner, Ellen had immediately gone off to the training ground and began swinging her practice sword around. Of course, I too had intended to start training right away.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to train, then catch.¡±


    Ellen threw one of the avable practice swords at me, and by this time, my reflexes were good enough to catch it.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m going to get beaten horribly again,¡± I said with a sigh.


    Ellen possessed a tremendous number of talents, so much so that listing them all would be challenging. However, those talents were backed up by countless hours of discipline, by wielding a sword daily.


    Kids like Erhi de Raffaeli, who had outstanding talent but did not put in any effort, could not even beat someone like me.


    However, Ellen constantly honed her outstanding talents, every second of every day.


    She was a genius who also worked hard.


    In fact, the sight of Ellen fighting the orc had been unbelievable, even while I was watching it. She¡¯d faced off against the hulking, muscr beast, dodging and deflecting every attack without allowing it tond a single blow.


    Witnessing her pull out the spear that had been embedded in that orc¡¯s body and immediately driving it into its eye had been enough to make me doubt my own eyes.


    I knew that I would never be able to beat her.


    ¡°Here I go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    But the very fact that I could spar with someone like her every day for free was already a huge asset.


    <i>ng</i>!


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, being defeated in a single exchange was par for the course.


    ***


    We returned to our usual routine, which consisted of morning training and then swordsmanship training on the training grounds after sses. Thanks to the severe abuse that we sustained on the deserted ind, what was usually considered tough training felt almost like heaven inparison.


    The ability to shower whenever I wanted, eat whenever I wanted, and the ever-present avability of drinking water felt like an incredible luxury, making me realize just how amazing these basic amenities were.


    Moreover, the training grounds were air-conditioned. Realizing how privileged I was to have such a training environment filled me with a fresh sense of gratitude.


    ¡®<i>Wait, isn¡¯t this that clich¨¦ moment...?</i>¡¯


    It was like having a moment of realization that your one-room apartment was actually a five-star hotel after experiencing poverty first hand¡ªa sort of mental victory. Funnily enough, the way my supernatural power worked was somewhat like achieving a mental victory, so it seemed like a fitting approach.


    Anyway, now that I had gone through the experience of surviving on a deserted ind, it was a good thing that my motivation for training had grown even stronger.


    Then, on Wednesday...


    Vertus called me over unexpectedly, and handed me a sizable pouch.


    ¡°... Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°What else? It¡¯s money.¡±


    Inside the red pouch, which seemed to be made of silk, were glittering gold coins.


    ¡®<i>Oh, right.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Is this the proceeds from the sale of the jaguar skin?¡±


    ¡®<i>But isn¡¯t that hide still being processed?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s easier for me to find a buyer than you, right? Consider it sold to me, in advance. I¡¯ll let Mr. Effenhauser know where to send it.¡±


    It seemed Vertus had thought it would be difficult for me to find a buyer for such an expensive skin, and had preemptively found one himself. He appeared to have received an advance payment too.


    Honestly, being taken care of to this extent was quite touching. Or perhaps this was his way ofpensating me for taking charge and handling various things during the mission.


    ¡°Wait... isn¡¯t this quite a lot?¡±


    I remembered hearing that it would be worth about ten gold coins, but judging by the weight of the purse, the number of coins inside far exceeded that.


    ¡°To be precise, the buyer is our maternal grandfather, so he paid generously. He said that it¡¯s only right to pay well for the spoils from the first victorious group mission of the Royal ss.¡±


    Vertus¡¯s maternal family was part of the Salerion Ducal House.


    Therefore, Vertus¡¯s maternal grandfather would be none other than the Duke of Salerion.


    Considering my near-death experience at the hands of knights from the Duke of Salerion, Vertus¡¯s words were somewhat chilling.


    For his maternal grandson¡ªor the future emperor¡ªto emerge victorious in his first group mission in the Royal ss meant that the jaguar skin could be seen as proof of his victory over Charlotte. The significance of such a trophy was in the eye of the beholder, and Vertus had sold it to the person willing to pay the most for it.


    Though it was somewhat cruel that that person happened to be the leader of the group that once wanted me dead.


    ¡°Well, thanks a lot.¡±


    To think I¡¯d end up involved with the Duke of Salerion after escaping from the Demon King¡¯s Castle was beyond my wildest imaginations.


    ***


    I received thirty gold coins for the jaguar skin, equivalent to about thirty million won in value. It felt surreal that something we¡¯d left behind in the jungle had turned into such a significant sum of money. It would have been money lost had Ellen not carried it back, and had Delphine not properly skinned it.


    Riana could have had her share of it as well, but since she said she wasn¡¯t interested, I didn¡¯t bother to count her in.


    After school, I brought Ellen to the ss B dormitory with me and called Delphine over. Then, I handed them ten gold coins each as their share.


    ¡°We made thirty gold coins total, so it¡¯s a third each. Let¡¯s each take ten.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Wow... it sold for that much?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me; Vertus sold it on our behalf.¡±


    Delphine seemed incredulous as I pushed the ten gold coins toward her. She hesitated to reach for the money I offered.


    ¡°I mean, all I did was skin it clumsily, with my subpar skills... Am I really allowed to take this...?¡±


    She seemed slightly guilty about taking such arge sum of money for what she considered to be a minor contribution.


    ¡°If we go by that logic, I¡¯m getting all this money for whacking a shocked beast on the head. What¡¯s the difference between you and me? Just take it.¡±


    If we were discussing who struggled the most, it was Ellen, who had carried it all the way back to camp. Technically, she had worked the hardest.


    ¡°I... I guess you¡¯re right...? Thanks, anyway. I should treat the other guys to something nice.¡±


    Delphine seemed to be contemting what to buy for her ssmates with this significant amount of money. Except for Charlotte, most of the kids in ss B were from middle-ss backgrounds.


    Ellen put the ten gold coins in one of her uniform¡¯s pockets and looked straight at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something tasty.¡±


    ¡°... You mean something expensive, not just tasty, right? Something we normally can¡¯t afford because it¡¯s too pricey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ... And this kid was thinking about splurging in a different way.


    In the end, Ellen and I dined at a high-end restaurant within the Temple, a ce frequented only by the descendants of the wealthiest families, and enjoyed a full-course meal.


    It was delicious.


    The taste was immacte, but...


    ¡°Seriously? In the end, it¡¯s just a restaurant, yet they¡¯re charging one gold coin for a single serving? How does that make any sense?¡±


    I was pretty annoyed by the outrageous amount the bill hade up to.


    ¡°It tasted good, though.¡±


    ¡°I get that it was tasty, but it¡¯s not worth the money we paid, right?¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Ellen seemed to think it was okay, since it tasted good.


    ¡°The portions could have been bigger,¡± she continued.


    ¡°... A dimensional rift must have opened up in your stomach.¡±


    I was convinced, without any evidence, that there was an already open gate inside this girl¡¯s stomach.


    Anyway, since she was still hungry, Ellen ended up buying three hotdogs from a street vendor.


    ***


    I returned to a regr routine of studying and intense training, and nothing much happened other than that. The only notable change was the gradual increase in my physical abilities.


    And also...


    [Strength 6.2 (D)]


    [Agility 6.7 (D)]


    [Dexterity 7.7 (D+)]


    [Mana 11.3 (B-)]


    [Stamina 10.8 (C+)]


    [Demon Control D (Unique Ability of Archdemons) (Not usable in the current state.)]


    [Self-Deception D]


    [Swordsmanship F]


    [Overall Ability Evaluation: Low-level Demon King]


    [Combat Level Assessment: D+]


    Did you see that?


    Finally, my Pseudo-Swordsmanship had evolved into Swordsmanship, with a rank of F.


    I did it. I¡¯d reached it!


    Self-Deception had also ascended to D rank, and therefore, mybat ability had jumped to the D+ rank. It was a whole step up from F+!


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    While this progression might have felt insignificant to someone else, to me, it was the fruit of my arduous effort.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ellen looked puzzled when I suddenly sat down on the floor of the training ground, overwhelmed by emotion. She could not understand my behavior. The evolution of my Pseudo-Swordsmanship to true Swordsmanship was at least 90% down to Ellen.


    ¡°Thank you! It¡¯s all thanks to you!¡±


    ¡°... Are you okay?¡±


    As I teared up, expressing my utmost gratitude to her, Ellen, suspecting that something might be wrong with me, ced a hand on my forehead to check for a fever. She frowned in confusion at my emotional state.


    ¡°I, I could do it. I... I knew I could!¡± I continued while sniffling.


    Every time I checked the status window, it felt disgusting to see that I was just a person with Pseudo-Swordsmanship, so being able to escape from it was an overwhelming joy.


    ... Of course, it was slightly miserable that, after all these antics, my overall level was still only ranked D+, but that couldn¡¯t be helped.


    <i>¡®Life is a marathon...¡¯</i>


    It meant I had plenty more time to put in the work.


    Just realizing the simple fact that I¡¯d have to do this for several years, when not even a single semester had passed yet, suddenly made me feel as though all the energy had drained out of my body.


    ¡°... Ah, I want to give up.¡±


    As I oscited between joy and despair, banging my head in frustration, Ellen simply tuned out my drama and began practicing her swordsmanship alone.


    When I thought about it, the fact that others had been defeated by me, someone who had a miserablebat rank of D+, made those guys much more legendary than me.


    ***


    Anyway, time passed, filled with continuous training, without any notable incidents. The asional slight increase in my stats was my only pleasure.


    In the mornings, I trained with Adriana, and after the day¡¯s sses, I did physical training until dinner, followed by swordsmanship training on the training ground after dinner.


    But there was a problem...


    The morning routine was bing increasingly daunting.


    ¡°Just give it a try, will you? Junior?¡±


    The church <i>noona</i>¡¯s indoctrination was reaching its peak.


    The biggest issue was that I owed her too much to get angry at her. I could easily ignore the people spouting ¡°words of wisdom¡± that I met on the street, but rejecting the same request from someone I was close to without offending them was something I just didn¡¯t know how to do.


    ¡°Just once. And if you don¡¯t like it, you don¡¯t have toe back. So, just this once...¡±


    ¡®<i>Noona, you¡¯re killing me!</i>¡¯


    ¡°Argh, fine! I¡¯ll go!¡± In the end, I sumbed to her persistent proselytizing. ¡°But just this once.¡±


    ¡°Yes, junior! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it too!¡±


    Seeing Adriana beaming with happiness after securing my surrender was, admittedly, a pleasant sight.

 Chapter 108

    <h4>Chapter 108</h4>


    Naturally, the staple that was present in all academy stories was also present in the Temple: club activities. Within the Temple, there were clubs that specialized in areas like magic research, swordsmanship training, or study-focused groups for majors, as well as clubs that leaned more towards hobbies like music, and of course, some clubs of a more enigmatic nature. Naturally, there were religious gatherings too.


    With a student poption exceeding one hundred thousand, the number of clubs was so vast that counting them seemed pointless. Although these clubs had been included in the setting of the novel, Ludwig, the protagonist, did not join any, so none were described in detail. If the story shifted to focus on club activities, then what happened in these club activities would be the main storyline.


    Therefore, while stories that focused on academy life could take two paths, I chose to take one over the other. As for whether there were students in ss A participating in club activities, I wasn¡¯t quite sure.


    Anyway, Adriana was trying to take me to experience an internal club within the Royal ss. Although Adriana worshiped Ouen, the god of purity, it was said that the club gathered people who worshiped the various deities of Pentatheism.


    Indeed, religiousness was not restricted only to clubs. The Temple itself housed temples dedicated to each of the Five Great Gods. There, sacred studies sses were conducted, and on weekends, services were held for students who believed in those religions, regardless of their major. I knew that the temples would be packed during the weekend services since there were many students with strong religious beliefs, even if divinity wasn¡¯t their major field of study.


    Adriana figured that, instead of taking me directly to a weekend service, sharing various stories and slowly increasing my exposure to her beliefs would likely lead me to attend a service with her eventually.


    Of course, I had no intention of going as far as visiting a temple.


    The club¡¯s activities were held every Thursday after dinner. It took ce in a clubroom reserved exclusively for the Royal ss, located on the top floor of the dormitory, so I was told.


    The club¡¯s name was ¡°Grace¡±, and it was also said to be the club with thergest membership within the Royal ss. Since it gathered believers of all five gods, it was bound to be thergest.


    I skipped my evening training and headed to the lobby, telling myself that this would be my first andst time attending.


    ¡°Ah, junior, you¡¯vee.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Adriana had been waiting for me in the lobby.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    It was also the first time I had taken the elevator installed in the dormitory. Although I had frequently used elevators elsewhere, it was strangely new to me since I had never taken the one in the dormitory before.


    The seventh floor was arrayed differentlypared to the residential floors below. There were numerous rooms, and some of the doors werebeled with the names of various clubs. Given how the Royal ss gathered only the talented elites, there did not seem to be any clubs that existed solely for leisure.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡±


    Adriana walked down the right corridor and stopped in front of a ratherrge door.


    ¡°<i>May the Grace of the Five be with us.</i>¡±


    These words were engraved in elegant handwriting on a silver te affixed to the door. A silver namete, no less¡ªtruly befitting of the Royal ss.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Everyone¡¯s nice, so don¡¯t be too nervous.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like someone who gets nervous?¡±


    Adriana frowned, thenughed at my skewed response.


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll put it differently. Don¡¯t cause any trouble, junior.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Got it.¡±


    Adriana opened the door, and I followed her inside.


    ***


    I couldn¡¯t say that this applies to everyone, but there¡¯s a certain trait among people who are religious¡ªI¡¯m not referring to the fanatics, but those who I assume to be ordinary people but have a fairly sound faith.


    It¡¯s hard to describe¡ªperhaps it¡¯s the absence of any shadows on their faces, or maybe it¡¯s theck of worry. Either way, they seem to have a passive gentleness about them.


    ¡°Ah. Is this the new friend who was supposed toe? Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Aegerton, from fourth year.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯m Reinhart, a freshman.¡±


    They¡¯re also generally kind and easygoing.


    Not all the members seemed to be present, but the arrival of a neer caused quite the stir among them, and they weed me warmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a freshman, so you must be in the same year as Ashir, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re in different sses.¡±


    It appeared that ss B¡¯s Number 4, Ashir, who possessed talents in Divine Power, was also a member of this club.


    He stood a distance away, looking at me with a bewildered expression on his face, as though wondering what I was doing there.


    ¡°Oh... hello.¡±


    ¡°Hey there.¡±


    Since I hardly knew the guy, our conversation ended there. Most of the seniors knew of me from the duel I¡¯d taken part in. Clearly, beating up a senior then had caused quite a stir.


    Due to that incident, or perhaps because it was just their personalities, everyone, regardless of gender, was friendly towards me.


    ¡°Have you eaten dinner already?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, there are snacks in the cab over there. Feel free to take anything.¡±


    Receiving such an unreserved wee made me feel as though I had entered a different world. The excitement over a neer joining the club was palpable.


    ¡°Reinhart is just here to observe today.¡±


    Although Adriana had brought me along, she made it clear to the other seniors that I hadn¡¯t officially joined them, to stop any possible misunderstandings. However, this didn¡¯t seem to dampen their spirits at all.


    ¡°Right, right, that¡¯s fine. Observing is good too. Think of it as dropping by when you¡¯re bored¡ªyou¡¯re wee anytime.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are many who hang out here without joining us officially. Just think of it as a chance to get to know the seniors.¡±


    These people seemed happy just because someone decided to show up...


    I couldn¡¯t quite adapt.


    I disliked those with bad characters, but my twisted demeanor meant that I was also irked by people who were too nice. At times, I wondered if I would be morefortable around someone like Vertus.


    ¡®<i>Good vibes and me just don¡¯t mix!</i>¡¯


    The club had a membership of roughly twenty students. Considering there were about a hundred and twenty students in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, twenty was a significant number. Of course, since the high school consisted of six grades, the ages of the members varied greatly.


    ¡°Ah, are you that first year, Reinhart?¡±


    The person greeting me with a bright expression was someone I had only encountered for the second time, yet their face was already familiar.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ceres Van Owenne, a senior. It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    The Royal ss student council president, whom I remembered seeing just once during my admission, was also a member of this club.


    Though she did not major in religious studies, the student council president personally believed in the sun god, Shm, and was acting as the vice president of this club. She was quite the busy figure.


    Being the vice president of the club and still serving as the student council president felt like a mix-up in priorities, didn¡¯t it?


    I sensed that everyone seemed to be looking around cautiously, as if something was about to start.


    ¡®<i>Is there some kind of problem?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Uhm... It seems everyone is here. Shall we begin?¡± Ceres Van Owenne, the student council president and the club¡¯s vice president, said with an awkward expression.


    ¡°What about the president?¡±


    In response to Adriana¡¯s question, the student council president gave a wry smile.


    ¡°Oh, hahaha... It seems the president wants to take a break for now...¡±


    I could feel a slight dip in the atmosphere at those words. It appeared the club president of Grace hadn¡¯t attended in quite some time.


    Eventually, the club activity began without the president. Since I was clueless, there wasn¡¯t much for me to do. The activity began with the ritual of reciting amon prayer with eyes closed.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice a definite difference from the religions I knew from my past life.


    ¡ªMay the blessings of the Five Great Gods be upon us...


    While everyone recited the prayer, the room wasn¡¯t just filled with a solemn atmosphere; some individuals actually began to radiate a faint glow from their bodies. The prayers of those capable of utilizing Divine Power were potent enough to manifest visually.


    It was just a group of kids praying together, but the majesty felt overwhelming. The room, which was merely filled with a few desks and other misceneous items, felt as though it had been transformed into a grand temple.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the divine power flowing from the prayer was affecting me as well, but I felt a pleasant warmth, and my fatigue seemed to dissipate.


    I wondered if this ce was akin to a fountain of life. It was invigorating.


    Certainly, Adriana¡¯s suggestion thating here would be beneficial wasn¡¯t without reason, but the religious gathering I had envisioned was on apletely different level.


    After the prayer concluded, everyone opened their eyes.


    Adriana looked at me and smiled as if to say, ¡°It¡¯s different from what you expected, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the main topics first, and then talk about the experiences fromst week¡¯s group mission.¡±


    Since the president was absent, Ceres Van Owenne, who was both the vice president and the student council president, took charge of the proceedings.


    ¡°Firstly, you all remember that external volunteer activities were restricted due to the terrorist incident in the imperial city, right? Well, that restriction has now been lifted.¡±


    It appeared that the assault on the Order of the Holy Knights had impacted this club as well.


    ¡°However, since our schedule was all messed up thest time, the nned excursion to treat injured soldiers was canceled. I¡¯ve also heard that that matter has already been resolved. So now we need to look for other volunteer activities.¡±


    This club, which had members who could actually use Divine Power, seemed to organize volunteer activities to offer direct assistance to those in need of a priest¡¯s healing abilities.


    ¡®<i>... What is this? How holy can a group of people be?!</i>¡¯


    In many ways, this didn¡¯t seem like the ce for me at all. Where did all these wholesome angels evene from?


    Anyway, it seemed they had nned to provide free divine magic services to injured soldiers and civilians who were suffering without assistance, and that n had been canceled due to the recent incident.


    Hence, they were now looking for other volunteering opportunities.


    ¡°Any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s been an increase in orphans post-war. Perhaps we could help out at public childcare facilities where they might be short-staffed?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    Ceres nodded in approval at the suggestion from one of the members, clearing thinking that it was a good idea, and someone who appeared to be fulfilling the role of a secretary was taking notes.


    Various other possible volunteer activities were suggested, and they were methodically organized one by one.


    <i>¡®Umm...¡¯</i>


    I was astonished by how positively different this ce was from how I had imagined it to be. It seems to be filled only with people who believed it was only natural to use their powers to help others.


    I assumed this would be a gathering where people fervently recited prayers, testified to their faith, and spoke about divine matters, but it was nothing like that. Rather, it felt more like an ordinary volunteering club.


    After much discussion, they narrowed down the possible activities to two main ones: providing aid to public childcare facilities, and providing medical volunteer services in remote or impoverished areas.


    ¡°We¡¯ll contact the teachers to find out more about the childcare facilities, and looking into the remote or impoverished areas for medical volunteering work will take some time due to local conditions and safety concerns.¡±


    I was newly impressed by the significant social influence the Temple had. Even though this was just a club within the Royal ss, they had the capability to negotiate with other institutions.


    ¡®<i>... I want to leave.</i>¡¯


    Being around these divine, benevolent folks made me feel even more out of ce.


    ¡®<i>Maybe I truly do belong to the demon race.</i>¡¯


    Surprisingly, being in the presence of such holy individuals, instead of those who got on my nerves all the time, was somehow... more painful.


    I now dreaded staying even more, and for a different reason than the one that had made me fearing in the first ce.


    ***


    Once the volunteer activities were decided on, everyone briefly shared their thoughts on theirst group mission. They discussed it in a very ordinary way¡ªwhether they won or lost, and whether it was fun or not.


    ¡°For the first-years, this was your first group mission, right? Ashir, Reinhart, how was it for both of you?¡±


    Ashir hesitated before sharing that the mission we were on had been about survival, and recounted various aspects of the experience. Although their ss had unfortunately lost, he mentioned how unexpected it was to encounter an orc, and how they ended up panicking and fleeing, which felt rather embarrassing.


    ¡°Hah... Yeah, the first group mission is usually a tough one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of intentional as well. Kind of a way to humble you, should I say?¡±


    The seniors reminisced about their own experiences, and it seemed that a challenging first mission was somewhat of a tradition. Then the vice president turned her attention to me.


    ¡°Reinhart¡¯s ss must have won, right? How was it?¡±


    ¡°We won, but it was still a shit-sho¡ªOw! Why are you pinching me?!¡±


    As the crass words tumbled out of my mouth, Adriana, who was sitting next to me and listening, pinched my thigh.


    ¡®<i>Is she going to start physically harming me whenever things don¡¯t go her way now?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Can¡¯t you speak in a more refined manner, junior?¡±


    ¡°What can I do? It¡¯s just my personality!¡±


    Although she was my senior, the other students from the upper years would have seen her as just a second-year kid. They watched us bickering as if it was somehow endearing.


    Everyone, including Adriana, seemed surprised when we mentioned fighting an orc directly.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really the one who defeated it. A kid named Ellen did most of the work, and the final blow was a fireball cast by someone named Harriet. I didn¡¯t really do much.¡±


    ¡°Still! Just the thought of fighting is admirable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that itself is quite something, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡®<i>Ugh... Being praised so effortlessly by these people is so damn cringy!</i>¡¯


    Aside from the initial prayer, the gathering hardly felt religious in nature; it was mostly just chit-chat.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve covered all formal discussions, let¡¯s conclude with a closing prayer. Those who wish to stay can do so, and those who want to leave may go.¡±


    And with that, the club activity ended. To be exact, after the official proceedings ended, the remaining members grouped together in small circles, chatting or snacking.


    Just like the opening prayer, the closing prayer created an atmosphere that made one¡¯s heart swell with emotion.


    After the prayer, Adriana asked me to stay a bit longer, and I inevitably got roped into eating snacks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you follow any deity in particr, Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, not really...¡±


    The seniors, curious about the new face, bombarded me with questions, and I gave them moderate responses.


    Telling them that the only thing I believed in was myself would probably elicit even stronger reactions than Adriana¡¯s, so I kept quiet.


    ¡°Still, having something to lean on spiritually isn¡¯t a bad thing. Give it some thought. The deities do reward us ording to the faith we send their way.¡±


    In a world where divine power existed, such statements from the seniors held true.


    But still, you know...


    Contemting my existence as the creator amidst these five deities, whom I had supposedly created, posed a paradoxical dilemma. How ironic would it be for a creator to harbor faith in its own creations?


    ¡°My creations, I believe in you, so grant me strength.¡± What an absurd thought.


    The others all suggested I give it some thought, but didn¡¯t pressure me any further. Although they engaged in conversations with me, they also talked among themselves.


    ¡°By the way, about the club president... Won¡¯t the president being at all?¡±


    ¡°Um... We¡¯ve been trying to persuade the president toe back, but it¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    The upper years were whispering among themselves. Apparently, the club president had been absent for quite some time.


    ¡°There¡¯s talk that the Demon God Cult is reappearing in various ces...¡±


    ¡°The Demon God Cult?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The recent incident seems to have kindled the belief that the Demon Realm is still intact, and it seems the cultists are spreading again. My uncle is an Inquisitor in the Alse Order, and he mentioned it recently.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s big trouble then!¡±


    Since I¡¯d written about Ludwig¡¯s encounter with the remnants of the Demon God Cult, I remembered the lore behind it.


    The Demon God Cult...


    Within humanity, there were factions sympathetic to the demons, and worshiped the Demon God as an antithesis to the five gods of humanity. However, after the Demon Realm was believed to have been shattered into ruins, the cult was supposed to die out naturally, leaving only scattered remnants.


    However, the recent attack in the capital had created the mistaken belief that the Demon Realm hadn¡¯t actually fallen, but still possessed tremendous power that was merely hidden away.


    Therefore, the Demon God Cult, which should have declined naturally, was maintaining its influence, clinging to a newfound hope.


    As I thought of this, I reminded myself not to do anything that could spark widespread consequences in the future ever again.


    The atmosphere turned solemn at the mention of the Demon God Cult. For those who believed in the Five Great Gods, the Demon God Cult was an enemy, and a target for purging.


    The female senior whose uncle was an Inquisitor in the Alse Order spoke up cautiously.


    ¡°This... isn¡¯t confirmed, but... there might be students within the Temple who believe in the Demon God Cult...¡±


    ¡°N-no way!¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Daressa!¡±


    Ceres, who had only shown gentleness up to that point, narrowed her eyes and red at the senior called Daressa, who immediately shrank back at her rebuke.


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but they¡¯re not like that.¡±


    ¡°B-but still... isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡±


    ¡®<i>Huh?</i>¡¯


    Ceres seemed to know who the suspected group of Demon God Cultists might be.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finished discussing this with the head student council president, and I¡¯ve received a firm assurance that that¡¯s not the case.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡±


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    Ceres nced coldly at the senior that kept mumbling, silencing her with her stern look.


    ¡°They¡¯re kids who merely say things that could be easily misunderstood. If this turns into more strange rumors, innocent kids might end up being taken away by the Inquisitors. Don¡¯t you know how those taken by Inquisitors are treated?¡±


    Unnecessary spection could lead to innocent children being captured, tortured, and possibly killed by Inquisitors.


    It was a warning against spouting baseless rumors that could lead to real tragedies, but framed in a gentler tone.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Daressa¡¯s face turned pale as she apologized in a shrinking voice. Ceres, no longer the gentle figure she was before, looked around sternly.


    ¡°All of you, listen up. Never go around saying things like the Demon God Cult is spreading, or that there might be followers in the Temple. Understand?¡±


    Everyone acknowledged her hurriedly, frozen in ce.


    ¡®<i>She¡¯s the student council president. She surely knows how to assert authority when needed.</i>¡¯


    [New Event Update - The Demon God Cult within the Temple]


    [Description: Rumors suggest that Demon God Cult followers lurk within the Temple.]


    [Objective: Uncover the truth behind the rumors.]


    [Reward: 300 Achievement Points]


    An intriguing event had also been triggered.

 Chapter 109

    <h4>Chapter 109</h4>


    After the club activities ended, I went downstairs with Adriana.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°It was alright. Everyone seems nice.¡±


    They hadn¡¯t particrly forced their faith on me, and seeing them contemte how they could use their powers for good made me feel somewhat ashamed of myself.


    In the face of such overly-kind people, one could feel a sense of shame without even knowing why; that¡¯s exactly how I felt.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to join if you don¡¯t want to. If you¡¯re ever bored,e hang out anytime. We can listen to your concerns, and we can also help with things like career paths or studies.¡±


    In the end, it seemed Adriana was more interested in introducing me to good seniors than forcing her faith on me. These people were willing to help out whenever needed, regardless of whether we shared the same faith or not.


    When I thought about it, it was actually an incredible opportunity.


    The Royal ss was filled with powerful families and individuals with exceptional individual abilities, especially the seniors who had been around for longer. Now, I had a permanent link that allowed me to meet them and ask for help whenever.


    It would be strange not to take advantage of such an opportunity, right?


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯lle by asionally.¡±


    ¡°Good decision, junior!¡±


    Adriana beamed with joy, clearly happy that I had decided to visit the club asionally.


    The sudden acquisition of such a vastwork was good, but there was one thing that I was curious about.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about there being a Demon God Cult in the Temple?¡±


    Achievement points are always wee. They were more valuable to me than money.


    Adriana tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure... It seems like the student council president and the seniors know something, but I don¡¯t really know anything. It¡¯s not something I should ask about either... Since they said it¡¯s not a big deal, it¡¯s probably fine. Senior Daressa just tends to worry too much.¡±


    It appeared that Adriana didn¡¯t know much about it either. However, the senior, Daressa, and the student council president had both agreed that it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    This seemed like something I needed to look into myself.


    And there was another problem...


    ¡°By the way, is there something wrong with the club president?¡±


    Everyone seemed to know something, but were keeping quiet about it.


    ¡°Ah, th-that...¡±


    Adriana hesitated as if she found it difficult to speak, then led me outside the dormitory. That suggested that it wasn¡¯t something that should be discussed indoors. It was midnight, so we quietly walked over to a bench that was gently illuminated by a streetmp and sat down side by side.


    ¡°Do you even know who the club president is?¡± Adriana asked.


    ¡°No, I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Ah, junior, you really don¡¯t pay attention to those in the higher years, do you?¡±


    She was the president of the club with thergest membership in the Royal ss, and I had no clue who she was.


    ¡°She is quite a famous person. Olivia Lanche.¡±


    Olivia Lanche... I didn¡¯t recognize that name. It seemed like another story hidden in the margins.


    ¡°The club president herself is famous, but there¡¯s someone even more famous than her.¡±


    ¡°Someone more famous?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Leverier Lanche. Haven¡¯t you heard of him?¡±


    ¡°No... I¡¯m not really sure if I have.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t heard of him either.


    ¡°He¡¯s themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.¡±


    ¡®<i>Ah...¡±</i>¡¯


    I hadpletely forgotten.


    <i>¡®So that¡¯s who he is.¡¯</i>


    It was mortifying. I felt utterly embarrassed upon realizing that I had forgotten the name of such an important figure.


    ¡°So that means... the club president is...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s the daughter of themander.¡±


    Olivia Lanche, a fifth-year student.


    She was the daughter of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ***


    The Order of the Holy Knights was a collective of consecrated knights and priests, drawn from all factions of the Cult of the Almighty. It was expected that they would disband after the end of the Great War, but they continued to exist.


    They operated under the decisions of the five High Priests, but ultimately, themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was himself a tremendously powerful figure. The Divine Cult of the Almighty transcended nations, so the actual power and influence of themander of the Order were such that even the ruling dynasties of significant principalities had to yield to him.


    And this was Olivia Lanche, the daughter of Leverier Lanche, themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    She was known by the nickname ¡°The Saintess of Eredian¡±. Not only was she devoted to volunteer work, but she also seemed to possess exceptional skills.


    ¡°To bepletely honest... My dream is to be like her.¡±


    Adriana apparently admired her as a role model, and saw her as someone who was perfect in every aspect.


    ¡°She said she would join the Order of the Holy Knights after graduation.¡±


    It seemed Olivia desired to join the Order of the Holy Knights to continue to do more than what she was already doing as a student, and was not focusing solely on her present studies. She was a model student and a saintess in every sense of the word, as her nickname suggested.


    ¡°Lately, however, she hasn¡¯t been attending meetings for some reason... and I¡¯ve heard that she rarely attends her sses at the Temple as well.¡±


    Adriana seemed worried about her.


    It was as if a student, known for her impable behavior, had suddenly veered off-course. Despite having been devoted to volunteer work and even being the club president, she wasn¡¯t attending meetings, and she was even skipping her regr sses at the Temple.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on since she¡¯s a senior, but it seems the teachers are having a hard time too.¡±


    If it were any regr student that was misbehaving, they might be simply expelled or disciplined, but things were different when it came to a student who was known for her exemry behavior. That was why the teachers were also trying their best to guide her back to the right path. It must have been frustrating for them, especially since she was graduating that year.


    A top student who had gone astray...


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been feeling a bit downtely. It¡¯s frustrating not knowing what¡¯s happening, and it makes me worry as well.¡±


    Adriana¡¯s struggle as she watched her role model and spiritual pir crumble was apparent.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Uh... What?¡±


    ¡°She might not be attending sses, but she¡¯s still around the Temple, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. But... she¡¯s such a lofty senior...¡±


    ¡®<i>Oh give me a break.</i>¡¯


    Right. Adriana was still just a second-year high-school student after all. I supposed it was difficult for her to casually approach a senior who held such a high status to ask if they were facing any life problems.


    ¡°Why wait until you¡¯re frustrated to the point of breaking? If you¡¯re curious, just ask.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right...¡±


    After a moment of silence, Adriana seemed to make up her mind, and nodded firmly.


    ***


    The next morning...


    Adriana, who hade for early morning training, looked worse than the day before.


    ¡°Did you go see her yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah... Yes. Yes, I did...¡±


    Judging by her expression, it seemed she hadn¡¯t received a very positive response. Or perhaps she¡¯d been told off for meddling in the senior¡¯s affairs?


    Normally we would have started running immediately, but Adriana pulled me to a nearby bench and we sat down.


    Ludwig and others who were exiting the dawn exercise greeted me.


    ¡°Reinhart, have a good training session today!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±


    Scarlett and Charlotte were also doing their morning exercises every day. Ellen was already far ahead, running off into the distance.


    Adriana looked deeply troubled.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡±


    Adriana looked as if she had experienced something unbelievable.


    ¡°The club president... She¡¯s going to quit.¡±


    ¡°... Quit? The club?¡±


    I could understand that she would be feeling betrayed, but was it enough to warrant such a reaction?


    ¡°No, not the club...¡±


    There was a reason why Adriana was so shocked.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to leave the Temple...¡±


    With graduation just around the corner, Olivia Lanche was nning to leave the Temple.


    ¡°And that¡¯s not all... She said she¡¯s abandoning her faith altogether.¡±


    It seemed there was more to the story than it appeared.


    The seniors were keeping quiet about it, and they probably knew the truth but chose not to speak, perhaps to avoid causing confusion among the younger students.


    ¡°Why would she do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... She wouldn¡¯t tell me why.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t know exactly what had transpired during their conversation, but it was clear that she¡¯d told Adriana she was going to give everything up, but had refrained from going into the reasons behind her decision.


    This wasn¡¯t just a model student veering off-course; this was a model student, who until then has been devout, deciding to abandon both her faith and her studies at the Temple. What on earth had happened to this Saintess of Eredian?


    Could it be that she¡¯d gotten into the Demon God Cult? Could there possibly be a connection to that?


    However, it was hard to see how someone who had been faithfully devoutly adhering to the ts of their faith for so long could make such aplete turnaround.


    This was surely a tremendous shock to Adriana, and understandably so. Discovering that her idol was suddenly nning to abandon both her studies in the Temple and her personal faith must have been startling.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something going on...¡±


    It was clear that something significant had happened to Olivia Lanche. However, she was a senior that wasn¡¯t close to us, and so she probably wouldn¡¯t take us seriously.


    ¡°Hmm... Even if we know something¡¯s happened, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s much we can do. If she¡¯s determined to quit, it¡¯s not our ce to intervene.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    Adriana stared at the ground dejectedly.


    Seeing Adriana, who was always so poised and calm, in such a dispirited state made me feel...


    ¡®<i>Huh.</i>¡¯


    Strangely, it was kind of cute.


    ...


    It was just like with Harriet.


    ¡®<i>Am I some kind of sadist?</i> <i>No. Considering everything I¡¯ve been involved in, the probability of me being a sadist is practically one hundred percent. Saying I¡¯m not one would be even more absurd.</i>¡¯


    ¡°Junior, would it be rude of me to try to find out what happened to the club president?¡± Adriana mumbled in a disheartened voice.


    She knew she couldn¡¯t change Olivia¡¯s decision, but she seemed curious as to why someone with such strong convictions and steadfast faith would suddenly want to give everything up.


    There had to be some kind of reason, but Adriana seemed to think that trying to dig into it would be rude.


    ¡°Yes, I think it would be rude.¡±


    ¡°... Right...¡±


    Adriana let out a deep sigh, seemingly at a loss.


    I had considered just leaving it be, but I just couldn¡¯t get myself to do that.


    Snooping around behind a senior¡¯s back wasn¡¯t a task that suited Adriana.


    ¡°But being rude is my specialty, you know.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the liberty of being rude for you.¡±


    Adriana seemed greatly taken aback by my deration.


    Rude behavior? That was my area of expertise.


    ¡°<i>You</i> will, junior...?¡±


    Though Adriana looked cute when she was deted, she was better off being her usual self.


    ***


    Only uncovering the truth behind the rumors of the Demon God Cult was going to get me achievement points, and finding out any information about Olivia Lanche didn¡¯t involve any specific rewards, which probably meant that it waspletely unrted to the Demon God Cult. The probability that whatever was going on with Olivia Lanche had anything to do with the Demon God Cult was terribly slim.


    Nevertheless, despite my constant rudeness and foolishness, Adriana had been the one to take care of me. Even though I must have made an awful first impression on her, she, like a true saint, looked after me regardless.


    To me, Adriana was like a version of Eleris within the Temple.


    Even her efforts to connect me to her club had eventually turned out to be solely in my favor. Though she¡¯d be happy if I embraced her faith, her actions had been more about wanting me to get to know and mingle with various other sorts of people.


    Having constantly been on the receiving end of help, I now found myself wanting to be of assistance this time.


    Adriana appreciated the thought, but asked me not to pick fights with the seniors or cause trouble. Though she seemed grateful, she was worried that I might charge into the situation head-first as usual without thinking.


    Of course, charging in recklessly would hardly reveal anything. I knew that.


    We were talking about a fifth-year student... In the Royal ss, most fifth-years withbat talent had umted enough experience and would not be easily defeated when it came to physical confrontations. Among them, there were those who had reached near-superhuman levels of ability, and Olivia Lanche was perhaps among them.


    Olivia Lanche, a fifth-year...


    Why was she nning to quit the Temple and abandon her faith? I may have boldly dered that I¡¯d rudely investigate her case, but in reality, I didn¡¯t have a clue where to start.


    If it was due to personal reasons, wouldn¡¯t uncovering that be near impossible?


    Deciding that doing nothing wouldn¡¯t help, I first went to Vertus after ss had ended.


    ¡°Ah, Reinhart. What brings you here?¡±


    After the deserted-ind group mission, Vertus seemed to have a noticeably more favorable attitude towards me. Part of it might have been inspired by my actions during our moments of indecision.


    Perhaps he even secretly believed that, without me, the group mission could have ended in defeat.


    ¡®<i>Eek</i>.¡¯


    It was definitely good to keep increasing my favor with this guy, but somehow, it was also intimidating and awkward.


    My feelings about it wereplicated.


    Nheless, this matter did not require any secret snooping around, so I didn¡¯t need to be wary of Vertus or Charlotte¡¯s opinions.


    ¡°Oh, I just wanted to ask about something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    We were on the dormitory¡¯s teatime terrace, and there was still plenty of daylight left.


    ¡°Do you know Olivia Lanche?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the daughter of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights?¡± Vertus nodded in recognition. It was expected that he would know of her, since she was the daughter of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights, and a notable figure.


    ¡°Do you know her personally?¡±


    If Vertus had a personal acquaintance with her, it might be easier for me to find out more.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve seen themander of the Order of the Holy Knights at official events a few times, but I haven¡¯t had any dealings with his daughter. She¡¯s famous, yes, but she doesn¡¯t hold a formal position or office, so there was no asion to meet her. But I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about her. What was it? The Saintess of Eredian? <i>Pfft</i>. Oh, oops, um... that was a mistake. Forget you heard that. Anyway, that¡¯s what some people call her, apparently.¡±


    Vertus chuckled, seemingly embarrassed to say the word ¡°saintess¡± himself. He had seen themander a few times, but didn¡¯t have any direct acquaintance with his daughter.


    That made sense. Themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was an important figure, but since the position wasn¡¯t hereditary, his daughter wouldn¡¯t be of significance because of that alone. It was understandable that Vertus wouldn¡¯t know her personally.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Vertus seemed curious as to why I was unexpectedly inquiring about a senior.


    ¡°Well, I heard she¡¯s quitting the Temple and giving up her faith too, and I just got curious as to why. It¡¯s not for any major reason.¡±


    ¡°... She¡¯s quitting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I heard.¡±


    Vertus appeared surprised, as if this was the first time he was hearing such news.


    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t need to concern myself with senior affairs, but this is unexpected.¡±


    Vertus didn¡¯t seem interested in gathering unnecessary information. However, this unusual piece of news had intrigued him.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Even if I don¡¯t know her well, she¡¯s a prominent figure both within the Temple and outside it.¡±


    ¡°How famous is she exactly?¡±


    Although Vertus might not know explicitly the affairs of a fifth-year student, he was in a position where he had ess to a vastwork of information, so he was much more informed than I was.


    ¡°Even though she was a Temple student during the Great War and couldn¡¯t participate in it, I heard she possesses abilities well beyond what would be required for actualbat. She didn¡¯t end up participating, but it¡¯s known that she took a special leave of absence for a year to provide medical support to the soldiers. Now that the Great War has ended, she¡¯s returned to her studies. It seems like she can use high-ranking divine magic, akin to that of a high priestess. She saved the lives of many people, and the widespread stories about these people made her famous. The nickname ¡®The Saintess of Eredian¡¯ originated from there.¡±


    She was not just an ordinary priestess, but could wield divine magic on the level of a high priestess. Even as a student who couldn¡¯t directly participate inbat, she must have saved numerous lives during the Great War.


    ¡°She is indeed remarkable,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about it. If she were to join the Order of the Holy Knights, she¡¯d be on track to be the nextmander. And if she were to join the Ouen Order, she could be the next High Priestess.¡±


    Her reputation was grounded in her exceptional abilities and her dedication to using those abilities for the benefit of others. Despite still being a student, there was no opposition to the idea of her eventually being the head of one of the five Orders.


    ¡°But to suddenly decide to quit everything... Hmm. That¡¯s problematic.¡±


    Vertus frowned, seemingly troubled by the thought.


    ¡®<i>Why would he find it problematic?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Problematic?¡±


    Vertus took a sip of his tea and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Well, I was hoping she would be the nextmander of the Order of the Holy Knights.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know her personally, Vertus had hoped for Olivia Lanche to step into the role of the nextmander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That sort of person is a strong fit for such a position, don¡¯t you think? It looks better, in many ways.¡±


    Despite his words, I could read between the lines and see Vertus¡¯s true meaning.


    From the empire¡¯s perspective, the Order of the Holy Knights was a troublesome and colossal power. It would be ideal for someone who was naively good-natured and devoid of strategy to upy the position of leader, which would prevent any misguided actions from the group.


    His tone further hinted that he didn¡¯t particrly favor the currentmander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    The Order of the Holy Knights was known to keep demon ves, and indeed, during a recent incident, they had attempted to seize more subi for themselves. Vertus had to know these details, which would make him view them negatively, thus further cementing his desire for a change in leadership.


    ¡®<i>Hmm? Now that I think about it... Could it be...?¡¯</i>¡¯


    ¡°There seem to be two possible reasons for her decision.¡±


    Vertus gazed out at the dormitory¡¯s surroundings, bathed in the afternoon sun.


    ¡°One is that she realized the Order of the Holy Knights is a different kind of organization from what she believed them to be and felt disillusioned...¡±


    Vertus looked at me and gave me a slight smirk, as if he was about to make a rather mean joke. ¡°The second possibility is that she¡¯s found a man.¡±


    Just then, something I had overlooked came to mind.


    Priests and priestesses in the Ouen Order were not allowed to marry.

 Chapter 110

    <h4>Chapter 110</h4>


    Vertus didn¡¯t mention what exactly the Order of the Holy Knights had done, or what sort of group they were. To do so, he would first have to mention how each country had taken demon prisoners of war for their own sinister desires.


    Of course, even if Vertus didn¡¯t mention it, I already knew.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened to Olivia Lanche in the original story, so I wasn¡¯t sure if her decision to leave the Temple and abandon her faith was rted to my terrorist incident or not. However, since that event had a significant impact on the Order of the Holy Knights, it was possible that Olivia Lanche, as the daughter of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights, had also been affected.


    Of course, this event could also have happened as part of the original course of events.


    If she found out that the Order of the Holy Knights were enving demon prisoners on her own, she would have felt a tremendous sense of betrayal.


    She had intended to join the Order of the Holy Knights after graduation. However, if she¡¯d discovered through some process that the Order of the Holy Knights wasmitting such foul deeds to satisfy their repulsive desires, it was understandable that she would want to give up on the Temple and abandon her faith after feeling betrayed.


    Devoting her life to a group only to find out that it was rotten inside would indeed feel like a massive betrayal.


    Realizing that the Order of the Holy Knights was corrupt could also lead her to realize that the same could be happening within the Ouen Order.


    It was definitely a usible story. Justying it out made it clear that she was someone with a deeply-held sense of justice, goodness, and deep faith.


    That was the first possibility.


    The second possibility was just Vertus making a somewhat malicious joke.


    He made it at the expense of the priests of Ouen, who weren¡¯t allowed to marry, and how their priests might supposedly want to give up their faith because they¡¯d fallen in love.


    While not entirely out of the realm of possibility, if true, it would be quite frustrating. How intense did that love have to be?


    Vertusid out these two spections and then fell silent for a while.


    ¡°Hmm... This seems like a serious problem, Reinhart,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling she might stir up a big incident.¡±


    Vertus seemed unexpectedly anxious. An incident? It already seemed that such a person voluntarily leaving the school and abandoning their faith was already a notable incident. What could be a bigger incident than that?


    ¡°An incident?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go into details, but if this person has discovered some corruption within the Order of the Holy Knights and is nning to leave both their faith and the Temple because of it... Perhaps, given their conscience, they might n on exposing it.¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡±


    That made total sense.


    ¡°The really big incidents aren¡¯t caused by someone like you who¡¯s good at manipting people, but by honest blockheads like Olivia Lanche.¡±


    Vertus had bluntly called Olivia Lanche, the Saintess of Eredian, an honest blockhead.


    ¡®<i>Wait. But what did you just call me?</i>¡¯


    ***


    She had uncovered corruption within the religious order so damning that it drove her to abandon her faith. However, she was honest and upright, and so she would expose the corruption of the religious orders that the people believed in, even if it meant revealing that her own father was at the heart of that corruption.


    The image of the Order of the Holy Knights and the entire Cult of the Almighty would suffer significant damage. Of course, no incident of such scale had ever urred in the original development, because I hadn¡¯t even known that the Order of the Holy Knights was corrupt. They had not been a main focus of the original plot.


    I¡¯d simply highlighted the existence of the Order of the Holy Knights as a group that was seen as the first choice for those aspiring to be knights and priests. And during the ¡°gate¡± incident, they were only described as having participated in the battle.


    Thus, this incident was either a result of the butterfly effect arising from the terrorist incident I¡¯d caused, or it would conclude with Olivia Lanche not being able to do anything about this situation.


    I couldn¡¯t predict how this would unfold at this moment. However, Vertus was aware of this fact.


    ¡°Hmm... Although I¡¯d like to see how this all turns out...¡±


    Anyway, Vertus didn¡¯t like the Order of the Holy Knights. While Olivia wasn¡¯t an insider, it would definitely be a huge issue if a reputable saintess like her caused amotion.


    In that case, then, the issue of the demon prisoners of war being divided among the participating nations would alsoe to light, something that the general public had no idea about, since the deeper reasons behind the terrorist incident had never been publicly revealed.


    This did not just concern the Order of the Holy Knights¡ªit could be a critical blow for all the nations that participated in the Great War.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to meet with her.¡±


    Vertus was the imperial prince.


    Even if she was in her fifth year, she couldn¡¯t possibly refuse a meeting if Vertus was the one requesting it.


    Vertus said that he would go and talk to her himself and stood up. He did not take me with him, as the discussions to be had were not suitable to be shared with me.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    This felt like it was escting into something bigger than I¡¯d anticipated.


    ¡®<i>Did I just stir up a ho¡¯s nest?</i>¡¯


    ***


    By evening, Vertus had returned, and he summoned me back to the tea-time terrace after dinner.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°... Well, it¡¯s hard to say. She seems like a good person, but I felt oddly ufortable. It¡¯s not that she did anything wrong, necessarily... Hmm... It was a feeling I¡¯ve never experienced before.¡±


    ¡®<i>Oh, I get it.</i>¡¯


    It seems he¡¯d had the same feeling I¡¯d had when I¡¯d gone to the religious club gathering. That weird sense of difort that came from being around someone too pure and kind.


    It felt odd, realizing that my true nature might be closer to Vertus¡¯s.


    Vertus sighed as he sipped his tea.


    ¡°Just as I suspected, a blockhead. We just couldn¡¯tmunicate.¡±


    While she was good-hearted, from Vertus¡¯s perspective, she was a blockhead that he couldn''t get through to. I did not know the details of their conversation, but it seemed like any attempt at negotiation or some simr discussion had been futile.


    And yet, I couldn¡¯t help but admire Vertus for bluntly calling someone who was adorned with grand titles like the Saintess of Eredian a blockhead.


    ¡°To give you the answer to your original question, just knowing this much is enough.¡± Vertus was answering the question I had asked before. ¡°She discovered issues within the Order of the Holy Knights, and because of that, she¡¯s nning to give everything up.


    ¡°Moreover...¡± Vertus tipped his teacup, wearing an enigmatic smile. ¡°It¡¯s not just about leaving the Temple and abandoning her faith. At this rate, she might not survive long. She might meet her end soon.¡±


    As I watched Vertus speak of someone¡¯s potential death with a smile, I suddenly realized the sort of person he originally was.


    ¡°Are you nning to...¡±


    Was he considering having Olivia Lanche killed? I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask outright if that was his intention. However, Olivia Lanche was a person who, if left to her own devices, could stir up a significant incident, one that would embarrass the empire.


    That being the case, Vertus might be considering eliminating Olivia before she caused any trouble.


    ¡°Hey,e on, I wouldn¡¯t go <i>that </i>far,¡± Vertus said with a sh of annoyance, as if he knew what I was thinking, and showing that he was intending no such thing.


    ¡°After all, this <i>is</i> the Temple, right?¡± Vertus said, implying that I should understand his point, and I nodded in response.


    Yes, Olivia Lanche speaking out could indeed be problematic. However, any harming to a student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss would also be a significant issue for the empire.


    From Vertus¡¯s point of view, creating another massive problem to cover up a potential issue would be considered the worst course of action.


    Vertus might not really take any action, but to be honest, I couldn¡¯t be certain.


    ¡°By the way, she didn¡¯t seem to know who you were, so why did you suddenly be curious about this?¡±


    It seemed Vertus was more curious as to why I was interested in this matter.


    ¡°... A senior I know was worried about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that person?¡± Vertus nodded. He knew that Adriana and I were close. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate for her.¡±


    Whether Vertus would intervene in this matter or not, his tone made it clear that trouble was looming.


    My palms began to sweat.


    ***


    I couldn¡¯t immediately inform Adriana of this information.


    The ¡°honest blockhead¡± might cause a big incident... I wasn¡¯t sure if Adriana was one of those blockheads too. If she found out, she might try to do something and end up endangering herself.


    ¡®<i>Damn it.</i>¡¯


    The life of someone whose face I didn¡¯t even know was in danger.


    Vertus had attempted to have a conversation with Olivia Lanche, someone who was certain to cause trouble in the name of preserving the empire¡¯s dignity. However, he¡¯d realized that it waspletely futile to try tomunicate with her.


    It was not entirely impossible that this situation had something to do with what I had done. And although the probability was low, there was a chance that Vertus might intervene.


    This time, I went up to the fifth floor myself. Telling Adriana would likely just add another troublemaker to the situation.


    When I appeared in the lobby of the fifth-year¡¯s ss A dorm, those there stared at me with wide eyes, wondering what a lower-grade student was doing there.


    ¡°Excuse me, I... I¡¯m looking for a senior named Olivia Lanche.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see. Okay. Wait here for a moment, please.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After listening to my request, the senior I had asked let out a sigh.


    It seemed Olivia¡¯s situation was definitely contributing to the somber atmosphere that currently surrounded the fifth-year ss A dormitory.


    The senior, who kindly offered to fetch her, told me to wait briefly in the lobby.


    A fifth-year in the high school division of the Temple would ordinarily be twenty-one years old. Since Olivia was held back a year, she would be twenty-two.


    The Olivia Lanche I was about to meet possessed tremendous Divine Power, capable of casting high-level divine magic.


    Whether she had talent inbat was unclear, but it was presumed so.


    Soon, a person who was unmistakably the one I was looking for walked towards me, apanied by another senior. One could see at a nce, despite the slightly rigid expression¡ªlikely due to some internal despair¡ªher gentle nature and upright conviction...


    ¡°There seem to be so many people looking for me today. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Nothing came to my mind except for the fact that she was extremely beautiful.


    ***


    Being given the title of the Saintess of Eredian certainly had something to do with her goddess-like appearance. Her long, rich, tinum-blonde hair was almost white, and fell to her waist. Her beautiful eyebrows and green eyes, as well as her slightly pale pink lips, all contributed to her look.


    Even as I stared at her, I found myself doubting how someone could be so wlessly sculpted. Her beauty was so perfect it almost felt unnatural.


    ¡°Uh, um... My name is Reinhart, a first-year student.¡±


    ¡°Ah... so you¡¯re Reinhart. I see.¡±


    It seemed she had already heard about me from her earlier conversation with Vertus, as she smiled and gently patted my head.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯re worried about me, and though I don¡¯t know why, I appreciate it, Reinhart.¡±


    Her touch felt as if it was enough to sanctify me on its own. Of course, what I actually felt was my heart skipping a beat.


    ¡®<i>No, this is bad. This wasn¡¯t why I came here.</i>¡¯


    I found it hard to keep myself focused.


    It wasn¡¯t love at first sight or anything like that, but she seemed so otherworldly, as if she belonged in a different realm. Just standing in front of her made me wonder if this was even real life.


    What was this feeling?


    There were plenty of striking individuals in my year, but being face-to-face with her felt like an honor.


    It was as if I was in the presence of the world¡¯s greatest beauty.


    ¡°So, what is it you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Um, could... could we possibly talk somewhere more private?¡± I said, unable to meet her eyes.


    This situation was ripe for misunderstandings.


    To any observer, I undoubtedly looked like a first-year student who was hopelessly infatuated with a fifth-year senior at first sight, and was unsure of how to act!

 Chapter 111

    <h4>Chapter 111</h4>


    Despite being asked by a junior she had never seen before if they could talk for a moment, Olivia Lanche readily agreed. There was no hint of hesitation, suspicion, or judgment from her.


    We settled on one of the empty club rooms on the seventh floor.


    ¡°This ce should be free from eavesdroppers. Is it okay with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    She pulled up two chairs and settled down gracefully into one. She was around 170 centimeters tall, and her proportions were unreal, with a rather small head. Judging by her tender expression, it would probably be easy enough for her to start a cult of her own without believing in any particr deity, and still be quite sessful.


    It was the first time someone¡¯s presence alone made me feel this intimidated.


    It wasn¡¯t due to fear, but the unusualness of her aura as well as her appearance, which made the feeling all the more bizarre.


    I sat opposite her and met her eyes.


    ¡°I heard you had a discussion with Vertus,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah, the prince. Yes, that happened.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of your conversation... but I¡¯m broadly aware of the situation.¡±


    Her expression darkened slightly. ¡°I see. But before I go on, can I ask how you knew about me already? I¡¯m really sorry Reinhart, but... I¡¯ve only heard of you, and this is my first time ever meeting you... So it was odd to hear that you were worried about me.¡±


    Olivia seemed to be quite flustered by the idea of aplete stranger being concerned about her.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that... It was Adriana who was worried. She seemed concerned that something might have happened to you, but she didn¡¯t want to pry too much as it might be seen as rude, so I decided to look into it on her behalf.¡±


    ¡°Ah... So it was Adriana... I see....¡±


    As the conversation shifted to Adriana, Olivia bowed her head in misery, as if she understood.


    ¡°I seem to be causing concern to a lot of people...¡±


    It seemed difficult for her to acknowledge that, regardless of her intentions, she was causing those around her to worry.


    ¡°I may not know you well, but I understand that you carry the expectations of many, and are even considered an idol by some. I know it might be presumptuous of me to say this... but would you consider changing your decision?¡±


    The goodness of Olivia¡¯s character was evident just from how she hadn¡¯t gotten upset and pped me across the face after hearing such an absurd request from a first-year who hade out of nowhere.


    Olivia was looking at me quietly.


    Her expression was still gentle, yet there was a certain stubbornness evident within.


    ¡°If by changing... you mean just enduring this and letting everything go on as is?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. My suggestion is that it might be better for you not to rush into action until you have reached a position of power, where you can actually make a difference. The actions you¡¯re taking now could put your own safety at risk...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the same thing as the prince.¡±


    It seemed that my words were no different from what Vertus had told her.


    ¡°<i>Climb to a position where you can make a change, and then make the change.</i> <i>The actions you¡¯re taking now only put you in danger and won¡¯t change anything. You might cause a momentary disturbance, but in the end, nothing will be achieved.</i>¡±<i> </i>


    It was the same old predictable advice, equivalent to saying in a military context that one should wait until one rises to a senior rank before eliminating any injustice. This was the best thought I coulde up with, and couldn¡¯t think of any other way to convince Olivia.


    ¡°You said your name was Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Olivia looked at me quietly.


    ¡°Justice cannot be subject topromise.¡±


    I realized why Vertus had called her a blockhead.


    If a person who spoke in such clich¨¦s wasn¡¯t a blockhead, then what were they?


    Of course, that mindset in itself could be considered honorable to some, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was still a stubborn blockhead.


    ¡°Once you allow a singlepromise, you¡¯ll just make morepromises as you acknowledge and realize the impracticalities of reality. As the number ofpromises grows, I¡¯ll eventually give up on many ideals, and what I end up with will resemble those very things I wanted to change.¡±


    ¡°<i>The firstpromise is the hardest; once you start to endurepromises under the pretext of amodating reality, you¡¯ll inevitably end up bing what you wished to change.</i>¡±


    ¡°Senior, a person whopromises repeatedly may be a coward, but a person who refuses topromise at all is the one whomits terrible acts.¡±


    Regardless of right or wrong, those overly confident and strongly determined in their beliefs are the most frightening. It¡¯s evident by looking at how much damage such individuals have inflicted on society.


    Olivia Lanche seemed to be one of these overly confident and determined individuals.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be even more terrifying if such a person became amander of the Order of the Order of the Holy Knights, or the High Priestess of her Order? It could trigger a massive purge.


    Apletely different question came to my mind.


    ¡®<i>What should I do if that happens?</i>¡¯


    ¡°You speak as if you have seen such people before.¡±


    I was aware of and had experienced many cases before, just not in the current world I was in.


    ¡°Reinhart, I think I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. You see me as someone who is overly principled, someone who cannot tolerate even a sliver of corruption, and believes that all priests must hold themselves to that perfect standard, and act ording to the precepts of their Order.¡±


    She did not dismiss my thoughts with a ¡°How would you know?¡± or ¡°Who are you to talk?¡± kind of attitude.


    She was genuinely trying to engage in a conversation with me.


    ¡°Reinhart, while justice cannot be subject topromise, in the end, this is my own form of uniquepromise.¡±


    Olivia understood exactly what I meant by my critique.


    She referred to her own actions as a form ofpromise.


    ¡°If I endure the present to save a tree that¡¯s rotten from its roots, I can only be one of two types of people. Either I sumb to reality and be one of the people that I intend to change, or I climb to a position where I can change everything withoutpromise, and end up sacrificing many people in the name of correcting everything.¡±


    Olivia was stubborn, but not foolish.


    It was her problem, and she had already deeply contemted it.


    She knew that the paths ahead of her led to her either bing a corrupt priestess, or a butcher who killed multitudes in the name of religious reforms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be either of those.¡±


    All she wanted was to avoid the two inevitable futures that awaited her if she continued down this path. Her decision wasn¡¯t solely based on disillusionment with her faith, or disappointment in the Order of the Holy Knights.


    She had made her decision after realizing that she herself could turn into a disasterter. Bing corrupt was a problem, and not bing corrupt was equally problematic.


    This decision was necessary, not just for herself, but also for many others.


    Olivia was making onepromise in order not topromise...


    To give up on everything.


    Both Vertus and I had suggested shepromise and endure the present, but neither Vertus nor I truly understood her. We didn¡¯t realize that by enduring, only terrible oues awaited her.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry for being presumptuous. It seems I... misunderstood.¡±


    That was all I could say.


    I had been presumptuous.


    I had judged her thoughts and feelings based on the limited truth I thought I knew, but Olivia Lanche was entirely different from what I had imagined.


    If it hade to this, she must have already braced herself even for her own death. I didn¡¯t need to ask to know that.


    ¡°No, Reinhart, thank you for worrying about me, even though you don¡¯t know me well. I mean it.¡±


    She hugged me gently, as if truly appreciative.


    It somehow felt as if she had been defeated by many things.


    ¡°I hope you stay happy,¡± she said.


    It sounded almost like a farewell.


    ***


    Olivia was not someone who could be persuaded by threats to her own life.


    In some ways, it was undeniable that Olivia¡¯s choice was the best she could make for herself.


    ¡®<i>Is it Vertus who intervened, or is it someone else¡¯s doing?</i>¡¯


    I learned the answer to that question over the weekend.


    I headed out for my early morning exercise and jogged with Adriana as usual. I had discovered some truth, but I was still contemting whether or not to share it with Adriana.


    If Adriana learned about Olivia¡¯s decision, it would undoubtedly be a significant blow to her faith. Speaking prematurely might shock Adriana severely.


    Since I was unsure whether I had the right to make that decision, I chose to remain silent for the time being.


    Both Adriana and I were noticeably in low spirits. Adriana was gloomy for her own reasons, while I felt guilty over the truth that I was unsure whether or not to reveal.


    On the way back from early morning training, we saw her.


    ¡°Oh... Senior...¡±


    ¡°Ah... Adriana. And Reinhart too...¡±


    It was Olivia Lanche, who was just emerging from the Temple dormitory, apanied by a man.


    She seemed to be on the verge of departing on a long journey, and was dragging arge trunk behind her.


    ¡°Do you know these juniors?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Father.¡±


    ¡°<i>Father.</i>¡±


    With that word, the identity of the man standing beside her became immediately clear.


    It was themander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche.


    He nced at the two of us and said curtly, ¡°Devote yourselves.¡±


    Adriana was frozen solid, unable to say anything in the presence of themander and the realization that Olivia Lanche was leaving.


    Still, I distinctly noticed a redness around Olivia¡¯s eyes, and a slight swelling on her cheeks.


    She wasn¡¯t leaving of her own volition.


    Even though she said she would quit on her own terms, this didn¡¯t seem like quitting; it felt more like she was being taken away.


    ¡°Take care, both of you,¡± Olivia said.


    The two of them didn¡¯t resemble a father and daughter, but seemed more like a prisoner and her guard.


    Adriana numbly tracked the departing figures with her gaze.


    ¡°Is senior Olivia... leaving...?¡± Adriana asked.


    ¡°... It seems so,¡± I replied.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken... the senior... She seemed to be crying.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    While Olivia had dered her intentions to leave the Temple, it somehow looked like she was being taken away against her will now.


    Vertus must have known all along that there was no need for him to intervene. Naturally, Leverier Lanche would have been aware of Olivia¡¯s situation, and it was predictable that he would be the one to take action first.


    The intervention of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was, in a way, an inevitable conclusion.


    If the Order of the Holy Knights tried to force their way into the Temple to remove Olivia Lanche, the Temple could deny them entry.


    However, they couldn¡¯t stop a parent from taking their child back home.


    ***


    Keeping Olivia Lanche in the Temple while being uncertain what she might say would have been a concern for themander. Thus, he had probably expedited her departure.


    Even from that brief observation, the oppressive and hierarchical nature of their rtionship was evident.


    In the end, it might not have been when she wanted, but since she had desired to leave everything behind, didn¡¯t things technically turn out ording to her wishes? Yet the expression on her face as she was being led away had been one of misery.


    ¡°What do you think is... going on, junior...?¡±


    Adriana and I sat on a bench in a daze, unable to return to the dormitory just yet.


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I spoke with senior Olivia yesterday.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    It seemed wrong to keep things from Adriana anymore.


    I could only exin things in abstract terms, as I technically shouldn¡¯t have known much about the details.


    I told Adriana that Olivia was aware that there was a reprehensible side to the Order of the Holy Knights, and had concluded that her joining the Order of the Holy Knights or the religious order would bring detrimental oues for both herself and many others. That was why she wanted to quit everything altogether.


    Adriana seemed dazed for a while after hearing all of that. Was she shocked because Olivia hadn¡¯t told her anything directly, yet had shared it all with me? Or was it the revtion that the Order of the Holy Knights, an order she herself had considered joining, possessed an ugly side?


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Adriana seemed unable to imagine what could have possibly led Olivia to make such a drastic decision. She might guess it was rted to the issue of demon ves, but there were likely many other matters that I was unaware of as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m so confused that... I don¡¯t know what to do...¡±


    It seemed clear that themander had taken Olivia away to keep the secret hidden. Adriana¡¯s eyes had lost focus, and it looked as if her entire belief system was copsing.


    Anyway, the conclusion was that Olivia would not be returning to the Temple now. Leverier Lanche had forcibly removed his ¡°daughter¡±, even resorting to doing so personally and physically.


    ¡®<i>Wait, hold on.</i>¡¯


    Olivia Lanche worshiped the god of purity, Ouen.


    ¡°... Who does themander of the Order of the Holy Knights worship?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh... I believe he serves Ouen.¡±


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t priests and knights of Ouen forbidden from marrying? Then how does he have a daughter...?¡±


    Olivia was probably following her parents¡¯ faith by worshiping Ouen, but how could themander, who adhered to Ouen¡¯s doctrine, have a daughter in the first ce?


    ¡°She¡¯s... an adopted daughter.¡±


    Olivia Lanche had been adopted.


    Finally, the picture became clear.


    Her strong talent in Divine Power wasn¡¯t due to the fact that she was the daughter of themander.


    She had been adopted by themander of the Order of the Holy Knights <i>because</i> of her remarkable talent for Divine Power, likely so that she could be cultivated into a future leader for the Order of the Holy Knights, or even the High Priestess.


    Themander must have been enraged beyond measure when the very one he had been grooming had suddenly chosen to abandon everything, and had even attempted to harm the Order of the Holy Knights and the Ouen Order.


    ¡°Junior, don¡¯t talk about what we just discussed with anyone,¡± Adriana muttered, as if there was something more urgent to consider before she made her own judgments. ¡°Regardless of whether it¡¯s true or not, it could be considered nder against the Order of the Holy Knights, and you could be arrested by the Inquisitors. Don¡¯t tell any of our senior members either.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Since we were less prominent figures than Olivia Lanche, we had to be careful with our words.


    Adriana suddenly stood up with a look of determination.


    ¡°I have to follow them and see for myself,¡± Adriana said.


    ¡°... I guess there¡¯s no harm in finding out what¡¯s actually happening,¡± I responded.


    I, too, felt ufortable not knowing how the situation would unfold, so I decided to follow her.


    ¡°If we get caught, we can just say we were sad to see a beloved senior leave and decided to follow her,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    If we were discovered during our unexpected tailing of her, we could simply pass it off as a childish impulse. Besides, if anyone tried to hassle us, they¡¯d have to be prepared for a potential confrontation with the Temple authorities.


    Themander of the Order of the Holy Knights might be able to take his daughter away, but he certainly couldn¡¯t take us.

 Chapter 112

    <h4>Chapter 112</h4>


    Fortunately, it was the weekend, so even though it was dawn, we were allowed to enter and exit the Temple freely. There weren¡¯t many people around at dawn except for some diligent students exercising, but we were able to follow the father and daughter pair at a considerable distance.


    Olivia Lanche, walking with her head bowed down like a criminal, and themander of the Holy Knights who walked silently beside her, left the Temple and headed for the station.


    However, there was a problem.


    Adriana and I looked at each other, at a loss for words.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Riding the magical train wasn¡¯t free...


    It was only natural that we hadn¡¯t brought any money with us, since we had rushed out in the middle of our morning exercise to follow them. We were so focused on following them that we didn¡¯t even consider bringing money.


    This whole incident was going to end just because two idiots who couldn¡¯t think properly started tailing them.


    ¡°W-What should we do?¡± Adriana asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we leave something like a student card as coteral and run a tab¡ªNever mind, we don¡¯t even have our student cards.¡±


    We literally had our bodies, and nothing else.


    Of course, I always wore my precious items like Sarkegar¡¯s ring and the me of Fire, but those were not at all suitable items to leave as coteral for a debt.


    Even though it was early morning on a weekend, there were still quite a few people at the station who were heading into the Temple for work.


    We had to think fast.


    I approached someone dressed in a suit, though I couldn¡¯t tell if he was a staff member or someone from the shopping district.


    ¡°E-Excuse me, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°We are students from the Temple... and we identally left our wallets behind. We urgently need to get on the train... Could you perhaps lend us some money for the tickets?¡±


    ¡®<i>Damn it.</i>¡¯


    Never in my life did I think I¡¯d end up doing something like this.


    I was nothing more than just amon beggar you see at the terminal, making excuses like, ¡°Ah... Pardon me but I lost my wallet just now... Could you possibly spare five thousand won for the fare?¡±


    ¡°... Is that so? And it also seems you don¡¯t have your student IDs with you as well... Okay then, could you tell me which ss you¡¯re in, and who you are?¡±


    ¡°We are from the Royal ss, first-year ss A, Number 11, Reinhart, and second-year ss A, Number 2, Adriana. We will definitely reimburse youter if you contact us again.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say Royal ss? Goodness... It must be quite the emergency for you to rush out like this. Okay, here. Don¡¯t forget it next time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Fortunately, it seemed he was a staff member or something of the sort, as he believed my words and readily handed over the money for the tickets. Perhaps my smooth delivery of our credentials helped to convince him that I was speaking the truth.


    The civic spirit within the imperial capital was really something else.


    Adriana was staring at me with a dazed expression, having just witnessed me sessfully beg for ticket money.


    ¡°Oh, right... junior, you¡¯re from the...¡±


    Adriana nodded nkly, as though remembering once again that I had supposedly grown up on the streets.


    ¡®<i>No no no, that¡¯s not it! That was just fabricated information! I¡¯m not really from the streets! This was literally my first time doing something like that!</i>¡¯


    Having her look at me as if I was going back to old habits was quite an unpleasant feeling.


    ***


    After purchasing the train tickets, we followed the two of them again. We didn¡¯t board the same train car, but we waited until they got on board before boarding an adjacent car. There weren¡¯t many people on the train, perhaps because it was still early morning.


    Once inside, we whispered between ourselves.


    ¡°Where could they be going?¡±


    ¡°Senior probably lives in themander¡¯s private residence, near the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights. We just have to get off at the temple station in Roznok.¡±


    Roznok would correspond to the Yangcheon district of Seoul.


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t remember all the districts, so I had even put up a map of the imperial capital in my room while writing.


    Anyway, I had been to the Roznok district¡ªwhere the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights was located¡ªonce before, during the incident involving the demon prisoners and the ck-market auction.


    That time, I hadn¡¯t headed there with good intentions, and strangely, this time too, I was on a somewhat unsavory errand.


    We had to switch lines a few times, but followed them all the way. They seemed to be conversing, so by enhancing my hearing, I was able to distinguish their voices through the noise.


    They appeared not to have noticed they were being followed at all. We were now located within their blind spot. Although they kept their voices low to avoid being overheard, I could pick them up clearly.


    ¡ªDo you really want to choose such a difficult path?


    ¡ª...I¡¯m sorry, father.


    ¡ªYou will eventually submit to it anyway.


    ¡ªWouldn¡¯t it just... be better to expel me from the congress instead? I will forget everything I¡¯ve seen and heard.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s not possible.


    ¡ª...


    ¡ªA person¡¯s character can be changed. Thoughts can be changed too. But talent cannot be changed. What¡¯s innate cannot be altered. You were born with everything. Looks, talent, ability. You were born with it all, and that is why you became my daughter.


    ¡ª...


    ¡ªUndesirable things are bound to ur within any sort of group. No one who is perfect in every way can be a leader. If such a person exists, they¡¯ll be living a life intoxicated by their own excellence. You are not destined to be an outstanding individual, but a leader. All these things are just part of what you need to ept. I wasn¡¯t surprised when you med me. It was just the right time for the inevitable words and actions, that¡¯s all.


    ¡ªI can¡¯t... do that. I am, just as you said... a pathetic person, living intoxicated by my own excellence. Father, please...


    ¡ªIt¡¯s wiser to ept it now, rather than changing yourself after getting hurt.


    ¡®<i>Getting hurt...</i>¡¯


    It seemed like something beyond my imagination was about to happen.


    It appeared that, if Olivia didn¡¯t ept this matter, they nned to pressure her in some manner until she did.


    It was not about simply punishing Olivia or anything like that; they had no intention of letting Olivia go at all.


    ¡ªI don¡¯t think my opinions will change no matter what happens to me. Father, please... please...


    ¡ªEnough.


    ¡ª...


    ¡ªI won¡¯t hear any more.


    Themander said nothing more after that.


    ***


    ¡°They didn¡¯t specify what was going to happen, but I heard them talking about getting hurt or something.¡±


    ¡°Getting... hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems... they might resort to some coercive method.¡±


    Adriana¡¯s eyes shook in disbelief upon hearing this.


    Coercive methods...


    There could only be one thinging to Adriana¡¯s mind: inquisition.


    ¡°C-Could it be... they¡¯re nning to do something like an inquisition...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡±


    Instead of letting her stay silent and live on quietly, they might forcefully recondition her mentally to change her mind. Themander of the Order of the Holy Knights didn¡¯t say anything more after that once they were back outside, but theck of confirmation only made Adriana and I consider even more extreme things that could possibly happen to Olivia.


    Upon reaching the station that led to the Order¡¯s temple, themander and Olivia did not head to their private residence, but towards the temple itself. We could only look on, dumbfounded.


    Olivia simply wanted to leave the Temple, forget about the Order, and live her life. However, themander was intent on making her ept the circumstances, by force if necessary, and this could involve violent methods.


    Olivia, being his adopted daughter, likely never imagined that he would go to such lengths. Had she known, she might have run away somewhere.


    She thought that simply keeping quiet would have been enough, but she had not expected her adoptive father¡¯s obsession with her future to be this deep.


    ¡°What could possibly be the reason for going to such lengths...?¡±


    Adriana wept, hidden in an alleyway, covering her face with both hands.


    While it was true Olivia Lanche was an outstanding person, torturing an unwilling person to forcefully make her ept her role as a sessor was unfathomable.


    Themander was not at all flustered by Olivia Lanche knowing about the ugly side to the Order of the Holy Knights or the five Orders that made up the Divine Cult of the Almighty. Rather, he believed that knowing this was necessary if she was to be the leader eventually.


    This meant that, regardless of the previous terrorist incident, Olivia Lanche was inevitably going to face this situation one day.


    However, in my novel, the character of Olivia Lanche was not given major importance until the end, and despite her exceptional talent, she did not appear in theter ¡°gate¡± incident.


    In other words, themander would fail to change Olivia Lanche¡¯s heart.


    At this stage, the only possible oues I could think of were that she would either bepletely broken or, in the most extreme case, she would die.


    That conjecture was turned into conviction.


    [Special Achievement Event Update - Historical Turning Point (Olivia Lanche)]


    [Description: If you sessfully rescue Olivia Lanche, the predetermined future will change significantly.]


    [Reward: Attainment of a special achievement. One of Olivia Lanche¡¯s traits will be randomly granted to you.]


    A ¡°historical turning point.¡±


    Such an event would ur when a person who wasn¡¯t supposed to exist was saved, going on to be an individual who exerted tremendous influence and causing a major upheaval in history. I knew this from Charlotte¡¯s case. Indeed, Charlotte¡¯s survival drastically changed the main story on a massive scale, making it unpredictable.


    Olivia Lanche was also a figure on such a level.


    The mere fact that this event was triggered confirmed that something extremely detrimental would happen to Olivia Lanche, resulting in her death or her bing a wreck.


    Effectively, it was as if the candy vendor had informed me of the future.


    After crying for a while, Adriana looked at me with a hardened expression.


    ¡°This... This is insane. This shouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    As Adriana said, although I don¡¯t know Olivia Lanche well, I did not wish for her to die or be broken.


    If there was a way to save her, I wanted to save her.


    Thus, the reward was ultimately secondary; I just wanted to save her. It was infuriating to think that such a kind person had to be treated so unfairly and end up destroyed or dead.


    Not even knowing what Olivia Lanche¡¯s traits might be¡ªand hence not knowing what rewards were possibly avable¡ªmade this whole thing even more perplexing. This was the first time such an abstract thing had been offered as a reward. It certainly didn¡¯t seem to be a talent of some sort, though.


    I never specifically set out anything about traits in the original story. This had to be an additional setting created by the system itself.


    ¡°I think so too, but... what should we do?¡±


    Rescuing Olivia, who had been taken into the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights, seemed an impossible task for the two of us. We didn¡¯t even have a pretext to enter the temple in the first ce. Even if it was possible to gain entry, we likely wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the location where Olivia Lanche, who was facing imprisonment or torture, would be held.


    Power had to be countered with power.


    Charlotte or Vertus might have some clever solution, but I couldn¡¯t think of any reason why they would need to intervene to save Olivia Lanche.


    Even if a prince or princess were to put pressure on the the Order of the Holy Knights, that sort of meddling in the internal affairs of the Order would result in an enormous amount of bacsh that had to be dealt with.


    Interference in internal affairs was in itself a serious diplomatic issue. While the Order of the Holy Knights was not a nation, in this context, it could be more or less considered one.


    It might be an even bigger issue if it was construed as a political power trying to interfere with a divine organization.


    In this situation, the only people who could help were Charlotte or Vertus, but obtaining their help would undoubtedly be a difficult task.


    ¡°If many people knew about this... would anything change?¡±


    Adriana realized that the Order of the Holy Knights was nning to do something inconceivable. If arge number of people were to learn that the Saintess of Eredian was being tortured by themander of the Order of the Holy Knights, what would happen then?


    Public outrage would certainly erupt at the ridiculousness of the situation.


    ¡°Things would certainly change. But the moment the Order of the Holy Knights admits to such an action, they¡¯d be crossing a point of no return, so they would have to deny it vehemently, whatever it takes.¡±


    Admitting such heinous acts would not just tarnish the image of the Order of the Holy Knights¡ªit would shatter it entirely. Naturally, they would deny it by any means necessary.


    Furthermore, the Divine Cult itself had a massive existing base of support, so it could also easily be dismissed as an absurd nder against the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡®<i>What should we do?</i>¡¯<i> </i>


    Spreading rumors would undoubtedly take time, and there was no guarantee Olivia Lanche would be safe while those rumors potentially turned into actual action.


    The fastest method would involve the intervention of other significant powers, but Vertus had already lost interest, having assumed that Olivia Lanche would be able to handle matters within the Order of the Holy Knights. Even if she was being brainwashed to be the nextmander, it would be of no concern to Vertus. After all, she would be ¡°reformed¡± into someone who wouldn¡¯t cause trouble.


    In the end, getting Charlotte and Vertus to act carried too much risk, andcked a justifiable cause or merit.


    ¡®<i>Significant powers... Powers must act...</i>¡¯


    Then it hit me¡ªI had been only considering the strongest power I personally knew.


    While it was true that I was surrounded by some of the strongest powers, I realized there existed another significant power.


    A power with clear cause and sure strength...


    ¡°Um... senior, I don¡¯t mean to be funny... but listen.¡±


    ¡°D-Do you have an idea?¡±


    I felt a bit embarrassed to say it out loud.


    ¡°How about we talk to a teacher?¡±


    ¡°<i>Let¡¯s tell the teacher!</i>¡±


    Even I found the notion somewhat absurd as the words stuttered their way out of my mouth.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Adriana¡¯s expression soured at my suggestion.


    Though it sounded odd, I meant to use the power of the Temple itself!


    In that case, though, what we had to do was essentially tattle-tale to the teacher...

 Chapter 113

    <h4>Chapter 113</h4>


    A single teacher at the Temple did not hold much power on their own. They merely taught or guided students in the sses they were responsible for in their assigned schools.


    However, the leadership of the Temple was also made up of educators, and they were not to be taken lightly.


    Although the Temple was an affiliate of the empire, it possessed a tremendous amount of power in its own right. Of course, it did not exercise authority outside of matters rted to the Temple, but when it came to issues involving the Temple, its authority was formidable.


    If the well-being of a Temple student was at stake, the Temple authorities would naturally step in to address the matter. After all, protecting the students¡¯ well-being was one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the Temple.


    Adriana looked puzzled by my exnation.


    ¡°I-I wonder if that would work...¡±


    Essentially, no matter how much I argued for it, what I was suggesting was basically the same as going, ¡°Teacher! There¡¯s a big problem! Please help us!¡±


    But that was not all.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the teachers. We should also involve the student council as well.¡±


    The student council was yet another power within the Temple.


    Ceres Van Owenne was a member of the religious club ¡°Grace¡±, and she was the president of the student council that represented the Royal ss students. That meant she could speak to the head president of the student council, who represented the entirety of the Temple¡¯s students that numbered in the tens of thousands, at any time.


    The head president of the student council of the Temple, a school where children from notable families gathered, was undoubtedly someone influential. Though I was not sure who, simply mentioning the name of the head president of the student council at the Temple would make others take notice.


    If the faculty and the student council were to take action, not even the Order of the Holy Knights could afford to overlook them. Thebination of the two could, in a way, be interpreted as the will of the empire itself.


    When people came together, it generated power and authority, and when noteworthy individuals gathered, that power would be exceptional.


    Besides, doing all this under the pretext of ensuring a student¡¯s safety made perfect sense.


    ¡°Alright, junior, I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    A first-year and a second-year were conspiring in an alleyway to make a move that would involve the entire Temple.


    ¡°But... Are you sure you¡¯re okay with this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This is very dangerous. If things go sideways, you and I could be used of ndering the Order and handed over to a religious tribunal, or dragged away by the Inquisitors.¡±


    If we choose to go down this path, we would have to go to the teachers to exin the situation, and do the same with the president of the student council representing the Royal ss.


    Our ims remained unverified. Hence, if they believed we were spouting nonsense, or if the Order of the Holy Knights identified us amidst a confrontation with the Temple, we would be targets of the Order.


    It was a risky approach.


    However, I had a n in mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put on a little performance,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll start with an anonymous letter.¡±


    ¡°A letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll write a letter alleging that such and such was happening, and send it.¡±


    ¡°... Will they believe the allegations in an anonymous letter?¡±


    ¡°Of course they will.¡±


    An anonymous letter, alleging that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was going to torture his own daughter? Who would believe such a letter thatcked any evidence or proof, you might ask?


    However, I knew for a fact that it would be believed.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m going to send it to the group that we are both members of. They¡¯ll have no choice but to believe it.¡±


    Adriana and I would act surprised, and express our wholehearted belief in the contents of the letter we would send to the club we belonged to. We could just put on a little performance and say to the rest of the members that we should at least investigate the ims made in the letter.


    We would slowly stir the suspicion within our club, and then move into the next phase of action. The opinions that the club formed would be presented to the head president of the student council, and then to the faculty. Thus, while the source of the rumor might remain unknown, action would still be taken.


    ***


    The course of action was decided; now, we had to move quickly. We didn¡¯t know when the torture would begin, or when Olivia might die or be broken beyond repair.


    We had no physical evidence, and the only concrete lead was the conversation I had overheard between Olivia and themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°Okay. Shall we head back¡ª¡±


    Adriana and I tried to enter the station, but were forced to stop in our tracks. We looked at each other nkly once more.


    ¡°Money...¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Our begging earlier had procured us enough money for two ticket fares, but we hadn¡¯t considered that we would need the fare for an additional two tickets.


    ¡°... We¡¯re really smart about the important things, but utterly dumb about stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    We had racked our brains to plot the ploy of the century, only to realize afterward that we hadn¡¯t even secured enough money to return home.


    Adriana stared at me intently.


    ¡°J-Junior... um...¡±


    She had an expectant look on her face, and I had a pretty good idea what she wanted from me. It was a look that said, ¡°Can you do what you did earlier again?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°U-Uh, hmm?¡±


    ¡°This time, it¡¯s your turn, senior.¡±


    ¡°Ju-Junior...¡±


    Despite Adriana¡¯s pleading look, I crossed my arms and put on a serious expression. How could she even think of taking advantage of me?


    ¡°No. Go on.¡±


    ¡°Ughhh... A-Alright...¡±


    Eventually, Adriana began to scramble about, pleading for money outside the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights. A neat and wellposed girl begging with an almost tearful expression was so genuinely heart-rending that Adriana seeded immediately.


    ¡ªThank you! Thank you so much! May the blessings of the five gods be with you!


    ¡ªOh, no... don¡¯t mind it, child...


    ¡ªThank you again!


    Adriana bowed repeatedly to the passerby who had given her the ticket money, so much so that the passerby might have felt sorry for her. From afar, she looked unbelievably cute.


    ¡°...¡±


    Adriana¡¯s face turned bright red, as if she had never imagined that she would ever have to beg in her life. She seemed mortified. I chuckled, arms crossed.


    ¡°You seeded in one go. You must have a knack for this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t... don¡¯t say that...¡± Adriana said as she red at me, trembling.


    ¡®<i>Ah... she¡¯s cute in a totally different way from Harriet.</i> <i>And had she forgotten that I¡¯m the kind of person who does more of what I¡¯m told not to?</i>¡¯


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve lost all your affection for the Order of the Holy Knights. How about switching your major to this field¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    <i>Smack</i>!


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    This time, Adriana¡¯s anger was genuine, and she hit me on the head instead of my back. The blow was so hard that my head swam for a moment.


    ¡°Was that an attempt on your junior¡¯s life, all because of a joke?!¡±


    ¡°Quiet! Just shut up and follow me!¡±


    Adriana grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and started to drag me back toward the station.


    Making Adriana¡ªwho always spoke in polite and refinednguage¡ªswear was slightly amusing, in its own way.


    ***


    We begged for money twice, and barely made it back to the Temple. I couldn¡¯t help but feel profoundly grateful for having money in my pocket.


    It was well past dawn, and the sky was bright.


    The n was simple: just leave the letter I wrote in the clubroom.


    Though the club meeting was scheduled for Thursday, members frequently visited the clubroom, and it was almost never empty on weekends. Members often gathered out of boredom to either pray, study, or chat.


    Simply leaving the letter in the clubroom meant that someone would eventually open it and read it. Considering the seriousness of its contents, the information would surely reach Ceres Van Owenne, the vice president of the club. From there, a club meeting would be called, and from that point, Adriana and I could y our roles to influence the situation.


    It was necessary to go about it this way to ensure that the source of the information, namely Adriana and I, would remain undisclosed.


    I immediately drafted the anonymous letter and handed it to Adriana. Since I wasn¡¯t officially a member yet, it would arouse less suspicion if Adriana was the one to casually leave it there.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be odd for me to attend the meeting?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether Adriana would be able to steer the discussion in the right direction on her own, either in an emergency meeting or a regr one, and if the members would even ept my presence there.


    ¡°¡®Although he isn¡¯t officially registered as a member, I brought my junior with me since this is rted to senior Olivia.¡¯ Maybe we could say something like that? After all, you actually did talk to her, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... That kind of excuse should work, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Adriana said with a nod, her expression rather serious.


    It was just a single letter, but depending on what we did, it could lead to a standoff with the Temple¡¯s student council and the Temple leadership on one side, and the Order of the Holy Knights on the other.


    It was hard to predict how things would unfold, but Olivia Lanche¡¯s life was on the line. Adriana had to be feeling the tension, knowing full well the gravity of what we were about to undertake.


    Would the Temple¡¯s student council and the Temple¡¯s leadership act? And even if they did, could they exert enough pressure on the Order of the Holy Knights to rescue Olivia Lanche?


    Nothing was certain, but this was the best we could do right now.


    ***


    It was the weekend, and under normal circumstances, I would be heading out for my morning training. However, I returned to my room instead, in order to collect my thoughts.


    Although I didn¡¯t know her well, Olivia Lanche had left an incredibly powerful first impression on me. Setting aside her achievements and talents, it seemed wrong for someone who had spent her short life of only twenty-two years helping others to meet such an end.


    ¡°<i>Good people will live happy lives.</i>¡±


    I wanted to witness the reality in which this saying, which seldom proved true in real life, unfolded at least once. Predicting how this situation would unfold was hard. But this was one task that I definitely wanted to seed in.


    I tried to use the Revise function to ensure that Olivia Lanche safely escaped the Order of the Holy Knights.


    [Excessively abstract Revise tasks cannot be performed.]


    The thought that ¡°Olivia Lanche safely escapes from the Holy Knights¡± was apparently too abstract. I needed to propose something more concrete.


    Since organizing it all in my head had its limits, I jotted down a detailed progression of events in my room.


    I wrote a lengthy scenario in which the Temple student council and faculty members attempted to bring Olivia Lanche back to the Temple, and themander of the Order of the Holy Knights unwillingly returned her into their custody.


    [You are attempting to perform too many tasks. You¡¯ve written way too much. Manifesting all of that in the way that you described it would require 10,000 achievement points.]


    [You might as well just write a fictional novel while you¡¯re at it... Lol]


    ¡°... You¡¯re an actual piece of shit.¡±


    For the first time in a while, I felt an urge to punch the system message that seemed deliberately designed to infuriate.


    Mocking me and typing ¡°Lol¡± at the end of their sentence infuriated me because I actually understood what the guy was implying.


    What did it mean when it said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you write a novel while you¡¯re at it?¡± Clearly, the system was mocking my identity as a writer, and on top of that, making pointed jabs at what it considered my apparentck of writing skill.


    ¡®<i>Ugh, you absolute jerk!</i>¡¯


    Anyway...


    Even if each individual action was sufficiently usible, if there were too many actions that needed to be manifested, it would require a ridiculouslyrge number of achievement points to bring them into reality, especially since each action would also spawn numerous other events that might not have happened in the first ce.


    ¡®<i>Okay then, how about this?</i>¡¯


    [Preview]


    It was a feature I had never used before. It was said to be avable only in specific situations, and this time, it was avable for use.


    ¡®<i>Damn, a cheat without any control over when it can be used.</i>¡¯


    Still, I was d that I was allowed to use it this time.


    I could use the Preview function to analyze this incident and watch how events would unfold, and if there were any problems, I could alter my actions to prevent that future froming true.


    [The ¡®Preview¡¯ function, which can be used in a limited capacity, allows you to see the oues of uing events.]


    [Using an excessivelyrge number of achievement points, you can grasp the overall flow of events. However, as you might have already guessed, doing so is practically impossible.]


    The system was basically telling me not to even dream about having a full preview of the future, because it was way too costly.


    Why did it even bother saying that doing so was impossible <i>because</i> it required a massive number of achievement points? Whatever I tried to do, it was just going to make it impossible anyway. Even if I had 200,000 achievement points, it was probably going to say, ¡°Sorry, you actually need 200,500 points. It cannot be done.¡±


    When I looked back on things, every time I¡¯d tried to use the achievement points to trigger an action that would improve my situation, I¡¯d always been short on points.


    ¡®<i>I get it! I¡¯m onto this malicious trickster now! It was all intentional!</i> <i>Even now, when I¡¯m trying to do something with the Revise function, it¡¯s making up reasons to not let me!</i>¡¯


    [It looks like you¡¯re catching on.]


    ¡®<i>Wait, what was that just now?</i>¡¯


    Something had shed before my eyes so fast that I hadn¡¯t been able to read it properly. What did it say? It definitely felt like a curse.


    This level of annoyance was so over the top that I felt practically enlightened.


    [Anyway, the Preview function shows you key future scenarios rted to the event you¡¯re interested in. These key situations will likely be diverse and will only be avable in short segments. Of course, every situation carries its own clues as well.]


    The system was essentially reassuring me that it wouldn¡¯t show me somethingpletely irrelevant, like a scene from a tavern in the southern part of the continent.


    If things panned out this way, I would be seeing a preview of the destined future.


    ¡®<i>Wait, but what do I mean when I say ¡°this way¡±? If I view the preview, wouldn¡¯t my thoughts change just by seeing it, therefore altering the future because the actions I might take would also be altered?</i>¡¯


    [In this case, we assume that you have not used the Preview function yet. Hence, consider how you would have acted in a situation where you do not know the future, as you normally would.]


    ¡®<i>Damn it.</i>¡¯


    Just wrapping my head around this Preview function was giving me a headache.


    First, I needed to clearly understand what action I would usually have taken, without any knowledge of the future. Only then could I make a different move at crucial points in the future.


    Of course, it was possible that the Preview would show me that everything would work out fine. This was just a precaution, in case something unpredictable happened.


    Hoping for the best, I decided to use the Preview function.


    [Will you use the ¡®Preview¡¯ function?]


    [Since this is your first use, a discounted price will be applied this time.]


    [Cost changes may ur from the next use of the function.]


    [1000 points]


    [500 points]


    [200 points]


    [100 points]


    As if choosing products, four price options appeared, all of which were at a discounted price for the first use.


    ¡®<i>Damn it, there are different prices.</i>¡¯


    Choosing the more expensive options likely provided clearer hints.


    Since it seemed possible to use it multiple times, I initially opted for the 100-point option.


    [You have used 100 achievement points.]


    One of the key scenes rted to the incident involving Olivia Lanche began to unfold in my mind. It was like a dream, and apletely different view appeared before my eyes.


    The 100-point future did not show a moving image, but a static world instead...


    It was nighttime.


    There was a date.


    Year 323 of the Imperial Calendar, June 28th, around 22:00.


    The present day was May 23rd, Saturday, which meant that this image was from roughly a month in the future.


    Even without examining it thoroughly, I could tell what had transpired. Olivia Lanche was sitting listlessly on a cold-looking stone floor, dressed in tattered clothes stained with blood.


    A trickle of drool was visible falling from her slightly open mouth, and her eyescked focus.


    Whatever she had been subjected to could be inferred from the unnatural marks visible on the patches of skin through her torn clothing. Though I could not see clearly because the scene was frozen, I could discern that these were traces of a magic circle.


    Bizarrely, although her clothes were blood-soaked and her body was covered in dried blood, there was not a single wound or scar on her body, aside from the odd magic circles.


    Around her, however, were small, scattered fragments.


    Upon closer inspection, they were bloodied fingernails and toenails. It was clear that she had been subjected to torture that involved the removal of her nails.


    Yet, in the picture, her nails were still intact.


    I formed a rough idea of what had happened.


    ¡°Damn you...¡±


    It was the work of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    They tortured her, and then used healing spells to restore her to her original state before repeating the torture. Seeing how such heinous acts could be performed using divine magic sent shivers down my spine.


    After experiencing such an ordeal, it was impossible for her to remain sane.


    Olivia Lanche waspletely broken.


    Confined in a ce resembling an underground dungeon and subjected to endless torture, Olivia Lanche had lost her mindpletely.


    If things continued the way they were, we would fail.

 Chapter 114

    <h4>Chapter 114</h4>


    Aftermitting to memory the most important things that I gleaned from the Preview function, I returned to reality. ording to the Preview, after a month, Olivia would still be held captive by the Order of the Holy Knights. That meant that, no matter what we were trying to do to save Olivia, we would still be failing a month from now.


    As time went on, Olivia would be subjected to various forms of torture and some kind of magical procedure that would ultimately leave her incapacitated.


    If we continued along this current path, we were bound to fail, but the reason behind our failure still remained unclear. The 100-point future had shown me the critical scene that proved we were doomed to fail, but it didn¡¯t show me the reason why.


    I realized we were going to fail, but it was still too vague.


    ¡®<i>Once more</i>.¡¯


    I let out a short breath.


    This time, I used a 200-point Preview.


    Having already seen the failed oue in the 100-point version, I hoped to find a clue about the reason for our failure in the 200-point one.


    The 200-point Preview showed a brief conversation.


    The date and time stamp was from May 24th, Year 323 of the Imperial Calendar, around four in the afternoon.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s tomorrow.¡¯</i>


    I knew the location well. It was the club room that belonged to ¡°Grace¡±, and all the members of the club, including me, were sitting around.


    ¡°I asked if we could see the president for a moment... And I was allowed to.¡±


    Olivia, although a fifth-year, had taken a leave of absence for a year to volunteer for activities rted to the Great War. Thus, it seemed Ceres was addressing her respectfully as ¡°president¡±.


    ¡°But... The atmosphere was definitely strange. Senior¡¯s expression was very dark, and it seemed like there was something going on... It looked like there was something she wanted to say but couldn¡¯t, because themander was beside her. I asked a few times to be left alone with her, but it was clear that it would not be allowed.¡±


    It appeared Ceres Van Owenne would pay a visit to the Order of the Holy Knights in order to rify what was going on with Olivia. She would meet both Olivia and themander, but with themander by her side, Olivia would not be able to say anything.


    ¡°Themander said he was only respecting his daughter¡¯s decision to leave the Temple.¡±


    There was much to be suspicious of, but no solid proof to call out themander.


    Olivia seemed unable to say anything crucial, as if she had been silenced.


    Ceres Van Owenne would meet the two at the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights, but would return without any confirmation or proof. Despite her suspicions, she would not find anything that could back them up.


    We would need some kind of evidence in order to rightfully bring Olivia back.


    Was everything going to proceed like this, without us being able to do anything? Even if we were to meet Olivia, she couldn¡¯t ask us to save her, because of themander watching over her.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached out to the teachers for help as well... But they said that it would take some time, since they would have to bring it up during a faculty meeting first.¡±


    If the students failed, did that mean that the teachers would fail as well?


    ***


    After the Preview ended and I returned to reality, my head began to hurt even more.


    Olivia couldn¡¯t open her mouth to say anything on her own. From what I had just overheard, it was enough to show me that Olivia was terribly afraid of Leverier Lanche.


    This showed me that we would not be able to prove our suspicions in a more concrete manner in the near future. Hence, we still wouldn¡¯t be able to rescue Olivia even if we knew what would happen.


    But if that was the case, I had no clue what I was supposed to do. It would take time for the teachers to act, because they had to convene a faculty meeting.


    A 500-point Preview...


    ¡®<i>Should I watch it or not?</i>¡¯


    The 100-point Preview had shown me the overall oue of failure, and the 200-point Preview revealed that, although I would be able to meet Olivia Lanche if I wanted to, she would be too terrified to speak.


    ¡®<i>Would the 500-point preview offer something more significant?</i>¡¯


    After much deliberation, I finally executed the 500-point Preview.


    [You have used 500 achievement points.]


    I had spent a total of 800 achievement points in the blink of an eye.


    But if I could just save Olivia Lanche, these points would be restored just as quickly.


    ¡®<i>Instead of working with these vague clues, let¡¯s just go all in.</i>¡¯


    ***


    Year 323 of the Imperial Calendar, June 3rd, around 5 p.m.


    This was a point in time two weeks from the present.


    The scene I was witnessing was taking ce in a location that I could not pinpoint. It appeared to be a conference room, and a group of people were seated within.


    There were roughly twenty people.


    I wondered who these people were, but only recognized two faces among them.


    Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang.


    Immediately, I understood what I was witnessing.


    This was a Royal ss faculty meeting. The teachers-in-charge of each ss, dorm supervisors, various assistant teachers, and senior staff members in charge of general administration had all gathered together.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Someone eximed in anger as she mmed the desk in front of her. It was a woman, but I did not know her identity. ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear what Olivia¡¯s going through? The fact that her guardian refused a request for a private meeting should already make it obvious. If there was nothing untoward going on, why refuse such a request? Even the students say Olivia looks unwell, and that something must be going on!¡±


    Her desperate cry was met with a sigh from the oldest-looking teacher seated at the head of the table, who appeared to be the principal of the Royal ss.


    ¡°We¡¯re not unaware of that, teacher Sarvina. We should be thankful that we even managed to convene this faculty meeting under such short notice. This is all we can do... The Temple can¡¯t do anything from here onward. What¡¯s next falls within the jurisdiction of the investigative authorities. Even so... whether we can investigate themander of the Order of the Holy Knights without any evidence... remains unclear.¡±


    ¡®<i>What on Earth is happening?</i>¡¯


    ¡°If only... we were just one day quicker... No, if we had only paid attention to the problem a little sooner...¡±


    The person, who likely was Olivia¡¯s homeroom teacher, started to cry, her eyes brimming with tears.


    It was unclear what exactly was happening, but it seemed the Temple¡¯s response had been continually dyed with meeting after meeting. Therefore, it was certain that something had gone wrong.


    ¡°<i>If only we had been one day quicker.</i>¡±


    ¡®<i>What does that supposed to mean?</i>¡¯


    ¡°Unfortunately, Olivia Lanche is no longer a student at the Temple. Therefore, there¡¯s nothing more we can do.¡±


    Hearing that, I felt like the puzzle pieces were starting to fit together.


    Olivia Lanche had withdrawn from the Temple as of the day before. Hence, the Temple had lost any justification to speak on behalf of Olivia Lanche¡¯s personal affairs.


    If they were to do so, her guardian could simply rebut them by pointing out that they had no right to demand his daughter back, especially since she was no longer a student at the Temple.


    Alternatively, another argument could be made that the Temple authorities, suspecting some foul y, had been pestering her, which led to her forced withdrawal.


    If the faculty meeting of the Temple had been just a few days earlier, the faculty might have been able to do something. However, everything had gone awry because of a one-day dy. Or, if they had anticipated that Olivia might suddenly submit her withdrawal, they might have been able to dy the process by giving the administrative department a heads-up.


    The 800 points weren¡¯t wasted after all.


    Now, I had a clear understanding of what the issues were.


    Ceres Van Owenne would initially meet with Olivia, but Olivia would not be able to say anything while under the watchful eyes of Leverier Lanche. Her silence could be partly due to her fear of Leverier Lanche, but there were other possible exnations for it.


    Considering the magical procedures that seemed to have been performed on Olivia, there was a chance that some sort of maniption had been done to prevent her from speaking at all.


    Following that, the student council president must have sought the teachers¡¯ help. However, without evidence, the teachers needed to be cautious about making such a direct request to the Order of the Holy Knights, which would lead them to debate whether to send an official request for her to be released.


    By the time the Temple made the internal decision to take action, Olivia Lanche would no longer be a Temple student. Therefore, the Temple found itself unable to make any demands on the grounds of concern for Olivia Lanche¡¯s personal safety. From that point onward, the jurisdiction would be transferred to the investigative authorities, but it was clear they would not take any action.


    Eventually, it seemed themander of the Order of the Holy Knights would fail in his original goal of brainwashing or subduing Olivia; thus, that strategy would also fail to achieve its purpose.


    ¡®<i>If things continue as they are, it will be a catastrophe for everyone.</i>¡¯


    ***


    After the time for dinner had passed, Adriana called for me.


    ¡°Junior. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Her expression suggested that things had gone as she¡¯d expected.


    We gathered in the Grace clubroom. Since it was the weekend and some members had not yet returned from their outings or were absent, only those who were on campus were present.


    Those who appeared to have read the letter were all wearing serious expressions.


    ¡°Ah... Reinhart, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ceres Van Owenne, the student council president who was also the vice president of the club, looked at me with an ambiguous expression. It was a hesitant look, as though she was unsure if my presence was appropriate or not.


    ¡°Um... Right, you went to see the president. Please, have a seat.¡±


    Ceres, being in the same year as Olivia, seemed to recognize that I had visited Olivia, and did not seem intent on sending me away. It appeared that she understood that, for whatever reason, I was concerned about Olivia.


    In front of her was the anonymous letter that I had written.


    Ceres waved the letter I had written in front of the silent audience.


    ¡°If this is a prank someone is pulling, it would be a very evil one... But, unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like a prank at all.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Those who were in the know wore serious expressions, while those who were clueless had bewildered looks, as though wondering if some major incident had happened.


    ¡°Some of you might not know this yet, but early this morning, themander of the Order of the Holy Knights himself came to the Temple and took the president away.¡±


    ¡°H-He took the president? And he came down himself to do so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was so early that I did not manage to witness it firsthand, but it seems some people witnessed the event.¡±


    At this point, it was probably only the students the same year as Olivia Lance who knew about her disappearance. The other students¡¯ perplexed reactions were quite understandable.


    ¡°And this letter... In it, the writer alleges that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights will do terrible things to the president. Something akin to torturing her.¡±


    Torture.


    The appearance of such a shocking word left everyone understandably shellshocked. The fact that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights had taken his daughter away like a kidnapper in the dead of night was shocking enough, but now, an anonymous letter had arrived, iming that he would torture his own daughter.


    ¡°What... That¡¯s... That¡¯s absurd!¡±


    ¡°Exactly...¡±


    ¡°This has to be a prank someone is pulling!¡±


    It was inevitable that people would not believe such allegations.


    The atmosphere in the room immediately grew chaotic. It was only natural, given all the incredulous stories that were being dumped on the attendees all at once.


    ¡°Everyone, please, quiet down.¡± Ceres tried to calm the crowd as tension grew around her eyes. ¡°This is nothing but a malicious prank. It¡¯s also a tremendous nder against themander.¡±


    Hearing that, both Adriana and I felt a chill run down our spines. It was understandable that the authenticity of the letter was in doubt, but if this idea gained traction, it would not only grow into a substantial problem, but Adriana and I could end up being apprehended.


    ¡°... However, whether this is true or not, several people <i>did </i>see the president being taken away by themander this morning. It seems those who were out for their morning exercises witnessed it.¡±


    Ceres had evidently heard stories from others who had witnessed Olivia¡¯s departure in the early dawn.


    ¡°Among those stories,mon elements included themander apparently hitting the president. They also say that it looked like she was being dragged away against her will.¡±


    Themander had hit Olivia, and it seemed Adriana and I weren¡¯t the only ones who¡¯d seen it. Evidently, themander had actuallymitted an act of violence against his foster daughter, and this alone was enough to shock everyone.


    ¡°Putting aside the identity of the person who wrote this letter and left it here, I think it¡¯s necessary to check on the president to see if anything has happened to her.¡±


    Although it seemed that she believed the wording in the letter was excessively exaggerated, Ceres seemed convinced that themander might indeed do something to Olivia in an attempt to change her mind about abandoning her faith.


    The fact that themander had used violence on his foster daughter had already been proven.


    And while Leverier Lanche might not stoop to torture, it was amon belief that he would indeed take some action to correct what he perceived as his wayward child¡¯s misguided thoughts.


    Adriana and I didn¡¯t need to argue about the credibility of the letter, since Ceres had already made the decision that she had to check in on the president herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go personally to check on this situation tomorrow and let you know what I find, so keep quiet about this until then.¡±


    Given theteness of the hour, it was too difficult to look into this matter right then. Therefore, Ceres was nning to proceed as scheduled and visit the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights the next afternoon.


    Given the way things were unfolding, it was clear that the best course of action for Adriana and I was to remain silent at this juncture, since Ceres had already reached the conclusion we desired on her own.


    However, this was merely the sequence of events that would lead up to the predetermined future.


    Ceres would head to the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights alone, and return full of suspicion, but without any confirmation. Themander would allow her to meet Olivia, but would not permit them to be alone.


    Whether the student council would manage to meet Olivia afterward remained unknown, but it was very likely they would be prevented from doing so.


    The moment Ceres returned empty-handed, I would consider another n to obtain evidence, and secure confirmation of her suspicions through that n.


    However, since I already knew that we wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of the meeting with Olivia, I had already thought of a second n. I would have naturallye up with this n in the predetermined future, but the fact that it did not end up working out showed me that, while we would be allowed to meet Olivia the next day, themander of the Order of the Holy Knights would not let us meet her anymore after that.


    In other words, the next day was the only opportunity we had to meet Olivia.


    Olivia would still be unable to say anything, either because of her fear of themander, or because of some kind of concealing magic that had been cast on her.


    ¡°Vice President, I think we need to consider a ¡®what if¡¯ scenario.¡±


    When I voiced my opinion, all eyes turned to me. By speaking up, I risked bing the prime suspect behind the letter, but it was time to step forward.


    If we kept going down this path, we were going to reach a dead end.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what if¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t know much, but is the president very afraid of themander?¡±


    Ceres tilted her head slightly in thought. ¡°Hmm... The president is a fifth-year student, but she repeated a year, so the seniors in their sixth year would actually know more about her than I do.¡±


    Olivia was repeating a year, and so she was living with the younger fifth-years. It was understandable that the current sixth-year students would know more about Olivia.


    There were indeed two sixth-year seniors in the room, one male and one female, and Ceres turned her attention towards them.


    ¡°Hm... Now that I think about it... She didn¡¯t seem to want to talk about themander much,¡± said the male senior.


    ¡°She definitely seemed scared. Whenever that topic came up... it¡¯s like the atmosphere just sank. I¡¯ve seen it happen quite a bit. She seemed to tremble a little, too,¡± said the female senior.


    The female senior seemed to know Olivia a little better. From her testimony, everyone understood that Olivia was indeed afraid of her adopted father, Leverier Lanche.


    I looked at Ceres.


    ¡°If we go to meet her while she¡¯s in this state... won¡¯t she be unable to speak about anything properly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... But if I ask that the two of us be left alone, just the two of us, maybe... we could get the full story?¡±


    ¡®<i>No, themander won¡¯t allow that.</i>¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance that would work, but there¡¯s also a chance it wouldn¡¯t. So, preparing for the unexpected seems wise.¡±


    Fortunately, the others in the room seemed like decent people, since they did not find it rude for a young junior like me to speak up in such a manner. Had there been someone more ¡°old-fashioned¡± around, they might have told me to keep quiet because I was making too much noise.


    Ceres seemed to agree with my suggestion, although she doubted the necessity of preparing for such an eventuality.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Preparing for a situation in which we won¡¯t be allowed to have a proper conversation isn¡¯t a bad idea. But what do you suggest we do?¡±


    There was one way to ensure that Olivia¡¯s perspective would be heard, even if she was silenced or rendered unable to speak due to some magical means.


    ¡°I think that bringing an additional person along might be a good idea.¡±


    The vice president didn¡¯t have to go alone; if she brought along another person, that would be enough.


    ¡°If by another person you mean... Reinhart, are you saying that you want to go along as well?¡±


    Most of the others looked at me with uncertain expressions, as though wondering what good it would do for me to be there.


    ¡°No, not me.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t suggesting taking me along.


    ¡°Oh!¡± B-4, Ashir, who had been sitting there quietly, suddenly eximed. It seemed he had realized what I was getting at.


    ¡°There¡¯s a ssmate of mine in ss B, a first-year student named Evia.¡±


    B-7, Evia...


    It was an unexpected suggestion, but in this situation, she was more necessary than anyone else.


    ¡°Why do you think we need her, Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°She can use Telepathy.¡±


    At that, everyone gasped in astonishment.

 Chapter 115

    <h4>Chapter 115</h4>


    Evia had nothing to do with this club. However she would definitely consider a request from the student council president herself. At present, her power was low-level, allowing only for one-way telepathy, but eventually, two-waymunication would be possible. For now, though, her current ability was enough.


    ¡°If you¡¯re being threatened, touch your nose. If you¡¯re being tortured, fiddle with your hair.¡± Simple signals like these should be sufficient.


    Everyone agreed that having someone with telepathic ability as a just-in-case measure was a good idea, and even praised it as a great insight.


    If Olivia could provide us with such testimony, it could set the groundwork for the Temple to step in immediately, instead of all the hesitant deliberation that I saw in the preview of the future. It might even result in the mobilization of the guards as well.


    Despite this, there was still an underlying unease.


    There was a possibility that themander of the Knights was still only trying to persuade Olivia with words. Therefore, if the torture or magical procedures were only nned to urter, we would not be able to get the responses we expected from Olivia at this stage.


    However, we had already rolled the dice, and there was no stopping it now.


    ***


    The next day, after lunchtime...


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    Ceres held the telepath Evia¡¯s hand tightly as they stood in front of the Order of the Holy Knights¡¯ temple.


    ¡°W-Will I really be able to do this well? What if I make a mistake...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re just here as a precaution. Nothing outrageous is going to happen. Just use your ability to ask a few questions if it seems necessary.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    The timid and fearful Evia couldn¡¯t quite believe that she had ended up in such a ce so suddenly.


    The day before, out of nowhere, the student council president from the Royal ss, whom she hardly knew, had sought her out and told her that she urgently needed her help with an important matter. Naturally, she wondered what it was about.


    To Evia, it didn¡¯t seem like a difficult task at all, and she was even told that she might not need to do anything at all.


    Ceres had told her that they were going to meet someone, and if that person seemed unable to speak properly, she just had to throw them some questions telepathically. Just simple questions, such as what gestures to make if the person required help, or to signal if they were under duress.


    These were things Evia had done countless times during supernatural power training sses, so they were not difficult tasks.


    But the thought of having to use her abilities in such a real-life scenario was understandably frightening. Especially if she had to ask someone right next to themander of the Order of the Holy Knights if they were being tortured.


    Only Ceres van Owenne and Evia were there at the temple.


    The student council president from the Royal ss stood undaunted in front of the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights. It was the gathering ce of the finest holy knights, who had made enormous contributions during the Great War.


    The Order of the Holy Knights... a dream posting for most students majoring in the religious fields affiliated with the Temple.


    Ceres van Owenne took the lead and walked confidently through the massive columns,ing to a halt before the gatekeeper.


    ¡°What business does a Temple student have here?¡±


    Both of them were wearing their school uniforms, even though it was the weekend, to show their affiliation.


    ¡°I am Ceres van Owenne, the student council president of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss.¡± She pulled out her student ID card and smiled. ¡°I came to see Olivia Lanche, themander¡¯s daughter and my friend. May I see her for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Themander might be busy at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I kindly ask for your help,¡± Ceres said with a smile. ¡°Olivia disappeared suddenly, and there¡¯s been a great deal of unrest, with students worrying she might have been kidnapped.¡±


    She applied some subtle pressure by implying that it was crucial to verify Olivia¡¯s safety with her own eyes, to prevent chaos from erupting within the Temple.


    ***


    Themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was not a man of leisure; thus, he was not someone whom you could meet on a whim.


    However, in this case, the visitor was not some ordinary student from the Temple, but the president of the student council of the Royal ss. While that title might not carry much weight outside of the Temple, it was not something to be lightly dismissed, either.


    Moreover, the purpose of the visit was to confirm with their own eyes the safety of a student who had disappeared in the middle of the night. The Temple was already in an uproar, and if she couldn¡¯t verify it now, more drastic measures might be taken.


    Therefore, since the Order of the Holy Knights did not want to cause unnecessary trouble, they eded to Ceres¡¯s request to meet with Olivia briefly, and led the two students to themander¡¯s office.


    For some reason, themander was out, so Ceres and Evia were led to his office, where they had to wait for quite some time.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    Ceresforted the anxious Evia by holding her hand.


    After waiting for quite a long time...


    <i>Creak.</i>


    The office door opened, and Leverier Lanche entered the office with a cold demeanor, followed by Olivia Lanche, who wore a dark expression.


    Without having to ask anything, both Ceres and Evia grew certain.


    There was definitely something going on. Olivia¡¯s dark expression said it all.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you,mander. I am Ceres van Owenne, the student council president of the Royal ss.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Evia...¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you. I am Leverier Lanche, themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.¡±


    After a brief introduction, themander sat Olivia down next to him and faced the two visitors.


    ¡°So, I hear you¡¯re worried because of my daughter¡¯s sudden disappearance from the Temple.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone is in a panic because she vanished without a word... Fortunately, she¡¯s here. I thought something serious had happenedst night.¡±


    ¡°Students are free toe and go from the Temple over the weekend, are they not?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. But the suddenness of the situation was...¡±


    .


    .


    As the conversation went on, Ceres began to test the waters. Themander shared that Olivia had recently gone through a significant ordeal that had left her mentally and emotionally unstable, making it difficult for her to continue her life at the Temple.


    This made sense, and matched Olivia¡¯s recent behavior, although the current situation was not of her own choosing, but had been forced upon her. Themander added that Olivia¡¯s current state made it hard for her to meet anyone face to face, and that she did not want to speak with anyone. With that, he implied that it would be best if the two students left, since they had confirmed Olivia¡¯s safety. Ceres, on the other hand, suggested having a private conversation with Olivia, but that request was rejected.


    So, it was Evia¡¯s turn to step in.


    Evia quietly focused her powers.


    ¡®<i>Don¡¯t be surprised, unnie. I have telepathic ability.</i>¡¯


    Olivia flinched as the voice entered her mind directly. Fortunately, themander did not notice this reaction.


    ¡®<i>Are you in a situation where you¡¯re not allowed to speak right now? If so, please twist your hair once.</i>¡¯


    Olivia gently twisted a strand of her long tinum-blonde hair with her right hand.


    Evia¡¯s heart pounded.


    ¡®<i>If you need help right now, please clench your fist slightly.</i>¡¯


    Olivia clenched her right hand into a fist.


    ¡®<i>Have you been... tortured?</i>¡¯


    Olivia nodded subtly.


    Evia¡¯splexion started to turn increasingly pale.


    ¡°Why is this student so tense?¡±


    Naturally, Leverier Lanche noticed this anomaly as well.


    ¡°Oh, ah... I think it¡¯s because she¡¯s nervous to meet themander of the Order of the Holy Knights.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡±


    Naturally, it was impossible for Leverier Lanche to realize that telepathicmunication was happening right then.


    ***


    As evening approached, an emergency meeting for the members of Grace was convened. This time, Evia was included. It seemed they had a clear understanding of the situation.


    Evia was terrified, and immense anger was swirling in Ceres¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It was all true.¡±


    <i>Who</i> sent the anonymous letter was no longer important.


    Ceres¡¯s words shocked everyone.


    ¡°Some trickery has rendered the president mute, and it¡¯s certain that she is either going to be tortured or is already being tortured. Moreover, the president is asking for help.¡±


    Evia had confirmed Olivia¡¯s plea for deliverance through her telepathy.


    ¡°This is no longer a matter that we students can handle amongst ourselves,¡± Ceres continued. ¡°This, in itself, is already a serious crime.¡±


    The case had escted, and they had to inform the faculty and the guards.


    Adriana and I caught each other¡¯s gaze.


    We had seeded in escting the case so that it was now considered a significant incident that would move more powerful forces into action without blowing our cover after all.


    ***


    Proof that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was torturing his own daughter had been secured in the form of witness testimony.


    Even though they were father and daughter, such proof provided enough reason for not only the Temple to intervene, but the guards as well. With solid grounds and testimony secured, the Temple authorities, instead of hesitating like in the Preview, took immediate action.


    It was Sunday night, and the faculty of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss moved collectively.


    The teachers, leading the Temple¡¯s own armed forces and the guards, began heading towards the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    I did not follow to watch. However, I could see that the situation was twisting in apletely different way.


    ¡°Reinhart, you¡¯ve really made things interesting, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb.¡±


    Vertus was watching quietly from the tea-time terrace as the troops and teachers, who had been mobilized in the dead of night, prepared themselves.


    ¡°Going around stirring things up in an attempt to save Olivia Lanche was all too obvious,¡± Vertus said.


    Even without concrete evidence, the fact that I had asked about Olivia Lanche, then gone to look for her, and was intent on doing something about it seemed quite apparent. Thus, Vertus seemed to have intuitively guessed that I was the cause of this mess.


    It had to have been a shot in the dark, but it was eerie how urate his guess was.


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive, really. A first-year kid does some legwork, and the whole Temple is set in motion.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Vertus sipped his tea, smiling slyly.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t do anything, you say, but didn¡¯t you also suggest bringing a telepath to the meeting ahead of time in case you couldn¡¯t secure testimony? Seems to me you¡¯re also the one behind that anonymous letter. You¡¯ve done it all on your own, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡®<i>Does he already know this much?</i>¡¯


    It was terrifying how he seemed to know almost everything while appearing to know nothing at all.


    It was chilling how he acted as if he was in the dark andpletely clueless, but then suddenly showed that he knew everything.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. Whatever the reason, I¡¯m quite pleased with you stirring things up to save Olivia Lanche.¡±


    ¡°... Pleased? Didn¡¯t you want Olivia Lanche gone?¡±


    ¡°That hardly matters now, does it?¡± Vertus shrugged. ¡°The Order of the Holy Knights is going to be disbanded, so why does it matter anymore?¡±


    ¡®<i>Huh?</i>¡¯


    It seemed I had stumbled upon a massive revtion.


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s <i>that</i> big of a deal? This incident is going to cause the Order to disbandpletely?¡±


    It was definitely a serious issue, but was it significant enough to result in the disbanding of the Order of the Holy Knights, a massive organization?


    ¡°That depends on the circumstances. It could just end as a case of parental child abuse,¡± Vertus said with a chuckle.


    He continued, ¡°But our emperor doesn¡¯t n to let this end as a minor incident.¡±


    An excuse to disband the Order of the Holy Knights had been found. Thus, the authorities would demolish it.


    This might have started out as a small incident, but now, the emperor was going to step in and escte the magnitude of the situation tremendously.


    ¡°But the Order of the Holy Knights won¡¯t just ept that quietly. There¡¯ll be an immense bacsh from the religious groups. In the worst-case scenario, the Order of the Holy Knights might even turn their swords against the empire.¡±


    They weren¡¯t the types to quietly disband. The Order of the Holy Knights had be a massive power, grown out of thebined strength of the five Temples within the Divine Cult of the Almighty, and they wouldn¡¯t easily relinquish that power. If the emperor used this incident as a pretext to disband the Order of the Holy Knights, they might brand the emperor¡¯s actions as religious persecution, and draw their swords.


    ¡°Congrattions, Reinhart,¡± Vertus said as he patted my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve just started a war trying to save one person.¡±


    I felt a chill run through my body, as if my blood had turned to ice.


    ¡®<i>War?</i>¡¯


    The notion that the actions I had taken to save Olivia Lanche could escte into a war between the empire and the Divine Cult of the Almighty caused my brain to freeze.


    The royal family had been keeping their knives sharpened, ready to deal with the thorn in their side that was the Order of the Holy Knights, and the tension had only been growing since the ck market incident.


    And then, I had gone and detonated this bombshell that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights was torturing his own daughter.


    As Vertus put it, in trying to save one person, I had inadvertently crafted a scenario where hundreds of thousands could die on a whim.


    ¡®<i>Is... Is that even possible?</i> <i>Could the actions of someone as insignificant as me really lead to such a massive event? Is that feasible? All I did was some stalking and stirring the pot with an anonymous letter, and that¡¯s it.</i>


    <i>Could something as small as that lead to a war?</i>¡¯


    As I froze in shock, Vertus peered at me quietly.


    ¡°Do you want me to stop it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°H-Huh... W-What?¡±


    ¡°The war.¡±


    Vertus looked at me quietly.


    ¡°You¡¯re offering to stop it?¡±


    ¡°You seem overwhelmed. I¡¯m asking if you want me to stop it,¡± he said, looking at me with an unfathomable expression.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, nodding nkly. ¡°Please.¡±


    In response to my plea, filled with the most sincere intention, Vertus smiled.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    My simple actions had radically altered the future.


    Yet, with just one brief exchange of words, the future was altered once again.


    ***


    The fact that themander of the Order of the Holy Knights tortured his daughter did note to light. To be precise, themander had still been trying to persuade Olivia Lanche verbally, but it had been made known to her that if she resisted, she would face physical and magical torture.


    The Temple authorities took the initial action, but once Vertus began to intervene, there was spection that the royal family took over control of the case midway through.


    While the royal family wanted to disband the Order of the Holy Knights, doing so would inevitably cause significant bacsh. Instead, the royal family diminished this incident from being a scandal involving the entire Order of the Holy Knights to just a personal issue that involved themander himself.


    As apromise, the royal family demanded the dismissal of themander of the Order of the Holy Knights, and the appointment of a newmander who was pro-empire.


    While the royal family conducted negotiations behind the scenes, the Temple took Olivia Lanche back into custody and kept silent about the matter. Since Olivia Lanche had not actually been tortured, it was difficult to make any more of the issue.


    By Monday, Olivia Lanche had returned to the Temple.


    She had decided to leave both the Temple and her faith, but ultimately, her safe return was possible because she was a student of the Temple.


    [Special Achievement Event Complete - Historical Turning Point (Olivia Lanche)]


    [A significant character (Olivia Lanche), who was not supposed to exist in the original timeline, has survived.]


    [The future has been greatly altered.]


    [You have received 1,000 achievement points.]


    Not only did I gain achievement points, but a special event was alsopleted.


    [You have acquired Olivia Lanche¡¯s trait ¡®Divine Spirit¡¯.


    Trait: Divine Spirit


    Description: Olivia Lanche was born with inherently strong mental fortitude. Therefore, she naturally possesses a significant resistance to mental maniption magic. Having acquired her trait, you also gain strong mental power and a greatly increased resistance to mental interference.]


    The reward I¡¯d received was far greater than I had anticipated.


    This must have also been why Olivia Lanche, despite being subjected to countless attempts at brainwashing, never sumbed to them in the end.

 Chapter 116

    <h4>Chapter 116</h4>


    Divine Spirit...


    I had no expectations whatsoever, but the reward turned out to be incredibly significant, and totally unexpected. My antimagic power, which usually only increased through intense training, had now reached an incredible level, albeit limited to the mental attacks.


    It seemed Olivia Lanche¡¯s safe return had caused a smallmotion among the upper-year students. Fortunately, because the incident had not escted, the details regarding it did not spread among the students. It was as if the members of Grace had been sworn to secrecy by the teachers; no words about Olivia Lanche being tortured or anything of the sort had spread.


    The royal family indeed wanted to handle this matter quietly.


    Adriana, along with the other members of Grace, were crying tears of joy that Olivia had returned safely, and since I had confirmed she was unharmed, I did not feel the need to join their rather modest wee-home party.


    That day, I nned to attend sses as usual, eat dinner, and then train.


    But then, Olivia Lanche came looking for me, all the way in the dormitory for first-year students.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°Can we talk for a moment?¡±


    There was still a darkness to herplexion, but her expression did not look as wretched as the one I had seen in the original future.


    ***


    The woman who had suddenly visited me in the night took me for a walk outside the Temple dormitory. The area around the Royal ss building was quiet, perhaps because it was night.


    ¡°I heard you yed a big role.¡±


    ¡°... What role? Actually, it was Evia who did everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thanked that child too. But I¡¯m grateful to you as well, Reinhart.¡±


    Although Adriana and I had developed the n in our minds, ultimately, the most critical element had been Evia¡¯s talent in Telepathy.


    Olivia walked in silence for a while. She did not set a quick pace, and it felt like we were out taking a stroll.


    ¡°I thought it would be enough for me to quit the Temple and give up my faith. I wanted to live a quiet life, without hurting anyone...¡±


    However, Leverier Lanche couldn¡¯t give up on Olivia. So, he tried to control Olivia even if it meant breaking her, and when he finally realized that neither mental magic nor brainwashing would work on her, he would have had to kill Olivia Lanche, who would have been left apletely broken person in the end.


    ¡°I must have been too naive.¡±


    She believed that, by doing what she¡¯d done, they would leave her alone, but they didn¡¯t. Instead, they had imprisoned her and threatened her. Leverier Lanche was fully intent on making Olivia live the way he wanted her to, even if it meant torture and brainwashing.


    What had she been forced to listen to during those days of captivity? Olivia, who had radiated gentleness and affection when I¡¯d first met her, was wrapped in an air of loneliness after just a few days.


    ¡°What will you do about the Temple?¡±


    Olivia had intended to leave the Temple, but she had only been released from the Order of the Holy Knights because she was a student at the Temple.


    ¡°... Leaving the Temple might actually put me in danger now.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯vee to know too many things that I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Olivia had learned about the secrets of the Order of the Holy Knights, the corruption within the religion, and how terrible their actions were. Moreover, she had been rescued just before the Order of the Holy Knights could harm her.


    Without the protection of the Temple, Olivia might end up back in the hands of the Order of the Holy Knights again. Thest time, they wanted to brainwash her, but this time, it would be to silence her.


    In the end, it seemed Olivia had decided to stay at the Temple, at least as a way to protect herself.


    ¡°Shall we sit for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Olivia walked on for a while before sitting on a bench, and I sat down next to her. There was a strangelyforting fragrance emanating from her, either from her body or her hair.


    ¡°Then... are you giving up on your faith?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t necessarily have to belong to a group in order to practice your faith, do you?¡±


    Olivia Lanche had mentioned previously that she wasn¡¯t just giving up on joining the Order of the Holy Knights, but was giving up on the faith itself.


    However, it wasn¡¯t as though it was impossible to believe in a god on one¡¯s own.


    I was suddenly curious as to why she wanted to give up on the faith entirely.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Olivia said as she nodded.


    She smiled faintly. ¡°Do you want to see something?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    <i>Whirr</i>...


    A white aura was forming around her right hand. It was a manifestation of Divine Power.


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of Ouen, the god of purity.¡±


    ¡°Yes... Well, that would make sense.¡±


    Olivia looked at me with sad eyes. ¡°Why is it that people who are not at all pure can use this power? Why can so many priests and holy knights, who act against their faith and doctrine, still wield such strong divine powers?¡±


    There were priests and holy knights within the Order who had betrayed their doctrines andmitted countless terrible acts. Yet, they were neither judged nor punished by the heavens, but still possessed immense divine power.


    ¡°And why can I still use this power, even though I¡¯ve decided not to serve Ouen anymore?¡± she continued.


    Even if one rejected the faith, Divine Power still resided within them.


    It seemed Olivia was gued by too many questions.


    ¡°But then I figured it out. Divine Power doesn¡¯t seem to be proportional to the size of one¡¯s faith, and it can still be used even if one doesn¡¯t live while adhering strictly to the doctrine.¡±


    She expressed this opinion calmly, although it was one that could easily have her referred to a religious tribunal. It seemed she was beginning to doubt the entire pantheon of gods within the Divine Cult of the Almighty after seeing the corrupted priests and the powers they wielded.


    ¡°The gods lend us their power, but they don¡¯t care at all what we do with it. That must be why the Order of the Holy Knights, which should have disappeared long ago, still exists.¡±


    ¡°<i>The gods don¡¯t watch over us. They simply lend us power, but what we do with that power doesn¡¯t concern them in the slightest.</i>¡±


    ¡°What use is it to offer all the prayers and hymns to beings that don¡¯t watch over us?¡±


    Olivia, after her period of powerlessness and disillusionment, hade to the conclusion that faith was useless. Many sermons and teachings were disconnected from the gods themselves.


    It wasn¡¯t emotional; Olivia hade to a logical conclusion that she would give up on her faith. She realized that she would continue to be strong in Divine Power, independent of her faith.


    ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯s just the major gods who are like that.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, no, nothing.¡±


    Olivia had made a strangement, then fumbled around, trying to act as if she had misspoken.


    ¡°<i>The major godsck interest in the world.</i>¡±


    Could it be then, that their opposites, the demon gods, might be different?


    Why would she suddenly make such a dangerous remark? Since Olivia awkwardlyughed it off, I couldn¡¯t probe any further.


    ¡®<i>Could it be... Has she turned dark?</i>¡¯


    Olivia changed the subject, and asked about something entirely different. ¡°Anyway, Reinhart, why did you decide to help me? I heard about that letter, the one you and Adriana wrote.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Is that so?¡±


    It all turned out well in the end, so I hadn¡¯t been too concerned about the letter, but it seemed like everyone had suspected us from the moment I¡¯d spoken up during the meeting. Because of that, Adriana had apparently spilled everything to them.


    That meant Olivia knew that Adriana and I were the key figures who had saved her.


    ¡°Was it because Adriana asked you to do it?¡± Olivia said, smiling at me.


    This had to be this feeling that people meant when they said that their heart seemed about to burst. The person in front of me was dazzlingly beautiful, and it felt as if my brain had stopped working.


    ¡®<i>Is this really happening right now?</i>¡¯


    Seeing me at a loss for words, Olivia looked me in the eyes and chuckled mischievously.


    ¡°Or did you fall for me at first sight, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°P-P-Pardon?!¡±


    ¡®<i>What the heck? Why this, all of a sudden?!</i> <i>It wasn¡¯t love at first sight, but I admit it, you¡¯re driving me crazy!</i>¡¯


    It felt as though my soul might actually get sucked out if I let my guard down even a little more.


    Olivia covered her mouth with her hand andughed. ¡°I was just kidding. Why are you so surprised?¡±


    ¡®<i>What? So now that she¡¯s let everything go, she¡¯s suddenly turned into someone who can make such bizarre jokes?</i>¡¯


    Olivia narrowed her eyes, and suddenly brought her face closer to mine.


    More precisely, next to my ear.


    ¡°You know how I said I won¡¯t serve Ouen anymore?¡± she whispered softly.


    ¡°<i>The priests of Ouen aren¡¯t allowed to marry. But now that I¡¯ve given that up, I¡¯m free from such concerns.¡±</i>


    Was that what she was trying to say to me?


    With a peculiar chuckle, Olivia continued to whisper, ¡°Of course, you¡¯re too young right now, so you¡¯ll need to grow a little more. Maybe... when you¡¯re around your fourth year?¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me?!¡± I eximed, flustered, and Olivia tilted her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that being too modest about this kind of thing can actually be more annoying, so I¡¯m just being pretty honest about it.¡±


    Olivia yed with her hair and smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯m quite pretty, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡®<i>Fine, I admit it.</i>¡¯


    Honestly, if anyone had called her the most beautiful girl in school, it wouldn¡¯t have been an exaggeration. Saying she looked average would be considered a crime.


    However, hearing her confidently acknowledge her beauty felt really odd.


    ¡°Well, yes, I get that, but you don¡¯t have to say it yourself...¡±


    ¡®<i>She¡¯s turned dark.</i>¡¯


    She had definitely turned darker in various ways.


    Seeing my bewildered expression, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, disying a captivating smile.


    ¡®<i>Wow.</i>¡¯


    She hadn¡¯t been like this before, but the gentle saintess was now beginning to unleash the charm that she had sealed away.


    Wasn¡¯t this a disaster in its own right?


    Olivia pulled me slightly closer.


    ¡°Anyway, thank you, Reinhart.¡±


    <i>Peck!</i>


    She kissed my cheek lightly, but firmly enough to make a sound.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do other things when you¡¯re a bit older, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I remained in that position, unable to do anything for about ten seconds.


    My brain had truly frozen up.


    This fallen saintess had now turned into a lunatic who flirted with and tossed dirty adult jokes at a first-year kid.


    ***


    ¡°... So, it¡¯s a big problem.¡±


    ¡°Senior Olivia said that...?¡±


    The next day, when I ryed to Adriana what had happened with Olivia the night before as we were doing our early morning exercises, herplexion turned pale.


    Her idol and role model had not only abandoned her faith, but her personality had also undergone a 180-degree flip, which shocked her profoundly. Moreover, her actions suggested an attitude that, since she had thrown away the doctrine of purity, she was going to do whatever she wanted to from now on.


    They say thatte learners are more frightening, and if the top beauty of the region had undergone such a drastic change, there was no one who wouldn¡¯t fall for her.


    ¡°Um... Although it¡¯s a bit shocking... shouldn¡¯t you technically be happy about it, junior?¡±


    Despite her shock, Adriana was somehow suggesting that since Olivia, who was even called the Saintess of Eredian, had gone as far as giving a peck, I was supposed to be happy about it.


    ¡°Happiness aside, it seems like she¡¯s just teasing me. Even knowing that, though, I can¡¯t handle it when she does it right in front of me.¡±


    She clearly enjoyed seeing me all flustered and struggling. She probably thought of me as just a kid. But when she did such things in front of me, I had no idea what to do and my brain just froze.


    The person who had given me resistance to mental attacks was the very one attacking my mind!


    ¡°Um... What¡¯s there to do? I-I guess it¡¯s not bad to enjoy it...?¡±


    Adriana was implying that, if I couldn¡¯t escape it, I might as well consider it an honor.


    <i>¡®Well, I mean, I guess...¡¯</i>


    When would I ever experience something like this again?


    But this wasn¡¯t good for my heart at all.


    After running for a while, Adriana suddenly remembered something.


    ¡°Um... The senior said she wanted to have a meal with you and me together... as a way of saying thanks,¡± she said.


    ¡°C-Can... Can I decline?¡±


    Adriana was adamant.


    ¡°No, you have toe.¡±

 Chapter 117

    <h4>Chapter 117</h4>


    Adriana and I had be Olivia¡¯s lifesavers.


    Because we had followed her secretly, we eventually uncovered various details and were able to make the Temple authorities take action with letters and threats of disclosure.


    Olivia, who feared her adopted father, could not do anything herself.


    In the end, the Temple decided to step in to resolve all the issues, including the matter of custody.


    Olivia had her fair share of personal issues, and had made hardened enemies within both the Order of the Holy Knights and the Cult of the Almighty. Of course, as long as she was a student of the Temple, they couldn¡¯ty their hands on her that easily.


    Anyway...


    After sses ended on Tuesday, Adriana and I headed to Main Street. It seemed that Olivia was now back to attending her sses regrly, and since she knew that remaining in the Temple andying low was her way to survival, she wasn¡¯t about to cause any trouble.


    ¡°We might have to wait a bit. The senior probably has more sses than us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±


    It appeared that members of the Grace Club, including Adriana, did not consider Olivia a traitor for abandoning her faith. Rather, knowing what she had gone through, it seemed they had begun to question their own beliefs as well.


    I wondered if this incident could lead to everyone in the Royal ss abandoning their respective faiths.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that senior going to do with the club?¡±


    ¡°Well, she might not participate in prayers, but she will still show up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Since forcing faith on members was not the club¡¯s policy, Olivia seemed willing to rejoin. However, having someone who had renounced their faith as the president of a religious club was indeed troubling.


    We whiled away our time near the Main Street tram stop, and soon saw Olivia getting off the tram.


    ¡°Ah, Adriana, Reinhart. Have you been waiting long?¡±


    ¡°No, we just arrived too, senior.¡±


    Olivia wore the Royal ss uniform as if it had been made just for her, naturally drawing the gazes of the passersby.


    Unbeknown to me, she was quite the celebrity, and it was clear that everyone recognized who Olivia was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Olivia took my hand and Adriana¡¯s, one in each of her own.


    ¡°W-Why do we need to hold hands...?¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you dislike it?¡±


    It was not like we necessarily had to hold hands. More than anything, it felt somewhat awkward holding hands with her, as if I were a child being led around.


    Moreover, the stares from the other students, seemingly questioning why on earth I was holding Olivia¡¯s hand, were rather sharp.


    ¡°Oh, no... It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it...¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡±


    Olivia even winked at me while saying that.


    ¡®<i>She¡¯s doing this on purpose! She¡¯s definitely doing this on purpose!</i>¡¯


    The res from the people around us grew even sharper.


    ***


    The three of us went to a restaurant that Adriana liked and had pasta. It was quite a nice ce indeed.


    ¡°I... I¡¯ve also decided not to join the Order of the Holy Knights.¡±


    ¡°Hm... It must be quite confusing for you because of my situation, Adriana. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, no... Senior, you¡¯ve been through much more.¡±


    So, Adriana had also given up on joining the Order of the Holy Knights. The change in leadership of the Order was already a foregone conclusion, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was expecting anything substantial to change because of it.


    The two of them shared various stories, and asionally, Olivia also spoke to me.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, they say you have supernatural powers?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, well... yes.¡±


    Olivia seemed intrigued by the fact that I was a supernatural being, and asked me various questions about it.¡°What kind of powers do you have?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a power called Self-Deception...¡±


    ¡°Self-Deception? Is it simr to self-hypnosis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, something like that.¡±


    ¡°What exactly can you do with it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s... a bit... ambiguous. If I instill a certain belief or suggestion within myself, my body bes stronger or ordingly, and such...¡±


    ¡°Hm...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin, but if I make myself believe that I can run faster, then I actually be a bit faster... That¡¯s basically all it is.¡±


    This was the greatest w with my power: it caused me extreme embarrassment when exining it.


    It was incredibly embarrassing to exin that it was a power that made me win if I just believed that I would win.


    ¡°Actually, Reinhart¡¯s ability was really helpful in the recent event, senior.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡±


    Olivia steered the conversation on, and Adriana detailed how I had enhanced my hearing to eavesdrop on her conversations, which led us to decide that intervention was necessary.


    ¡®<i>Right. My supernatural power did indeed y a crucial role.</i>¡¯


    ¡°I see. Thanks once again, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no worries...¡±


    Olivia¡¯s expression darkened slightly as she remembered that incident, but she still thanked me.


    ¡°Hm. I guess it can¡¯t be helped then, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Olivia looked at me with a grin.


    ¡°Once we graduate from the Temple, you¡¯re going to marry me, okay?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    <i>Cough</i>, <i>cough</i>!


    I let out a yell at the totally unexpected statement, and Adriana choked on her food, tearing up and coughing for a while.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve received such a favor, it¡¯s only proper to repay that debt, beyond the doctrines of faith and morality.¡±


    Olivia was smiling mischievously.


    ¡®<i>Oh please, stop it!</i>¡¯


    It was impossible to handle it when someone with a face that pretty said something like that to you.


    Return the favor how, exactly?


    ¡°Reinhart, you saved my life. So, I¡¯ll give you something simr in return¡ªmy life. How about that? Isn¡¯t it fair?¡±


    ¡®<i>Oh, please... If she keeps saying things like this, I actually might start to give in, and that¡¯s troubling!</i>¡¯


    ¡°Once you graduate from the Temple, you¡¯re probably just going to forget someone like me, so why even say such a thing?¡± I asked.


    When I expressed my disbelief and asked her not to spout nonsense, Olivia shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to attend the Temple¡¯s graduate school, so I¡¯ll still be here at the Temple by the time you graduate. I¡¯lle and visit often.¡±


    ¡®<i>Damn it.</i>¡¯


    Originally, she had nned to join the Order of the Holy Knights after finishing her high school education, but now, she had decided to stay at the Temple longer, which meant that she would still be around when I finished my high school studies.


    Adriana looked stunned as she watched the senior she admired apparently making advances towards a boy in his first year.


    Her expression suggested that she very much wanted to deny the reality before her.


    ¡°What? Is there someone else you like? Maybe someone like... Adriana?¡±


    ¡°Senior!¡± Adriana eximed.


    Adriana, sweating profusely, protested against such an absurd idea. Although she had decided against joining the Order of the Holy Knights, Adriana was still devoted to the god of purity, Ouen.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give it up, Adriana? Give it up and be carefree, like me.¡±


    ¡°No, I-I cannot!¡±


    Olivia was even trying to tempt Adriana into her own downfall.


    Thisdy was abandoning everything, and was essentially bing heresy incarnate. It was so bad that if she were caught red-handed, she could be dragged to a religious tribunal without any way to defend her.


    Adriana and I had turned into Olivia¡¯s cherished dolls.


    She had already been friends with Adriana to begin with, and it seemed she felt closer now because of this incident. In my case, it might have been due to the incident as well, but it seemed more that she found my reactions amusing and kept wanting to tease me than anything.


    Given how freely she was making dirty jokes, it was a marvel how she had held back until now.


    Moreover, while Adriana might have been clueless, the fact that I was actually a grown man, and that Olivia had so casually hugged me and held my hand, made me want to scream. It seemed like she didn¡¯t see me as a man at all, but just as something to y with.


    It reminded me of how I always teased Harriet because I enjoyed her reactions.


    <i>¡®So this is what being on the receiving end feels like... It¡¯s downright agonizing.¡¯</i>


    Not that I strictly hated it, though¡ªit felt more like a tremendous inconvenience rather than pure dislike.


    And if I did say something like, ¡°Senior, I have to confess... I actually <i>do</i> love you!¡±, she was clearly someone who would respond with, ¡°Oh... sorry, I was just joking and didn¡¯t know you took it that seriously. Sorry, perhaps I¡¯ve hurt you deeply...¡±


    I could clearly see where this was going, and I was absolutely not going to fall for it.


    ¡°I had a great time today. See you both at the club.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure...¡±


    ¡°Have a good evening, senior...¡±


    I felt as if my soul had been thoroughly shaken, and Adriana, having witnessed the corrupt behavior of her admired senior all day, had a vacant look on her face, but for a different reason.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve be a toy of hers...¡±


    ¡°I wonder how on earth senior Olivia has been holding this back until now.¡±


    Adriana seemed amazed purely by the fact that Olivia had managed to suppress such a personality all this time.


    ***


    Although the friction between the Order of the Holy Knights and the royal family hadn¡¯t been resolved, Olivia was going to be safe.


    In the end, I didn¡¯t join the Grace Club, since I had already gained the trust of the members of the club without even officially putting my name down as a member.


    I didn¡¯t want to create a fixed ce that I had to go to routinely. Of course, whenever I ran into the seniors from the Grace Club, they would greet me, especially Olivia, who found teasing me fun. She would act overly familiar whenever she saw me, which was problematic.


    She would suddenly hug me tightly or ruffle my hair before leaving. Even kissing me on the cheek had be a daily urrence.


    I was clearly either a pet or a cherished doll...


    And it was more problematic because she did this regardless of whether we were alone or in front of others.


    Therefore...


    ¡°...¡±


    People who didn¡¯t know me would look at me with a bewildered expression, as though wondering ¡°What¡¯s up with this guy?¡±. While some wished that they could hold her hand just once, she was clinging to me incessantly.


    The guys who knew me, mainly the male students from ss A, started to whisper among themselves.


    ¡ªLook at that guy. He¡¯s pretending that he isn¡¯t, but isn¡¯t he throwing himself all over every girl?


    ¡ªExactly.


    ¡ªWhat¡¯s with him? Why is he on good terms with all the girls? Even the seniors, despite his nasty character.


    ¡ªHe treats women nicely, unlike us.


    I wanted to retort, but upon closer examination, all of their statements were true, so I had no way to properly refute them.


    The only male ssmate I could say I was close to was Vertus.


    And now, following Ellen, Harriet, Charlotte, and Adriana, I had also be friends with the fifth-year senior, Olivia.


    Therefore, I knew better than anyone that I was in no position to argue against suchments.


    Connor Lint approached me hesitantly.


    ¡°Hey, um, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your... secret...?¡±


    Rumors had turned into direct requests for me to share my supposed techniques.


    ***


    It was Thursday, which meant it was time formon sses.


    During the break after lunch, Connor Lint approached me as I sat idly outside the ssroom building that was reserved formon sses. He whispered his question to me as if asking for some earth-shattering secret.


    I could see the other guys who had been grumbling behind my back, clearly holding their breath, waiting to hear my response. Even though they probably disliked me, it was ultimately because they envied me. How petty of them.


    ¡°What secret are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You know... you¡¯re only friends with girls.¡±


    The word ¡°only¡± felt shameful, but I couldn¡¯t deny it.


    The secret to bing friends with girls...


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    To tell the truth, I genuinely didn¡¯t know. In Harriet¡¯s case, it started with me teasing her, and even now, Harriet often reacted to me with a snort or a scoff.


    Ellen and I happened to attend sses together, and to be precise, we had be friends while eating. We were the only ones who regrly picked up food outside the usual meal times.


    With Charlotte, it had begun with her ckmailing me. But as things grewplicated, I ended up being a sort of liaison between her and Baalier, and that was how we got close.


    Adriana¡¯s first impression of me had been incredibly awful as well. She only offered help to me because I¡¯d been ready to dive head first onto concrete, which was how we became friends. That was purely because Adriana was a kind-hearted person.


    Olivia¡¯s situation was slightly special, but in the end, I¡¯d gotten involved because of Adriana, so even there, it hadn¡¯t been intentional.


    Strictly speaking, there wasn¡¯t a single person I¡¯d be friends with because I wanted to. So, when asked how one could be friends with female students, I really had nothing to say. I didn¡¯t know it myself.


    Connor Lint seemed to think I was holding back rather than being truly clueless.


    ¡°Come on, just tell me anything. Please?¡±


    Among the trio of idiots, Erhi and Kaier were the ones with problematic personalities, but Connor Lint¡¯s issue was hisck of skill. He wasn¡¯t a bad guy, he was just overly interested in girls.


    The fact that he approached me, Reinhart, about this matter was a pretty remarkable demonstration of his determination.


    ¡°Who do you even want to be friends with?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    He seemed taken aback by my rather direct question. Asking him who he wanted to be friends with was akin to asking him who he liked.


    ¡°Uh... It¡¯s not like I¡¯m particrly interested in someone... Just, uh, just asking... in general.¡±


    He probably really didn¡¯t have anyone specific in mind. He was just that kind of guy.


    I wasn¡¯t some love guru, and the way things turned out for me was purely idental, to begin with.


    In fact, I was actually single before I entered this world!


    <i>¡®You got the wrong person, kid.¡¯</i>


    The only reason I didn¡¯t get nervous around the kids here was because, to me, they were just that¡ªkids.


    However, if I were standing in front of an adult woman like Olivia in real life, I¡¯d lose all myposure.


    <i>¡®In reality, I turn into aplete wimp in front of adult women. It¡¯s only because these were kids that I could interact with them with confide¡ª</i>


    <i>Wait, what? Is that it?</i>¡¯


    ¡°... Just approach them with confidence, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I had treated them ordinarily, without thinking of them specifically as women... Was that the method?


    ¡°With confidence?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kid. If you approach them with some weird intentions, it¡¯ll show. Just empty your brain and act.¡±


    ¡°Empty my brain?!¡±


    ¡°Like, just say you¡¯re hungry and ask if they want to go eat together.¡±


    That was the case with Ellen.


    ¡°If you act crappy, instead of being overly conscious and embarrassed about it, just speak your mind.¡±


    That was the case with Harriet.


    ¡°If it seems like they need help, just help them.¡±


    Though the reality of it was a little different, this applied to Charlotte.


    ¡°Just wing it. If it doesn¡¯t work out, it doesn¡¯t work out. Acting too nervous or being too obvious will only make you more unapproachable, right?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this was correct, but that was just what I¡¯d done.


    ¡°Oh, ohh... So that¡¯s how it is...¡±


    However, Connor Lint took my words as if they were some divine strategy for love, and pondered over them seriously.


    <i>¡®... It feels like I might have said something I shouldn¡¯t have.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 118

    <h4>Chapter 118</h4>


    After lunchtime, Connor Lint immediately sprang into action. While preparing for the next ss, Connor Lint approached someone in the ssroom right away.


    ¡°Hey, Granz.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Hey.¡±


    Connor Lint¡¯s target was Riana de Granz.


    <i>¡®Did he have Riana in mind this whole time?¡¯ </i>


    But the question was... why? It didn¡¯t seem like a wise choice... She was basically a female version of me.


    ¡°Um, do you want to have a meal together after sses today? A new ce opened on Main Street and I heard the food¡¯s tasty.¡±


    <i>¡®Whoa there buddy...¡¯</i>


    His lines felt ominously weird.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re being way too obvious, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Why should I?¡±


    As expected, Riana tilted her head, exuding a vibe that screamed, ¡°Why should I have a meal with you?¡±


    Even though it wasn¡¯t any of my business, hearing her reply made me feel so embarrassed that I felt a shiver down my spine. Erhi and Kaier, sharing my sentiments, couldn¡¯t even bear to watch the scene.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    ¡°We have physical education ss soon. After that, I¡¯ll be too tired to go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Ah... okay. Yeah, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, you¡¯re right!¡±


    Connor Lint, like a wooden puppet, creaked as he turned his body around and went back to his ce and took a seat.


    <i>¡®Oh boy...¡¯</i>


    I had an inkling that it was not going to turn out well, but seeing him being rejected so directly was almost too much for me to bear.


    ***


    A short whileter...


    ¡°... It didn¡¯t work,¡± Connor Lint whispered to me in the changing room before the start of physical education ss. I could sense Erhi and Kaier pricking up their ears to hear what I was about to say.


    ¡°Well, first off, it wasn¡¯t even natural. You shouldn¡¯t just suddenly ask someone to go out and have a meal with you like that without any pretext or build-up... It was only natural that she would reject you... It must have been a bit... overwhelming.¡±


    ¡®<i>Be more... more... natural! Although I don¡¯t necessarily know how to, or what being natural even means... What does it really mean to ask someone to eat or go out in a truly natural manner? How do you do that? Is that even possible? Now I¡¯m getting confused too.</i>¡¯


    Of course, when it came to Ellen, she seemed like someone who would follow along if I suggested going out to eat first, and if I asked her to hang out, she¡¯d probably just go along with a casual agreement.


    With Harriet, though, she¡¯d probably question why she should do such a thing with me. However, if I dragged her along despite herints, she¡¯d reluctantly follow me.


    This was only possible because I¡¯d built up a certain level of friendship with the two of them. At the moment, though, Connor Lint didn¡¯t have that kind of rapport with the female students.


    You would have to start from zero. But what exactly does it mean to naturally start from zero? I really had no idea.


    <i>¡®I just got lucky; if you ask me how to actually make a move, I wouldn¡¯t know!¡¯</i>


    ¡°What kind of secret conversation are you guys having here?¡± Vertus approached us, already changed into his gym clothes, grinning mischievously.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that this guy wants to get closer to the girls¡ª¡±


    Just as I was about to continue my calm exnation, Connor Lint covered my mouth.


    ¡°B-Be quiet!¡±


    But Vertus had already heard everything.


    ¡°Ah... So you were like... consulting him on this?¡± Vertus¡¯s gaze flicked back and forth between me and Connor Lint, an ambiguous expression on his face. ¡°If I have to say so myself, I think there¡¯s a bigger issue at hand than your munication skills¡¯... No, never mind. Good luck.¡±


    <i>Tap, tap.</i>


    Vertus tapped Connor Lint¡¯s shoulder ambiguously a couple of times before leaving the changing room.


    ¡°... Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to say to you, but I think you¡¯ve targeted the wrong person.¡±


    Harriet and Riana, who had prickly sides to them, would immediately respond with ¡°Why should I?¡± when faced with this kind of approach. If we considered those in ss A, someone like Ellen might respond positively to a dinner invitation, and someone timid like Adelia might wonder what to do, but eventually follow along.


    After I suggested he should try changing his target, Connor Lint nodded. Perhaps he didn¡¯t necessarily have feelings for Riana, as he seemed willing to give it a try.


    ***


    During physical education ss, Connor Lint was busily moving around during breaks.


    How many people was he nning to pester in one day? Shouldn¡¯t he spread it out over time? It was as if he was asking to be disliked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Ellen tly rejected Connor Lint when he asked her if she had time after ss. He skipped past Harriet, knowing that the oue was obvious, then approached Adelia, who was lying down, exhausted from the continuous physical training.


    This time it was the timid Adelia. Would she easily give in after hesitating?


    This time, instead of blurting out his request, Connor Lint started by handing her a bottle of water.


    ¡°Oh, uh... thanks...?¡±


    Adelia tilted her head slightly in confusion at Connor Lint¡¯s sudden gesture of kindness.


    ¡°Tired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go drink something refreshing after physical education ss?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡± Adelia tilted her head at Connor Lint¡¯s sudden suggestion. ¡°Oh... sorry, I promised to go shopping for magical items with Harriet. Let¡¯s definitely grab something together next time, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, i-is that so? Well, it can¡¯t be helped then I guess! Ahaha!¡±


    At least Adelia rejected him in a nice way...


    Having set a remarkable record of being rejected by nearly all the female students in ss A in just one day, excluding Harriet, Connor Lint listlessly made his way back to the male students.


    Unable to bear watching such a distressing scene, Kaier, Erhi, and I couldn¡¯t even look in his direction properly.


    ¡°... All of my attempts failed, Reinhart... But, Adelia said we should definitely grab something together next time... Does that mean she¡¯s interested?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just something she said out of courtesy. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Dejected, with his spirit seemingly drained from him, he plopped down next to me.


    ¡°Um... Well, those who already have ns... it can¡¯t be helped...¡± I said.


    Given how he had approached several people in one day, reprimanding him might only serve to plunge him into acute depression, so I was unusually cautious with my words.


    This guy was definitely off-putting, but beyond that, he just seemed too pitiful.


    ¡°Is, is this really the right way to do it? Just asking someone to have a meal ¡®normally¡¯... Is this not it?¡±


    Connor Lint looked at me with an using gaze, as if to say, ¡°Did you give me a faulty solution? Is it the method that¡¯s wrong, and not me?¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah... Seeing it with my own eyes, it does seem like it was the wrong approach.¡¯</i>


    The girls seemed taken aback by someone they weren¡¯t close to suddenly asking them out for a meal.


    <i>¡®Still, you should have waited for a better opportunity to say let¡¯s eat together, rather than spring the question out of the blue like that! Can¡¯t you have a better awareness of the situation?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-Yeah, seeing it y out... it does seem like a bit of a miss,¡± I admitted.


    <i>¡®If I were to ask them, I think Ellen and Harriet would probably agree to a meal with me, and Adelia, who is timid, might ept only out of fear and anxiety, almost as though she¡¯s being forced to. As for Riana, it doesn¡¯t seem like it would work, even for me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    Connor Lint seemed despondent, yet not ready to give up.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you show me how it¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Sh-show what? What do you mean by ¡®show¡¯, you fool?¡±


    He was looking for an experienced coach to give a demonstration.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not a Casanova! It just happened to look like that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Please, just once. I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    Connor Lint, whose morale had been shattered by my wed advice, seemed ready to cling to my legs for help.


    <i>¡®Wait a minute, don¡¯t the three of you hate me? Connor Lint, do you want to be marked as a traitor by the other two? Are you willing to trade two close friends for a girlfriend or something? Is that what it is?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No... It¡¯s not like I have some great skill or anything.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. Now that I think about it, maybe if I showed him I could get rejected too, he¡¯d be less of a nuisance? I dislike being treated as a Casanova anyway.¡¯</i>


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. Look, I¡¯m no different from you.¡±


    If he saw me getting rejected right in front of his eyes, maybe he¡¯d stop with the nonsensical talk about me being a womanizer who only mingled with girls.


    Therefore, I stood up confidently and headed toward the person who was most likely to turn down my request.


    I approached Riana de Granz, who seemed exhausted, sitting in the stands and absentmindedly drinking water.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°... What do you want? I¡¯m dead tired right now.¡±


    Riana¡¯s expression was intense, demanding to know why I was bothering her at all. She definitely seemed in a worse mood than before physical education ss.


    ¡°Do you want to go grab something to eat after this?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It was a totally unexpected line, just like the one from Connor Lint.


    Given her bad mood, it was only natural that I¡¯d be rejected...


    ¡°... I¡¯m not hungry. But I won¡¯t mind getting something cold to drink.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh. Wait a minute. This isn¡¯t right. Why did it work?¡¯</i>


    I expected her to be in an even worse mood, especially after physical education ss. Yet, my out-of-the-blue suggestion had somehow gotten a positive response.


    This was supposed to be the person who should have absolutely said no, since she was the one who¡¯d said she¡¯d be too tired to move after physical education ss.


    Riana said she¡¯d meet me in the ssroom after physical education ss was over, and then seemed to ignore me afterward.


    I turned back to Connor Lint, feeling as if I¡¯d been bewitched by something.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh... she didn¡¯t want to eat... but said something about being down to get something cold to drink...¡±


    ¡°Wh-What did you say?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Connor Lint. The other guys who had been eavesdropping seemed taken aback as well. They must have expected that approaching Riana, who obviously seemed in a bad mood, would naturally result in rejection.


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know? I didn¡¯t do anything different... I just asked if she wanted to go and eat... something.¡±


    <i>¡®Look, I¡¯m way more surprised than you are!¡¯</i>


    I thought that a typically irritable person, who also seemed in a bad mood, would reject me outright, so I tossed out the invitation casually; it was no different from what Connor Lint had done. Moreover, it was even in more unfavorable circumstances.


    Connor Lint began whining, asking me to reveal my ¡°secret technique¡±, but truthfully, I had none to share.


    ***


    In the end, while trying to elicit a rejection to prove my totalck of skill at attracting women, I had unwittingly amplified the misunderstanding significantly.


    As a consequence, an unnned, not-quite-a-date with Riana de Granz materialized. Of course, we were merely going out for a cold drink after school.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go all the way to Main Street. Let¡¯s head somewhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After physical education ss, instead of heading to themercial district, Riana and I agreed to grab a cool drink nearby.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? I thought she waspletely uninterested in me. Does she like me?¡¯</i>


    The situation was reversed, and now I was the one feeling bewildered for having asked her out. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like we were having much of a conversation anyway.


    Despite there being a snack bar inside the school building, we decided to head out to a nearby street lined with cafes, and settled at the outdoor terrace of one of the stores.


    I could sense the idiot trio stealthily tailing me from behind.


    ¡°Why are they following us?¡±


    ¡°... Who knows?¡±


    Their tailing was so clumsy and obvious that even Riana noticed.


    <i>¡®I guess you¡¯re not called ¡®the idiot trio¡¯ for no reason...¡¯ </i>


    Riana ordered a yogurt smoothie, and I opted for an iced lemon tea.


    Those guys also sat down at the outdoor terrace of a cafe a distance away, sneaking nces at us. Riana seemed utterly uninterested in the trio shadowing us.


    ¡°Ugh... I¡¯m so tired of physical education ss.¡±


    Riana slumped into her chair,ining of a full-body ache. She casually sipped her yogurt, and didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in me at all. It looked like she was just too exhausted to care much about anything else.


    ¡°I actually find it strange that you¡¯re still struggling with it. Shouldn¡¯t you be used to it by now?¡± I asked.


    We had only been through a semester, but we did this kind of hard training twice a week, so it seemed more surprising to me that she¡¯d still find it difficult. However, it was also true that those without closebat talents typically still struggled.


    Riana narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you work out every morning,¡± she shot back.


    ¡°... Is that it?¡±


    <i>¡®Huh, so she¡¯s aware that I exercise early in the morning? I thought only those who came out to exercise were aware of that.¡¯</i>


    While the twice-weekly training sessions were indeed supposed to improve baseline fitness levels, it still seemed to be too much for her.


    ¡°Why do supernatural individuals even need physical strength? It¡¯s the same with those who major in magic... Wait, aren¡¯t you a superhuman as well? Why are you training so hard? Well, I guess your ability <i>is</i> physically-rted, so that makes sense.¡±


    Riana continued to grumble about why she shouldn¡¯t need to enhance her physical capabilities.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t having good physical fitness beneficial in its own right?¡±


    ¡°... You sound just like the teachers. Annoying.¡±


    Sick of that kind of talk, Riana didn¡¯t even look at me.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s the deal? She doesn¡¯t seem interested in me at all, so why did she even ept my invitation? And yeah, I kind of ended uping too, although it¡¯s not like I¡¯m particrly interested in her either. I mean, I still don¡¯t mind it at all, though.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just curious,¡± I began.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Earlier on, when Connor Lint asked you to eat with him, you refused.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    When she rejected him, she had said something along the lines of, ¡°Why would I eat with you?¡± Yet, when I had asked, she¡¯d epted and went out with me.


    It felt somewhat arrogant to ask, which made me dislike myself a little, but I really was curious. What was the difference between the two situations?


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re curious about why I declined?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... Do you seriously not know why?¡±


    <i>¡®If I knew, why would I ask in the first ce?¡¯</i>


    Riana took a sip of her yogurt smoothie and then crossed her arms.


    ¡°Ah, so you <i>really</i> don¡¯t know.¡± She seemed surprisingly taken aback that I didn¡¯t already understand why. ¡°Just forget about it.¡±


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I said forget it.¡±


    Riana refused to borate further.


    ***


    Eventually, without finding out the reason, I returned to the Royal ss dormitory with Riana. Aside from talking about sses and how tiring they were, there was no other substantial topics of conversation.


    ¡°How did it go? What did you guys talk about?¡± Connor Lint asked me, all excited, ncing at Riana as she headed back to her room.


    If he really liked Riana, he wouldn¡¯t have reacted like this. It seemed he was just talking to girls out of sheer curiosity.


    ¡°What was there to talk about? Just the usual stuff about how tough physical education ss is, and other trivial matters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird... What¡¯s the difference between you and me?¡±


    Riana seemed to have a clear reason, but I had disyed my ignorance, and she hadn¡¯t bothered exining.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m more curious about it than you, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Also, why the heck were you following us?¡±


    ¡°Ah... well, I was just c-curious...¡±


    ¡°Being overly curious can make you seem even weirder, so be careful.¡±


    Connor Lint kept pestering me, seemingly convinced that I possessed some unknown pickup skill, and just as I was about to lose my patience and tell him to buzz off...


    ¡°... You guys are still talking about this?¡± Vertus said. Vertus alternated his gaze between me and Connor Lint with a somewhat exasperated expression, then sighed. ¡°It looks like this could go on forever. Both of you,e with me.¡±


    As usual, Vertus led us to the tea-time terrace. Connor Lint seemed slightly nervous about being called over by Vertus just for this matter.


    ¡°Lint, you¡¯re curious why female students are friendly with Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°Well... yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wondering if Reinhart has some special way of speaking or some technique, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Connor Lint seemed ready to worship at Vertus¡¯s feet if he could reveal that secret. Vertus covered his eyes with his right hand and sighed lightly.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? Does he know something about me that even I don¡¯t? The reason why I seemingly have a good rapport with girls?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Lint, don¡¯t take this the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t get offended.¡±


    Vertus lowered the hand that was covering his eyes and looked directly at Connor Lint. His gaze was apologetic.


    ¡°Reinhart is handsome. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    There was no other reason. Vertus had put it bluntly.

 Chapter 119

    <h4>Chapter 119</h4>


    Thanks to the ring Sarkegar had given me, I could change my appearance at any time, so I hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to how I looked.


    When I¡¯d initially used the ring to set my human appearance, there was no need for me to deliberately make myself look unattractive. I might not have been the kind of handsome that would catch everyone¡¯s eye, but my face was definitely on the good-looking side.


    Up until this moment, I hadn¡¯t given it any thought.


    I remembered Vertus flipping his gaze between me and Connor Lint and saying that there was something more important that Connor Lint should be considering than munication skills¡±, but he¡¯d left his sentence unfinished.


    It wasn¡¯t any special technique or method ofmunication that mattered; it was because Reinhart was handsome...


    He had refrained from saying this to avoid hurting Connor Lint this whole time.


    However, Connor Lint kept striving for what was out of reach, and he¡¯d ended up revealing it directly.


    ¡°... So that¡¯s what it was...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re unattractive, Lint. It¡¯s just that Reinhart is, well, quite handsome.¡±


    Connor Lint stood there with his mouth agape, speechless.


    There was no need for any grand statements or special methods.


    Reinhart was just handsome, and that was all there was to it. Naturally, it made sense that Connor Lint, who was rtively less attractive, wouldn¡¯t fare as well.


    In other words, it was only natural that a sparrow would achieve different results from the stork that it was trying to emte.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, it¡¯s quite surprising that you didn¡¯t know this. Don¡¯t you look in the mirror?¡±


    ¡°Uh... not really?¡±


    Vertus let out a sigh. ¡°I think your face has yed a pretty significant role in you managing to stay on good terms with your schoolmates, despite all the various troubles.¡±


    <i>¡®Is that the case?¡¯</i>


    Was my appearance ying such a significant role without me knowing?


    <i>¡®Does it follow, then, that Riana, who has no particr interest in me, readily agreed to go and have a bite together because of this?¡¯</i>


    Had I been terribly unattractive, Harriet would have disliked me and ignored me from the moment I first teased her. Was it ultimately because of this appearance buff that I was able to chat with her and engage her in various conversations?


    Could the same be said for Adriana?


    Appearance.


    It really was important after all...


    Even though I wasn¡¯t exceptionally handsome, I felt lucky that I had created a good-looking face for myself.


    Connor Lint remained silent for a while, then he looked at me.


    To be exact, he red at me.


    ¡°Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°From this moment on, you¡¯re the enemy of all men.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Connor Lint, outraged, suddenly shot to his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder why you, with your despicable personality, can chat away happily with thedies!¡± he yelled. ¡°It¡¯s all because of your damn face, you bastard! I... I can never ept someone like you!!¡±


    It was so tantly outrageous that, instead of getting angry, I almost found it funny.


    No. If Vertus knew that it was because I was handsome, then the other guys should have been able to tell as well. Wasn¡¯t it somewhat ridiculous that he was acting as if he was just realizing it now?


    ¡°Huh... Why is that fool acting like that?¡± I said.


    ¡°Why? He just seems very naive, that¡¯s all,¡± Vertus said with a chuckle.


    Anyway...


    From the next day onwards, the hostility shown to me by the brothers that made up the idiot trio grew even more intense.


    ***


    Reinhart had been a celebrity from the start of the semester after dueling with an upper-year student. It was originally supposed to be a duel with a second-year student, but a third-year student stepped in as his champion, and the fact that this champion was defeated in an unsightly manner only made Reinhart even more famous.


    This helped build a rather positive image for Reinhart.


    Recently, however, he¡¯d been frequently seen hanging out with the even more famous Olivia Lanche, and that had altered the general sentiment about him in a subtle and strange manner.


    Everyone seemed to look at me as if thinking, ¡°What¡¯s with him? How did things turn out like this?¡±


    Olivia Lanche had been following the path of a priestess of Ouen, the god of purity. Therefore, she had been the subject of much attention. Despite this, though, she had not been involved in any scandals or controversies. Of course, it was now an open secret that she had since abandoned her faith.


    In any case, it was true that questions had arisen regarding Reinhart, who had suddenly started to capture Olivia Lanche¡¯s interest.


    Naturally, there was some hostility mixed in. Not only among the first-year students, but also among the students in the upper years. A subtle animosity toward Reinhart was gradually arising, especially among the male students.


    In the Royal ss, there were clubs, and thergest by far was Grace, a religious activity club, but several minor clubs existed as well, albeit few in number.


    Among them was a newspaper club called Monthly Royal ss, which, despite its small size of only three members, published a monthly magazine.


    Of course, a monthly magazine published by merely three students didn¡¯t attract much attention from Royal ss students. If one were to judge by the richness of content alone, the publications made by the Temple Times, a central press club that was open to the entire middle school division, were much better. After all, it had over fifty members. Even if the Royal ss was considered special, the number of students thatprised it was exceedingly small.


    The content featured in the Monthly Royal ss publication was either a mishmash of articles from the Temple Times or careless, inconsequential gossip. Topics such as who was not getting along with whom, who seemed to like whom, or trivial things like ss poprity polls.


    However, no matter how indifferent everyone else was to these stories, to the members involved in producing the publication, these stories were significant.


    They had to decide what topics to cover for the magazine, what thetest news was, and what the readership was interested in.


    Naturally, all the original feature articles that had been nned beforehand were scrapped, since the current hot topics in the Royal ss were Olivia Lanche abandoning her faith, and the suddenly in-favor Reinhart.


    ¡°There¡¯s something to write about everyone, if you dig deep enough.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    And here, we had Leiter Zabri, a fourth-year student in the Royal ss and the club president of Monthly Royal ss, who was among those who disliked the rapidly-emerging Reinhart.


    The other two members felt the same.


    They even harbored suspicions that perhaps it was Reinhart who had led the Saintess of Eredian to abandon her faith. Although the sequence of events was misconstrued, to those who were unaware of the true details, it seemed usible that Olivia had abandoned her faith because of Reinhart. Indeed, the way Olivia treated Reinhart was unlike how she treated anyone else.


    ¡°Dig up something. If there¡¯s even one scandal, let¡¯s tear it apart.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s show them the power of the press.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    These three were exactly the type of people who should never work in the media.


    ***


    The two other members besides the club president were dispatched to first-year sses A and B respectively to investigate this guy named Reinhart. They approached all the students they could get a hold of, iming that they wanted to conduct interviews.


    Since they were upper-year students, the first-year students did not turn them down.


    ¡°Reinhart? Oh, he¡¯s a hard-working guy.¡±


    That was Vertus¡¯s straightforward response, the first to be interviewed.


    The next one caught for an interview about what kind of person Reinhart was, was Connor Lint.


    ¡°... They say he¡¯s handsome, but honestly, I don¡¯t see it. <i>Tsk</i>, such a leech of a guy...¡±


    Without realizing it, Connor Lint had ended up praising Reinhart before quickly taking his leave, not wanting to think about him anymore.


    The third-year student named Edian, who was covering ss A, had never actually seen Reinhart before. Therefore, he included a question about whether Reinhart was considered handsome on his list of questions.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    That was Ellen¡¯s response when asked if she thought Reinhart was handsome.


    ¡°What kind of person do you think he is?¡± was the next question posed to her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen pondered over the question for quite a while, but ultimately couldn¡¯t give an answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied, then went on her way.


    ¡°He¡¯s a total jerk. I don¡¯t even want to think about him! He pretends to be all that with nothing to his name and is obnoxiously annoying! And he¡¯s always bullying me too!¡±


    That was the response of Harriet de Saint-Ouen, a first-year student.


    Believing that he had found a good lead, Edian asked her various other questions. He clearly disliked Reinhart.


    ¡°In what way does he bully you?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry...? Oh, um... What is this for? Why are you asking me that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m with the Monthly Royal ss club, and for this issue, we¡¯re trying to feature a student named Reinhart.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Harriet¡¯s expression turned into one of rm.


    ¡°Ah... So whatever I say will be published in it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. What do you think? Is Reinhart, in your opinion, a bit of a... bad guy?¡±


    Harriet looked around quickly, ensuring no one was listening, and then lowered her voice.


    ¡°Well... He¡¯s not entirely bad, actually... I¡¯ve received a lot of help from him too... It¡¯s just... I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s a jerk, but... not entirely terrible, I guess...¡±


    ¡°Oh, r-really? People say Reinhart is handsome. What do you think about that?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?! That, that beggar, good-looking? How is he good-looking at all?! He¡¯s not, not at all handsome... Eek!¡± Harriet rambled nonsensically before running away as if trying to escape.


    The next interviewee was Cliffman from ss A-5, who often crossed paths with Reinhart on the training ground, but had never actually spoken to him.


    ¡°... He might have some rough edges personality-wise, but he¡¯s diligent. I think he¡¯s someone with grit. Especially the way he keeps at it, even after getting beaten up so much...¡±


    Cliffman regarded Reinhart¡¯s perseverance highly, and noted how he continued to train even after losingprehensively to Ellen every time.


    As for his appearance, Cliffman gave a lukewarm assessment, suggesting that he looked decent enough.


    Next up was Kaier Vioden.


    ¡°That crazy bastard... Wait, hang on. You said this is for the magazine, right? So it¡¯s going to be published in the paper?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m not going to say anything.¡±


    Kaier, perhaps fearing future retaliation from Reinhart for saying anything out of turn, quickly made his exit.


    Following that, Edian met Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Handsome? Hmm... I think so, yes.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°His impact during thest group mission was significant. People don¡¯t usually dislike someone who puts effort into everything they do, no matter how odd their personality might be, right? It¡¯s more like everyone hase to acknowledge him after that... But honestly, I don¡¯t know him well enough to say more.¡±


    Riana seemed to hold a moderate level of goodwill towards Reinhart.


    Next, Edian met Erhi de Raffaeli.


    ¡°... Well, I don¡¯t know what else to tell you except that I think it¡¯s best not to interview Reinhart himself.¡±


    ¡°Why? Once I finished interviewing his ssmates, I was going to interview Reinhart himself.¡±


    ¡°Given that twit¡¯s personality, he¡¯s likely tosh out.¡±


    ¡°... But would he really do that to a senior?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten that his opponent in the duel was from the third year, have you?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Edian realized that interviewing Reinhart himself was definitely not a good idea.

 Chapter 120

    <h4>Chapter 120</h4>


    The investigative results from ss B were surprisingly better than those of ss A.


    Since most didn¡¯t know much about Reinhart, the ones who provided notable responses were Charlotte, Louis Ankton, Scarlett, Delphine, and Ludwig.


    ¡°The way he speaks is a bit old-fashioned, but he is a good friend. He¡¯s kind, gentle, and knows how to help those in need. He also ranked first in the midterm exams. And during thest group mission, he even helped our ss, even though we were hispetitors. He might seem a bit strange, but I¡¯m sure you will like him once you get to know him. His appearance? Hmm... He¡¯s definitely handsome,¡± praised Princess Charlotte de Gradias.


    ¡°... At first, I thought he was nothing but a thug. Turns out, he is one.¡±


    That was Louis Ankton¡¯sment. When the interviewer pressed him for more details, Louis Ankton decided to flee, after saying that he didn¡¯t want to get caught in any trouble.


    ¡°... I¡¯ve often felt envious because he has many qualities Ick, like courage... I think he¡¯s a good person. I want to get closer, but... I just can¡¯t find the courage,¡± Scarlett said in an ambiguous tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know him well, but I think he¡¯s a good friend,¡± was Delphine Izadra¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Reinhart? I think he¡¯s a great friend! He works hard, is smart, and even has supernatural powers!¡± said Ludwig excitedly.


    ***


    In the club room, after consolidating all the responses gathered from the interviews, the club president, Leiter Zabri, made a peculiar face.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t tell if his reputation is good or bad.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be considered really good?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. Think about it. There <i>were</i> people who spoke well about him, but the ones who disliked him couldn¡¯t even speak properly and all ended up running away, right?¡±


    Indeed, although most of the responses gathered by the interviews were positive, those who seemed to dislike him were so afraid of being harassed in some way that they didn¡¯t give an answer at all.


    ¡°Also, almost all the interviewees mention the fact that he has a bad personality. Which means, in reality, he¡¯s a nasty piece of work. More to the point, he¡¯s someone to be feared by his peers.¡±


    Even those who had assessed him positively often mentioned that he had a bad personality.


    Considering that his victims ran away in fear at the mere thought of theirments being published in a magazine, how notorious could Reinhart be?


    Moreover, Erhi even warned that if one were to go and interview Reinhart directly, they might end up in a terrible situation.


    ¡°This guy, he¡¯s not your ordinary thug.¡±


    The club president shook his head, convinced that Reinhart was no ordinary troublemaker.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... But it seems like more people like him than not...¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Leiter smiled slyly. ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t all that bad of a person, if we make people believe that he is, then that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    The pen is mightier than the sword!


    It wasn¡¯t quite the right saying for that moment, but it deeply embedded itself in the hearts of those in the room.


    ***


    ¡°... What? A newspaper?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I was puzzled when I heard about it during my evening sparring session with Ellen. It seemed that some seniors had been wandering around ss A¡¯s premises, asking people various things about me.


    I waspletely unaware of it because I¡¯d been outside doing physical training.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? Why are they digging into me? And what are they nning to use it for?¡¯</i>


    ¡°They were asking what kind of person you are.¡±


    ¡°... Why would they ask that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Something felt off.


    These seniors that I didn¡¯t even recognize probably wanted to write some gossip about me in their newspaper. It was annoying enough that my back had been itching from all the recent trouble. Therefore, I didn¡¯t want to cause more problems, but it wasn¡¯t as if I could just barge into a club full of upper-years to stop it.


    This was the first time I¡¯d heard of something like a newspaper club. They must have been snooping around everywhere, and it seemed Ellen was questioned as well.


    ¡°So, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t give them an answer.¡±


    <i>¡®Really? After all we¡¯ve been through, she couldn¡¯t say anything about what kind of person I am?¡¯</i>


    Ellen seemed to think for a while longer before she casually tossed a question at me.


    ¡°What kind of person <i>are</i> you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I was taken aback by her sudden question, and my mind went nk.


    <i>¡®What kind of person am I?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh... now that I think about it, I¡¯m not sure either.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to describe myself. It seemed like Ellen, looking at me from that perspective, had struggled as well, and did not eventuallye to any conclusion either.


    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s just carry on with what we were doing.¡±


    I picked up my practice sword, and Ellen did the same.


    Though it felt a bit odd, I knew that if I startedining about what the seniors were doing, it would lead to an endless spiral of absurd nonsense.


    ***


    It was June. To be specific, it was the first weekend of June.


    A publication by the Monthly Royal ss, a Royal ss club that I shouldn¡¯t have even been aware of, was ced in the lobby of each ss.


    Knowing that my story would be featured in the magazine, everyone grabbed a copy as soon as it was published. Anxiously curious, I picked up a copy as well, and unfolded it in the lobby.


    I skipped over the minor stories as I searched for the section on me.


    <i>Figure Feature - Who really is Reinhart, A-11 from the first year of the Royal ss?</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    First, I¡¯d transmigrated into this world as a demon prince, and now I¡¯d made it into the school newspaper of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss... How much more ridiculous could this character development of mine be?


    <i>¡ªIn recent days, first-year student Reinhart has been a topic of heated debate among the Royal ss. But who is he, really? We¡¯ve sought to uncover his true identity...</i>


    <i>¡®True identity? What, am I some boss from the underworld?¡¯</i>


    Well... honestly, if my true identity were actually revealed, it would turn not just the Temple, but the entire empire upside down.


    It was evident that these people had done a thorough investigation into me. They even wrote that I was not of noble origin, but that my background was that of a street beggar. And they had documented how I was a student with supernatural powers as well.


    Of course, none of this was exactly a secret.


    <i>¡ª... While a significant number of students spoke highly of Reinhart, we could fully read between the lines...</i>


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡ª... We discovered that a considerable number of students are afraid of him. An anonymous interviewee clearly referred to Reinhart as a ¡°thug¡±.</i>


    ¡°... Who the hell said that?¡±


    <i>¡®Me, a thug? Well, I guess it¡¯s possible. I </i>have<i> been causing trouble here and there, after all.¡¯</i>


    In the end, the write-up did not quote any specific negative opinions about me, but implied that the interviewees had refused to provide answers on such matters because they were all frightened of potential retaliation. This was used as a basis to infer that I was definitely a bad guy.


    <i>¡®What is all this?¡¯</i>


    It was clear they had been determined to paint me as a viin right from the start. The intent to stir up trouble by picking on anything they could find was just too obvious.


    Ultimately, the article concluded with the assertion that Reinhart had established himself as a figure of fear and terror among his peers, firmlybeling me as a bad guy.


    Even worse, it was noted that since only the female students had good things to say about me, it suggested that this young man was crazy over women and only chased after girls.


    The part about me only chasing after girls was eye-opening for me.


    It made me realize that this had to be the work of some seniors who didn¡¯t like how close I was with Olivia Lanche. There was no other reason for these upper-years to stoop to such vile actions.


    ¡°...¡±


    I could feel the kids around me reading the newspaper in the lobby starting to nce at me warily.


    Their looks clearly betrayed their inner thoughts: <i>¡°Oh we¡¯re screwed. This guy is going to start something again, isn¡¯t he?¡±</i>


    ¡°Hey, you jerks are making it seem like this ridiculous article is true!¡± I shouted.


    My outburst only made the atmosphere more tense.


    ¡°... Damn it.¡±


    Ironically, the outburst I¡¯d just let out merely served to prove the article right.


    ¡°You get bad-mouthed because you act like this, you idiot,¡± said Harriet.


    Harriet covered her mouth,ughing, as she saw my face turn red and purple. It seemed as though reading such a malicious article about me provided her with unparalleled satisfaction.


    ¡°Wait, were you the one who called me a thug?¡±


    Harriet panicked and shook her head vigorously.


    ¡°What? No, that wasn¡¯t me! I-I didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    ¡°Oh. It was definitely you.¡±


    ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t me! Idiot! I, I was... I was actually trying to help you!¡±


    Harriet, her cheeks flushing red, stormed off to her room, huffing and puffing. The clear signs of her being upset assured me it wasn¡¯t her.


    <i>¡®... I should apologize. I really need to say sorry for this.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Eventually, I went to Harriet¡¯s room and asked to speak to her, apologizing for saying unnecessary things. She seemed really upset, and had perhaps cried a little as well. Her eyes were red and puffy like a child¡¯s, and it almost made me want to squeeze her cheeks gently.


    Of course, I refrained from doing so, since it would probably make her angrier for at least another week. Instead, I brought her to the tea-time terrace and had her sit down.


    She maintained an indignant air, not even looking my way.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually the worst.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry. So, what did you say during the interview, then?¡± I asked, and her face turned red, but for a different reason this time.


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know... I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ... It was obvious that she had actually praised me and not bad-mouthed me.


    My guilt intensified.


    To prevent me probing further, Harriet crossed her arms and changed the topic.


    ¡°Forget all that for now. What are you going to do about this situation?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Are you just going to let this slide? Isn¡¯t it so unlike you to not kick up a fuss and cause amotion over something like this?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh.¡¯</i>


    Even a troublemaker like me had certain expectations attached to them.


    The guys who¡¯d read the newspaper in the lobby had seemed to believe that things were going to be bad, but there had also seemed to be a sense of expectation.


    The past pattern suggested that Reinhart would definitely stir up some trouble. Everyone expected that Reinhart would not just sit still, and that he¡¯d flip everything upside down¡ªseniors and all.


    <i>¡°Will he teach them a lesson?¡± </i>That was clearly what they were anticipating. Harriet too, believed that I wouldn¡¯t just overlook something like this, given my personality.


    <i>¡®What now?¡¯</i>


    In this situation, they were expecting the infamous delinquent to act out, to see just how wildly I could rebel.


    Even so, I wondered if it was really necessary to go through with it. Annoying as it was, the fact remained that, despite the clear malice behind the article, some parts of it were still true.


    <i>¡®Should I give them what they want?¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you just let this slide, all the seniors are going to think you¡¯re actually like this. Are you okay with that?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°... Well, some parts of it are true,¡± I responded.


    Harriet turned her head away, then looked back at me, startled.


    ¡°Y-You... Are you really... the type who... who only goes after... girls?¡±


    ¡°No, not that part!¡±


    Feeling scared all of a sudden, Harriet covered her chest area with her arms.


    <i>¡®Really?! You don¡¯t even have anything to cover up! Why are you acting like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Right, now that I think about it, you... You only get along with girls... and aside from Vertus, you hardly ever talk to the guys...¡±


    It seemed Harriet had taken my admission that there was some partial truth to the article and had read something entirely different into it. In fact, aside from the ¡°chasing girls¡± aspect of it, everything in the article was true, which left me with no room for defense.


    ¡°And to think that you¡¯re even close to some of the female seniors as well...¡±


    ¡°<i>You scoundrel!</i>¡± her expression said.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s not it! It just happened to turn out like this; none of it wasn¡¯t intentional!¡±


    ¡°Then, who do you like? Do you have someone you like?¡±


    If I said ¡°you¡± here, I could probably witness her face exploding, but the aftermath would be unmanageable. I could not leave a permanent psychological scar on her just for the sake of a joke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly have someone...¡±


    <i>¡®I mean, all the people I¡¯m close to are dear to me, just not in a romantic way!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... So you mean to say that you¡¯re just trying to be friendly to all the girls first?¡±


    ¡°Why do you put it like that?¡±


    ¡°My brothers always said that guys like you are the worst kind in the world.¡±


    <i>¡®Now she¡¯s bringing personal experience into this? Why is she even talking to her brothers about me? But then again, what her brothers said is kind of true... Guys like me are indeed the worst...¡¯</i>


    It seemed Harriet was gradually getting the impression that I was a bad guy who wasn¡¯t really into anyone but just recklessly flirted with everyone.


    <i>¡®Damn it. All this trouble over one damn newspaper article?¡¯</i>


    I let out a sigh.


    Truthfully, I did not want to kick up a fuss over these trivial matters. Besides, it wasn¡¯t clear what I could or should do about these seniors¡¯ actions.


    The prince of the Demon Realm, Baalier, would probably have endured it, so I would have to endure it as well.


    But there was no way the thug Reinhart was going to let this slide!


    ¡°You know what, screw this. I¡¯m just going to smash everything into bits,¡± I said.

 Chapter 121

    <h4>Chapter 121</h4>


    I had no idea what to do, but I impulsively walked up to the 7th floor and knocked on the door marked ¡°Monthly Royal ss¡±.


    <i>Bang, bang</i>!


    I was thinking of going directly to each member¡¯s ss if no one was there, but then the door opened. The club room, although significantly smaller than I expected, was still considerablyrge, probably because it belonged to Royal ss students.


    Three individuals were seated around what appeared to be a meeting table. The one who hade to open the door was a male student who looked like a senior.


    ¡°Are you... Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    I was about to go in and start yelling at them and demanding to know what they were up to when suddenly, my mind went nk.


    The faces of the other people were covered in shadow, and there among them sat someone else, who was unmistakably not a member of the club.


    ¡°... Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte, who was propping her chin with her right hand, had taken up a prominent seat, and was looking at me with disdain.


    She sighed, then continued, ¡°I knew you¡¯de in person.¡±


    She shook her head, clearly having predicted that me, with my temperament, would show up personally.


    ***


    The seniors maintained a solemn atmosphere, all of them keeping their mouths tightly shut. I sat opposite Charlotte.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s she doing here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°... I came because I knew for a fact that you would create a huge scene here if I didn¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Charlotte had already anticipated my actions.


    <i>¡®Hey, to be fair, I initially tried to restrain myself, you know. I didn¡¯t want toe, and only ended up here because Harriet kept provoking me!¡¯</i>


    ... In any case, Charlotte had read me correctly¡ªI had indeed shown up.


    She¡¯d read the situation and knew that this was going to happen, and so she came here in advance, anticipating that I would get angry and cause trouble with the seniors. It was kind of creepy how urately she had read the situation.


    The seniors seemed frozen, taken aback by the sudden visit from the princess. Charlotte, looking at the monthly newsletter that was on the table, wore a subtle smile.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m also here because the story in the magazine yed out differently from what I¡¯d expected, given what I¡¯d said in my interview, which made me wonder why.¡±


    When they heard that, all three seniors visibly flinched. Despite the fact that Charlotte was very much their junior, all three of them seemed like mice before a cat.


    Anyway, were there really only three members of this club? I guess it made sense, since there were so few students in the Royal ss itself.


    Charlotte smiled, making eye contact with each one of them.


    ¡°Seniors, I believe I mentioned in the interview that Reinhart was a good friend. It seems that the contents of your article contradict that, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    She was scary when she had a stern face, but her smile was also quite terrifying in its own way, especially in the context of what she was saying. It was a different kind of threatpared to Vertus.


    In response to Charlotte¡¯sment, which sounded more like an interrogation, the person who seemed to be the club president opened his mouth.


    ¡°W-Well, in that case... When wepiled the interviews... From the contents of the interviews with the first-year students, it seemed like they were afraid of Reinhart... So we focused on the unspoken details.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you mean to say your article is mere spection, and that your assertion that Reinhart might be bullying his peers is based on what was implied between the lines?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not spection. We judged it to be almost factual, and that¡¯s why we wrote it...¡±


    The difference in tone with which each of them spoke was so extreme, and the fact that the senior was speaking so much more politely to a junior student was jarring.


    ¡°So, in your article, you basically chose to present things based on uncertain reasoning over the certain facts?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it! We¡ª¡±


    Charlotte, still smiling, cut the club president off. ¡°In any case, what I said in my interview, where I spoke of Reinhart as a diligent student and good friend, waspletely ignored, correct?¡±


    Clearly she was implying thatpletely ignoring what the imperial princess said in an interview was a greater crime than ndering Reinhart.


    <i>¡®So scary... Sometimes you¡¯re even scarier than Vertus!¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-Well, that... that...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I agree that Reinhart only gets along with female students, and because he riled up various incidents at the beginning of the semester, he was indeedbeled as a troublemaker.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait, you¡¯re going to agree with them suddenly? And if you¡¯re going to talk badly about me to them, you might as well just say to my face!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Since then, however, he hasn¡¯t really caused any problems, and I don¡¯t think Reinhart is crazy over girls or anything like that. Reinhart simply maintains healthy rtionships with his peers.¡±


    Was sheplimenting me or insulting me? I couldn¡¯t tell...


    Anyway, Charlotte hade to the club room in advance¡ªanticipating that I might appear personally and turn things upside down¡ªto take control of the situation. The fact that she had made the first move probably meant she was worried about me.


    I felt grateful, but also a little awkward, knowing that Charlotte still considered me a crazy troublemaker.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s very wrong to nder an individual student given such uncertain information.¡±


    That I was being defamed was not the only issue here. This club , despite being a student-level club, regrly published a monthly newsletter. Although it was more akin to pseudo-journalism, Charlotte seemed unable to tolerate the fact that they were writing their articles to promote an agenda rather than reporting the actual facts, while still pretending to be unbiased reporters.


    The seniors listened to her, their expressions more tense than if a teacher was scolding them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you targeted Reinhart for such an article, but since you¡¯ve done so, there has to be some precedent for it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done something simr in the past as well.¡±


    Charlotte nced towards the president, sending him a signal. ¡°The previous publications are archived somewhere, right? I¡¯d like to see them.¡±


    ¡°Uh, ah... Uh... Okay...¡±


    This scene made it clear to me that both the princess and the prince did not adhere strictly to the Temple¡¯s rules.


    Although equality was a principle at the Temple, the highly-esteemed princess showed no hesitation in basically issuingmands to these fourth-year seniors, even though it had been nominally framed as a request.


    The club president handed over the archived copies of ¡°Monthly Royal ss¡± to Charlotte, and she invited me to sit by her side to look through the previous publications together. Charlotte seemed intent on determining if these guys had ndered or spread false rumors about anyone else without proper grounds, just as they had done with me.


    If Charlotte deemed that this club was crossing the line, I wondered if she would do whatever it took to shut down the club.


    <i>Rustle</i>...<i> Rustle</i>...


    ¡°Hmm... This is a regr publication that¡¯s only distributed within the Royal ss, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Do many people read it?¡± Charlotte asked as she continued to look through the previous issues.


    ¡°Um... To be honest, hardly anyone reads it... Some do when there¡¯s a trending issue, but...¡ª¡±


    ¡°Honestly, even then, people tend to read the Temple Times, a weekly publication done by arger club, rather than ours,¡± interjected another senior when the president hesitated.


    These guys seemed to have an urate assessment of their publication¡¯s value. The club president red at the other senior who had abruptly joined in the conversation, as if questioning why he¡¯d brought up such pointless information. It appeared there was still some pride left in him.


    ¡°So, your newsletter isn¡¯t sought after unless someone is curious about the internal news of the Royal ss. And since yours is a monthly publication, those who want to keep up with news within the Temple prefer to read the Temple Times, a weekly publication by arger club, rather than this one.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. Since they have more manpower, we can¡¯tpete with them in terms of the quality and amount of information.¡±


    Although their publication was published monthly, no one actually read it. When it came to reading newsletters, people chose to read the weekly newsletter that was produced by a muchrger group of people. It was only logical.


    Monthly Royal ss was even less than a third-rate tabloid or yellow journalism[1], simply because it wasn¡¯t even being read in the first ce.


    In this case, people might only pick it up if they happened to wonder, ¡°Who the heck is this Reinhart guy from the Royal ss?¡±


    It seemed like nearly all the first-year students had read this edition of the monthly magazine, since Reinhart was being covered. Seniors, along with those who either disliked me or were curious about me, were likely to read this publication as well.


    Charlotte let out a sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief, then. The contents of your newsletter are nothing but spective reporting and conspiracy theories based on circumstantial evidence. It would be a disaster if people started to believe this nonsense indiscriminately...¡±


    As Charlotte browsed through the articles with her eyes, her breath suddenly caught. She had frozen while staring at an article fromst month¡¯s publication, the May issue.


    <i>The Imperial Capital Attack: Why Did It Happen?</i>


    <i>The attack on the imperial capital, presumed to be the work of demons, caused great turmoil in the imperial society and throughout the empire. The incident is assumed to be the act of remnants from the Demon Realm, and though there have been announcements of ongoing pursuits, there has been no news regarding any clues of who the attackers are, or the capture of any of them, even after a whole month. Despite this, we have not begun to ponder over some of the fundamental questions that we ought to be asking. Aside from the attackers¡¯ identities and purpose, we intend to deliberate on a few questions that the authorities have not addressed.</i>


    <i>The incident urred at night, taking advantage of the fact that the citizens of the imperial capital would all have been in deep slumber at such ate hour. The attackers shed with the Order of the Holy Knights, and, as it has been reported, they took control of a warp gate in front of the temple of the Order of the Holy Knights and escaped.</i>


    <i>But why was a main force of the Order of the Holy Knights outside that evening? The Order has not made anyment about this. They merely imed to have been attacked, without offering any exnation as to why an elite unit of such scale was roaming outside the Order¡¯s premises at night. This question needs to be examined.</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Therefore, we can reasonably conclude that it is necessary to ponder over whether a real reason exists behind the demon attack on the Order of the Holy Knights, beyond it just being a random assault.</i>


    Charlotte remained silent as she read the article.


    <i>¡°Why were the elite forces of the Order of the Holy Knights fully armed and wandering outside at night? Could they have been on a secret mission that required them to be outside during those hours?</i>


    <i>¡°Why were there no casualties despite the massive scale of the attack, and why had the attackers only escaped through a warp gate? If it was an assault, shouldn¡¯t they have scouted out a different location? What did the demons aim to gain by attacking the elite forces?¡±</i>


    The article pointed out numerous suspicions, and suggested that there was another truth that the readers were not aware of.


    Although it was all just spection, the tone of the article made it sound as though the existence of this untold truth was based on facts, and that, if revealed, would be a significant scandal for the empire.


    Charlotte looked at each member of the club with a stern expression.


    ¡°... You guys are really courting disaster, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    <i>¡°Do you guys really want to vanish from this world?¡±</i> Charlotte seemed to imply.


    Naturally, Charlotte was furious.


    ¡°Wow... I¡¯m just d no one has been reading this until now. Do you guys think this is eptable behavior, just because you are students of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss? This is not only defamation of the Order of the Holy Knights, but also of the royal family! Be thankful that no one has taken issue with this kind of baseless and spective article until now!¡±


    Charlotte was truly angry, for her to be raising her voice in front of the seniors.


    However, Ipletely understood the real reason behind Charlotte¡¯s anger. This article had made deductions that came ufortably close to a truth that both the royal family and the Order of the Holy Knights was trying to hide. Essentially, it was calling out something rotten for being rotten.


    Charlotte¡¯s anger stemmed not from this, but from the fact that the lives of the writers could be endangered if people who paid close attention to these unfiltered articles realized this.


    It was as if she was asking if they had a death wish.


    Everyone in the room was trembling in fear of the princess¡¯s extreme anger, and I was no exception.


    <i>¡®Noona, you¡¯re scaring me!¡¯</i>


    Charlotte did not stop scolding them while she looked through the other past issues.


    ¡°All these are full of rushed-out articles crammed with spection and false information! What¡¯s this nonsense about there being demon worshippers of the Demon God Cult within the Temple, a revolutionary force within the Temple, and a magic society infiltrating the Temple? Really, it feels like you write about whateveres to mind?! And wow, these aren¡¯t even worth mentioning. Ghosts in the Temple? What¡¯s the reason for even reporting on such things?¡±


    Suddenly, I was faced with a problem.


    [New Event Update - Revolutionary Force]


    [Details: There are rumors about a revolutionary force within the Temple.]


    [Objective: Discover the truth behind the rumors.]


    [Reward: 300 Achievement Points]


    [New Event Update - Magic Society]


    [Details: There are rumors about a secret magic society infiltrating the Temple.]


    [Objective: Discover the truth behind the rumors.]


    [Reward: 300 Achievement Points]


    [New Event Update - Ghosts of the Temple]


    [Details: There are rumors about ghosts within the Temple.]


    [Objective: Discover the truth behind the rumors.]


    [Reward: 300 Achievement Points]


    Three events were suddenly triggered.


    <i>¡®Is this ce an event vending machine or what?¡¯</i>


    ¡°And what¡¯s this now? A demon spy inside the Temple? Not even in the imperial capital, but in the Temple? Really? The Temple is protected by a barrier that blocks demons. How could a demon infiltrate that?¡±


    [New Event Update - Demon Spy of the Temple]


    [Details: There are rumors that there¡¯s a demon spy within the Temple... Oh, it¡¯s just you.]


    [Objective: Lol... my bad... XD...!!]


    [Reward: ©°¡É©´(£þ¨Œ£þ)©°¡É©´]


    [The event ¡®Demon Spy of the Temple¡¯ has been canceled.]


    <i>¡®Oh my god. Is this scumbag trolling me again?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte shook her head, seemingly deciding that these matters could not be ignored any longer. A fire of determination burned in her eyes.


    <i>¡®... A demon spy, huh. Perhaps</i> <i>this club is actually only able to tell the truth.¡¯ </i>


    Charlotte seemed dumbfounded, flipping through the publications with a bewildered chuckle.


    ¡°And what in the world is this now...?¡± Charlotte uttered.


    ¡°Um, Ch-Charlotte. W-Why don¡¯t you stop and take a break?¡± I suggested.


    <i>¡®Stop it! I don¡¯t want to be flooded with any more events!¡¯</i>


    1. Yellow journalism is a style of reporting that focuses on sensationalism over facts. ?

 Chapter 122

    <h4>Chapter 122</h4>


    Charlotte left the club room after making a somewhat forceful demand that they should immediately collect back all copies of the publication that contained the article about Reinhart and correct them. She seemed to lose all further desire to continue dealing with the club and its members after that.


    At present, Charlotte and I were in the first-year ss B dormitory, drinking tea together.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe it...¡± Charlotte muttered, shaking her head in disbelief as she sipped her tea.


    She felt nothing but incredulity towards Monthly Royal ss, the tabloid notorious for gobbling up any rumor and turning it into an article.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they even have a supervisor either. There¡¯s no way a teacher would approve of such articles being published,¡± she continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Charlotte seemed convinced that a responsible teacher-in-charge would never allow such absurd publications to be circted.


    It was, indeed, unbelievable to see the extent to which they had turned all sorts of baseless rumors into serious articles.


    ¡°We have to do something about it, whether it means shutting them down or whatever.¡±


    Charlotte seemed determined to disband those lunatics. However, my thoughts went in a different direction.


    ¡°Um... is that really necessary?¡±


    A rumor that they publicized remained just a rumor, but each one of them also turned into a new event. And just verifying whether the rumor was true or not allowed me to earn achievement points.


    Hence, I saw no downside to having those guys around, since it was up to me to decide what to do with the rumors they collected. The fact that I was the target this time made things slightly awkward, but in the long run, their presence was not detrimental to me.


    Charlotte seemed puzzled by my suggestion to leave things as they were.


    ¡°... Reinhart, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been affected.¡±


    ¡°No one reads this newsletter anyway. Fortunately, it¡¯s an internal publication meant for the Royal ss only, so its readership remains small. Maybe all we need to do is warn them to think a little more carefully about sensitive issues and be careful about what they write about from now on?¡±


    Honestly, they were only raising suspicions without knowing much about the truth, and now that they¡¯d been thoroughly scolded by Charlotte, they would probably start putting some thought into their articles from this point forward. Their expressions earlier on showed that they had never really thought things through, at least up to this point.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Think about it. If those three lunatics remain together in that club, the worst thing they can do is write more stupid articles. But if we shut them down and scatter the three of them, we might just be creating more trouble,¡± I said.


    It might be better to keep the crazies together. And since they¡¯d been thoroughly warned, they would probably refrain from baseless nder or wild conspiracy theories about massive organizations in the future. They had been properly chastised by Charlotte this time.


    Charlotte seemed to ponder this for a while before sighing deeply, her brows furrowing.


    ¡°Alright, if this is your suggestion as the victim in this matter, it¡¯d be ridiculous for me to insist otherwise.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m grateful you stepped in. Without you, things probably wouldn¡¯t have ended well for me.¡±


    It was a relief that Charlotte had intervened. If I had gone in alone, I might have begun arguing with the seniors, and things could have grown messy.


    ¡°Well, we can make a decision after reading the next issue. It¡¯s not like anyone reads that newspaper anyway,¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte seemed ready to bring them to an end once and for all, if the situation remained unchanged the next month.


    Ultimately, I had umted four new events, and all of them were based on rumors.


    The Demon God Cult, revolutionary forces, ghosts, and a magical society...


    All of these could be real, or they might all be just rumors. And if they were rumors, that was perfectly fine as well.


    Achievement points were more valuable than money. Hence, the more, the better.


    Discovering a consistent source for them was already a great gain for me.


    Charlotte hummed as she sipped her tea, and rested her chin on her hand.


    ¡°Still, some of them might be worth looking into.¡±


    ¡°Looking into?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take this as me saying we should be swayed by those absurd, spective articles. Remember that,¡± Charlotte said, looking directly at me. ¡°But it might be worth looking into the Demon God Cult or revolutionary forces.¡±


    The rumors about the cult weren¡¯t exclusive to the Monthly Royal ss; the Grace Club had alsoe across information regarding the matter. ording to the student council president, though, it had been confirmed to be a non-issue.


    ¡°There have been consistent rumors regarding this Demon God Cult appearing here and there after thest incident. The Temple attracts people from all across the empire, so it¡¯s totally possible that the cult is gathering here.¡±


    Despite some uncertainty, Charlotte seemed to think it quite likely that the Demon God Cult could have some sort of presence within the Temple.


    ¡°And as for the revolutionary forces... It¡¯s natural for people to start having strange thoughts once their heads grow bigger, and this ce is literally meant for people to expand their horizons, isn¡¯t it?¡± she continued.


    Looking back, Charlotte had initially been very cold towards me. Now, though, she didn¡¯t hesitate to use coarsenguage such as ¡°heads growing bigger¡± around me.


    It seemed like both she and Vertus dropped their masks around me. Both of them showed their true selves in front of me, and I didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing or not.


    Anyway, the Temple was a ce of learning, and ultimately, it <i>was </i>meant for people to further their thinking.


    And when that happened, they would begin to have deviant thoughts.


    ¡°It would be strange if there weren¡¯t some of these so-called Republicans in the Temple.¡±


    The presence of the Demon God Cult within the Temple was uncertain, but the presence of revolutionary forces was practically a given.


    That was Charlotte¡¯s thinking.


    She looked at me and grinned broadly. ¡°How about it, Reinhart? Want to look into it with me?¡±


    ¡°... You want me to do this with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. From what I¡¯ve heard, you like the empire, don¡¯t you? Both the Demon God Cult and the Republicans are enemies of the empire.¡±


    I had told Vertus that I liked the empire. And that wasn¡¯t a lie¡ªI really did.


    However, if we followed the typical development of otherworldly tales, wouldn¡¯t this be the part where I embraced democracy, saying something like, ¡°Ah, so this is what democracy is,¡± and then side with the revolutionary forces? Wasn¡¯t delivering democracy supposed to be my role?


    Also, when did I suddenly be an imperial loyalist?


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to worry about Vertus¡¯s opinion when ites to this matter, so there¡¯s no need to worry about him either.¡±


    To think that I would end up leading the charge against democracy and the republic as an agent of the empire was ridiculous.


    Even though I was pretty sure that there was no need to worry about the Demon God Cult, if we tracked down these republicans, wouldn¡¯t that lead to their certain execution?


    Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be the enemy of humanity, a Demon King, in the first ce?


    <i>¡°The enemy of my enemy is my ally.¡±</i> Was that it?


    In that case, was I supposed to be supporting the republicans to sow discord within the empire? <i>¡®That¡¯s what an evil intelligence would do, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    For a moment, I was close to a mental breakdown.


    ***


    It was the weekend. Charlotte had mentioned that she wanted my help to look into the Demon God Cult and the republicans, but that was forter.


    She handed me a letter, before saying that she had business with the royal family. It was a letter for Baalier.


    ¡°I wish I could send these more often, but I know you have your own matters to attend to. I¡¯m sorry, Reinhart, and always grateful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to be in a rush to settle her own business because she¡¯d spent a lot of time reprimanding the journalism club after reading their article about me.


    <i>¡®Have we be close enough for me to take up the princess¡¯s precious time?</i> <i>Then again, she might just be using me as a mailman, of course...¡¯ </i>


    There wasn¡¯t really a reason for me to deliver it anywhere. Since I was Baalier, it was effectively a letter addressed to me. However, I couldn¡¯t just sit around idly in the Temple and write a reply on my own, so I too left the Temple.


    I didn¡¯t go around in disguise. Since I had already made contact with Eleris in my guise as Reinhart, Charlotte¡¯s forces would not interfere. In fact, it would be more risky to disguise myself and approach Eleris as someone else. It might look suspicious if the letter I was supposed to deliver as Reinhart ended up in foreign hands.


    There might still be a chance that Vertus was trailing me, but he seemed to have lost interest in the child that Charlotte had been searching for, and so I could visit Eleris¡¯s shop with a little more ease than before.


    Eleris greeted me with her usual smile.


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ***


    It had been quite a while since myst visit, so I shared my recent experiences with Eleris. The shop had been closed when I¡¯d arrived, but it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference whether it was open or not, given the meager foot traffic outside.


    ¡°... A deserted ind?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too harsh? I mean, how can they just leave seventeen-year-old children on a deserted ind to survive on their own, even if they are incredibly talented?¡±


    Eleris seemed unable toprehend the absurdity of the group mission.


    ¡°The mental state of the Temple official who nned this group mission is questionable. This is utterly nonsensical.¡±


    <i>¡®I-I¡¯m sorry for lying... I was actually the one who nned it. It¡¯s my fault for watching the show ¡°Survivor¡± so much back then...¡¯</i>


    Eleris seemed worried about the harsh ordeal I¡¯d endured, and continued to denounce whichever Temple official had been involved in nning such a ridiculous mission.


    Ultimately, though, it only made me feel more embarrassed, since it had been my own idea in the first ce.


    ¡°And on top of that, orcs? And two of them? Aren¡¯t they underestimating the power of an orc? Orcs in full armor can easily take on ten well-trained human soldiers. Even if they were summoned beings, what were they thinking, making children face something like that?


    ¡°Despite the oue of the mission, the more faint-hearted kids might end up with trauma that couldst a lifetime... I¡¯m certain the person who nned that mission has no idea what realbat is!¡±


    <i>¡®... It¡¯s all true. Yeah, it¡¯s all my fault! I know! I realized all this toote. How was I supposed to know it woulde to this?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s remarkable that you all managed to take them down in the end.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who did so, though.¡±


    ¡°Even so, Your Highness, surviving under those conditions is impressive.¡±


    Eleris was smiling proudly, clearly believing that making it through that harsh and absurd mission was a highlymendable achievement.


    Receiving both criticism and praise at the same time was a strange and bittersweet feeling.


    ¡°Did youe here because of the letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I also came to see you, since it¡¯s been a while. Anything new around here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems that the fellows who were snooping around this area have all vanished. It seems safe for Your Highness to lower your guard a little when youe around.¡±


    Charlotte had achieved her aim, and Vertus had seemingly given up on his pursuit. Thus, Eleris¡¯s shop was now considerably safer.


    It was time to read the letter and write a response.


    ¡°How are things going with Airi?¡±


    Airi, the Subus Queen, harbored ambitions of amassing wealth in the southern ind nations, and from there, seizing control over the empire¡¯s finances. From what I¡¯dst heard, she had started her business endeavors.


    ¡°Saying that things are going smoothly would be an understatement; her business has grown into an almost unstoppable force now.¡±


    ¡°... How could it be an unstoppable force already?¡±


    I had been preupied by various matters, but even so, it had only been a few months.


    Eleris scratched her cheek and shed an ambiguous smile.


    ¡°Um... Well... it seems she¡¯s focusing more on people, rather than money.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    Eleris cleared her throat. ¡°She¡¯s... she¡¯s focused on gaining the support of influential individuals.¡±


    Gaining support?


    <i>¡®She was running a bar. How is she gaining support? Is that just a synonym for ¡°seduction¡±? Are we just softening the expression?¡¯</i>


    ¡°For example, gaining support from the captains of trade ships, loan sharks, and key officials... She makes them regrly embark on various... business ventures with her.¡±


    Airi had settled into Rajak, the capital of the Edina Archipgo and itsrgest trading port. From what Eleris was saying, she had made regrs out of the ship captains, loan sharks, and key officials there.


    Clearly, Airi had judged that gaining the cooperation of such wealthy people would be more beneficial to rapid growth, rather than making a few pennies from a business.


    <i>¡®Wait...¡¯</i>


    I had initially sent her off with the intention that she would start something casual, but it felt like the scale of her operations was constantly growing.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t there a saying, ¡°All roads lead to Rome?¡±¡¯</i>


    No matter how bizarre the methods, she was bing quite formidable.


    ¡°... So, she¡¯s basically pulling in all these influential people by borrowing money from loan sharks at low rates, getting various permits from key officials, and, though I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s doing with the ship captains... Anyhow, she¡¯s hooking in all these big shots, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes... It seems so.¡±


    A leopard truly never changes its spots.


    Even a group of subi who had lost all their powers would still excel in seduction. ¡°Who needs magic when we can just seduce people?¡± they seemed to say.


    Anyway, things seemed to be going smoothly for Airi.


    ¡°Still, tell them to be careful. Things can turn sour in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure to pass that on.¡±


    The idea that a pink-haired Subus Queen was diligently nurturing her dream to be a businesswoman was quite something. The ways of the world were truly unpredictable, and in this world, even more so.


    I opened Charlotte¡¯s letter. Charlotte seemed rather calm in her letter. There had been words of longing and lengthy apologies in the first letter, but none in this second one.


    Overall, the letter seemed rather generic. She inquired about how ¡®I¡¯ was doing, offered updates on what had been happening in her own life, as well as her own thoughts on several current affairs.


    <i>¡ªReinhart, a friend of mine, will be delivering this letter. He might be a bit unusual, but he¡¯s a gentleman, so he probably wouldn¡¯t open this letter in secret before delivering it. At least I hope so... I think I¡¯m worrying over nothing. He¡¯s not that kind of person.</i>


    ... Reading that made me feel so guilty, and it drove me crazy. However, if I didn¡¯t read the letter, there couldn¡¯t be any reply, so it was unavoidable.


    <i>¡ªThe Temple sent us on something called a ¡°group mission¡±. All the members of the ss came together to do various tasks. It would have been nice if you¡¯d been there too. It was a tough but interesting experience. There were moments when I was surprised by someone else¡¯s capabilities, and others who I thought would do well ended up crumbling under the pressure of the situation. It was tough, but I could see why we are being sent on these missions. Honestly, I thought I¡¯d handle it well since I¡¯d been through such things before, but that wasn¡¯t always the case.</i>


    .


    .


    <i>¡ªI really regret relying on that power in the end. I never wanted to depend on that power. In the face of such a false crisis, I¡¯d ended up relying on it, and felt a bit disappointed in myself.</i>


    The letter concluded with a small mention of her supernatural power. Charlotte seemed to dislike relying on her own powers.


    <i>¡ªI hope you¡¯re doing well. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be able to see you again, but I hope that dayes soon.</i>


    Once again, I wrote a replyden with lies in response to Charlotte¡¯s letter. I was curious if she¡¯d tell me about her supernatural power if I asked about it, but I refrained from digging. I didn¡¯t want to force Charlotte to reveal something that she might want to keep hidden. Given the way I would act when knowing something I wasn¡¯t supposed to know, it seemed better not to know.


    I gave my own opinion on what was going on with Charlotte¡¯s daily life, as well as information on the fabricated everyday life that I was living.


    One lie bred another.


    One mistake led to another.


    I didn¡¯t believe I could keep up with these lies forever.


    <i>¡®How long must I continue with this deceit?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t just about Charlotte either.


    I knew that the moment my secret was revealed, everything would fall apart. All the rtionships I¡¯d built at the Temple will crumble the moment my secret was exposed. It was all inevitable.


    I let out a deep sigh.


    After writing for a while, I put down the pen and massaged the corners of my eyes. Eleris hugged my shoulder quietly.


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    She quietly held me in her embrace as if she understood the torment I was going through.


    It was wrong of me to do this to both Charlotte and myself.

 Chapter 123

    <h4>Chapter 123</h4>


    After finishing the letter, I lingered in Eleris''s shop for a while.


    "Do you know about the Demon God Cult, Eleris?"


    I had written scenes which had only involved the remnants of the Demon God Cult, but had never specifically set up anything about the Demon God Cult itself. I had simply written about a few remnants who happened to sh with Ludwig while he was traveling during his break, which led to their eradication. That was all I¡¯d written, and they hadn''t appeared since then.


    Therefore, since I hadn''t written any specific details about them, there was much that I did not know about them.


    Eleris tilted her head at my question, looking at me curiously.


    "Why have you suddenly be curious about the Demon God Cult?"


    She did not seem worried that I might be intending to use the Demon God Cult to build power; it was more as if she was wondering why I would be interested in such a thing at all.


    "Well, it''s just that, after what we pulled offst time, it seems like the Demon God Cult has been stirring things up or something."


    "Ah, I see." Eleris rested her chin on her arms, a subtle smile ying across her lips. "Your Highness, there is no such thing as a demon god."


    <i>¡®What? There''s no demon god?¡¯</i>


    "... You mean it doesn''t exist at all?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    Just because I hadn¡¯t written anything about the demon god, it didn¡¯t exist at all? Did that mean that the Demon God Cult believed in a demon god that did not even exist?


    However, in what I wrote about the incident involving the remnants of the Demon God Cult, I had described them using Divine Power. How could they use Divine Power in service to a god that did not exist?


    I was on the verge of cognitive dissonance.


    Eleris, with a subtle smile still on her lips, began to exin.


    "Religion existed in the Demon Realm as well, and although there were few followers, there were priests as well. In other words, the religion followed by the demons of the Demon Realm is referred to by humans as the Demon God Cult."


    <i>¡®What is this now?¡¯</i>


    So the demons had a religion. But if the demon god did not exist, did that mean the demons believed in something nonexistent?


    "... But you just said there is no demon god. So, the demons believed in a god that doesn''t even exist?"


    Eleris shook her head. "No, that''s not it.


    "Among humans, there are two gods known to be part of the Demon God Cult. The god of ughter, Suiran, and the god of darkness, Nox. Besides them, there is also the god of corruption, Kier; the god of terror, Td; and the god of hatred, Egrisian, although these three are not as well-known."


    We learned about the Five Great Gods in theology ss, but they never taught us about the existence of these demon gods. These names that came from Eleris were all new to me.


    "So, you''re saying these demon gods don''t exist?"


    "It''s been misrepresented."


    ¡°<i>Misrepresented.</i>¡±


    What did that mean?


    "There are five gods in the Divine Cult of the Almighty: the god of war, Alse; the god of the sun, Shm; the god of the moon, Mensis; the goddess of purity, Ouen; and the god of courage, Riter."


    "... Yes, that''s right."


    "ughter and war, moon and darkness. The sun and terror, hatred and courage. When you think about it, don''t they have simr meanings? Of course, corruption and purity are theplete opposite concepts, though."


    The god of ughter, and the god of war.


    The god of darkness, and the god of the moon.


    The god of terror, and the god of the sun.


    The god of hatred, and the god of courage.


    The goddess of purity, and the god of corruption.


    They were either opposites or carried a simr essence.


    Eleris was implying a connection between them.


    She looked at me with a smile.


    "Humans did not want to acknowledge that demons worshiped the same Five Great Gods as themselves. So, they changed the names of the gods we worshiped. Although we worshiped the same god Alse, they renamed ours as the god of ughter, Suiran. The god of the moon, Mensis, that the humans believed was renamed the god of darkness, Nox, so on and so forth. In the case of Ouen, they went as far as topletely invert what the god represented."


    Some humans, upon learning about the demons¡¯ faith, refused to acknowledge that demons worshiped the same deities as themselves.


    Therefore, humans had arbitrarily changed the names of the gods that the demons worshiped.


    "Due to theck ofmunication between the two realms, humans started calling the demons'' system of faith by whatever names they desired, and those became the ''facts'' in the human world. Consequently, humans who started believing in this distorted faith began to emerge. That''s what the Demon God Cult is."


    The Demon God Cult turned out to be a religion with absolutely no rtion to demons at all. Among the demons, those who had faith also believed in the Five Great Gods, and did not know of or acknowledge any alternate demon god.


    Humans, unwilling to acknowledge that demons worshiped the same deities as them, wanted to believe that the gods the demons worshiped were different from theirs. Thus, the demon gods were created as an imaginary entity.


    It was as if they wanted to convince themselves that demons worshiped false gods while humans worshiped the true gods, and, based on this manufactured truth, a bizarre group of religious practitioners emerged that came to be known as the Demon God Cult.


    "... So, ironically, the Demon God Cult is actually a religion exclusive to humans, then."


    "Indeed, Your Highness. In reality, they are simply believing in the same deities."


    The demon gods do not exist.


    Whether one believed in the god of war, Alse, or the god of ughter, Suiran, they were ultimately worshiping the same entity. The same went for Nox and Mensis.


    "So, the followers of the Demon God Cult can also use Divine Power, right?"


    Even though the demon gods didn¡¯t exist, since Nox was technically Mensis and Suiran was Alse, through their faith in these ¡°demon¡± gods, they could use Divine Power.


    "Yes, that would be the case. However, the way the power is controlled changes depending on how the wielder uses it."


    Ultimately, even if the source of the Divine Power was the same, if the power was used wickedly, it manifested as an evil force. Divine Power manifested in entirely different ways based on intent. It did not matter if the essence was the same.


    The Divine Power of the Demon God Cult and its priests manifested in such a way.


    "In that case, there''s essentially no reason to suppress the Demon God Cult or do anything about them, right?"


    Eleris tilted her head, her expression bing ambiguous. "Essentially, since they worship the same deities, that is correct. However, humans will not admit that the demon gods they have created are, in fact, the same gods of the Divine Cult of the Almighty they are worshiping."


    Renouncing and denying the existence of the demon gods was, in turn, an insult to their own gods. Humans, especially priests and holy knights, would never admit that.


    "Furthermore, followers of the Demon God Cult, who have malicious intent in their hearts, believe in and gain power from a deity disguised as a demon god. There¡¯s no guarantee that they aren''t dangerous."


    No one joined the Demon God Cult with good intentions. Once the members actually obtained power, they would use it for malignant purposes; thus, they were indeed dangerous entities.


    "Therefore, though the demon gods do not exist in truth, they do in essence, Your Highness."


    The demon gods did not exist, but then again, they actually did...


    The demon gods were a concept created by humans, but this concept had real influence on the real world. The demon gods were created to disguise their connection to the major deities, and because of this, it essentially made their existence real.


    "Even if the doctrine is good, faith is not necessarily benevolent," Eleris said with a smile.


    Thew may be good, but faith in thew was not necessarily so.


    Her words resonated deeply with me.


    In the end, the illusion of demon gods gave rise to the reality of the Demon God Cult.


    "Wow, it''splicated."


    "Yes, it is indeed aplicated issue."


    Ultimately, the humans¡¯ desire to differentiate themselves from demons created the nonexistent concept of demon gods. And because of that, the Demon God Cult, which served the major deities with impure intentions, emerged.


    It was as if humans had put on a show by themselves, only to trip andnd face-first, breaking their noses. They could carry out pro-demon behavior and talk about the Demon God Cult in front of demons, only for the demons to wonder in a bewildered manner, "What are you even talking about? What are Nox and Suiran?"


    If the gods were concerned with how their Divine Power was used, followers of the Demon God Cult shouldn''t have been able to use it in the first ce. However, the gods did not concern themselves with how their Divine Power was utilized. It was just as Olivia Lanche had despaired.


    The Five Great Gods, as stewards of power, lent it without care for how it is used. That was why corrupt clergy could exist, and why the Demon God Cult could exist.


    "Aren''t these gods, who lend their power just because you believe in them, incredibly irresponsible?" I asked.


    "What can we do? They were created to be that way."


    Indeed, all this was the result of the world trying to fill in the gaps around the existence of corrupt clergy being proficient in wielding Divine Power, and my negligence in not setting up a proper demon god while letting the Demon God Cult emerge.


    <i>¡®How can corrupt clergy use Divine Power? Because the gods don''t really care about humans.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What even is the Demon God Cult? Why isn''t there an exnation about what the Demon God Cult is? Actually, they¡¯re all the same gods, lol.¡¯</i>


    In the end, it was my irresponsible storytelling that had led to such a messed-up situation.


    I was one who had created the Five Great Gods, and after all was said and done, it was me who took the hit.


    It was my fault.


    My great fault.


    ***


    I had merely asked about the Demon God Cult lightly, but had ended up learning a shocking truth. The humans, in their defamation of the demon religion, had created the fictitious concept of demon gods. In fact, among the small number of demons who had faith in the divine, they had all believed in the Five Great Gods.


    The misunderstanding had deepened so much that, among humans, only a very few knew this truth, if any did at all.


    Anyone who tried to spread this im would not only face opposition from the Order of the Holy Knights, but from the entire human society that would seek to kill them. It would be equivalent to denying their entire religious history.


    Humans would never admit that demons shared the same system of faith as them.


    In conclusion, even though the demon gods didn¡¯t exist, I agreed with Eleris''s statement that they might as well exist. The Demon God Cult, by its nature, was a dangerous force.


    If the Demon God Cult involved believers with a twisted faith in the Five Great Gods who wished for the world to crumble, then, regardless of whether the demon gods existed or not, this group needed to be smashed.


    Late Sunday evening, when Charlotte returned, I handed her the letter from Baalier.


    "... You didn''t actually see him, did you?"


    It seemed Charlotte was curious if I had seen Baalier in person.


    "No. I only received a letter from his side."


    "I see... Thank you, Reinhart."


    Charlotte, treating the letter like the most precious treasure in the world, tucked it away and returned to her dorm.


    If there was a thorn in my heart, it seemed it hadn¡¯tpletely worn away yet.


    It kept pricking me, ever so slightly.


    ***


    Charlotte had proposed that we root out the Demon God Cult and revolutionary forces together, but I wasn¡¯t sure when she would start. Since I expected her to make the first move, I decided to just bide my time quietly.


    June rolled around...


    Summer was in full swing, and a story development fit for an utter geeky fantasy began to unfold.


    On Monday, duringmon ss time...


    "Due to the warmer weather, from today onward, all physical education sses will be reced by swimming."


    Due to my very personal belief that summer in school settings was iplete without some form of swimming, Mr. Effenhauser announced that the hellish physical education sses would be entirely reced by swimming lessons from that day onward.


    "<i>Ooooo</i>!"


    The most excited was Connor Lint. It was so obvious that his excitement stemmed from a particr reason, and he received disapproving looks from the female students, which made him scratch the back of his head sheepishly.


    It seemed impossible for that guy not to be disliked.


    ¡ªSwimming should be somewhat easier, right?


    ¡ªShouldn''t it?


    ¡ª... I can''t swim, though.


    Of course, aside from Ellen, the female students of ss A, whose talents did not lean towardsbat, seemed quite pleased that the hellish physical training would be reced with swimming.


    <i>¡®Well, that may not be true. Don¡¯t you guys realize swimming is more strenuous than most other forms of exercise? This isn''t going to the pool for fun; it''s training, you know?¡¯</i>


    ***


    After lunch, it was time for physical education.


    After changing into swimsuits, we all gathered at the outdoor swimming pool. The physical education ss was originally conducted jointly for the A and B sses, so now all twenty-two first-year students were gathered at the outdoor swimming pool.


    I¡¯d heard that the swimming pool water was from collected rainwater, and wondered if they¡¯d been saving it up just to release it all that day. Since the Temple used purification magic, there wasn¡¯t likely to be any issue with the water quality.


    With the start of the swimming sses, the area around the swimming pool seemed to have been thoroughly cleaned and refurbished. There weren¡¯t any sunbeds, but there were umbresid out.


    The teachers and teaching assistants conducting the physical education ss were also wearing swimsuits. Moving forward, they¡¯d probably act as lifeguards.


    The boys¡¯ swimming trunks resembled boxers, and the girls wore standard one-piece swimsuits that were navy blue in color. They were simple swimsuits without any particr notable design.


    Among the boys, quite a few couldn¡¯t help but let their eyes wander.


    However,one person stood out from the rest.


    ¡°Miss Granz, I believe you were informed that wearing personal swimsuits is prohibited.¡±


    The physical education teacher singled out Riana de Granz, who was conspicuously different from the others.


    She was wearing a white tube-top bikini, and she was also thest one to arrive.


    It suited her well, but wearing that alone made her stand out markedly.


    "... The one I was issued became too small to wear, so I had to retrieve a personal one from the dormitory."


    <i>¡®Ah, so that''s why she waste.¡¯</i>


    When she mentioned that it had ¡°be too small¡±, both male and female students turned to stare at Granz. She seemed slightly embarrassed, her lips trembling slightly.


    Indeed, it could have shrunk. It was entirely possible. But was it possible that she had already outgrown it since the start of the semester...?


    <i>¡®Are you still growing?¡¯</i>


    The physical education teacher coughed awkwardly at her stated reason.


    "... Well, hmm. We will arrange for a new swimsuit to be delivered to you in the correct size. We will make an exception for you today."


    "Thank you."


    Thus the swimming lessonmenced, with Riana, the only one in a bikini, joining in.

 Chapter 124

    <h4>Chapter 124</h4>


    There were three different outdoor pools.


    One had a depth of 1.3 meters, another had a depth of 2.5 meters, and thest one was 4 meters deep.


    The beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmers would be split into these three different pools respectively.


    ¡ªAhh! My feet aren¡¯t touching the bottom!


    ¡ªCalm down, don¡¯t panic.


    ¡ªI¡¯m scared! Don¡¯t, don¡¯t let go! Please don¡¯t let go! Do-don¡¯t le-le-le-le¡ª<i>Gargle</i>!


    The teacher first checked whether each student could float in the water in the intermediate pool. Those who couldn¡¯t were moved to the beginner¡¯s pool, while those who could were kept in the intermediate pool. Those who werefortable in the water were moved to the 4-meter advanced pool.


    Beginners and intermediates were taught the basics of surviving in water, such as how to float and maneuver.


    Each pool was immenselyrge and spacious enough for 22 learners.


    Harriet, Riana, and others whockedbat talents did not know how to swim, so they were not allowed into the advanced pool yet.


    Naturally, Ellen, who was basically a mermaid in disguise, was in the advanced pool.


    On top of that, there were four more from ss A in the advanced pool, including Vertus, Cliffman, and myself.


    From ss B, there were three: Scarlett, Delphine Izadra, and Ludwig.


    I had learned how to swim before, which was probably why I was still quite capable despite the change in my physical body.


    ¡°I have confirmed that all of you here know how to swim and have the basic fundamentals of swimming. Everyone also seems to be in good shape.¡±


    The physical education sses at the Temple were tough and mundane, but I had to fulfill my nerdy fantasies, so I included swimming sses. During the two-hour swimming ss, one hour was dedicated to instruction, and the remaining hour was left for free y.


    You know, ying and squealing in the water and having fun. That was the kind of vibe I went for.


    Therefore, we just had to endure one hour of ss time, and the rest was easy.


    In other words, that meant I had only written about the ¡°ying and having fun in the water¡± part, and nothing about the actual training part. So I had no idea what kind of training wasing our way.


    ¡°From now on, you will be timed while you swim 1500 meters.¡±


    <i>¡®... Pardon me?¡¯</i>


    ***


    So much for ying...


    ¡°Ugh, huff... huff...¡±


    After finishing the 1500-meter swim, I crawled out of the pool and sprawled out under an umbre. Completing it without a single break was impossible. I was no professional swimmer, after all.


    It had been tough, even after taking intermittent breaks.


    ¡°Reinhart, you seem very tired,¡± Ludwig said.


    ¡°... D-Don¡¯t... speak to me...¡±


    Ludwig didn¡¯t appear to be as exhausted. Hisplexion was significantly better.


    Ludwig had the stamina to y after the swim ss. Because of his monstrous physical endurance, he hardly got tired after doing anything. Regardless of whatever harsh lesson you threw at him, Ludwig could handle it all.


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of stamina, though. Swimming also required a lot of energy if one wasn¡¯t proficient and moved inefficiently, which was another reason why it had been harder for me.


    I only knew the basics of how to swim and was far from being a professional.


    ¡°Ellen was amazing at it. She didn¡¯t seem tired at all,¡± Ludwig said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    Ellen had easily finished in first ce, with Ludwiging in second. Even though Ludwig was in better physical condition, Ellen was much better at swimming. It seemed like she hardly expended any energy while moving swiftly through the water.


    In third ce was Scarlett, then came Vertus in fourth. I was fifth, and Delphine came in sixth. Except for Ellen and Ludwig, all of us were exhausted, and were sitting about nkly.


    The fact that I had finished the course at all was a miracle in itself. I¡¯d even had to use my supernatural powers.


    ¡°Huff... huff... huff... puff... puff...¡±


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Delphine, on wobbly legs and seeming as if she was about to copse, basically crawled towards Ludwig and then flopped down beside him.


    ¡°Delphine, was it too hard for you?¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t... speak to me...¡±


    Delphine uttered the same words as me and theny face down like a corpse for a while.


    With the 6th ce decided, all that was left was thest 7th ce.


    ¡ª<i>Pwak</i>! I, I¡¯ve got a cramp! <i>Keuk</i>!


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡±


    Cliffman had suffered a cramp from trying to swim with brute force.


    Since there was still time left before the hour was up, the physical education teacher made us swim another 1500 meters. The results were the same, except that Scarlett and Vertus switched ces. Of course, since this was everyone¡¯s second time swimming it, the times were significantly worse than the first.


    The teacher finally decided we had done enough, and gave us time to rest.


    ¡°Now, you all can rest. Go ahead and swim more if you want to swim, or rest if you want to rest.¡±


    But of course...


    ¡°Ughh...¡±


    ¡°After wringing us out like rags, how does he expect us to rest...?¡±


    <i>Ssh</i>!


    Apart from Ellen and Ludwig, who dove into the 4-meter pool to swim in its depths, everyone else had had enough of the water.


    ***


    I was supposed to start looking into that damned Demon God Cult and the revolutionary forces with Charlotte that day. However...


    ¡°Re... Reinhart... I don¡¯t think I can do it today...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Maybe tomorrow... no, tomorrow seems even harder... Anyway, I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°Go back and rest up.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face was pale as she told me that she was done for the day and returned to the ss B dormitory, with Scarlett supporting her all the way.


    In the same way that the advanced swimming course had been incredibly tough, Charlotte, who had been together with the intermediate swimmers, seemed to bepletely drained of energy as well.


    Though there had been an hour of free time after the actual lesson, the ones who truly managed to y were those in the beginner¡¯s course, who only practiced floating in the water. Almost everyone else was utterly exhausted.


    Of course, Ludwig went to y with them in the beginner¡¯s pool, sshing around here and there.


    The remaining ns for the day were canceled because of Charlotte¡¯s exhaustion. The outdoor pool was avable for anyone to use after ss hours. Since the pool was in front of the building where the Royal ss¡¯smon sses were held, it was possible that we would run into seniors there as well.


    In any case, the important thing was not so much the swimming sses themselves, but that the pool had be avable for use anytime, which meant that pool events could happen. Ludwig would likely go there often with his friends to hang out.


    Life returned to its usual schedule.


    More often than not, I would do physical training outside until dinner, and after dinner, I would practice swordsmanship with Ellen at the training grounds.


    ¡°... I might skip today.¡±


    My whole body was tingling from all the swimming. It might get easier with time, but at the moment, it wasn¡¯t.


    <i>Drip, drop</i>...


    Just then, it began to darken outside, and rain started to fall.


    That seemed like a good enough excuse.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s take a rest today.¡¯</i>


    That was the n, at least until I saw Ellen entering the training hall upon returning to the ss A dormitory. That changed my mind.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. Am I really the one who should rest? If that genius is working hard, what excuse do I have to ck off?¡¯</i>


    I immediately changed my clothes and headed to the training grounds.


    ***


    It felt a little different that day.


    <i>ng! ng! ng!</i>


    Whenever I sparred with Ellen, it was always over in a few moves. That day, though, our swords shed numerous times, and I even managed to deflect Ellen¡¯s downward strike and sessfully pointed my sword at her neck.


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just my steady effort that made this possible, however.


    ¡°... Are you feeling unwell today?¡± I asked.


    Ellen did not seem like she was in her best condition. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to concentrate. Even when I pressed forward, she parried half-heartedly and eventually lost the round to me.


    ¡°Just a little.¡±


    Perhaps the swimming lesson today drained her stamina?


    ¡°Tired?¡±


    But Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    Rain was pouring outside.


    Come to think of it, it had also been raining the night she discreetly revealed her identity to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that rain makes your condition worsen.¡±


    Ellen had seemed unusually sentimental on that particr rainy day. I never intended for Ellen to have a trait that made rain affect her negatively, but there could be aspects about her I didn¡¯t know about.


    In response to my question, Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°No, I actually like rainy days.¡±


    If rain did not worsen her condition and she liked them, why couldn¡¯t she concentrate?


    Or was it precisely because she liked rainy days that she couldn¡¯t focus?


    ¡°Want to take a break?¡±


    At my question, Ellen nodded.


    ***


    Ellen and I stepped out of the training grounds and onto an outdoor terrace. It wasn¡¯t the teatime terrace where I often talked with Vertus, but was more like a sheltered external corridor. Since the rain didn¡¯t reach that far in, Ellen and I found ourselves gazing at the rainyndscape, the view obscured by the downpour.


    We could see students without umbres rushing around in the sudden rain.


    Now that I was thinking about it, did this world have a rainy season or not? Since this ce was so simr to Seoul, I wondered if it had a rainy season simr to the one in Korea.


    The rainy season in Korea would often be around this time.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked rainy days.¡±


    Was she unable to concentrate on training because she wanted to watch the rainyndscape quietly?


    ¡°What about you?¡± Ellen asked suddenly as she quietly watched the rain fall.


    I never expected such a question from Ellen.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Do you like it when it rains?¡±


    It was quite unexpected for her to ask something like that.


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t think I¡¯m particrly fond of it.¡±


    I used to dislike rain because I feared that the rain would make me lose more of my hair, but at the moment, it hardly mattered to me.


    Ellen nodded quietly and continued to stare nkly at the rainy scene.


    ¡°Are you close to Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°... Why bring her up all of a sudden?¡±


    It was odd for someone who never seemed to care about my interactions with others to suddenly ask such a question.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve seen the two of you speaking often.¡±


    Though we weren¡¯t extraordinarily close, Ellen must have seen Charlotte and I engaging in regr conversation several times. She probably knew that we had studied together in the ss B dormitory during the midterm period.


    ¡°I guess you could say we¡¯re close.¡±


    I was probably closer to her than I was to most others.


    Her asking me these questions out of the blue was highly unusual.


    Did she perhaps secretly care about me while pretending not to care? Was this something that slightly irked her even though she tried to appear indifferent?


    Ellen turned her gaze from the rain and looked at me intently. ¡°You guys are just close? That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why would she ask that? It didn¡¯t seem like she was interrogating or pressing me for answers.


    ¡°Is there, perhaps, something more?¡± She asked.


    ¡°... Why do you ask?¡±


    Was she inquiring about emotional aspects, like whether I had feelings for Charlotte? How would she react if I confirmed that?


    However, I didn¡¯t want to delve into that topic, and anyway, I didn¡¯t feel anything else toward Charlotte.


    ¡°It¡¯s just... all the different events that have happened along the way drew us together. But there¡¯s nothing more than that,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen lowered her head for a moment. When she lifted her head again, she looked at me quietly.


    ¡°You remind me of my brother,¡± she finally said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I was taken aback by her suddenment.


    How could I, in any way, resemble the hero, Ragan Artorius?


    Ellen was smiling.


    Yet, it was the saddest expression that I had ever seen on her before.


    She turned her gaze away from me and stared quietly out at the rain-drenched scenery.


    ¡°It was a rainy day like this.¡±


    She looked like she was reminiscing about the past.


    ¡°My brother said he would be going away on a short trip. He had just returned from a long journey, but he said he would be leaving again soon. He came to say goodbye. He said that it might take a while, but that he would be back, and that there was no need to worry.¡±


    Smiling, but unmistakably unhappy, Ellen shared that significant moment from her past with me.


    ¡°If he was going toe back, why did he leave his sword with me when he left?¡± She continued.


    Ragan Artorius must have left to join the Great War, knowing well he might never return. Despite promising toe back, he¡¯d left his divine sword, Lament, with Ellen, as if it were a keepsake.


    She wasn¡¯t saying that I was simr to the famous hero, Ragan Artorius. She wasparing me to her brother, Ragan Artorius.


    However, it was still unclear how we resembled each other.


    ¡°He knew everything about me, but I couldn¡¯t know anything about him. What he thought, what he intended to do, what he held precious. He didn¡¯t share any of it.¡±


    It was then that I began to understand why Ellen had brought this up.


    Her questions about my rtionship with Charlotte wasn¡¯t her trying to pry into my feelings. She wanted to know what was the reason behind our closeness.


    ¡°I knew he cared for me and cherished me. But he never told me anything actually important.¡±


    Ellen stared nkly at the rainy scenery.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about you,¡± she said.


    Not long ago, Ellen had told me that she didn¡¯t quite know who I was.


    It wasn¡¯t because Ellen was slow to catch on. She understood clearly that she genuinely didn¡¯t know who I really was.


    Since she was the closest one to me, Ellen supposedly knew the most about me.


    On the contrary, because she knew me best, she was also the only one who understood that she didn¡¯t really know anything about me at all.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t been indifferent towards me.


    She had thought about me more earnestly than anyone else.


    Who was Reinhart? Just an individual from the streets with supernatural powers and a pretty obnoxious temperament.


    Beyond that, she knew nothing else in particr about me. Nothing about my family, my background, or my past had been disclosed.


    Ellen hade to realize, after much reflection, that she truly knew nothing about me. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of her not being able to define who I was in a philosophical way.


    Realizing she didn¡¯t know who I truly was had led her to say these things.


    She also realized that I had never shared anything about myself.


    Was it not because of the rain?


    Was it because of me that she couldn¡¯t focus?


    Did she think there was something suspicious about me?


    ¡°... You never even asked, though,¡± I said.


    Ellen stared at me intently in response to my feeble protest.


    ¡°If I ask, will you tell me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why do you look at Charlotte with the same eyes my brother had when he said he was leaving on a long journey? Why, if youe from such humble origins, do you know so much and can do so many varied things? Why do you train every day as if someone is after you? Why are you so anxious? If I ask this, will you tell me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could give her answers, but they would all be excuses. The real truth was something I couldn¡¯t share with anyone.


    <i>¡°I¡¯m Reinhart, and Ie from a group of beggars on the streets. I am being raised to be the sessor of a beggars¡¯ organization known as the Rotary Club.¡±</i>


    I could say this, but this was a lie.


    <i>¡°I am not the sessor of the Rotary Club, and in fact, am the son of the Demon King. I¡¯m integrating myself into the human world to prepare for the uing ¡®gate¡¯ incident by attending the Temple disguised as a student.¡±</i>


    This too was a lie.


    <i>¡°I am the creator of this world, here to receive punishment, and I know the future of this world and everything that is going to happen.</i>


    <i>¡°I am the one responsible for all the sorrow you have or will experience.¡±</i>


    This was the truth.


    I was a person surrounded byyers uponyers of lies. It was impossible to tell Ellen the whole truth.


    She wouldn¡¯t believe it anyway.


    ¡°You can¡¯t answer, can you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    I could see what she was thinking. <i>¡°I don¡¯t know anything about you. You don¡¯t tell me anything. Just like my brother did.¡±</i>


    Charlotte might not have realized that I sometimes looked at her with a strange look in my eyes out of guilt, but Ellen had known it all along.


    That was why she asked me about it.


    <i>¡°Why would you look at Charlotte with such eyes if you¡¯re just friends?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°What¡¯s the reason for looking at Charlotte with the eyes of someone who is speaking a terrible lie?¡±</i>


    That was what she was asking.


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exin anything to her.


    If she had already understood me to such an extent, she would see through any half-hearted lie anyway.


    Ellen was still looking at me quietly.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you remind me of my brother.¡±


    Someone who cared about her but didn¡¯t share anything important with her. Unlike the <i>hero </i>Artorius everyone praised, Ellen¡¯s <i>brother </i>Artorius was such a person.


    ¡°That¡¯s the feeling I get.¡± She continued, still looking at me. ¡°The feeling that you, like my brother, might suddenly disappear.¡±


    If the situation turned dire, that might actually happen. If it was discovered that I was a demon, I might have to disappear from the imperial capital. I might not even get the chance to say goodbye to anyone.


    It seemed Ellen had thought a lot about me, and eventually ended up feeling that I was no different from her brother.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go through that again,¡± she said.


    The thought of me disappearing suddenly was merely Ellen¡¯s imagination.


    But I knew that this could indeed happen. Hence, I couldn¡¯t assure her that it would never ur.


    At that moment, it felt as if any words I said to her would be seen as a lie.


    Ellen did not ask about the secrets I was hiding. Perhaps she thought that I wouldn¡¯t answer her even if she asked.


    Ellen smiled at me.


    ¡°Actually, I hate rainy days.¡± There was no reason for Ellen to like the rain that fell on the day her brother left.


    ¡°I dislike people like you.¡±


    After that, Ellen stoppeding to the training grounds.

 Chapter 125

    <h4>Chapter 125</h4>


    Several days passed...


    It had been raining more or less continuously since that day. Sometimes, it stopped for a while, but there was rain more often than not.


    It seemed like the rainy season had truly begun.


    Charlotte had decided to postpone the investigation into the Demon God Cult case until the rain stopped.


    However, the important issue wasn¡¯t Charlotte or the investigation. It was Ellen.


    The training grounds wasn¡¯t the only ce that Ellen had stopped going to.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t been showing up for the morning exercises, nor had she appeared in the dining hall for snacks as she usually did.


    It was clear what was happening.


    She was avoiding me.


    Unless it was inevitable, she was avoiding all situations where she might encounter me.


    Even when we crossed paths in the dormitory, she would merely pass by without acknowledging me.


    It wasn¡¯t as if we usually greeted each other or acknowledged each other¡¯s presence in the past, though. We just practiced and ate meals together when it was time.


    However, things were subtly different now. Even if we didn¡¯t greet each other, we used to at least make eye contact. Now, though, Ellen wouldn¡¯t even look at me. She waspletely ignoring me.


    I had many secrets, and I hadn¡¯t shared anything about those secrets. That must have invariably led Ellen to think about her brother.


    Someone who cared for her but didn¡¯t tell her anything, someone who knew everything about her but didn¡¯t reveal anything about themselves...


    She didn¡¯t want to see another person like that ever again.


    She was sure that I would inevitably make her sad, and was trying to distance herself now.


    In the end, those guys from the newspaper club hadn¡¯t achieved their main goal of tarnishing my reputation. However, they had inadvertently caused me trouble in apletely unexpected way by making Ellen realize a new truth about me.


    It was troubling.


    Someone like Harriet who openly showed their anger was somehow better, because then, at least, there was a possibility for a conversation.


    Ellen, after calmly thinking it over, had concluded that growing closer to me would only end up hurting her. She didn¡¯t try to dig into my secrets, nor did she spread rumors about me being a suspicious person.


    She didn¡¯t even confront me about why I wouldn¡¯t share anything with her despite her opening up about her own secrets first.


    She simply pushed me away quietly.


    I could understand Ellen¡¯s feelings.


    Continuing on as we were, with me being unable to share anything about myself, would only trigger Ellen¡¯s traumas. She would constantly be reminded of her brother whenever she saw me.


    So, for several days, I practiced my swordsmanship alone, without Ellen. I had no idea whether she was cooped up in her room to avoid running into me, or if she was training somewhere else.


    <i>Thwack</i>! <i>Thwack</i>!


    So, there I was, hitting a dummy with my practice sword. It was supposed to be the time when Ellen and I would bicker back and forth. ¡°No, not like that. Do it this way.¡± We would go on and on as we crossed swords.


    Aside from training bing boring and dull, there was another problem.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    There were usually three regrs at the practice field.


    Me, Ellen, and Cliffman.


    While Ellen and I would spar and bicker, Cliffman would always be there, beating on a dummy, regardless if we were present or not.


    These past few days, though, Ellen had not shown up at all, and it seemed like Cliffman had picked up on the strange atmosphere too, noting my perpetually grim expression.


    ¡°<i>You two had a fight, didn¡¯t you?</i>¡±


    He didn¡¯t need to say it; he could probably tell, since it was the first time Ellen hadn¡¯t shown up at the training grounds for this long this semester. I knew he was sure something had happened.


    It was incredibly awkward.


    I had never spoken to him before, and he had always been focused on his own training.


    Nevertheless, I could totally feel his sympathy for me.


    <i>Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    -<i>Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Even without speaking, there seemed to be an awkward exchange of constion and gratitude going on between us.


    ¡°<i>Come on. Don¡¯t be a coward and just apologize to her already if you¡¯ve done something wrong.</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah, whatever. Ugh. I don¡¯t know!</i>¡±


    It was a strange feeling, to have a conversation without actually speaking.


    Was this what they call a meeting of minds?


    In fact, just as I was finishing up my training and leaving, Cliffman actually said something to me.


    ¡°... Good luck.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    That was the first time I exchanged words with Cliffman since I¡¯d entered the school in March. It was already June.


    ***


    The continuous rain meant I also couldn¡¯t go out for morning exercises.


    I had no one to talk to about this. If I mentioned that Ellen seemed to be avoiding me because I had too many secrets, they would definitely be curious about what my secrets were too. Moreover, it would eventually lead to me having to exin how Ellen, being the younger sister of the hero Artorius, was avoiding me due to the trauma she had suffered that was rted to her brother.


    I couldn¡¯t speak about it to my ssmates, let alone to my seniors.


    Since that day, I had yet to exchange a single word with Ellen.


    ¡°...Hey. Let¡¯s talk for a sec...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Shepletely ignored me as she walked past.


    Eventually, the weekend ended without any resolution to the situation.


    Those sensitive to the situation noticed the peculiar tension between Ellen and me. Vertus was one of them. He seemed to understand the situation but chose not to interfere, only passing me with a knowing, ambiguous smile.


    His expression seemed to say, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but hang in there.¡±


    Vertus and Cliffman had a rough idea of what was going on.


    And then there was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    ¡°... Did you get into a fight with her?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t fight.¡±


    At my words, Harriet tilted her head.


    ¡°... Seeing how you two were inseparably close but are suddenly not speaking at all, you can¡¯t say you didn¡¯t have a fight, right?¡±


    Inseparably close? Her description seemed odd to me. Had it been that extreme?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not surprised. She hung around with a weirdo like you for far too long,¡± she continued.


    <i>¡®This kid...¡¯</i>


    Somehow, she seemed slightly pleased by this situation.


    ¡°You look pitiful enough that I might just listen to what¡¯s going on with you,¡± she said.


    It seemed like she was eager to offer me some sort of guideline that could help me navigate through the troubles I was facing.


    After all, she wanted to help me because I was in a difficult situation, right?


    How adorable.


    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°... What? I¡¯m offering help here,¡± she said in a huff.


    It was a problem that I couldn¡¯t talk about even if I wanted to, so I could only appreciate her concern silently.


    ¡°Still, thanks for caring.¡±


    ¡°What? What!? Who said I cared!¡±


    At my unexpected gratitude, Harriet¡¯s face turned bright red, and she started fuming. This would usually be the time for her to get so annoyed that she¡¯d storm off, but she didn¡¯t leave my side this time. Perhaps she was truly worried.


    ¡°You guys... really didn¡¯t have a fight?¡±


    ¡°I told you, we didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    Realizing that I wasn¡¯t going to spill any details to her, Harriet didn¡¯t push further. In the end, I was grateful for her concern. Just like how it was with Adriana, Harriet had initially seemed like a bad association, but somehow, it had turned out to be different.


    <i>¡®Human affairs really are unpredictable.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps, as Vertus said, my above-average appearance had also helped me.


    Harriet and I were idly staring out the window in the hallway.


    It was raining outside, and Harriet, distractedly watching the downpour, muttered, ¡°It¡¯s raining heavily, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is.¡±


    ¡°The rain¡¯s heavy enough to make the Irine flood its banks.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    The continuous downpour might cause the ¡®Han¡¯ River to flood its banks. Yes, that could totally happen.


    ¡°I was supposed to go to the riverside with Adelia this weekend, but it¡¯s all ruined now because it overflowed.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    On second thought, Ellen and the Demon God Cult weren¡¯t the important issues right now.


    It seemed the Han River Park was already flooded.


    What about the Rotary Club living under the Banpo Bridge? What had happened to them? Had they all been swept away?


    ¡°Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got somewhere I need to be!¡±


    Had all the shanties been swept away?


    ***


    I immediately grabbed an umbre and left the temple.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    Although it wasn¡¯t a rainstorm, the wind was blowing very strongly, and despite the an umbre, gettingpletely soaked was inevitable.


    After taking a magic train to the area where the Bronze Gate Bridge was located and getting off, a spectacr scene unfolded through the downpour.


    <i>Rumble</i>!


    The Irine River had turned into a stream of reddish mud. Naturally, ess to the park was being controlled by the guards, and even if it hadn¡¯t been, it wouldn¡¯t have made any difference. The entire park area was already submerged.


    The area underneath the Bronze Gate, where club members were usually seen guzzling down alcohol and rolling dice, was, of course, also underwater.


    It seemed pretty clear everything had been destroyed. The rain had already been pouring for a few days, so it wasn¡¯t just because of the downpour that day.


    <i>¡®Hopefully none of them had been washed away in their sleep.¡¯</i>


    Because of the heavy rain, there weren¡¯t many people around, and the few people that were visible seemed to be just passersby. The club members didn¡¯t appear to be nearby.


    I approached a guard who was blocking the entrance to the park. He looked miserable, soaked in the rain without an umbre, wearing full armor.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You know, those folks under the bridge?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, those guys. What about them?¡±


    Apparently the guards were well aware of the Rotary Club. They were a group that stood out, after all.


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, those guys? They probably left quite a while ago. They wouldn¡¯t just stay there and get swept away to their deaths, you know.¡±


    Thankfully, it seemed they weren¡¯t in any serious trouble.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s rather satisfying to see those shabby shanties and everything else being swept away,¡± the guard continued.


    Now, though, there seemed to be a different problem...


    Where would those without homes or shelters gather, if not under the bridge, especially since it was raining? They¡¯d need somewhere to take refuge.


    ¡°If it rained like this more often, we wouldn¡¯t have to see those beggars gathering under the bridge. But then again, they¡¯ll just flock to another ce, so it¡¯s all the same.¡±


    ¡°Where would this other ce be?¡±


    The guard sighed deeply.


    ¡°They probably went into the Wenster Market. Over there. If there¡¯s any ce around here where those folks could shelter from the rain, where else would it be but there? It¡¯s already overflowing with beggars.¡±


    It seemed that the only ce for shelter in this situation were the alleys of Wenster Market, near the Bronze Gate Bridge.


    ***


    In what should have been the location for Seoul¡¯s Express Bus Terminal stood a rtivelyrge market. While the ¡®Upper Yongsan¡¯ market catered to adventurers who wanted to purchase items for their expeditions, this ce seemed like a huge market that sold food and daily necessities.


    Although the market was open, there were few people around, possibly due to the heavy rain. Luckily, there were awnings and roofs that provided shelter from the open sky, so the market itself wasn¡¯t exposed to the rainfall. It definitely looked like a good ce to shelter from the rain.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t there to do any shopping, so I entered a deserted alley. I just needed to find a club member and ask where Loyar was.


    While they could very well manage on their own, I wanted to check in on them, since it had been a long time. Plus, I genuinely wanted to vent to someone about the situation with Ellen. The only ones I could talk about this were the trio of demon spies.


    Taking my problems to Sarkegar would be risky. As soon as he heard about Ellen Artorius, he would go berserk and demand that she be killed immediately.


    I didn¡¯t expect much from Loyar, who would probably offer no helpful advice. It seemed like speaking with Eleris would be the best option.


    Still, since I was already here, it seemed better to at least try talking to Loyar.


    I nudged a man who looked like a beggar, who was sretending to be asleep in the alleyway.


    ¡°Sir. Sir!¡±


    ¡°Ugghh... Ah. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Are you a club member?¡±


    ¡°Club? What club are you talking about...? Just shut it and leave! Stop bothering me.¡±


    The beggar swatted my hand away and shooed me off, indicating that he wanted to be left alone.


    Was this man a lone wolf? Well, not all beggars were from the Rotary Club. ording to the guard, this ce was always full of beggars.


    It was indeed eerie, wandering around the gaps between buildings rather than along the streets where the shops were. Water was gushing through the drains, and in areas without eaves, the rain was pouring down directly.


    Because the buildings in the market were so closely packed, the dim back alleys were littered with trash, and it felt as if someone could die back there without anyone noticing.


    <i>¡®I suppose all popted cities really are the same, whether it¡¯s the imperial capital or not.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    I started to wonder if I¡¯d made a mistakeing here.


    Was I about to run into some really bad characters instead of the Rotary Club?


    ¡°Hey kid, this isn¡¯t a ce for someone like you to wander about.¡±


    Sure enough, just as I was having that thought, a guy who instantly brought to mind the word ¡°thug¡± nced at me sideways and spoke to me. By his looks, he didn¡¯t seem to be a beggar.


    ¡°Better get out of here quick before you see something nasty,¡± he said.


    Thankfully, this thug was rather kind. Clearly, he thought that I had just lost my way and was warning me nicely. After all, not all thugs were mean and short-tempered.


    I thought about asking him about the Rotary Club, but decided against it and decided to leave, as a strong intuition told me that it was best not to linger any longer.


    ¡°Ah yes, okay. Thank you.¡±


    I had no intention of talking back, especially since the other party didn¡¯t seem too confrontational. He seemed like the type who spared children. Perhaps he thought that he¡¯d get nothing more than pocket change from me even if he tried to extort anything from me.


    Just then, the thug suddenly stopped me.


    ¡°Hmm... Hey, kid.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°That umbre. It seems to have the Temple¡¯s insignia on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    The umbre I was using had been issued by the Temple, so it had the Temple¡¯s emblem on it. I wasn¡¯t wearing my uniform, but he seemed to recognize where I was from because of the mark on my umbre.


    ¡°Yes. So what?¡± I said.


    I was nning to back off quietly, but it looked like things were about to getplicated.


    ¡°If you¡¯re a Temple student, you must have a lot of money, huh?¡±


    It seemed like his attitude had changed upon realizing I was a Temple student, even though he¡¯d initially appeared willing to leave a young kid alone.


    Messing with a Temple student could end up causing him a serious problem, but this guy probably thought he could just rob me and take off.


    ¡°I think I need to take a look inside your pocket,¡± he said.


    I wasn¡¯t carrying a significant amount of money, but I definitely had some cash on me. He seemed like a gentlemanly thug who wouldn¡¯t usually bother kids, but his attitude had quickly shifted when he¡¯d realized I was a Temple student and assumed that I was wealthy.


    He started to approach me slowly.


    ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t me you. Money is nice,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kid. Just hand over the money quietly, and I¡¯ll let you go unhar¡ª¡±


    <i>¡®I am Type B.¡¯</i>


    Type B was a preset specialized in closebat.


    ¡°Ha, look at you,¡± I said.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I struck him in the abdomen, and followed up with a kick to his waist.


    <i>Bam</i>!


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    <i>Crash</i>!


    In an instant, he tumbled into a pile of trash, groaning in pain.


    ¡°What do you mean <i>you </i>will let me go?¡±


    <i>¡®Who do you think you are, deciding whether or not to let me go?</i>


    <i>¡®From the start, I was the one who had the power to decide whether to leave you be or not.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 126

    <h4>Chapter 126</h4>


    The decision to take care of the robbers was always mine to make.


    ¡°Argh... Ugh. You son of a... I was going to let you off easy...¡±


    ¡°So you think you¡¯re the one to decide if you let me go or no¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck him up!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Something had gone wrong.


    Before I could even turn around, I sensed two figures swinging clubs at me.


    <i>¡®Damn it. He wasn¡¯t alone?¡¯</i>


    They were too close for me to react in time.


    <i>Thwack</i>!


    ***


    When I regained consciousness, it felt as if my head was about to split open. That¡¯s when I realized I was tied up. I was firmly bound to a chair with ropes.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Maybe I should have just let them rob me... Wait, no. If I¡¯m more than capable of subduing a robber, why would I let them rob me?¡¯</i>


    I was sure that the thug had been alone, but it seemed my attention to detail had not been as sharp as I¡¯d thought.


    When exactly was it that I was caught from behind? Was it the sound of the rain that had prevented me from sensing any other presence?


    It seemed like I was being held captive somewhere inside a building. Faint light streamed in through the closed wooden window, and the interior was too dim for me to make anything out.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    From the darkness across from me came the voice of a man, who was sitting on a chair.


    Judging by the sound of his voice alone, he didn¡¯t seem to be the thug I¡¯d encountered in the alley just before. He sounded as if he was in histe twenties or early thirties, but I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Swinging your fists around thinking you¡¯re tough only leads to situations like this.¡±


    He was right.


    I had swung my fist to prevent me from being robbed, only to end up being knocked out and dragged to an unknown ce.


    I had to admit, I¡¯d been careless.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m strong enough to break the ropes.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hnngh!¡±


    <i>Creak! Creak!</i>


    But the ropes binding me did not budge at all.


    ¡°... You¡¯re wasting your energy.¡±


    I waspletely tied up, and escape was impossible.


    Should I warn them that messing with me won¡¯t end well for them? That would be true, but stupid thugs often reacted to such words with anger, letting their fists fly without thinking first. It was entirely possible that I was dealing with such mindless individuals.


    I knew from experience that not everyone was reasonable or willing tomunicate.


    Some people acted impulsively out of emotion, leading with their fists, just as I had done.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    The biggest problem was that all my belongings had been stolen. They hadn¡¯t taken Sarkegar¡¯s ring, since it had an invisibility spell cast on it, but they had stolen the me of Fire. It had been disguised as an old, rusty pendant, so they wouldn¡¯t recognize its value, but with it, I could have used fire to escape somehow.


    <i>¡®Should I try to get it back somehow? No, that would just raise suspicion.¡¯</i>


    He seemed to be examining my belongings, which had beenid out on the table. In the faint lighting through the window slit, he examined my student ID.


    ¡°First year of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss... Reinhart...¡± He read the words slowly and then muttered to himself, ¡°Reinhart, huh? The kid that the Rotary Club sent to the Temple.¡±


    ¡°... How did you...?¡±


    ¡°Are you surprised that I know that?¡± He began tough in the darkness. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a surprise that the Thieves¡¯ Guild is aware of the Rotary Club¡¯s affairs, kiddo.¡±


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    Had I not encountered a mere street gang, but the Thieves¡¯ Guild?


    The Rotary Club and the Thieves¡¯ Guild had a symbiotic rtionship.


    I hoped that I would be released without much issue.


    However, he began to speak strangely.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Why not just continue to do things the same way? Why does it seem like you guys are trying to change things? Going out of your way to send some kid to the Temple and trying to expand the business. It seems like you¡¯re trying to confront us outright now.¡±


    The Rotary Club and the Thieves¡¯ Guild had a symbiotic rtionship.


    However, without the financial support of the Thieves¡¯ Guild, the Rotary Club could not sustain itself. In reality, therefore, there was a hierarchy to that structure.


    Loyar was trying to escape from this hierarchy by engaging in various activities, and now that the Rotary Club had be somewhat self-sufficient, they were trying to break free from the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s control.


    A conflict between the Rotary Club and the Thieves¡¯ Guild was slowly emerging.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I had imagined the worst-case scenario would be that they would demand a ransom for me or something simr. But it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Without the Hound of Irine, the club would easily dissolve. I¡¯ve heard that bitch is a tough nut to crack, tough enough that we¡¯ve had a hard time dealing with her until now. So this is a good situation for us.¡±


    Encountering the Thieves¡¯ Guild wasn¡¯t a stroke of good fortune; it seemed like the worst-case scenario.


    Shrouded in darkness, the man looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯ll serve as bait to lure the hound out for us.¡±


    These bastards were nning to kill Loyar and dismantle the Rotary Club.


    I was screwed.


    How was I going to escape?


    Using supernatural powers was out of the question. The bindings were too tight.


    If only I had the me of Fire with me. I could have used its fire somehow. However, that too was impossible now.


    <i>¡®At this rate, wouldn¡¯t an infuriated Loyar or Elerise and wipe them out? Even if they didn¡¯t, Sarkegar would definitely do something like that if he knew about this situation. Hmm...¡¯</i>


    Thinking about my allies gave me some peace of mind.


    Since the Thieves'' Guild¡¯s goal was not my life but Loyar¡¯s, my life was no longer in danger.


    Moreover, if I was right, if I couldn¡¯t return to the Temple, the Temple would mobilize its resources ande looking for me. Perhaps even Charlotte or Vertus would get involved.


    Well, maybe not Vertus. But Charlotte would definitely try to find me.


    The manughed gleefully. ¡°Master would be pleased to know about this.¡±


    This guy didn¡¯t realize that he was practically slitting his own throat.


    <i>¡®Right.¡¯</i>


    It seemed like a really tough situation, but it actually wasn¡¯t.


    If things went as I¡¯d anticipated, being kidnapped might not be the worst thing, but could turn out to be a stroke of genius. Falling into the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s hands might not be a streak of rotten luck, but a ray of good fortune.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too scared, kid.¡±


    I smirked at the man¡¯s words, which floated to me from the darkness.


    <i>¡®Yes, you too. Don¡¯t be too scaredter on. Because you¡¯re making a big mistake right now.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Saturday passed, and Sunday came along.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    The heavy rain was still pouring. In the lobby of the first-year ss A dormitory, Harriet de Saint-Ouen was quietly looking out the window.


    ¡°Harriet, what are you doing?¡± Adelia, a fellow magic major and Harriet¡¯s friend, asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to theb.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh. You go ahead. I¡¯ll be there in a bit...¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    Adelia walked briskly towards the dormitory¡¯s magic researchb, while Harriet narrowed her eyes and continued to gaze out the window.


    <i>¡®Why hasn¡¯t he returned?¡¯ </i>she thought to herself.


    Reinhart had not returned the day before.


    Of course, quite a few students had left for the weekend. Vertus and Charlotte often had to leave to carry out their royal duties, and Riana de Granz liked to spend her weekends at her family¡¯s grand mansion in the imperial city.


    However, Reinhart usually stayed in the Temple, even on weekends. It wasn¡¯t that he never went out, but where else would he go besides that homeless encampment under the bridge?


    The way he had rushed out into the downpour the day before, it was likely that he¡¯d gone to check on the homeless camp. But it was unlikely for him to have spent the whole day there.


    That was why Harriet stayed in the lobby, waiting for Reinhart to return, pushing all her magic research assignments aside.


    <i>¡®What? Am I worried about that guy or something?¡¯</i>


    Harriet frowned at the unnecessary thought. Just as she decided to push it aside and head towards the magic researchb...


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She stopped in her tracks upon seeing A-2, Ellen, stepping out of her room.


    Lately, Harriet had clearly felt the rtionship between Reinhart and Ellen grow chilly. Even if they didn¡¯t talk much, they always used to hang out and eat together. Recently, though, they hadn¡¯t been seen together at all.


    To Harriet, it seemed like Ellen was unterally ignoring Reinhart, who had aplicated expression on his face that defied exnation.


    Harriet thought that Reinhart, with his nasty temper, had to have done something wrong again.


    Yet every time she felt strangely reassured by the fact that the two of them were now apart, Harriet became annoyed at herself.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Harriet called out to Ellen, who stopped and looked at her quietly.


    ¡°Hi,¡± replied Ellen.


    Each time she saw those dark blue eyes, Harriet felt a shiver down her spine. For no particr reason, Harriet felt slightly intimidated by Ellen. She seemed a little frightening.


    ¡°Do you... have some issue with Reinhart?¡±


    Rather than denying any issue, Ellen replied with a question of her own.


    ¡°... Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. It¡¯s just that that homeless scumbag always looks miserable nowadays. He also rushed out yesterday and hasn¡¯te back... so.¡±


    ¡°... He hasn¡¯te back?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice? He wasn¡¯t at breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I just thought he skipped it.¡±


    It seemed like this was the first time Ellen heard that Reinhart had left the Temple.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. He rushed out yesterday and hasn¡¯te back.¡±


    ¡°... He¡¯s probably staying at someone¡¯s ce or something,¡± suggested Ellen casually.


    ¡°Does that beggar even know anyone with a house?¡±


    ¡°... He might.¡±


    Harriet couldn¡¯t conceive of Reinhart staying at someone¡¯s house. While Reinhart might know some other people, Harriet didn¡¯t think he knew anyone who actually had a home to offer. Harriet naturally continued to look down on Reinhart, oblivious to her own harsh opinion toward low-status individuals.


    Deep down, though, Ellen didn¡¯t believe in the fact that Reinhart had been born a beggar.


    Without revealing what had happened between her and Reinhart, Ellen walked away on her own.


    Suddenly, Ellen turned and headed toward the training grounds.


    She didn¡¯t particrly have anywhere to go, so it didn¡¯t really matter where she went.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    Ellen opened the door to the training grounds. Only Cliffman was inside, swinging a practice sword alone. Upon seeing Ellen, Cliffman stopped swinging his sword and stared straight at her.


    Just like Reinhart, Ellen had never really had a conversation with Cliffman.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Reinhart if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering,¡± Cliffman said as if he could read Ellen¡¯s mind.


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Ellen replied after a slight hesitation, and Cliffman seemed a bit startled.


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah. Right.¡±


    Ellen closed the door to the training grounds behind her, pretending as if it wasn¡¯t exactly what she was thinking.


    This time, Ellen headed to the dining hall.


    As expected, it was empty.


    ¡°...¡±


    Reinhart hadn¡¯t returned since leaving the night before.


    Ellen stood idly in the dining hall for a while before eventually returning to her room.


    <i>¡®He must be out on a weekend outing or something,¡¯ </i>she thought to herself.


    <i>Rumble</i>!


    It wasn¡¯t clear where someone would go on a weekend shrouded in thunderstorms, but what other reason could there be?


    And why should it matter? She¡¯d been thinking about distancing herself from him anyway.


    It wasughable to even be curious about what was going on with him.


    Ellen decided to stop pondering over it.


    ***


    It was Monday.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Number 11 hasn¡¯t yet returned,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said as he looked at the empty seat in the ssroom. ¡°I thought he would be returning after the weekend, but I see he¡¯s absent entirely.¡±


    The other students tilted their heads in confusion as they looked at Reinhart¡¯s empty seat. While he was regarded as the troublemaker, he wasn¡¯t the type to skip sses. Besides, the perception of him being problematic had been more prevalent at the start of the semester. Since then, his grades were excellent, and he had shownmendable performance in the group mission.


    Reinhart was a ssic case of someone who had given a terrible first impression, and the damage it had done to his image still lingered on a little.


    ¡°He did not submit a request to stay out, and he only reported this as a brief outing. Not showing up until Monday means... something must have gone wrong..¡±


    Harriet was visibly pale.


    ¡°Did anyone talk to Number 11 before he left?¡± Mr.Effenhauser asked.


    ¡°M-Me!¡± said Harriet de Saint-Ouen as she raised her hand urgently, her face pale as a sheet.


    A-11, Reinhart, was missing.


    Harriet told Mr. Effenhauser that Reinhart had heard that the Irine River would overflow, and had rushed off in a hurry.


    Initially, no one believed that he was actually missing. Since he was considered a bit of a madman, they assumed that he just didn¡¯t want to attend sses at the Temple anymore, and decided to skip. Everyone believed that was something Reinhart would do.


    However, contrary to the students¡¯ beliefs, the teachers, facing a situation where a student¡ªespecially one from the Royal ss¡ªmight be missing, began to act quickly.


    Not only were the Temple guards mobilized to begin a search, but the imperial city guards as well.


    The assumption that he would be found quickly or that it was just a minor act of rebellion changed when Reinhart did not show up by Wednesday.


    Everyone realized that the situation had taken a strange turn.


    Rumors circted that, given Reinhart¡¯s temperament, he might have provoked someone dangerous and got himself into serious trouble. That was the typical response.


    The guards were not the only ones who had been mobilized.


    ¡°His name is Reinhart, and he looks like this.¡±


    Inside a grand mansion in the imperial city, Vertus handed someone a photo of Reinhart.


    ¡°Find him. He¡¯s probably somewhere... I think he¡¯s likely to be in the Wenster district, near Bronze Gate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t just limit your search to that aread.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That person departed, following Vertus¡¯s orders.


    Vertus sipped his tea as he gazed quietly out the window at the pouring rain, a smile spreading across his face.


    ¡°Making me move in this kind of weather. Such a nuisance.¡±


    <i>Swishh</i>...


    The rain continued to pour endlessly outside the window.


    On the same day, at a different ce...


    ¡°His name is Reinhart, and this is a picture of him,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    The person took the photo that Charlotte handed them, looked at it, then tucked it away.


    ¡°He might have been worried about the organization¡¯s base being flooded, and encountered some trouble along the way. Focus the search around the Wenster district.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The fact that the Temple hasn¡¯t found him indicates that the tracking spell attached to his student ID isn¡¯t working. Reinhart definitely took his student ID with him. This means that the kidnappers or suspects know how the Temple¡¯s student IDs function. They aren¡¯t ordinary people, but seem to be part of an organization. It would be best to focus your search on organizations rather than individuals.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. We¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Please find him as quickly as possible. He is a dear friend to me.¡±


    That person departed quickly after receiving the instructions.


    Charlotte sat slumped on a single-seat sofa, seeming unable to hide her gloom.


    ¡°It would be great if it was just him causing trouble as usual,¡± she muttered with a sigh.


    It was her hope that Reinhart had not been kidnapped, but was simply off causing his usual mischief.


    It wasn¡¯t just the Temple or the imperial city guards that had mobilized.


    Even the prince and princess had begun searching for the missing Reinhart.

 Chapter 127

    <h4>Chapter 127</h4>


    Many were set out to find Reinhart, yet by Friday, there was still no progress in finding him.


    <i>Swishh...</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Reinhart was missing.


    That he was still missing on Friday could mean that the situation had already be irreparable.


    Ellen walked aimlessly in the rain, holding an umbre. The rain had eased up somewhat, yet the persistent precipitation showed no signs of stopping. All her sses had ended, and there was nothing specific left for her to do.


    However, Ellen could hardly remember what sses she had attended that day.


    The thought that Reinhart might be dead made it impossible for her to focus on anything.


    Ellen roamed the campus aimlessly.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve made a mistake, again,¡¯ </i>she thought to herself.


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone has memories they wish to erase.


    A past they desire to change.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t lie to me.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Ellen...¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t love me at all. So don¡¯t say you do.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Ellen, what are you talking about? I¡¯m your brother... I love you a lot.¡¯</i>


    Ellen was a woman of few words.


    But it hadn¡¯t always been like that.


    <i>¡®Really? And yet, you left me alone with just a sword, and now you¡¯re leaving for some ce far away again? Where to this time? What are you going to do? When will you return, and after how many years? You don¡¯t tell me anything! You say you love me with just words! If it¡¯s like this, don¡¯t evere back! </i>


    <i>¡®What does it matter if you return out of the blue and stay for just a few days? And you say that I should be a better person than you? That I should work hard? What exactly am I supposed to work hard at?! What¡¯s the use of being good with this damn sword?! What does it mean to be a better person?! I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a hero at all!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Ellen... I¡¯m sorry. I have things I need to do. Things I must do...¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Yeah! That¡¯s more important to you, isn¡¯t it?! More than me! More than your family! You won¡¯t even tell me what it is! It¡¯s always the same things that are more precious to you! Those things you can¡¯t even talk about are more important than me! You don¡¯t love us! I hate you, Ragan!¡¯</i>


    But then, she was pped across the cheek.


    Not by her brother, but by her father.


    <i>¡®Fa-Father!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t act like a child, Ellen.¡¯</i>


    She burst into tears then.


    <i>¡®Go, my son.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®... Ellen. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I hate you! I hate everything about you! I hate you the most, Ragan!¡¯</i>


    Ellen Artorius hated her brother.


    But, she hated herself even more.


    That day...


    It was just like this one. A day, in the past, drenched with rain...


    She hated herself for leaving her brother with words of hate instead of love as he made the difficult decision to leave.


    Although she didn¡¯tpletely believe him when he said he was going on a long journey to a faraway ce, she still believed he would return.


    She thought he would appear suddenly after a few years, as always.


    However, after some time passed and she learned the truth that her brother hadn¡¯t gone on some adventure as usual, but had gone to the Dark Land to defeat the Demon King, she became sure that he wouldn¡¯t return.


    Only then did she realize the weight of what she had said.


    He had stood before them for thest time, ready to die, and she had cursed him in front of their family.


    When she thought about what her brother must have felt, Ellen wished she could kill her past self.


    Thest thing her brother remembered about her would have been her crying and saying she hated and despised him. How deeply it must have hurt him. Just the thought of it tormented Ellen.


    That was why, after that, Ellen became a woman of few words.


    She had hurt someone so deeply with her words, and she feared making the same mistake again, and so her words slowly dwindled.


    Short answers and short conversations... Ellen, like a snail, gradually retreated into herself.


    And yet, even though this was why she had conserved her words...


    ¡°<i>I hate people like you.</i>¡±


    She had said that to Reinhart, and made another mistake.


    For reasons of her own, she hurt someone. She had imposed an unjust standard on Reinhart, one that he did not deserve or need to live up to, and had hurt him.


    She realized her mistake after Reinhart had disappeared.


    Of course, she had always considered the possibility that Reinhart might suddenly vanish, but she hadn¡¯t thought it would happen so soon.


    Moreover, Reinhart had suddenly disappeared almost right after she¡¯d said that.


    Reinhart was missing.


    He might even be dead.


    In Reinhart¡¯s memory, thest thing he saw of her would be of her saying she hated him.


    Had her unspoken words, her belief that he was also going to suddenly disappear, be a curse that had befallen him?


    Or had her hurtful words made Reinhart hide himself away?


    Ellen was so troubled that she even entertained such absurd spections.


    She had said those words because she thought she could do just fine without Reinhart. She did it because she felt she needed to push him away before he became too precious to her.


    However, with his sudden disappearance, Ellen had no choice but to acknowledge it.


    He wasn¡¯t someone she could be fine without.


    She thought he was, but she was wrong.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ignoring him hadn¡¯t been easy either, but she had wanted to distance herself in any way possible. Every time she saw Reinhart, she was reminded of her brother, and couldn¡¯t bear it. The memory of her mistake and her brother¡¯sst image tormented her.


    In the end, she¡¯d repeated the same mistake with Reinhart that she had made with her brother. And as if to punish her for such a mistake, Reinhart had disappeared no sooner than she hadmitted it.


    She had been so cautious, yet she¡¯d made another mistake.


    She had indeed made the same mistake again.


    Was she being punished for it?


    Was this all a punishment for making a promise not tomit such a mistake and then breaking it?


    Ellen, after walking for a while, noticed someone sitting on a bench. She was walking along a pedestrian path, and since it was raining, the only people around were the girl in front of her and herself.


    The girl was crying, covering her face with both hands, allowing the rain to drench her entire body as she sat there without an umbre.


    The girl was sobbing inconsbly.


    Ellen quietly approached the girl and covered her with the umbre.


    ¡°U-Ugh...?¡±


    Startled by someone suddenly covering her with an umbre, the girl lifted her head to reveal that she was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    Normally, being caught crying would make her panic, but seemingly too distraught to care, Harriet lowered her head and began to sob again.


    Ellen understood why Harriet was crying and why she was hiding here, unable to use an umbre, letting the rain drench her as she cried.


    Because Ellen herself wanted to do the same right then.


    Seeing Harriet in that state, Ellen knew what she needed to do.


    She didn¡¯t want to remain inactive.


    She no longer wanted to just sit around and cry, the way she¡¯d done when her brother had left.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Uh, huh? Wh-Where to?¡± said Harriet between sobs.


    Ellen looked down at Harriet and said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s go find him.¡±


    Harriet, her eyes swollen from crying, looked up at Ellen. After a moment, she wiped her eyes and nodded.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t specified who they were going to look for.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    But they didn¡¯t need to say it out loud; they were both thinking of the same person.


    ***


    Harriet informed the dormitory staff that she would be spending the weekend at an external residence to rest, and Ellen provided a convenient excuse by saying she would be staying overnight at Harriet¡¯s house.


    It was Friday, and with all sses over, they were free to roam around outside for the weekend.


    Harriet changed out of her soaking wet clothes, and Ellen also changed out of her uniform and into casual clothes before they both left the ss A dormitory.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Both Harriet and Ellen wanted to find Reinhart, but had no idea how to proceed. They had impulsively grabbed an umbre and headed out, but that was about it.


    Harriet racked her brain to the best of her knowledge.


    It was well known that Reinhart had been part of the group of beggars under a certain bridge.


    ¡°He might¡¯ve gone to check on those beggars... those people under the bridge.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know what had happened after that, but it was prudent to assume that that would have been his original destination.


    ¡°Do you know where that bridge is?¡±


    ¡°Um... No, I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    There were over ten major bridges crossing the Irine River from north to south, and neither Ellen nor Harriet knew which of those bridges the beggars gathered under, since neither of them was from the capital.


    Harriet came to the same realization that Ellen hade to previously. That she didn¡¯t really know much about Reinhart. Although she teased him by calling him a street urchin, she had no idea where he actually lived during that period of his life, what he did, or how he had ended up at the Temple.


    She hadn¡¯t even been curious about those things.


    Ellen tilted her head. ¡°Was it Reinhart who actually said he was from the beggars under the bridge?¡±


    ¡°Oh... you¡¯re right.¡±


    Ellen might not have known the details, but as Harriet recalled how the information had spread, Harriet had an idea of whom they should seek out.


    Kaier Vioden and Erhi de Raffaeli had tailed Reinhart, and, as a result, discovered that he wasn¡¯t from some grand family, and saw him associating with the beggars beneath the bridge.


    Harriet felt certain about whom they needed to approach.


    ¡°Either Vioden or Raffaeli. Either of them would know where that bridge is.¡±


    ***


    The two of them found Kaier and Erhi in the ss A dormitory and were able to obtain a clue.


    Neither of the two boys remembered it clearly, but they both believed it was likely the Bronze Gate Bridge, so that had to be the right location.


    They asked why Ellen and Harriet needed this information, but Ellen and Harriet did not reveal what they were nning to do. They didn¡¯t want the teachers finding out, lest they be advised against unnecessarily getting involved.


    Just as they were about to leave the dormitory, they encountered a group of studentsing out of the ss B dormitory.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Charlotte shouted.


    Charlotte seemed noticeably upset.


    ¡°Ch-Charlotte...?¡±


    ¡°But we should do something about this as well...¡±


    It was Ludwig and Delphine Izadra, seemingly on the end of a scolding by Charlotte.


    ¡°What do you think you can do by getting involved? You might end up putting yourselves in danger too!¡±


    Charlotte, hands on her hips, was ring at them as if she¡¯d punish them if they tried to leave the dormitory.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just you guys who are worried about Reinhart. The teachers and even the Temple authorities are already moving. Don¡¯t make things worse by acting rashly. Stay put and rest in the dorm. Reinhart will be safe. Trust me,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡°We will...¡±


    Apparently, Charlotte had caught Delphine and Ludwig trying to go out and search for the missing Reinhart. It seemed their sense of camaraderie with Reinhart had significantly increased after the group mission to the deserted ind, and they felt as though they couldn¡¯t just sit still in this situation.


    In the end, Ludwig and Delphine had no choice but to return to the ss B dormitory, their spirits dampened. They couldn¡¯t hold against Charlotte¡¯s fierce determination.


    After confirming that the two had gone back inside, Charlotte turned her scrutinizing gaze towards Ellen and Harriet, who were preparing to leave.


    Although they weren¡¯t close, they naturally recognized each other.¡±


    ¡°... Where are you two going?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to look fo¡ª¡±


    Before Ellen could finish, Harriet quickly interrupted her, ¡°W-We, we¡¯re going out to eat dinner!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Be careful, it¡¯s raining outside.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes! Thanks for your concern!¡±


    Harriet, fearing that they might get caught up in trouble with Charlotte, grabbed Ellen¡¯s hand and quickly left the dormitory. Charlotte still seemed somewhat skeptical.


    They were fortunate to be from a different ss; had they been from ss B, Charlotte might have dragged them back in just like she¡¯d done with the others.


    Harriet gave Ellen a sharp look for almost revealing the truth so carelessly, but Ellen only tilted her head, perplexed.

 Chapter 128

    <h4> Chapter 128</h4>


    The two girls left the Temple¡¯s premises under the shelter of an umbre. Since it was Friday, they could search all weekend long. Because of that, Harriet had also brought along quite arge sum of money. Of course, it was possible for her to head home to the Saint-Ouen family manor within the capital to stay, rather than rent a room at an inn, but the oue of their endeavor was uncertain.


    Boarding the magical train, they headed toward the Wenster district, where the Bronze Gate was located. The magical train wasn¡¯t crowded, but it wasn¡¯t exactly empty either.


    ¡ªMic test, mic test. Dear citizens of the empire, I hope you are doing well.


    ¡ªIf I may take a moment of your precious time today, I would like to introduce a fine item to you.


    This sight wasmon even inside the trains nowadays.


    Harriet sighed at the sight of the noisy peddler.


    However, it wasn¡¯t out of dislike.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ellen.


    Harriet shook her head. ¡°Huh? Oh, no, nothing. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m surprised that I¡¯ve gotten used to this kind of thing.¡±


    Ellen was confused.


    Harriet felt ridiculous for bing ustomed to such nonsense, and that had prompted a sigh to escape her lips.


    The magical train was something that only existed in the capital. While Harriet was living as a nobledy of the Saint-Ouen duchy, she primarily traveled by carriage.


    Since Harriet had enrolled in the Temple only at the high-school level, her mindset was somewhat different from those nobles who had been attending since elementary school. How could she be expected to share a means of transportation withmoners?


    Initially, she had even thought it beneath her dignity just to ride the tram within the Temple. After sses, the trams would be so crowded that, not only was it impossible to find a seat, but she felt ustrophobic just standing in it.


    Harriet found riding them dreadful. However, since the use of carriages was prohibited within the Temple, she eventually had no choice but to get used to the tram.


    It was the same when she went outside. The idea of using thisrge, oddly long means of transportation and mixing withmoners disgusted her even more than the tram did.


    Of course, it was possible to travel by carriage within the capital, and many people did use them as a means of transportation.


    However, those people were few in number, because carriages couldn¡¯t match the convenience, speed, and affordability of magical trains. In the capital, with its wellid magical train lines, using a carriage was already a waste of time, and that was before taking expenditures into ount. And for the wealthy, time was even more precious than money. Moreover, there were no noble-exclusive carriages on the magical train. Despite numerous requests from the nobility, the royal family had no intention of creating such a thing.


    Taking the train was pure torment for Harriet, but without using warp gates, the magical train was the fastest means of transportation around the capital. And the use of short-distance warp gates was not permitted in the first ce. If they were opened for such trivial reasons, the already heavily-used warp gates would be overloaded.


    Moreover, once she¡¯d experienced it, the speed of the magical train had blown her mind. It was iparable to carriages. Despite her dislike for it, when she needed to move quickly from one ce to another, there was simply no alternative to the magical train, and choosing anything else would be foolish. Initially, she¡¯d wondered how she could ever ride such a thing, but eventually, she¡¯d had no choice but to sumb to its convenience.


    Despite being a haughty noble, Harriet eventually became ustomed to conversing withmoners and riding the crowded magical train.


    <i>¡®This is all because of Reinhart,¡¯ </i>she thought.


    She should never have even made eye contact with such a detestable person, who spoke to her carelessly, teased her, and even physically abused her. It was shocking and absurd, but having endured so much of it, she had eventually developed a strong resilience. She often found herself thinking that no matter what happened or what she had to endure, it would be better than dealing with that damned Reinhart. This had led the originally insolent nobledy to ept various things she would not have tolerated before.


    <i>¡®And now I¡¯m on my way to find him...¡¯</i>


    Harriet found herself at a loss, not knowing what she was doing anymore.


    ***


    <i>Groooo</i>...


    Due to the continuous heavy rain, the water level of the Irine River was dangerously high, and it was the same around the Bronze Gate Bridge. The park had been submerged for quite some time.


    The two had arrived at the ce Reinhart wasst seen, in search of him.


    ¡°There can¡¯t be anything left under the bridge in this situation,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen nodded. Whoever had been living under that bridge would have been washed away by now.


    Without knowing the specifics about Reinhart, the two of them had to deduce his subsequent actions based only on the circumstantial evidence they had.


    ¡°<i>What exactly happened?</i>¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he leave in a hurry after hearing that the Irine might overflow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart must havee here, worried about the people here.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    Reinhart was originally a part of the group of beggars that operated around Bronze Gate. Upon hearing the news that the Irine might flood due to the heavy rain, he would havee here to check if the people here were safe.


    ¡°Now that the river has burst its banks, though, the people who were here have all gone somewhere else. He might have gone off looking for them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen and Harriet could both agree on what might have happened up to this point.


    Reinhart would have gone somewhere else to search for the missing group of beggars.


    ¡°Then... maybe he¡¯s just dyed because he¡¯s helping them out or something like that. Maybe it¡¯s taking... longer than expected,¡± Harriet said, in a hopeful tone. Even as she spoke, she knew the likelihood was slim.


    Naturally, Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°He could have returned to the Temple briefly to exin the situation, but he didn¡¯t. Of course, it¡¯s still a possibility... It would be fortunate if that were the case.¡±


    Perhaps he hadn¡¯t been able to return to the Temple because he was caught up helping them make it through the storm.


    There was a low probability of that being the case, but they both held out hope nheless.


    ¡°Anyway, Reinhart must have gone to find out where the people here have gone,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°But what if we find those people and they don¡¯t know what happened to Reinhart? What if he met with some misfortune before finding them?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s concern drew a nod from Ellen.


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t know Reinhart¡¯s whereabouts, we still have to inform them that Reinhart is missing. Plus, those people might know more about Reinhart than we do.¡±


    Regardless of what those people knew, the conclusion was the same: they needed to find them.


    ¡°Right... So, where could those people have gone?¡±


    ¡°<i>Where could the people under the bridge have gone?</i>¡±


    They faced the same dilemma as Reinhart.


    Ellen pointed to the guards blocking the entrance to the park.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask them.¡±


    Ellen had chosen the same approach Reinhart had taken a few days earlier.


    ***


    After questioning the guards, Ellen and Harriet seeded in following the same trail as Reinhart.


    If there was a ce nearby to take shelter from the rain, it was Wenster Market.


    Wenster Market. Just as adventurers headed to the northern Aligar District, regr folk woulde to Wenster Market, which was thergest market that catered to regr folk. As they headed towards it, Harriet hesitated.


    ¡°... My brothers told me not to go to the Wenster Market,¡± she said. She seemed a little scared.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh... My brothers graduated from the Temple, and they got to know the capital well. They said they wouldn¡¯t go there themselves because it¡¯s dirty, but they specifically told me not to go to the Wenster Market.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of criminals there. Normally, if you¡¯re a student from the Temple, people usually don¡¯t mess with you, but over there, those crazy people don¡¯t care about that... They specifically told me never to go near the back alleys. There are criminal organizations too...¡±


    Harriet had prior knowledge of the information Reinhart had been unaware of. As she spoke, she suddenly seemed to realize something and mumbled absently, ¡°Ah... then could it be...?¡±


    ¡°... I think I have a rough idea of the situation.¡±


    Wenster Market was a den for criminals who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to strike, regardless of whether their target was from the Temple or not. Reinhart had entered this Wenster Market in search of the beggars.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to realize that thebination of vicious criminals and Reinhart, who was second to none in terms of his foul temper, would certainly cause a serious issue.


    ***


    As the two of them considered the truth of Wenster Market and Reinhart¡¯s personality, they began to get a rough idea of what could have transpired. Harriet pondered as they walked towards Wenster Market.


    ¡°So, Reinhart must have known that the beggars hade this way to take shelter from the rain, and while roaming these back alleys looking for them, he got into some trouble?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°And then, unable to control his temper, he confronted them, and the situation escted, resulting in him... getting into some serious trouble.¡±


    As they spoke, their expressions darkened.


    It would be somewhat of a relief if he had just been kidnapped. However, the situation could be far worse. He could have provoked some reckless criminals and ended up being stabbed, or something along those lines.


    Reinhart might already be dead. This line of reasoning was entirely usible, and it made their expressions turn even more serious.


    And that was not all.


    ¡°Are we... going to be okay?¡±


    Standing in front of the grand entrance to Wenster Market, Harriet began to doubt whether it was really safe to enter.


    Reinhart, despite his foul temper, was still someone who could enhance his physical self and possessedbat skills. He might be young, and not as well-trained as Ellen, but after training, he had be quite adept at fighting.


    If even Reinhart could be subdued, then what about their own safety?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just look around the market for now,¡± Ellen suggested. They could start by asking around, without rushing into anything.


    ***


    The two began their investigation as they entered the market. Harriet found the overwhelming smell of food and the fishy odor of seafood repulsive, and was unable to hide her foul expression. She slowly grew used to it, but this situation was truly a first for her.


    Ellen, as always, didn¡¯t seem too bothered.


    ¡°Ah, you mean that young blond kid?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Have you seen him?¡±


    Harriet grew hopeful when the shop owner seemed to know something. She had long discarded any noble pride. Addressingmoners in a respectful manner didn¡¯t bother her anymore.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen him, but the ruckus about finding that kid is unbelievable. It¡¯s not just the guards¡ªeven people from the Temple have been stirring things up here. Not to mention, they refuse to buy anything.¡±


    Both the guards and the Temple were already turning Wenster Market upside down. Charlotte and Vertus, who had both deduced that Reinhart¡¯s disappearance was connected to Wenster Market based on the circumstances, had preemptively ordered a search that was centered on this area.


    ¡°Temple students sure have it good. All thismotion over a missing kid. I wish I had enough money to send my child to the Temple too.¡±


    The shopkeeper unexpectedly began toment his situation. Regardless of the fact that it was a Temple student, it was still just one person, yet seeing so many people turning the market upside down just to ensure his safety was yet another reminder to everyone of the Temple¡¯s prestigious reputation.


    Of course, Reinhart was also a Royal ss student, and being a ssmate of a prince and princess set him apart from any other ordinary Temple student.


    As they went around the market, posing questions to different shopkeepers, they realized something. Many people hade searching for Reinhart, and the people they asked only mentioned thismotion. They did not give any eyewitness ounts describing Reinhart himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Both of them sensed something odd. Harriet led Ellen to a ce where the smell of fish was less potent and began to list the oddities.


    ¡°It seems like both the guards and the Temple are aware that Reinhart disappeared here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a difficult deduction to make, so those looking for Reinhart had already taken an interest in Wenster Market.


    ¡°But why haven¡¯t they found him, then?¡±


    If they had searched the market, they must have scoured the back alleys as well. Neither the guards nor the Temple would fear the criminal organizations lurking there. Reinhart¡¯s disappearance was assumed to have urred the previous Saturday, and the search had begun on Monday.


    Yet, by Friday, there were still no results.


    Why hadn¡¯t the guards and the Temple managed to find Reinhart? If he was dead, they should have at least found his body, but that wasn¡¯t the case either.


    At the moment, they could see guards stillbing through the entire market.


    ¡°If they¡¯ve spent this much time searching and still haven¡¯t found him, it seems unlikely that there¡¯s much to find in the back alleys...¡± Harriet muttered gloomily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Although it seemed unlikely that they would find any significant clues in the back alleys, they had no choice but to head in and look for themselves.

 Chapter 129

    <h4>Chapter 129</h4>


    Ellen and Harriet cautiously moved through the buildings, which wereid out with suchplexity that it resembled a maze.


    ¡°If the guards see us, they will tell us to leave because it¡¯s dangerous. We need to avoid them,¡± Ellen said.


    Unlike before, the alleys this time were not filled with criminals but with guards, due to a series of missing person cases.


    Harriet nodded at Ellen¡¯s words.


    ¡°I learned a new noise-canceling spell recently. Let¡¯s use that as we move.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It would have been nice if we had invisibility magic, but I¡¯m not there yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    Harriet had learned a few new spells since their mission to the deserted ind. While she had not been that interested in magic originally, she hade to realize that in practice, some spells were very useful.


    The underwater breathing spell and the spell to summon a heat orb were two such spells. They were low-level spells she had learned by chance, but the former had been incredibly helpful when Ellen and Reinhart were collecting food supplies, and thetter had also helped to maintain the body temperatures of her ssmates during a torrential downpour.


    In fact, the many powerful offensive spells she had learned because of her belief that they would be powerful had barely been used, except on one asion. The issue of casting time also made them less practical in real-life situations.


    After that group mission, Harriet hade to think differently about which forms of magic were truly useful.


    Lower-tier spells like the noise suppression magic could have been a great help while hunting when they had been stranded on the deserted ind. Therefore, Harriet had started learning useful spells that could be immediately practical, and noise-canceling was one of those spells.


    After a brief casting time, the spell was activated, and the noises that Harriet and Ellen made as they moved about, while notpletely eradicated, were drastically reduced.


    Ellen took the lead.


    The rain meant the smell wasn¡¯t too overwhelming, but it was clear that, in hotter weather, a terrible stench would permeate the entire area.


    Piles of unidentifiable garbage, remnants of food, and traces of urine were everywhere to be found.


    Harriet, unustomed to such sights, tried her best to avoid looking at them. The sight of rats scurrying about almost made her nauseous. It was a relief she didn¡¯t scream.


    Fortunately, the sound of rain and the noise-canceling spell meant the guards couldn¡¯t hear the two girls moving about.


    ¡°What are all these buildings for?¡± Harriet asked.


    Harriet seemed curious about the function of the buildings crammed behind the market, even if she could not understand the market itself.


    ¡°Houses, probably.¡±


    ¡°Houses? In a ce like this?¡±


    Harriet was a typical specimen of the high nobility and waspletely unaware of themoners¡¯ lives. She couldn¡¯tprehend how people could live in buildings that were so tightly packed together that the wholepound resembled an anthill.


    The alleys behind theplex, maze-like market were deserted, except for the asional guards passing through.


    Now and then, they came across homeless individuals crumpled up and sleeping in the alleyways.


    Harriet was so taken aback by the sight that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to approach them. Ellen stepped in to do so instead.


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Hey, be caref¡ª¡±


    ¡°Er, mmm... what? Who¡¯s there? Oh my, why are youngdies like youing all the way here?¡± The man replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a boy of this height with blond hair. His name is Rein¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ugh<i>, </i>I don¡¯t know! How many times do I have to say it?¡±


    The homeless man, who had been asked the same question numerous times and was reeking of sweat, offered no substantial answer.


    Ellen and Harriet encountered a few more individuals who appeared to be neither criminals nor miscreants, but homeless individuals or beggars. However, each of them replied in the same weary way to Ellen¡¯s question¡ªthey had never seen a little kid named Reinhart.


    After dodging the guards for a while, their investigation ended up being futile. They did not receive any new information.


    ¡°... It seems like everyone¡¯s already been asked about Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    There were beggars around, but none that knew anything about Reinhart, and it seemed that the guards had driven all the criminals into hiding.


    The question remained¡ªdid they need to barge into buildings and interrogate the upants to determine if they were criminals or if they knew anything about Reinhart? Then again, it was clear that the guards were probably already doing that.


    The two were hoping Reinhart would safely return, but they didn¡¯t exactly have to be the ones to find him. At least that¡¯s what they were both thinking.


    Harriet cautiously broached the subject.


    ¡°Since everyone¡¯s already looking about here... even if there were any clues, they¡¯ve likely already been found. It seems we don¡¯t necessarily have to wander around.¡±


    Ultimately, the only conclusion they coulde to was that searching around Wenster Market was futile.


    ***


    Harriet and Ellen left Wenster Market and returned to the main road. Wenster Market had already been demarcated as a ce for investigation. Their own efforts in searching around the area did not help.


    ¡°Maybe Reinhart never came here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±


    Since Reinhart still hadn¡¯t been found despite the guards¡¯ intensive search of the area implied that he might not have disappeared there.


    It was possible that Reinhart had never gone to Wenster Market. That the criminals had all run away might not necessarily mean they had taken Reinhart; they could have had their own reasons to fear getting caught.


    ¡°<i>Then... where should we look for Reinhart?</i>¡±


    ¡°Something else seems strange,¡± Harriet said, bringing up another doubt.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The guards, they... asked the homeless people lots of questions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The unwillingness to be questioned again was evident on the faces of the homeless.


    ¡°However, even though the criminals fled, the homeless are still here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The ones under the bridge said they thought they saw someoneing this way, but there wasn¡¯t anyone, right? So, nobody knows about Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°<i>The homeless under the bridge.</i>¡±


    ording to the guards, the homeless took shelter near Wenster Market when it rained. If they hade here to avoid the rain, they would have hung around since the guards hadn¡¯t been particrly intent on driving anyone away. Regardless of whoever was roaming around, the homeless would have remained in the back alleys.


    The homeless were present, but none of the homeless individuals they hade across hade from under the bridge, since none of them knew Reinhart.


    ¡°Those people never entered Wenster Market in the first ce.¡±


    Ellen nodded in agreement with Harriet¡¯s deduction. ¡°We should probably start looking for them first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The area around Wenster Market was already crowded with people. Even without the two of them there, any clues that were there to be found would eventually be discovered.


    The two of them decided to focus on a group that no one else was paying attention to¡ªthe beggars from the Bronze Gate Bridge¡ªsince everyone else was concentrated on the market itself.


    ***


    Their guess turned out to be correct.


    The Temple authorities and the city guards were focused only on the assumption that Reinhart had disappeared around Wenster Market. They were concentrating their efforts there, trying to find connections between the local criminal organizations and Reinhart¡¯s disappearance.


    They hadn¡¯t yet reached the stage of searching for the group of beggars that Reinhart had initially been looking for.


    This was a result of them following strictly to the orders they had been given. The Temple guards and the city guards were solely focused on the fact that Reinhart had gone to Wenster Market.


    Since they were already mounting such a spirited search, Ellen and Harriet deemed it unnecessary for them to be there as well; instead, they had to focus their own search somewhere entirely different.


    The beggars from under the bridge were known to the guards as a rather rowdy group. The guards had not enforced any sanctions against them, but neither did they favor them. Neither Harriet nor Ellen had seen the group with their own eyes, but as they imagined them throwing noisy parties and drinking under the bridge, they didn¡¯t think it would be a pleasant sight.


    Ellen and Harriet decided to return to the park entrance where they had first received information to look for the guard they had first spoken to.


    However, the guard posted there this time was different, likely due to a shift change.


    ¡°Ah, those homeless people? They usually head towards Wenster Market during this sort of¡ª¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not there.¡±


    Ellen cut him off before he could repeat the same information. While it was possible that Reinhart had gone in that direction, it was clear that the group of beggars wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hmm... Really? Then on a rainy day like this, where could they have gone... considering they have no home or shelter?¡±


    It seemed like the homeless always headed into Wenster Market when the rain was fierce enough to make staying under the bridge unfeasible.


    Another guardughed at hisment.


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe those guys have started making a decent amount of money and don¡¯t go to the market anymore. Maybe they¡¯ve rented a room in an inn somewhere.¡±


    The other guard shook head incredulously. ¡°Money? What money could those homeless guys have? And an inn? That¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    The one who had interjected chuckled. ¡°Those guys aren¡¯t using candy to beg anymore; they¡¯re selling stuff on the magical trains. Didn¡¯t you know? That¡¯s why there are hardly anyints about them in the park now. But I run into them every time I go to work, and it¡¯s gotten annoying.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the ones doing the peddling?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and apparently they¡¯re making a pretty good living too.¡±


    Ellen and Harriet exchanged nces as they overheard the conversation.


    <i>¡°Mic test, mic test. Dear citizens of the empire, I hope you are doing well.</i>


    <i>¡°If I may take a moment of your precious time today, I would like to introduce a fine item to you.¡±</i>


    They had already encountered the group they were supposed to be looking for.


    ***


    The fact that the beggars from under the bridge had shifted their operations to peddling items on magical trains was only of interest to those in the same industry, or in the underworld; it wasn¡¯t something the general public cared about. Therefore, among the guards, only a few were aware that these ex-beggars had evolved into subway peddlers.


    People didn¡¯t care who the homeless were, just that they were there; and peddlers were merely seen as a nuisance, with no one giving much thought to who they might be.


    Regardless, the magical trains meant that their operations could run regardless of rain or other conditions, unlike begging by the riverside. Thus, they were able to continue their trade on the trains even during the rainy season.


    Ellen and Harriet quickly boarded one of the lines of the magical train.


    ¡°I really hope these people know where Reinhart is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Both of them harbored the faint hope that Reinhart¡¯s absence from the Temple wasn¡¯t due to some trouble, but because he was preupied with something else. They moved from carriage to carriage on the magical train, searching for the peddlers.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to find one. After going through four carriages, they discovered a peddler, spinning a top on the floor and promoting it as a magical spinning top, among other things.


    The peddlers, following Reinhart¡¯s directive, had taken showers and dressed appropriately, which made it hard to associate them with the homeless bums from under the bridge.


    ¡°Ah,dies and gentlemen. Let me tell you a bit about this top right here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir,¡± Ellen said.


    Since Harriet was quite shy, Ellen stepped forward to speak. The peddler smiled as she approached.


    ¡°Ah, for a youngdy, just one silver coin.¡±


    He seemed to think that Ellen had approached him because she was interested in the scattered tops. Of course, Ellen wasn¡¯t interested in the tops at all.


    ¡°Do you know Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Reinhart?¡±


    The peddler cocked his head in confusion at the unexpected name.


    ***


    Fortunately, he knew Reinhart.


    ¡°He¡¯s disappeared?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, he quickly gathered the scattered tops and got off at the next station. Harriet and Ellen followed him out, and they found a quieter ce to converse.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you aware of this?¡±


    ¡°This is the first I¡¯m hearing of it... This is serious. I need to inform the boss about this.¡±


    What ¡°boss¡± was he talking about? In any case, the peddler seemed to think it was urgent to report this matter quickly.


    ¡°Thank you, kids,¡± He said. ¡°But you are...?¡±


    ¡°Reinhart¡¯s ssmates.¡±


    It seemed like he was trying to leave them behind, but Ellen and Harriet were determined to follow him.


    Unable to shake off the two students, the peddler had no choice but to take them along to the headquarters of the Rotary Club.


    Eventually, Ellen and Harriet realized why it had been inevitable that they hadn¡¯t found any trace of the beggars from Bronze Gate in the Wenster Market.


    The peddler was heading to the southernmost end of the imperial city.


    ¡°I heard you guys were staying near Bronze Gate,¡± Ellen said.


    At Ellen¡¯s words, the peddler, walking with an umbre, shook his head.


    ¡°That was our original n, yes, but we¡¯re trying to settle down properly now.¡±


    He let slip that they were in the process of moving on from living under the Bronze Gate Bridge, and were taking advantage of the rain to relocate their base. However, this area was near the boundary between the imperial capital and the outskirts. Ellen and Harriet silently followed the peddler to thest stop of the magical train line. They were in a sparsely popted outer area.


    They inevitably felt tense. They were in an overly secluded ce.


    <i>¡°What if this person had other intentions?¡±</i>


    Those were the thoughts that were unavoidably surging up.


    ¡°... I¡¯m scared,¡± Harriet said in a frightened whisper.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ellen reassured her.


    As she remembered Ellen¡¯s disy of valor during the group mission in the jungle, taking on orcs with just a simple spear, Harriet felt a bit more at ease. Even if the peddler had ill intentions, dealing with him would be easier than dealing with those orcs.


    Fortunately, their worries were unfounded. After walking for a while, severalrge tents set up in a quiet, open field came into view. The sound of people murmuring could be heard,ing from inside the field tents, and there was some construction going on at a site nearby.


    ¡°Are they... building something?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    Though work wasn¡¯t progressing much due to the rain, the foundations that had beenid and the partially-erected columns suggested that arge building was under construction.


    ¡°I only brought you along because you kept following me, but be careful with your words once we¡¯re inside,¡± the peddler said.


    ¡°Be careful with our words?¡±


    Seeing Ellen¡¯s puzzled look, the peddler scratched his head.


    ¡°Our boss has quite a... let¡¯s just say, she doesn¡¯t care whether you¡¯re students from the Temple or what. Assume that she won¡¯t show any favoritism toward you.¡±


    Ellen nodded, while Harriet sighed as if annoyed by the prospect of having to be mindful of the disposition of some queen of the beggars. Harriet, after all, was a noble of high standing who, under normal circumstances, would have no reason to mingle with such peasants.


    Therge tent was fully open on one side, allowing everyone to see the interior clearly. While one might naturally expect these beggars to look shabby, Ellen and Harriet found the reality to be very different.


    Although they looked somewhat unkempt, probably due to the heavy rain, whenpared to the destitute beggars they had encountered in Wenster Market, these individuals could almost pass for nobles just by their attire alone.


    ¡°... Hey, who are these kids?¡±


    The beggars stared wide-eyed as one of their peers returned with two young girls in tow.


    ¡°... These two are clearly well-bred, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Despite being in casual attire, Harriet exuded an undeniable air of nobility or wealth, and Ellen, with her exceptional appearance and demeanor, along with her neat clothing, seemed far above any beggar.


    Harriet appeared somewhat daunted, but Ellen remained calm. However, the sudden appearance of two pretty young girls had already caused some murmuring among the crowd as someone pushed their way through.


    A young woman with disheveled white hair walked up to them. While she wasn¡¯t clothed that much differently from the others, the aura emanating from her golden eyes instantly marked her as no ordinary person.


    It was the Hound of Irine.


    ¡°What¡¯s with these kids?¡± Loyar said, frowning at Ellen and Harriet.


    Ellen and Harriet introduced themselves to her as Reinhart¡¯s ssmates.


    ¡°... Is that so? But how did you find this ce?¡±


    Loyar¡¯s expression was wary, as if questioning not only why Reinhart¡¯s ssmates woulde here but also what reason they had for seeking this ce out. For all she knew, they might havee searching for secrets rted to Reinhart¡¯s hidden troubles.


    ¡°Reinhart has disappeared.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    At those words, not only Loyar, but the other Rotary Club members who heard the words, were shocked.


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild had originally intended to use Reinhart as bait to lure Loyar out.


    However, despite the amount of time that had passed since his disappearance, the Rotary Club was stillpletely unaware of Reinhart¡¯s situation.

 Chapter 130

    <h4>Chapter 130</h4>


    Ellen exined to Loyar what had happened the day of his disappearance from the Temple, and the developments since. She exined that Reinhart had been worried about them and had headed towards the Bronze Gate to check up on them. After that, he was presumed missing after heading to Wenster Market. She also mentioned that the guards dispatched by the Temple and the city itself were currently scouring that area, but had found no trace of him even up to Friday.


    ¡°Damn, of all the times for this to happen...¡±


    The dire situation made Loyar grind her teeth in frustration. Everyone from the Rotary Club had moved to this ce except those who were deployed on the trains, out of fear that the shanties under the bridge would all be washed away due to the downpour. Construction of their new headquarters was underway, but it wasn¡¯tpleted yet.


    However, having already been forced to move, they decided to relocate their base of operations before the construction waspleted. Because of all this, Reinhart had unfortunately encountered apletely unexpected situation upon his arrival at the Bronze Gate.


    Loyar was in no position to take things slowly, given the unprecedented situation of Reinhart¡¯s disappearance.


    ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll handle this. You guys should head back to the Temple.¡±


    If this pair hadn¡¯t shown up out of the blue, this crucial matter may have been overlooked entirely. While she was grateful, Loyar believed that their role in this hade to an end.


    However, the girl who had led the conversation shook her head.


    ¡°We want to be part of the search.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry? Um, I understand what you¡¯re thinking and how you feel... but you¡¯re still young. You might not be able to handle what might happen, so go back.¡±


    Loyar ced her hand lightly on Ellen¡¯s shoulder, attempting to escort her out of the tent.


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    But Ellen turned her body slightly and avoided Loyar¡¯s touch.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Did she avoid me just now?¡¯ </i>Loyar wondered.


    Loyar attempted once more to grab Ellen¡¯s shoulder, again with one hand.


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    Once again, Ellen took a step to avoid Loyar¡¯s touch.


    The murmuring of the crowd began to quiet down after the second failed attempt.


    <i>¡®What are these two doing?¡¯</i>, their eyes seemed to say.


    Loyar began to grow frustrated. Perhaps a rougher approach was necessary, given that this girl did not seem to understand her gentle words.


    This time, Loyar tried to catch Ellen quite swiftly. Her hand shed forward with much more


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    But once again, Ellen avoided Loyar¡¯s touch by merely stepping aside.


    Now, the atmosphere had truly grown tense. Loyar had tried to subdue the young girl with some measure of force, only for the girl to avoid her grasp by merely stepping aside.


    The strange confrontation that was unfolding before her eyes left Harriet pale with fright. She sensed that the situation was far from normal.


    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll let it slide because you¡¯re Reinhart¡¯s friend. Leave while I¡¯m still asking nicely.¡±


    ¡°We can be of help too.¡±


    Loyar sighed, and a hint of anger flickered within her golden eyes.


    <i>¡®So, you¡¯re a student at the Temple. Is that it?¡¯ </i>


    Ellen seemed confident in her own movements, which meant there was no issue with her being a bit rougher.


    This time, Loyar¡¯s hand shed out, not aiming for the girl¡¯s sleeve but intending to grab her nape and throw her.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    However, Ellen read the trajectory of Loyar¡¯s hand, moved her head down to the right to avoid it, and then took another step back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight,¡± Ellen said, calmly dodging the outstretched hand once more.


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    Unfortunately, this only infuriated Loyar, who had a fiery temper, even more.


    To Loyar, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight¡± meant, ¡°If I really fought back, you¡¯d get hurt.¡±


    That was the only message she took from it.


    The club members¡¯ mouths were agape, unable to believe what they were seeing.


    None of them had ever seen Loyar lose in closebat. They had watched her single-handedly demolish groups of well over twenty or thirty people on numerous asions. Some members had even experienced her blows firsthand. In fact, many chose to follow her as their boss after experiencing a solid blow from her.


    Yet here was a girl, easily dodging what seemed like an angry Loyar¡¯s quick hands.


    Was this what the Temple is about? Did all Temple students perform at this level?


    Their faces were filled with shock.


    ¡°Kid, listen. I¡¯m only doing this because I¡¯m worried about you guys. I think I also kind of get what¡¯s going on, and if I¡¯m right, Reinhart is still safe. So, if you head back obediently, I promise I¡¯ll make sure Reinhart returns safely to the Temple.¡±


    It was Loyar¡¯sst attempt at negotiation. If Ellen took it even one step further, Loyar would truly lose all restraint. Indeed, even this was a considerable concession for someone of her temperament.


    She had kept her cool out of admiration for these kids who hade this far to help their peer Reinhart, whom they were worried about.


    But Ellen shook her head again.


    ¡°I want to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    <i>Crack, crack.</i>


    A sparkle ignited in Loyar¡¯s golden eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this the hard way.¡±


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    Loyar lunged at Ellen, swinging his fist at her.


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened, staring at Loyar¡¯s fist. Everything that hade before seemed like mere y.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s too... fast!¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Ellen was hit, and Harriet screamed.


    Though she hadn¡¯t been able to dodge, she somehow managed to block the blow. Ellen crossed her forearms to block Loyar¡¯s punch and was sent flying backward, tumbling several times before barely managing to get up.


    ¡°Huff, huff... huff...¡±


    Ellen wondered if her arm was broken from that single punch. That was how severe it felt.


    Loyar, whose eyes were now devoid of reason, showed no signs of stopping. She charged towards Ellen again, who had been sent flying out of the tent.


    <i>¡®What is this strength?¡¯ </i>wondered Ellen.


    Loyar was so fast that Ellen thought that a white ghost was charging at her, and the sheer aura emanating from her onrushing opponent seemed to engulf her in an indescribable pressure from all directions, causing her entire body to stiffen.


    Ellen was unaware that this pressure was what lycanthropes applied to their opponents, but she was enveloped in a sense of crisis that went far beyond what she would feel when facing an ordinary person.


    <i>¡®I might die if I don¡¯t take this seriously.¡¯</i>


    Loyar seemed serious, and Ellen realized that focusing solely on dodging might actually lead to her death. She didn¡¯t know what Loyar was thinking, but the thought that she might die sent a shiver that raised all the hairs on her body.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    As Loyar swung a fist at her, Ellen didn¡¯t just dodge; she ducked and moved inside.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    She delivered a punch to Loyar¡¯s sr plexus.


    The sr plexus was supposed to be a vital spot...


    ¡°Did you...¡± However, far from being out of breath, Loyar seemed even more enraged. A demonic aura flowed from her eyes as she was punched in the sr plexus. ¡°Did you hold back just now?¡±


    Ellen was shocked.


    Ellen had decided to rein in her strength, thinking that a full-force blow might kill Loyar. However, all that had done was irritate her opponent. The force of that blow would have been enough to knock any normal person to the ground, but Loyar didn¡¯t even blink.


    This woman¡¯s vital spots weren¡¯t like those of normal people... Ellen couldn¡¯t help but freeze.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°Ugh... Huk!¡±


    Loyar¡¯s knee mmed into Ellen¡¯s abdomen, sending her flying far away and tumbling across the ground.


    ***


    In the rain, a fierce fight unfolded between the girl from the Temple and the Hound of Irine. Ellen was barely holding on. It was hardly an even match, but she was still managing to stand her ground.


    <i>Thump! Thwack! Thump!</i>


    Amidst the chaos, there was a ferocious exchange of blows. Yet, the oue seemed clear. Both technically and physically, Ellen was obviously at a disadvantage.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t... Shouldn¡¯t we stop this?!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true but...¡±


    ¡°The guys who try to interfere when she¡¯s like that always end up with broken arms and legs.¡±


    In this state, Loyar seemed entirely beyond reason, and intervening was impossible.


    Harriet was astonished for a different reason.


    Ellen, who had almost toyed with the orc she¡¯d faced inbat, was now being pushed back.


    The club members were amazed that a mere kid could go up against the Hound of Irine like this, and Harriet couldn¡¯t believe that a mere adult could so overwhelmingly outmatch the strongest of her ssmates, Ellen.


    ¡°Puff... Ugh...¡±


    In the rain, Loyar stared at the panting Ellen. Although enraged to her core, she hadn¡¯t stopped thinking.


    <i>¡®This one¡¯s tougher than a beast,¡¯ </i>Loyar thought.


    Ellen was inferior in strength, technique, and reaction time whenpared to Loyar. However, what had kept her going until now were her unbelievable reflexes. She¡¯d managed to dodge the blows aimed at her vital points just in time, and blocked as much as she could.


    Loyar seemed to be going all out, but that was not quite the case either.


    Loyar had intended to strike her opponent with just enough strength to knock her down. If that hadn¡¯t been the case, the initial blow would have broken Ellen¡¯s arms beyond their ability to function, rendering her unable to block at all.


    Although Loyar only intended to give her a light beating, that was proving difficult.


    <i>¡®The Temple is raising a monster.¡¯ </i>Loyar thought.


    Loyar realized that, despite Ellen¡¯s rtive youthfulness, she would not be easy to take down unless she fought with a genuine intent to kill.


    <i>¡®Is the Temple full of such monsters like this?¡¯</i>


    No, that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    The one in front of her was just a special case. After all, the other one who came along was trembling in fear, wasn¡¯t she?


    <i>¡®Should I kill her?¡¯</i>


    Loyar, keeping her distance from Ellen, entertained this thought.


    An unidentified monster raised by the Temple. To have such abilities already at her age... She would grow into an indescribable monster as the years passed.


    Killing a Temple student would mean Loyar would have to leave the imperial city, and that would harm the Rotary Club, since she would never be able to return to the imperial city again.


    However, at the same time, leaving this creature alive would undoubtedly pose a tremendous threat to the rebuilding of the Demon Realm.


    She had called herself Reinhart¡¯s friend, but ultimately, they had be friends out of ignorance. Inevitably, she would be an enemy to the demons.


    Such a monster had to be eliminated while it is still possible. If not, soon enough, no one would be able to handle her.


    <i>¡®Why did Reinhart be friends with such a monster? How did they even be friends?¡¯</i>


    Without Reinhart here, it was impossible to judge. Loyar only believed that Reinhart was nning something significant, and was working towards the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    <i>¡®Could this friendship with her also be part of Reinhart¡¯s borate n?¡¯</i>


    At this moment, though, she alone had to make the decision.


    This creature... She would undoubtedly represent a great cmity in the future.


    Despite her outwardly irritable demeanor, deep down, Loyar had no intention of ever betraying Reinhart.


    <i>¡®Would killing her ce Reinhart in a difficult position within the Temple? Or would keeping her alive be more troublesome?¡¯</i>


    Killing her might createplications for her master.


    But letting her live would be far more problematic.


    She seemed to be a fatal threat to the grand n for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    If she didn¡¯t kill her now, there might never be another chance.


    Perhaps it was better to kill her now and have Reinhart withdraw from the Temple, then devise a future n elsewhere.


    <i>¡®This one, she must not be allowed to live.¡¯</i>


    Loyar heightened every sense in her body. This was no mere brawl; she was truly enteringbat mode.


    She would not fight as the Hound of Irine anymore, but utilize the strength of the lycanthrope Loyar.


    <i>¡®Your Highness.¡¯</i>


    Ellen swallowed hard as she witnessed the intensifying aura of strength that enveloped her opponent.


    <i>¡®I am about tomit an unforgivable sin against you, Your Highness.¡¯</i>


    It was one thing to eliminate a source of trouble, but another entirely to kill a friend of her master.


    Loyar didn¡¯t charge with her fists clenched, but with her hands open. It was not necessary tond a punch, since if even one of her ten fingers caught Ellen¡¯s body, it would rip through it entirely.


    The change in Loyar¡¯s eyes and her sudden charge felt distinctly different. Ellen was startled.


    It was an intent to kill her.


    <i>¡®She is going to kill me,¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    Like an instinct, Ellen sensed it.


    With her eyes wide, Ellen swung her right hand towards the charging Loyar. Simultaneously, something began to be summoned within her grasp.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    <i>¡®This... is!¡¯</i> Loyar thought.


    Suddenly, a sword appeared in Ellen¡¯s right hand, which had been empty just a moment before.


    <i>ng</i>!


    Reflexively, Loyar blocked the sword by swinging her right hand.


    The sword prated halfway into her palm beforeing to a stop.


    Everyone stared in shock at the mysterious sword that suddenly appeared in the girl¡¯s hand, their faces filled with astonishment.

 Chapter 131

    <h4>Chapter 131</h4>


    Silence reigned in the rain-soaked clearing.


    The sword that had suddenly appeared did not slice through Loyar¡¯s hand, but remained half-buried in it. Equally astonishing was the fact that the sword had appeared in the hand of a girl where previously there had been nothing. And somehow, Loyar had blocked the swinging sword with her bare hand.


    The onlookers stood with their mouths agape as they took in the two unbelievable urrences that had happened at once.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Loyar, even with a sword lodged in her right hand, grabbed onto the de and kicked Ellen in the abdomen, snatching away the sword.


    <i>Ssss</i>...


    However, the sword that had been stolen from Ellen¡¯s grip simply vanished from Loyar¡¯s hand, as if it had never existed, and reappeared with its hilt in Ellen¡¯s right fist once again while shey on the ground.


    Loyar¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. This was not a sword created through some summoning magic.


    <i>¡®Soulbinding?¡¯ </i>Loyar thought.


    Such a thing could only happen when a sword was bound to the owner¡¯s soul. And there were only a few of them in the world.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Ellen tried to stagger to her feet, drenched in rain, but ring at Loyar with a determined look in her eyes. She, if no one else, knew that Loyar had truly intended to kill her, for reasons unknown to her.


    The others were unaware that Loyar had really intended to kill Ellen. However, Ellen knew that she was already gravely injured, and if her opponent charged at her once more like she¡¯d just done, she was certain she would die.


    <i>¡®Why is she trying to kill... me?¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    Ellen couldn¡¯t make sense of the situation.


    Loyar observed Ellen quietly. An unidentified girl carrying a soulbound sword... While she couldn¡¯t identify the sword itself, it clearly possessed extraordinary power.


    How had such a rare sword ended up in the hands of such a creature? Her heartmanded her to kill her, but the more she thought about it, the more conflicted Loyar became. Was Reinhart really unaware of the true identity of this person? Or did he know? If so, why hadn¡¯t he mentioned anything about such a monster? Could it be that her existence was a part of Reinhart¡¯s grand scheme for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm?


    Though Loyar didn¡¯t know specifically who this girl was, she was certain she was a significant figure, possibly even greater than she had initially believed. And this person was racing through the rain, seeking out Reinhart. While it seemed they were fated to be enemies, Loyar was inclined to believe that Reinhart hadn¡¯t befriended her mindlessly. Unlike Sarkegar or Eleris, Loyar wasn¡¯t one for intricate thinking.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a good thing I failed,¡¯ </i>Loyar thought.


    She should have refrained from intervening in affairs not assigned to her.


    The realization that she¡¯d nearly disrupted Reinhart¡¯s grand n made Loyar¡¯s head spin. Whoever this person was, she shouldn¡¯t have crossed her.


    ¡°I reckon you now understand the difference between us,¡± Loyar said fiercely, looking down at Ellen, who was curled up on the ground.


    Though she had lost the intent to hurt Ellen further, Loyar also had no thoughts of bringing her along in her search for Reinhart.


    She was dangerous, but not immediately useful.


    ¡°Go back. You¡¯re only getting in the way,¡± Loyar said.


    <i>¡°How could you possibly think that you could be of help to me if you¡¯re this weak?¡±</i> her eyes seemed to say.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen, with her head bowed, could only clench her teeth.


    ***


    ¡°Are you alright...?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    In the end, Loyar had subdued Ellen, then instructed her to stop worrying about Reinhart and go back to the Temple. She would ensure his safe return. Ellen walked nkly in the rain, having thrown her umbre aside, while Harriet followed her carefully, holding an umbre over her.


    Ellen walked with her head down, and Harriet couldn¡¯t see her face.


    However, Ellen, who was swimming in an overwhelming sense of defeat for the first time, wore a rigid expression.


    <i>¡®I even summoned Lament...¡¯</i>


    She had summoned Lament due to the sense of life-threatening danger, yet the divine sword had only managed to pierce her opponent¡¯s palm slightly.


    Loyar was no ordinary person. An ordinary person would not be able to block a strike from a divine sword with their bare hands. In fact, it should have been impossible for one to even block a strike from a regr sword.


    And yet, her opponent had blocked the divine sword. The silver-haired woman, who had genuinely attempted to kill her, had changed her mind upon seeing Ellen¡¯s sword and left her alone. Ellen did not understand why she had been targeted, nor did she know why her life had been spared in the end.


    ¡°Th-There are so many of them, and it seems like they know something, so... they should be able to find Reinhart,¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet exaggerated her gestures, trying to keep a positive outlook while Ellen remained silent. She was dying to know what the sword Ellen had summoned was all about, but at the moment, Ellen seemed to be in a terrible state.


    What on earth was going on?


    How could someone from a group of street beggars block a blow from a divine sword?


    Who was Reinhart, and who was this silver-haired woman, after all?


    Ellen had never thought of herself as the strongest in the world, but she had also never imagined she would be defeated so miserably by someone else.


    The thought that she could be of help had been pure arrogance. When confronted with the demand that she leave because she was a hindrance, Ellen could not muster any protest, not after such a crushing defeat.


    The realization that she would only be a nuisance if she followed the silver-haired woman was enough for Ellen to step back.


    The identity of the silver-haired woman remained a mystery.


    And Ellen¡¯s ignorance about Reinhart only grew.


    <i>¡®I... in the end, I know nothing.¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    Ellen had wanted to understand what she did not know, and in doing so, she had hurt Reinhart. She had wanted to make amends, to save him somehow.


    She wanted to do something, anything.


    But even that was beyond her capability.


    A sense of powerlessness...


    For the second time in her life, Ellen walked in a daze, engulfed in total helplessness.


    ***


    ¡°Do not speak of what you¡¯ve just seen to anyone. Pretend it never happened.¡±


    After Ellen and Harriet had left, Loyar strictly ordered everyone present to keep quiet about the recent fight.


    To her, Ellen was a strange girl carrying a soulbound sword.


    ¡°But that girl, her skills were no joke. Are all the people in the Temple like this?¡±


    Loyar frowned at the club member¡¯sment. ¡°Quiet. Don¡¯t even speak about this among yourselves. I don¡¯t know who that person is, but she¡¯s no ordinary figure. Carelessly spreading this story might provoke the Temple¡ªor even the empire¡ªto act against us.¡±


    More precisely, Loyar judged that Reinhart had to have his own reasons for not bringing this person up before.


    Loyar¡¯s word was absolute within the club, so everyone nodded in understanding.


    Dybun, the Rotary Club¡¯s second-inmand, stepped forward.


    ¡°Sister, how will we handle Reinhart¡¯s situation...?¡±


    The atmosphere had grown tense after news of Reinhart¡¯s kidnapping, even before the most recent fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. You guys get ready to get to work once the rain stops. Though it doesn¡¯t seem like it will stop anytime soon.¡±


    ording to her judgment, Reinhart was still safe for now, but there was no time to lose.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright on your own?¡± Dybun asked, concerned about Loyar going alone.


    Of course, Loyar scoffed at the question. ¡°I just sent away a kid who managed to cut my palm. Do you think I¡¯d take you guys with me?¡±


    While Ellen had perceived their confrontation as a dismal defeat for her, Loyar considered her an unfathomable monster.


    Naturally, the club members wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Ellen.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    Loyar, donning her robe, began to run through the rain.


    ***


    In the end, Ellen and Harriet did not manage to find Reinhart on their own, but they yed a crucial role in the search for him.


    Just informing Loyar, who had been unaware of Reinhart¡¯s abduction, was enough.


    ¡°His Highness has been kidnapped...?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Loyar, who typically would not make contact under normal circumstances, had headed straight to themercial district in the Aligar District to meet with Eleris.


    While Ellen and Harriet were stillcking in terms of their capabilities, Loyar honestly wouldn¡¯t have minded taking them along if Eleris hadn¡¯t been around.


    If she were to bring them along to rescue Reinhart, it would not be possible to include Eleris as well. Naturally, at this point in time, Eleris was much more capable than Ellen and Harriet. It was hard to find something a grand mage like her could not do.


    Upon hearing Reinhart had been kidnapped, Eleris¡¯s lips quivered slightly.


    ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°The club¡¯s financial operations have expanded, and there were some civilints, so we thought about establishing a formal base. Given this downpour, we knew the makeshift homes we had would all be washed away, so we decided that it would be a good time to evacuate and move to a new location.¡±


    Loyar crossed her arms, appearing uneasy. Her leg was shaking.


    ¡°But it seems His Highness was concerned about us and came looking for us,¡± she continued. ¡°He thought we would be in the Wenster Market area, so he wandered over there and... it seems he ran into trouble with some individuals. I think he was abducted. Damn it, the timing couldn¡¯t have been worse. Even if I wanted to inform him about our situation, we didn¡¯t have a way to contact the Temple from where we were.¡±


    ¡°Who would do such a thing?¡± Eleris asked, her expression a mix of confusion and anger. The abduction was only an assumption, but it was sensible to n for the worst.


    ¡°It seems like the work of the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Thieves¡¯ Guild do that...?¡±


    Eleris was unaware of the internal affairs within the organization since Loyar typically didn¡¯t share information unless necessary.


    ¡°It seems they want to take us down. That¡¯s part of why we avoid the Wenster Market area. It¡¯s their turf. They probably couldn¡¯t touch me directly, so they were biding their time. But when they realized His Highness, whom they believe to be our club¡¯s heir, had wandered into their area, they must have seized the opportunity to capture him. That gives them tremendous bargaining power.¡±


    Though her understanding of the situation was a bit murky, Loyar¡¯s deduction was closely aligned with the truth. Reinhart had wandered into the Wenster Market without realizing that it was a tiger¡¯s den.


    If the club and the Thieves¡¯ Guild had been on amicable terms, it wouldn¡¯t have been an issue. However, Reinhart hadn¡¯t realized that the rtionship had soured.


    Eleris stood up as if she had heard enough, a silent fury smoldering within her gaze. ¡°Where¡¯s the Thieves¡¯ Guild headquarters?¡±


    Her eyes, boiling with wrath, made it seem as if she was ready to smash everything there. Loyar patted Eleris¡¯s shoulder gently, attempting to calm her down.


    ¡°Calm down for a moment.¡±


    ¡°... We need to move quickly if His Highness is in danger.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°Off? What do you mean?¡±


    Loyar found several aspects of the situation suspicious.


    ¡°The Temple¡¯s security forces and the city guards are currently turning Wenster Market inside out. That means they know that His Highness wasst seen there before his disappearance. Naturally, the Thieves¡¯ Guild would be a prime suspect.¡±


    While Loyar knew Wenster Market was under the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s influence, the city guards and the Temple¡¯s security forces coulde to the same conclusion if they investigated just a little. Unbeknownst to Loyar, both the prince¡¯s and princess¡¯s factions were also attempting to find Reinhart.


    ¡°They¡¯re not fools. They know the Thieves¡¯ Guild is a major suspect. But why can¡¯t they find him?¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting the Thieves¡¯ Guild might not be the culprit?¡±


    ¡°Um... It¡¯s possible. Or maybe those conducting the search of the area are so focused on the market itself that they did not consider any other ces.¡±


    If it was immediately clear that the Thieves¡¯ Guild was the prime suspect, why hadn¡¯t Reinhart been found yet? Could it mean the Thieves¡¯ Guild wasn¡¯t the perpetrator after all?


    Loyar found this aspect of it suspicious.


    ¡°Well, none of that matters. We¡¯ll find them and make them spit out the truth ourselves,¡± Eleris said coldly.


    Eleris spread out a map of the empire on the table, her eyes filled with deadly intent.


    ¡°Mark out the Thieves¡¯ Guild headquarters,¡± Eleris said.


    She seemed ready to teleport there at that very moment and demolish everything in sight.


    Thanks to the information Ellen and Harriet had provided to Loyar, the process of finding Reinhart was advancing swiftly.

 Chapter 132

    <h4>Chapter 132</h4>


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild was, of course, hidden.


    Unlike the Merchants¡¯ Guild, which was an official group, it was a guild of criminals. Consequently, its main presence was hidden in the back alleys of Wenster Market, with countless bases intricately concealed within buildings and underground, like a maze.


    ¡°Wenster Market is crawling with guards, so they¡¯ve probably already searched it all. There¡¯s no need for us to go there,¡± Loyar said.


    There was no need to search the area that had already been thoroughly examined. They had to look elsewhere.


    ¡°Those guys don¡¯t like to set up a permanent headquarters. No matter howrge their group is, they don¡¯t leave much information behind because the guards could swoop in at any time and capture everyone.¡±


    Loyar marked severalpletely random points on the map, none of them in the Wenster district.


    ¡°These guys change their headquarters periodically. That¡¯s whyw enforcement can¡¯t get a handle on where the Thieves¡¯ Guild actually exists,¡± Loyar continued.


    Having a fixed headquarters meant a high risk of exposure for the Thieves¡¯ Guild. That was why, even though the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s main sphere of influence was in Wenster Market, they had not established a headquarters there, but set up several bases dispersed around the area that could be abandoned at any time. The headquarters was somewhere else, and its location was changed periodically.


    ¡°Do you know where they could be?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Loyar pointed out numerous spots on the map with her finger. ¡°Here, here, here, here...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many!¡±


    Loyar indicated over twenty ces, spread all across the imperial city. Changing the headquarters periodically like this meant a lot of time being wasted just moving around.


    Loyar seemed to expect Eleris¡¯s answer.


    ¡°What do you think these locations are?¡± Loyar asked.


    ¡°... Well... I don¡¯t know,¡± Eleris responded.


    ¡°Do you know what a retention basin is?¡±


    ¡°A retention basin? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well... it¡¯s like a facility that collects rainwater.¡±


    In the event of heavy rain, retention basins were used to hold rainwater temporarily, to prevent rivers from overflowing. Once the river level stabilized, the water would be released. This helped to reduce the chance of flooding.


    ¡°These are sorge in scale that there¡¯s no better ce to use as a hideout. And since they aren¡¯t facilities that are open to public use, bribing a couple of government officials in charge is all it takes to easily assume control. Those guys are using theserge underground retention basins as their headquarters, and periodically switch between them.¡±


    Since it was an underground facility prepared in case of flooding, it was enormouslyrge, and upying it wouldn¡¯t draw public attention as citizens usually did not care about them¡ªbribing the officials in charge made it possible to use it in secret.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it... So, they¡¯re using these retention basins as their headquarters, moving from one to another?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Loyar knew this because she was in collusion with the Thieves¡¯ Guild, so she was aware that they moved their headquarters about in this manner.


    Eleris, however, tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°Wait. But it¡¯s been quite a while since itst rained.¡±


    If these facilities were meant for collecting rainwater, and given that it had been raining significantly for quite a while, these retention basins had to be pretty full. In that case, the Thieves¡¯ Guild would essentially be left without a headquarters.


    Loyar shook her head.


    ¡°Hey,e on, think. If they block off the water gates, no rainwater would enter, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah... right.¡±


    Indeed, even if it rained, if all the openings through which the rainwater could flow were blocked, no water would collect in the retention basin. In reality, when it rained, this method would prevent their headquarters from being flooded.


    ¡°But if they block the water gates of all the retention basins, that would make them dysfunctional, and it would surely draw attention. So, what they do is they only block the water gates of the location that is currently being used as their headquarters. When they leave, they open them again. That way, it doesn¡¯t attract attention,¡± exined Loyar.


    Since a long tail was likely to be stepped on, the Thieves¡¯ Guild only blocked the water gates of the basin that was being used as the headquarters at that time, and prevented any interference by bribing the necessary officials.


    ¡°But it¡¯s raining right now, right?¡± said Eleris.


    ¡°... Yeah. Which means that they can¡¯t change the location of their headquarters right now.¡±


    The w in this method was that they could not relocate their headquarters while it was raining, since they couldn¡¯t set up their headquarters in a retention basin that was already full.


    ¡°We just need to find the retention basin whose water gates are currentlypletely shut so no rainwater can enter,¡± continued Loyar. ¡°That¡¯s where the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters will be right now.¡±


    Hearing that, Eleris¡¯s expression turned peculiar.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you quite the dumb one before?¡± she said.


    ¡°Ugh. I guess I¡¯ve inadvertently gotten smarter after constantly having to do this kind of work!¡± Loyar yelled, demanding proper recognition if she was to be praised.


    ***


    The rain continued to pour.


    ¡°Ellen, let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Ellen remained seated on a bench in front of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss dormitory, staring nkly into space.


    Harriet carefully took hold of Ellen¡¯s arm, who was sitting motionless on the bench, but she did not stir.


    ¡°That person was incredibly strong. There was nothing you could do. Y-You also fought really well.¡±


    To Harriet, it seemed that Ellen had not yet recovered from the shock of defeat. However, Harriet believed Ellen had fought admirably, and had demonstrated unbelievable abilities.


    She did not see any reason for Ellen to be so downcast. Although she was curious about the suddenly summoned sword and such, she couldn¡¯t muster the courage to ask about it. The summoned sword had vanished like a mirage as soon as the fight had ended.


    ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    At Harriet¡¯s words, Ellen raised her head and stared nkly at her. ¡°It¡¯s not... it¡¯s not that.¡±


    Drops of water trickling down from Ellen¡¯s hair and down face.


    The droplets flowing down her face made it seem to Harriet as if Ellen was crying.


    ¡°Just for a bit, I want to stay like this. Just for a moment... I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Ellen had no intention of moving because of whatever hardship was weighing her down. The sun had already set, and it was almostpletely dark.


    Why did she want to be drenched in the rain like this in the middle of the night? What was she thinking?


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Harriet failed tofort Ellen.


    Harriet wondered if Reinhart couldfort Ellen if he were here, since she didn¡¯t know Ellen well.


    However, the thought crossed her mind that if Reinhart were tofort Ellen while she was in this state, it might make Ellen feel even more miserable. Although Ellen said that she only wanted a few moments on her own, she remained seated, staring nkly into space, for a long, long while.


    ***


    Leaving Ellen outside, Harriet returned to the dormitory. Since it was Friday night, and the weekend was just around the corner, everyone seemed to be enjoying their free time. Despite having an umbre, Harriet had still had to battle through the downpour, and thus, she returned looking like a drowned rat.


    ¡°Harriet! Where have you been? Why are you just returning now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um... I was just around.¡±


    ¡°You must be cold. Hurry in and take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks...¡±


    Harriet offered the concerned Adelia a feeble smile. It was true; she was cold and desperately wanted to take a warm shower. Just as she was about to enter her room, someone from across the hallway raised a hand in greeting.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Oh... Hey Vertus.¡±


    Vertus approached Harriet, who was thoroughly soaked, with his usual kind smile.


    ¡°Did you go looking for Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°N-No way! Me? Wh-Why would I?¡±


    Vertus chuckled, amused at Harriet¡¯s tant excuse.


    He was always kind, and when she had just enrolled, she had also liked him. Of course, given his status, there was also a deep-rooted fear of him within her.


    At some point, though, Harriet had started to feel ufortable around Vertus.


    It wasn¡¯t just the difference in their social standings, but an uneasiness that came from not being able to understand what he was thinking.


    <i>¡°What difference is there between someone who is always smiling and someone who is always expressionless?¡±</i>


    Lately, such thoughts hade to Harriet¡¯s mind whenever she saw Vertus.


    Setting his status aside, he was somewhat creepy and scary.


    ¡°So, any luck?¡±


    Though she¡¯d said she hadn¡¯t been out looking for Reinhart, Vertus didn¡¯t bother to call her out on her flimsy excuse.


    ¡°... Not really,¡± Harriet replied in a subdued voice.


    Vertus nodded his head anyway, still wearing that same smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Reinhart wille back.¡±


    That did not sound at all consoling.


    It sounded more like he was stating a confirmed fact. Thement felt almost prophetic, and it caused Harriet to lift her head abruptly.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    As always, Vertus did not provide any details.


    ***


    The search operation that Loyar and Eleris embarked on was terribly exhausting. They needed to visit a significant number ofrge retention basins to check if they were overflowing.


    However, there was a problem.


    ¡°Damn, there¡¯s been so much rain that I can¡¯t tell if these retention basins are overflowing because they¡¯re full or because their water gates are blocked.¡±


    Eleris nodded at Loyar¡¯s frustratedment. The continuous downpour made it impossible to distinguish whether a retention basin was overflowing because it had reached its capacity limit, or because the Thieves¡¯ Guild had blocked off the water gates.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try using life-detection magic.¡±


    Fortunately, Eleris had a solution. High-level detection spells like life-detection could not be used by just anyone, but Eleris was a jack-of-all-trades when it came to magic.


    ¡°Wow, mages sure have it easy.¡±


    Eleris chuckled at Loyar¡¯sment.


    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t do this much even after spending hundreds of years poring over books, that would be ridiculous.¡±


    Loyar stared at Eleris intently. ¡°How old are you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d answer you if you ask so rudely, you little runt?¡±


    ¡°Are we really going to be tracing genealogies at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t ask ady about her age in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Lady? More like an old hag.¡±


    ¡°What did you just call me, you creature?¡±


    ¡°What? Creature? D-Did you just call me a creature?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m an old hag, then you¡¯re definitely a creature. Just wait until we find His Highness; I¡¯ll make sure you get what you deserve. It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t share information that we¡¯ve ended up in this situation. His Highness showed up not too long ago, and I had to say everything was fine because I didn¡¯t know any better.¡±


    ¡°... Damn it, how was I supposed to know it woulde to this?¡±


    ¡°Quiet. I¡¯m almost done with the casting.¡±


    Despite their bickering, Eleris, true to her expertise,pleted the casting.


    The life-detection magic was activated.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the ce.¡±


    With that quick judgment, Eleris started heading toward the next destination.


    ¡°By the way, how did you hurt your hand?¡± Eleris asked Loyar as they moved.


    Loyar¡¯s right hand was wrapped in a bandage that was stained a deep red.


    ¡°You remember how I mentioned that two friends of His Highness informed me about this incident?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I tried to scare them off since they kept following me, and while one of them was shaking like she wasn¡¯t meant forbat, the other one was incredibly stubborn. So, I had to... deal with them.¡±


    Eleris was slightly taken aback by Loyar¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°Wait... you¡¯re saying you got injured fighting a kid?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a normal kid!¡±


    ¡°Have you be an actual wild dog now, after taking on the ¡®Hound of Irine¡¯ moniker? Getting injured while fighting a teenage kid?¡±


    Eleris seemed to be teetering between genuine concern and mockery as she questioned if Loyar had somehow regressed.


    ¡°Forget it, damn it. The Temple is raising monsters. I managed to subdue them this time, but give it a few years, and I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance even if you filled a whole train with the likes of me and pitted us against that kid.¡±


    When she heard this, Eleris¡¯s expression turned serious. She initially thought that the injury was the result of a minor scuffle, but Loyar was now saying that, in a few years, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the child, even with considerable backup.


    Loyar was not known for her humility. She wouldn¡¯t make such a im lightly.


    ¡°So, it <i>wasn¡¯t</i> an ident?¡±


    ¡°I did go easy on her, but... damn. She used some strange sword.¡±


    ¡°Wait, she drew a sword against you?¡±


    Eleris seemed shocked, as if wondering what on earth the kid was thinking. As they walked through the rain, Loyar¡¯s expression turned sour.


    ¡°No, no... it didn¡¯t happen right from the start.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°It was my mistake... Well, not a mistake, really. At that moment, it felt... dangerous... if I didn¡¯t take her out somehow. So I went in seriously. And then, out of nowhere, a sword just appeared in the kid¡¯s hand!¡±


    Eleris was shocked twice over: once at Loyar almost killing a friend of His Highness, and again at the thought of a sword suddenly appearing in the kid¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It was a soulbound sword. I don¡¯t know who she is, but she¡¯s no ordinary person, and that was no ordinary sword. I ended up like this while trying to block it. Damn it. It doesn¡¯t seem like it will heal well either.¡±


    As she spoke, Loyar waved her bandaged, red-stained right hand.


    ¡°You... How could you think of killing such amendable child? Are you insane? Are you in your right mind?¡±


    Genuine anger glowed in Eleris¡¯s eyes, and it was clear what she was thinking:<i>¡°How dare you try and kill thatmendable child who was so worried about His Highness that she sought you out?¡±</i>


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for this! We need to find His Highness now!¡±


    ¡°You... We¡¯re not done with this.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s footsteps were filled with fury. It appeared as if she was ready to make Loyar face her demise once this situation had been sorted out.


    <i>¡®A soulbound sword, though?¡¯</i> Eleris thought.


    Loyar had said that they were raising monsters at the Temple, and the reality that Loyar had been injured while fighting a child made the statement all the more tangible to Eleris.


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t ever tell Sarkegar about this. He¡¯ll go berserk and insist that the kid must be killed,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°Damn it. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just eliminate her on the spot? I still regret not doing so.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! As soon as you bring that up in front of Sarkegar, you¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll die, and Sarkegar will die too.¡±


    Of course, that aside, Eleris considered a friend of their lord as absolutely precious.


    ***


    It was early Saturday morning, just before first light.


    ¡°Here it is. This is this ce.¡±


    Eleris and Loyar had finally pinpointed their location after arriving at the thirteenth retention basin, to the north of the Irine River.


    Eleris sensed numerous life-forces underground. Of course, sensing the life force alone wasn¡¯t enough to identify how many individuals there were, or their specific identities.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± Loyar said.


    Loyar, as the Hound of Irine, was entering to retrieve Reinhart. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to rely on the help of Eleris, a demon spy mage.


    ¡°Can you handle it alone?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few skilled members in the Thieves¡¯ Guild. But if things get too tough, I¡¯ll transform and kill them all.¡±


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild was a massive criminal organization,pletely different from the run-of-the-mill gangs that were filled with random weaklings. It was inevitable that they harbored dangerously skilled individuals.


    However, if their lord¡¯s life was judged to be in danger, there was no point in concealing identities or hesitating. The priority was to tear through whatever enemies were there, retrieve their lord, and consider the consequencester.


    ¡°You seem to have loyalty one moment and none the next,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Eleris would cast invisibility magic on herself and observe the situation, ready to assist with the annihtion if Loyar found herself in danger.


    Loyar began searching for an entrance to the underground section of the retention basin. She was not looking for the path that the rainwater would take, but an entrance meant for people. There had to be one, and her goal was to find it.


    Loyar started tob through the surroundings thoroughly.


    ***


    ¡°Sir. What I mean is, could you exin a bit more clearly¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why on earth would you address me as ¡®sir¡¯? I¡¯m much younger than you.¡±


    ¡°Then, how should we address you...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the title. Just keep talking. Go on flirting with disaster, and you¡¯ll see what happens.¡±


    ¡°No, we understand what you¡¯re saying... but to suddenly demand the entire organization be ced in your possession...¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about swallowing the organization whole? And wouldn¡¯t having someone like me as a connection be beneficial for you? Did I ever ask for money?¡±


    ¡°Well... If it were money, we could somehow arrange an amount...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why would I covet the money that you¡¯ve earned, albeit not in the most righteous way, with your own hard work? Really, some folks just can¡¯t understand anything... I¡¯m not saying that I would smash everything or kill everyone; I¡¯m offering a peaceful way out.¡±


    ¡°But still...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®still¡¯? Do you really want to see how far this can go? Shall we go at it?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not what I meant...¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <i>Bang!</i>


    A sudden noise erupted from one side of the retention basin, which was as vast as a cavern, interrupting the unidentified squabble.


    ¡ªWho¡¯s there?


    ¡ªWhere¡¯s Reinhart, you bastards?! I¡¯ll kill you all!


    <i>Bang! Crash! Bang!</i>


    The noise started spreading around the edges, and not the centrally lit orange-lit area. The expressions of the people sitting at the round table became peculiar.


    ¡°... What¡¯s that?¡±


    Among them, a boy seated at the most prestigious spot tilted his head in curiosity.


    After a moment of harsh bickering, the unexpected attacker revealed themselves, their expression filled with rage.


    ¡°... Reinhart?¡±


    The people sitting around the round table chuckled, and Reinhart chuckled as well.


    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re a bitte, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    At that moment, as Loyar saw it, Reinhart hardly looked like someone who had been kidnapped.

 Chapter 133

    <h4>Chapter 133</h4>


    To summarize, things had yed out this way:


    Reinhart was taken to the headquarters of the Thieves¡¯ Guild on the day he was kidnapped. There, he came face to face with all the core members of the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    Reinhart didn¡¯t say a word, nor did he make a move.


    He just stayed there quietly.


    <i>¡ªThis crazy bastard!</i>


    <i>Thump! Thump! Thump!</i>


    <i>¡ªAre you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what it means to kidnap a Temple student?</i>


    <i>¡ªBut, m-master!</i>


    <i>¡ªThis stupid fool! Do you want all of you to lose your heads just to catch a mouse?</i>


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The one who had boastfully imed that they had found a way to catch the Hound of Irine by bringing Reinhart in was beaten into a pulp on the spot.


    The master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild was a man of reason.


    The one who had kidnapped Reinhart seemed to be at the level of a branch manager, but he was merely a small fry. He was so foolish that he hadn¡¯t thought about the tempest that the kidnapping of a Temple student would bring.


    However, the guild master realized immediately that this was a major disaster. The subordinate had been far too shortsighted. Their n was to use Reinhart¡ªthis guy who was presumed to be the heir of the Rotary Club¡ªas bait, and with that, eliminate the nuisance that¡¯s been annoying them all along, the Hound of Irine.


    However, that was just like setting your house on fire to get rid of a wasp nest.


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild headquarters was plunged into chaos, all because of one lunatic¡¯s crazy actions.


    <i>¡ªUgh... What should we do now...</i>


    <i>¡ªLet¡¯s get rid of him!</i>


    <i>¡ªAre you serious? Considering where he was kidnapped and the usual atmosphere around it, we will definitely face some scrutiny.</i>


    <i>¡ªBut that¡¯s the only thing we can do now, isn¡¯t it¡ª</i>


    <i>¡ªYou dumbass! What if they drag us in one by one and torture us?! So many of us witnessed this. Surely one of us would give in and spill the information! </i>


    If Reinhart had been kidnapped in some random ce, the story would have been different.


    But the kidnapping had taken ce in Wenster Market, a ce notorious for being under the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s influence. Given the location, anyone who knew that Reinhart had gone to the market could deduce from the current inter-organizational power dynamics that the Thieves¡¯ Guild was the culprit.


    Silencing witnesses was the best option, but no matter what, the Thieves¡¯ Guild woulde under suspicion.


    It might be possible to frame an innocent organization, but too many had witnessed the abduction, and the Thieves¡¯ Guild was toorge an organization to avoid being targeted. Many members at the headquarters had already witnessed the kidnapping of the youngster named Reinhart, so framing someone else was no longer an option.


    Since they were a criminal organization, if the investigators employed torture and harsh interrogation methods, the truth would eventually be uncovered someday. This major disaster, brought about by the actions of a low-level member, left the guild master feeling utterly drained.


    In the end, the guild master did what he could.


    They released Reinhart, first. They didn¡¯t set him free, but they at least untied him.


    This was done to avoid any usations that he had been treated harshly, should things go southter on.


    <i>¡ªHey, listen, friend. Sorry about all this. It was a mistake made by our members... You understand, right? You saw earlier how I... How I scolded them, right?</i>


    <i>¡ªWell, these things happen. I understand.</i>


    The guild master¡¯s lips were quivering, but Reinhart appeared calm, as if he had expected this to happen.


    <i>¡ªFirst, return my belongings to me.</i>


    <i>¡ªHuh? Oh, right! Hey! Where are his things?</i>


    The guild master was exceedingly friendly towards Reinhart. He wished he could just get rid of him, but he knew that doing so would only make matters worse. So, from that moment on, he was determined not toy so much as a finger on Reinhart.


    Having received all his belongings back, including the me of Fire, Reinhart began to slowly loosen up his body, which had grown stiff from being tied up.


    Reinhart handed his student ID to the guild master.


    <i>¡ªDispose of this somewhere. Cast a dispelling spell on it or something.</i>


    <i>¡ªWait... You want to dispose of </i>this<i>?</i>


    <i>¡ªIt¡¯s enchanted with a tracking spell. If I keep it with me, they¡¯ll realize I¡¯m missing and will figure out this location in no time.</i>


    <i>¡ªWh-What did you say...?</i>


    <i>¡ªIt¡¯s still Friday, so they won¡¯t start searching until the weekend¡¯s over.</i> <i>By Monday, the people from the Temple will realize I¡¯m missing, and will start looking for me.</i>


    Reinhart¡¯s absence would merely be attributed to him being away for the weekend, so the real problems would begin only on Monday.


    <i>¡ªH-Huh? Oh, o-okay.</i>


    The guild master nodded numbly, acknowledging Reinhart¡¯s words. It was a bizarre situation, in which the victim of the kidnapping was actually helping his kidnappers.


    The guild master wondered why Reinhart would do such a thing when, if he remained quiet, the guards would eventually storm in, and he could be safely rescued. He couldn¡¯t fathom this strange kid Reinhart¡¯s intentions.


    <i>¡ªUm, Reinhart? Why would you even tell me this...?</i>


    <i>¡ªWe¡¯re all trying to live our lives here. Why should everyone here have to die just because of me?</i>


    While the words sounded noble, the smile Reinhart shed was disturbingly sinister. It made the guild master¡¯s skin crawl.


    ***


    The guild master couldn¡¯t just set me free. The moment he did, I could go to the guards and report that I¡¯d been kidnapped by the Thieves¡¯ Guild, and that would be the end of it.


    Conversely, killing me would inevitably lead to the arrest and interrogation of the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s members, since the organization was a prime suspect, and the truth of the matter would eventuallye to light.


    Therefore, because of this lower-ranking member¡¯s recklessness, the entire organization was at risk, and they were stuck without a clear course of action.


    Since they were unable to let me go or silence me, I received rather favorable treatment at the headquarters of the Thieves¡¯ Guild thereafter. I couldn¡¯t leave, but they did not threaten me or torture me either, since no one was certain how the situation might unfold.


    Even as the search began, the guild couldn¡¯t decide on a response.


    One of the members offered a report to the guild master.


    <i>¡ªSir, the search has begun in Wenster Market. They¡¯re all over the ce now. </i>


    <i>¡ªDamn it... Damn it...!</i>


    I didn¡¯t say a word. In times like these, timing was all-important.


    Finally, Wednesday rolled around, while I was still being held captive.


    <i>¡ªReinhart...?</i>


    <i>¡ªYes, what is it?</i>


    <i>¡ªWho... Who exactly are you...?</i>


    The guild master stood before me, his facepletely pale.


    <i>¡ªWhy... Why are the prince and princess looking for you?</i>


    <i>¡ªAh...</i>


    I smiled.


    <i>¡ªBecause they¡¯re my friends.</i>


    The guild master looked as though he wished he could kill himself right there.


    ***


    Wednesday evening was the perfect timing I had hoped for.


    <i>¡ªHmm.</i>


    A group of people entered the Thieves¡¯ Guild headquarters. The guild members were tense, barely able to open their mouths.


    The guild master was no different. Everyone in the hall was frozen stiff, and the group that came in were the only ones at ease.


    Each of them had a sword strapped to their waists. Their clothes were ordinary, but from their aura alone, I could tell these people were knights, or individuals with simr capabilities.


    Although they were not wearing uniforms or armor, they were knights of the Duke of Salerion.


    They had practically found me as soon as their search began, since they had very quickly figured out that the Thieves¡¯ Guild was responsible, and even determined where their headquarters was located.


    The speed at which they were able to track the ce down was almost frightening.


    <i>¡ªSo, you¡¯re saying you refuse to go back? </i>Asked one of the guards


    <i>¡ªYes, </i>I replied.


    <i>¡ªWeren¡¯t you kidnapped by them?</i>


    <i>¡ªI was kidnapped, but...</i>


    <i>¡ªThese guys are literally vermin, a stain on society. Why is there any need to leave them alive?</i>


    They seemed to be itching to kill everyone there, even suggesting that, since these people lived outside thew, it would be fitting to deal with them outside thew as well. The attitude was that these scoundrels deserved no better.


    The knights of the Duke of Salerion standing before me were more ruthless than the Thieves¡¯ Guild members. Even as they spoke of death, their expressions remained utterly indifferent.


    I had survived the pursuit of such individuals when I¡¯d made my escape from the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    <i>¡ªEven pests have their uses... don¡¯t they? His Highness the Prince will understand what I mean by this analogy.</i>


    <i>¡ªHmm. I see.</i>


    <i>¡ªCould you continue to list me as missing for now?</i>


    Themanding knight stared at me intensely for a moment.


    <i>¡ªYou definitely have some ulterior motive in mind. Alright, understood.</i>


    He turned away.


    <i>¡ªLet¡¯s head back.</i>


    This meant that Vertus would know that I was safe, and that I was in the Thieves'' Guild headquarters.


    After a brief dy, a group presumably from Charlotte¡¯s faction also arrived. Just as I had done with Vertus¡¯s men, I spoke to them and sent them back.


    Even though the guards and the Temple¡¯s security forces could not locate this ce, Charlotte and Vertus had been able to locate it immediately.


    That meant that the forces under their control had ess to far more information than any other official authorities, and that they were both formidable entities.


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild believed that they had been moving stealthily all this time, but they now realized that they were merely dancing on someone else¡¯s palm. Their paleplexions told the entire story.


    If Vertus and Charlotte got my message, then from that day on, the guards and the Temple¡¯s security forces would only pretend to search for me, since they would be able to guess what I was nning.


    From then on, the official powers would only make a show of looking for me.


    With this, the stage I wanted was set.


    ***


    After that Wednesday, I could have walked out of that ce with my head held high, and no one could have stopped me, but I chose not to.


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild had already been exposed by the forces of Vertus and Charlotte. And since I had matters to attend to, I asked them to step aside for the moment, and made the request to remain officially missing.


    The fate of the Thieves¡¯ Guild as an organization waspletely in my hands. They had already stepped on my tail, so silencing me was no longer an option.


    After all that had transpired, I became the ultimate authority over their life or death.


    I had somewhat expected Loyar toe looking for me, although she arrived muchter than I had anticipated. I nned to exin the situation to Loyar and ask her to stand down for the time being, but she found me just as things were already nearing resolution.


    ¡°... Hah,¡± Loyar scoffed incredulously.


    She looked dazed as she listened to my exnation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared at all?¡± She asked.


    It seemed Loyar was slightly annoyed that I could even entertain such thoughts while in this situation.


    ¡°I knew things would roughly turn out this way if I let it y out,¡± I said.


    There was no reason for the Thieves¡¯ Guild to mess with me from the beginning, unless they hadpletely lost their minds. The moment I was kidnapped, my first thought was that it was all over, but upon some reflection, I realized that the situation presented its own opportunities.


    Furthermore, once I had retrieved the me of Fire, I was confident I could escape even if things went south, so I braced myself for a bold move.


    It had undoubtedly been a risky adventure, but it was worth the risk.


    Once the forces belonging to the prince and princess had pinpointed this ce, my life was no longer in danger, and they could no longer stop me from leaving.


    After the visit from the prince¡¯s and princess¡¯s forces, the Thieves¡¯ Guild headquarters was like a house in mourning. They had truly burned down their house trying to get rid of a bug.


    A disobedientckey¡¯s actions had led to a situation where the entire organization could be turned into dust.


    Loyar had rushed over believing that I had been kidnapped, and it seemed hard for her to ept that I had essentially brought the thieves under my heel.


    <i>¡®Yes. This is what power is all about.¡¯</i>


    Using someone else¡¯s power as if it were my own seemed like a wise way to wield power.


    <i>¡°Do you know who you¡¯re messing with right now? I bet I have connections to your boss too!¡±</i>


    This was merely an extension of that.


    It pays to have powerful friends.


    ¡°Well... Since the boss of the club has made an appearance as well, let¡¯s wrap things up, shall we?¡±


    The Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s executives, now mereckeys of the Rotary Club, seemed to find it hard to ept the fact that they were now under myplete control.


    The guild master especially so.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. I¡¯ll pretend this whole kidnapping case didn¡¯t happen, and that it had nothing to do with the Thieves¡¯ Guild. In exchange, our boss right here bes the guild master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Wh-... What?!¡±


    The most astonished person was not the guild master, but Loyar.


    ¡°Hey! No way! I... I can¡¯t do that!¡± Loyar shouted, declining the offer.


    <i>¡®You gotta be kidding me! I literally went through all this trouble just for you!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 134

    <h4>Chapter 134</h4>


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Just when I had everything set up, I encountered unexpected opposition.


    Loyar adamantly opposed the idea, and insisted that she would rather die than do such a thing. The expressions of the Thieves¡¯ Guild¡¯s executives turned bizarre.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether to consider this fortunate or not. Though she couldn¡¯t articte her reasons well, Loyar red at me as if pleading to be killed instead, so the proposal was ultimately withdrawn.


    After some back and forth, I eventually told the Thieves¡¯ Guild that I would bury this matter for their sake, and that they now owed me one, before leaving the headquarters.


    <i>¡ªWell, I suppose this is also fate, so let¡¯s keep in touch from now on.</i>


    <i>¡ªUh-Uhh... O-Okay.</i>


    <i>¡ªWhy so tense? Come on, everyone makes mistakes now and then. It¡¯s only a problem when you repeat those mistakes. Let¡¯s get along without any trouble from now on, okay?</i>


    <i>¡ªY-Yeah... Thank you... Honestly, we didn¡¯t expect you to do this much for us.</i>


    My calm words left the guild master looking as if his soul had been sucked out. In the end, I¡¯d ultimately prevented the Thieves¡¯ Guild from being annihted.


    The gratitude from the Thieves¡¯ Guild executives was palpable. Although they showed some grim ambition, since Loyar had vehemently opposed my n and it had fallen through, it seemed they were grateful to Loyar as well.


    Things didn¡¯t go exactly as I had intended, but the situation was resolved on a good note.


    Though I had been set free, I was furious.


    After leaving the Thieves¡¯ Guild, I found a secluded ce and confronted Loyar.


    ¡°Damn it! I literally set up a feast for you, why can¡¯t you just eat it?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... How am I supposed to manage arge organization like the Thieves¡¯ Guild when even managing 200 members tires me out? It¡¯s just not feasible,¡± Loyar said.


    ¡°Your Highness... It¡¯s a relief you¡¯re safe... but this is truly beyond imagination,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°... Eleris? You were here as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris seemed a little angry, as if regretting her concern about me.


    Her expression suggested that I now owed her one for making her worry so much. Apparently, she had observed the whole situation while cloaked in an invisibility spell.


    ¡°It¡¯s already bad enough having to hide every time the full moon rises. Taking on the role of guild master of the Thieves¡¯ Guild is impossible.¡±


    Loyar did not believe she wouldst long if forced into the position, and there was some sense to that.


    No matter how I thought about it, though, it seemed like an opportunity wasted.


    ¡°Damn. I thought a big opportunity had just fallen into myp.¡±


    Well, at least the threat of the Thieves¡¯ Guild messing with the Rotary Club had now beenpletely eliminated, so it wasn¡¯t as if nothing had been gained at all.


    Being able to exert influence over the Thieves¡¯ Guild was definitely something.


    ¡°But how the hell am I going to exin this to the Temple authorities now...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell them I had been kidnapped by the Thieves¡¯ Guild, but what excuse could I make for my five-day absence? Should I say that I¡¯d gone on a long journey to find myself or something?


    ¡°... To think that, after talking about devouring the Thieves¡¯ Guild or whatever, you¡¯re now worried about something so typical of a student... I really don¡¯t understand,¡± eximed Eleris in exasperation, seeing me worry about things that concerned a typical student while at the same time concocting schemes that a regr student would never dream of.


    Loyar and Eleris asked me for the specifics of what had happened, and I exined everything from the beginning.


    Both of their expressions hardened.


    Naturally, they both lectured me.


    ¡°Your Highness, you must realize that this could have turned into a major disaster.¡±


    ¡°... Would it kill you to tame that temper of yours, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°... I know. It was actually fortunate that it was the Thieves¡¯ Guild that kidnapped me.¡±


    If another group other than the Thieves¡¯ Guild had kidnapped me, the situation could have been much more dangerous. Ultimately, I managed to navigate my way out of this situation, but if I had messed with a truly reckless delinquent, it could have been a life-threatening scenario. I was aware that, although things turned out well, I had essentially narrowly escaped death.


    The oue, which was favorable thanks to my actions, did not justify the carelessness of my initial actions.


    I really could have died.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you guys.¡±


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t do anything but sincerely apologize to the two of them who hade all this way and worried about me.


    ***


    I learned about various things from Loyar and Eleris, and only after conversing with them did I understand why there had been no Rotary Club members at the Wenster Market.


    I heard some unexpected stories from them as well.


    I went into the guard post at Wenster district, revealed my identity, and exined to the guards there everything that had happened.


    I told them that I had been kidnapped by an unknown group, and that it seemed like they wanted to ransom me, but as the situation escted, they abandoned me in a deste location and disappeared.


    My eyes had been covered, so I didn¡¯t know who they were and where I was being held. I told them that I came here as soon as I was set free.


    By proving to them that I was safe, the issue of me being officially missing would be resolved.


    Charlotte and Vertus had confirmed I was safe, but the city guards and the Temple authorities likely had no idea.


    I spent the entire Saturday crafting my statements, sweating blood in the process. In the end, I just kept on repeating that I didn¡¯t know anything, and it was unclear whether the investigators believed me or not. However, they didn¡¯t bother me further.


    After confirming that I was in good health and securing my statement, they escorted me to the entrance to the Temple.


    <i>Swishh</i>...


    Rain was pouring.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, kid. From now on, don¡¯t go into dangerous ces like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    I had been held up all day, and it was nearly evening. I would have to go into the Temple and have various discussions with the teachers, and craft yet another fabricated statement.


    I took the tram and arrived in front of the Royal ss dormitory.


    Wearing the clothes given to me by the guards, and using the umbre they provided, I made my way into the dormitory.


    <i>Swishhhh</i>...


    <i>¡®When will this dreary rain ever stop...?¡¯</i>


    The situation with the Thieves¡¯ Guild hadn¡¯t been that dangerous for me. Although my n to make Loyar the guild master had fallen through, things ultimately worked out well, since there now existed a connection between me and the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    It was a good oue. As Vertus said, it was the starting point of something grand, like bing the emperor of the underworld, as cheesy as that sounded.


    Still, my heart felt heavy.


    ¡°... Hey.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Before I even realized it, our eyes met, and I found myself staring nkly at Ellen Artorius, who was sitting on a bench in the rain.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    Her lips were blue, and she staggered as she stood up.


    I heard that she¡¯d been severely beaten by Loyar.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why she was just standing there in the rain, getting drenched.


    I didn¡¯t quite understand, but, perhaps, I somehow did.


    Ellen had tried to distance herself from me. However, once I¡¯d disappeared, she¡¯d set out to look for me.


    I couldn¡¯t say for sure what she was thinking, or what feelings had driven her to search for me.


    During her search, she¡¯d encountered Loyar, who had considered her an interference and had beaten her up. Despite summoning her soul sword, Lament, she had been defeated regardless.


    It was hard to gauge what feelings Ellen had at that moment.


    But she had tried to find me, only to be chased away as if she were a nuisance, and was defeated in battle in the process.


    She stood there dumbly, looking at me with unfocused eyes.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I tried to think of something to say, but in the end, that was all that came out.


    The shock of losing to Loyar had to be affecting her, and she had to be curious as to who Loyar, the one who defeated her, was.


    And she must have realized that I had even more secrets.


    ¡°My secrets...


    ¡°No.¡± Ellen cut me off as I tried to say something. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Her lips, blue with cold, trembled violently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that anymore,¡± she said.


    The twitching of her lips... What emotion was she trying to express? It seemed like she was trying to smile.


    It seemed like she was happy.


    Shivering, she suddenly hugged me tightly.


    <i>Swishhhh</i>...


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me anything,¡± Ellen said.


    Her voice and her body were shaking severely, and she felt rmingly cold. She buried her face in the nape of my neck.


    At the spot where the corner of her eyes touched my skin, I felt something warm.


    It felt like tears, and because of that sensation, I just froze.


    Ellen was crying.


    Because of me.


    ¡°Just... just... As long as you¡¯re safe. That¡¯s all... That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    It felt as though I was forgiven, but her words only made my guilt grow.


    ***


    Some time had gone by, and the turmoil had passed.


    The news that I had been found had already reached the teachers, since I was a student who had gone missing, and even though it was the weekend, the teachers on duty had to be informed.


    It seemed that Mr. Effenhauser was not present.


    I offered them a report that was simr to what I had given to the guards, and that also took some time.


    The news of my return had spread, and numerous people were waiting for me as I returned to the dormitory.


    ¡°Junior! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not hurt or anything.¡±


    ¡°I... I was worried... Ugh...!¡±


    Adriana hugged me and burst into tears. She might not have set out to find me herself, but it was clear that she had spent several sleepless nights worrying. Even Olivia and the members of the Grace Club all crowded around to ask after me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d, Reinhart...¡± Olivia said.


    Olivia¡¯s eyes were also brimming with tears. It seemed the Grace Club had tried to set out to find me themselves, but had been stopped by the teachers.


    Charlotte, who knew some of the details of what had truly happened, shook her head.


    ¡°... You¡¯re the biggest fool out of everyone I know,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is that apliment?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in its own way, that¡¯s apliment.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the detailster.¡±


    Vertus also smiled wryly at me. Both of them knew about the mischief I¡¯d gotten into, so they didn¡¯t seem worried.


    They had both yed significant roles in my survival.


    In addition to Ludwig and Delphine, even the students from ss B who weren¡¯t particrly close to me came by to wish me well. Somehow, I had thought that I was making a mess of my school life, but it seemed things could not have turned out better for me.


    People lingered around me untilte into the night, expressing their worries and sharing their relief that I was safe. If I were to tell them the truth¡ªthat I hadn¡¯t been in any danger at all and had, in fact, been holding my captors hostage with threats¡ªwould they want to kill me instead?


    I was grateful, of course, but guilt slowly crept up on me.


    Eventually, as the night wore on, everyone began to disperse, and I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief upon being left alone.


    Ellen had been the first to confront me, and had cried for a while, then seemed to have gone into her room.


    I had seen almost everyone, but there was still one person left.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    I knocked on her door.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    <i>¡®Is she asleep? That doesn¡¯t seem likely.¡¯</i>


    After a short wait, the door opened cautiously. No face appeared, and only a voice came through.


    <i>¡ªCan... Can we talk tomorrow instead?</i>


    From the sound of her voice, I could guess why she hadn¡¯t been able toe out to see me.


    ¡°... Sure, alright then.¡±


    <i>¡ªYeah...</i>


    Her voice waspletely hoarse from crying extensively. Her face must have been a mess as well.


    But she had also genuinely made an effort to find me, so I wanted to see her in person and offer my gratitude.


    <i>¡®Well, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be done tomorrow I guess.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then, tomorrow it is<i>¡ª</i>¡±


    <i>¡ªWait.</i>


    In the end, though, she couldn¡¯t bear it and flung the door open, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.


    <i>Click.</i>


    She closed the door. She hung her head low, not wanting to show her face.


    ¡°I heard you went looking for me.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was silent for a while, then she suddenly hugged me.


    ¡°I-I was worried...!¡± she stammered between sobs.


    ¡°...¡±


    She continued to bawl, and it seemed as if she was running out of breath.


    I hugged her back, gently stroking her back in silence.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I should have returned earlier.¡¯</i>


    Harriet had been so distressed that she cried for over an hour.


    As I tried to soothe her and take my leave, Harriet, still with her head lowered, asked me, ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared...?¡±


    ¡°... I was scared.¡±


    Honestly, until that Wednesday, even though I had acted calmly, I had indeed been scared.


    I could have been killed at any moment at the guild master¡¯s whim, and might have had to use everything I could to survive¡ªthe me of Fire, my supernatural powers, and even the achievement points.


    And even then, I wasn¡¯t sure if I would have survived.


    Of course, in that case, I would have had to kill people.


    The other students might not have thought that about me, but I had truly been afraid.


    ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You should be the one crying... You must have been so scared...¡±


    The person who should have been crying was me. After going through such a situation, I should have been crying with relief, and beingforted by others.


    Instead, I¡¯d ended upforting those who were crying out of happiness because of my safe return, just like I was doing with Harriet.


    ¡°You... you¡¯re weird.¡±


    That was probably why Harriet thought I was weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m a grown-up, that¡¯s why,¡± I said.


    Harriet didn¡¯t offer a snarky reply to my somewhat conceited remark.


    ¡°Yeah... I think so too.¡±


    Her response,pletely different from what I¡¯d expected, left me somewhat taken aback.

 Chapter 135

    <h4>Chapter 135</h4>


    The day after I returned, which was a Sunday, Ellen was missing from the breakfast table. After a brief chat with Harriet, I vaguely knew the reason why.


    <i>¡ªAll I did was just follow her around... She was the one who really had a tough time. Like, she even fought with... What should I call her, your leader? That person...</i>


    I¡¯d heard about that already.


    <i>¡ªAnd then after returning to the Temple, she just sat on the bench in front of the dormitory, letting herself be drenched in rain while waiting for you to return... She wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone trying to persuade her otherwise...</i>


    Apparently, Ellen had sat on that bench, not eating, just staring nkly into the distance. Whether she did that because she wanted to be the first to see me when I returned, or because she was mentally out of it, was unclear.


    Anyhow...


    She must have caught a cold for sure.


    <i>Knock, knock. </i>


    So, I knocked on Ellen¡¯s room door. After waiting for a while, Ellen, looking haggard, opened the door.


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    She barely had the energy to speak.


    ¡°If you¡¯re sick, shouldn¡¯t you go see the duty priest or something? What are you doing here?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if a cold could be healed with a spell, but was it right to just groan and moan about it?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡±


    Ellen looked ready to close the door. She seemed to consider the conversation over, if I had no other business.


    ¡°... I knew you were going to be like this, so I made some porridge for you.¡±


    I sighed inwardly.


    The tremendous guilt I was feeling inside had led me to go to these lengths.


    ***


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re not dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was lying down, having epted the porridge I offered. It dawned on me that I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d see the day when something like this would happen. She had managed to catch the legendary summer cold that even dogs managed to avoid catching.


    ¡°Why were you letting yourself get soaked in the rain?¡±


    Getting drenched wouldn¡¯t have made mee back any faster. Regardless, Ellen had spent almost a whole day sitting in the rain.


    ¡°It... it all seemed like my fault,¡± Ellen muttered absentmindedly, avoiding my gaze.


    I wondered why she felt responsible for my kidnapping. There shouldn¡¯t have been any reason for her to feel that way.


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s my fault. All of this happened because of what I said,¡± Ellen said.


    She knew better than anyone that what she¡¯d just said was nonsense. However, Ellen still felt that way; she must have deeply regretted the words she believed had led to these events.


    ¡°So I wanted to do something about it, but there was nothing I could do,¡± she continued.


    She had set out to find me, but had made no headway. Then Loyar had dered that someone like her wouldn¡¯t be of any help, and after being defeated, she had no choice but to ept it.


    ¡°That¡¯s why... I felt so pathetic. I hated myself,¡± Ellen said as she closed her eyes. ¡°That was why I just sat in the rain... that was all I could do to deal with my emotions...¡±


    She hated herself for being incapable of doing anything, and it had tormented her.


    Ellen looked at me. Her eyes were red and bloodshot.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was the secrets that I hated. What I hated was losing someone important to me in such a powerless way. What I really hated was being unable to do anything in such situations.¡±


    When her brother had left to participate in the Great War, Ellen hadn¡¯t been able to do anything.


    And when I¡¯d gone missing, Ellen had set out to look for me, but eventually, she had no choice but to leave the matter in someone else¡¯s hands.


    It seemed Ellen had spent the duration of my disappearance reflecting on what she truly despised.


    Even without Loyar¡¯s intervention, I hadn¡¯t been in danger. In the end, at least from a certain point forward, this kidnapping morphed into a charade of my own design.


    Ultimately, the effort Ellen and Harriet had put in to save me had been futile. Realistically, their efforts had no impact on my eventual rescue, considering I¡¯d been safe the whole time.


    However, I didn¡¯t tell her that part.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s fine,¡± she replied, still looking at me. I¡¯m the one who should be sorry.¡±


    We spent some time just silently looking at each other.


    ***


    Several things happened after the kidnapping incident. After a separate consultation with Mr. Effenhauser on Sunday, the kidnapping case was brought to a rough conclusion


    It was obvious that Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t believe my statement, but he didn¡¯t probe any further. Like Vertus, it was still difficult to read what he was thinking.


    ss A went through several changes after my kidnapping incident.


    ¡°Ellen!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The rain¡¯s stopped; do you want to go out and eat something?¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Harriet and Ellen had grown closer. To be precise, it seemed like Harriet, who had always been wary of Ellen, now found it easier to approach her after they had gone out together to look for me.


    Harriet, Adelia, and Ellen all began hanging out together. Because of this, Riana de Granz became the only girl in the group who was left to walk alone.


    To Harriet, it seemed like they were ostracizing her. So she went out of her way to invite Riana de Granz as well.


    ¡°Do... Do you want to join us, Granz?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    My kidnapping incident caused things to take a weird turn, and now the four girls from ss A started hanging out together. Harriet was the central figure of the group, gathering all the girls around her.


    It was quite the evolution. She had gone from a snobbish noble youngdy who was originally supposed to stay disagreeable and unlikeable until the end of the story, to the central point around which the other girls revolved. It made me wonder if people really do change.


    There was another change as well...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After the incident, Ellen started avoiding my gaze whenever she saw me.


    The feeling was mutual.


    It was definitely different this time.


    Previously, it felt as if she was telling me to screw off, but this time, it waspletely different.


    The feeling that she couldn¡¯t look at me still lingered. Was she embarrassed because she had dered that I was someone important to her, or was it because she felt ashamed that she¡¯d shown her vulnerable side by crying in front of me? Whatever it was, she always subtly avoided my gaze.


    I, too, felt my conscience pricking at me all the time. I had my own share of apologies I felt I had to make, which made it hard for me to approach her straightforwardly.


    It felt awkward between us because we both were overly conscious of the other.


    <i>¡®What is this situation? It feels so awkward!¡¯ </i>


    And then, the third change...


    ¡°... You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Cliffman and I finally exchanged words.


    ¡°What about the girl?¡±


    ¡°... Things are strange with her right now. It¡¯s as if we¡¯ve made up but haven¡¯t at the same time....¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a long conversation, but we finally managed to exchange a few words.


    What was the best way to put it?


    It was like that frustrating feeling of being in an uncertain rtionship with someone. Speaking to each other hesitantly and cautiously, just like a pair of ssmates who were forced to sit next to each other.


    Anyway, Ellen seemed to have made up a different reason for not showing up at the training grounds. She coulde if she wanted to, although it seemed like her time was being spent hanging out here and there with Harriet.


    She wouldn¡¯t suggest going out herself, but if Harriet proposed it, she seemed to follow along as if she was being dragged along.


    Therefore, Cliffman and I were the only remaining regrs who frequented the training grounds.


    ¡°Want to train together?¡± I asked, sick of how quiet it was to swing my sword about alone.


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Two shy boys cautiously began their sparring session.


    ***


    The irony of it all was that, although I was the one who had been kidnapped, the socialndscape of ss A had somehowpletely shifted.


    Ellen and I had made up, but things had be somewhat awkward between us; Harriet had suddenly be the social butterfly of ss A, and instead of just being friends with girls, I had now befriended Cliffman.


    The week after the conclusion of my kidnapping, on Thursday...


    ¡°The Thieves¡¯ Guild is just the beginning?¡± Vertus asked.


    ¡°Something like that, though I haven¡¯t really thought through what specifically I want to do next. My own kidnapping was somewhat of an ident in itself,¡± I replied.


    Vertus was having ate-night talk with me. His goal was to subdue and control the powers within the criminal underworld, but since he couldn¡¯t manage them directly, he nned to set me up as his proxy.


    That was why he had seen potential in my kidnapping and had exploited it to his advantage.


    ¡°I knew you were bold, but you¡¯re really something else, Reinhart.¡±


    He let out a chuckle, unable to fathom where my audacity came from.


    ¡°Take care of it on your own. I can¡¯t openly assist you. But, I can give you advice if you need it,¡± Vertus continued.


    Vertus had no direct involvement in this affair. I had to remember that if I got caught messing around in dirty waters, I would be the only one to suffer the consequences.


    Of course, since I hadn¡¯t yet taken control of the Thieves¡¯ Guild, there was not much I could do at the level I was at.


    ***


    Ellen might not have been going to the training grounds, but that didn¡¯t mean she had given up on training. She simply just wasn¡¯t showing up to the training grounds.


    ¡°... Why are you here again?¡±


    Ellen had once again appeared in front of the Rotary Club¡¯s new base in the southern part of the empire. Loyar was taken aback by her sudden presence.


    ¡°Teach me how to fight, please.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    What kind of absurd request was that? Despite Loyar¡¯s incredulous gaze, Ellen boldly approached her.


    ¡°Please. Teach me how to fight.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Why would I teach you that...?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at fighting, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    What was this? Loyar felt like her brain had stopped working.


    <i>¡ªYou beat her up? Not only that, you even tried to kill her?</i>


    Baalier had asked her that.


    <i>¡ªWell, that¡¯s...</i>


    Loyar recalled the expression her lord had shown upon hearing that not only had Loyar beaten Ellen up but had also contemted killing her, and her legs turned to jelly.


    <i>¡ªPlease. Don¡¯t do things you haven¡¯t been asked to.</i>


    Her lord had spoken as calmly as always, without even cursing. However, the anger embedded in those words had almost made Loyar tremble out of fear. For a moment, the fear had stopped her mind from functioning.


    Was this what it meant to be of the Archdemon¡¯s bloodline? Loyar realized that, if anything happened to Ellen from now on, she would be as good as dead.


    That was why Loyar did not even want to run into Ellen, yet here she was, seeking her out.


    And now, out of nowhere, she wanted her to teach her how to fight.


    ¡°Look, kid. There are far more capable people than me in the Temple; why not learn from them instead of insisting on me...?¡±


    ¡°There is something different about an <i>ajumma</i>[1]<i> </i>like you whenpared to the teachers.¡±


    Ellen, in her brief sh with Loyar, had realized how different realbat was from training. She believed that Loyar was the only one who could teach her that.


    She wanted to know more about fighting.


    She wanted to be stronger.


    That was why Ellen had sought out Loyar.


    Of course, Loyar focused on another aspect of the conversation.


    ¡°... <i>Ajumma</i>?¡±


    The word ¡°olddy¡± made Loyar¡¯s golden eyes sh. Ellen tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°Yes, <i>ajumma</i>.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loyar was furious.


    ¡°... Shouldn¡¯t you be addressing me as <i>unnie</i>[2]<i> </i>instead?¡±


    ¡°If you teach me how to fight, I will,¡± Ellen said as she adopted a fighting pose.


    Then, she delivered the final blow to Loyar. ¡°<i>Ajumma</i>.¡±


    <i>Zap</i>!


    Suddenly, the veins in Loyar¡¯s forehead began to throb.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do this, little one.¡±


    <i>Swish</i>!


    Loyar shed towards Ellen like lightning.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    And Ellen managed to block Loyar¡¯s punch.


    ***


    In Ellen¡¯s absence, I mostly sparred with Cliffman. Cliffman¡¯s talenty in bat¡±, and that applied to all aspects of fighting. As a raw talent, it was as tremendous as Harriet¡¯s ¡°magic¡±.


    Needless to say, this included proficiency in wielding weapons. Even Ellen, who was like a talent vending machine, did not possess this particr talent.


    In other words, this guy was a monster in a vein simr to Ellen, and it was natural that he was far superior to me in skill.


    His style was a bit different, though.


    While Ellen subdued me in an instant with her sophisticated skills, this guy was almost like some sort of predator.


    <i>ng! ng!</i>


    Ellen did notck strength, but she pursued the extremes of technique itself. Each time, she calcted the trajectory that her sword had to take to ensure her victory, and executed it wlessly. Her quick thinking was unparalleled.


    However, Cliffman¡¯s style leaned more towards utilizing strength, reflexes, and an animalistic sense to overpower his opponent.


    His fighting instinct forced the optimum path into existence.


    While Ellen calcted the right move first and then followed it precisely, with Cliffman, it felt like every swing he took was somehow the right move.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    I found myself thrown to the ground, struggling to get back up.


    If Ellen ended a bout by immobilizing me and stopping just beforending the final blow as if to say ¡°you¡¯re dead¡±, Cliffman either knocked me away, threw me to the ground, or simply smashed me with his sword.


    If Ellen suppressed, Cliffman overwhelmed.


    His style was iparably more rugged than Ellen¡¯s.


    ¡°... Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    The guy who had attacked me like a wild boar just a moment ago was also the one who helped me to my feet, genuinely asking if I was seriously hurt.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with the sudden change in demeanor? Man, he¡¯s just full of surprises isn¡¯t he?!¡¯ </i>


    ¡°I haven¡¯t got the hang of controlling my strength yet... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s myck of skill that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    ¡°Still, you¡¯ve improved a lot whenpared to the beginning of the semester. A lot.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah... Why does it feel so cringey when guys talk like this? Justplimenting each other back and forth...¡¯ </i>


    Anyway, because of hisck of finesse and inability to control his strength well, I was considerably more batteredpared to when I sparred with Ellen.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s call it a day. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was indeed ratherte. It was time to grab something to eat and hit the sack.


    Since it was close to bedtime, I went to my room to clean up beforeing out again.


    The hallway was deserted. Everyone had probably retired to their own rooms. However, I saw someoneing down the hallway from afar.


    It was Ellen.


    ¡°...¡±


    She seemed to have just returned and was covered in dust.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the dust that caught my eye.


    Her face was flushed, her hair disheveled, and she was limping, looking quite injured. As our eyes met, she quickly looked down and tried to pass by.


    <i>¡®Why is she acting like this?¡¯</i>


    I felt like I was going crazy, seeing someone who used to be indifferent to my existence now suddenly minding me.


    She always carved her own path, not caring what anyone else thought, but now she seemed to be wary of me and me alone.


    I sensed feelings of guilt and apology from her, yet I couldn¡¯t think of any reason why she should feel sorry towards me. It seemed she was acting this way because she thought she¡¯d said something harsh to me.


    <i>¡®Yes, I do have secrets, and I feel sorry for not being able to share them, but why does she feel sorry?¡¯ </i>


    Somehow that made me feel sorry too, which drove me almost insane.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How did you... end up getting hurt like this?¡±


    ¡°Just stuff.¡±


    <i>¡®Did she get into a fight or something?¡¯</i>


    Normally, I might have felt too awkward and just walked past, but I couldn¡¯t just ignore her while she was in this state.


    After all, she wasn¡¯t someone who usually ended up getting beaten, was she?


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®just stuff¡¯? Let¡¯s go get you treated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re fine? Come on now.¡±


    I grabbed Ellen¡¯s arm and pulled.


    ¡°Ow, it hurts... L-Let¡¯s go slowly...¡±


    When I pulled her abruptly, Ellen staggered and almost fell over.


    I seemed to be seeing her vulnerable side too often these days. To think that I would ever see Ellen looking so pitiful.


    Seeing her in distress did tug at my heart, but more than that, I was worried.


    <i>¡®They say people start to change drastically right before they die!¡¯ </i>


    ¡°Ah... Okay, yeah, my bad,¡± I said.


    Limping, Ellen followed me.


    <i>Trip</i>!


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Because I had been pummeled by Cliffman all day, I was in pretty terrible shape physically as well.


    ¡°... While we¡¯re at it, I should get treated too...¡±


    Supporting each other, we went to find the duty priest.


    1. A Korean word for a married or middle-aged woman. ?


    2. Simr to the word ¡°noona¡± in Korean, ¡°unnie¡± refers to a female that is older than you are ?

 Chapter 136

    <h4>Chapter 136</h4>


    ¡°Did you two fight or something?¡± The on-duty priest asked.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t.¡±


    Both of our bodies were in terrible shape, and so the on-duty priest¡¯s suspicion was reasonable, but we both shook our heads. The priest channeled a healing spell for a while, and our bodies quickly recovered.


    Nheless, when our injuries were being examined, I peeked over and saw that Ellen¡¯s condition was more serious than mine. Her arms and legs, covered under her long-sleeved top and long pants, were covered in bruises and blood.


    ¡°It seems like this one was in a sparring match, but what did you go out and do?¡± The on-duty priest asked. He was wondering how we ended up in such a state.


    Ellen shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s the same for me.¡±


    Ellen did not say more, and after being magically healed, Ellen and I left the room where the on-duty priest was stationed and headed back to the dormitory.


    ¡°... thought you were just out having fun. What did you do?¡±


    I thought Ellen had been out ying around with the other girls, but it seemed like Ellen had gone somewherepletely unexpected.


    ¡°I went to the white-haired <i>ajumma</i>.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®The white-haired </i>ajumma<i>? What is that supposed to mean?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I asked that <i>ajumma </i>to teach me how to fight.¡±


    ¡°... You mean our boss?¡±


    Since Ellen and Harriet knew about the Rotary Club, there was no reason to hide it from her.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®She went back to Loyar again? Even after such a harsh experience?¡¯</i>


    I think I understood her reasoning. It might have been the shock of losing in such a manner for the first time in her life.


    Was it really such a shock to be told to get lost because she was of no help? Was it so shocking that it would drive one to seek out the person who had tried to kill them, and ask them to teach you how to fight?


    ¡°Hey... I get why, but... Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had sternly warned Loyar not to harm Ellen any further, but she was the sort that lost all sense of reason once she got worked up. I knew that, since I had seen her fight before.


    ¡°Seriously, you could die if you get beaten by her again. You have to pick your battles wisely.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why Loyar had agreed to spar with her in the first ce, but Ellen¡¯s body was virtually wrecked. If Loyar had lost control of her strength for just a moment, Ellen could have actually died.


    ¡°I never want to experience that again,¡± Ellen said.


    She never wanted to go through the experience of being powerless despite wanting to do something. That was what had caused Ellen to sit in the rain, nkly, looking miserable.


    She didn¡¯t want to feel that way ever again.


    When we reached the dormitory lobby, Ellen reached out and took my hand. She kept her head down, not looking at me.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah?¡±


    She sounded as if she was pleading.


    ¡°Who you are, who that person who beat me was, and why that person tried to kill me, and why they suddenly decided not to kill me. Also, why you lied after being kidnapped and released... I won¡¯t ask about any of that.¡±


    Harriet and Ellen knew that the statement I¡¯d made after being released from the kidnapping was a lie. I had been kidnapped and released, but imed that I didn¡¯t know anything about it. I had falsely testified that I had simplye to and found myself free.


    However, since I was only released after Loyar intervened, both Ellen and Harriet knew I was hiding something.


    Even so, they had not voiced their suspicions about Loyar or myself, and had promised not to be curious about it either.


    ¡°So, let me at least do this.¡±


    Ellen was asking me to overlook her training with Loyar in exchange for not asking any questions.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of whether I would permit it or not. After all, Loyar was supposed to be my boss.


    In reality, though, I was Loyar¡¯s superior, and therefore, the decision did indeed rest with me.


    Although it seemed strange for Ellen to make such a request of me, I was, in fact, the right one to ask.


    She wanted to be stronger. Despite already being strong, she was vexed that she had been defeated by someone stronger than herself.


    It was a peculiar feeling.


    Originally, Ellen was supposed to be a character with little desire forpetition. She was just naturally good at everything, so winning or losing didn¡¯t matter much, but she always ended up winning. That was what it meant to be a freakish talent.


    However, after getting involved with me, Ellen had been dragged into various incidents, and in the end, faced with several desperate situations she had wished to solve but couldn¡¯t with her own strength, she felt despair.


    That was why Ellen had developed a new motivation¡ªa desire for strength.


    ¡°... Fine.¡±


    <i>¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to tell Loyar to go easy on her.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve made some new friendstely and you don¡¯t pay attention to me anymore. That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Ellen seemed a little flustered by myment and spaced out for a moment. Then, she looked down slightly and murmured softly, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°... No, no. That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear.¡±


    I was hoping for her usual reaction, something along the lines of ¡°What are you saying?¡± or ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting an apology.


    <i>¡®Wow, she¡¯s seriously trying hard to not get on my nerves, isn¡¯t she?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like it was going to take some time for her mental state to normalize.


    ***


    Despite suffering so much physical abuse, Ellen returned to tip-top condition immediately after receiving the miraculous healing magic from the on-duty priest.


    As for me, it was just like the beginning of the semester, when I¡¯d been training intensively to improve my poor physical condition. I knew that the healing would take a lot out of me, and I ate much more than usual to prevent malnutrition.


    On Friday, after sses were over, I went with Ellen to see Loyar, and told her directly to take care of her. Loyar was reluctant. Although I phrased it as a favor because Loyar was nominally the boss, ultimately, it was amand.


    ¡°So, boss, please take good care of her.¡±


    ¡°Ah... That¡¯s going to be a bit difficult.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to! Why should I do this?¡± said Loyar¡¯s eyes, but my eyes were saying something totally different: ¡°If I tell you to do it, you do it, kid!¡±


    Although we were maintaining the necessary formalities on the outside, I was indeed giving her an order.


    ¡°... If you get hurt because I fail to control my strength well enough, it¡¯s not my fault, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Ellen responded bravely.


    Loyar seemed certain that Ellen wouldn¡¯te back after the fierce lesson she¡¯d been given in response to the nuisance she¡¯d caused, but Ellen would probably keep going back until she was satisfied.


    Ellen had a strong heart. Even though Loyar had genuinely tried to kill her, and Ellen knew it, she still approached Loyar nonchntly, asking to be taught how to fight.


    The club members seemed excited to watch their duels, but Loyar, not wanting to perform in front of anyone, took Ellen to a secluded area. The others seemed disappointed.


    I took the chance to examine the new clubhouse that was being built. It was a massive clubhouse that would be able to amodate around 200 club members.


    The construction was being supervised by the club¡¯s second-inmand, Dybun.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hire professionals to take care of this?¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to have hired any professional workers, but were building it themselves.


    ¡°People who¡¯ve been around have tried all sorts of things. Among them, wouldn¡¯t there be people who have worked in construction before?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Apparently, the folks within the club were a rag-tag bunch with tumultuous pasts, and some had been involved in construction and design work before. Although Dybun didn¡¯t seem toe from such a background, there were apparently people with knowledge or experience in that field who were doing the designing and supervising the construction efforts.


    There were all sorts of people around, with plenty of them skilled in at least one thing. That fact was surprisingly refreshing.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°I just said a few words, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago, the Thieves¡¯ Guild even offered some substantial support so that we could build it even bigger.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    They had attempted to eliminate the Rotary Club, but had ended up receiving significant aid from me. It seemed like they were trying to save face by offering to contribute generously to the construction of the new clubhouse.


    Even a criminal organization like them had a certain level of pride that they feltpelled to maintain.


    <i>¡®The Thieves¡¯ Guild should be so grateful that they should bow to me three times a day.¡¯</i>


    Still, considering how many might have died if matters had escted to violence, it was fortunate that everything surrounding my kidnapping had been resolved without bloodshed.


    After taking a quick look around the construction site, I headed over to where Ellen and Loyar were training.


    The area we were in was located at the very southern tip of the imperial city, and waspletely uninhabited. If you went further south, you¡¯d hit the forest.


    In the short time I¡¯d spent checking out the construction site, it seemed Ellen had been thoroughly thrashed. She rolled across the ground before dusting herself off and getting up.


    ¡°Can you use a sword?¡± Ellen asked, unperturbed, as if she wasn¡¯t in pain at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really use one often... But why not, I guess? Sure.¡±


    Ellen threw one of two practice swords she had ced near a tree to Loyar, who caught it. This exined why she had taken the practice swords from the Temple.


    ¡°Hmm... It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve used a sword.¡±


    Despite that remark, Loyar seemed to have an exceptional mastery over the sword.


    Of course, she primarily relied on her strength and speed, but ultimately, Ellen stood no chance against Loyar, even with a sword.


    Ellen¡¯s preferred way of fighting was to counter by deflecting the sword strikes, shifting her center of gravity, or dodging in unexpected directions.


    However, Loyar¡¯s swordy possessed enough destructive power to shatter a training sword upon contact, and she was incredibly fast as well.


    Thus, Ellen couldn¡¯t even attempt to counterattack or take the initiative; she simply dodged as best as she could until Loyar caught her in a vulnerable moment.


    There was a vast difference in their baselines.


    The overwhelming difference in their physique rendered skill irrelevant, and Ellen seemed to havee to that realization.


    Rather than feeling despair, however, it merely seemed to help her gain a deeper understanding of what more she needed for herself.


    I hadn¡¯t told Loyar or Eleris about Ellen¡¯s true identity, and only mentioned that she was an extraordinary individual.


    I wondered how Loyar would react if she knew Ellen was the brother of the hero Artorius, who had killed the Demon King.


    Would she say that she had to be killed immediately?


    Anyway, I quietly observed the lycanthrope, a demon spy, training the younger sister of humanity¡¯s greatest hero, in front of the prince of the Demon Realm.


    ***


    After a whole evening of training, Ellen, the club members, and I, all beaten and battered, gathered in one ce to have a meal.


    It wasn¡¯t a proper meal, just rice balls.


    However, it was clear that the club¡¯s finances had improved. The rice balls weren¡¯t just in rice, but contained something resembling meat.


    ¡°Ouch, youngdy. It looks like you got beaten up pretty badly over there. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°The boss really has a foul temper.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person beats up a kid like this?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you bastards! It¡¯s not like I hit someone who didn¡¯t know how to fight at all!¡±


    The club members had manyments to offer as they watched Ellen, who was a mess, chomping down on her rice balls.


    When she had arrived, no one had been as neat or pretty as her. At the moment, though, she was eating rice balls while looking much rougher than even the club members, which made her look utterly pitiful.


    Her hands trembled as she held the rice ball, which said it all. Loyar hadn¡¯t been able to control her strength even if she¡¯d wanted to, since Ellen wasn¡¯t someone she could handle casually. Hence, for the training to be effective, it was inevitable that Ellen would end up battered like this.


    ¡°... I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Ellen, looking far from okay as she munched on her rice balls, tried to get up unsteadily.


    ¡°Argh...¡±


    ¡ªWhoa! Hey, hey! Are you sure you¡¯re okay?


    There was a hugemotion from the club members as she tried to rise to her feet uneasily.


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re making me look like the bad one,¡± Loyar said with a sigh. She clicked her tongue as if Ellen was a nuisance to her in many ways.


    ¡°I wille back again...¡±


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    I supported the limping Ellen, and the club members peppered me with tantly transparent jibes.


    ¡ªReinhart, you...! You really are a gentleman, huh?


    ¡ªBut Reinhart might actually be weaker than that girl, right?


    ¡ªYou¡¯re right.


    ¡ªI can already sense how he¡¯s going to bepletely dominated by her in their rtionship.


    ¡ªThat girl is no ordinary piece of work either. The way she got up so stubbornly after being beaten down by our boss like that...


    ¡°Damn it...¡± I muttered under my breath.


    It seemed a strange misunderstanding was starting to grow into a reality among the club members.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked Ellen.


    ¡°Y-Yeah...¡± She replied.


    Ellen seemed to have no energy left to even walk on her own.


    I felt strange. Loyar had overwhelmed Ellen, whom I could never beat even once. However, Loyar had also mentioned offhandedly that, in a few years, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Ellen.


    While Eleris was an exceptional individual, I came to realize anew that Loyar was no less formidable.


    In the end, Ellen copsed from exhaustion while walking, and I had to carry her back to the Temple. I ended up getting a workout of my own as well.

 Chapter 137

    <h4>Chapter 137</h4>


    Ellen suddenly started training with Loyar, and because of that, I mainly practiced sparring with Cliffman. Despite the bizarre incidents, we returned to our daily lives at the Temple in the end.


    Then, July arrived...


    ¡ªWhat are you going to do during the summer break?


    ¡ªShouldn¡¯t you worry about the final exams before that?


    Connor Lint was excited for the approaching summer break, while Erhi scolded him for not thinking about the finals first.


    How had it already be time for final exams?


    Nevertheless, there would be a month-long summer break after the finals.


    Ludwig nned to go to Talfarad, Delphine¡¯s hometown, during his first summer break to receive Ranger training. There, he was supposed to have an encounter that involved some bandits.


    ording to the original story, in ss B, Delphine, Ludwig, and Lanion got along well, so I expected the events that were supposed to y out during the summer break to proceed without a hitch, unless Charlotte suddenly decided to do something unexpected that involved all the ss B kids.


    Even if the Ranger training event was canceled, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, although the skills Ludwig would pick up from the training¡ªfamiliarity with mountainous terrains and tracking and hunting skills¡ªwould be missing from the plot.


    Since this was supposed to be part of the slice-of-life genre, big incidents weren¡¯t really a thing, so deviating from the original plot wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.


    I didn¡¯t make much effort to study for the final exams. The system did provide an updated challenge for the finals, but it was simr to thest one. Since I failed thest time, I didn¡¯t expect to be sessful this time either.


    So, this time, rather than studying hard, I nned to take it easy.


    After all, I had only studied thest time in hopes of earning achievement points, and not actually to get good grades.


    <i>¡®Anyway, what should I do during the summer break?¡¯</i>


    I had no intention of ying around during my break. I could continue with my training as usual, but since it was a good opportunity to spend some time away from the Temple, I wanted to do something more productive, something I wouldn¡¯t normally be able to do.


    Unlike Connor Lint, who only thought about ying and hanging out, my deliberations on what to do during the break went in apletely different direction.


    It was Wednesday, and since all the sses had ended, I was back at the dormitory.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart,¡± someone called


    When I turned around, I saw the four girls from ss A gathered together. The one who had called me was Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    <i>¡®What does she want?¡¯</i>


    Riana gestured with her chin towards the window.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have dessert. Want toe with us?¡±


    ¡°What? Why him?!¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet¡¯s face turned red, as if the remark was unexpected.


    Of course, Riana shrugged indifferently. ¡°Just because.¡±


    She genuinely seemed to have no special reason for inviting me.


    In an instant, Connor Lint and Erhi, who had been excitedly talking about ns for the summer break, turned their attention to me,


    <i>¡°Ugh, why is that douchebag so popr? I want to get rid of him!¡±</i> said their expressions clearly.


    Ellen seemed to be trying to blend in with the group for the moment. Timid Adelia looked somewhat anxious. She always seems afraid of me.


    Harriet was clearly flustered that Riana was suddenly pulling me in.


    Even though the kidnapping incident had changed Ellen¡¯s and Harriet¡¯s attitudes toward me a little, Harriet still had her usual demeanor.


    <i>¡®Hmm. What should I do...¡¯</i>


    I could feel Erhi and Kaier looking at me as if they wanted to kill me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go if you guys are buying.¡±


    ¡°I was going to pay anyway.¡±


    Riana had taken for granted the fact that she was going to be paying. The brows of the two guys watching us furrowed even more.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m going.¡±


    I had no particr thoughts either way, but just to annoy those who were ring at me mockingly, I got up from my seat.


    ¡°U-Uh t-then let¡¯s invite others too!¡± cried Harriet, clearly not liking the idea of bringing just me along.


    The eyes of the two onlookers lit up. <i>¡°Does that mean we can go as well?¡±</i>


    ¡°Do you guys want toe?¡± Riana asked Erhi and Connor Lint, who were watching from a distance, as if there was no reason not to bring them along.


    Buying desserts for seven people was going to cost a pretty penny, but indeed, the daughter of the Duke¡¯s household was of a different ss.


    ¡°H-Huh? Us?¡±


    ¡°O-Oh... R-Really?¡±


    The two of them began to stammer as soon as they were actually invited, and their faces grew flushed. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a brief moment, and Riana took the lead.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then fine. Let¡¯s go guys.¡±


    I felt pity for the two of them, who could not get their shit together even when everything wasid out for them.


    <i>¡°You guys are destined to live like this forever, you idiots,¡± </i>I signaled to them with my eyes.


    ***


    I thought Ellen and Riana had somewhat simr personalities, but seeing them like this made me realize how different they actually were.


    Ellen was just nd.


    But Riana was on the cool side.


    The subtle difference between cool and nd was illustrated clearly.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    Ellen showed barely any reaction to what she was eating.


    ¡°This is delicious. Too much cream, though.¡±


    Riana had reactions, but they were brief and direct. She was taciturn, without spitting it out directly.


    ¡°Yum! This is so good! Try this, Adelia.¡±


    And then there was Harriet, who was rich in reactions.


    Her expressions were most vivid when she was teased, but she was inherently very expressive. Previously, she had a slightly unpleasant vibe to her, but that seemed to have changed as well.


    Perhaps it was due to the tease-immunity boost I had given her.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious, right? I told you it¡¯s good!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, it¡¯s good...¡±


    And there was Adelia, who could be summed up in one word: cowardly.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Riana asked me, noticing that I hadn¡¯t touched the dessert.


    ¡°Reinhart doesn¡¯t like sweets.¡±


    Ellen, who should have remained silent given her nd nature, spoke up for me. I remembered mentioning I didn¡¯t like sweets while having dessert with her and Rudina once before, she seemed to have remembered that.


    The girls stared at Ellen.


    Disregarding them, Ellen continued to devour her parfait without a care.


    ¡°Oh... you don¡¯t like sweets?¡± Harriet asked, hearing this for the first time, and I nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate them terribly, but I don¡¯t go out of my way to have them.¡±


    I realized then that the only ssmates who knew I didn¡¯t like sweets were Ellen and Charlotte.


    Riana looked at me as if the idea was preposterous.


    ¡°... Did youe here thinking there would be desserts that aren¡¯t sweet?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here for the dessert. I came because you said you¡¯d treat me.¡±


    Riana clicked her tongue at the absurdity of meing even though I wasn¡¯t going to eat anything, just because it was free.


    ¡°Hey, you should at least eat what you¡¯ve ordered,¡± Harriet said.


    I had indeed ordered a piece of cake, but hadn¡¯t touched it yet. At Harriet¡¯sment, I gestured towards Ellen with my chin.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, since she¡¯ll end up eating it all.¡±


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    <i>¡®If there were leftovers, they¡¯d just end up in that one¡¯s stomach anyway.¡¯</i>


    Ellen, who was being treated like a garbage can, didn¡¯t mind at all, and continued eating her own share. Myment once again caused the expressions of the other three to turn bizarre.


    They probably all knew by now that Ellen ate well.


    <i>¡°You two are really close, huh.¡±</i>


    That was the look that they were giving the two of us.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if I was having nothing at all; I was drinking ck tea.


    Riana looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes.


    ¡°You always have to make things sound weird. ¡®She¡¯d up eating it all.¡¯ How does one be as twisted as you, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°It takes effort.¡±


    ¡°<i>Pfft</i>!¡±


    Adelia, who had been quietly drinking her iced tea, burst outughing at my odd remark, spraying her drink everywhere.


    ¡°Oh! I-I¡¯m so sorry about that, I didn¡¯t mean to... S-Sorry!¡±


    Fortunately, Adelia hadn¡¯t sttered anyone, but she hurriedly wiped away the liquid she¡¯d spit out with a tissue. Her fear that I would be angry at her forughing at myment and her embarrassment both worked to turn her ears red.


    ¡°B-But I¡¯m so envious of Ellen... to be able to eat so much without gaining weight,¡± Adelia said, hastily shifting the topic as if trying to divert the conversation away from herself.


    ¡°Adelia, if you moved around all day as she does, you wouldn¡¯t be able to gain weight even if you wanted to.¡±


    At Riana¡¯s words, Adelia¡¯s face turned even redder.


    ¡°But... but Ellen hasbat talent... and I¡¯m majoring in magic...¡±


    Adelia seemed uncertain, worried that she¡¯d fall into an irreversible pit of weight gain if she indulged in desserts like she wanted to. She truly seemed envious of Ellen¡¯s ability to eat freely.


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    <i>¡®Ugh, really, this woman...¡¯</i>


    Seeing her this way in front of everyone else kind of ticked me off.


    <i>¡®Why does such a wless person have to eat in such an unattractive manner? It¡¯s upsetting, damn it!¡¯</i>


    There was so much tomend her for, and yet the only time she truly embarrassed herself was when she was eating.


    I wanted to smack her on the back of the head to tell her to eat more elegantly, but I held back since I knew better than to bother a person while they were eating.


    Well... Technically, I held back because if I actually did smack her, I might have been the one in danger.


    ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s everyone nning to do during the break?¡±


    The others began to ponder over Harriet¡¯s question.


    ¡°Umm... I think I¡¯ll stay at the Temple.¡±


    Adelia expressed her inclination to remain at the Temple over the break. Staying at the Temple over the break wasn¡¯t prohibited; we were part of the Royal ss, so we would receive the usual support, even during holidays.


    At Adelia¡¯s words, Harriet tilted her head quizzically.


    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you want to go home after such a long time away?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s question made Adelia¡¯s face turn red. She seemed embarrassed.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t conduct my magic research at home,¡± she said.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you do magic research at ho¡ªAh, ah. I¡¯m sorry... Right, I see,¡± Harriet murmured to herself then offered a hasty apology, realizing she might have said something thoughtless.


    Adelia was amoner, while Harriet was an heiress of the Saint-Ouen Duchy.


    There would not be anything like a magic research facility in amoner¡¯s home. Harriet, who took such amenities for granted, hadn¡¯t even considered that one could live a life without it.


    Even though they were friends in school, once they graduated from the Temple, their social statuses differed so much that they might not even be able to look each other in the eye. This interaction probably offered a momentary reminder to Adelia and Harriet of something they had mostly forgotten.


    Adelia¡¯s face was red from embarrassment, while Harriet¡¯s face reddened as well, feeling that she had inadvertently hurt her friend with her words.


    The Temple was a ce where those who would never mingle in the outside world coulde together.


    The temple was the one ce across the whole continent that a street urchin like me and amoner like Adelia could have a meal and chat about holiday ns with a Duke¡¯s daughter and a grand duchess.


    Anyway, it seemed Adelia nned to stay at the Temple throughout the break to utilize the magic research facilities.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take some time to rest? Are you nning to study throughout the whole break?¡± asked Riana, and Adelia shook her head.


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s... I don¡¯t have much time left until graduation to perfect my magical crafting and to get an enchanter¡¯s license.¡±


    ¡°An enchanter¡¯s license?¡±


    <i>¡®I thought her talents were in summoning magic and magical crafting...? But she wants to learn enchanting instead of summoning magic?¡¯</i>


    Why would she want to learn something outside of her talent?


    And what was this about a license?


    At my skepticism, Adelia¡¯s face turned red, and she was unable to offer an answer. She seemed continuously embarrassed.


    ¡°Enchanting makes good money,¡± Riana answered with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Enchanting makes good money?¡±


    ¡°Think about it. Which of these two would make a lot of money: a mage who can cast a fireball spell, or a mage who can create fireball scrolls?¡±


    ¡°... Right. I see.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, for those who specialized in destruction magic to make money, they have to be constantly on the move, or find a position as a protective mage in court or with one of the noble families. Depending on whom they serve, the pay can vary greatly, and there aren¡¯t that many positions avable. Since the Great War ended, there¡¯s less demand for it as well. And in some cases, they even have to risk their lives, right? But enchanting is safe, and it¡¯s an easy way to make money.¡±


    As I thought about it more, Riana¡¯s point made a lot of sense.


    Enchantment scrolls allowed anyone to use magic, so those who made them were likely raking in money. On the other hand, it was indeed tricky for those who specialized in destruction magic to earn a living.


    Moreover, the Great War, which had been a draw for mages of that discipline, had ended.


    ¡°... So does that mean that all mages who specialize in destruction magic end up unemployed?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Seems like it.¡±


    With the war over and the demand for violence reduced, there would likely be a surge in unemployed mages.


    ¡°... Then why doesn¡¯t everyone just switch to enchanting?¡±


    If it was a safe field of magic in which they could earn a lot of money, wouldn¡¯t it make sense for everyone to learn enchanting?


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The one who responded to my question wasn¡¯t Riana, but Harriet.


    Her expression demanded to know why I was asking such a stupid question.

 Chapter 138

    <h4>Chapter 138</h4>


    Harriet responded to my ignorantment that anyone would want to get into enchanting if it was profitable with a firm exnation.


    ¡°If anyone could be an enchanter, the price of scrolls would plummet. The art of enchanting is a closely guarded secret even within the Magic Association, and they only issue licenses and pass on the techniques to a carefully selected few. Moreover, if someone is caught passing on enchanting techniques on their own, the Magic Association would send hunters after them. The secrets of enchanting are a lot more securely guarded within the magicalmunity than you think. Even the Temple can¡¯t teach it. You can only learn such magic from the association once you¡¯ve obtained an enchanting license.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s point was that, if enchanting was something anyone could do, scrolls wouldn¡¯t be that expensive.


    So, the Magic Association was controlling the number of enchanters to maintain the price of scrolls, and there seemed to be something like an exam that aspiring enchanters had to take to obtain a license. It was akin to a state exam, organized by the Magic Association.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a monopoly then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of an oligopoly, actually. The Magic Association is not the sole organization that has enchanting techniques. However, since other groups of mages that possess such highly confidential magical techniques can¡¯t be unaffiliated with the association, they¡¯re also proactive in limiting the number of enchanters,¡± Harriet replied.


    The conversation was as bizarre as it was riveting.


    ¡°Originally, those who became battle mages were considered leftovers. The truly smart mages all went into enchanting or magic crafting. A mage who could use teleportation is considered impressive, but that¡¯s about it. The magical crafters who designed warp gates or magical trains are treated like heroes,¡± she continued.


    Mages were all geniuses to begin with, but among them, the overwhelmingly intelligent ones majored in the safe and profitable fields of magical crafting or enchanting. In fact, those who went into magical crafting even attained a higher level of social honor.


    However, getting into that seemed as challenging as picking stars from the sky.


    It was somewhat simr to the saying that only the geniuses in medical school got into prestigious specializations like stic surgery, orthopedics, or dermatology in Korea.


    People tend to think of surgeons when they think of doctors, but in reality, surgery was not coveted that highly in medical school; simrly, while one¡¯s default image of a mage was someone hurling destructive magic about, in reality, the profession of battle mage was actually considered the least desirable.


    Therefore, Adelia aimed to obtain an enchanter¡¯s license for the sake of money, despite her talent lying elsewhere. Of course, being a magical crafter seemed to rake in a lot of money too, so an enchanter¡¯s license was not strictly necessary.


    I found it quite fascinating that the settings that I had described only casually within the novel had led to society being structured in such a detailed manner.


    <i>¡°Magic scrolls are expensive.¡±</i>


    This simple statement led to the backdrop where not just anyone could make magic scrolls, which in turn created another scenario in which enchanters belonged to an upper-tier ssification among mages.


    This prompted Adelia, a main character in the story, to try to get an enchanter¡¯s license, even though her talent did not lie there.


    <i>¡®This is intriguing.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Of course, this only applies to the cases where magic and money are involved. Harriet is an exception.¡±


    There had to be a difference between someone who became a mage for money and one who aimed to be a mage regardless of money. There was no need for Harriet to use magic in order to earn money. After all, she came from a family for which finances were not an issue. She wasparable to someone who might choose a less desired specialty in medicine just because they had a genuine interest in it.


    In the case of Harriet, she had the freedom to choose her major. Of course, she already possessed overwhelming talent and could master all forms of magic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think approaching magic as a purely academic discipline is the right attitude for a magician. I dislike people who talk like that.¡±


    Adelia and Harriet both shuddered at the thought of the old mages who went about proiming that magic was an academic discipline, and should not be treated as a means of making money. It seemed there were quite a few magicians around them who held such conservative views, which possibly included one of their teachers.


    Adelia appeared embarrassed because her values went against the perceived purity of magic, while Harriet, who was in a different situation from Adelia, seemed to feel apologetic about it without actually needing to.


    Adelia, who was learning magic for the sake of earning money, and Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who was learning magic to master it in its entirety.


    Perhaps this was why Adelia would always feel inferior in front of Harriet. She could not outshine her in any aspect.


    Harriet¡¯s talent already epassed Adelia¡¯s talents in magical crafting and summoning magic.


    Although they were close friends... the feeling of inferiority must have been quite serious.


    Would this turn out alright? There hadn¡¯t been any issues between the two in the original story.


    ¡°Well, what else is there in life?¡± I said.


    Adelia gently lifted her head in response to my out-of-the-blue remark.


    ¡°No matter what nonsense others say, money is still the best thing there is. What¡¯s wrong with wanting to earn money? It¡¯s a praiseworthy endeavor.¡±


    <i>¡®There¡¯s nothing greater than money, kid. Why feel embarrassed about it?¡¯</i>


    My words made Adelia¡¯s face redden slightly.


    It seemed she had a more severe case of habitual blushing than Harriet.


    ¡°... Oh, yeah... Thanks, Reinhart...¡±


    Riana sighed at my use of the term ¡°nonsense¡±.


    ¡°You really have a way of making the same words sound offensive, don¡¯t you?¡± shemented, and Adelia nodded slightly.


    ¡°Well, too bad, so sad.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose, right? You deliberately double down when someone points it out to you, right?¡±


    ¡°Duh, obviously.¡±


    ¡°There really is something wrong with your head.¡±


    Riana clicked her tongue as if she didn¡¯t want to deal with me. And Adelia just gaped at me as I even picked a fight with Lady Granz.


    <i>¡°I get that you¡¯re that kind of person, but I still can¡¯t understand you at all,¡±</i> she was clearly thinking.


    Rianaughed and looked at Harriet.


    ¡°Once we graduate, the first thing we should do is knock some sense into this lunatic.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face lit up at Riana¡¯s suggestion, and she nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Yeah! Definitely! You¡¯re dead once we graduate, Reinhart!¡±


    Their sudden scheme made Adelia turn pale, and Ellen tilted her head, seemingly just catching on to the situation.


    I grinned at them.


    ¡°... Do you really think I¡¯d let you guys graduate without a hitch?¡±


    Did they seriously think they could safely graduate when I was around?


    At my words, Harriet and Riana made a face that said, ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s you, that¡¯s definitely possible.¡±


    ***


    When the conversation turned back to what they would do during the break, Riana casually mentioned, ¡°I¡¯m going on vacation.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Just around, visiting various family vis.¡±


    Riana was apparently going to go on some continental tour to visit the ces where her family-owned vis were.


    ¡°This time, though, I think I¡¯ll visit the Edina Archipgo,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Edina Archipgo? Where¡¯s that?¡±


    It seemed like nobody had heard of the Edina Archipgo before, but I flinched at the mention of it. That was no other than the southernmost ind nation of the continent where Airi had opened a tavern.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ind south of Kernstadt, and since there¡¯s no connected gate on the ind, not many people visit it often, but I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s a really nice ce. It¡¯s almost like an undiscovered tourist spot.¡±


    ¡°If there are no gates, do you go by boat?¡±


    Riana shook her head at Adelia¡¯s question.


    ¡°If we go by boat, the break would be over by the time we get there. My head butler will take me there.¡±


    ¡°Head butler?¡±


    ¡°Ah. The head butler¡¯s a magician. So we¡¯ll use teleportation to get there.¡±


    Adelia was once again stunned.


    Not just any butler, but the head butler, and not just any head butler, but a high-ranking magician capable of using teleportation. For the Granz ducal family to be able to summon such a high-ranking magician just for the purposes of travel was utterly shocking to Adelia.


    It must have felt so distant to her. Adelia had to sense how far removed from her Harriet and Granz were whenever they spoke of such things.


    Meanwhile, our unbothered friend over there, either oblivious or indifferent, was busy nibbling on the cake I had ordered but not eaten.


    <i>¡®... This kid. She¡¯s always like this when we¡¯re together.¡¯</i>


    No reaction, and ate a lot.


    <i>¡®Why are you even hanging out with these guys? No, why do they even bring you along? These three must be really kind. It¡¯s truly saddening seeing this!¡¯</i>


    I somehow felt like a parent watching their child struggle to fit in with their friends.


    <i>¡®The friends are nice, but my kid isn¡¯t! Sorry for raising my child this way, kids!¡¯</i>


    Anyway, Riana seemed set on enjoying her vacation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be heading home. Same as Adelia, I n to do some magic research. I¡¯ll be asking my brothers for guidance,¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet intended to return to the Saint-Ouen duchy to study. Though the Temple had good facilities, the ducal family¡¯s private facilities in the duchy were likely much better. Plus, since her brothers were also magicians, she would be able to ask them questions that would benefit her understanding.


    In many ways, Harriet didn¡¯t really need to learn magic at the Temple.


    Then, their attention turned to me.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t really nned anything yet,¡± I said.


    I hadn¡¯t even thought about whether to stay at the Temple or not, nor what I was going to do during the break. I could stay and train, but I also wanted to do something more meaningful.


    It was Ellen¡¯s turn.


    ¡°What about you, Ellen?¡±


    Ludwig¡¯s vacation ns were mentioned in the story, but Ellen¡¯s had not yet been discussed. When the question was directed at her, Ellen, while taking a bite of her cake, said, ¡°I was originally nning to just rest at home...¡±


    It seemed she had initially intended to return to her family home, but her ns had changed.


    ¡°... But I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m going to register myself as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°... An adventurer, all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Why an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±


    Everyone was taken aback by her sudden announcement. Most had expected her to just quietly continue enjoying her cake.


    <i>¡®Adventurer? What in the world?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I want to see the Dark Land.¡±


    My head felt like it was going to explode.


    <i>¡®This girl has finally lost it.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Her sudden deration that she was going to be an adventurer plunged everyone into panic.


    ¡°Ellen. Just because the Great War ended doesn¡¯t mean all the demons are gone,¡± Riana said.


    Ellen nodded in response to Riana¡¯sment. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°But why the Dark Land? No, why an adventurer even?¡±


    ¡°Since the Dark Land is still rtively unknown, if you map out an unexplored area or find something unusual and report it, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will pay you. For information on dungeons and such.¡±


    Ellen mentioned money in response to Adelia¡¯s question, and an unexpected answer as to how adventurers made their living emerged.


    But then, she wasn¡¯t going to Dark Land just for the money, right? That seemed like it would be more of an added benefit.


    ¡°You¡¯re not nning to go alone, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going alone.¡±


    ¡°No way! You, you¡¯re... strong, yes, but... what if you run into dangerous demons?¡±


    Harriet, who knew Ellen could summon an unidentified sword, seemed less rmed than the others, but still thought it was a ridiculous idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for a Teleport scroll from the Temple. If it gets dangerous, I¡¯ll use that.¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s just nuts.¡¯</i>


    This wasn¡¯t a spur-of-the-moment decision; she had already reported her vacation ns to the Temple, and even arranged to receive a highly valuable Teleport scroll from them.


    Would they go that far for anyone, even for someone from the Royal ss? Was Ellen special in some way?


    One after another, everyone else voiced their worries.


    Except for me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± I said.


    My words were not driven by worry, but by firm disapproval.


    <i>¡®Do you want to wander off into dangerous ces and die? What are you even talking about?¡¯</i>


    This development was definitely not part of the original story.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go. Why would you even do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen had responded promptly to the others, but at my words, she cast her eyes down and fell silent for a long while.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Her sudden submission surprised everyone, and their expressions grew bewildered.


    <i>¡°Huh?¡±</i>


    That question was written on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the three of them...


    Even I was taken aback by this situation.

 Chapter 139

    <h4>Chapter 139</h4>


    As the evening set in, we returned to the dormitory.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    After all the other guys had gone in, I stopped Ellen, who was thest one to enter.


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a moment.¡±


    I felt like I needed to have a word with her.


    ***


    I took Ellen to the park in front of the dormitory. She followed a short distance behind me.


    Once I made sure there were no people around, I turned to face her.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ellen looked puzzled as to why I had suddenly called her over.


    ¡°Why have you been so wary of metely?¡±


    Since the kidnapping incident, she had been notably wary of me. She had even talked about going to the Dark Land suddenly, and seemed determined to follow through with it.


    I didn¡¯t want her to go to such a dangerous ce, so I¡¯d told her not to.


    I expected her to at least be stubborn about it, yet she had immediately agreed not to go, which felt rather strange to me


    It was unusual for her to be so amodating toward me all of a sudden.


    And I thought I knew the reason why. We had decided to keep our distance from each other, but then, suddenly, the bizarre incident of me being kidnapped arose.


    She must have been shocked to suddenly lose me for real, even when she thought that it wouldn¡¯t matter if I was gone. Moreover, she had regretted what she¡¯d said to me and felt sorry, to the extent that she believed my kidnapping was somehow her fault. Of course, it wasn¡¯t her fault at all.


    She had told me that she disliked me because I reminded her of her brother, who had many secrets.


    However, she realized she couldn¡¯t push me away and believed that the things she had said were a mistake, leading her to feel guilty towards me.


    That¡¯s why she was being so cautious around me. She was afraid of making another mistake.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything wrong to me. What you did was right, and you had every right to feel that way. This unfortunate kidnapping incident happened, but my being kidnapped should not change how you felt about me before. You even went searching for me. If anything, I should be thankful to you. What reason do you have to feel sorry towards me?¡±


    Ellen remained silent, looking down at the ground.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied.


    Ellen¡¯s head was still bowed. She couldn¡¯t even look me in the eyes.


    ¡°What don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make a mistake like thest time, but I don¡¯t know how to prevent that.¡±


    It seemed she still regretted her actions fromst time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how... and that¡¯s why it keeps happening,¡± she continued.


    Ellen did not want to do or say something she would regret, like before. However, it seemed she was worried that whatever she said or did might turn out to be a mistake.


    That was why she¡¯d be so passive and cautious around me. That was why she had acquiesced so readily when I told her not to go to the Dark Land.


    She was afraid that I might be angry or feel hurt if she insisted on going even after I told her not to.


    Ellen had seemed okay so far because she didn¡¯t really care about others. She just did what she wanted to do, without paying any attention to anyone else¡¯s opinion.


    In the end, though, she was inexperienced in dealing with people. That was why she didn¡¯t know how to interact with those who weren¡¯t okay with her decisions. She never paid attention to her words and actions before, but she had just started to.


    <i>¡°Is it okay to do this? Is it okay to say this?¡±</i>


    Filled with such doubts, Ellen ended up being wary of me. Since she had already made a mistake once, she had grown even more cautious because she did not want to make another.


    She just didn¡¯t know how to treat me.


    While it was nice to be considered an important friend by her, I didn¡¯t want to see her this way.


    This wasn¡¯t like her.


    I didn¡¯t want her to start bing cautious just because of me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down.¡±


    I motioned for Ellen to sit on a bench and sat next to her.


    Even though she was someone with top-tier talents in this universe, when it came to interpersonal rtionships, she was nothing but awkward.


    I knew this because I was the first real ¡°friend¡± she¡¯d ever had.


    After experiencing what it was like to lose me, she had probably seriously considered what I meant to her.


    In the end, she thought she should treat me well while I was around.


    That was why she wanted to treat me well but didn¡¯t know how, leading her to act this way.


    ¡°You know I lied, right?¡±


    ¡°About the kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She nodded silently.


    Ellen said that she was no longer curious about my secrets. All that mattered to her was that I was safe.


    But that couldn¡¯t be true. She had to be curious and struggling because she didn¡¯t really know me. It was inevitable that she would notice more and more simrities between her brother¡¯s situation and my own, and grow increasingly stressed internally.


    Ellen knew I¡¯d lied about the kidnapping incident. However, she didn¡¯t know the truth. It was possible that she thought it had something to do with what Loyar had done.


    ¡°Actually, I was kidnapped by the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±


    ¡°The Thieves¡¯ Guild?¡±


    I wondered if Ellen knew about the Thieves¡¯ Guild. She probably didn¡¯t, since it was unlikely that she would be interested in the criminal organizations within the imperial city.


    ¡°Yes. Remember our big sister, the boss, that you went to see?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°Our organization is kind of like a subcontractor for the Thieves¡¯ Guild. There are lots of beggars there, and they pick up rumors and information from the streets. They offer this information to the Thieves¡¯ Guild and get paid for it. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Subcontractor...?¡±


    Ellen seemed to be hearing the term ¡°subcontractor¡± for the first time in her life.


    Indeed, it was a word she didn¡¯t need to know.


    ¡°Like minions.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yes.¡±


    I could tell Ellen the truth.


    She wasn¡¯t one to b, and she had run around for my sake, so there was nothing I couldn¡¯t tell her.


    Honestly, it was touching. After all, she was acting this way because I was important to her.


    I nned to tell her everything.


    It seemed better toy it all out.


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened as I began to divulge everything. Her expression told me that she hadn¡¯t expected me to actually tell this to her.


    ¡°As you know, our organization is essentially a gathering of beggars, and it¡¯s not easy for such an organization to send a student to the Temple. The tuition for the Temple is exorbitantly high.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m a little unique, right?¡±


    It was odd how much I knew, given my age. If you considered my origins, it was even more strange.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the organization wanted to raise me as a sessor. That¡¯s why they sent me to the Temple in the first ce. After graduating, the n was to somehow live with those people. Well... although the club isn¡¯t a group centered around crime, technically, I was being raised to be a sessor of a criminal organization.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°But when I actually got to the Temple, it turned out I had some kind of infinite aptitude or something, and I ended up enrolling in the Royal ss.¡±


    Ellen nodded dumbly. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, my hope is that our organization can escape the influence of the Thieves¡¯ Guild. As you know, I initially intended to attend the Temple quietly, but I ended up in the Royal ss. There are too many prominent people here. If my situation came to light, it would only cause trouble.¡±


    The Royal ss was overflowing with princes and princesses, not to mention the children of powerful families. That was why, to avoid being caught in the crossfire of titans, I wanted to sever any ties with the criminal organization.


    Of course, not all of this was true.


    ¡°In any case, I hoped that our organization couldpletely cut ties with the Thieves¡¯ Guild, so I pulled off a few stunts, but it seems like that rubbed them the wrong way. They were plotting to eliminate our big sister. On that rainy day, unbeknownst to me, I wandered into the back alleys of Wenster Market and got caught by members of the Thieves¡¯ Guild. They didn¡¯t know it was me when they kidnapped me, and only realized it afterward. Anyway, after kidnapping me, they nned to lure our big sister out and kill her.¡±


    Ellen was listening to my story, intertwined with the affairs of the underworld, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing.


    She might have thought that there was something unusual about Loyar and that group of beggars, but hearing about the power struggle between the Thieves¡¯ Guild and other underworld organizations from me must have bordered on the unbelievable.


    She seemed shocked to learn that I was involved in such a world. She also appeared surprised that I could speak so casually about matters of life and death.


    Of course, I was not the sessor to some grand organization.


    But to Ellen, an absolute outsider, it seemed like I was living within the grand schemes of major criminal organizations. To her, I seemed like someone living an entirely different life.


    <i>¡®No... that¡¯s not it... it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking...¡¯</i>


    ¡°How... did things turn out the way they did?¡± Ellen asked, picturing a terrifying criminal organization. After all, I had been kidnapped by the Thieves¡¯ Guild, an organization far more formidable than Loyar¡¯s.


    <i>¡°How in the world did you end up safe and alive?¡±</i>


    That was what Ellen wanted to know.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my organization that mattered, but rather my affiliation. I¡¯m a student of the Royal ss. Plus, we have a prince and a princess in our year. Kidnapping me was a mistake from the start.¡±


    Indeed, the moment the guild master realized who I was, he realized that he had stepped in it big time, and mentally copsed.


    ¡°The guild master was terrified as soon as he saw me and recognized who I was. It¡¯splicated to exin fully, but Vertus and Charlotte figured out those guys were the culprits pretty early on, around Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°Wednesday?¡±


    I had returned on Saturday. If the culprits had been found out on Wednesday, why had I only returned on Saturday? Ellen would be curious about this.


    ¡°I ryed my request to them not to tell anyone that they had found me because I had some unfinished business with the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±


    Ellen seemed increasingly confused by my exnation.


    ¡°You see, the situation had already blown up in such a huge way that I thought I might as well take over the Thieves¡¯ Guild while I was at it,¡± I continued.


    Ellen seemed on the verge of giving up trying to understand it.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to get involved with criminal organizations, though,¡± Ellenmented.


    ¡°I did say that, but...¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to be caught with my connection to a criminal organization, but Charlotte and Vertus had known about it already for a while so it was no use hiding it.


    ¡°You know... thoughts change as the situation changes. So, anyway, I failed to take over the Thieves¡¯ Guild, but in return for burying this incident, they owe me a favor that I will get to im from them someday.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going around iming to be the king of the underworld or anything. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I could actually do it. Even if I could, ultimately, I¡¯d just be ying into Vertus¡¯s hands.


    Besides, I didn¡¯t know whether I¡¯d even be good at that sort of thing.


    In any case, I told Ellen almost everything about my rough background and the truth behind the disappearance.


    Ellen nodded dumbly. ¡°Is that... so...¡±


    The heir to a criminal organization, and the audacious spirit aiming to devour the Thieves¡¯ Guild after being kidnapped... While not everything had been exined clearly, Ellen nodded as if she had a rough understanding of it all. She seemed shocked that I was a more incredible person than she had imagined. There was definitely a lot of misunderstanding mixed in.


    She looked at me as if I was not only incredibly dangerous, but also an impressive figure.


    No. There was no way she was convinced just yet.


    ¡°Actually, though, this is all a cover.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I still had more to say.


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m thest heir of the Demon Realm.¡±


    Ellen looked surprised.


    ¡°But honestly, I¡¯m not interested in war or anything like that. I just infiltrated the human world because I wanted to livefortably.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s expression twisted slightly, and I could read her thoughts. <i>¡°What kind of nonsense did you just say? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?¡±</i>


    I could almost see the question marks forming in Ellen¡¯s eyes.


    The Demon Realm?


    <i>¡°Is he ying a joke in front of me? Is he crazy?¡±</i>


    That was the look she had.


    Oh, dear.


    It was too early for her to be surprised.


    ¡°But actually, that too is a disguise.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    A disguise on top of a disguise on top of a disguise.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll tell you the real truth.¡¯</i>


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m what you can consider the god who created this world, and am currently possessing a human body as a form of punishment.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s gaze shifted from perplexed astonishment to the perfect calm of a deepke. Her bafflement had crossed the threshold into tranquility.


    Her gaze had be colder than I had ever seen before. It was akin to the dangerous glint that asionally appeared in the eyes of both Charlotte and Vertus.


    However, with Ellen, it felt different.


    It didn¡¯t just give off a strong pressure; it felt genuinely lethal.


    I began to fear that I might actually be murdered on the spot.


    <i>¡®Yeah, maybe mentioning stuff about the Demon Realm in front of Ellen was a bit too much...? Then again... you¡¯re the one who said you wanted to know about me, though... This is the real truth...¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me about it...¡±¡ªher tone was icy¡ª¡°Just say you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    <i>Smack</i>!


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    For the first time, Ellen put some force into it as she smacked the back of my head.


    Ellen got up abruptly and stormed back into the dormitory, apparently fuming.


    ¡°Ugh. Damn! Wow that really hurt.¡±


    Yeah...


    Who would believe that anyway?


    It seemed my mention of the Demon Realm had really pissed her off, but maybe we were good now since I¡¯d managed to get her to quit feeling sorry for me.


    ¡°How could you say that kind of thing, knowing who my brother is? Are you out of your mind?¡± Ellen said.


    She must have really been mad at me.


    <i>¡®Hard as it may be to believe, though, that¡¯s the real truth that you wanted to know.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps because I managed to infuriate her, from the next day on, Ellen treated me like usual.

 Chapter 140

    <h4>Chapter 140</h4>


    Ellen seemed to trust me at least regarding the part about the criminal organization, but when it came to me being a demon or the creator of this world, she must have thought I was mocking her. As payback for irritating her, Ellen reverted to treating me normally.


    Ellen didn¡¯t visit Loyar every day. Sometimes, she woulde to the training grounds and spar with me. Of course, these days, I mainly sparred with Cliffman, so things had changed a bit.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you two spar?¡±


    Ellen looked confused at my suggestion.


    ¡°Me and her?¡±


    Ellen and Cliffman, who had maintained a level of indifference towards each other, started talking because of me being the middleman. Ellen seemed open to sparring with Cliffman, while Cliffman himself looked visibly tense.


    ¡°...¡±


    Lately, sparring with Cliffman had made me realize something. He didn¡¯t talk to anyone, and he was even a bit awkward with me. It was strange since I was the same gender as him.


    Now, his sparring partner was Ellen. A girl who was so pretty that she could easily im the title of the city¡¯s most beautiful girl.


    Of course, someone with social anxiety was going to be even more nervous around a member of the opposite sex. Cliffman couldn¡¯t even look at Ellen¡ªwho was standing in front of him¡ªproperly. It was awkward enough for him to spar with me, let alone Ellen. I wondered if he was so nervous that he might throw up or something.


    <i>¡®Was this suggestion a mistake?¡¯</i>


    Before they had even started, Cliffman was so tense that he was sweating profusely.


    ¡°Here I go.¡±


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    Ellen charged ahead.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Cliffman couldn¡¯t even react to the training sword striking him on the top of his head.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen looked back and forth between me and Cliffman with her usualck of expression. However, she wasn¡¯t truly expressionless. In fact, she was incredibly flustered.


    It reminded me of the first time I sparred with Ellen. Back then, I hadn¡¯t been nervous; I simplycked the skill and got hit.


    Ellen was staring nkly at Cliffman, who had been subdued with a single strike.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Ellen mumbled nkly, looking at me.


    Despite the way she spoke, it was clear she was really flustered.


    What was there to do?


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go find the priest on duty.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Ellen and I had to support Cliffman¡ªwho had fainted¡ªone on each side, as we went to find the priest on duty.


    ***


    Fortunately, Cliffman wasn¡¯t severely injured. He regained consciousness after the priest cast a healing spell on him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Cliffman¡¯s face was beet red, perhaps because he was embarrassed about getting knocked out without being able to react. He couldn¡¯t even open his mouth.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you block it?¡±


    Ellen, having seen him in action before, knew that Cliffman was quite skilled. However, he had been so spaced out that he didn¡¯t manage to block, dodge, or deflect her lightest first strike and took the hit squarely on the head. Ellen didn¡¯t understand how he could have frozen up like that.


    <i>¡®Hmm. I sure can¡¯t speak for everyone, but I think there would definitely be more than a truckload of people who would be too nervous to even speak if there was someone like you in front of them. Regrettably, Cliffman is one of those people.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That, that is... That¡¯s because...¡± Cliffman started to stammer, seemingly unable to admit he had been too nervous.


    These were the official loners of ss A: Ellen and Cliffman. Both had their own ways of dealing with people, and both had serious ws when it came to maintaining rtionships.


    ¡°You did well against Reinhart, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh, that¡¯s because...! That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°... Is that all you can say?¡±


    ¡°N-No, no! That¡¯s not...! That, that isn¡¯t what I...¡±


    Watching the two with poor interpersonal skills trying to converse was truly a gong show.


    ***


    Because Cliffman had fainted, the evening training hade to an abrupt and early end. Since he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, we left the priest¡¯s office and headed back to the dormitory.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a snack. Are you going to eat something?¡± I asked Cliffman.


    His face turned red, and he shook his head vigorously. ¡°No, no! That¡¯s okay! I¡¯m full!¡±


    This guy seemed about to cry, vomit, and faint if he had to spend any more time with Ellen that day.


    Was his social awkwardness always this extreme? It seemed especially amplified around girls.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then!¡± Cliffman sprinted away at full speed and disappeared into his room.


    ¡°What a strange kid,¡± Ellen said.


    How severe did someone¡¯s weirdness have to be for even Ellen to consider them weird? Of course, Ellen seemed to immediately forget about Cliffman as we headed towards the dining hall.


    ¡°I want stew,¡± Ellen said to me.


    ¡°People don¡¯t usually call that a snack, you know?¡±


    ¡°Stew. With beef.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing this on purpose?¡±


    Ellen stared at me and nodded her head.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It was nice to have things back to normal. It really was.


    But...


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go ahead and make it? Hm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡±


    It seemed Ellen had realized that behaving the way she usually did was best after all. But whether she realized I wouldn¡¯t get easily offended or not, I wasn¡¯t sure.


    <i>¡®Okay fine, I admit it. I like that we¡¯re back to normal. It¡¯s nice, indeed.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how. Show me how to make it this time and I¡¯ll make it next time.¡±


    <i>¡®But why does it seem like she¡¯s be even more shameless than usual?¡¯</i>


    ***


    In the end, we made and ate beef stew in the middle of the night.


    <i>Omnomnom</i>.


    ¡°I definitely spoiled you wrong.¡±


    Eating like this has be a routine, since we¡¯d grown tired of making and eating simple meals. Eating fried eggs or sausages constantly would naturally be monotonous.


    So, we often cooked something more sophisticated, and Ellen, who remembered every single type of food she¡¯d eaten, would sometimes just suddenly make demands out of the blue. ¡°Make that thing you madest time,¡± or some such.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t do any of that while tiptoeing around my feelings the past few days, but as soon as things went back to normal, she became demanding again. She had learned a little by watching me cook, but apparently, food prepared by someone else always tasted better to her.


    As the saying goes, ramen always tastes better when someone else cooks it.


    ¡°Where did you learn to cook something like this?¡± Ellen was curious enough to ask.


    She might not have asked me this the day before, but since we¡¯d decided not to mind each other¡¯s feelings, she just said whatever came to mind now.


    Where did I learn it?


    Of course, I learned it from YouTube.


    You can find everything with a search on the inte nowadays.


    ¡°What are you talking about, kid? I bought a cookbook. Where else would I learn it?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just saying this to cover anything up. Since I couldn¡¯t recall everything from the YouTube videos I watched, I¡¯d actually bought a cookbook to confirm if what I remembered was correct. Moreover, I also discovered many new recipes, and beef stew was a dish I had genuinely learned to make from the book.


    Ellen seemed slightly surprised when I mentioned the cookbook.


    ¡°Why? Are you moved? It¡¯s not like I bought it for you.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. Damn it.¡¯</i>


    That was a ssic tsundere[1]line if I ever heard one.


    I wanted to turn back time if I could.


    It had indeed been purchased for my use, but then again, If I was alone, I wouldn¡¯t bother making this kind of food in the first ce... Which meant that I had actually bought it to make food for her! She was in fact the only one I¡¯d do this for!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°... Can I hit you really hard right now?¡±


    ¡°If you can.¡±


    That was her way of saying she would not let me hit her, ever. Ellen continued to scoop up her stew diligently, clearly unfazed.


    Now that she seemed to have reverted to her usual state of mind, there was something I had been wanting to ask her.


    ¡°Hey. Why did you want to go to the Dark Land?¡±


    Though she¡¯d agreed not to go because I told her not to, I was intrigued to know the initial reason for why she¡¯d wanted to venture there in the first ce. It couldn¡¯t have been for money. If money was the goal, selling the teleportation scroll provided by the Temple would have been more profitable.


    ¡°Real-life experience.¡±


    ¡°... Real-life experience?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I realized it thest time. Nothing beats actualbat experience.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s confidence wasn¡¯t sky-high, but losing to Loyar seemed to have taught her a lot. She hade to a fresh realization that she had never truly experienced realbat before.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t about feeling nervous or intimidated in battle. However, the sensation of death looming close at hand could only be found in actualbat. While she had been shocked by her defeat, it seemed to have provided her ample motivation.


    Although not much time had passed since then, her skills appeared to have improved considerably. This kid was not just terrifying in terms of strength, but more so in terms of the pace at which she became stronger.


    ¡°Even so, while needing real-life experience is one thing, seeking out actualbat is another, isn¡¯t it? And what¡¯s the point of risking danger to be stronger? The Great War is over.¡±


    I was grinding my teeth and training intensely because I knew the ¡°gate incident¡± was going to happen. Considering the future situations that would arise, it would be beneficial if Ellen grew stronger. However, she had no urgent reason to rush into danger like that. What if she got herself killed in the Dark Land trying to gain ¡°real-life experience¡±?


    ¡°There are plenty of reasons to be stronger, not just because of something like the Great War.¡±


    That was all Ellen said, but I could easily read her underlying meaning. She no longer wanted to feel powerless in situations where strength was necessary.


    Ultimately, there was nothing wrong with bing stronger.


    ¡°Besides the Demon King¡¯s castle, I¡¯ve heard that the Dark Land is full of dungeons and hidden treasures.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t known exactly how adventurers made a living, but since the Dark Land wasn¡¯tpletely pacified yet, it seemed they were exploring the region for valuables.


    Ellen seemed interested in finding powerful magical items that might be hidden there. I hadn¡¯t written anything about this in the original novel, so I waspletely in the dark.


    There was a part about Ludwig exploring dungeons in the novel, but those dungeons were in the human world, not the Dark Land. In any case, I did not focus much on adventurers. Hence, I didn¡¯t really know what they did. Their primary targets seemed to be treasures in The Dark Land, and Ellen was quite interested in them as well.


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t Lament enough?¡±


    Despite it all, there was nothing quite like the divine sword, Lament. It was like those aura des from old fantasy novels, with sharpness as a passive ability¡ªa downright overpowered sword.


    <i>¡°Loyar is just so stupidly strong that she was able to block it with her bare hands. It¡¯s not that you or Lament were weak.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have more, would it?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s desire for power seemed to have even extended to material greed.


    She wanted to discover the treasures of the Dark Land, and what exactly those might be, she did not know. Of course, the treasure was secondary; her primary purpose in visiting the Dark Land was to get real-life experience and grow stronger. In case of emergency, she could always escape using a Teleport scroll.


    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t go.¡±


    I had asked her not to go without providing a reason, and it seemed Ellen had decided not to worry about it, since she had already agreed not to go.


    Was she being obedient, or not?


    The Dark Land... That ce was an unknown region, even to me. Despite the fact that I was from there, I didn¡¯t know anything about it.


    This world contained many powerful magical items that I hadn¡¯t put into the novel. Prominent examples included Sarkegar¡¯s ring and the me of Fire that I possessed.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    On second thought, going to The Dark Land might not be such a bad idea after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    It would be dangerous to let her go alone, but it would definitely be less dangerous if I went with her.


    I had finally decided what I was going to do during the break.


    As I was making ns in my head, Ellen shook her head firmly. ¡°No. You¡¯re not good at fighting.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. Right. We are on totally different levels in terms of skills. I forgot.¡¯</i>


    Still, I could help in various ways that she didn¡¯t know about.


    Then again, what she¡¯d said was so true that I couldn¡¯t really argue with her. Yes, it was incredibly true...


    <i>¡®But you! Hey! Isn¡¯t that putting it too harshly?¡¯ </i>


    ¡°... That was offensive.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry. But it¡¯s the truth.¡±


    <i>¡®Such a mean girl.¡¯</i>


    Here I was, thinking about how much I cared for her, and this was how she responded.


    <i>¡®Sigh.¡¯</i>


    I suddenly felt like going for a drink.


    1. A character archetype in Japanese media characterized by initially being cold, hostile, or aloof before gradually showing a warmer, more affectionate side. ?

 Chapter 141

    <h4>Chapter 141</h4>


    Ellen was definitely more than capable on her own, and I too had reached a level where I was beyond ordinary in terms of physical stamina and fighting ability, especially since I had supernatural powers. However, there was an undeniably huge difference between Ellen and me. It was only natural that she believed I would be in danger if I followed her to the Dark Land to gain realbat experience.


    It wasn¡¯t about me being a hindrance; she was worried I might be in danger, and that led to her insistence that I should not follow her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t take me along, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    In the end, I resorted to stubbornness to convince her to take me along.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me not to go.¡±


    Ellen seemed confused. I had told her that it was pointless for her to go, but now I was suddenly making a fuss about going with her.


    ¡°Ugh<i>, </i>I don¡¯t know, okay?! Just take me with you! I can fight well too! Maybe not as well as you, but I can handle myself now, alright?¡±


    I had suddenly started throwing a tantrum, and Ellen let out a sigh.


    Ellen, perhaps feeling overwhelmed, stared at me and then reluctantly said, ¡°Why this, all of a sudden?¡±


    She seemed to have been considering giving up on the idea herself, and my sudden insistence to apany her puzzled her.


    ¡°You said there¡¯s treasure there.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It could be worth a lot of money.¡±


    In the end, the only excuse I coulde up with was the prospect of money.


    Then again, in all honesty, finding some significant treasure could help with financing our operations, not to mention how great it would be if we could give a portion to Airi.


    Ellen must have guessed why I needed money.


    Eventually, she seemed to resign herself to the situation.


    ¡°... Then let¡¯s stick to safer ces. It¡¯s not like this is the only break we¡¯re going to get,¡± she said with a sigh.


    ***


    Ellen begrudgingly epted my insistence on tagging along, and turned her attention to nning. Even though I thought it was pretty low of me to insist on going after telling her not to, hearing her reasons for wanting to go to the Dark Land made me think it might be worth it.


    I couldn¡¯t just let her go alone. I was sticking with her because I knew I could make things just a tad safer. She might not realize it, but her being with me was undoubtedly safer.


    I wasn¡¯t too concerned with final exams, so nothing really changed even though it was exam season. My grades were the least of my worries.


    I found myself at Eleris¡¯s shop after finishing the day¡¯s sses in the Temple, under the pretext of picking up a letter, something I did regrly. I had just finished writing a reply to another letter from Charlotte.


    This area was no longer under surveince, which meant I coulde and go freely.


    ¡°Eleris.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that adventurers frequent the Dark Land. Is that true?¡±


    Ellen seemed quite troubled about taking me along, but if she didn¡¯t, there was a high chance we¡¯d miss out on something substantial.


    I was surrounded by individuals familiar with the Dark Land¡ªthree, in fact.


    ¡°Ah. There has indeed been a recent increase in adventurers. They say they¡¯re exploring the Dark Land.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s shop was located in the Aligar Marketce, which was a gathering spot for adventurers. Even if Eleris didn¡¯t know the specifics of what was going on in the Dark Land, she had to have information about the hotspots where adventurers converged.


    ¡°Are there that many treasures in the Dark Land?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... The Demon King¡¯s castle would have been looted entirely by the allied forces, but the Dark Land is vast. There must be treasures somewhere that would appeal to adventurers. At least, there would be more treasure than in these humannds, which have been thoroughly scoured by humans.¡±


    Adventurers did not originally venture into dangerous territories like the Dark Land. However, with humanity¡¯s victory in the Great War, adventurers slowly started to turn their attention towards the Dark Land.


    However, something about her wording was odd. She did not say ¡°there <i>are</i> many¡±, but ¡°there <i>must</i> be many¡±.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t really know if there are treasures in the Dark Land?¡±


    Eleris smiled at my question.


    ¡°Thend is too vast for me to know everything. However, considering the numerous demon ns that exist in the Dark Land, it¡¯s not inconceivable that they possess treasures. Not to mention the hidden dungeons scattered around.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s admission that she couldn¡¯t know everything about the Dark Land seemed reasonable.


    But then, what was that about demon ns?


    ¡°Weren¡¯t all the demon ns destroyed during the Great War?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see what you mean.¡±


    It seemed Eleris had only just realized that, because of my supposed amnesia, Icked almost all knowledge regarding the Great War and the Dark Land.


    ¡°The previous Demon King had summoned the powerful demon ns to him even before the Great War started. However, not all of the demon ns were called upon, so countless demon forces, the remnants, still exist in the Dark Land. Even the ns who participated in the war likely left sessors behind, or kept somest bit of their strength in reserve.¡±


    It was true that a general mobilization order had been issued, but not all demon ns had been summoned. Therefore, while the Demon Realm had fallen apart with the death of the Demon King, demons were not yetpletely exterminated.


    ¡°Moreover, there were forces that refused the summons. They are still likely robust.¡±


    ¡°Refused the summons?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those were mostly ns on the outskirts of the Dark Land, far from the influence of the previous Demon King.¡±


    This was new information to me.


    Those who had no dealings with the Demon King had refused the summons because they were out of his sphere of control. These forces likely remained rtively unscathed even with the Demon Realm¡¯s copse.


    ¡°Hm... So, the allied forces focused all their efforts on a singr attack to bring down the Demon King¡¯s castle, and since upation was impossible, they withdrew after achieving their objective?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Maintaining control over upied territories would require tremendous resources and manpower, and the allied forces, the human powers, did not have the capacity to upy the entirety of the Dark Land.


    While it was true that the high-ranking demon ns and a vast number of demon forces had suffered catastrophic losses, and the demons lost the power to counter the humans, humans were ultimately unable to loot much of the Dark Land aside from the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    In the aftermath of it all, the adventurers began creeping in to snatch up the treasures left behind by the weakened demon ns. So it was true that such treasures existed.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are you suddenly curious about the Dark Land?¡±


    I shrugged in response.


    ¡°We¡¯re short on money.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see.¡±


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t that we were exactly short on funds. Rather, there was a huge need for resources.


    ¡°I thought we might try treasure hunting during this vacation.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    Eleris was horrified by my idea of plundering my own homnd to raise money.


    Indeed, upon serious reflection, it did seem like a truly viinous thought.


    From the adventurers¡¯ perspective, it was about defeating evil demons and taking their treasures, but it was apletely different story if I were to do the same thing. It was an absurd scenario, where a sessor of demonkind went about looting the Dark Land.


    ¡°Of course, if it¡¯s treasures you need, Your Highness doesn¡¯t need to go personally. I can go alone... Although, I don¡¯t exactly know where to find them...¡±


    Ellen, despite being unparalleled in some aspects, was iparable to Eleris when it came to treasure hunting. If the goal was treasure hunting, there was no need for Ellen to go. We could just send Eleris.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to go alone.¡±


    Of course, while the treasure was important, there was something else that mattered more.


    ¡°Not alone...? Then... Are you referring to the child that Loyar mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She apparently wants to gain ¡®real¡¯bat experience.¡±


    Ensuring that Ellen gained practical experience safely was more important. While it was crucial for me to be stronger, given the future events that might unfold, it was much better for Ellen, who possessed a different level of potential, to grow stronger.


    Strictly speaking, turning Ellen into an absolute monster was a better choice than nurturing my own puny body.


    Eleris, who was unaware of such reasoning, seemed unable to understand my intention to help Ellen gain realbat experience. If it were about reconstructing the Demon Realm or something along those lines, Eleris might still have understood, although she might dislike it. But helping a ssmate seemed iprehensible.


    ¡°In any case, it seems dangerous to let her go alone, so I n to follow along.¡±


    ¡°That... I understand what you¡¯re saying, but... Your Highness, it could also be dangerous for you as well.¡±


    ¡°... I know that. I can¡¯t even control any demons in this state.¡±


    My ability to control demons was sealed away as long as I maintained my current form, disguised by Sarkegar¡¯s ring. To utilize it properly, I had to return to my true demon form, which included horns.


    The ability to control demons was inherent to the Archdemon race, so it was unavoidable. However, Eleris shook her head at my words.


    ¡°Even if you return to your true form, it would still be just as dangerous.¡±


    ¡°... Why is that?¡±


    <i>¡®The Dark Land is still dangerous even if I can use my Control Demon ability? Why? Am I not immune to damage from demons? Even if my Control Demon ability is rather low-tier, it¡¯s definitely functional, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Your power is still weak, Your Highness. If you encounter someone who does not sumb to your ability, they might attack you.¡±


    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the case in the Demon King¡¯s castle.¡±


    <i>¡®I mean, ogres and such were rushing to protect me back then!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Those were the military forces within the Demon King¡¯s castle, who were already trained. It¡¯s entirely possible that the bordend demons or other wild beasts that are nearly devoid of intelligence may fail to recognize you, or your dominance might not affect them.¡±


    <i>¡®What!? I thought I was invincible in the Dark Land! That¡¯s why I was nning to go with my Control Demon ability sealed, in a way!¡¯</i>


    ¡°For example, Your Highness, you wouldn¡¯t be able to control demons like Sarkegar or Loyar, would you?¡±


    <i>¡®... That¡¯s true.¡¯</i>


    Those two followed me out of loyalty, not because I was exercising any dominion over them.


    At my current level, I could easily be backstabbed by demons, and those who don¡¯t know me wouldn¡¯t even recognize me.


    Even if they did recognize me, they might still respond nonchntly and cause a fuss.


    It seemed I would be in danger either way, whether in my true form or as Reinhart.


    ¡°Eleris.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Is there really even one good thing about being an Archdemon?¡±


    My talents were bought with achievement points, and the single Control Demon ability I possessed was still too weak to use effectively. Considering all the inconvenience thates with being a demon, what exactly was the benefit?


    The previous generation¡¯s Baalier, Baalier Sr., was a crazy munchkin, so why was I like this?


    Was it because I was originally meant to die, so there was no such thing as a correction factor for me?


    ¡°Hmm... Archdemons have a very long lifespan, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    <i>¡®Great. What a fantastic advantage! Yay...!¡¯</i>


    In theory, that was actually an incredible advantage. However, it was such a long-term advantage that it felt utterly meaningless in my current situation.


    If the previous Demon King had started off like me and only grew stronger over time through countless years of training, that would be a disaster in itself!


    Anyway, I was worried about Ellen and nned to follow her to the Dark Land in case I needed to intervene, but it seemed, ording to Eleris, that I might be the one who would end up in danger.


    Especially since the bordend demons had not even followed the previous Demon King¡¯s orders. This meant that there were definitely forces in the Dark Land that did not care for or were even hostile toward the Demon King.


    Regardless...


    I wasn¡¯t nning to undertake the journey with just Ellen and myself. It would be dangerous for just the two of us to go.


    ¡°Eleris, if we go to the Dark Land,e along with us as well. We can easilye up with an excuse as to why you¡¯reing along.¡±


    Originally, my n was to disguise Eleris as a mage adventurer and sneak her into our party.


    My protection wasn¡¯t going to be my Control Demon ability.


    ¡°Just act like a bit of a clumsy mage, and when things really get dangerous, you can protect us.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    <i>Eleris</i> was our backup.

 Chapter 142

    <h4>Chapter 142</h4>


    Eleris pondered for a moment before nodding her head, agreeing to the n. Sarkegar was masquerading as a noble, and Loyar was busy running a club. Meanwhile, aside from hanging onto a shop that wasn¡¯t making any sales, Eleris didn¡¯t really have anything else to do, so finding time to apany us during the break wasn¡¯t going to be difficult.


    After leaving Eleris¡¯s shop and returning to the Temple, I handed the reply letter to Charlotte.


    ¡°Thanks as always, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not that hard to do anyway.¡±


    Even though it seemed about time to get used to it, every time Charlotte delightedly received the secretly hand-delivered reply, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge in my heart.


    I felt like I¡¯d be a professional con artist, having even created a different style of handwriting for this very endeavor.


    ¡°Anyway, about the thing we were supposed to look intost time¡ªlet¡¯s start digging into it.¡±


    ¡°Oh... that?¡±


    The Demon God Cult, or the Revolutionary Forces.


    Due to one thing and another, we still hadn¡¯t looked into those matters. The rainy season hade, and then there was my kidnapping incident. Apparently, Charlotte had judged that we couldn¡¯t dy any further, since the break was about to start.


    ¡°... But what about the final exams?¡±


    Charlotte looked a little shocked at the sudden mention of final exams.


    ¡°Reinhart... You seem to forget sometimes, but I am the princess.¡±


    It was her way of saying that, from her perspective, those two issues were obviously more important than the final exams.


    <i>¡®No. Haven¡¯t you been dragging your feet and procrastinating too much for it to be just that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, things might not be as serious as I think they are. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still preparing adequately for the final exams,¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte seemed to believe that she would handle the final exams just fine on her own.


    ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, Reinhart, you actually might be stressed about this exam... Hmm, should I look into it by myself, then?¡±


    It was only then that Charlotte seemed to remember my midterm ranking, and realized that I might be concerned over the final exams as well.


    Despiteing in first in the ss rankings, the fact that I didn¡¯t fit the image of a studious person meant I would forever have to give up on the idea that I could cultivate a nerdy image.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve decided not to worry about the finals.¡±


    Of course, I had no intentions of fretting over my studies any longer.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected deration that the one who topped the midterms intended to ignore the final exams.


    ***


    There were rumors within the Temple that both the Demon God Cult and Revolutionary Forces were operating in secret.


    While the existence of the Demon God Cult was uncertain, Charlotte believed, based on her own conjecture, that the Revolutionary Forces definitely existed.


    Spending a long time in the unique environment of the Temple inevitably caused dissatisfaction with the hierarchical system of society and its futility to umte. The Temple was a ce wheremoners routinely observed others much dumber and inferior to themselves strut around, iming superiority just because they were nobility.


    <i>¡°How can a worthless piece of trash like that be considered superior simply because of the family they were born into, especially whenpared to someone like me, who is clearly morepetent?¡±</i>


    The Temple would inevitably be a ce where those who could not ept such disparities banded together.


    However, in the original story, there was never an episode where either the Demon God Cult or the Revolutionary Forces within the Temple stirred up any trouble.


    In the end, they never ended up in particrly important positions until the conclusion of the story. Or, perhaps, their activities were entangled in events that unfolded outside of the main storyline.


    In any case, I believed that they would ultimately just remain small fry, regardless of who they were, since a muchrger incidentter on would swallow up all these minor yers.


    On Thursday after themon sses, Charlotte and I met at a cafe near the ssroom building.


    ¡°Swimming... I hate it,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Should we take a break today, then?¡±


    At my words, Charlotte shook her head.


    Her golden hair, sprawled across the table like the tentacles of a jellyfish, wriggled about with the movements of her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s always like this... If we take a break today, that¡¯ll be the end of it.¡±


    Thest ss of themon ss block was always physical education.


    Charlotte, having just finished the day¡¯s swimming ss, was listlessly draped over the table, whining.


    There was the kidnapping incident on top of various other things, but ultimately, the reason we could not proceed with our investigation was due to the physical education sses, swimming in particr, which were even more demanding than usual.


    Monday¡¯smon ss (swimming) ¡ú Charlotte¡¯s stamina worsens, resulting in her being under the weather for two days ¡ú By the time she starts to recover, it¡¯s Thursday¡¯smon ss (swimming) again ¡ú Charlotte¡¯s stamina worsens, so she spends the weekend under the weather ¡ú Monday¡¯smon ss (swimming) ¡ú Under the weather again.


    This endless cycle was the reason why Charlotte¡¯s stamina wasn¡¯t recovering.


    Of course, in addition to swimming, the early morning training she took part in every day with Scarlett was another major reason she couldn¡¯t return to her optimal condition.


    Still, she really was hopeless when it came to physical activities. Of course, it was impossible for her fitness to improve by leaps and bounds in just a few months, but even my own stamina had shown some clear improvement over the same period.


    The aftereffects of her kidnapping and imprisonment within the Demon King¡¯s castle definitely yed arge role in this prolonged recovery.


    Charlotte slowly lifted her head and slurped her lemonade, then let out a long sigh.


    <i>¡®Sometimes, she really does seem like an actual doll.¡¯</i>


    At some point, I found myself meeting Charlotte without worrying about what Vertus might think. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was nning, but he didn¡¯t seem to have any immediate intention of interfering.


    Honestly, if I worried about Vertus¡¯s reactions to everything while trying to live my life at the Temple, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. So, I was just going along with things as they happened.


    Anyway, I was in ss A, and I was talented, so Vertus would ultimately still need me. I was just doing what I wanted while bncing on a tightrope.


    There were other seniors in the spacious cafe besides the two of us.


    ¡°How are we supposed to find out who follows the Demon God Cult in this vast Temple...?¡±


    Charlotte seemed overwhelmed at the prospect of starting the investigation. She seemed more interested in finding the Demon God Cult than the Revolutionary Forces.


    ¡°Did you find anything out on your own?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... If there were any noticeable signs, it would have reached my ears, but there hasn¡¯t been anything like that. If they do exist, they¡¯re definitely operating on a small scale.¡±


    Essentially, it was like looking for a Mr. Kim[1]in all of Seoul, with the addedplication that Mr. Kim was trying to hide the fact that he was Mr. Kim.


    Charlotte and I were sitting near the window, which allowed us to see the people passing by outside through therge ss window.


    I naturally locked eyes with someone walking by.


    ¡ªOh?


    ¡ªReinhart!


    ¡°Ugh, damn it.¡±


    ¡°... What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Charlotte tilted her head, wondering why I suddenly seemed flustered.


    <i>¡®Ah...¡¯</i>


    I had made eye contact with someone I didn¡¯t want to. The person who made eye contact with me didn¡¯t just walk away; they actually entered the cafe.


    ¡°Reinhart! It¡¯s been so long, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was Olivia Lanche, a fifth-year student who had been going around telling everyone not to mess with me because I was going to marry her once I graduated.


    ***


    Olivia Lanche wasn¡¯t alone.


    Ceres Van Owenne, the student council president and also a fifth-year student, was there too.


    ¡°... Is there something you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, not really! It¡¯s just... how could I ignore my favorite first-year student when I see him?¡±


    <i>Squish, squish.</i>


    Olivia squeezed in next to me, hugged me, and aggressively rubbed her cheek against mine.


    ¡°P-Please... stop.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t I smell nice?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, just... go away, please.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you say that but you can¡¯t push me away. So you are a man after all!¡±


    ¡°Please...¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, this ajumma... just stop it!¡¯</i>


    Both Charlotte and the student council president who hade in with Olivia seemed slightly shocked by her ridiculous behavior.


    <i>¡®What is this brat doing?¡¯ </i>Charlotte¡¯s expression seemed to say.


    The student council president¡¯s expression was easy to read as well.<i> ¡®Why has she suddenly gone all clingy?¡¯</i>


    That was the vibe.


    ¡°Oh, the princess is here too. Hello, I¡¯m Olivia Lanche, a fifth-grader.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, yes. Please, just call me Charlotte... I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face was pale, thanks to the sudden appearance of this strange character and her unexpected behavior.


    ¡°About <i>me</i>? What did you hear about me? Did Reinhart talk about me?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s face lit up with excitement, immediately intrigued to know what I might have said about her.


    <i>¡®Why does she keep spouting nonsense?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... No. Not Reinhart, I heard it from somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± replied Olivia, seeming uninterested about talk from other sources.


    Olivia stared at me pointedly.


    ¡°Reinhart, don¡¯t you talk about me elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Why would I talk about you anywhere?!¡±


    ¡°Why not? You should go around saying that I¡¯m your future bride. Isn¡¯t that something to be proud of?¡±


    ¡°Why would I ever say that?!¡±


    Really, she was so difficult to deal with.


    I felt like I was losing my mind.


    At my exasperated response, Olivia nced over at Charlotte, sitting across from her, and shed a sinister smile.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with this person? I never knew she could make such an expression!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard a rumor going around the Temple that you¡¯re quite popr with thedies.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?!¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s because of you meddling and making a fuss that the newspaper club went wild with the story!¡¯</i>


    ¡°It looks like thepetition isn¡¯t as easy as I thought. Maybe I took it too lightly.¡±


    Even if she was a senior, Olivia started to give the imperial princess a slightly dismissive look, as if taking her lightly was somewhat yful.


    <i>¡®You? You¡¯re mypetitor?¡¯</i> she seemed to be thinking.


    <i>¡®Why would you even bring up the suggestion that there would be anything going on between a street beggar and a princess?! Isn¡¯t that almost sphemous toward the royal family?¡¯</i>


    Even considering that she¡¯d stripped away her ¡°Saintess¡± title, this was too much.


    Charlotte was utterly bbergasted by the nonsensical stare that Olivia was giving her.


    It seemed Charlotte was at a loss for words.


    <i>¡®What kind of reaction am I supposed to have after being treated this way?¡¯</i> she thought.


    ***


    Charlotte finally regained herposure.


    ¡°Reinhart is my friend,¡± she stated calmly.


    ¡°Oh, is that so? That¡¯s a relief then.¡±


    Olivia, as if satisfied with that reply, clung even closer to me. Charlotte saw this and smiled enigmatically.


    ¡°Not just a friend, but a precious friend.¡±


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    ¡°So, please don¡¯t trouble my friend any further.¡±


    Faced with Charlotte¡¯s polite request, Olivia seemed to ponder for a moment, but quickly pouted her lips and put a bit of distance between herself and me.


    I felt like I was going to lose my mind.


    Above all, I despised myself for not entirely hating Olivia¡¯s foolish antics.


    ¡°Reinhart, you really are popr, huh?¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte looked at me with a teasing smile, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run down my spine.


    <i>¡®Wait, what¡¯s going on...? What¡¯s happening here?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like some subtle tension was brewing between Olivia and Charlotte... Or was that just my imagination? Maybe I was overthinking it?


    <i>¡®Charlotte is only interested in Baalier, right? Although Baalier is technically me as well. Huh.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Charlotte, the president usually isn¡¯t like this. She just particrly enjoys tormenting Reinhart. It¡¯s odd to say that this is an apology, but here, have this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The student council president had, at some point, ordered drinks and desserts, and she set them down on the table.


    <i>¡®Um, when did we agree on them joining us?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s not tormenting. It¡¯s how I show affection, right Ceres?¡±


    ¡°That is tormenting.¡±


    Charlotte tilted her head at the mention of ¡°president¡±.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you the president, senior?¡±


    At Charlotte¡¯s confusion over who exactly Ceres was calling the president, Ceres shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s the president of the club that I¡¯m a part of.¡±


    The president of the president...


    Olivia puffed up her chest as if filled with pride.


    ¡°Yep! And so, I¡¯m also Reinhart¡¯s president!¡±


    ¡°... But I never joined the club.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an associate member!¡±


    <i>¡®Who decided that for me?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart, are you part of a club too?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not... I just stopped by once.¡±


    As if hearing this for the first time, Charlotte looked over at Olivia.


    ¡°What club is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a religious club. It¡¯s called Grace. Of course, I¡¯ve left the faith now, though!¡±


    She was essentially a non-believer, but also the president of a religious club.


    ¡°Ah... So that¡¯s it.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to know about the religious club, but finding out that Olivia was rted to it seemed to be a bit unbelievable for her. The affairs that involved Olivia Lanche were quite renowned around the Temple, so it was impossible for Charlotte not to know.


    I wondered if Charlotte knew why Olivia was behaving this way around me. Vertus knew, but I wasn¡¯t sure about Charlotte.


    ¡°Anyway, what were you two talking about? Was it about someone Reinhart likes? If it was, then it has to be about me, right?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the Demon God Cult,¡± Charlotte blurted it out abruptly, cutting through Olivia¡¯s rambling.


    Instantly, both Olivia¡¯s and Ceres¡¯s expressions hardened.


    1. Kim is the mostmonst name in South Korea. ?

 Chapter 143

    <h4>Chapter 143</h4>


    ¡°Demon God Cult?¡± Ceres asked Charlotte while looking at me. At a previous Grace Club meeting that we had attended, another senior had mentioned the Demon God Cult. At that time, Ceres had sternly warned all of us not to talk about the Demon God Cult outside.


    She was now interrogating me with her eyes, as if demanding to know if I had spoken about it. Of course, I hadn¡¯t spread the word.


    ¡°I briefly stopped by that newspaper club, the Monthly Royal or Royal Monthly or whatever it¡¯s called. There was an article in one of their previous issues about there potentially being members of the Demon God Cult within the Temple.¡±


    ¡°... Ah. That internal monthly magazine for the Royal ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte responded.


    Charlotte had not gotten the information from me, but from those newspaper club guys. Realizing I wasn¡¯t the source, Ceres looked at me apologetically, and I just shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you countless times not to engage in such pointless endeavors...¡± Ceres sighed, clearly exasperated.


    It seemed pretty clear that no one really read that magazine aside from that one issue that was about me, given that both seniors seemed to be hearing about it for the first time.


    Of course, Charlotte didn¡¯t have any intention of just letting it go.


    ¡°You seem to know something, don¡¯t you?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Ah... No. About that... I don¡¯t know,¡± Ceres replied.


    Ceres seemed to know something, but was reluctant to speak. Certainly, she had previously mentioned that speaking about the Demon God Cult carelessly could lead to severe consequences, that could include torture or even death for some people. That was why she had cautioned against spreading baseless rumors.


    The fact that the princess was now digging into the matter made the student council president all the more reluctant to speak.


    Of course, Charlotte seemed not to believe the student council president¡¯s im of ignorance.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Before Charlotte could say anything further, though, Olivia opened her mouth.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in hiding anything, Ceres,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°P-President! What are you saying!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Ceres. Olivia also seemed to know something about this matter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the princess; if we don¡¯t tell her, she¡¯ll find out about it from somewhere else anyway.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The implication was clear: the princess would eventually find out what they knew through other means, so hiding it was pointless. Ceres¡¯s face turned red when the fact that she had lied in front of the princess wasid bare.


    ¡°I understand the concerns you might have, and so I don¡¯t really mind the fact that you¡¯ve lied. Just tell me what you know.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have guessed that Ceres was worried about innocent people getting caught up and killed in unfounded witch trials.


    With Olivia having spilled the beans, Ceres sighed and wrote something on a piece of paper before handing it over.


    ¡°Here. It¡¯s really nothing to worry about.¡±


    Ceres had written a single word on the note that she handed over.


    <i>¡°Exodium.¡±</i>


    ***


    After Ceres and Olivia left, Charlotte and I sat quietly in the caf¨¦.


    ¡°Whether or not it¡¯s a big deal, it still seems incredibly suspicious,¡± Charlotte said.


    Indeed. From what I¡¯d heard, it seemed like a bizarre gathering.


    ¡°They only meet on Saturday nights, and aside from the president, the members don¡¯t know each other¡¯s identities,¡± she continued.


    While clubs sometimes had their activities on weekends, they mostly convened during the weekdays.


    However, in this case, the gatherings took ce only at night, and on the weekend. Moreover, all the members were anonymous, and wore hooded robes that covered their faces during meetings.


    This sounded ridiculously suspicious. Could it really be nothing? Even if it wasn¡¯t rted to the Demon God Cult, it was definitely prone to misunderstandings.


    <i>¡°Exodium.¡±</i>


    That was the name of the club that was shrouded in misunderstanding, suspected of being a part of the Demon God Cult.


    They gathered at night, and aside from the club president, no other member knew the identities of the others. Plus, the club hardly took in new members.


    The club seemed very exclusive.


    The purpose of the club was said to be ¡°research on unusual phenomena¡±, but it was unclear what these phenomena were supposed to be.


    For a club that imed itself to be harmless, it had an extensive list of suspicious attributes.


    ¡°Considering they don¡¯t take new members, it¡¯s impossible to sign up and go undercover... What can we do?¡±


    Charlotte seemed to believe that the excessively suspicious nature of the club meant that there was even more reason to investigate, and she was pondering the best way to go about it.


    ¡°We could ask the head student council president to hand over a list of members¡¯ names... but I¡¯m hesitant about that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m a princess, I¡¯m just a regr student at the Temple, and I don¡¯t have the authority to order the general student council president around. Of course, I could apply pressure, but just the act of doing that would already be problematic if the general student council president were to take issue with it.¡±


    Clubs fell under the student council¡¯s purview, so even teachers could not meddle with them carelessly. Moreover, since this was not a club exclusive to the Royal ss, Ceres could not get involved in obtaining the member list either.


    In fact, Ceres said that she had heard ¡°through the general student council president¡± that the club was not dangerous, which meant Ceres hadn¡¯t actually visited the club for herself.


    Therefore, asking the general student council president for the list of names was out of the question because of ack of justifiable reasons. It would be a vition of the Temple students¡¯ autonomy, which was granted by the royal family.


    If the general student council president was unreasonable, it could lead to a confrontation with the princess right there. As the representative of the nearly one hundred thousand Temple students, the president had enough backing.


    In any case, while interfering wasn¡¯t impossible, it wouldn¡¯t be beneficial. The general student council president seemed to respect the anonymity of this Exodium club.


    I crossed my arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to find something that isn¡¯t suspicious about it,¡± I said bluntly.


    ¡°Exactly....¡±


    Joining the club to spy on them was impossible. Acquiring the list of members to track them down also seemed like a farfetched idea.


    ¡°Based on what we know, their meetings are supposedly held somewhere in the general club building around nine o¡¯clock on Saturdays,¡± I said.


    Charlotte nodded at my statement.


    ¡°How about eavesdropping around that area then?¡± I said with a grin. ¡°My hearing is pretty good, after all.¡±


    Using enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on their conversations should be entirely feasible.


    ***


    Friday went by, and Saturday evening came.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, I guess.¡±


    The sun had set long ago, enveloping the entire Temple in darkness. Charlotte and I were both cloaked in hooded capes.


    The Exodium¡¯s club room was said to be in apound within the Temple that had been designated for club activities. Given that the buildings provided for the club activities of over a hundred thousand Temple students, it was undoubtedly enormous, although I had never been there before.


    Charlotte and I took the tram to where the general club buildings were located. Since it waste at night, the tram seemed to be mostly upied by staff members, with students being a rare sight.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s nothing serious, just like those seniors mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡±


    The club seemed suspicious in too many ways. The best scenario would be if the club turned out to be harmless, just as Ceres imed. If it were discovered to be truly a gathering of Demon God Cult members, not just the club, but also the head student council president¡ªwho had dismissed it as nothing significant¡ªwould have to bear the responsibility.


    The tram eventually stopped in an area densely covered with buildings that facilitated club activities. Charlotte looked surprised as she observed the sprawlingpound.


    ¡°Hmm... It seems we¡¯re not the only ones active at night.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    There was evidence that some sports clubs were practicing at night, since the lights that illuminated some of the fields were turned on, and students were running about.


    In fact, many of the club buildings had their lights on, and from some, the sounds of musical instruments and singing could be heard.


    It seemed many at the Temple were passionate not just about their studies, but also about their hobbies. Though I knew the Temple was incredibly vast, most of the descriptions I¡¯d written had been focused on the Royal ss, and hardly any attention had been paid to the other club activities.


    To me, this sight felt like an additional setting that hadn¡¯t been in my ns.


    It was quite an intriguing sensation.


    ¡°Exodium meets in building 3 over there,¡± Charlotte said, pointing to a building simr to a ssroom block, and we walked towards it. ¡°Do you see some of the members?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    As the time for Exodium¡¯s club activity approached, Charlotte and I could see students wearing robes entering the building intermittently.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Charlotte seemed to be pondering something as she observed the silhouettes cloaked in robes.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, it¡¯s just... They all seem a bit small in stature.¡±


    Indeed, those wearing the ck robes seemed small in stature, though it was hard to be sure from their attire.


    The meeting location was on the third floor. Although the building had a simryout to the ssroom blocks, the atmosphere was distinctly different. There were various unidentified items lined up along the corridor, and each door had a club name written on it.


    This ce was a ce where the one hundred thousand or so members of the student body could gather to enjoy their hobbies. The abundance of buildings and the chaotic nature of their interiors werepletely expected.


    Although there was quite a lot of activity at night, it was still less bustling whenpared to the daytime.


    Charlotte and I did not head straight to the third floor, but entered the second floor instead.


    To be precise, we nned to eavesdrop from right below Exodium¡¯s club room and catch any sounds that mighte from above.


    Fortunately, none of the clubs on the second floor seemed to be having their gatherings at that moment, so no one was around to question us.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯re just in time... Can you make out any sounds?¡±


    The members were likely gathering above us by then. We could already hear footsteps echoing in the upstairs corridor.


    There were also sounds of conversation.


    ¡ªck.


    ¡ªHerald.


    They were short exchanges, made up of single words.


    After a moment, the same question and answer was heard.


    ¡ªck.


    ¡ªHerald.


    The repetition of the same phrases twice made me think of something.


    ¡°... What the hell are these guys doing?¡± I said, dumbfounded.


    Charlotte gazed at me, wondering what was going on.


    ¡°Are they using some kind of password?¡±


    ¡°... A password?¡±


    <i>¡°ck. Herald.¡±</i>


    These guys were using passwords for a mere club activity?


    Charlotte seemed to grow incredulous at the mention of passwords.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear anything from inside the room. It seems like they¡¯re not speaking at all.¡±


    Not only that, but it appeared that they wouldn¡¯t say a word until all members had arrived. Only the exchange of passwords was heard whenever someone entered.


    And then, it was past the time that the club activity was supposed to start. No more exchanges of passcodes could be heard.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    Charlotte tilted her head at my words.


    ¡°They¡¯ve gathered together but no one is saying a word...?¡± She asked.


    Charlotte was confused by theck of conversation, despite the passage of time.


    However, it wasn¡¯t that.


    ¡°... No, I think it¡¯s something else.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell how many members had arrived early, but I had heard the password exchange at least five times.


    That meant there were at least six people inside.


    ¡°With more than six people in there, you¡¯d expect to hear the sound of chairs moving, someone clearing their throat, or something, but there¡¯s absolutely no sound.¡±


    There was absolutely no sounding from the direction of what we assumed was the clubroom.


    ¡°... It seems like they might have put a noise-canceling magic spell around the room.¡±


    It was clear that some sound-suppression magic was in ce to prevent any conversations inside from leaking out.


    ¡°What in the world?!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face twisted. <i>¡®How could this </i>not<i> be suspicious?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 144

    <h4>Chapter 144</h4>


    Whoever entered the club room had to provide a password, and there was a noise-canceling spell within the room itself. The club known as Exodium was riddled with suspicion.


    ¡°Could it be that the general student council president, who vouched that there was nothing wrong with the club, is involved with them?¡±


    I nodded, agreeing with Charlotte¡¯s reasonable suspicion. ¡°It¡¯s possible. The president of the Royal ss student council also told us that there were no issues with the club, but she didn¡¯t seem aware of the real situation.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of person the student council president was, but why would they be involved with such a suspicious club?


    Charlotte and I pondered the situation in the hallway just below the suspicious club room, trying to figure out how we could find out what those guys were up to.


    ¡°We could just open the door and ask them what they¡¯re doing...¡±


    Charlotte seemed to be considering a hardline approach. Since eavesdropping was out of the question, we had toe up with a different way to gather information. But could we force them to confess just by barging in?


    A hardline approach was an extreme measure.


    I came up with another hard measure. ¡°We could wait until their activities are over and then tail one of them to interrogate them.¡±


    Since the members wouldn¡¯t be in there forever, we could grab one of them for questioning once they began to leave. That way, we could find out what the Exodium club was up to.


    ¡°Hmm... In the end, both measures involve violence, so we should be prepared for disciplinary action if it turns out to be nothing.¡±


    I nodded at Charlotte¡¯s words. As long as the disciplinary action wasn¡¯t as severe as expulsion, it would be fine. I had already been branded a troublemaker anyway.


    Charlotte and I were leaning against the window at the end of the second-floor hallway, contemting which method to choose.


    ¡°... It looks like not everyone has arrived yet.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Charlotte pointed out the window.


    There was a student entering the building, draped in a robe. It wasn¡¯t unusual for there to be ater...


    <i>¡®Wait, hold on.¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t they say that the members don¡¯t know each other?¡±


    ¡°... They did, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    The president might know the names of all the members, but for this gathering, everyone was wearing robes that concealed who they were.


    ¡°How about I go in instead of that guy?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Our eavesdropping had already revealed the password.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. You¡¯re too tall. You¡¯ll definitely get caught. Plus, the club president will likely remember your voice.¡±


    ¡°What if I say that I¡¯m feeling off due to a cold?¡±


    ¡°... As if a club president who uses passwords would believe that.¡±


    Charlotte did not like the idea of infiltrating the club undercover. Eventually, it seemed the best course of action in our current situation was to catch one of the members as they left after the club activity.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    The door on the opposite side of the second-floor opened.


    It didn¡¯t matter if we were spotted by those from either the third floor or the second floor.


    However, Charlotte tilted her head in confusion as she caught a glimpse of the person who came out into the hallway.


    ¡°... That¡¯s Detto, right?¡±


    Though we were a distance away, I could recognize him too.


    He was B-8, Dettomorian.


    ***


    B-8, Dettomorian¡ªhis talentsy in curses and psychic skills.


    Alongside Scarlett, he was another one in ss B who was typically shunned. Of course, thanks to Charlotte¡¯s protection, Scarlett no longer faced ostracization, but I did not know how Dettomorian was faring.


    He was the kind of person that people tended to avoid due to his gloomy appearance and the eerie aura that shrouded him.


    He had heavy, dark circles under his eyes and a thin, gaunt frame, and his hair was always a mess.


    While seeing Scarlett in person might make one wonder why she was being ostracized, just seeing Dettomorian in the flesh would make a person feel as though they were right to avoid him. That was the vibe he gave off.


    Indeed, he was a guy who often saw ghosts, and spoke in a spooky manner.


    But why was this guy here at this time?


    Charlotte, who was kind and gentle to almost everyone except Vertus, ran down the hallway excitedly upon seeing Dettomorian and called out to him. ¡°Detto!¡±


    <i>¡®You even had a nickname for him? You... you don¡¯t have one for me!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Charlotte.¡±


    Upon hearing Charlotte calling him, Dettomorian turned his skeletal body to face her.


    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t avable on weeknights. You¡¯re attending a club activity?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Charlotte, unfazed by Dettomorian¡¯s squinting gaze, smiled. Although I approached him as well¡ªonly because Charlotte did¡ªI felt apletely different vibe.


    ¡°What kind of club is it?¡±


    <i>Swish.</i>


    Instead of answering, Dettomorian pointed toward the door he had just exited from.


    [ult Research Club]


    No club could be more fitting for him.


    I suddenly realized that the students in ss B who weren¡¯t main characters were engaging in various activities that were unknown to me. Dettomorian was certainly not a character who grew close to Ludwig in his freshman year.


    He was just a somewhat spooky kid...


    He lived like a ghost, only to gain importanceter on.


    ¡°... Ah. I see.¡±


    Upon seeing the sign that said¡°ult Research Club¡±, Charlotte let out an awkwardugh.


    I¡¯d always felt it, but this guy really looked like a living skeleton. Couldn¡¯t he eat a bit more? How had he managed to survive the physical training at Temple so far with his physique?


    No, it was all because of me.


    Since I had set up his character to be the ¡°top-ss anchovy¡± of the universe, he clearly inherited a constitution that just did not allow him to put on weight.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, my friend. You can me me...¡¯</i>


    He slinked his skeletal body toward the bathroom. He was a guy who prioritized his own business, whether the princess acknowledged him or not.


    Unpredictable, and stubbornly self-aced...


    Dettomorian was that kind of guy.


    ¡°Maybe we could ask Detto about it. He might know something.¡±


    W-What? Was Charlotte using a nickname she had made up for him?


    <i>¡®Why am I getting annoyed? Am I feeling jealous or something?¡¯</i>


    Then again, Charlotte seemed to be using it without attaching much thought or meaning to it.


    Anyhow, since he was in the same building as the one in wich the suspicious club was gathering, Charlotte¡¯s spection that Dettomorian might know something about them seemed quite reasonable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Soon, he came out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Detto, do you have a moment? Can we talk?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He paused for a moment, peering at us with his lifeless eyes, then he pointed towards the club room.


    He seemed to be suggesting for us to speak there.


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t there other members inside? Wouldn¡¯t we be disturbing them?¡±


    He shook his head at Charlotte¡¯s question.


    ¡°... It¡¯s just me.¡±


    A guy who did his club activities alone, on the subject of the ult...


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    Charlotte and I felt a slight chill run down our spines.


    ***


    <i>Creeeak.</i>


    Charlotte and I followed Dettomorian as he opened the door to the ult Research Club.


    ¡°... It¡¯s dark in here...¡±


    The lights were all turned off, and despite it already being night, there were ckout curtains that prevented any light from seeping in.


    In the middle of the room, a single candle served as the sole source of light. An unknown formation was drawn around that candle.


    It didn¡¯t look like any magic circle I had ever seen. It seemed ominous from just one nce.


    It was drawn in something crimson...


    <i>¡®Surely that can¡¯t be blood, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s really dark in here. Can we turn on the light...?¡± Charlotte asked cautiously.


    ¡°... Then the ritual would end.¡± Dettomorian did not borate further on what kind of ritual he was performing. Charlotte¡¯s lips began to tremble slightly.


    What kind of ritual, and whether it was okay for it to end or not, he wouldn¡¯t say.


    <i>¡®Finish your sentences, damn it!¡¯</i>


    I did not even dare think about giving him a piece of my mind for fear of being cursed.


    Ah... This was exactly the way Erhi ostracized innocent Scarlett, just for being so ominous.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s not hold prejudices. Let¡¯s not hold prejudices. Let¡¯s not hold prejudices. I am an adult.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh. So... so we shouldn¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t matter. I can always perform it again. Although it took about a week to prepare...¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah okay, we won¡¯t turn the lights on then...¡±


    Charlotte gave up on the idea of turning on the lights, still not fully understanding what was going on and fearing it might ruin the week-long ritual Dettomorian was conducting.


    He sat down in front of the candle and dragged a couple of chairs over for us to sit.


    ¡°... Sit here.¡±


    Whether it was his words or just the creepy atmosphere of the room itself, a bizarre fear crept up on me that sitting anywhere else but there might bring disaster.


    ¡°U-Uhm, okay...¡±


    <i>¡®Charlotte. I can read your thoughts right now. You¡¯re thinking that this ult Research Club that only Dettomorian is a member of is even more suspicious than Exodium, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte and I took the seats that Dettomorian had indicated.


    ¡°You¡¯re running the club... alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried recruiting other members... but no onees.¡±


    <i>¡®Who would want toe here?¡¯</i>


    The ce was beyond spooky. There was a constant atmosphere that something bad would happen, as if anyone entering out of curiosity might leave crying.


    Even the faint light from the candle made the strange tools scattered about seem creepy.


    It seemed Dettomorian had formed this club on his own. Charlotte appeared to grow curious for reasons other than the eerie atmosphere.


    ¡°Hmm... But can you start a club by yourself? Don¡¯t you require a minimum number of members...?¡±


    Indeed. Starting a club alone should have been impossible. There had to be a minimum number of members.


    ¡°... I can.¡±


    The bizarre im that he could while others couldn¡¯t made Charlotte tilt her head in confusion.


    ¡°... The Temple... can¡¯t teach sorcery... so I study it here on my own... It¡¯s like my personal study room...¡±


    ¡°Ah... Right...¡±


    Charlotte nodded as if she understood. Perhaps she had heard something simr before.


    While I was not close to Dettomorian, I had written about him. He possessed talents in sorcery and psychic skills, but the Temple did not offer any rted curric. Sorcery was considered a practice of ancient magic, put into actual use. Dettomorian, who didn¡¯t necessarily need to attend sses at the Temple, chose to enroll for the convenience of studying sorcery with the institution¡¯s support. Therefore, the Temple afforded him the convenience of forming a club to study sorcery on his own, since they couldn¡¯t teach it. His major required him to study alone.


    Thus, he had received exclusive permission to establish a one-person club.


    ... There was nowhere for Dettomorian to learn sorcery, but he became proficient at itter on anyhow. Since I never added the reason for it within the origins story, the backstory that was created for him was that he learned it on his own in a one-person club.


    However, the fact that he chose to have a general club room over an internal one within the Royal ss meant that... he wished that others would join him. If it were an internal club within the Royal ss, recruitment would be practically impossible, since there were too few individuals.


    Given the club¡¯s focus, and seeing just what he did, it seemed like no joke that recruitment was practically impossible.


    It felt as if real ghosts might appear if you yed spirit-summoning games with him, and when that happened, he¡¯d say something like, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not how you¡¯re supposed to do it.¡±


    ¡°But, does all this really involve summoning ghosts... then?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t performing rituals to summon ghosts right in the middle of the Temple be even more concerning than what the Demon God Cult members were up to?


    Charlotte seemed to be seriously contemting whether we had to shift our focus from the Exodium club to this one.


    ¡°Ghosts are everywhere... It¡¯s not about summoning... It¡¯s about sensing what¡¯s already there...¡± Dettomorian said.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°So... the term ¡®summoning¡¯ is a misuse of words...¡± He continued.


    <i>¡®Oh, this is driving me crazy...¡±¡¯</i>


    ¡°Of course... performing such rituals... does attract them... so it¡¯s not entirely incorrect...¡±


    The space around us was teeming with ghosts that Charlotte and I couldn¡¯t feel.


    Suddenly, Charlotte quietly grasped my hand.


    She quickly released it as soon as she grabbed it, and I was unsure whether it was an involuntary action or if she¡¯d grabbed it and then gotten scared herself.


    She looked terrified to death.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know how to dispel ghosts either and I¡¯m terribly afraid of jump scares...¡¯</i>


    Even in a fantasy world, if a ghost suddenly appeared, I was pretty sure I¡¯d have a heart attack.


    I hated being startled more than anything in the world...


    [You have discovered the truth behind the rumors of the Temple¡¯s ghosts.]


    [Event Completed ¡ª Ghosts of the Temple]


    [You have received 300 achievement points.]


    I jumped in surprise upon seeing the eventpletion notice pop up out of nowhere.


    ¡°Ah!!! Damn it! Shit!¡±


    ¡°W-Wh-What is it?! What happened?!¡±

 Chapter 145

    <h4>Chapter 145</h4>


    When I suddenly leaped up in fear, Charlotte whipped around, her face going pale, staring at me and looking as though her heart was about to drop.


    ¡°Why? What happened...? What... what is it?¡±


    ¡°I... I thought I saw something suddenly pass in front of my eyes...¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Of course, it hadn¡¯t been a ghost, but my words made Charlotte grow even paler. I didn¡¯t know she was afraid of ghosts.


    No¡ªin such a spooky ce, even someone immune to the fear of ghosts would surely be scared. It truly was a spine-chilling space.


    I was thankful for the achievement points, but the timing was just terrible... Did they really intentionally allow the event to bepleted at this time just to scare me with the system message? Anybody would be scared by something suddenly popping out like that!


    Anyway, while trying to uncover the true nature of the Demon God Cult, I¡¯d ended uppleting a ghost-rted event in apletely unexpected ce.


    <i>¡°Ghosts are everywhere. It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t feel them.¡±</i>


    The fact that the event waspleted thanks to a single statement by Dettomorian meant that it had to be true.


    <i>¡®Oh. Ahaha... So you¡¯re saying that... ghosts are swarming around me all the time, right?¡¯</i>


    I wished that I could forget that. Now, if I slept with my back towards the window, I was surely going to feel uneasy.


    <i>Shiver, shiver. Shiver, shiver.</i>


    ¡°Re-Reinhart... calm down.¡±


    My legs quivered violently, and Charlotte ced her hand on my thigh.


    Instead of protecting her, here I was, growing more and more frightened.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m able to know the truth more objectively because of the system message!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ghosts... don¡¯t usually harm people...¡± Dettomorian said.


    <i>¡®Usually? So they harm people in unusual situations, then? You jerk!¡¯</i>


    Dettomorian...


    After talking to him, I realized he was even more terrifying than I thought. I could see why people avoided him... Although it wasn¡¯t his fault, I know.


    But there was no need to shove truths I didn¡¯t want to know into my ears like that!


    ¡°But... you said you wanted to talk about something?¡± Dettomorian asked.


    ¡°Ah, ah... right.¡±


    Our original purpose was to ask him about the club called Exodium.


    However, it felt as though we¡¯d entered a rat¡¯s nest to catch a rat, only to find a cobra living there. We had stumbled upon a ce far more dangerous and sinister than Exodium.


    Nevertheless, intent on addressing our original task, Charlotte bravely asked, ¡°That ce above us... Do you know about the club called Exodium?¡±


    At the mention of Exodium, Dettomorian nodded his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s the club that¡¯s upstairs, right...?¡±


    It seemed that, like him, Exodium also operated at night, so he knew about them. Charlotte¡¯s eyes lit up, believing that this could lead to a clue.


    ¡°Yeah. So you know about it? Then do you know what they do in there?¡±


    This guy looked like he had zero interest in his surroundings. Surely, he wouldn¡¯t know anything.


    But his response wentpletely against my expectations.


    ¡°... I was a member.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ***


    Dettomorian had originally intended to find out if there were others who were conducting studies into fields simr to his own, rather than starting a club from scratch. Given the numerous clubs and the wide range of interests they represented, that made sense.


    However, psychic and ancient magical practices were quite niche interests, and as he skimmed through the list of clubs, Exodium caught his eye.


    The official purpose of Exodium was ¡°research on peculiar phenomena¡±, and it was no wonder why Dettomorian would be interested. Ancient magic and psychic urrences could certainly be considered peculiar phenomena.


    ¡°The membership requirements were strict.... It was difficult, but I managed to join them.¡±


    Dettomorian seemed rather perplexed that he had somehow managed to gain membership with the club.


    ¡°So? What do they do there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Dettomorian seemed to deliberate for a moment, his head tilting slightly.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t peculiar phenomena that was the issue,¡± he finally said. ¡°The club members were just peculiar kids.¡±


    How peculiar did someone have to be for this guy to call them peculiar? Dettomorian began to describe the members one by one.


    ¡°Like... There¡¯s one who believes that a dark force sleeps within him. Another one ims to be a dragon who has emerged from a game but lost its memory... Yet another says that they¡¯re the sessor of a great demon that was ousted after a rebellion, but that one is always fighting with someone who believes they are the reincarnation of an angel...¡±


    <i>¡®What? What did he just say?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte had a vacant expression on her face, and seemed utterly lost.


    ¡°Anyway... They were peculiar kids...¡±


    It somehow made sense why everyone there seemed so short...


    Wasn¡¯t it just a club filled with middle-schoolers going through a phase, acting out their fantasies?! Was this that self-characterization thing that they all got into?


    So, casting a noise-canceling spell was just to prevent others from mocking them if they ever overheard what was being discussed?


    Charlotte, who seemed incredulous, began toy out her thoughts with a bewildered expression.


    ¡°So, the club called Exodium is essentially... a gathering of kids who believe they¡¯re incredible entities of some sort, yakking about this and that... But, in reality, they¡¯re just a bunch of ordinary kids gathering to... What¡¯s the word...? How should I put this...¡±


    ¡°Role-y.¡±


    ¡°Role-y S-So it¡¯s... a role-ying club?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why would they... do such a thing?¡± Charlotte asked, her eyes osciting wildly, seemingly astonished by her own conclusion.


    <i>¡®As if doing that would produce rice or something!¡¯</i>


    Charlotte seemed unable to understand why anyone would engage in such activities.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Ultimately, even Dettomorian couldn¡¯tprehend why they indulged in those antics. After all, he wasn¡¯t suffering from a case of second-year middle school syndrome.


    <i>¡®But wait... Doesn¡¯t everyone wonder about their identity and if they might be someone special in the second year of middle school...? Isn¡¯t that a natural question at that time?¡¯</i>


    My mind began to swim.


    <i>¡®Was it just me? Don¡¯t you guys understand that feeling? You guys never had such thoughts? Am I, whenpared to these two, closer to the Exodium folks...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So it¡¯s because of those kids walking around mumbling about dark forces and beings of darkness that the ridiculous rumors about the Demon God Cult started...¡±


    Charlotte finally nodded, a nk look on her face, as if she now understood why Exodium had been wrongly used of being a Demon God Cult.


    Leaks don¡¯t stay contained when they spread to the outside world.


    Since all the Exodium members were suffering from a bout of second-year middle school syndrome, they asionally babbled about dark forces and beings of darkness, and that was how the rumors about the presence of the Demon God Cult spread.


    That was probably why the head student council president and the Royal ss student council president hadn¡¯t just rified things outright, and chose not to go into the details.


    They wanted to protect the Exodium members from the negative things that would surely be said about them if it was known that they were actually just kids with second-year middle school syndrome who were in a role-ying club. They did not offer a proper exnation because they were afraid that the students would be ridiculed if the rumors spread.


    The head student council president... Even though I didn¡¯t know what they looked like, they had to be a good person.


    Charlotte sighed, drained from the realization that, although she had hoped Exodium was nothing serious, it had turned out to be something so considerably trivial.


    ¡°It¡¯s so... anticlimactic...¡±


    The ult Research Club, with this guy as its sole member, was far more dangerous than Exodium.


    Anyway...


    Without even needing to actually pay the club a visit, it was confirmed that Exodium was an unremarkable club. Thispleted the event of uncovering the truth about the rumor, and granted me 300 achievement points.


    A Demon God Cult...


    As if there would be one inside the Temple.


    ¡°But why did you leave the club, Detto?¡±


    ¡°... The first time I went, they asked me what hidden power I had... so I showed them.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah.¡¯</i>


    I could picture the scene without even seeing it.


    ¡°The members then started crying and made a scene...¡±


    A darker shadow of worry appeared under Dettomorian¡¯s already dark-circled eyes.


    ¡°What exactly did you show them?¡± Charlotte asked with a stunned expression.


    ¡°... Possession.¡±


    <i>¡®What an insane guy.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°... Oh. Just, just so you know, you don¡¯t have to show me.¡±


    This guy had brought real madness into a ce filled with fake madness.


    Going up to a bunch of kids who were immersed in role-ying as some dark beings and then actually showing them a horrific ability would have surely made them wet themselves.


    Everyone must have panicked when the real deal showed up, causing chaos, and thereafter, Dettomorian never returned to Exodium.


    Anyway, the truth was revealed. The rumors about the Demon God Cult turned out to be nothing serious.


    ¡°W-Well, okay Detto... see you back at the dorm then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Take care...¡±


    After all this, however, Charlotte realized that the existence of this ult Research Club might require further action.


    ***


    After leaving the club building, Charlotte and I headed toward the tram station.


    Charlotte heaved a deep sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a relief, but... What is this feeling?¡±


    It would have been a big deal if there had really been a Demon God Cult within the temple. But, as Ceres said, those guys were just indulging in their role-ying tendencies.


    They were just suffering from a disease that they would eventually grow out of.


    Charlotte seemed to feel both relieved and absurdly let down that all the worry had been over such a trivial matter.


    ¡°Why would they want to do such things?¡±


    ¡°Well, who knows?¡±


    Charlotte seemed like she would never understand such things in her lifetime.


    Indeed, even as someone who had suffered from the same ¡°disease¡±, I was unsure of the reasons why people would fall into second-year middle school syndrome.


    I¡¯d thought about it, but could never figure it out.


    Then apletely different thought struck me.


    ¡°Hmm... Now that I think about it, I feel like I¡¯ve actually heard about Exodium before.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard about it?¡±


    Talking to Dettomorian made me remember that I had heard about these sorts of people before, even if I didn¡¯t know about Exodium specifically.


    ¡°Yeah. When I first underwent the supernatural powers test, I went through various experiments.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I know what you mean.¡±


    Charlotte nodded. She understood what I was talking about since she would have undergone the same tests, although I didn¡¯t know the specifics of her supernatural abilities.


    ¡°At that time, though, the teacher in charge was a little worried.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Rolendria?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Charlotte and I were in Ms. Rolendria¡¯s ss on supernatural powers. She probably knew what Charlotte¡¯s abilities were.


    ¡°Because my ability is Self-Deception... She was worried that I might somehow be a type of person, someone dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What ¡®type¡¯ are you talking abou¡ªAh, I see.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned ashen as if she hade to a realization.


    ¡°So, are you saying that, if you make yourself believe that you¡¯re some great being of darkness, you could really be that...? I-Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Even as she spoke, her mouth twitched, as if she found the notion bizarre.


    <i>¡®Well, I¡¯m not sure about being a great being of darkness, but I¡¯m definitely something significant. You just don¡¯t know about it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°To be precise, she was worried if I could actually be a god if I believed it enough. That was what worried her, but since my ability isn¡¯t actually like that, the worry was unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so why do you bring that up?¡±


    ¡°Well, she was the one who said that there are some kids among the students at the Temple who seriously believe that they¡¯re significant beings of darkness... or believe that their memories have been purged on purpose because they¡¯re dragons destined for a game.¡±


    Ms. Rolendria had indeed said those words. She¡¯d asked me if I was that sort of individual who indulged in role-ying, and was afraid that I might be dangerous if I was.


    <i>¡ªYou see, sometimes, second-year middle school students really believe they¡¯re gods... They seriously believe that, or that they¡¯re incredibly evil beings... or they think they¡¯ve lost their memories on purpose and are destined to live as dragons, for amusement... It¡¯s surprisinglymon.</i>


    Ms. Rolendria had definitely said something along those lines.


    Upon hearing my words, Charlotte¡¯s mouth fell slightly open. ¡°Ah... so what the teacher meant back then was...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems like she was talking about them.¡±


    Ms. Rolendria had probably been referring to the members of Exodium.


    Upon hearing this, Charlotte muttered nkly, ¡°Could it be... that Ms. Rolendria is the teacher in charge of Exodium?¡±


    ¡°It seems likely.¡±


    Even if it wasn¡¯t always, there was a possibility Ms. Rolendria was asionally monitoring them and knew them well.


    ¡°Wow, she must really have a hard time...¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    <i>¡®Dear teacher... what kind of battles and inner struggles have you been fighting until now?¡¯</i>


    Praying for Ms. Rolendria¡¯s mental well-being, we headed towards the tram station. The night had deepened, and there were barely any people around, as almost all the evening club activities had ended.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The tram station was filled with silence that belonged to three people.


    One was mine.


    One was Charlotte¡¯s.


    ¡°...¡±


    And thest belonged to the bratty senior, Rudina.


    Rudina... the second-year student with talent in magic.


    She didn¡¯t ask us anything.


    She didn¡¯t pretend to know anything either.


    However, I could see from her expression that she was pleading silently for us not to start a conversation, and her cheeks were flushed red...


    I figured out the situation pretty easily.


    Her lips were tightly sealed, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.


    She was fifteen, wasn¡¯t she?


    At fifteen, she would normally be in the second year of middle school, right?


    There was only one reason she¡¯d be so nervous without me even asking anything.


    It had to be the guilty conscience of a thief showing itself, right?


    Correct.


    She would wear her robe to the meetings, but she would take it off on the way back to appear less suspicious; she had to have just taken it off.


    Above all else, there was a piece of fabric that looked suspiciously like a robe peeking out of her bag.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a hundred percent.¡¯</i>


    She eventually could no longer avoid my gaze, and awkwardly turned her neck to face me, like a rusty robot.


    ¡°Ah, hahahah... Reinhart? Um! Ahem! Erm, ahem. So! What brings you here...? In the middle of the night? To... this ce...?¡±


    At that moment, Rudina was caught in the embarrassing moment just after the cessation of club activities, encountering a junior she shouldn¡¯t have run into.


    It was just like the moment when, by chance, a closeted nerd pretending to be cool gets caught shopping in Akihabara by a school friend.


    She was just feeling guilty for no real reason.


    ¡°Oh, senior Rudina? Hello!¡±


    Before I could respond, Charlotte was the first to react.


    ¡°Oh, H-Hey, princess! Ni-ni-nic¡ªUm. Nice to m-me-meet you too...!¡±


    ¡°... Why are you so nervous?¡±


    ¡°No, no... It¡¯s, it¡¯s... Heh. It¡¯s nothing...¡±


    What was I to do?


    <i>¡®Should I tease her or not? To tease her, or not?¡¯</i>


    My mind was still not made up.


    <i>¡®To tease her, or not? To tease her, or not?¡¯</i>


    Finally: <i>¡®Tease it is, then!¡¯</i>


    ¡°So, senior, what¡¯s your concept? Dragon? Demon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was as if Rudina had died standing up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe you might actually be a dragon because you possess No-Casting abilities...?¡±


    Rudina was shocked by my statement.


    It seemed I¡¯d hit the bullseye.

 Chapter 146

    <h4>Chapter 146</h4>


    I had heard about the ¡°dragon-possessed¡± students from Ms. Rolendria. It turned out they were closer to me than I thought.


    Rudina, who hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, ended up as a hostage, and was led into the Royal ss dormitory nked by Charlotte and me, her escorts.


    Her face was pale, and she couldn¡¯t say a word. She didn¡¯t even ask how we knew it or what was going on. Her expression spoke volumes¡ªshe looked as though she were envisioning her own imminent death.


    Charlotte red at me as I watched Rudina, whose soul seemed to have been sucked out by my mere words. Charlotte was silently cursing me with her eyes: <i>¡®Why did you have to say that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Well, these things can happen when you¡¯re young.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I was like that too when I was younger! It¡¯s okay!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No matter how much I tried tofort her, Rudina could not recover from her shattered mental state.


    ¡°Look, it was just the two of us, Charlotte and me, who saw you. We¡¯ll keep it a secret, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rudina moved listlessly as if she were a kite with its string cut. It seemed like my words weren¡¯t reaching her ears at all.


    The thought that this kid who¡¯d skipped a grade was actually part of a club for students with dark middle-school syndrome and was putting on such an act left me on the verge ofughter.


    ¡°Gosh, pfft! No, I mean... Sorry. It¡¯s not that I found it funny... Iughed because something tickled me all of a sudden...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even though I genuinely wanted tofort her, theughter that kept bubbling up was utterly counterproductive. Charlotte, who failed to grasp the bizarreness of this concept, seemed at a loss as to how to properlyfort her. So she just stood there, not knowing what to do.


    As we reached the entrance to the Royal ss dormitory, Rudina suddenly turned to face me. Her face was red, and her eyes were brimming with tears.


    ¡°Y-You guys... You guys can¡¯t tell anyone...¡±


    Her expression was so desperate that Charlotte and I couldn¡¯t help but nod vigorously. After Rudina ran off into the dormitory as if she was escaping, Charlotte and I caught each other¡¯s eye.


    ¡°... I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it...¡±


    While investigating the Demon God Cult, we¡¯d identally discovered some utterly unnecessary information that a senior who was one grade above us was suffering from severe second-year middle-school syndrome.


    ***


    The early morning exercises with Adriana were still going on consistently.


    This time, however, things were a little different.


    ¡°Huff... Huff... Huff...¡±


    ¡°... Why go through all this trouble?¡±


    Rudina had decided to follow Adriana and me on our early morning workout. Like all the others with magical talents, who seemed to have built a wall between themselves and physical exercise, she was no different. Despite this, she had joined us for our workout that morning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. I was surprised as well when Rudina suddenly wanted to exercise.¡±


    Because of Rudina, who could hardly keep up and was running out of steam, we ended up sitting on a bench to take a break. Rudina, who looked like she was about to die of exhaustion, was staring straight at me.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t talk about it! Don¡¯t talk about it!¡¯ </i>she signaled continuously toward me with her eyes.


    Apparently, she knew that I exercised with Adriana in the mornings. She must have been worried that I would tell Adriana what I had learned about her the day before.


    I had no intention of telling, but was she nning to continue following us on our workouts? Could she really keep up with that?


    ¡°Drink some water, Rudina.¡±


    ¡°Huff... Uh, okay... Huff...¡±


    It was clear that our ssmates had no idea about Rudina¡¯s club activities. She must havee along on our morning workout to keep an eye on me.


    Then again, wasn¡¯t she known all along as the cutie from ss A second year?


    It was unlikely that her ssmates would find it particrly strange even if they found out about it; in fact, they might find her even more adorable. Of course, it was clear that she herself did not think so, given the way she kept pressuring me with her re.


    In the end, having a case of second-year middle-school syndrome was not a big deal, unless it was exceptionally severe. Everyone to some extent knows that they¡¯re just adopting a concept. Rudina was not suffering from such a severe case that she required intervention.


    After all, this too was just a phase, a sickness that would pass with time.


    ***


    There was a problem...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep following me?!¡±


    Even after morning exercises were finished, this little one showed no signs of leaving me alone. As soon as breakfast was over, she came down to the first floor and started tailing me closely.


    It was Sunday, so there were no sses, and I was having a practice duel in the training yard with Ellen and Cliffman. She was tantly watching us.


    ¡°Just... do whatever you want. I-I¡¯m just going to watch, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She was visibly sweating bullets.


    <i>¡®If you¡¯re going to be this embarrassed, then why join that club in the first ce?¡¯</i>


    What was she nning to do, following me around like this all day Sunday? What about the next day onward?


    Eventually, I put down my practice sword and grabbed Rudina, who was keeping an eye on me, and led her outside the training grounds. After checking that the corridor was empty, I looked down at Rudina.


    ¡°Not only do <i>I</i> know, but Charlotte knows as well. What are you going to do about her, then?¡±


    ¡°... The princess probably won¡¯t tell anyone...¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the kind to b because I have a loose tongue?¡±


    ¡°N-No! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying...¡±


    Clearly, something I¡¯d done in the past made her believe that it was unlikely that I would keep quiet about it. After all, I was the one who had teased her the day before.


    I regretted it. If I had known it was going to be this troublesome, I would have just pretended not to have seen anything and moved on.


    This was all my karma.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything. I said I won¡¯t, okay? What good does it do me to spread rumors about it?¡±


    Rudina flinched slightly, perhaps a bit scared when I rolled my eyes at her.


    ¡°Besides, do you think people would care even if they knew? The kids over there, even if they knew about your secret, would probably just go, ¡®Oh, is that so?¡¯ and move on.¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not as big a deal as you think! Even if my ssmates find out about your secret, they probably wouldn¡¯t be interested at all!¡¯</i>


    Even if the students found out that their second-year senior believed that she was a dragon or something like that, they¡¯d probably just go ¡°Huh?¡± or chuckle once, and that would be it.


    It really was <i>not </i>a big deal.


    ... Sure, there might be some ridicule andughter, though.


    ¡°Really...? You really won¡¯t tell?¡±


    Rudina was looking up at me with earnest eyes. She was cute, but right now, her cuteness was more of an annoyance than anything.


    <i>¡®Just go away!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I said I won¡¯t, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Rudina stared at me intensively for a while before reluctantly nodding with a lukewarm expression.


    ¡°Then... Can... can you talk with me for a bit...?¡±


    Keeping a secret was a done deal. What more was there to talk about?


    ***


    I skipped my morning training, and headed to a secluded park near the dormitory with Rudina.


    ¡°You know that the only people who know I am part of that club are you and the princess, right?¡± Rudina asked.


    Exodium was an anonymous club. So, the members only knew each other¡¯s concepts and not who they actually were.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the club president know as well?¡±


    <i>¡®Aren¡¯t the Exodium members¡¯ identities known to the president of the club?¡¯ </i>


    Rudina¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°... I¡¯m the president.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    So, she wasn¡¯t just a regr member, but the mastermind behind the whole thing. This little grade-skipping Rudina seemed to be up to all sorts of bizarre antics.


    Her face was flushed red.


    ¡°I... I know it sounds absurd. I¡¯m aware that people in the club exaggerate their stories too... And I know everyonees because they find it fun...¡±


    Rudina acknowledged that her club was a gathering ce for people who were obsessed over concepts.


    But why was she bringing this up?


    She fidgeted, her hands and feet wiggling about, as she struggled to say something that she found hard to express.


    ¡°But, I... I seriously wonder if I¡¯m actually a dragon or not,¡± she eventually said.


    ¡°...?¡±


    What was she saying?


    Her unexpected nonsense made my head feel as if it had been bleached white.


    Has she transcended the level of being merely obsessed with a concept? Of course, the fact that she was not confidently proiming it suggested an awareness that her thoughts were somewhat odd.


    Then again, holding onto the belief that she practically wasn¡¯t a dragon while at the same time questioning if she could be one was incredibly odd. It was an early symptom of severe middle-school syndrome.


    <i>¡®Is this the true embodiment of middle-school syndrome?¡¯</i>


    Rudina¡¯s face had turned so red that it seemed fully saturated. She seemed to be aware that what she was saying was oundish and nonsensical.


    Of course, I could tell she was serious in her own way.


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was joking or just ying a part; she genuinely appeared to be grappling with these thoughts.


    Within the club, she might say something like, ¡°Yes, I am surely a dragon,¡± but to me, it seemed like she was earnestly seeking advice.


    Of course, a conversation starting with ¡°I think I might be a dragon¡± could never lead to anything resembling normality.


    ¡°What made you think that way?¡±


    ¡°... This.¡±


    Rudina opened her palm and disyed mes, lightning, and wind. The ability to manifest magic without casting.


    No-Casting.


    That was Rudina¡¯s talent.


    ¡°Dragons... They say dragons can use magic without casting.¡±


    Dragons could bypass the casting phase and use magic instantaneously. Because of that, she was wondering if she could be a dragon.


    ¡°... This is more like a supernatural power.¡±


    ¡°No, no. They said it¡¯s not clear whether it¡¯s a magic-rted talent or a supernatural power.¡±


    Rudina had mentioned this in a previous exnation. It was a talent rted to magic, but also considered a supernatural power. Even the Temple didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of it.


    Indeed, a supernatural power rted to magic did feel a bit ambiguous, since it would be a supernatural power that wouldn¡¯t manifest unless one learned magic.


    ¡°A-And they say supernatural powers usually awaken in difficult situations or something like that. I never had such an experience. I could just... use magic without casting as soon as I learned it.¡±


    In most cases, supernatural powers awakened in extreme circumstances. However, there were clearly exceptions. Like Riana, who could use her supernatural power naturally.


    Was Rudina¡¯s case a simr sort of exception?


    Rudina seemed to doubt whether her No-Casting ability, rather than being a supernatural power, might actually be a racial trait possessed by dragons.


    However, to think that she might be a dragon based solely on that...?


    ¡°Putting that aside, you know, you have a low amount of mana to begin with. Dragons are supposed to be rich in magical power.¡±


    Even if we set aside her No-Casting ability, if she were a dragon, she would possess immense magical power. However, she herself was concerned about her low amount of magical power.


    There wouldn¡¯t be any such concern if she were truly a dragon.


    ¡°Maybe... my power is sealed in some way... is what I¡¯m thinking...¡±


    Even as she spoke, Rudina¡¯s voice trailed off, as if she knew her exnationcked any persuasiveness.


    It seemed like she was seriously contemting whether she was a dragon who had lost her memories for her own amusement.


    Once someone started believing something to justify your beliefs, there would be no end to it. As soon as she started fitting everything around the idea that she was definitely a dragon, everything seemed to make sense.


    Self-Deception should have been her trait, not mine. With this kind of thought process, she might just undergo a change of species from human to dragon just by her thoughts alone.


    ¡°What about your parents, then?¡±


    If Rudina had parents who gave birth to her, it entirely eliminated the possibility of her being a dragon. Both parents would have to be dragons for that scenario to be possible.


    ¡°... I¡¯m from an orphanage,¡± Rudina stated in a somewhat dejected tone.


    ¡°Ah, sorry...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the same for you, right? Anyway, I have no memory of who my parents are or under what circumstances I was born.¡±


    Rudina¡¯s origins were unclear.


    A girl who possessed an ability that could be a supernatural power, or something else, and whose origins were unclear...


    Rudina was basing her whole internal debate on whether or not she was a dragon based on these two insignificant bits of information. She thought herck of magical power was due to some restriction ced on her body.


    That all sounded absurd.


    ¡°... I know it sounds absurd. But still...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you must be a dragon then.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The evidence was weak, and the logic wascking.


    ¡°D-Do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like it could be possible. Who¡¯s to say?¡±


    Yet, for some reason, the notion that this bizarre fantasy might actually be true crossed my mind.


    Was she really a dragon?


    Anyway, Rudina brightened up immediately, not because I had mocked her or reprimanded her, but because I had suggested that her theory might be possible.


    ¡°I really thought... you were going to make fun of me...¡± Rudina mumbled softly, her face reddening slightly. She had clearly braced herself for a lot of mockery when she¡¯d decided to share this oundish belief with me.


    ¡°Thanks, Reinhart...¡±


    Whether she was a dragon or not wasn¡¯t the important part.


    ¡°I never acknowledged that you were a dragon. It¡¯s just that, after listening to you, it seemed like it could be a possibility.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    Rudina seemed touched just by the fact that I listened to her story seriously.


    Later, ording to what I heard from Eleris, even if Rudina truly was a dragon who had lost her memories, there would be no way to determine whether she was a dragon or not.


    Of course, Eleris asserted that dragons were merely mythical creatures that existed only in legends, though.

 Chapter 147

    <h4>Chapter 147</h4>


    I had looked into the Demon God Cult but ultimately failed to learn anything about the revolutionary forces. Ack of time was a factor. On top of that, perhaps due to everything that had stemmed from our investigation into the unfounded rumors around the Demon God Cult, Charlotte seemed to believe that even if the revolutionary forces existed, they might not be any more substantial.


    After all that had happened, Rudina treated me quite warmly whenever we crossed paths. It seemed she was quite grateful that I had listened to her oundish story all the way through without mocking her.


    ¡°The final exam results are out. Go ahead and check them.¡±


    The final exam season had passed by.


    <i>1st ce - Ellen</i>


    <i>2nd ce - Louis Ankton</i>


    <i>3rd ce - Vertus de Gradias</i>


    .


    .


    <i>7th ce - Harriet de Saint-Ouen</i>


    <i>8th ce - Reinhart</i>


    Since I hadn¡¯t studied, it was only natural for my grades to drop. Still, securing 8th ce didn¡¯t seem too bad. It was, after all, an average ranking.


    Everyone gave me passing nces, wondering how the midterm top-scorer had fallen to 8th ce. Perhaps they were considering whether it was just a one-off, and if I was ever good at studying in the first ce.


    That was the essence of the res that I got from those who disliked me.


    ¡°Ha! You made fun of me for getting 8th cest time, and now you¡¯re the one in 8th ce? Looks like I won this time, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Harriet remembered being teased by me during the midterms and was quick to tease me back, reveling in the fact that she had outperformed me.


    ¡°Wow, you still remember that? You¡¯re quite petty for ady of a ducal house.¡±


    ¡°What? Pe-Petty?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you penny-pincher.¡±


    ¡°Penny-pincher?! Did you just call me a penny-pincher?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°E-Eek!!! You¡¯re not even good at studying!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m bad at it, I just didn¡¯t do it. If I had, you would have been trounced by me. Oh, and did you know that when we calcte the midterm and final grades for the overall score, you still lose to me? Oh? Now what? Lost again? What will you do now?¡±


    ¡°Th-That can¡¯t... That can¡¯t be right...¡±


    I came in first in the midterms, and as for the finals, she was 7th and I was 8th. And she had one academicmendation, while I had two.


    Harriet was undoubtedly ranked lower than me in terms of the overall first-semester scores. Upon realizing this fact, Harriet turned pale.


    She thought she had won, and had boasted prematurely.


    Harriet was always bound to lose out in any exchange with me. By this time, her persistently picking fights with me despite not disliking me that much seemed somewhat endearing.


    <i>¡®No matter what you say, I have no intention of seriously fighting with you, so you¡¯re bound to lose.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Number 11 and Number 4, quiet down.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry Mr. Effenhauser...¡±


    Both Harriet and I wilted at Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s remark.


    Ultimately, the final exam results followed the flow of the original story, with Ellen ranking 1st and Ludwiging inst. Charlotte still seemed to struggle with the physical part, and was outmatched by Vertus.


    The Temple¡¯s grades were said to be an important factor in theirpetition, and the circumstances were overwhelmingly unfavorable for Charlotte to outstrip Vertus.


    ¡°Anyway, summer break begins next week. Though the Royal ss policy is that no official homework is assigned, I hope you all spend your time meaningfully.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser wasn¡¯t one to bbor the point. The mention of vacation had visibly lifted everyone¡¯s spirits.


    No matter how favorable the Royal ss environment was, nothing beat a break.


    ¡°Numbers 2 and 11, follow me to the staff room.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser summoned Ellen and I, and brought the ss to an end.


    ***


    Mr. Effenhauser had summoned us not because we had gotten into trouble.


    ¡°You mentioned ns to visit the Dark Land during the vacation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser had received the reports Ellen and I had submitted. There wasn¡¯t a strict need to report our vacation ns.


    However, reporting them was always the better option. Ellen had also made her report in advance.


    ¡°I thought it would be better to have a chaperone, but you refused.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Of course, the Temple would be reluctant to allow two Royal ss students, who were only in their first year, to venture into a dangerous ce like the Dark Land.


    Therefore, Mr. Effenhauser had originally been assigned to apany us as a chaperone, but both Ellen and I had refused.


    The pretext was that we were going for real-world experience, and not for education.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want Mr. Effenhauser following us because I had ns for Eleris to join us midway through.


    ¡°You should take a break during vacation too, sir,¡± I said with a slight smile.


    <i>¡®Honestly, man, do you really want to babysit students during your vacation as well?¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser stared at me intently. ¡°Just because students are on break doesn¡¯t mean the teacher gets to rest as well.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± was Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s response, implying that his work was the same regardless.


    I wondered what joy this man found in life. It was growing into a genuine curiosity.


    ¡°Anyway, after ourst staff meeting, we¡¯ve decided to provide you two with adequate support.¡±


    It appeared a staff meeting was held concerning our trip to the Dark Land. Ellen was originally supposed to be given a Teleportation scroll.


    If Ellen hadn¡¯t been going, they might not have sanctioned this trip. However, Ellen had more than proven her capabilities, and I just happened to be tagging along.


    Mr. Effenhauser pushed a pile of papers that were on his desk toward Ellen and me.


    ¡°One Teleportation scroll each. And here are the requisition documents with Temple¡¯s seal on them.¡±


    We each received one of the extremely valuable Teleportation scrolls. They were meant to be used as a means of escape in case of an emergency.


    In addition to that were the requisition documents. These were for requisitioning items necessary for the adventure.


    ¡°Show the documents at the Temple¡¯s armory, and they will open it for you. Make sure not to requisition unnecessary items. Keep in mind that all items requisitioned are Temple¡¯s property, so be careful not to lose any.¡±


    The documents allowed for the requisitioning of weapons and equipment that were usable in actualbat, and not just educational or training equipment.


    These weapons were produced by the Temple, an institution which received tremendous support from the empire. The equipment would be of apletely different caliber than the goods that proliferated within the Aligar district, known for its sleazy, money-grabbing merchants.


    This truly was the dignity afforded to students of the Royal ss. It was astounding to see that we could acquire such tremendous support with just a few words.


    Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t stop there; he even took out a pouch of gold coins.


    ¡°Here are fifty gold coins for your travel expenses. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the type to do so, but don¡¯t spend it on frivolous things.¡±


    In addition to the requisition documents, we even received a support fund worth about fifty million won. Though Mr Effenhauser warned us not to spend it on unnecessary things, there was no way for the Temple to track if we did. Of course, we had no such intentions.


    ¡°You can find work through the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, so there¡¯s no need to write a separate report. They will keep records, so they¡¯ll know what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    Of course, that meant that, despite receiving such significant support, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s records could easily reveal what we were up to if things went awry.


    With the final evaluations over and our vacation ted to begin the following week, all individual instruction subjects hade to an end. Aside from themon education sses on Monday and Thursday, there were no more lessons.


    So, essentially, our vacation had already started.


    ¡°That¡¯s all for the instructions,¡± said Mr. Effenhauser. He looked at Ellen and me, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt out there.¡±


    I was genuinely surprised to hear him say that.


    ***


    The summer vacation stretched from the end of July to the beginning of September.


    During that period, Ellen and I were nning to go to the Dark Land.


    Of course, spending an entire month there wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but Ellen nned to return with about a week to spare.


    The reason involved the three people we had hung out with previously.


    Riana de Granz had mentioned that she nned to visit various vis during the vacation, ending her tour with a week¡¯s rest in the Edina Archipgo.


    Riana had invited three ssmates along. So it seemed Ellen was going to spend thest week of vacationzing about at the Granz Ducal family¡¯s vi.


    Of course, in the event that circumstances didn¡¯t allow it, she wouldn¡¯t be able to go.


    ¡°Are you seriously thinking of going?¡± Harreit asked.


    ¡°Do I not look serious enough to you?¡± I replied.


    Harriet was astonished to learn that Ellen had decided to go to the Dark Land, and that I was going too. She couldn¡¯t understand why we would choose to go to such a hazardous ce.


    She looked visibly distressed, evidently worried about us.


    ¡°What will you do if you get hurt?¡± she asked.


    ¡°If we get hurt, we get hurt. But it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to die, right?¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t be going with just Ellen alone. I would not have allowed Ellen to go either. It¡¯s because we had Eleris as a safety that I had peace of mind. Harriet kept ncing at me and sighing deeply. She probably wanted toe along but was afraid to, and moreover, she would never get permission from the Duke of Saint-Ouen.


    Before long, rumors that Ellen and I were headed to the Dark Land had spread all throughout ss A.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too grim of a ce for a date, Reinhart?¡± said Vertus, surprised to hear that I was going as far off as the Dark Land.


    The ¡°idiot trio¡± seemed to have finally epted that they were no longer on the same level as me. They were talking about what fun things they were going to do during the vacation, while Ellen and I were choosing a path that was even more challenging than our school term.


    As always, Cliffman voiced his concern awkwardly.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, okay. Thanks.¡±


    <i>¡®What? Why does it feel so awkward whenever I talk to him, and disturbingly so? We¡¯re still awkward with each other, hence, these situations keep happening!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Both you and Ellen. I just don¡¯t get it,¡± Riana remarked.


    Riana truly couldn¡¯tprehend why Ellen and I had decided to go to the Dark Land.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still alive by the end of the vacation,e hang out with Ellen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Riana invited us to stop by the Edina Archipgo if we had nothing else nned. It was something to consider, at least.


    ¡ªU-Um, excuse me...


    From a distance, I saw Heinrich von Schwartz stop Riana.


    The story was that Heinrich had a crush on Riana.


    ¡ªWhat are you doing during the vacation?


    ¡ªGoing on a trip.


    ¡ªWhere to?


    ¡ªI¡¯m visiting several ces, but we¡¯re nning to gather and hang out towards the end.


    ¡ªOh, really?


    Riana was indeed a cool character.


    ¡ªDo you want toe?


    ¡ªR-Really?! Is that okay with you?!


    ¡ªSure. Well then, I¡¯ll let you know the date and location.


    ¡ªTh-Thank you!


    That straightforward and cool temperament.


    The more I saw of it, the less disagreeable it seemed.


    Heinrich seemed utterly surprised to have been invited by Riana, and his face turned red.


    Some students from ss B came to see us as well.


    ¡°... The Dark Land, really? I¡¯m so stunned I¡¯m lost for words,¡± sighed Charlotte.


    She had learned toote that I was going to the Dark Land. She would have definitely stopped me if she had known.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any fear at all, or what?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s treasure in the Dark Land. I¡¯ve got to make some money.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s mouth dropped open slightly in disbelief.


    ¡°Would you not go if I gave you the money?¡±


    Clearly, if money was the goal, she was willing to give it to me so that I wouldn¡¯t have to engage in such a dangerous activity.


    <i>¡®Wow. She¡¯s giving me butterflies in my stomach.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But then Ellen would have to go alone.¡±


    ¡°... I doubt you¡¯d be of any actual help to her, you know?¡±


    <i>¡®Hey! Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh, evening from you? I can get hurt too, you know!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not just about the money. I wouldn¡¯t go if it was that dangerous.¡±


    Charlotte raised her voice. ¡°If the dangers of the Dark Land were well-known, do you think adventurers would flock there? They go because it¡¯s unknown.¡±


    We were in the ss A dormitory, which she seldom visited. Even when Vertus happened by, she didn¡¯t stop.


    I was quite moved that she was showing such concern for me. Recognizing my unyielding attitude, Charlotte sighed.


    ¡°... It¡¯s even more absurd that I¡¯m even having this conversation with you.¡±


    It seemed ridiculous to her that, despite being friends, I wouldn¡¯t listen to her. Even more ludicrous was the fact that she wasn¡¯t giving orders, but actually trying to dissuade me.


    ¡°Come see me before you leave. I have something for you,¡± she said.


    She red at me briefly as if I were a madman, then swiftly turned and walked away.


    Ludwig appeared as well.


    ¡°Reinhart. Is it true you¡¯re going to the Dark Land?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay? Isn¡¯t it dangerous over there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with a decisive weapon by my side. What¡¯s there to fear?¡±


    Saying I had a decisive weapon made Ludwig think of Ellen, and he burst intoughter as if that exined everything.


    <i>¡®Of course you¡¯d think of Ellen, but what I truly meant was Eleris.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to go to Delphine¡¯s homnd this time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve arranged to take some ranger lessons. They said it would be fun. Reinhart, do you want to join me next time?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if I have time.¡±


    Ludwig was following the original storyline and heading to Talfarad¡ªDelphine¡¯s hometown¡ªto receive ranger training.


    Seeing all these people concerned about me felt strange.


    It was as if I¡¯d suddenly be popr.


    Anyway, the rumor that I was going to the Dark Land had spread throughout the entire first year, which made the start of the vacation quite noisy.


    ***


    Monday passed, and then came Tuesday...


    ¡°Junior, you¡¯re going to The Dark Land?¡± Adriana asked me this during our morning exercise. She seemed worried.


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go anywhere too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I know you¡¯ll take care of yourself... but it would have been nice to go together.¡±


    Adriana seemed concerned that Ellen and I were going to a dangerous ce by ourselves.


    Considering that Adriana could cast healing spells, it would indeed have been great to have her along, given her ample skills.


    Adriana sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged to return to the monastery this vacation for training...¡±


    However, it seemed Adriana had a packed vacation schedule. Despite her contemtion about her faith itself due to the situation with Olivia and the Order of the Holy Knights, Adriana hadn¡¯t given up on her path to be a priestess.


    Seeing her apologize for not being able to apany us, I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Let me know in advance the next time you go. I¡¯ll make sure to find some time.¡±


    After that, Adriana spent the entire workout session nagging me to not get hurt and to avoid dangerous ces at all costs.

 Chapter 148

    <h4>Chapter 148</h4>


    On Tuesday¡ªsince the vacation would start after themon sses on Thursday ended¡ªEllen and I headed to the Temple¡¯s armory.


    The Temple¡¯s stores contained enough practical weapons to arm allbat major students in an emergency. In reality, there was never an asion where Temple students were deployed inbat, making it a rather nominal rule. However, after the ¡°gate incident¡±, Temple students would begin to be deployed in actualbat scenarios.


    Thus, the existence of an armory in the Temple was something added to the setting of the story to justify the deployment of Temple students in realbat situations during the events of the ¡°gate incident¡±.


    In fact, the armory at the Temple had only been conceptualized at the moment the ¡°gate incident" happened. Before that, there was no mention or even thought of an armory existing in the Temple. After all, it was supposed to end as a slice-of-life story.


    Why would a school even need an armory capable of arming every student to the teeth?


    Even I found myself to be ridiculous for thinking about it.


    Although the armory was a major facility of the Temple, students hardly ever needed to visit it, so the ce we arrived at by tram was new to us, despite having spent a long time living in the Temple.


    ¡°I thought it would look like a warehouse.¡±


    Ellen seemed slightly dazed, probably expecting it to look ragged but sizable like a warehouse.


    The Temple¡¯s armory looked more like a huge museum than a warehouse. Although it was a secluded ce, since it was the Temple¡¯s armory, it was protected by a fair number of Temple guards.


    We showed our requisition orders to the administrator at the entrance post.


    He scanned the draft orders and then slowly nodded his head. ¡°Grade B, huh.¡±


    <i>¡®Grade B? What¡¯s that about?¡¯</i>


    Was there a detail in the setting that I wasn¡¯t aware of?


    Sensing my confusion, the administrator exined, ¡°It means you¡¯re allowed to draw equipment up to Grade B. ess to the S- and A-grade equipment stores is restricted. However, on the flip side, you¡¯re free to draw any equipment Grade B and below.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    It seemed that the Temple categorized and stored their equipment by grades. Since we were of the Royal ss, shouldn¡¯t there have been a way for us to ess at least A-grade, if not S-grade equipment?


    I felt a bit disappointed, but the administrator crossed his arms.


    ¡°Grade B equipment includes items that are hard toe by in the market. Even A-grade equipment are treated as treasures by various nations. And we haven¡¯t even mentioned S-grade equipment yet. Those pieces of equipment cannot be lent out carelessly.¡±


    I might not be aware of the specifics regarding the grades, but it was true that the Temple¡¯s armory was brimming with incredible artifacts.


    It would be difficult to just hand out these sorts of artifacts even to students of the Royal ss, especially in a non-crisis situation.


    S-grade equipment had to be something akin to the items a grade below the weapons of the hero Artorius, like Alsbringor, or Ellen¡¯s Lament.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if Alsbringor was currently in the Temple. It was probably in the keeping of the royal family. Given the many changes in the story so far, it was uncertain whether it would end up with Ludwig as it was supposed to originally.


    Ellen and I were assigned an attendant.


    ¡°Do you have anything specific in mind?¡± the attendant asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably need weapons and armor,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Ah, right. Then let¡¯s head this way.¡±


    The interior of the armory was so vast that I felt sure we would get lost without the attendant. Since we had Grade B requisition orders, the attendant took us to where the Grade B equipment was disyed.


    Ellen stared nkly at the endless rows of weapons, armor, boots, and many other items on disy.


    As we walked, the attendant began to exin.


    ¡°Most of the Temple¡¯s Grade B equipmentes enchanted. They are expensive, so make sure to return them after use.¡±


    The quality of the equipment was one thing, but the fact that they were all enchanted added even more value. Enchantments were magical words that made expensive items even more pricey.


    In the Aligar marketce, such items would be scarce in a single store, but here, they were lined up endlessly. Moreover, trying to purchase such items in the Aligar marketce would likely cost a fortune.


    But at the Temple, the mere fact that one was a Royal ss student allowed us to draw out such equipment. No bickering, no haggling.


    This was the prestige of the Temple.


    ¡°Shall we start with the weapons?¡±


    The attendant stopped in front of disy cases filled with weapons.


    It was dazzling to see.


    There were swords, spears, axes, bows, and maces, all organized into categories.


    But not all swords were created equal. There were short swords, long swords, bastard swords, two-handed swords, and even giant ymores. Even within the same category of long swords, the shapes varied immensely.


    The same variety applied to the other sses of weapons. There was an incredible array of forms on disy.


    <i>¡®Ah.¡¯</i>


    Faced with all these choices, I couldn¡¯t make up my mind.


    There was just too much on offer, and I didn¡¯t know what to pick.


    ¡°Can I hold a sword?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The attendant unlocked the disy case in which the swords were kept.


    It seemed Ellen was considering not using Lament for now.


    She held the sword, apparently judging its bnce and heft.


    ¡°Hmm, that sword probably has a hardening spell on it. And an enchantment that temporarily increases its weight, allowing it to be used as a bludgeon as well...


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s also good. That one has a me enchantment, so it can be used as a torch. It¡¯s very useful when you need fire. But the mana stone...


    ¡°Good choice, but I wonder if you have the strength to handle a two-handed sword... Whoa, you¡¯re stronger than you look, huh?¡±


    .


    .


    .


    Ellen scrutinized dozens of swords, one by one, and the attendant kept spouting off the enchantments imbuing each weapon she picked up.


    How in the world did this person memorize what enchantments all these weapons had?


    And why was it taking Ellen so long to choose when it looked like she would make a quick decision?


    I was stupefied as I watched Ellen, who usually took weapons seriously, seemingly getting addicted to shopping, and the attendant, who didn¡¯t seem to tire of exining everything in the same tone.


    After much deliberation, Ellen selected a simple longsword equipped with a self-repair function.


    ¡°There are many other good weapons too.¡±


    ¡°This will do. You should get the same thing, Reinhart.¡±


    Ellen rmended her sword to me as well, saying I should pick the same one.


    ¡°What about something with a lightning enchantment? Wouldn¡¯t that be cool?¡±


    If we had the chance to draw magic weapons, picking one with just a self-repair function seemed too basic, right? As I looked around, I could see many weapons with fascinating features.


    At my words, Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s more convenient to have one that takes care of itself.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. Is that so...?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t saying that it <i>was </i>convenient, but that she¡¯d <i>heard</i> that it was. It must have been something she¡¯d heard from her brother.


    Whenever she mentioned anything about her brother, it was like her having a cheat code, since I couldn¡¯t find the words to argue back.


    Later, it was exined that regardless of whether a weapon was enchanted or not, failing to clean the blood and grime off a de and sharpen it after use would quickly ruin it. A de¡¯s edge would also dull with repeated use, and in prolongedbat, this could lead to the weapon losing its functionality.


    A weapon with a self-repair feature was enchanted to maintain peak condition duringbat situations. Apparently, it didn¡¯t require any maintenance afterward either.


    Ellen had, in the end, chosen the best weapon for actualbat.


    Ellen seemed to contemte taking a bow as well, but eventually decided against it. We weren¡¯t heading to war, but on an adventure, so there was no need for unnecessarilyrge amounts of equipment.


    Afterward, Ellen and I selected our armor, made of leather. There were other options such as chainmail or te armor enchanted to feel lighter, but they were ufortable to move in.


    The armor set we chose consisted of a few separate pieces. It wasn¡¯t a full-body set; Ellen and I only equipped ourselves with breasttes, arm guards, and greaves.


    ¡°Do you think this will do?¡±


    Our necks, upper arms, and thighs were exposed, making it feel somewhat inadequate.


    ¡°... It¡¯s summer now.¡±


    She had a point. Wearing more in this weather would just be begging toe down with heat stroke. Wearing this much already felt a bit stuffy. Of course, the magical lightweight enchantment on the armor made its weight almost imperceptible.


    The attendant added that the armor, which was enchanted with lightness, fire resistance, acid resistance, and hardening, provided ample protection.


    We also requisitioned boots that were appropriate for long-distance travel and backpacks that reduced the weight of the contents, after which we finally felt ready to set out. Having equipped ourselves with armor and weapons, the reality that we were willingly walking into a dangerous area, despite all the safety precautions, began to sink in.


    After drawing all our equipment, Ellen and I packed all the gear into our backpacks.


    ¡°Do we need something like a horse?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know how to ride one.¡±


    I had taken riding lessons, so while I wasn¡¯t an expert, I could just about ride a horse. It seemed Ellen hadn¡¯t learned to ride yet, although she could probably pick it up quickly if she tried.


    ¡°Besides, we won¡¯t have the time to care for a horse.¡±


    Given the nature of our destination, I had to agree with Ellen¡¯s point. Managing a horse would present many challenges.


    Our departure was set for Friday, following ourst ss on Thursday.


    At least we had finished preparing our basic equipment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop off our stuff and head out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Now, it was time to seriously n our schedule.


    ***


    We were going to the Dark Land.


    Calling it ¡°going to the Dark Land¡± was an overly vague expression. It was as absurd as saying that we were heading to the northern hemisphere of the earth, since ¡°the Dark Land¡± referred to the eastern half of this vast continent.


    Therefore, we needed to decide the point at which we would enter the Dark Land, and the route we would take.


    Initially, Ellen had simply nned to register as an adventurer, go into the Dark Land, and then wander around, but things changed after I joined up.


    As Charlotte said, wandering around the Dark Land without knowing how dangerous each area could be was akin to a suicide mission.


    ¡°There are three main forward bases established in the Dark Land,¡± Loyar said as she spread a gigantic map in front of us.


    Ellen and I had left the Temple and were in the newly established headquarters of the Rotary Club.


    I had given Loyar instructions a while ago.


    <i>¡ªI¡¯m going to the Dark Land with Ellen.</i>


    <i>¡ªExcuse me?</i>


    <i>¡ªGet some information from the thieves¡¯ Guild about the Dark Land, especially the information known to humans.</i>


    <i>¡ªExcuse me?</i>


    <i>¡ªAnd you should have some memories of your own. Think about where we can safely roam around.</i>


    <i>¡ªExcuse meee?</i>


    <i>¡ªWhat do you mean, ¡°excuse me¡±? Just do it.</i>


    <i>¡ªYes, Your Highness.</i>


    All this trouble would have been unnecessary if we possessed a map of the Dark Land made by someone from the Demon Realm, but such a map was far beyond our reach. That was why I¡¯d instructed Loyar to obtain a map of the Dark Land through the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°This area, Egxian Forward Base, is currently the most active zone for adventurers.¡±


    The Egxian Forward Base was a forward base established by the human faction during the Great War. The base housed a colossal warp gate, serving both as the point of entry for the allied forces during the war and the point from which they returned.


    There were other bases and warp gates established ahead of it for the movement of supplies and various other reasons, but they had all been withdrawn during the retreat.


    The humans had judged it too difficult to maintain bases deep within the Dark Land. Therefore, as things stood, excluding the abandoned bases, the Egxian Forward Base was the front line. Consequently, after the end of the Great War, this forward base had been transformed into the main hub for adventurers heading in to explore the Dark Land.


    ¡°Adventurers have secured safe zones around this area and continue to establish and expand their bases. The area to the east, which was the route that the allied forces took, has seen much development, while the north and south are rtively less explored.¡±


    The eastern route, which had already been swept through by the allied forces, was rtively safe and well-developed. However, it was uncertain what dangers lurked to the north and south of the base.


    ¡°Recently, there¡¯s been an effort to explore the northern region, but rumors are that it¡¯s not going well. While there are tales of fortune, it seems that many who go don¡¯t return.¡±


    The fact that many groups of adventurers that headed north did not return indicated the presence of significant dangers.


    ¡°A vast forest lies to the south. It¡¯s not a wild jungle, and not many dangers have been discovered, but it appears that there¡¯s nothing much of value to be found, so it¡¯s often avoided.¡±


    Loyar stopped her exnation there and looked back and forth between Ellen and me.


    ¡°So, the safe route would be to head east from the Egxian Forward Base towards this area, Saints Point, which acts as the deadline. Exploring the safe zones in these areas would be advisable. I¡¯ve heard that just filling in the map can yield considerable rewards.¡±


    Information on the geography alone was sufficient to earn payment from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. One didn¡¯t necessarily have to focus on monster hunting to earn money. Those who were a little greedier either struck it big or lost their lives.


    Loyar seemed quite pessimistic about Ellen and I going to the Dark Land. However, she appeared somewhat relieved to learn that Eleris would join us midway.


    For starters, it was unclear whaty to the north and south of the Egxian Forward Base.


    Therefore, Loyar advocated that sticking to the safe eastern route was the best course of action.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ellen expressed her gratitude to Loyar for the information she had provided. ¡°<i>Ajumma</i>.¡±


    Of course, Ellen had a tendency to provoke Loyar by saying things that weren¡¯t exactly necessary.


    The veins on Loyar¡¯s forehead bulged at being called ¡°<i>ajumma</i>¡±.


    ¡°... Come. Let¡¯s have a talk outside. Time for a little sparring today.¡±


    Of course, this was also because it was the only way Ellen could get Loyar to spar with her.

 Chapter 149

    <h4>Chapter 149</h4>


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>¡®This is an unbelievable rate of growth,¡¯ </i>Loyar thought.


    Loyar red wide-eyed at Ellen, who was rolling across the ground, having just been sent flying.


    It had only been about a month since Ellen had asked her to teach her how to fight.


    Yet, in just that one month, she had made unbelievable progress. Her level of skill and the quickness of her reactions were so much higher and quicker than one month ago.


    <i>¡®If she learns to enhance her strength with mana in this state...¡¯</i>


    Even now, though Ellen still didn¡¯t know how to use mana to enhance her physical abilities, Loyar was sweating bullets.


    Being able to enhance one¡¯s strength with mana made a world of difference. There was a reason why people who could do it were literally called monsters.


    Yet Ellen was catching up to her without even knowing how to do that.


    Even taking into ount that Loyar was in human form, it was still unthinkable that someone who was not even using mana enhancement could be gradually catching up to her, whose foundations were fundamentally different from ordinary humans.


    She had neither seen nor heard of such a human before.


    Ellen got to her feet unsteadily and dusted herself off. Despite being battered, her calm eyes were always steady.


    ¡°Here Ie.¡±


    As if the defeat she¡¯d just suffered was a thing of the past, Ellen kept charging forward no matter how many times she fell, just like the ground hardening after rain.


    ¡°Bring it.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s mentality had grown even stronger after having been shattered once.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    Loyar parried the sword that was aimed at her shoulder while trying to drive her fist into Ellen¡¯s abdomen.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    As if predicting that attack, Ellen twisted her body, dodging the strike and simultaneously sending her left elbow flying toward Loyar¡¯s forehead.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    This time, however, Loyar ducked under to dodge and slipped her arm between Ellen¡¯s legs, flipping her over.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Huff<i>... </i>Huff...¡±


    <i>¡®What a monster...¡¯ </i>Loyar thought as she stared down at Ellen, who was coughing from the pain in her chest, with a look of disbelief.


    For now, there were certainly others in the world who were stronger than this girl, but not for long.


    <i>¡®In ten years¡ªno, in five years¡ªwould there still be someone stronger than her?¡¯</i>


    For the first time in her life, Loyar felt a sense of fear as she looked at a human.


    <i>¡®Why exactly did our lord ask me to help with her training, and even request for Eleris¡¯s assistance in their quest to help her to gain realbat experience?¡¯</i>


    Loyar doubted that she would feel this way even if she were in the presence of the human emperor.


    She wouldn¡¯t have felt this way even if a dragon¡¯s egg was wiggling, about to hatch before her eyes.


    To Loyar, Ellen seemed like some iprehensible, unknown entity. It wasn¡¯t just the girl¡¯s strength, but also the sheer rate at which she grew stronger that caused her to feel such fear.


    Loyar was confused.


    <i>¡®This doesn¡¯t seem right. This shouldn¡¯t be happening. Why is our lord so taken with this girl?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Let me ask you something,¡± Loyar said, and Ellen staggered to her feet.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Would you die for Reinhart?¡±


    Ellen was perplexed, taken aback by Loyar¡¯s sudden question.


    She pondered the question for a long while, her expression nk.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know,¡± she finally said.


    In the end, that was the only answer Ellen could give.


    <i>¡®Not a ¡°no¡±, but ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±...¡¯</i>


    Loyar stared at Ellen for a moment before chuckling.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good enough.¡±


    That response¡ª¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Just pondering the question of whether she would be willing to die for Reinhart was an adequate answer for Loyar.


    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    Ellen cocked her head in confusion at Loyar¡¯s sudden statement. ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ***


    Thest ss on Thursday had ended.


    ¡°Phew! It¡¯s finally over!¡±


    Leading the charge with excitement as if school life waspletely over was Connor Lint, and everyone else quickly left the school.


    Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s advice about spending the vacation time meaningfully, as though it was some holiday homework assignment, likely never even entered Connor Lint¡¯s head.


    Many here were born with the unique silver spoon called talent. Most notably, the hopelessly ipetent trio.


    After all, the sole criteria for selecting who got into the empire¡¯s top ss was innate talent, hence the existence of such imbeciles. This setup would lead to conflicts with the hardworking students from the Orbis sster on.


    Still, one had to wonder if those deemed the highest talents in thend should really be allowed to be so inept.


    Since we were leaving the next morning, we skipped all the usual training for the day. Upon returning to the dormitory, the first thing I did was to look for Charlotte.


    After all, she had told me to pay her a visit before leaving.


    ¡°Take this,¡± she said when she saw me.


    Charlotte handed me a medal.


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t this the imperial crest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    By this time, I could recognize the imperial crest as well.


    ¡°This alone should be enough for you to exact cooperation from most public institutions. It¡¯ll also serve as a potent threat.¡±


    It was a medal certifying that I was under the protection of the royal family. I wasn¡¯t sure if it had any magical abilities, but its existence alone could solve certain problems.


    ¡°Is it okay to just give this away?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± Charlotte replied, frowning as if implying that it wasn¡¯t something to be given away lightly. ¡°Causing unnecessary trouble and bothering people. Hmph.¡±


    With an irritated look, Charlotte held onto me and lectured me for a long while.


    She told me that, no matter how skilled Ellen might be, acting impulsively could lead to a mess. She reminded me of the previous abduction incident and warned me that things might not end so smoothly if something simr were to happen.


    She also pleaded with me not to get myself into any deep trouble, and to try to keep my temper in check.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the morning.¡±


    Charlotte looked at me intently and then crossed her arms. ¡°If I could give you one piece of advice...¡±


    She smiled subtly. ¡°Be wary of people.¡±


    Not monsters or demons, but to be cautious of people first and foremost.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I understood perfectly what that meant.


    The imperial crest had been given to me to be used against people, not monsters.


    ***


    Vacation had started on Thursday, and the eager ones had rushed home from the Temple.


    I¡¯d expected Harriet to have gone back home at the first opportunity, but she was still around on Friday morning to see Ellen and I off.


    It wasn¡¯t just Harriet; there was someone else whose presence I hadn¡¯t anticipated.


    Adelia had alsoe out to bid farewell to me and Ellen.


    Both of them had dark circles under their eyes. They looked like they had stayed up all night.


    We were both ready, having donned our backpacks and armor.


    ¡°Um, Ellen...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This... Can you take this?¡±


    Adelia hesitantly held out something to Ellen. It was a bracelet made of blue metal.


    ¡°Re-Reinhart... you too...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just for Ellen; she handed me a bracelet of the same design.


    ¡°... What is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s only good for one-time use, but it has protection magic on it,¡± Adelia replied hesitantly. ¡°It should be of help in case of danger... I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s only good for one use, I made it in a hurry.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh.¡¯</i>


    Both of them must have stayed up for several nights making these bracelets.


    It certainly wasn¡¯t something they could have made in just one day. Adelia¡¯s talenty in magical crafting, which was used to create magical items like these, but Harriet was also capable of doing the same work.


    They had coborated to make these two magical bracelets. Harriet was avoiding my gaze as if she preferred not to verbally acknowledge her contribution.


    I could clearly see the dark circles under her eyes.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ellen said simply.


    But why did Adelia seem apologetic as she offered her gift, as if she was sorry she couldn¡¯t offer something better?


    How low could her self-esteem be?


    ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡±


    At my words, Adelia scratched the back of her head, and Harriet¡¯s face flushed slightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you promised toe to Edina Archipgo,¡± mumbled Harriet, trying her best to act nonchnt.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Clearly, they both hoped we would return safe and unharmed.


    ***


    We were headed toward Saints Point, where we would meet with Eleris, after making a stopover at the Egxian Forward Base.


    Of course, I intend to act as if it was my first time meeting Eleris, who would casually pretend to join up with us as an adventuring mage. She would pose as a novice mage who was not particrly adept at magic, and would only reveal her true abilities if we encountered serious danger.


    That was the n.


    Ellen and I would register as adventurers at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild guildhouse in the Egxian Forward Base.


    We would then make contact naturally with Eleris at the inn in Saints Point, where we had agreed to meet.


    After forming a party, we¡¯d explore the areas near Saints Point.


    With Eleris by our side, we could afford to venture into slightly more dangerous territories.


    The equipment issued by the Temple was sufficient, but we also had the imperial crest, which could solve any political troubles we might run into, and we also had the bracelets enchanted with protection magic for emergencies.


    It was insurance on top of insurance.


    Ellen and I headed toward the mega warp gate within the imperial capital.


    Unfortunately, being a Royal ss student didn¡¯t exempt us from having to pay the warp gate usage fee.


    ¡°... Wow, it¡¯s crazy expensive,¡± I said.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ellen responded.


    Ellen, who had done her own cost calctions, nodded absentmindedly in agreement.


    After calcting the fee for using the warp gates, Ellen and I finally understood why the Temple had given us such a substantial amount of money to spend.


    The Egxian Forward Base was located at the easternmost edge of the human territories, which meant we had to travel the longest distance.


    To reach the Egxian Forward Base, we had to pass through four mega warp gates.


    On average, each section of travel would cost us two gold coins. Since there were two of us, we needed four gold coins per transfer.


    Just getting there would cost sixteen gold coins, and a round trip cost thirty-two gold coins.


    That left us with only eighteen gold coins to spend on other things.


    While that was still a significant amount of money, it exined why the Temple had provided us with fifty gold coins to cover a single month¡¯s expenses.


    Thinking about it in terms of airnes, it seemed expensive, but here, the concept of travel time itself didn¡¯t exist the way it did with airnes. Factoring that in made the cost seem quite reasonable.


    Actually, the warp gates made traveling that much more efficient, rendering air travel almost inconsequential.


    We submitted our application to use the warp gate and waited our turn. Since the terrorist incident, security at the warp gates had be much stricter. The process of checking a user¡¯s identity, patting them down, and making sure everything was in order was very thorough.


    The guards weren¡¯t just ordinary soldiers. Knights were also stationed near the warp gate.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Ellen and I handed our papers to the soldier.


    Royal ss Student IDs issued by the Temple.


    ¡°Proceed.¡±


    Ellen and I were on our way to our first stopover.


    ***


    We had to use the warp gates a total of four times, stopping over each time.


    Consequently, a problem arose.


    ¡°... Who knew this could be a problem?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Ellen and I were staring dumbfoundedly at the incredibly long queue that had formed in front of the mega warp gate.


    We hadn¡¯t even joined the line yet.


    ¡°Well... I guess it makes sense.¡±


    We were currently in an autonomous trading city called Sm. What actually went on in Sm didn¡¯t matter to us. There was no need to know, since it was just a stopover.


    However, since it was a trading city, it was a transit point for a vast quantity of goods.


    Specifically, these goods would have to pass through the mega warp gate right in front of us.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve be too ustomed to the imperial capital.¡±


    ¡°It does seem so.¡±


    There were over ten mega warp gates in the imperial capital. Entry into and exit from the imperial capital were spread out between these gates, and so no single gate was overcrowded unless there was an eventparable to a state ceremony going on.


    However, the regional hubs had two or three mega warp gates at most, and mostmonly, just one.


    Because of this, ces with even just one such gate be major cities.


    The mega warp gates, capable of ultra-long-distance travel, served not only as destinations for the medium and small gates, but also as entry points for those heading toward them. Thus, it was inevitable for bottlenecks to ur at these mega gates. Since the gates were both entry and exit points, people continuously flooded in and out.


    This was the difference between the imperial capital and the rest of the human-upied territories. Despite there being a mega gate here, the queue to use it was incredibly long, since it was the only one around.


    There were people who looked like merchants, carriages, and all other manner of travelers waiting to use the gate.


    The line in front of us was so dauntingly long that we couldn¡¯t even determine how to join it.


    ¡°We might have to wait until the day after tomorrow, even if we get a ticket now,¡± Ellen reported. She had gone off to make some inquiries earlier.


    Even if we managed to secure tickets that day, they might only be usable the day after tomorrow. That seemed perfectly reasonable, given what we were looking at.


    ¡°I guess the situation won¡¯t be much different at the next gate?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    It was great that traveling through a warp gate was faster than flying, but what was the use of that if we had to wait two days just to pass through one? And if the same thing happened at the next gate, that would mean another two days, and then another two days after that, adding up to six days all just spent traveling. Ellen, too, stared nkly at the queue, seemingly taken aback by this predicament.


    The sheer cost of travel was one thing, but all this wasted time would render it all pointless.


    I made up my mind.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°... Do you have a solution?¡± Ellen asked.


    I reached into my pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s use some power.¡±


    I pulled out the imperial crest from within my pocket, and Ellen¡¯s eyes widened.


    <i>¡®Sorry, Charlotte. Time to drop your name!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 150

    <h4>Chapter 150</h4>


    ¡°I want to use the gate.¡±


    ¡°Please take a number first...¡±


    ¡°Take a look at this.¡±


    Across the human territories, there was no ce where the name of the royal family did not hold sway. After all, the entirety of the humannds was part of the empire.


    As soon as the authenticity of the emblem was verified, we were given a priority pass for the gate without further questions.


    The usage fee was also waived, but to avoid any potential issuester, the proper payment was made. Having priority ess alone felt like an unfair advantage, let alone getting a fee waiver as well; it just felt wrong to not pay.


    ¡°It feels like we¡¯re doing something wrong,¡± Ellenmented.


    I shook my head. ¡°It was given to me to be used in emergency situations, and we¡¯re using it in an emergency situation. How is that a problem?¡±


    If you get down to it, this was precisely an emergency.


    Our entire travel n was about to be disrupted; if this wasn¡¯t an emergency, what was?


    Or... Had Charlotte been aware that this would happen when she gave me the imperial crest? Was I overthinking things? There was no way Charlotte could have predicted this, right?


    ¡°... Self-brainwashing?¡±


    ¡°... Why would you even bring that up here? And it¡¯s not!¡±


    <i>¡®Such a power, such a bearer. You meant it in that sense, didn¡¯t you?!¡¯</i>


    And it¡¯s not self-brainwashing, it¡¯s Self-Deception!


    ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t wannae with me now, you can always follow two dayster.¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    In the end, Ellen liked the idea as well.


    Thanks to the imperial crest, which acted like a VIP pass, Ellen and I were able to bypass all the queues at the subsequent stops and arrived at the Egxian Forward Base in just one day.


    ***


    The Egxian Forward Base was the first base that humans built in the Dark Land.


    It was from here that they had advanced during the Great War, and it was through this same ce that the armies made their return.


    It was both the starting point and the point of return.


    That was the Egxian Forward Base.


    [New Event Update - Adventure in the Dark Land]


    [Description: Complete the adventure in the Dark Land safely.]


    [Reward: The reward will vary depending on your achievements. Don¡¯t whine and strive for high achievements.]


    To top it all off, an event was triggered, telling us not to be disheartened.


    However, the reward for this event was not specified¡ªonly a message telling us to achieve a lot.


    <i>¡®Whine? Would I whine after making it all the way here?¡¯</i>


    It was clear they were doing this because they were worried I might turn back early just to collect the reward.


    I was frustrated because they might pull something like giving me just one achievement point in the end while iming that they never promised a big reward. This uncertainty was making me anxious.


    Anyway, it wasn¡¯t the right time to worry about it. Worrying meant losing.


    ¡°Nothing much is different here.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect the sky to be ck because it¡¯s called the ¡®Dark¡¯ Land?¡±


    While the sky had been dreary near the Demon King¡¯s castle, here, it seemed no different from any ordinary ce. Even while I was at the Demon King¡¯s castle, the surrounding environment had been deste but the sky had merely been cloudy, which was fairly normal.


    ¡°It seems more like a city than a base.¡±


    ¡°It looks like it.¡±


    Most of the military forces had withdrawn, leaving only the bare minimum, and so it felt more fitting to call the ce a city rather than a base. What had once been a massive military outpost had now turned into a hotspot for adventurers flocking to the area.


    The buildings scattered around looked no different from those in the other cities we had passed through so far.


    But the people were different.


    If the soldiers were uniformly armed, the people here were armed in various ways.


    Since most of them were adventurers, they were equipped with lighter armor instead of heavy armor, which was a notable differencepared to the soldiers.


    With fewer civilians and an influx of neers, this city was entirely different from any we had encountered before. It was, in essence, a city of adventurers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The Great War had ended at the beginning of the year.


    It had been barely half a year since the end of the war, and so exploration of the Dark Land had only just begun to see a boom. Adventurers hoping for a quick fortune were just starting to pour in. The exploration of the Dark Land was still very much in its infancy.


    For this reason, both veteran adventurers and novices aspiring to make a name for themselves were swarming to the Egxian Forward Base.


    As adventurers¡ªwho were essentially new arrivals¡ªflooded in, it was only natural for the hospitality business to grow to amodate them, for traders selling equipment and supplies to gather, and for the entertainment industry to develop to cater to those adventurers who struck it rich.


    And wherever quick fortunes were made, the darker parts of society¡ªthose looking to cheat that money away¡ªwould also grow. There would be gambling dens and thieves aplenty.


    The city¡¯s rapid expansion was evident not just from the influx of people but also from the countless buildings that were under construction.


    With all this going on, it was only natural that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was crowded with individuals looking to register as new adventurers.


    Bing an adventurer required no specific qualifications or criteria.


    Anyone could be an adventurer.


    However, everyone started at the lowest rank, F, and had to work their way up based on their aplishments. Naturally, F-rank adventurers receive no support whatsoever from the guild.


    An F-rank adventurer¡¯s license offered no rights or privileges. Thus, issuing them liberally was not a problem. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild did not seem to manage the adventurers beyond merely registering them. Perhaps it couldn¡¯t even if it wanted to.


    When I had initially arrived at the imperial capital, I¡¯d wondered what things adventurers in this world would be up to. And now, after all this time, here I was, embarking on the path of an adventurer myself.


    The irony of life¡¯s unpredictable turns...


    The process for acquiring the license was very simple, so we didn¡¯t have to wait long before we were issued adventurer¡¯s licenses that looked somewhat simr to identification cards.


    Both Ellen and I were now of F rank.


    ¡°...¡±


    At the bustling Adventurers¡¯ Guild counter, Ellen stood in a daze. Even after our business was concluded, she seemed unable to move.


    I knew why.


    At the opposite end of Ellen¡¯s gaze were photographs, hanging on the wall. They wererge, and hung at a considerable height.


    Each photograph wasbeled with a name underneath.


    [Adventurer¡¯s Guild Hall of Fame]


    [Ragdna Olpi]


    [Sheyden]


    [Ragan Artorius]


    [Mulern]


    [Seizaria]


    Among the five photographs hung the picture of Ragan Artorius.


    These were the five heroes who defeated the Demon King.


    They, too, had been adventurers.


    The highest rank for adventurers was SS.


    After the Great War, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild had upgraded their ranks to that of legendary status. It was a rank that had not previously existed.


    They had be the greatest adventurers in history, and achieved a status simr to sports heroes whose jersey numbers had been retired.


    Ellen stood there, staring endlessly at the photograph of her brother who had be a legend among adventurers.


    I wondered what was going through her mind.


    At the very least, she didn¡¯t seem proud.


    ***


    There was no real need to increase our adventurer ranks. After all, adventuring was just something for us to do during this month-long holiday, after which it would be set aside.


    For Ellen and me, registering as adventurers was a minor matter. It would be a bonus if what we did somehow also made us some money.


    Therefore, instead of taking on quests before heading out, we would be heading out first, and if we found something noteworthy, we would report it to the guildter to receive payment.


    Of course, if any rather appealing quest appeared, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to undertake it.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if Ellen was emotional about starting her own journey from the same point as her brother.


    ¡°To go to Saints Point, we need to take a carriage.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Since this wasn¡¯t the imperial capital, there were no trams or magical trains. We had to resort to more primitive means of transportation.


    When we reached Saints Point, we were supposed to casually bump into Eleris at the prearranged spot and then join forces. From there, we could either get jobs through the Adventurers¡¯ Guild branch in Saints Point or wander as we pleased.


    Ellen and I headed to the nearby carriage station, where carriages bound for various destinations were lined up.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to go to Saints Point.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then take this one. The price is two silver coins per person.¡±


    Ellen paid him four silver coins, and we boarded the transportpartment of the carriage.


    ¡°We¡¯ll depart once we have one more passenger!¡±


    It seemed the departure times weren¡¯t fixed, and each carriage would only depart once fully upied. Besides Ellen and I, there were five other people inside the carriage.


    I could clearly see them sneaking nces at Ellen.


    ¡°Oh my, is that youngdy going to be an adventurer already?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ellen tilted her head in confusion, caught off-guard by the sudden question.


    ¡°Do you even have the strength to wield a sword?¡±


    ¡°Arthur, she seems like a nobledy; what if she gets hurt?¡±


    ¡°Looks like the little one is joining her as well! Are you her guard?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    It was unclear if they all knew each other, but they clearly found it peculiar to see two young kids in a ce where adventurers gathered. They assumed the noble girl I was with was y-acting as an adventurer, and pegged me as her escort.


    The irony... To be honest, between the two of us, she was the fiercer one. In a pinch, she¡¯d be the one protecting me.


    <i>Tap, tap.</i>


    ¡°Be careful, kid. It¡¯s not as easy here as you might think.¡±


    A man who appeared to be in his thirties sitting next to me tapped my shoulder with his palm, which was asrge as a pot lid. Whether he was a veteran or not, I was slightly irked by his attitude.


    Indeed, by appearance alone, Ellen and I did seem like noobs, and in reality, we were. Remembering Charlotte¡¯s warning about how my temper could potentially cause trouble for Ellen, I decided to endure this unwarranted intrusion and move on.


    I didn¡¯t want any unnecessary fights.


    This wasn¡¯t the Temple. Both Ellen and I were carrying swords, and so were these people.


    A disagreement here wouldn¡¯t end in a mere fistfight.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Soon, thest passenger boarded. ¡°Hello, everyone!¡±


    He was a young man with dark blue hair and a gentle expression.


    Adventurers, as seemed to be the custom, exchanged brief greetings despite not knowing each other.


    ¡ªAlright then, we¡¯re off!


    Once the coachman made his announcement, the carriage rumbled and started moving.


    Having been ustomed to the smooth rides of magical trains, the jolting of the carriage felt unfamiliar.


    Ellen was sitting across from me, and the young man, thest passenger, was sitting next to me.


    ¡°Wow, I never thought I¡¯d see someone who looks even younger than me here. Hello, there!¡±


    He offered his hand with a friendly smile, and I feltpelled to shake it without much reason to refuse.


    ¡°Oh, hello.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Daria Austin. And you?¡±


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen.¡±


    The man next to me kept trying to strike up a conversation in annoying fashion.


    But as the saying goes, you can¡¯t spit in the face of a smile, and he didn¡¯t seem to mean any harm despite me finding it a nuisance, so I couldn¡¯t just tell him to be quiet.


    I didn¡¯t want to sour my rtionship with the person sitting next to me for the unknown number of hours it would take to reach Saints Point.


    Austin mentioned that he was twenty that year. He mumbled something about his surprise that there were people even younger than him starting out, and how he thought that he¡¯d started at a fairly young age himself.


    ¡°Are you two traveling together?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Upon learning that Ellen and I werepanions, Austin slowly nodded his head.


    ¡°Do you want to join our group then? We have some members waiting for us in Saints Point. It¡¯ll be safer to move together. There¡¯s a B-rank adventurer in our group, a real veteran. It¡¯ll be safe if you follow their lead. I¡¯m still an F-rank, though.¡±


    Austin proposed that joining them could help Ellen and I gain some experience.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    However, Ellen tly refused him, seemingly without giving it a second thought. Austin scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed at the pointed refusal.


    ¡°Mypanion prefers not to,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah, I see...¡±


    ¡°Hey buddy, you¡¯re pestering them too obviously.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that...¡±


    The men sitting nearby jeered, causing Austin¡¯s face to turn red. It seemed he had indeed taken a particr interest in Ellen.


    Austin and the other adventurers who had been in the carriage before us also shared stories that contained, amidst their trivial banter, information that was worth paying attention to.


    ¡°The regions north of Egxian are still tough, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. No one returns from there safely.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even out there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Heard there¡¯s an orc settlement, and talk about goblin hordes too.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t a squad of about fifty head out to conduct a purge recently?¡±


    ¡°All missing.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh... Must be something huge out there.¡±


    The conversation mainly revolved around the area to the north of the Egxian Forward Base, which was known at that time as the most dangerous region in the vicinity.


    Saints Point, situated on the eastern advance route, was rtively safepared to other areas.


    Most adventurers heading north out of Egxian did not make it back.


    ¡°What about the south?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all forests, they say. Nothing much there.¡±


    ¡°I went down there for over a week, and it¡¯s just forest. How is that any different from a desert?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a rumor that it¡¯s not really a forest but a kind of barrier. Like a maze.¡±


    ¡°Why would there be a barrier out there, in the middle of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°No one knows.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. The ce used to be a dragon graveyard and got cursed or something...¡±


    There were many rumors and ghost stories about the ce, making it impossible for anyone to discern the truth.


    I thought that some event might trigger, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    Too many baseless rumors only served to obscure any real understanding.


    After leaving the forward base, the carriage followed one of the old routes that the allied forces had used to make their advance. The surroundingndscape did not seem all that unusual.


    ¡°It makes you quite curious, doesn¡¯t it? They call it the Dark Land, but it¡¯s not particrly dark,¡± Austin murmured absentmindedly as he looked out at thendscape unfolding behind the carriage.


    It wasn¡¯t dark. In fact, it didn¡¯t seem that much different from the human world. The vast expanse of scenery unfolding before us even looked beautiful in its own way.


    Yet people called it the Dark Land.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    That response came not from me, but from Ellen.


    Austin seemed a little surprised that Ellen had answered him.


    <i>Clop, Clop, Clop.</i>


    The carriage moved along slowly, its rhythmic rocking bringing back old memories.


    <i>¡®This...¡¯</i>


    It felt like when I was back in the Korean military, riding in the back of a two-ton truck.


    The whole situation was incredibly ufortable, yet sleep came so easily.


    In the moment between wakefulness and sleep, Ellen called out to me softly.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    As soon as I looked at her, I sensed something, even though I couldn¡¯t exactly pinpoint why.


    Her eyes were calmer than usual.


    Eyes filled with resolution.


    By now, I could tell what she was thinking just by looking into her eyes.


    <i>Clop... Clop</i>...


    The carriage began to slow down.


    There was no reason for it to slow down, yet it did.


    <i>¡°Be careful of the people.¡±</i>


    That was what Ellen¡¯s eyes were saying.


    The surroundings had already changed. We had veered off the wide road, and were surrounded by densely-packed trees.


    We seemed to be heading into a secluded area.


    Inside the carriage, I could see the adventurers casually cing their hands on their weapons while pretending to be calm.


    They were sneaking nces our way as if waiting for the right time.


    <i>¡°Be careful of the people.¡±</i>


    The moment was already upon us.


    Had they been making idle conversation while actually sizing us up?


    A chill ran down my spine.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The next moment, I saw Ellen ruthlessly jab the hilt of her sword into the sr plexus of the person seated next to her.


    ¡°H-Huh?!¡±


    ¡°Wh-What!¡±


    Before they could make their move, Ellen hadunched a preemptive attack. The adventurers seated inside seemed surprised, apparently not expecting such a turn of events.


    That was especially true for Austin, who was shocked by the suddenmotion.


    Everything became clear then.


    Austin wasn¡¯t part of their scheme.


    I used my supernatural power to enhance my physical abilities.


    The type I chose: closebat.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Following Ellen¡¯s example, I jabbed the person seated next to me in the ribs with the hilt of my weapon.


    I didn¡¯t know what these people intended to do.


    But, if we acted first, nothing could happen to us.


    This was the Dark Land.


    A ce beyond the reach of thew.


    Here, the first strike was the only justice.

 Chapter 151

    <h4>Chapter 151</h4>


    I neutralized the adventurer seated next to me, then picked up Austin who was seated opposite me in a sh and threw him out of the carriage before making my own escape.


    The inside of the carriage was too cramped to fight in.


    Ellen shattered the nose of one of them then escaped from the carriage as well.


    The carriage hade to aplete stop.


    Even the coachman was in on it.


    ¡°You brats are quite perceptive, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Three adventurers who were still unharmed crawled out of the carriage, wearing wary expressions.


    Two of them had already been taken down before anyone from their party could make a move.


    ¡°How did you guys know?¡± one of them asked as he drew his sword.


    Ellen drew her sword in response. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that most adventurers are no different from thieves.¡±


    Adventurers...


    They lived in ces where thew didn¡¯t reach.


    Ellen must have heard a lot about the reality of such adventurers from Ragan Artorius.


    It wasn¡¯t that there were brigands among the adventurers.


    It was that, at any time, an adventurer could be a brigand.


    ¡°Rather than taking risks, there are many adventurers who prefer to rob well-equipped novice adventurers.¡±


    Ellen and I were armed with equipment that looked brand new and expensive at a nce. On top of that, we appeared young.


    They could have always been brigands, or perhaps they hadn¡¯t been when they¡¯d first met us.


    But, having seen us, they had no choice but to <i>be </i>brigands.


    Ellen seemed to have known they would act this way. This wasn¡¯t a fairy-tale space filled with the romance and mystery of adventures.


    It was and teeming with adventurers who adventured not for the thrill of it, but for money¡ªand of profiteers.


    Being an adventurer was a profession where one risked their life for money.


    If there was a way to make money that was less dangerous and almost guaranteed, there was no reason not to choose it.


    They knew that stripping Ellen and I of our equipment and selling it would make them much more money than hunting demons or mapping out some terrain to earn a reward.


    That was why they had been ncing at Ellen and I while engaging in casual conversation.


    It wasn¡¯t their first time doing something like this.


    ¡°Y-You can¡¯t mean... to do that kind of thing...¡±


    Austin staggered to his feet and drew his own sword. How much help he could be was uncertain. Austin seemed to be siding with us, making it three against three.


    ¡°... Alright, fine.¡±


    The one who appeared to be the leader nodded his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t regret this, brats!¡±


    They charged at us, each of them approaching Ellen, me, and Austin.


    In this unexpected situation, I was engaged in a real battle against humans instead of demons. It was nerve-wracking, but there was hardly any time to feel that tension.


    The guy in front of me started to bring his sword down from above.


    As I watched the swording down from above, I felt a bit flustered.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re seriouslying at me like </i>this<i>?¡¯</i>


    This was my first taste of realbat, but I had dealt with this kind of attack hundreds of times.


    And I had countered such attacks hundreds of times too.


    There was only one difference between this attack and the ones I¡¯d faced so many times before.


    It was too slow.


    I grabbed the handle of my sword with my right hand and the de with my left.


    It was a half-swording technique that Ellen asionally demonstrated.


    Holding the sword horizontally, I caught the descending blow.


    <i>ng</i>!


    Flowing through the move and letting the tip of my sword rotate around, I pushed it toward the neck of the man rushing at me.


    As I parried, I stabbed. Defense transitioned into offense in one fluid motion.


    His sword was deflected down and to the right, and the tip of my sword was aimed at his neck.


    Pushing any further would pierce his carotid artery.


    <i>ng</i>!


    His sword dropped to the ground.


    ¡°P-Please, spare me.¡±


    As soon as my sword touched his neck after just one exchange, he immediately dropped his sword. His face turned pale.


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t even use her sword.


    She¡¯d neutralized the man charging at her with a single low kick. Just one kick left him sprawling on the ground, gasping for air.


    The difference in body weight had been renderedpletely irrelevant.


    Just how strong was she?


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>ng</i>!


    The man who had squared off against Austin immediately dropped his sword once he saw his twopanions so quickly subdued.


    ¡°I... I surrender.¡±


    Austin might not have realized it, but Ellen and I had quickly assessed that they were not in our league.


    The fight ended as quickly as it began.


    We had won.


    We had triumphed in a life-threatening situation.


    <i>¡®... What is this?¡¯</i>


    Somehow, though, the victory felt incredibly hollow.


    Why had it been so easy? Just like when I trained with Ellen, the actual fight had ended in just a single exchange.


    Anyway, that was beside the point.


    ¡°You scumbags. Empty your pockets now.¡±


    It was time to rob the robbers.


    ***


    Five adventurers.


    Plus one coachman.


    I disarmed all of them and made them kneel in a row.


    I squatted down in front of them, holding and shaking the six pouches in front of their eyes.


    ¡°Guys, these are things you¡¯ll leave behind if you die anyway. Why hide them now? Hand them all over while I¡¯m asking nicely.¡±


    ¡°That...That¡¯s everything...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve given you everything we have...¡±


    They burst into whining in response to my threat. Ellen was leaning against a tree, paying no attention, and Austin was staring dumbly at what I was doing.


    It seemed unbelievable to him that we had subdued the robbers only to rob them in turn.


    ¡°You worked as a team, even the coachman. You¡¯re clearly habitual offenders. And you¡¯re telling me that all the money you havebined is less than ten gold coins?¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s because...! W-We spent it all buying gear!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    I smirked.


    ¡°Then hand over your equipment.¡± After all, these guys had also nned to rob Ellen and me of our gear. ¡°Strip it all off. Now.¡±


    At mymand, the guys hesitated for a moment before reluctantly starting to undress. They might have thought about trying something with their bare fists, but Ellen and I far surpassed these guys in skill.


    I sighed as I watched them strip off their armor.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± My fierce re drew some interesting expressions from them. They probably never imagined being intimidated by someone as young as me. ¡°When I say strip, you strip. Do you think you have any rights now?¡±


    I rummaged through the clothes of the six of them who were stripped down to their underwear and managed to find another five gold coins.


    ***


    Five adventurers and one coachman, left in nothing but their underwear.


    ¡°What should we do? Their equipment doesn¡¯t seem worth taking. It doesn¡¯t look useful at all.¡±


    The equipment could potentially be sold for money, but the quality was questionable. The story about spending all their money on gear was probably a lie. They must have stashed or hidden it somewhere else.


    In any case, we hadn¡¯te to thisnd to do business.


    At my words, Ellen shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not about the money. Let¡¯s decide what to do with these people first.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    These guys hadn¡¯t suddenly turned into brigands; they had been colluding with the coachman to pull off this scheme from the start.


    I wondered what they¡¯d done to the novice adventurers or other noobs that they had robbed before.


    The fact that these guys were operating so openly without having been caught yet implied that the adventurers who¡¯d fallen into their trap might not have made it out alive.


    Ellen was posing a seemingly-obvious question, but it wasden with a chilling implication.


    She was suggesting that we decide whether or not to kill these criminals right here and now, regardless of whether it was our ce to do so.


    Had we been defeated, they would have robbed us and killed us.


    Killing someone...


    Was that something else I could do?


    I had caused knights to fall from their horses while escaping the Demon King¡¯s castle, but whether they died or not, I didn¡¯t know.


    I had seen people die before, and witnessed countless dead bodies.


    Murder...


    Whether I could bring myself to do it directly with the sword in my hand¡ªwhether I could bear that sensation¡ªI wasn¡¯t sure.


    Though I had be ustomed to violence, I was entirely unfamiliar with murder, and I certainly did not wish to be familiar with it. Ellen likely felt the same.


    <i>¡®What about Ellen? How does she feel?¡¯</i>


    If it came down to it, it seemed like she would do it, but she definitely wouldn¡¯t enjoy it.


    ¡°How about we hand them over to the Egxian guard?¡± suggested Austin cautiously. He had been watching our conversation.


    The six fellows in their underwear were trembling on their knees, their lives hanging on our decision.


    Not dealing with it ourselves, but handing them over to the guards.


    ¡°... To anyone who looks, we might appear to be the perpetrators, not the victims.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but agree with Ellen¡¯s remark.


    We didn¡¯t have a scratch on us, while the robbers had been stripped of everything but their underwear. If we brought these guys in and imed that they had attempted a robbery, we might end up getting arrested instead.


    ¡°If these people im that we¡¯re the robbers, that couldplicate things.¡±


    ¡°No, No! That won¡¯t happen! If you let us go, we¡¯ll quietly... quietly go to jail!¡±


    ¡°Please, sir!¡±


    ¡°Just spare us this once! We¡¯ll live as honest people from now on!¡±


    It was somewhat amusing how they suddenly spoke to us in such a formal manner, considering the way they had looked down on us as mere kids before their fatesnded in our hands.


    ¡°Promising to clean yourselves before even stepping into a toilet doesn¡¯t make you sound believable, you scumbags.¡±


    Of course, I had no intention of believing any of their promises.


    Sending them to the guards could cause us to be wrapped up in more troublesome matters.


    In most web novels I¡¯d read, the standard development was to behead them coolly and move on. If you didn¡¯t kill them, you¡¯d be bombarded with hatefulments from readers demanding why not.


    Now that I found myself in the exact situation, I understood that was the right move, but I couldn¡¯t easily make such a decision. Most people wouldn¡¯t even break a chicken¡¯s neck with their own hands. Suddenly having to kill a person was understandably distressing.


    Of course, I was already past the point of never having twisted a chicken¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Killing them might be too much, so how about we cut off one hand each? To prevent them from doing this kind of thing again. We can cauterize the wounds with fire to prevent death from blood loss.¡±


    At that, Austin and Ellen stared at me wide-eyed.


    That look...


    I think I understood what it meant.


    ¡°... Wait, is that <i>more</i> psychopathic?¡± I asked.


    Ellen seemed unusually pale.


    ¡°... It¡¯s terrifying because it¡¯s too detailed,¡± she said.


    ¡°...¡± Austin turned deathly pale and remained utterly speechless.


    I wasn¡¯t thinking of killing them, just considering what would be an appropriate punishment.


    The idea of cutting off a hand and cauterizing with fire was my way of showing mercy. If we didn¡¯t cauterize the wound, they might bleed to death. I was actually trying to save them, you know?


    ... Was this the problem of someone who often described violence in writing?


    Upon further reflection, it did seem pretty insane.


    It was basically the same as saying something like, ¡°I¡¯ll pluck out your eyes, but since you might copse without eyeballs, I¡¯ll put pebbles that look like eyes in their ce. It¡¯s all because I care about you, you know.¡±


    Austin seemed to be growing increasingly terrified of me in real time.


    Naturally, the robbers who¡¯d overheard this bit of conversation were so terrified that they began to convulse involuntarily.


    They seemed to deeply regret provoking such a lunatic.


    Ellen, in the end, seemed not to want to unnecessarily bloody her hands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just let them go,¡± she said. ¡°But in exchange...¡±


    Ellen pointed to the leather armor and other gear and clothes that the brigands had taken off.


    The items looked terribly worn, and probably wouldn¡¯t be worth much if sold. And trying to sell such stuff might just make people suspect us to be the thieving adventurers.


    ¡°Burn them all.¡±


    For attempting to rob us, these robbers were sentenced to the punishment of returning to Egxian in nothing but their undergarments.


    ***


    In the end we did not sell the brigands¡¯ equipment, but chose instead to burn it all.


    Ellen personally destroyed any equipment that didn¡¯t burn.


    Even with shin guards on, the sight of her shattering a sword like snapping a baseball bat with her shin made me break out in a cold sweat.


    It seemed as though she could break the de itself, and not just the handle, with her kicks.


    The brigands realized they had messed with an unbelievable monster, and their faces went pale.


    Despite losing everything they had, they thanked us for sparing their lives, bowing repeatedly as we left.


    In the end, our loot totaled eight gold coins and a carriage drawn by three horses.


    Austin, who had experience driving carriages and had been to Saints Point a few times, took the reins. Given his earlier behavior, he didn¡¯t seem like the type capable of harboring any ill will.


    Ellen and I did not sit inside the passengerpartment but took the seats beside the coachman¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t horses expensive, though?¡±


    Even though this was a medieval fantasy, this world didn¡¯t exactly correspond to the real medieval era.


    Weren¡¯t horses incredibly expensive in the medieval period?


    Horses are expensive even in the modern day...


    Stealing three horses felt like we had stumbled upon a fortune.


    I mentioned this more to myself, but Austin replied anyway.


    ¡°Ah... Uh... You¡¯re thinking about destriers, the type that knights ride. Of course, these horses aren¡¯t dirt cheap either...¡±


    I nodded at Austin¡¯s exnation. The horses pulling the carriage were clearly bigger than ponies, but didn¡¯t seem like they were fit for riding. They also seemed to be rather old.


    The horses that were used for riding lessons at the Temple clearly differed in breed and size from these. Austin, squeezed between Ellen and I as he drove the carriage, was sweating bullets. He seemed to be feeling a lot of pressure.


    ¡°You... You guys are incredibly strong.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I was surprised as well.¡±


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    Yes.


    Even though I had pulled it off, I was surprised.


    ¡°I thought they were experienced brigands specializing in robbery, but I didn¡¯t expect to finish them off in one move.¡±


    It was more than likely that they were violent criminals with experience in killing and ample realbat experience. Yet, the fight had ended with just a simple downward sh of a sword.


    Had I not stopped, plunging my de straight into the carotid artery would have meant sending them to their grave in an instant.


    ¡°Not many are professionally trained in martial arts,¡± Ellen murmured with her arms crossed as she quietly observed the passing scenery.


    ¡°To be precise, anyone can sign up to be an adventurer. And among those people, few are properly trained in how to wield a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡±


    Although Ellen was talking to me, Austin muttered as if he was struck by her words.


    Bing an adventurer was essentially a career for all sorts of people looking to strike it lucky. All kinds of people were drawn to it. They carried weapons and even swung them around, but in the end, they were not professionally trained.


    Life as an adventurer could make one proficient with a sword. But that proficiency tended more towards swordsmanship that was geared for survival, rather than systematic fencing.


    It was basically learning how to keep yourself alive with your sword.


    In a way, it was likeparing a street brawler to a mixed martial arts fighter. Of course, one could overpower a fighter with sheer size, but when it came to weapons, technique often yed a bigger role than physical strength.


    That was why it had been so easy for me to overpower my opponent.


    ¡°Most martial arts assume that the opponent will be armed. For an adventurer who only has to deal with the situations that arise from day to day, it¡¯s almost unnecessary to know such techniques, unless it¡¯s a situation like just now.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s words made sense.


    The enemies of adventurers were usually demons or monsters, which typically did not wield weapons. Of course, there were exceptions, but those were rare.


    However, what Ellen and I had been taught involved overpowering and killing armed opponents.


    In short, techniques predicated on facing armed humans.


    Adventurers had little need to know such things. Therefore, if one was only going adventuring, there was no reason to delve so deeply into swordsmanship.


    Of course, knowing more was always better than knowing less, but it wasn¡¯t a necessity.


    Anyway, Ellen and I had continually honed our skills in overpowering armed humans. No matter how much more real-world experience they had, they could not stand against us, who had undergone systematic training.


    At best, the sword swings they used to bully weak monsters or inexperienced neers were merely suited to street brawls.


    That level of swordsmanship could never work against us.


    Anyone who faced off against Ellen couldn¡¯t possibly stand a chance, and neither could those facing me¡ªwho, despite being in training for a shorter time, learned persistently from Ellen every day.


    In the end, the swordsmanship skill possessed by most adventurers could not surpass the level of the pseudo-swordsmanship techniques I had acquired before.


    This was another revtion...


    ¡°Did you guys... train specifically in swordsmanship?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°... You could say that.¡±


    Although I learned some of what I knew from lectures, most of my training was with Ellen, which essentially made her my swordsmanship instructor.


    ¡°I¡¯m envious...¡±


    The vague sentiment in Austin¡¯s words did not resonate easily with me.


    I always believed I was significantly weakerpared to Ellen, and that was a fact.


    Within the Royal ss, with all the training I¡¯d done, I could have been considered around average in terms ofbat prowess.


    But it seemed Austin never even had the chance to learn swordsmanship, whether because of financial issues or something else.


    At the Temple, not only did students in the Royal ss undergo weapons training, but many of the students in the general sses also chosebat majors and underwent training as well.


    Those students would be considered highly skilled in ces like this.


    Yet I was a student from the Royal ss at the Temple, a select group of individuals, and even among them, I practiced daily with the most outstanding among us.


    <i>¡®... It would have actually been more strange if it </i>hadn¡¯t <i>been easy.¡¯</i>


    Not being able to easily overpower those guys would have been the real surprise.


    Unbeknownst to me, a tremendous gap inbat ability had already developed between myself and the average person, to the extent that even life-threatening battles felt overly easy.

 Chapter 152

    <h4>Chapter 152</h4>


    The journey to Saints Point wasn¡¯t boring. Austin was fascinated by the two of us who had professional training in swordsmanship, and kept asking about how one could be stronger.


    The way to be stronger...


    ¡°... You just need a genius nearby... Like her.¡±


    It was ridiculous, but sticking beside a genius all day and having them teach you was enough. In such a case, even someone ordinary could approach the level of genius themselves. Of course, this only worked if the genius was kind enough to set aside their pursuit of their own achievements to teach an ordinary person.


    Now that I thought about it, I realized Ellen was truly an angel. Despite the fact that it had been mere nagging that had set her on this path, she continued to take responsibility, didn¡¯t she? What could I do in return? I didn¡¯t have anything to offer for all that I¡¯d received.


    Anyway, when I pointed at Ellen, Austin looked at her with a stunned expression.


    ¡°Y-You are... a genius?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t quite agree.


    The way to be stronger...


    I was somewhat confident at throwing punches, but only now did I realize that they actually worked in realbat. It wasn¡¯t just working; I could even easily subdue criminals who mocked others with death.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote for someone like me to enroll in a swordsmanship school. The only possibility for those of us to learn seems to be from adventurers. I¡¯ve heard that there are retired mercenaries amongst them. If one of them takes you as a disciple, they will teach you some of what they know...¡±


    I believed that my strength mainly came from a somewhat cheating ability, supplemented with a bit of effort.


    However, as I listened to Austin, my thinking seemed to change. The very act of being able to study at the Temple felt like a cheat in itself. There seemed to be only a few ways that Austin thought he could grow stronger¡ªby bing a squire to an existing knight, or a disciple to a retired mercenary, where he had a chance to learn swordsmanship skills that they might or might not teach.


    Whenpared to what was avable to ordinary people, the Temple environment seemed like an iparable cheat code. Esteemed teachers who devotedly instruct you just because you were a student there, and there were literal monsters roaming around among your peers.


    Austin spoke as if bing a disciple of a retired mercenary was a chance to turn his life around. Here I was, studying in a ce filled with teachers who far surpassed the level of an average knight, and I could spar with the strongest prospect in this world as much as I wanted. Our environments were iparable, even before considering the cheat abilities I had.


    ¡°Why do you want to be stronger in the first ce?¡± I asked Austin, genuinely curious about him.


    I had my own reasons for wanting to grow stronger, but for most people, this was the start of peaceful times. The Dark Land had fallen into disrepair. I wondered why anyone would feel the need to grow stronger in a world where there was no necessity or reason to be strong. It seemed that most adventurers were after a quick fortune, but Austin didn¡¯t seem like that.


    ¡°I want to be like Artorius.¡±


    At those words, both Ellen and I fell silent.


    Artorius was amonly discussed topic in the world, but it was almost never mentioned between Ellen and me. Artorius had be a legend among adventurers. For adventurers who weren¡¯t merely seeking wealth, but dreamt of the romance of adventure itself, Artorius was inevitably seen as a utopia.


    ¡°Ahaha... It¡¯s impossible, of course... but still... it¡¯s my dream to be like him.¡±


    As he finished speaking those words, Austinughed awkwardly as if it was all a bizarre dream.


    ¡°Even dying like him?¡± Ellen asked quietly.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Do you even dream of dying like him?¡±


    Her tone was calm, yet there was an edge to it. Taken aback by the sudden question, Austin¡¯s expression stiffened.


    Did he desire to imitate Artorius to the point of seeking a simrly grand death in defeating a Demon King?


    Ellen¡¯s question was somewhat aggressive.


    ¡°Ah, ah... well, if... if I could meet such a glorious end like Artorius... for someone like me, that would rather be an honor... though, of course, it might be presumptuous!¡±


    Austin scrambled to apologize, wondering whether he had overstepped somehow. He noted that those who admired Artorius could possibly find suchments distasteful, and was afraid of the idea of making a statement that could upset admirers of Artorius.


    Ellen remained silent for a while before abruptly asking, ¡°Do you have a family?¡±


    ¡°A family? Ah... I have a younger sister and parents back home.¡±


    Austin¡¯s familyposition was strikingly simr to Ellen¡¯s.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed lost in thought for quite some time, as if she wanted to say something. It was easy to guess what was swirling around in her head.


    Austin was a novice adventurer. He wanted to be strong, but he wasn¡¯t strong yet. Even in the situation we had just been in, had it not been for Ellen and me, he would have been a goner for sure.


    She probably wanted to tell him to stop messing around and go back home. Yet, Ellen was indifferent to the lives of others. She would also be contemting whether she had the right to say such things.


    Saying ¡°You¡¯re weak, so you should just go home,¡± would only serve to wound Austin.


    Ellen remained deep in thought.


    In the end, she didn¡¯t say anything.


    ***


    The journey to Saints Point took a total of four hours. We used gates and even took some extra time along the way, so the sun was already dipping below the horizon by the time we arrived.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we made it before dark; otherwise, we might have had to camp outside along the way.¡±


    Austin stepped through the entrance of Saints Point, smiling as if relieved. Saints Point felt more like a base than a city.


    If Egxian was a metropolis, this ce felt more like a vige. These points, functioning as supply bases for adventurers, were scattered in considerable numbers along this eastern route of advance. The pace of expansion suggested that arge urban area centered around the Egxian base might emerge in time. Despite it being almost nighttime, Saints Point was far from dark. Many buildings were lit up, giving a lively impression, though it couldn¡¯t quite be considered bustling.


    ¡°What about this carriage, then?¡±


    The carriage wasn¡¯t originally ours. Now that we had arrived at our destination, we had to figure out what to do with it.


    ¡°Keep it,¡± Ellen said to Austin.


    Ellen seemed indifferent, and I had no particr desire to keep the carriage either, so I didn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡°Is... Is that okay? With three horses, it must be worth quite a bit...¡±


    The carriage might have been stolen property, but it wasn¡¯t like the horses had name tags.


    ¡°Sell it or ditch it, whatever suits you.¡±


    ¡°Then, thank... thank you, guys.¡±


    ¡°Sell the horses and perhaps return to your hometown with the money¡ªUh. Nevermind.¡±


    Ellen stopped herself from continuing. Austin was an adventurer with an uncertain future. She was about to suggest that he might have been better off returning home with the money from selling the three horses. However, she considered that it was not her ce to meddle in another person¡¯s life, and so chose not to continue.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to stay at the Lockhilt Inn. If you need to find our party, just ask for Mr. Hugson at the inn.¡±


    We disembarked from the carriage, and Austin drove it towards the inn where his party was staying.


    Somehow, despite everything, we had made it to Saints Point.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for today, n our schedule, and depart tomorrow,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was now time to find Eleris.


    ***


    The Giant¡¯s House Inn.


    Eleris was going to join our group after a chance encounter here. Being a magician, she had a convincing reason to persuade Ellen to let her join the party.


    That was the n, originally.


    <i>Murmur, Murmur.</i>


    As soon as we entered the Giant¡¯s House Inn, though, I had to admit that I had overlooked something very important.


    ¡ªHey,dy! Come with us!


    ¡ªHey, I asked first, okay?


    ¡ªHow about we split things fifty-fifty? Our party will take half, and you can have the other half all to yourself. How about that?


    ¡ªThese guys have no sense of decency! They¡¯re trying to smack us away with money!


    ¡ªWe¡¯ll split whatever we earn fifty-fifty, with a guarantee of three gold coins each time! We¡¯ll even pay you if we draw a nk! Guaranteed three gold coins just for joining us! And we¡¯ll give a bigger share to you, miss! How¡¯s that?


    There was pandemonium on the first floor of the inn.


    ¡°Ah... ahaha... well, that¡¯s... I...¡±


    In the middle of the chaotic calls of interest, a woman, presumably Eleris, seemed at a loss as to what to do. She was in disguise, and her facial structure had changed considerably, but I could still spot several features that were characteristic of Eleris. She seemed shorter, and while she did not look like her usual self, there were subtle simrities that made her recognizable.


    ¡°... What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure...¡±


    But what on earth was going on?


    Numerous people were surrounding Eleris, begging her to join their groups, some offering money, and others saying that she could keep all the earnings as long as they could im the achievements.


    They were desperately promising to give her the best treatment if she would only agree to apany them.


    But why?


    I discreetly scanned the room then headed towards the innkeeper, who was behind the counter.


    ¡°Do you have any rooms?¡±


    ¡°Would a double room work?¡±


    A double room...


    ¡°Would it be better to have separate rooms?¡± I asked Ellen.


    Ellen shook her head. ¡°You never know what might happen. Let¡¯s share one room.¡±


    She was considering the possibility that something might happen to one of us while the other remained oblivious if we were in separate rooms. Given that we had almost been robbed on the first day, it was better to be cautious.


    ¡°It¡¯s five silver coins.¡±


    As I paid the innkeeper five silver coins, I pointed toward themotion around Eleris.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there, though?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that.¡±


    The innkeeper sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor going around about a mage being here, so people havee over from other inns, causing this mess. They¡¯re not even buying drinks. It¡¯d be terrible if a fight broke out...¡±


    A mage...


    ¡°... Why make such a fuss over a mage?¡± I asked, to which the innkeeper furrowed his brows.


    ¡°...I thought you¡¯d know. You must be green.¡±


    ¡°Out of a hundred adventurers, only one among them is a mage,¡± Ellen exined.


    With that, everything made sense.


    I knew mages were rare, but I had not imagined that it was to such an extent.


    ***


    Let¡¯s say there are a hundred adventurers.


    Among them, 97 are from thebat ss.


    Two of them are clerics.


    And only one among them is a mage.


    The ratio of the different sses amongst adventurers was that dire. The majority were riff-raff, jumping in with hopes of striking it rich overnight. Among these, many were indifferent to adventure or exploration, and made a living by robbing naive adventurers of their equipment.


    Just like the ones we¡¯d encountered earlier that day. Most adventurers were only adventurers in name only, with droves of riff-raff simr to neighborhood thugs. With everyone and their dog trying their hand at adventuring, the number of true talents was incredibly low.


    Hence, it was natural that there would be a paucity of those from the elite professions like clerics and mages. That was why there was such a fuss any time a mage made an appearance, and why everyone wanted to recruit them.


    In MMORPGs, there is often a shortage of healers because they are considered boring to y, but here, clerics and mages were treated as incredibly precious resources for very pragmatic reasons.


    Recalling the conversation I had with Riana about the social status of different magical specializations made me chuckle. Those who ventured into ces such as these were usually battle mages specializing in destructive magic, who were considered low-ie earners and not very popr in the mage world.


    Yet, in such a ce, everyone was scrambling to recruit these battle mages. It turned out that being a mage was like being a doctor¡ªrespected and acknowledged wherever you went. I wasn¡¯t sure how Eleris¡¯s identity as a mage was revealed, but this was problematic. My n to casually encounter her and have her join our party was now impossible.


    ¡ªPlease, join our group and take good care of us.


    ¡ªHey,e on, I told you already. We¡¯ve already discussed everything with her. She¡¯sing with us!


    Approaching Eleris, who was enjoying immense poprity, suggesting we team up, and then having her agreeing to it would clearly provoke all these otherpetitors. Quietly integrating her into our group had definitely be impossible. Eleris, surrounded by people and unable to move this way or that, locked eyes with me.


    Eleris seemed surprised.


    I wanted to acknowledge her, but I couldn¡¯t let on that we knew each other.


    <i>¡®Please help me, Your Highness!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®How am I supposed to do that?!¡¯</i>


    Our desperate nces were the only things we could exchange.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Ellen, unaware of the situation, urged me to stop dawdling and head up to our room, but I couldn¡¯t just leave Eleris behind.


    I had to take a more active approach.


    ¡°... Wouldn¡¯t it be good to have a mage with us?¡±


    Ellen looked puzzled by my direct suggestion. I didn¡¯t have a clear n on how to cut through the crowd to propose to Eleris that she join our party, but I had to persuade Ellen first.


    ¡°Do we really need one?¡± Ellen asked.


    She seemed skeptical, wondering if we really needed to invite a mage to join our party, even though there was one right in front of us.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like having her would hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°... Well, that¡¯s true. But we can¡¯t match the offers of the other groups.¡±


    So many others were already pushing hard, ready to throw money at a mage to make her join their party. Ellen did not see the need topete with such offers, and was clearly wondering if it was worth the financial hit just to have a mage in our party.


    <i>¡®No, we don¡¯t need to offer money. I can¡¯t exin why, but we just don¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask, right?¡±


    ¡°... Well, might as well.¡±


    Ellen seemed to give up on the matter and headed up to our room first, probably thinking that it wouldn¡¯t work out. Now, I had to find a way through the eager crowd and pull the popr Eleris over to our side.


    Having already rejected all other offers, if Eleris were to ept mine, we would surely attract some strange looks, but that was a risk I had to take. Just as I was about to make my way through the crowd surrounding Eleris¡ª


    <i>Bang</i>!


    The door of the inn swung open forcefully and someone entered.


    The sudden noise attracted the attention of the murmuring crowd, and everyone¡¯s heads turned toward the neer.


    ¡°There¡¯s a mage here, I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    The man, with a rugged look and an axe on his back,manded silence in the inn with his presence.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s Hugson.


    ¡ªHugson?


    ¡ªYou know, the only B-rank here.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s the guy?


    People were whispering amongst themselves.


    Hugson...


    Austin had mentioned that there was a B-rank adventurer in his group, and that looking for Hugson at the Lockhilt Inn would lead us to his group. Apparently, the man who had just entered was Hugson.


    ¡ªAh, there¡¯s no point now then. It¡¯s over!


    ¡ªHe¡¯s going to scout her for sure!


    ¡ªWhy, out of all people, does a B-rank adventurer have to appear at this time?!


    ¡ªWhy is he even in Saints Point? Isn¡¯t he too powerful to be here?


    As I watched the situation unfold, I couldn¡¯t help but cringe at the reactions around me.


    <i>¡°Oh no, he¡¯s B-rank? That¡¯s way too high-level! What¡¯s happening?! Why is someone like him here of all ces? Damn!¡±</i>


    ... I felt like I was witnessing a ridiculous spectacle.


    Anyway, being a B-rank adventurer seemed to be quite prestigious.


    He approached Eleris, disregarding the people around her as if they were invisible.


    ¡°Join our party.¡±


    His request was in and straightforward, surprising Eleris, who looked momentarily taken aback.


    ¡°Uh... hm?¡±


    ¡°Come join our party. We can offer you achievements that no other party can.¡±


    Of course, none of these offers meant anything to Eleris, since she was waiting for me.


    Without waiting for an answer, as if he believed that considering any option other than joining his party was ludicrous, Hugson grabbed Eleris¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Oh! H-Hey, wait! I¡ª¡± Eleris said urgently.


    ¡°Juste along.¡±


    Watching Eleris being dragged away involuntarily made something snap inside my head.


    ¡°Hey, <i>ahjussi</i>[1].¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    <i>¡®This bastard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You should let go of her arm before it¡¯s toote.¡±


    <i>¡®Who does he think he is,ying his hands on someone like her?¡¯</i>


    1. A Korean word used to address an older middle-aged man. ?

 Chapter 153

    <h4>Chapter 153</h4>


    It was clear that being a B-rank adventurer carried an incredible amount of prestige in Saints Point. Everyone started looking at me as if I was out of my mind, wondering if I was eager to die or something.


    Even Hugson, who had heard my words loud and clear, tilted his head in confusion as if thinking, ¡°What did this guy just say?¡±


    Harriet might have looked cute doing that, but a rough-looking man like him just looked creepy.


    ¡°Do you want me to repeat what I just said? Let her go,¡± I demanded.


    ¡°And who are you to order me around?¡± Hugson replied with an oppressive tone, looking incredulously at me as I approached him.


    ¡°Well, what gives you the right to ignore someone and order them to follow you without question?¡± I retorted.


    It¡¯s ironic, isn''t it? People don¡¯t like being spoken to in amanding tone, yet they do it to others without a second thought.


    I guess it¡¯s usible. It seems everyone inherently believes ¡°It¡¯s different when I do it,¡± including me. But I can¡¯t stand it when they do that to my people!


    Eleris was looking at me, her lips twisted grotesquely. It seemed Eleris was the most shocked by my sudden outburst.


    ¡°Do I need to even listen to her response? Our party can offer the best rewards and achievements around here. There¡¯s no need to hesitate,¡± Hugson stated confidently.


    Saints Point wasn¡¯t arge base, and ording to Loyar, the surrounding area was safe.


    Because of this, highly-ranked adventurers did note to this ce. That was why Hugson¡¯s party was considered the most prestigious around here, and everyone seemed to acknowledge that.


    It was like a talent who was used to only receiving offers from mid-sizedpanies suddenly having a scouting offer from a major corporation. It would be unnecessary to ask for their response. Of course, the only response would be a yes.


    <i>¡®Hmm...¡¯</i>


    When I thought about it that way, his words did make some sense after all...


    No.


    But this situation was different.


    <i>¡®Major corporation or conglomerate, all of that doesn¡¯t matter right now!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s not right to drag someone along without asking for their opinion.¡±


    ¡°Ha... Alright then, Miss Mage. So, are youing or not?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Eleris, in the face of Hugson¡¯s intense stare, shed an ambiguous expression. ¡°... I¡¯m going to have to decline.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    At her words, not only Hugson¡¯s expression, but the expressions of the other onlookers also turned bizarre.


    I could clearly read their thoughts. <i>¡®That woman... She turned down a major corporation! What other call could she possibly be waiting for?!¡¯</i>


    That was the meaning behind everyone¡¯s expression. Hugson couldn¡¯t believe his offer had been rejected. His eyes went wide with shock.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know how great of a mage you might be, but what makes you think you¡¯re worthy enough to refuse my offer?¡±


    Hugson was questioning whether she was a mage of high enough value to y hard to get.


    Eleris merely shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s not that... I just don¡¯t like the way you act.¡±


    Eleris carefully pulled her arm away and looked toward me.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather work with someone who may not be as skilled, but at least asks for opinions, than someone who is highly skilled but too autocratic,¡± she continued.


    And with that, Eleris moved the conversation forward to make it seem as if she was going to join my party, implicitly providing a natural reason for her refusal and her choice to partner with me instead.


    Indeed, experience wasn¡¯t gained idly.


    Both Hugson and everyone inside the inn were astounded by Eleris¡¯s words.


    ***


    Eventually, Hugson failed to force Eleris to go with him against her will.


    Even if he¡¯d left her alone, Eleris would not have joined his party, but it seemed Hugson believed he¡¯d lost a mage recruit because of me, and red at me menacingly.


    ¡°You seem new here, but it would be better for you not to overstep your bounds next time,¡± he warned me.


    I was about to retort, but the look in Eleris¡¯s eyes said everything. <i>¡®Please don¡¯t say anything unnecessary anymore!¡¯</i>


    Under her silent pressure, I could only slowly nod my head in agreement.


    ¡°Ah yes. I apologize for the rudeness on our first meeting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®You should be grateful you¡¯re still alive because of Eleris.¡¯</i>


    Hugson left the inn, and Eleris walked briskly over to me and extended her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m Rellia. Nice to meet you.¡±


    We were officially meeting for the first time. We had agreed to act as if it was our first encounter so as not to arouse Ellen¡¯s suspicions.


    ¡°I¡¯m Reinhart.¡±


    Somehow, the guys around us seemed envious, but the sentiment seemed to be fueled by more than just the fact that I had managed to recruit a mage.


    ***


    Ellen was toweling off her hair, having taken a shower and then changed into regr clothes after themotion below had subsided.


    I escorted Eleris up to our room. It was a good opportunity for introductions.


    ¡°... You really managed to bring her here.¡±


    Ellen looked a bit dazed, not expecting me to actually secure the services of a mage.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Rellia.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m Ellen.¡±


    The two shook hands. Ellen seemed slightly awkward, probably because she hadn¡¯t actually expected an additional member to join our party.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of incentives Reinhart offered but... we don¡¯t have much money to offer to a mage.¡±


    ¡°Incentives? Oh, I don¡¯t need any special treatment.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I exined to Ellen what had happened below in detail.


    Ellen still seemed unconvinced, as if it was strange for someone to reject better offers and join us after merely receiving a few supportive words in a tough situation.


    ¡°In truth, I¡¯m not that high-level of a mage... Joining a party under such conditions would mean having a lot of expectations ced on me... And that could be problematic... I¡¯d rather work as an equal member of the party. People tend to think all mages are grand mages.¡±


    Apparently, Eleris had an excuse handy.


    Indeed, receiving preferential treatment woulde with great expectations. She was afraid of being harassedter if she couldn¡¯t meet those expectations, so she had been rejecting such offers.


    Ellen nodded slowly, seeming to understand the reasoning. ¡°I guess that¡¯s possible.¡±


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t likely to let down her guardpletely just yet.


    ¡°I can perform a bit of offensive magic and a little bit of support magic.¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t specify exactly what magic she could perform. She used vague terms like ¡°a bit,¡± ¡°a little,¡± and ¡°somewhat.¡±


    Anyway, with Eleris joining us, we would be able to handle unexpected situations in a more assured fashion.


    ¡°How did you end up in such a tough situation?¡±


    That was what I was most curious about. It¡¯s not as if mages had the word ¡°mage¡± tattooed on their foreheads, and Eleris wasn¡¯t wearing robes or doing anything to signify she was a mage.


    How did the people find out? Although I asked, it was more of amand. Eleris, scratching her cheek with an ambiguous smile, replied.


    ¡°Oh... there was someone who kept bothering me, so I just... wanted to teach them a bit of a lesson with magic... Eh... I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way...¡±


    Apparently, she had used magic to ward off someone who had been harassing her. While she¡¯d managed to send the harasser packing, the action revealed her identity as a mage, which ended up attracting even more trouble. Apparently, Eleris hadn¡¯t realized that mages were so sought after in these parts.


    ¡°Do you have any ns in mind for what to do next?¡± said Eleris, quickly changing the subject. She seemed embarrassed to discuss the incident further. It must have been quite mortifying for her to admonish me about keeping my temper while she herself lost hers and resorted to using magic.


    In response to Eleris¡¯s question about our n, Ellen shook her head. ¡°We were just about to start making one.¡±


    ¡°Shall we think about it together, then?¡±


    We gathered around the table in the double room.


    We¡¯de to the Dark Land seeking practical experience, and we had chosen Saints Point as it was said to be the safest ce around.


    ¡°It looks like you guys have a map?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ellen and I spread out the map of the Dark Land, which we had obtained from the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    While most of it was nk, representing unexplored territories, it was continuously being updated based on the achievements of adventurers. The Egxian Forward Base was located on the far west of the map, with adventurers gradually illuminating the Dark Land to the east of it.


    From the Egxian base, which was the main base for the adventurers, supply lines that connected different supply bases branched out in all directions like a web, following the eastern route that the allied forces had taken during their advance. If one were to describe the pattern, it resembled awork of root tendrils. Saints Point was a node located in one of the rtively safe zones within thiswork.


    The risk increased the further one traveled north or south, or deeper into the east. The frontiers were expected to be popted by high-ranking adventurers who had seen all kinds of battles. Of course, there was no reason why lower-ranked adventurers couldn¡¯t go to those ces; some might choose to venture into these areas hoping to stumble upon something valuable.


    Although Ellen and I had done some preliminary research, Eleris, who had arrived before us, would likely have more detailed pre-information. Indeed, she might know more about the Dark Land than most adventurers, given how early she had arrived.


    Saints Point was located somewhat on the southern end of the eastern route of advance. Hence, it made logical sense for our primary area of exploration to be toward the south, rather than the north.


    ¡°Actually, most of the areas in this vicinity have already been explored, so it might be difficult to discover anything new. There aren¡¯t particrly dangerous ces around here, and the only work around here would involve drafting detailed maps... Do either of you know how to draw maps?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Eleris, having arrived here before us, had a better grasp of the actual situation in Saints Point. She had ess to more detailed information.


    Saints Point was safe. Thus, the only job avable was drafting detailed maps. And none of the three of us knew how to draw maps.


    ¡°This ce serves as a midway base for those heading down to Klitz Point, which is a full day¡¯s journey to the south. It seems that area has been quite developed as well, but there are rumors that demons have made appearances nearby. There have also been quite a few eyewitness ounts. Fortunately, there haven''t been any reported casualties.¡±


    Klitz Point, a day¡¯s journey south...


    Saints Point was a stopover for those who were preparing for the journey down to Klitz Point.


    The area around Klitz Point had been significantly developed, but it wasn¡¯tpletely secure and there have been reports of demon sightings.


    ¡°There have been recent reports of trouble further south of Klitz Point as well.¡±


    ¡°Trouble?¡± Ellen asked.


    Eleris nodded in response.


    Humans set up different points that served as supply bases for adventurers, and represented fortifications established by humans as they expanded further into the Dark Land.


    Saints Point was not located that far to the east of Egxian, and was positioned on the southern side of the eastern advance route.


    Saints Point had been set up to encourage exploration of the southern areas, and as adventurers moved further south and found suitable locations, new points were established by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    Eleris pointed at the map, indicating the points located along the path south from Saints Point, down from the eastern advance route.


    Eastern advance route.


    ¡ý


    Saints Point.


    ¡ý


    Klitz Point.


    ¡ý


    Altz Point.


    ¨L ¡ý ¨K


    A-1 A-2 A-3


    From Altz Point, three other points were spread out to the southbeled as Altz-1, Altz-2, and Altz-3¡ªwhose goal was to widen the exploration range. These points, situated south of Saints Point along the southern exploration route, represented the frontier of exploration.


    Eleris pointed towards the area around Altz Point.


    ¡°Recently,munication with the area south of Altz Point, including Altz Point itself, was cut off. The exact cause has not been determined yet. Although some adventurers have departed to investigate, it seems nothing has been discovered yet. The assumption is that Altz Point might have been attacked and destroyed.¡±


    The base that served as a node, responsible for supplying the three points south of it, was presumed to be destroyed.


    ¡°Then... What happened to the three points south of Altz Point?¡± Ellen asked, a serious look on her face. She was starting to realize the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°They would be isted.¡±


    Altz Point yed a vital role in supplying resources to the three forward bases to the south. However, with the destruction of this intermediary node, the supply line to the front had been severed. Consequently, personnel at the Altz-1, Altz-2, and Altz-3 Points were now isted.


    The supply node had been destroyed recently, and although adventurers had been dispatched to investigate, the situation remained unclear.


    ¡°So, if we¡¯re not going to limit our work to just Saints Point, the biggest job would be escorting a convoy bringing supplies to these isted bases. The convoy will carry materials needed for the reconstruction of Altz Point, as well as supplies for the three points further south.¡±


    While it was presumed that Altz Point had copsed, the truth behind the incident has not yet been determined.


    However, the frontier bases were in urgent need of supplies due to the interruption of the supply chain. For this reason, a convoy was being organized to deliver resources to the three southernmost bases, and escorting this convoy was now the most significant quest.


    There wasn¡¯t much to do if we decided to stay only in Saints Point. If we chose to leave Saints Point to pursue more hazardous endeavors, the most substantial task avable was acting as an escort for this convoy.


    I looked over at Ellen. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I left the choice to Ellen. After all, exploring the areas around Saints Point was probably not very appealing to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join up with the convoy.¡±


    As I expected, Ellen chose the option of taking on a bigger task.

 Chapter 154

    <h4>Chapter 154</h4>


    Altz Point had copsed, and three bases to its south were isted. If this situation was not addressed, the copse of one point could cause the other three points to fall as well.


    The guild had decided to deploy a convoy to restore the intermediary base, while also bringing emergency supplies. It was going to be arge-scale logistics operation, and quite a significant affair.


    Ellen, Eleris, and I headed to the Saints Point Adventurers¡¯ Guild office to take on this request.


    There, however, we encountered some rather unwee news.


    ¡°Ah. The escort for the convoy is already full, and we¡¯re not epting any more applications.¡±


    It seemed we were toote. The guild representative showed us the escort list with an apologetic smile.


    Indeed, the list was filled to the brim with about fifty names.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen was staring intently at the list. The names of the escort members along with their adventurer ranks were listed there.


    At the very top, even if Ellen didn¡¯t recognize it, there was a familiar name.


    The name and rank were clearly written out: B-ranked adventurer, Hugson.


    The guild representative continued, ¡°However, if you can get the permission of Hugson, the one in charge of the escort team, we can add additional people beyond the stated quota. You can find Mr. Hugson at the Lockhilt Inn.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    That man earlier, the B-ranked adventurer, was apparently the captain in charge of the escort team.


    Only then did I understand why people hadn¡¯t dared to talk back to Hugson.


    He was not just a B-ranked adventurer, but also someone who wielded a certain degree of power.


    Was it the guild that offered this authority to the highest-level adventurer in Saints Point?


    ¡°Th-This is unexpected...¡±


    Eleris, who had done some research, seemed taken aback. She hadn¡¯t known that Hugson was such a person.


    ¡°... Why?¡± asked Ellen, tilting her head at the puzzlement that both Eleris and I disyed.


    ¡°... The name of the guy we had a disagreement with earlier was Hugson.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ellen nodded as if everything suddenly made sense.


    It was clear that our request to be included as additional personnel would not be well received.


    ***


    We trudged back to the inn for a meeting once again.


    ¡°We could just go down south by ourselves,¡± Ellen suggested. She was suggesting that we disregard the convoy altogether and head south anyway.


    ¡°Hmm... Are you suggesting we investigate the copse of Altz Point itself instead of escorting the convoy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Other adventurers had set out before us, but there was yet to be any news from them. Investigating the copse of Altz Point on our own and reporting our findings to the guild didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea.


    ¡°Making money is good, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with moving around on our own.¡±


    In the end, we decided to give up on the convoy escort mission.


    ¡°That B-ranked adventurer must be quite an important person to be put in charge of the convoy for such arge-scale operation.¡±


    Eleris seemed quite surprised that B-rank was considered such a prestigious title. Honestly, I was surprised as well. Upon reflection, it did seem like a rather high rank.


    ¡°He¡¯s be the head of the snake,¡± Ellen murmured with her arms crossed.


    I tilted my head in confusion at her sudden remark. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The route to Saints Point is safe, and so there¡¯s no need for an escort. The escort mission begins from Saints Point itself.¡±


    ¡°... So?¡±


    ¡°So, the request was originally brought up with the Saints Point Guild office. However, since this ce doesn¡¯t see a lot of action, there aren¡¯t many high-ranking adventurers here. The highest-ranking one around was this Hugson person.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s point was that it wasn''tmon for a B-rank adventurer to be in charge of such a task.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s like a snake that¡¯s unexpectedly stumbled upon a fortune?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Who knows? He might have some connections within the Saints Point Guild office.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That might be possible.¡±


    Hugson could be monopolizing the favorable questsing down to Saints Point by colluding with the local guild house. In this case, he¡¯d ended up being assigned as the captain in charge of a job that, under normal circumstances, would require a higher-ranked adventurer.


    Ellen¡¯s usible deduction left both Eleris and me nodding in silent agreement.


    ¡°On top of that, from the list that we were shown earlier, all the other adventurers were D and F ranks, aside from Hugson. Almost all of them are newbies.¡±


    ¡°... Newbies?¡±


    Indeed, Austin had been bragging about being in the same party as Hugson. Ellen had noticed that after examining the list intently.


    ¡°Is there any reason to specifically choose newbies?¡±


    ¡°There must be a total budget allocated for this request. Lower-ranked adventurers can be paid less. He probably ns to keep the rest for himself.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s words left my mouth agape.


    If a total of a hundred gold was allocated for this request¡¯s payment, then filling the convoy with rookies instead of high-ranked adventurers meant he would have to distribute less of the total amount to the other adventurers, leaving more for himself.


    It was quite possible that the route downward was safe anyway. After all, this was an escort mission, not abat mission.


    ¡°Wow... Quite the character, that one.¡±


    Despite now recognizing Hugson¡¯s greed, it had nothing to do with us anymore. We had decided not to participate in the escort mission. There wasn¡¯t any reason for us to stay in Saints Point anymore.


    <i> </i> *


    We decided to head towards Altz Point on our own, separate from the convoy.


    Ellen and I, who had yet to have dinner, decided to have a meal. Eleris, who imed she didn¡¯t need to eat, made the excuse that she had already eaten and returned to her room.


    Of course, from previous conversations, I knew that it was possible for her to eat regr food. She¡¯d mentioned previously that continuously abstaining from meals wasn¡¯t practical, as it would arouse suspicion.


    Now that the issue of ¡°fishing for mages¡± had been resolved, I expected the inn to be quieter, yet the first floor was bustling, full of people drinking.


    ¡ªIs that the guy?


    ¡ªYeah.


    ¡ªGeez... to think she chose to pass up a party led by a B-rank and team up with such a rookie instead.


    ¡ªMaybe she¡¯s not as skilled as we thought.


    ¡ªNo way. Haven¡¯t you heard of the saying, ¡°Even if it¡¯s rotten, a mage is still a mage?¡±


    I asionally overheard discussions about me taking away the mage, but I chose not to pay them much mind. If I were to confront every single one of them, I¡¯d end up spending at least a week in Saints Point.


    Ellen ordered three hamburger steaks with arge side of potato sd, and I only ordered one.


    ¡°...You eat a lot here too, huh?¡±


    <i>¡®Does her appetite ever take a break?¡¯</i>


    In response to my reproach, Ellen looked at me with a nk expression.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i> said the look on her face.


    ¡°With more activity, I need to eat more.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh, there it is, the justificationing right out of her mouth.¡¯</i>


    ¡°... That¡¯s actually not wrong.¡±


    It did make sense to eat a lot. We had already stocked up on preserved food from the Egxian base, so there wasn¡¯t a need to replenish our supplies at Saints Point.


    But would she still eat this much if we were camping outdoors?


    ¡°...¡±


    Anyway, I had a concern.


    ¡ªAnother beer over here!


    ¡ªComing right up!


    Seeing the other patrons drinking so liberally made me wonder if the service staff would just serve me one if I ordered it. Back at the Temple, I couldn¡¯t even touch alcohol, but maybe in a ce like this, they¡¯d just give you whatever you asked for as long as you paid?


    ¡°... Maybe I should have a drink.¡±


    ¡°... ?¡±


    Ellen looked at me intently. It seemed she couldn¡¯t quite grasp what I was suggesting.


    ¡°... Alcohol?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... H-Hey, d-don¡¯t take it so seriously.¡±


    The thought that drinking could lead to severe consequences suddenly filled me with a sense of danger.


    Her look didn¡¯t say ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink,¡± but merely one that said, ¡°What did you say just now?¡± And yet, it was a look that made me back down.


    It was a hit to my pride...


    <i>¡®Even though I¡¯m actually much older, it¡¯s understandable to be intimidated by someone who is destined to be the strongest person in this world, right?</i>


    <i>¡®Then again, is it more shameful to make excuses for being like this?</i>


    <i>¡®You know, I sometimes find Ellen intimidating in a different way than Vertus or Charlotte!¡¯</i>


    I¡¯d been beaten up by her every single day, even though it was in the context of sparring. She was basically like my designated high school bully.


    ¡°Do you drink?¡± Ellen asked out of the blue, while eating her hamburger steak.


    Of course I drank. A lot, too.


    But since this body transformation, I had only drunk once. It was some mysterious, sour liquor with the brothers from the Rotary Club.


    Still, alcohol is alcohol.


    ¡°... Is that wrong?¡± I protested timidly, and Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s wrong,¡± she said firmly as she cut into her hamburger steak. ¡°But not today.¡±


    ¡°I said I won¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to drink, do itter on.¡±


    <i>¡®I said I¡¯m not going to drink it, okay?¡¯</i>


    ¡°With me.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Herpletely unexpected response left me momentarily stunned. I could understand her telling me not to drink, but suggesting we drink together in the future was not something I expected at all.


    ¡°I want to try drinking too.¡±


    It seemed Ellen was curious about the taste of alcohol. Honestly, Ellen was diligent in everything she did, but she wasn¡¯t exactly the type to pursue a straightced lifestyle.


    She was simply dedicated to her tasks, and not necessarily a crusader for righteousness. So, her wanting to try alcohol wasn¡¯t exactly out of character.


    Moreover, I suddenly became incredibly curious about how she would act if she got drunk.


    While I was still stunned by Ellen¡¯s unexpected remark...


    <i>Bang</i>!


    The inn door was suddenly flung open,and I felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    <i>¡®What now?¡¯</i>


    It was just a little while ago that the same thing had happened.


    And just likest time, a brief silence fell over the inn.


    <i>Clop, Clop, Clop.</i>


    However, this time, unlike previously, a group of people entered.


    They were dressed in uniforms, and all of them were armed.


    Among them was the B-ranked adventurer Hugson, whom we had seen earlier.


    And there...


    ¡°...¡±


    Austin was there too, pale and trembling, possibly unsure of what was going on. Hugson silently pointed at me, and the people in uniforms approached the table where Ellen and I were sitting.


    I recognized those uniforms.


    ¡°My name is Zaller, and I am an official from the Saints Point Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡±


    They were wearing the uniforms of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild staff.


    ¡°Reinhart, and Ellen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The cold-mannered official confirmed our identities and then said briskly, ¡°We have received a report iming that the two of you are suspects in a robbery and assault.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hugson grabbed Austin¡¯s shoulder, whom he had brought along with him.


    Austin was visibly pale.


    ¡°Austin, tell them what you saw.¡±


    ¡°U-Uh... Uhh...¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you don¡¯t speak properly, the carriage you brought along with you will be considered as your loot from a robbery.¡±


    I began to understand what this was all about.


    Right before my eyes, Hugson was threatening Austin.


    ¡°Th-They... attacked the adventurers and coachman on the carriage... and robbed them of the carriage and their equipment...¡± Austin said, trembling.


    The person who had introduced himself as a guild official gestured towards Austin with his chin, and then looked at Ellen and me.


    ¡°We have already secured the testimony of a witness. I suppose you¡¯re not nning to deny it.¡±


    ¡°This damned¡ª¡±


    Just as I was about to lose it, Ellen called out to me. ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    Was she worried I¡¯d flip out and cause a scene?


    ¡°Take it out,¡± Ellen whispered softly,


    I knew immediately what she was referring to.


    <i>¡®Ah, right.¡¯</i>


    Not a grand magical artifact, nor a tremendous relic.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    The universal cheat code against all human forces.


    The imperial crest was now in my hand.


    Ellen took her identity card out of her pocket.


    ¡°... A Temple student...?¡±


    The imperial crest, coupled with the Temple student ID, which certified our identity as part of the continent¡¯s highest educational institution.


    Without even ncing at the official, Ellen, while nonchntly cutting into her hamburger steak, murmured, ¡°If you can handle the consequences, feel free to take us in.¡±


    Such a graceful way to tell someone to shove off...


    A different kind of silence descended upon the inn.


    ¡°What nonsense! Such a thing must obviously be fake!¡±


    The one who broke the silence was Hugson, who had been observing the situation from behind the official.


    ¡°Hugson, be careful! Tampering with such items can lead to the extermination of one¡¯s entire family!¡± The official yelled at Hugson, who was starting to get agitated.


    While this wasn¡¯t a get-out-of-jail-free card, if it was discovered that they had tried to frame us unjustly, it could lead to significant trouble.


    ¡°How could you be so brazen?!¡± Hugson yelled, his face turning red with anger.


    Things were not proceeding as he had envisioned, and he began to shout loudly.


    ¡°Hey! You guys! I thought you brats were just simple thieves, but you¡¯re traitors as well! Forging the imperial crest and impersonating Temple students? You deserve immediate execution!¡± he continued.


    <i>Thump! Thump! Thump!</i>


    He began to advance towards us, losing all restraint, axe in hand.


    ¡°If you take one more step,¡± Ellen murmured in a chilling voice, ¡°You¡¯re going to die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯re going to die.¡±


    Ellen stood up and stared intently at Hugson, whose red face was just beginning to show the smallest traces of fear.


    I had never seen Ellen wear such an expression before.


    Her face was a mask of chill-inducing indifference, yet there was a palpable cold anger behind it.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t directed at me, I felt a shiver run down my spine. Hugson, who had been about to brandish his weapon, instinctively stepped back as Ellen rose.


    ¡°What, you want a duel or something?¡± he said.


    Ellen picked up the knife she¡¯d been using to cut her hamburger steak in her right hand as she gazed at Hugson.


    ¡°This is all I need,¡± she replied.


    Nobodyughed at Ellen¡¯s seemingly absurd im that a dinner knife was all she needed against an axe.


    A palpable pressure hung in the air. Clearly, everyone sensed that she could indeed pull it off.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, then get out of my face.¡±


    The manner of Ellen¡¯s demand for them to leave was a far cry from the gracefulness of her earlier dismissal.


    The imperial crest, the Temple student ID...


    And now, this inexplicable confidence.


    This was not enough to absolve us from guilt.


    However, if they made the wrong move, their own heads could be at risk.


    In fact, their heads might already be at risk right then and there.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go back, Hugson.¡±


    ¡°... <i>Tch</i>!¡±


    In the end, they made the wise decision to turn around and leave, just one step shy of disaster.

 Chapter 155

    <h4>Chapter 155</h4>


    After Hugson and the people from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild left, the lingering silence did not dissipate.


    Of course, it was because of Ellen and I. The patrons, noticing the atmosphere, gradually left their tables and headed up to their rooms.


    ¡°It seems like the Saints Point branch of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild is practically his personal property,¡± I said.


    The way the guild officer behaved toward Hugson, as if he were attending to some lord, made it seem pretty clear to me. I had already finished my food and was watching Ellen devour the leftovers.


    ¡°... You¡¯re quite cheeky, aren¡¯t you?¡± Imented.


    I was surprised, since I didn¡¯t expect Ellen to speak so boldly about killing and such. It was my first time seeing her speak so harshly to someone.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to scare them off than to kill them,¡± she replied.


    ¡°... You just made yourself sound even scarier.¡±


    Hugson might have actually lost his temper and brandished his weapon if she¡¯d ignored him any further, which meant she had to be stern.


    It was incredible to see how the real weight of the fear of death made people back off. Even though I had witnessed it first hand, it was still hard to believe.


    ¡°He must have been threatened, right?¡± Ellen asked. She seemed to be thinking about Austin, who had been shaking in terror.


    ¡°... Probably.¡±


    Austin was, at best, an F-rank newbie. Although he was part of Hugson¡¯s party, he was just a neer.


    Austi, without knowing how Hugson would act, had probably bragged about the encounter earlier that day as if it were a tale of heroism. How we had nearly been robbed, but had turned the tables on the robbers, beating them up and taking their loot. Of course, he¡¯d have had to exin the sudden appearance of the carriage.


    Hugson, having heard that story, would have realized that one of those people was me. A description of our appearances would have been enough for him to make the deduction.


    He must have realized that he could flip the situation around and use us of being the robbers. He probably threatened Austin that he would use him of being the perpetrator of the robbery if he didn¡¯t testify against me and Ellen.


    Teaming up with the guild representative, who was a point manager and in collusion with him, they nned to detain us or have us tried for robbery.


    However, he hadn¡¯t anticipated that messing with us would lead to serious trouble.


    ¡°Damn it. He tried to frame us just because he lost a mage that he was trying to lure into his party.¡±


    ¡°The biggest problem is that it actually almost happened.¡±


    If not for the special items we had, the usations would have stuck, and we would have no grounds to object. It suddenly felt like we were living outside the realm ofw.


    Adventurers who were quick to turn to robbers...


    The points where a person¡¯s life could be determined by the whims of the powerful...


    The behavior of humans outside the reach of the rule ofw made me suddenly realize that I was indeed in the Dark Land.


    The danger had nothing to do with demons.


    ¡°It¡¯s been said that humans are the scariest beings,¡± Ellen said.


    That, too, must have been something her brother had told her.


    ***


    This might have been Ellen¡¯s first brush with adventurers, but thanks to various things she¡¯d heard from Artorius, she was well aware of how adventurers behaved.


    It was Ellen who had first caught on to the possibility of being robbed in the carriage, and also Ellen who had stepped forward during the confrontation with Hugson. She always seemed to be aware that the greatest threat wasn¡¯t from demons, but fellow humans.


    ¡°... Should I swap rooms with our new recruit?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... No, we can¡¯t trust her.¡±


    Ellen shook her head at my suggestion that she share a room with Eleris. It seemed she wasn¡¯t about to trust someone she¡¯d just met that day.


    She judged it better to share a room with me.


    However, both of us could neither sit on nor lie down on the bed.


    We¡¯d noticed it earlier but had intentionally avoided mentioning it, fearing that even talking about it would be a headache.


    It was supposed to be a double room.


    Certainly, it was a double room.


    ¡°... It seems the owner doesn¡¯t understand the concept of a double room.¡±


    ¡°That seems so.¡±


    ¡°Is it because the bed is big, they think it¡¯s good for two?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    But instead of two beds, there was onerge bed that could amodate two people.


    We saw it, but mentioning it felt like it wouldplicate things, so we purposely ignored it.


    Now that it was time to sleep, we were puzzled about what to do.


    ¡°Should someone sleep on the floor?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to go through such difort...¡± Ellen murmured softly.


    ¡°No, not me. You should sleep on the floor.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh, whatever. I don¡¯t care.¡¯</i>


    I brazenly sprawled myself on the bed.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen looked down at me with a chilly expression.


    <i>¡®You piece of trash,¡¯ </i>her eyes said clearly.


    ¡°... Shouldn¡¯t the strong havepassion for the weak?!¡±


    Was I wrong?


    <i>¡®It¡¯s only right for the strong to havepassion for the weak! And the strong one here is you! So you should be the one sleeping on the floor!¡¯</i>


    In response to my stubbornness, Ellen nudged me with her foot while I was lying down.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Ouch! You jerk!¡±


    Ellen pushed me towards the edge of the bed and theny down herself. All the harsh words she¡¯d spoken earlier, and now this... was this her new way of speaking?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Any effort to lighten the mood with nonsense was futile.


    As wey side by side, my mind became uneasy.


    There was no reason to feel bad about the situation we were in, and we had to set off on a long march the next day. Hence, we needed to sleep. Especially since we¡¯d traveled thousands of kilometers in one day and were incredibly tired.


    Even though we had done it via a warp gate...


    After some time, unable to fall asleep, I called out to Ellen ¡°... Hey.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± she replied. Clearly, she was having trouble falling asleep as well.


    ¡°What if those guys from earlier attack us in the middle of the night?¡±


    I was worried that Hugson, given his temperament, might still hold a grudge and decide toe back in the night to attack us.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll really kill them this time,¡± Ellen said firmly. Clearly, she had given it ample thought, and wasn¡¯t afraid if they did indeede back.


    She sounded ready to kill them. It was gruesome.


    One might even get the impression that she had killed numerous people before.


    I sensed that being away from the safety of the Temple and in a dangerous bordend had brought about a significant change in Ellen¡¯s attitude.


    You could say she was on edge.


    Still, it was true that having Ellen and Eleris around diluted my sense of unease significantly.


    As a human being, even though I hade here of my own volition, being in a ce where making a wrong move could get one¡¯s head chopped off naturally caused significant anxiety.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°Thanks foring with me,¡± Ellen said, quietly staring at the ceiling.


    ¡°...¡±


    It seemed like Ellen was feeling the same emotions I was.


    Being alone would have made both of us much more uneasy, regardless of our strength.


    ¡°Are you trying to keep me awake on purpose?¡±


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    Ellen, as if tired of hearing my nonsense, turned away sharply.


    ***


    Fortunately, Hugson did not concoct any unnecessary schemes in the middle of the night.


    The next morning...


    I had no idea how I¡¯d fallen asleep, but my face was touching something soft and squishy.


    Soft and, somewhat...


    <i>¡®Uh. Huh?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    This...


    This was bad.


    How could such a clich¨¦d situation ur?


    Right now, my face was buried in something. Well, not exactly buried in, but brushing against.


    It felt like a line hadn¡¯t been crossed, but still!


    As I slowly lifted my head, I saw someone¡¯s face.


    ¡°...¡±


    The timing of the both of us waking up was too perfect. Ellen was giving me a frosty look, her eyes cool as she stared down at me, my face brushing against her chest.


    <i>¡®You... What are you doing right now?¡¯ </i>her eyes said.


    ¡°N-No... It¡¯s not...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wait. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking but... This, uh...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Ellen adjusted her clothes and tidied her disheveled hair before sitting up on the bed. Then, looking over at me, she briefly said, ¡°Things like this happen.¡±


    Then why was she looking at me like she wanted to kill me?


    It¡¯s only natural to move around in your sleep when sharing a bed! Right?!


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i> I knew that no matter what I said, it wouldn¡¯t sound good, so I ended up saying nothing.


    Ellen yawnednguidly, and the bed creaked as she got up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    Rather than moving along a typical otaku plot development and pping my cheek or screaming in shock, Ellen reacted as if nothing had happened, while looking at me as if I were a piece of trash.


    The situation had developed along the lines of a regr otaku plot, but her reaction went totally against it.


    It was the perfect moment to feel embarrassed, yet she was not one bit embarrassed.


    I felt terribly afraid, as if saying one wrong word could lead to my murder.


    ***


    After making preparations to leave, Ellen and I had breakfast. In time, Eleris came down as well.


    ¡°Good morning to you both, I¡¯m all ready to go,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°You should have some breakfast.¡±


    At Ellen¡¯s words, Eleris smiled and shook her head.


    ¡°Ah, I ate a little earlier. I¡¯m ready to leave whenever.¡±


    Eleris wasn¡¯t wearing armor like us. Instead, she wore a robe, not the simple clothes from the day before. It seemed less about showing off her status as a mage and more about protection from the sun. After a simple breakfast, the three of us left the inn.


    Reaching Altz Point and investigating what happened there was our goal. Of course, if other adventurers arrived before us and deciphered the situation, it might be a futile effort, but one could not predict what would happen on the way there.


    We headed south from Saints Point. The next destination was Klitz Point.


    It would be a solid day¡¯s journey.


    Eleris seemed to be in some difort, even in the early morning sun, but she didn¡¯t show it.


    It was clear that the sunlight caused her some pain, but I couldn''t tell if it was easily bearable or not.


    Noticing my gaze, Eleris caught my eye and smiled.


    It seemed like she was telling me not to worry.


    ¡ªThere! Make sure that¡¯s tied properly!


    In Saints Point, a scene was unfolding that wasn¡¯t present the day before. Numerous supply caravans were arriving.


    ¡°Is that it? The supplies.¡±


    ¡°It has to be.¡±


    At the north entrance of Saints Point, a caravan of wagons was steadily arriving. They had to be the convoy that Hugson was in charge of escorting.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible...¡±


    There were dozens of wagons, and more were arriving in a steady stream. Since a significant force would be required to escort this convoy, it was clear that they would reach Altz Point muchter than us.


    Seeing this really made one think that magic was outright overpowered.


    With just one Mass Teleport spell, all these materials could be transported without the need for such a massive investment of manpower and time. Of course, Mass Teleport was an advanced spell that could only be cast by mages of Eleris¡¯s caliber, and even she would need to invest a considerable amount of time in casting it. There weren¡¯t many mages of that level on the continent.


    That was why there were alternatives like warp gates.


    In ces without ess to teleportation or warp gates, supplies still had to be transported in this manner.


    Anyway, I hadn¡¯t had a chance to talk to Eleris separately to ask her about it.


    I wondered if she could have teleported in alone and found out what had happened at Altz Point. Perhaps she could have looked into it separately.


    Now that we were setting off, though, there was no opportunity to discuss this matter with Eleris separately. It seemed there hadn¡¯t been enough time to check.


    We passed the chaos of the iing wagons and headed toward the southern exit.


    Along the way, we saw Hugson, who was yelling at the top of his lungs near the Lockhilt Inn.


    ¡ªNot there! Come this way, you idiot!


    He seemed to be quite a character, although I was hardly one to talk.


    ¡° ... Huh?¡±


    Someone who seemed to be hurrying about on an errand spotted us and stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°...¡±


    He stared for a bit, then went on his way.


    It was Austin.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Eleris asked.


    Ellen gave her a slight nod. ¡°Well... I¡¯ve met him before.¡±


    Austin had used us of being robbers because he didn¡¯t want to be used of being one himself.


    Though he had likely done so only after Hugson¡¯s coercion, he¡¯d ended up being an aplice to someone who¡¯d tried to pin a false usation on us.


    We watched his figure grow smaller as he got further away, as if he were fleeing.


    Rather than feeling dislike, I felt a strong sense of pity for him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed to be thinking the same thing as she quietly observed Austin¡¯s retreat. Even from behind, he seemed imbued with shame.


    ¡°It would be nice if he quit.¡±


    Leaving that ambiguous statement hanging in the air, Ellen headed out, taking the lead.

 Chapter 156

    <h4>Chapter 156</h4>


    To reach Altz Point via Naklitz, we had to choose between venturing through ruggedndscapes or taking an already-established path. If we opted to traverse the unexplored territories, there was a possibility that we would make new discoveries, but the journey would be slow and quite perilous.


    Choosing the well-beaten path would allow us to arrive more quickly, but there wouldn¡¯t be much to gain from the journey itself.


    ¡°Considering Ms. Rellia is with us, it would be best to take the easier route,¡± Ellen decided, taking into ount the stamina of our mage, Eleris.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine, really...¡±


    Of course, there was no point worrying about Eleris¡¯s physical condition. Although I wasn¡¯t certain about how much stamina a vampire had, hers was likely far superior to both Ellen¡¯s and mine.


    Now that I thought about it, Eleris¡¯s specialty was magic, and I did not know if she could handle closebat or not. I had never asked.


    ¡°Besides, the surrounding area has almost beenpletely scoured. Venturing through rugged terrain would hardly yield anything new. Let¡¯s just go with the regr route,¡± Ellen said firmly.


    ¡°Ah, okay...Thank you for your consideration,¡± Eleris responded with a shy smile.


    Eleris seemed quite adept at pretending to be unaffected by the sun¡¯s harsh rays. We made our way along a trail that had been carved out to the south of Saints Point.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one to worry, but it must be tricky for those wagons to navigate,¡± Imented.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    The trail was far from wide, and although the terrain south of Saints Point wasn¡¯t particrly mountainous, it was still rather hilly, with countless ascents and descents.


    It would be quite a struggle for that long, snaking caravan to make its way through. Our party did not have any wagons to haul with us, and all we had to do was walk. Both Ellen and I were physically in good shape, and to be honest, there wasn¡¯t any need for Ellen to give Eleris any special consideration either.


    Although Eleris wasn¡¯t wearing heavy armor, she was definitely d in some sort of armor and carried a backpack, so it wasn¡¯tpletelyfortable for her either. Moreover, it was summer.


    ¡°... It¡¯s hot.¡±


    We walked for a while, and soon, sweat began to stream down our faces. Ellen¡¯sment about how we would be boiled alive if we wore full armor now made sense.


    Of course, things were still better whenpared to what we had faced during our survival mission on the deserted ind. There, the extremely high humidity had made it difficult to breathe.


    Here, although the heat of the sun was intense, the humidity wasn¡¯t as high.


    Ellen appeared to be handling it well without bing overly exhausted, but she was visibly affected by the heat.


    ¡°I see,¡± Eleris noted as she observed Ellen and I.


    She asked us to stop for a moment, and after a brief time of preparation, she cast a magic spell.


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cooler now.¡±


    Our bodies cooled down, and the feeling of being overheated subsided, apanied by a refreshing chill.


    ¡°It¡¯s a minor spell called Chilling Touch,¡± Eleris smiled. She further borated that the spell had a rtively long duration, but if needed, she would be happy to cast it again.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ellen said sincerely.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Eleris said, downying what she¡¯d done. ¡°Handling these minor tasks is the role of a low-level mage.¡±


    <i>¡®Indeed... Nothing beats magic¡ªnot supernatural powers,bat skills, or whatever else.¡¯ </i>


    Although acquiring the skills to be proficient at it was the most challenging, in the end, magic reigned supreme. Even minor magic could be incredibly convenient, depending on how it was used.


    With the sensation of having an air conditioner built into our clothing, we continued our journey, feeling refreshed. There was no danger in the area we were traveling through, so it felt no different from walking along a slightly ufortable path.


    Eleris quickened her pace and sidled up next to Ellen.


    ¡°By the way, what is the rtionship between you two? Are you guys... more than just friends?¡±


    <i>¡®What?! Why would she suddenly ask that?!¡¯</i>


    Eleris could hardly keep the excitement from her face. I immediately grabbed Eleris by the shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯re friends. Just friends.¡±


    Although that was what I said, my eyes said something else.


    <i>¡°Why would you ask something like that!¡±</i>


    <i>¡°It¡¯s just for fun, you know?!¡±</i>


    Eleris could barely contain her amusement.


    <i>¡®Stop making that face as if you¡¯re a mother dying to know what kind of person your son¡¯s girlfriend is!¡¯</i>


    Had she followed us so willingly because she was curious as to what kind of person Ellen was?


    Ellen stared at me, then replied tersely, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t stop but continued to press the matter.


    ¡°So you¡¯re close enough that you would embark on an adventure together?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what I think,¡± Ellen answered as she walked on, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.


    <i>¡®Phew... For some reason, that was a bit touching.¡¯</i>


    ***


    After a long walk, noon approached, and we ate lunch under the shade of a tree near the path. We hadn¡¯t brought anything to cook with, so our meal consisted of preserved food, eaten by the side of the road.


    Ellen and I chewed on jerky and biscuits, while Eleris also nibbled on a biscuit. While she did eat, it didn¡¯t seem like she was forcing herself to do so. I didn¡¯t know what human food would taste like to her.


    Ellen quietly observed Eleris as she ate and drank water.


    ¡°Ms. Rellia, you don¡¯t seem to sweat at all,¡± she said.


    Ellen¡¯s sudden remark sent shivers down my spine instead of Eleris¡¯s.


    <i>¡®Wait, what? Did she notice something off? Does she think Eleris is odd?¡¯</i>


    Indeed, Eleris, who was supposed to be less in shape physically, lookedpletely fresh and unbothered by sweat.


    ¡°I continuously use Chilling Touch on myself. Besides, I naturally don¡¯t sweat much,¡± Eleris replied, her lie so smooth as if she had prepared it beforehand.


    Ellen nodded, as if she found the response satisfactory. After all, we also hadn¡¯t been sweating much after receiving Eleris¡¯s magic.


    It seemed Ellen was merely making a simple inquiry, and did not harbor any suspicion. Ellen didn¡¯t eat much, perhaps aware of the need to conserve our preserved food¡ªnot that it was tasty enough to indulge in.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s probably normal, but it really is deserted out here,¡± Ellen murmured quietly, her eyes scanning across the length of the pathway that was visible to us.


    ¡°Except for a few, no one really uses this road.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense...¡±


    While there was a path here, there was little reason to take it unless one was an adventurer. The absence of travelers was expected.


    Eleris tilted her head in thought.


    ¡°By the way, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild is quite impressive. Creating and maintaining these small towns, and even rebuilding them when they¡¯re destroyed,¡± she said, marveling at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s financial muscle.


    ¡°The Adventurers¡¯ Guild is operated by the empire,¡± Ellen responded.


    ¡°Ah... Is that so?¡±


    I had assumed as much, but it had now been confirmed that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was not a private organization, but one supported by the empire. That exined why the official from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild had threatened us with investigations and such the day before.


    ¡°The empire provides the foundation, and individuals known as adventurers carry out the pioneering. The risk and reward are the responsibility of the individual.¡±


    The empire supported the enterprise with capital, but it was the adventurers who stepped into dangerous territories at their own risk. The newnds, thus secured within the Dark Land secured, could potentially be annexed as new human territories, depending on the need.


    The guild purchased powerful magical relics as well.


    In any case, the empire was the principal contractor, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was the subcontractor, and the adventurers were the sub-subcontractors.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    If we walk for the entire day, we would reach our next destination, Klitz Point.


    ¡°... The sky has gotten quite cloudy all of a sudden,¡± Elerismented, looking at the darkened sky with concern.


    Eventually, an hour after we resumed our journey, it started to rain.


    ***


    <i>Ssshhh</i>...


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a downpour, but the rain was still pretty severe. The three of us wore ponchos we had prepared in advance. Since the path wasn¡¯t well-maintained to begin with, it soon turned into a muddy mess.


    <i>Rumble</i>...


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    As we walked, Eleris kept making displeased sounds, perhaps because of the unpleasant weather.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    No, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t just the weather bothering her.


    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± Ellen asked, sensing something was off.


    ¡°Ah, no... I was just thinking... The convoy¡¯s departure might be dyed because of this,¡± Eleris replied. She seemed concerned that therge caravan of wagons would not be able to pass through the mucky road.


    ¡°Why worry about that? It¡¯s their concern, not yours.¡±


    At my words, Eleris scratched her cheek with an ambiguous expression. ¡°Ah... Well, that¡¯s true, but... If the delivery of supplies to the three isted points in the south is dyed... Wouldn¡¯t that be problematic?¡±


    She was worrying about people who werepletely unrted to us again, unable to break the habit of caring for others. Certainly, if the rain continued and the road turned to mud, the caravan¡¯s departure could indeed be dyed.


    She seemed to be considering the possibility that people and adventurers stranded at those three points in the far south could suffer from hunger, or worse.


    ¡°How long have those ces been isted?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... To my knowledge, it¡¯s been more than ten days.¡±


    It was a day¡¯s walk to Klitz Point.


    From there, it was three days by foot to the next hub, Altz Point.


    And the sub-stations, Altz Points 1, 2, and 3, were another four days¡¯ journey away.


    Whoever was in there was sure to be facing a shortage of provisions. If the supplies did not start moving quickly, the stranded adventurers might face starvation, not just threats from monsters.


    Although it was not something that directly concerned us, Eleris¡¯s worry about potentialrge-scale starvation could indeede to pass.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± Ellen remarked as we walked through the rain, tilting her head thoughtfully. ¡°If the intermediary supply bases have copsed, instead of staying put in istion, it would have been better to return to Klitz Point...¡±


    Returning to Klitz Point from the front lines, bypassing the copsed Altz Point, would have been a seven-day journey. However, theck of information reaching us so far suggested that no adventurer has returned to Klitz Point to report what had happened.


    ¡°There might be some reason preventing them from returning,¡± Eleris spected.


    Eleris seemed unaware of any specifics of the incident that might have urred at Altz Point. The personnel at Altz Points 1, 2, and 3 were isted, and for some reason, they seemed unable to choose the option of returning to Klitz Point. Moreover, adventurers who had gone to check on the situation at Altz Point had not yet returned either.


    Whether they had fallen victim to something or were merely dyed was unknown. At any rate, the cause of Altz Point¡¯s copse was mere spection, and that was the core of the problem.


    ***


    It was a day¡¯s journey to Klitz Point.


    However, the sudden downpour dyed our journey, and it was well after sunset by the time we neared Klitz Point. In the darkness, we had to rely on Eleris¡¯s light magic, moving cautiously, step by step.


    ¡°It seems to be over there.¡±


    <i>Sssshhhh</i>...


    Standing on a slope, we could see a faint light piercing through the rain. Ellen was pointing in that direction.


    ¡°Damn, I really want to rest.¡±


    Although we were wearing ponchos, our boots werepletely soaked after being exposed to the rain for so long. Both Ellen and I were exhausted from the prolonged walk in the rain.


    As we neared Klitz Point, which appeared to be simr in size or slightly smaller than Saints Point, our steps naturally quickened. We walked towards the faint light, like ships lost at sea that had finally glimpsed a lighthouse.


    Suddenly, though, Ellen, who was in the lead, stopped in her tracks.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she hissed. ¡°Cancel the light.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh... Yes!¡±


    Ellen¡¯s abruptmand seemed to confuse Eleris, but she canceled her light magic anyway. From Ellen¡¯s hushed tone, it seemed she might have noticed something odd.


    ¡°Is something off?¡± I asked, but Ellen just quietly stared at the light through the rain.


    ¡°Why is there only one light?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®One light?¡¯</i>


    It seemed Ellen had noticed something that I hadn¡¯t even considered to be odd.


    ¡°Klitz Point is supposed to be about the same size as Saints Point. But what we¡¯re seeing now is way too different from what we saw yesterday.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s words made me think of the view we had of Saints Point as we approached it the previous night. It hadn¡¯t exactly been a brilliant nightscape, but many buildings had been lit up inside. From that distance, it had appeared like a vige, with numerous illuminated buildings.


    However, the faint light we could see through the rain seemed to be from a singr source.


    It wasn¡¯t just one source, to be precise; it looked like only one building had lights on inside. The multitude of other buildings that should have been there were swallowed by the darkness, invisible to us.


    Even if the building was an inn, it was strange for it to be the only building with lights on. After all, there should have been several inns at Klitz Point. It wasn¡¯tte enough that everyone would have gone to bed yet.


    ¡°It seems there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    Whatever had befallen Altz Point might have somehow made its way to Klitz Point as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s approach from a different route.¡±


    In silence, we decided to leave the path and approach Klitz Point from a different direction.

 Chapter 157

    <h4>Chapter 157</h4>


    Ellen suspected everything she saw. All I wanted was to find a ce with light and quickly get some rest, but Ellen¡¯s first thought had been to question why there was only one light visible.


    It was probably because she¡¯d constantly heard from Artorius that if one¡¯s senses were not sharp, surviving as an adventurer would be difficult.


    One had to guard oneself against both monsters and people. The clumsy ones would always be made to pay some sort of price. The three of us left the path and approached Klitz Point.


    Unlike the rtively safe Saints Point, there was a palisade erected around Klitz Point. It seemed like it was there to prevent any possible raids.


    The pouring rain and darkness severely limited our visibility, but they also hid us from any potential enemies.


    Soon, we were able to reach the palisade.


    ¡°Can you hear anything?¡± Ellen asked me as we stopped in front of the palisade, thinking of my enhanced hearing.


    However, even with enhanced hearing, all I could hear was the sound of the rain.


    ¡°The sound of the rain is too loud. I can¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    We needed to try to catch any sounding from the only building with the lights on, but nothing could be heard through the noise of the rain. It was also quite a distance away. Ellen nodded in understanding, then took off her poncho and backpack.


    ¡°Miss Rellia. Please wait here. Reinhart and I will go check it out.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡± Eleris asked, sounding worried, but Ellen nodded.


    I followed Ellen¡¯s lead and took off my poncho and backpack as well, lightening my load.


    The palisade was roughly three meters high.


    With a thud, Ellen drove her knife into the middle of the palisade. After applying considerable force a few more times, she drove the knife into the wood, up to the handle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s step on this and get over.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The idea was to use the knife handle as a step and leap over the palisade. Normally, this would have been impossible, but my physical abilities had now evolved to the extent that such feats were easily manageable.


    <i>Swoosh</i>!


    In one swift motion, Ellen stepped on the knife handle, grabbed the sharpened part of the palisade like a handle, and flipped over it.


    We did not know what was waiting for us on the other side.


    A fight could break out any moment.


    Since Ellen had already jumped over, Eleris quietly held my hand.


    She didn¡¯t say anything, but I could tell what she was thinking well enough.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    I too, just like Ellen, stepped on the knife handle and leaped over the palisade.


    The rainy conditions were more of an advantage for us. The noise we made was likely to go unheard by any unintended ears.


    However, the darkness made it difficult to discern objects that were not close to us. All that was visible was the lit interior of a building at the center of Klitz Point.


    We did not approach that building immediately.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move slowly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ellen and I moved forward, keeping low to the ground. Even in the dark, there were ces that were more shadowed, and we moved bit by bit, taking advantage of this deeper darkness.


    <i>Sssshhh</i>...


    <i>Rustle... Rustle...</i>


    As we moved slowly, a sound cut through the noise of the rain. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was only audible to my enhanced hearing, but when I grabbed Ellen, who had begun to move instinctively, she immediately stopped.


    ¡ªDamn it... why does it have to rain so much...


    I could hear someone grumbling.


    It was a person.


    After the person passed by, I whispered to Ellen, ¡°It¡¯s a person.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That exined why most of the buildings in Klitz Point were not lit up.


    A person walking in the rain, without any light.


    I was nowhere near convinced that it was safe. In fact, it only seemed more suspicious. Ellen, who was now considering even more caution, whispered in my ear, ¡°Let¡¯s not go near that side yet.¡±


    She was indicating the only building with light. It seemed that Ellen wanted to check the buildings without lights instead. Since we couldn¡¯t properly see who was wandering around where, Ellen and I moved slowly, taking our time.


    We eventually found ourselves against the wall of one of the darkened buildings.


    ¡°Through the window, not the door,¡± Ellen whispered shortly, and we circled around the building wall until we found a closed window.


    Ellen carefully opened the window from the outside. Fortunately, it was not locked.


    There were no lights in the interior. Ellen grabbed the window frame and climbed inside, and I followed her.


    And, as soon as we got over, although we couldn¡¯t see anything, we instantly realized everything.


    ¡°<i>Gasp</i>!¡±


    ¡°<i>Heup</i>!¡±


    Reflexively, we covered each other¡¯s mouths.


    Not our own mouths, but each other¡¯s.


    We were both perfectly fine, but were worried that the other might scream. Realizing we had the same thought, we slowly removed our hands from each other¡¯s mouths.


    The reason was simple.


    Even if we couldn¡¯t see, we could still sense things.


    ¡°This...¡±


    I nodded in the darkness.


    ¡°It¡¯s the smell of blood.¡±


    It was a familiar scent.


    The same smell had pervaded the Demon King¡¯s castle, with its mutted dead bodies.


    ***


    Inside the building, we could see nothing.


    There was no sign of anyone, but the smell of blood wafted through the air. Even without visual confirmation, it was evident.


    It wasn¡¯t as though someone had bled a little.


    There had to be bodies. And not just one or two, but a significant number, enough to give off such a strong stench of blood. I had smelled this type of scent before, and was pretty certain that it was impossible for just one or two bodies to produce such a strong smell of blood.


    ¡°There are bodies, and many of them,¡± I whispered


    Ellen nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    For whatever reason, a massacre had urred in Klitz Point. And it was highly likely that the culprits were in the only building with lights.


    Or, it could be that the massacre had urred, and the people holed up in the building were survivors. Even without discussing it, the possibilities were abundantly clear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back outside. We can¡¯t see anything in here.¡±


    The interior of the building was much darker than outside, and if we wandered around the building like this, we would just end up stepping on bodies by mistake.


    Ellen and I exited through the same window from which we had entered.


    For some reason, a massacre had taken ce in Klitz Point. Presumably, the buildings without lights had bodies inside.


    Who were the people in the only building with light?


    ¡°They didn¡¯t even bury the bodies,¡± Ellen whispered, having sorted out her thoughts.


    The bodies, left unattended inside the buildings, indicated that whoever they were, they weren¡¯t exactly considerate towards the dead. If these were survivors of an unexpected attack, wouldn¡¯t they have at least gathered the bodies up and taken care of them?


    ¡°Bandits or robbers... it seems like the work of that kind,¡± Ellen said.


    Her suspicion seemed usible.


    A group of bandits or a gang of robbers...


    If they had raided this base, Klitz Point, then it was usible that they were also the reason why contact with Altz Point and the bases beyond it had been lost.


    If the ones who had piged Altz Point had moved up to Klitz Point, it would also make sense why there was no news of the adventurers who had gone south to uncover the truth behind the copse of Altz Point.


    The adventurers would have passed through Klitz Point to reach Altz Point.


    They would have either encountered the gang of robbers who had already taken over Klitz Point and were killed, or been killed by those moving north from Altz Point.


    The adventurers, looking for supplies, had entered Klitz Point, unaware that it had been taken over.


    Their bodies were abandoned in the darkened buildings after they were killed.


    Adventurers, who did not move inrge groups but in small teams, would have been unable to oppose such a band of marauders.


    Klitz Point had been upied by bandits.


    This naturally led to another worrisome thought.


    ¡°Wait... then what happens when the supply caravan arrives?¡±


    I could feel Ellen freeze.


    These bandits would rejoice that they¡¯d hit the jackpot if the supply caravan entered Klitz Point, and they would kill everyone and loot the supplies.


    A massacre had already happened, but another one was imminent. The supply caravan was guarded, of course, but it was clear that a significant battle would ur.


    ¡°We need to get this information out,¡± Ellen said in a subdued voice.


    I agreed.


    ¡ªHey! Move it, hurry up!


    Suddenly, loud voices came through the rain.


    People wereing out of the lit building. Ellen and I pressed our bodies against a wall, in a blind spot, and observed what they were doing.


    Arge number of people wereing out withnterns attached to their waists.


    ¡°What are they trying to do...?¡±


    The people who poured out of the building began to disperse in an orderly manner, and we crouched down even lower.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    The door of the building we had entered earlier on was flung open. Fortunately, we were close to the palisade that ran around the base, so the men didn¡¯te towards us.


    I focused, enhancing my hearing.


    It wasn¡¯t just one person who had entered the building, but a group of them. The sound of their footsteps proved that.


    ¡ªUgh, what a smell.


    ¡ªDo you really think cleaning this up will fix it? The smell¡¯s going to linger no matter what we do.


    ¡ªHey, I¡¯m not the boss here. We just clean it up because we¡¯re told to.


    ¡ªWhat about the bloodstains?


    ¡ªThey told us to cover it up with carpet or leather or something.


    .


    .


    The group seemed to be moving to deal with the bodies. They were close enough that Ellen could hear what they were talking about.


    ¡ªIs the supply caravan really departing tomorrow, in all this rain?


    At those words, Ellen and I couldn¡¯t help but feel our hearts sink.


    ¡ªEven if it¡¯s dyed, they¡¯lle eventually. If it¡¯ste, the smell will dissipate, and we¡¯ll have more time to erase the traces, isn¡¯t that good?


    ¡ªThat makes sense.


    These men already knew that the supply caravan was departing. That exined why they were hastily cleaning up the bodies.


    They nned to act as if nothing had happened, and then, while the supply caravan was resting at Klitz Point, they would take the opportunity to kill the escorts.


    ¡ªIf we pin it on the demons, we might be able to do this a few more times in the future.


    ¡ªDo more of what? Aren¡¯t you nning on retiring? I¡¯m out after this one. We¡¯ll make a tidy sum out of this one.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re so modest, aren¡¯t you?


    They weren¡¯t bandits or robbers.


    This was a group of adventurers, nning to loot the guild¡¯s supplies.


    They continued their casual discussion while moving the bodies.


    ***


    Ellen and I exited Klitz Point and returned to where Eleris was waiting.


    The more we heard, the more unbelievable the facts became.


    Ellen and I led Eleris silently away from Klitz Point, to a spot further off.


    Having taken off our raincoats, our bodies were already soaked through.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯splicated,¡± Ellen replied after some hesitation.


    Klitz Point was upied by an unidentified group of people, and all the original inhabitants of Klitz Point had been murdered.


    We initially believed that they were bandits, but they turned out to be adventurers who had banded together, bing a gang of robbers.


    ¡°Th-That means that the supply caravan that¡¯s arriving soon is in danger, then.¡±


    Eleris was horrified to hear that a massacre had already urred and seemed shocked by the thought of what was lying in wait for the supply caravan.


    ¡°They already knew that a supply caravan transporting supplies would being.¡±


    These men had predicted the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s movements.


    They anticipated that the guild would invest in supplies to rebuild the Altz Point base, and nned to seize those supplies for themselves.


    They even intended to disguise the total annihtion of the supply caravan and Klitz Point as the work of demons. They might even try to pull off simr schemes several more times.


    If their n seeded, the actual deeds of these adventurers-turned-robbers would stay undiscovered. These men could calmly continue their adventuring facade, grab a significant profit, and then disappear.


    They had the choice to continue being adventurers or not.


    The fact that these people had massacred countless others would remain hidden beneath the surface.


    ¡°No way... that can¡¯t be...¡±


    Eleris was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t even close her mouth.


    ¡°It seems the other adventurers who had entered Klitz Point and who were not part of their group were killed.¡±


    The reason they were lurking in the dark was likely to identify adventurers who wereing in that were not part of their gang. If Ellen hadn¡¯t sensed something was off earlier, we might have unsuspectingly stumbled into a fight with this adventurers-turned-robbers gang.


    But the problem wasn¡¯t just the supply caravan.


    These men were currently upying a transit point, and were undoubtedly killing people who were trying to return from Altz Points 1, 2, and 3 as well. That¡¯s why no one had returned from those three isted points.


    Eleris seemed to be contemting whether to part ways with us and take matters into her hands. However, without mymand, she wouldn¡¯t act.


    We did not know the total number of robbers upying Klitz Point, but I estimated that there were at least twenty of them.


    ¡°There are two options,¡± Ellen said, calmly summarizing her thoughts. ¡°One is for us to take action ourselves, and the other is to go back and inform the supply caravan.¡±


    ¡°... Take action ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s risky, though.¡±


    Ellen was considering the option of entering the robbers¡¯ den directly and wiping them all out.


    Certainly, Ellen could potentially handle it. However, this wouldn¡¯t just be her first time killing someone; it would amount to a mass ughter. Whether Ellen could truly live with that was uncertain.


    Even with Eleris¡¯s assistance, a single mistake could mean death.


    ¡°Going back and informing the supply caravan seems to be the best option,¡± Ellen added.


    Of course, she was aware of the risk involved. At this point, heading back to alert them was the safest n.


    ¡°But... Do you remember the list?¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Hugson had filled the escort with neers to increase his share of the loot.


    They were allplete novices. If a fight broke out in Klitz Point, they would be killed with little effort. Even in the best-case scenario, they might all flee.


    On the other hand, while we did not know the skill level of the adventurers in Klitz Point, they were familiar with murder. They were the ones having casual conversations while moving bodies.


    ¡°Do we really need to... take the risk?¡±


    Eleris seemed somewhat opposed to the idea of taking direct action.


    Setting everything else aside, it seemed she was reluctant about the possibility ofmitting murder ourselves.


    ¡°If news of this spreads, the fear it instills could lead to the supply caravan being disbanded.¡±


    While Hugson might not care, the novices who believed they were simply heading down to Altz Point could panic at the mention of waiting bandits and might not even take part in the mission, choosing to flee instead. The supply caravan would have to be disbanded.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel perplexed at Ellen¡¯s words.


    ¡°If the supply caravan disbands, then we can¡¯t really do anything about¡ªOh, wait a minute. The supplies.¡±


    Something hit me as I spoke.


    The mission of this supply caravan was not only the reconstruction of Altz Point, but also to deliver crucial supplies, including food, to the isted bases further out. This was why there was a massive amount of supplies in the caravan.


    If the supply caravan disbanded, the adventurers at the three forward points might starve to death.


    Ellen was looking at the bigger picture.


    Returning to inform the supply caravan was the safer option, but it would further dy the supplies from reaching those isted points, points that might still be safe. The guild¡¯s forces would mobilize if they learned about a massacre, but that would require the news to be reported all the way back to the Egxian Forward Base.


    ¡°Furthermore, if they know their situation has beenpromised, they might scatter and return to Saints Point individually, leaving no evidence of anything.¡±


    Scattered, they were just adventurers, but together, they were a gang of robbers. With no witnesses, it would be impossible to prove their criminal activities.


    Even though we had heard their voices, that was all we managed. We had no idea who exactly those people were.


    It was a stark reminder that this was awlessnd, and that everyone was an enemy to each other.


    In the end, taking direct action ourselves was the best option.


    Making the decision was easy, but what followed would not be.


    Both Ellen and I would have to kill people. Directly, and with our own hands.


    Whether they deserved to die or not wasn¡¯t the crucial part. Whether I could bear the burden of it myself was an entirely different matter.


    However, we couldn¡¯t keep putting it off indefinitely.


    A day woulde when I¡¯d have to stain my hands with blood. I didn¡¯t believe we could get through this story without such urrences.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    If it was an experience we inevitably had to go through, it was better to get ustomed to it sooner rather thanter.

 Chapter 158

    <h4>Chapter 158</h4>


    <i>Ssssshhhh...</i>


    On a rainy night...


    The rain poured down on a stormy night, which, despite having made the journey more challenging, now provided the best conditions for the task at hand. The sound drowned out any noise, and visibility was poorer than usual.


    Eleris did not object to the decision made by Ellen and me.


    The n was simple.


    The adventurer-robbers were patrolling in the darkness, probably to kill any other clueless adventurers who stumbled upon them silently and efficiently. Luckily, it seemed like no other adventurers were around Klitz Point because of the bad weather.


    Just as they utilized the darkness, so would we use both the darkness and the noise to our advantage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use a scroll,¡± Eleris announced, pulling a scroll book from her belongings.


    ¡°A scroll?¡± Ellen asked, puzzled.


    Eleris nodded firmly, her expression serious.


    ¡°It¡¯s a night vision scroll.¡±


    Night vision magic...


    There couldn¡¯t be a better spell for the current situation. This would make our operation much easier. While they could not see through the darkness, we would be able to.


    <i>¡®A scroll, though...?¡¯</i>


    Although she was disguised as a low-level mage, the scroll book was probably a cover for when she needed to cast a high-level spell. The scroll Eleris held likely contained no real magic at all. She would cast the spell herself while pretending to use the scroll.


    She hade up with a usible excuse. Scrolls were expensive, so one couldn¡¯t use them carelessly. If she suddenly used a high-level spell, she could say it was for emergency use.


    Eleris unfolded the scroll, and soon, she cast the night vision magic upon Ellen and me.


    Now, I could distinguish some contrast within the darkness-filled world. It felt slightly different than looking through an infrared camera. It was an odd feeling, simr to when I first received underwater breathing magic.


    We couldn¡¯t see through the rain, but now, the darkness was no longer an issue.


    Ellen looked me straight in the eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    My heart wasn¡¯t racing. Instead, my mind calmed down, and my heartbeat was even more steady than usual. It seemed odd to be so much calmer in what should have been a tense situation.


    I wondered if it was the effect of the ¡°Divine Spirit¡± given to me by Olivia. It was not only supposed to grant resistance to mental magic, but also strengthen mental fortitude. I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    In any case, I felt like nerves or anxiety would not get the better of me and cause me to make a mistake.


    Eleris decided to watch the situation from the rear. We agreed to bring her in once we hadpleted an initial assessment of the internal situation.


    I looked back and saw Eleris looking at me with a forlorn gaze. It was the kind of look one gave when they had to send someone they cherished into a ce they¡¯d rather not let them go to. Feeling a mix of emotions, Ellen and I stepped onto the hilt of the knife we had stuck into the palisade earlier on and infiltrated Klitz Point once again.


    Things were different this time around.


    Thanks to the night vision magic, we could discern objects around us.


    There were people moving about withnterns tied to their waists, presumably continuing the work of moving bodies. They couldn¡¯t use torches because of the rain.


    It was a situation we needed to avoid for now. We lowered our posture and started to assess the situation at Klitz Point.


    The bodies were piled up on one side of the base like luggage. We watched this scene unfold from the cover of darkness.


    How many people died here? There were easily more than fifteen people moving around. Five were digging in the ground.


    It seemed they were nning to dump all the bodies into a hole and then cover it back up.


    Noise also came from inside the buildings. There were likely others clearing up the bodies and erasing bloodstains. They were probably hastily covering everything up with carpets or whatever was at hand.


    These people only needed to deceive the convoy for a very short time. The building with lights seemed like an inn.


    They had various means at their disposal when it came to attacking defenseless people, whether it was poisoning their food or ambushing them in their sleep.


    Just from the bodies being moved around, there were about thirty corpses.


    How many supplies were there in the supply convoy to justify killing so many people?


    Ellen and I avoided the people withnterns and other ces that were illuminated more brightly. We hugged the wall behind the inn, which we presumed to be their hideout.


    The sounds of raucousughter and people making jokes could be heard from within.


    ¡ªWahahaha!


    ¡ªAh, it sure would be nice to take all of this with us.


    ¡ªHey, just take it! What¡¯s stoppin¡¯ ya?


    ¡ªYou¡¯re right!


    It seemed some were having a drinking party while the others were working. These were probably the higher-ups of the group.


    The men were drinking, and that only made them easier targets for us.


    ¡°There must be at least twenty of them,¡± Ellen murmured softly.


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    Twenty or so murderers, experienced in killing other humans. The convoy escort was made up of fifty novices.


    With the element of surprise, their annihtion seemed certain.


    But there were just two of us.


    The enemy was unaware that their base had been infiltrated, but could we really kill them all in the middle of the night?


    ¡°Once all the work is finished, they¡¯ll likely head back inside the inn. We¡¯ll wait for that, then handle them all at once.¡±


    For now, we had no choice but to wait for the rats to gather in one spot.


    ***


    We hid silently in the darkness until their work waspleted.


    I didn¡¯t know the precise duration of Nightvision. However, Eleris had cast the spell while pretending to use a scroll.


    That was why, even after more than two hours had passed, it was still effective.


    Or, perhaps, since she was watching from afar, she could recast the spell on us from a distance if it looked like it was going to wear off. Either way, there was no need to worry.


    After the individuals carryingnterns had all returned to the inn, we initiated our n of action.


    The rain was still falling.


    ¡°There should be entrances to the north and south, one each. Let¡¯s start with the northern entrance.¡±


    At the northern entrance to Klitz Point...


    There, possibly to ambush any unsuspecting adventurers who might enter, stood two sentries withoutnterns.


    They were looking north, probably to spot the light sources that any unfamiliar groups of adventurers might be carrying.


    If Ellen hadn¡¯t looked ahead and Eleris hadn¡¯t canceled her light magic, these men would have detected our approach.


    ¡°You take the right.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Ellen and I, each armed with a knife, slowly made our approach.


    ¡°Cover their mouths and slit their throats or break their necks. Don¡¯t give them a chance to scream,¡± Ellen instructed, sounding as if she had done this dozens of times, even though it was also her first time.


    The men were sheltering from the rain under a poorly-constructed roof at the northern entrance.


    ¡ªThink anyone wille in this weather?


    ¡ªIf it starts raining on their way, they¡¯d hurry here for shelter.


    ¡ªDidn¡¯t three guys leave during the day?


    ¡ªYeah, and Durtman kept whining about one of them nicking his shoulder.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s his own fault for not killing the guy with one hit.


    The men were casually making small talk.


    Ellen and I slowly approached them from behind.


    We weren¡¯t here to knock them out.


    ¡°<i>Argh</i>!¡±


    ¡°<i>Mmph</i>!¡±


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    Ellen and I simultaneously pounced on the two sentries from behind.


    We plunged our sharp des into their necks. It was a chilling sensation.


    The sheer foreignness of the feeling of severing flesh,bined with the action of forcibly silencing the noises from the struggling culprit¡¯s mouth, was profoundly unsettling.


    Ellen and I covered the mouths of the two men until they stopped strugglingpletely.


    Of course, even with their carotid arteries severed, humans still remain alive for a brief moment.


    That ¡°brief¡± moment showed me just how much blood could pour out from such a small wound during that short span of time.


    Humans die easily.


    Yet, the vitality of a human being that is felt through the blood spilled in the moment of death was grotesque.


    I clung on desperately in the brief moments leading up to the death of the person I had killed.


    <i>¡®Do not move.</i>


    <i>¡®Do not scream.</i>


    <i>¡®Die quietly.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t allow him the slightest bit of freedom until he stopped moving entirely.


    The moment I confirmed his death, I instinctively knew.


    I would never forget the sensation. Suppressing the struggles of one who was dying was such a chilling feeling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of them.¡±


    Ellen and I dragged the bodies, now motionless, and hid them in the bushes outside the base.


    We had just killed people.


    Our hands and clothes were smeared with crimson blood. It was then that I clearly felt the influence of the Divine Spirit affecting me.


    In any other situation, my limbs would surely have been trembling at this moment. My legs would have felt weak, and I might have wanted to sit down. However, I didn¡¯t feel any such physical effects.


    I was just confused.


    The fear that I could actually do such a thing enveloped me.


    Ellen looked straight at me.


    Her eyes were still calm. I couldn¡¯t detect any excitement or stray thoughts in them.


    Ellen then held my cheeks and brought her face close to mine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it now.¡±


    She looked directly into my eyes. Now was not the time to think.


    ¡°We have to do what needs to be done.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s eyes, deep and serene like ake, erased the remaining confusion in my mind.


    It was possible to think, to be confused, and to be scared.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    But now was not the time to contemte any of that.


    ***


    There were a total of four sentries, two to the north and two to the south.


    We killed the two at the southern entrance in the same way and carelessly tossed their bodies into the dense bushes outside.


    We had already scoped out Klitz Point in its entirety in the darkness. The rest of them were all inside the inn.


    There was no one stationed outside the inn. Therefore, I called Eleris, who had been waiting outside the base.


    ¡°We need to finish them all before the next set of guardse.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s expression was somber. Perhaps she¡¯d seen the bodies left outside upon entering.


    Since they wouldn¡¯t keep the same sentries posted all night, others woulde at some point to relieve them. We had even observed such a changeover happening earlier. How much time we had until the next shift change was unknown.


    Now, we had to kill everyone inside the inn. If they were all asleep, the task would be simpler, but there could be some night owls among them.


    Rats in a trap.


    And a way to kill all those rats...


    We could ambush those who were having a drinking party, but that would likely lead to a melee.


    With Ellen around, an all-out fight was not out of the question, but that had to be thest resort.


    If there was a way to overpower them without fighting, that would always be the best option.


    While Eleris could potentially resolve everything with a single powerful spell, that was not something that could be considered. If magic were to be employed, Eleris would have to take them all down using only abination of low-level spells.


    Charging in and fighting was ast resort. Disregarding feasibility, there was a severe risk.


    Eleris came up with a rather straightforward solution.


    ¡°How about setting a fire?¡±


    We would set the inn on fire.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining, though,¡± Ellen replied with a tilt of her head.


    The buildings at Klitz Point <i>were</i> mostly made of wood. However, it is currently raining.


    ¡°The most dangerous thing about a fire isn¡¯t the me itself; it¡¯s the smoke.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    In fires, people often lost their lives, not due to being consumed by the fire, but due to suffocation caused by smoke.


    ¡°But won¡¯t they just escape through the doors?¡± I asked.


    Eleris shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re counting on.¡±


    Eleris pointed towards the entrance of the inn.


    ¡°There¡¯s a low-level magic called Dig. It¡¯s a spell that digs up the ground.¡±


    Dig...


    A ground-digging spell.


    ¡°If a fire starts, they¡¯ll definitely try to escape through the entrance. So, we¡¯ll dig a big pit right in front of it.¡±


    In the event of a fire, they would have to escape. In their panicked state, they wouldn¡¯t check for possible dangers and would just run out the door.


    Eleris nned to dig a giant pit in front of the inn¡¯s only entrance. The people would fall into the pit while trying to escape.


    Eleris had managed toe up with a way to aplish this task within the limits she had set for herself. Using spells like Firestorm and other high-level destructive magics was not an option.


    We would start a fire.


    And then, we would dig into the ground.


    Eleris hade up with the solution quite easily.

 Chapter 159

    <h4>Chapter 159</h4>


    Ellen waited outside the inn to deal with any guards that mighte out, while Eleris and I wandered around Klitz Point. We were searching for supplies.


    Klitz Point was about the size of a small town. It had an inn, a guild office, and some shops. All the people who should usually have been there were probably dead.


    "... Your Highness."


    "... Yes?¡±


    Without Ellen around, Eleris spoke morefortably.


    "... Have you been disappointed in humans?"


    Eleris had chosen to side with humans rather than demons. Now, though, she was asking if I had been disappointed in humans because of the ugly aspects I had seen. Eleris was already well aware of the ugly side of humanity. Because of that, she didn''t seem to be despairing over humanity after witnessing the current situation.


    Even during the recent ve trading incident, she had been angry, but it didn''t seem like it was the first time she had discovered such a side to humanity.


    Eleris seemed worried that I might be disappointed by the actions of humans.


    "Good is just good, and bad is just bad."


    There were people who lived virtuously, and others who lived disgracefully. There were also people who fluctuated between the two.


    "A species is just a species. It can''t be inherently good or bad."


    That¡¯s just the way things are; there''s no reason to be disappointed in a species itself.


    A bad person is just a bad person; humanity itself isn¡¯t bad. A virtuous person is just virtuous; humanity itself is not virtuous. Good and evil were traits that belonged solely to the individual. An individual¡¯s personal morality couldn¡¯t be used to represent the collective morality of the groups or species to which they belong.


    Even if I were truly a demon, witnessing this scene wouldn''t make me disappointed in humanity. I''d just think, "There are such humans too. Crazy bastards."


    These people were facing death not because they were human, but because they were crazy bastards.


    Eleris smiled, as if she had been worrying needlessly. "I have overstepped, Your Highness. I apologize."


    "Let''s just do what we need to do."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    Ellen''s words kept echoing in my mind. Now was not the time to dwell on it.


    ***


    Eleris and I went into a nearby hardware store and gathered all the mmable materials we could find. Since I couldn''t identify them myself, Eleris picked out various items, and I packed them into a backpack.


    We also gathered the bow and arrows Ellen had requested.


    When I returned, Ellen pointed towards the inn.


    ¡°If you enter through the window at the back of the inn, you¡¯ll be in the kitchen. There doesn''t seem to be any lighting from there, so you should be able to start the fire from there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the fire,¡± I said.


    It was my job to get into the kitchen and set the fire. Meanwhile, Eleris would cast an earth magic spell repeatedly at the inn¡¯s entrance to create trap pits deep enough that no one could climb out alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with anyone trying to escape through windows or other routes.¡±


    Ellen, being the most skilled inbat, would handle anyone attempting to flee through the windows or other exit routes.


    With my backpack full of mmable materials, I headed towards the back of the inn. The window that led into the kitchen was not locked, and the interior was dark. Although it was quite high, I managed to get inside and began unloading the mmable materials inside the empty kitchen.


    I opened each container one by one and poured their contents everywhere. Some smelled like oil, and others gave off the scent of alcohol.


    After spreading the materials all over the kitchen, I exited the building, taking precautions against any potential explosions.


    There was a reason I was tasked with starting the fire. Since I was at the back of the inn, Ellen wouldn¡¯t be able to see me.


    I gripped the pendant hanging around my neck.


    <i>The me of Fire.</i>


    When I first used it, it produced a me about the size of a lighter. Since then, I had rarely used it. There was absolutely nothing beneficial about revealing that I possessed such a powerful magical artifact. Up until now, there had never been a reason to use it.


    Eleris had once used it to create a towering inferno that reached the sky. The me''s intensity depended on the user¡¯s mana. Compared to others of my rank, my mana was quite strong, and it had grown rapidly. Having also acquired the talent for mana control, I could wield even greater power.


    While the amount of mana was important, something else was even more critical.


    <i>¡°When used with malice against someone, it produces an evenrger me. It reacts more intensely to dark emotions.¡±</i>


    Eleris had told me this as she handed it over, emphasizing that it was not a benevolent artifact.


    This was the first time I intended to use it to attack.


    I was using this artifact to kill someone. I was using it to kill the roughly twenty humans inside this inn. There was no need to hesitate. Thinking couldeter.


    I gripped the pendant hanging around my neck.


    "Die, those who must die,¡± I muttered to myself, clutching the me of Fire.


    mes ignited, a colossal fire meant to kill those worse than demons.


    Wait, hold on a second. Could this react to my Self-Deception too?


    <i>Fwoosh</i>!


    Just as I had a moment of realization, it was toote.


    <i>Boom</i>!


    "Ugh!"


    The mes instantly engulfed the entire kitchen, reacting with the mmable materials and resulting in an explosive burst of fire. The force sted me backward, and I tumbled across the ground.


    "Arghhh..."


    Rolling on the ground, I managed to see the chaos I had unleashed.


    <i>Shoooosh</i>!


    "Damn... what the hell."


    The entire side of the inn was engulfed in massive mes.


    I wasn''t sure if the me of Fire possessed greater power than I anticipated, if it was due to an unexpected reaction with the mmable materials, or if it was my ability to connect with the me of Fire. It could have been all of these issues.


    ¡ªWhat''s that noise?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s a fire!


    In any case, it was a tremendous sess.


    ***


    I almost ended up dying in the mes I had started. The fire, which should have spread slowly from the kitchen, started to ze through the inn at an incredible speed. The trap at the main entrance was alreadypleted.


    By repeatedly casting the earth-digging spell, Eleris had created a massive pit, approximately five meters wide, at the inn''s entrance. It was deep enough that it was impossible for anyone to climb out alone.


    <i>Crash</i>!


    "<i>Ahhhh</i>!"


    <i>Thud</i>!


    As the fire and smoke spread through the inn, people trying to flee blindly stumbled and fell into the pit.


    Because of the smoke and confusion, they didn''t realize there was a trap at the entrance. One by one, they tried to escape the fire and fell into the pit. Falling in an awkward way could cause them to break their necks, resulting in an instant death.


    <i>Rumbleeee</i>!


    Some of them paused to catch their breath near the burning windows of the inn.


    <i>Whiz</i>!


    "Ahh!"


    Ellen started shooting arrows at those who poked their heads out of the windows.


    While she might not be as skilled as Delphine Izadra, who could shoot a running beast while running herself, these stationary targets were easy for her to hit.


    The archery skills Ellen once used to win stuffed dolls for Rudina were now being used to im lives, one by one.


    "Someone¡¯s outside shooting arrows!¡±


    Someone finally noticed the archer outside, but in this chaos, amidst the smoke and the coughing, it made little difference.


    "Ack!"


    As more people began to fall into the pit, those inside realized there was a trap at the entrance, making escape nearly impossible.


    The inn''s interior was filling with smoke. If they didn''t get out quickly, they would suffocate. However, trying to escape through the main entrance meant they would have to leap over a five-meter-wide pit.


    Either way, they were trapped.


    ¡°The windows! Get out through the windows!¡±


    There were still some who had enough sense to act rationally. Even amidst the rising mes and smoke, they made the decision to break through windows on the first and second floors to escape.


    <i>Sling!</i>


    Ellen and I drew our swords.


    "<i>Cough! Huff! Huff</i>!"


    But having inhaled so much smoke and in their state of confusion, these freshly escaped individuals were not properly armed and barely recognized our presence.


    <i>sh</i>!


    Ellen targeted the vital points of the adventurers who had burst out, dispatching them with a single strike. Her skill was so precise and decisive that it seemed almost otherworldly. I didn¡¯t remain idle either.


    <i>Thrust</i>!


    "Ugh, argh!"


    The sword I had been issued by the Temple was of excellent quality. Killing those who had just escaped and were still disoriented, struggling to catch their breath, was an easy task.


    It felt the same as crushing slightlyrger ants. With that mindset, I plunged my sword into their backs and necks, one by one, eliminating the defenseless enemies.


    A massacre unfolded in front of the burning inn. Those who had nned to carry out atrocities found themselves ughtered by just two people. By the time the continuous rain had extinguished the mes that had consumed the inn, the bloody task waspleted.


    I sighed. With trembling hands, I wiped my forehead after the grueling bloodshed. Exhaustion washed over me. The only thought lingering in my mind amidst the blood-drenched carnage was how tired I felt.


    ***


    Though it had been a surprise attack, the three of us had managed to kill a group of twenty people. Ellen and I were drenched in blood from head to toe. Despite the rain, the bloodstains wouldn''t simply wash away.


    Not everyone was dead.


    "P-Please... spare me...¡±


    "W-Who the hell are you guys... Why did you..."


    Those who had fallen into the pit were mostly alive, though some were injured. The pit was over four meters deep. Climbing out was impossible, and among the nine trapped inside, three seemed to have died from broken necks or spines.


    Ellen and I stood quietly, looking down into the pit. The trapped men seemed to understand their predicament. They were caught in a trap, most of theirrades were dead, and now their lives depended entirely on our decision.


    I had no desire to spare them. However, keeping at least one of them alive could be useful.


    ¡°Maybe we should let one of them live?¡±


    Having a witness could prove valuable when we made our reportter on.


    Ellen slowly nodded at my suggestion.


    ¡°We should, to report to the guild.¡±


    I pulled out a knife from my belt and tossed it into the pit below.


    ¡°Kill each other.¡±


    I kept my instructions brief as I looked down at them. For a moment, they seemed unable to grasp the situation.


    ¡°What...! What the hell are you making us do?!¡±


    Even Eleris, who seemed to realize what I was ordering, almost blurted out in surprise.


    Ellen looked at me as well, her brows furrowing as if questioning whether this was necessary. ¡°Why?¡±


    I grinned as I looked at the dumbfounded men.


    ¡°It''s better for them to kill each other than for us to do it. Let the trash dispose of itself.¡±


    I simply wanted them to handle the dirty work themselves so I wouldn''t have to.


    Understanding the grim message, they began groping around the dark pit, searching for the knife I had thrown.


    <i>Thrust! Thrust! Thrust</i>!


    ¡°Argh<i>! </i>Ahh<i>! </i>You damn bastard! How could you!¡±


    ¡°Aaaah! Spare me! Please, spare me!¡±


    These people couldn''t even be considered human. I had confirmed with my own eyes that among them, there was no such thing as camaraderie.


    Momentster...


    ¡°Huff...<i> </i>huff... I''m alive! I survived!¡±


    The sole survivor yelled out his triumph from within the pit with a mixture of desperation and exhration. Ellen watched the remaining man''s face, alight with the joy of surviving after killing hisrades.


    ¡°Let''s cover the hole up. This is just disgusting.¡±


    The sight seemed to extinguish any desire Ellen might have had to spare him. Her eyes were filled with both disgust and contempt.


    ¡°W-What? No! Wait! That wasn¡¯t the deal! AAAHHHH!¡±


    <i>Thud</i>!


    Eleris used her magic to return the earth she had dug up, filling the pit. Buried alive in an instant, without even a death wail.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡± Ellen looked at me intently, then suddenly grabbed both of my hands. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Our hands were both stained and drenched in dark, gruesome blood.


    Even without her explicitly stating it, I understood what Ellen was trying to say. She was worried I would lose myself in the madness of killing and the sheer release of violence borne out of rage. From what she¡¯d seen of me just now, Ellen sensed I was on the verge of falling into that abyss.


    <i>Sizzle</i>...


    The mes had been extinguished, and everyone except us was dead.


    "... Alright."


    I nodded, holding Ellen¡¯s cold hands tightly as the rain continued to pour down on us.


    ***


    The situation had been dealt with. However, there was not a single witness left alive to testify to these scoundrels'' actions. If we reported to the guild that such a thing had happened and that we had handled it, our actions would likely be acknowledged as an aplishment. Of course, we had taken matters into our own hands, but we could argue that the circumstances had left us with no choice.


    "If we report this and it goes wrong, we could end up being med instead."


    Although there was plenty of evidence lying around, there was a slim chance it could backfire on us. I had the imperial crest, but that alone might not be enough to resolve everything.


    Ellen pondered for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. She looked back and forth between me and Eleris.


    ¡°Let''s return to Saints Point.¡±


    We would head back to Saints Point.


    ¡°We need to confirm something.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t specify what she was thinking, but it had never been a mistake to follow her lead before.


    Ellen began rummaging through the corpses.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Adventurer IDs.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t looting the bodies; she was retrieving the adventurer identification cards from the corpses.


    ¡°Find every one you can.¡±


    Ellen, Eleris, and I began searching through the bodies and rummaging through the burnt inn for all the adventurer IDs we could find.

 Chapter 160

    <h4>Chapter 160</h4>


    Since it had rained all night, we had to return along rougher paths. Although we were very exhausted, we couldn¡¯t afford to camp out because of the rain. While heading back, we summarized the outline of the incident so that we could make our report to the guild.


    ¡°Those guys must have attacked Altz Point. They knew that if they attacked the transit base at Altz Point, the guild would organize a massive supply convoy to support the frontlines.¡±


    Ellen nodded in agreement. Those bastards had destroyed Altz Point. They knew that the guild would invest a huge amount of material to support the frontlines in response.


    The adventurers on the frontlines had no way to know what was happening. Those guys had upied Altz Point and advanced up to Klitz Point.


    ¡°They would have killed all the adventurers heading south to check out Altz Point, as well as those who were returning because of the disrupted supplies.¡±


    Those heading back north to from the front lines, as well as those heading south from Saints Point, were all killed. As a result, no one knew what had happened. Adventurers who wanted to move quickly would naturally travel via the route that passed through Altz Point and Klitz Point, without suspicion. They would have fallen victim to the bandit adventurers without knowing it.


    ¡°How many people did they kill, all just for money...?¡± Eleris muttered helplessly,menting the loss of life. The bandit group had annihted two key supply bases and killed all the adventurers going in and out. No matter how much material they secured, was it truly worth the countless lives lost?


    Ellen shook her head. ¡°It was probably not just about the supplies.¡±


    ¡°... You mean they were targeting the adventurers¡¯ equipment and money too?¡±


    ¡°That must have been the case.¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t have just looted the supplies, but the equipment and money the adventurers had as well.


    ¡°I confirmed that there were quite a number of looted items in the inn. Not everything was destroyed by the fire, so that should serve as evidence too.¡±


    There were no witnesses, but evidence remained in the form of the looted goods. Ellen seemed to believe that our ims would not be dismissed aspletely baseless.


    We had walked all night, and the sky was beginning to lighten with dawn.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    We finally returned to Saints Point, which we had departed early the previous morning, also early in the morning.


    From a distance, we could see numerous wagons waiting at Saints Point.


    Their departure had most likely been dyed because of the rain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head straight to the guild office.¡±


    Ellen had mentioned that there was something she wanted to confirm.


    We arrived at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild office at Saints Point,pletely soaked. The clerks stationed there seemed slightly taken aback by our appearance.


    Despite being drenched by the rain, Ellen and I were still covered in blood.


    Ellen promptly summoned the highest-ranking official present.


    ¡°This is an emergency. Please call the officer-in-charge.¡±


    ***


    The guild officer who had tried to interrogate us thest time appeared shortly after. Because of our appearance, not only did the officer show up, but several of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild guards as well.


    ¡°An emergency? What happened?¡±


    The officer, dressed in full uniform, furrowed his brow upon seeing our disheveled state. He could definitely tell that something serious had urred. Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°It concerns the supply convoy. I think we should also discuss this with Mr. Hugson.¡±


    ¡°... Mr. Hugson?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The officer already knew that we possessed the imperial crest. After pondering for a moment, he instructed someone to fetch Hugson.


    After a brief wait, Hugson finally appeared.


    ¡°Who do you think you are, summoning me at will?¡±


    Hugson, unaware that we had essentially saved his life, looked extremely displeased. He was evidently already frustrated because of the disruption to the supply convoy¡¯s schedule caused by the weather.


    Ellen calmly began to exin the situation.


    ¡°Our group departed Saints Point yesterday and headed towards Klitz Point.¡±


    Hugson¡¯s expression twisted slightly at those words.


    ¡°Yes, so what about that? Why did youe back?¡±


    ¡°Klitz Point was upied by a band of about twenty adventurers-turned-bandits, and everyone there was killed.¡±


    ¡°... What?!¡±


    At Ellen¡¯s words, Hugson, the officer, and everyone inside the office were struck with shock.


    Altz Point, and now Klitz Point too¡ªboth obliterated by bandits.


    Ellen stared intently at Hugson as she continued, ¡°We killed all of those banditsst night and returned to Saints Point to report this.¡±


    There had been a bandit gang, but they were all dead now.


    ¡°What? Nonsense... This sounds likeplete rubbish...¡± Hugson said with a frown. He clearly thought it was some ridiculous bluff.


    ¡°See for yourselves.¡±


    Ellen pulled out a bundle of about ten cards from her bag andid them on the table.


    Some were soaked in blood, while others were rtively intact.


    ¡°These are...!?¡±


    Hugson¡¯s and the officer¡¯s eyes widened immensely when they saw the identification cards we had brought with us.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t retrieve all of them, but these are the adventurer ID cards of some of those bandits.¡±


    When we had gone over the corpses, it was to gather evidence. We had anticipated that our ount would be met with disbelief. We hadn¡¯t brought all of them, but there were more than ten.


    ¡°... Did you guys really...?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The officer¡¯s eyes shuddered violently. The fact that there had been a bandit gang was already rming enough, but the evidenceid out before him indicated that three people had wiped them out entirely¡ªan unbelievable story made real by the proof in front of him.


    Ellen had said that she¡¯de to Saints Point to confirm something.


    ¡°You seem to have a hard time hiding your expression,¡± she said.


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    Ellen red coldly at Hugson and pointed to the adventurer ID cards that were scattered on the table.


    ¡°Why? Do you recognize any of these faces?¡±


    It seemed Ellen had confirmation of what she was looking for.


    ***


    An aplice.


    Ellen suspected Hugson, the chief officer of the supply convoy, of being an aplice. Everyone was taken aback by Ellen¡¯s sudden usation.


    ¡°W-What... What nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Those guys, they knew exactly when the supply convoy was set to depart.¡±


    Ellen had picked up on something suspicious from the conversations she had overheard.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she continued, ¡°the schedule of the supply convoy isn¡¯t exactly a state secret. They might have gotten the information by killing adventurersing and going. Sure.¡±


    The fact that the bandits knew the exact schedule of the supply convoy wasn¡¯t in itself definitive proof. However, there was something else suspicious.


    ¡°But this convoy¡¯s escort, aside from you, isposed entirely of adventurers ranked E and F. Most of them aren¡¯t particrly reliable. You must have arranged it that way on purpose.¡±


    It was theposition of the supply convoy.


    When Ellen first noticed it, she thought that he¡¯d arranged it so as to increase his own share of the payment, and I had agreed with her assessment. However, with the added information of the bandits that had been lying in wait at Klitz Point, Ellen began to suspect otherwise.


    Perhaps he¡¯d filled the convoy escort with easy targets on purpose. If it wasposed solely of novices who were incapable of putting up a fight, then subduing them would be effortless.


    Considering the massive ughter that the bandits had already partaken in, they would not have blinked at killing dozens of convoy members, including the escort.


    Two points of suspicion...


    ¡°And now, your expression upon seeing these ID cards.¡±


    Ellen pointed to Hugson¡¯s face, which clearly showed that he was trying to hide something. That was her final piece of evidence.


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely an aplice.¡±


    Hugson found himself unable to respond at all.


    The guild officer¡¯s lips were trembling.


    ¡°M-Mr. Hugson... th-this ID card... it¡¯s your brother... Hudson¡¯s ID card...¡±


    The guild officer had a look of denial on his face. He did not want the pieces in his mind to fit together. It appeared the officer was unaware of Hugson¡¯s involvement.


    ¡°You damn bastards!¡±


    Hugson swung the axe he had been carrying on his back at Ellen.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen easily dodged it and closed the distance between her and Hugson.


    There was no way Ellen would be hit by such a heavy and slow weapon.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to control yourself.¡±


    Ellen, from just one encounter, had already assessed that Hugson wasn¡¯t a man of great patience. He got excited easily, had poor emotional control, and acted impulsively.


    This was the same man who had tried to frame us for banditry after we had secured the services of a person he wanted to recruit. When that hadn¡¯t worked, he¡¯d even resorted to physical threats.


    Ellen had intentionally provoked him, knowing that he wouldn¡¯t remain calm when presented with irrefutable evidence proving that his realrades had all been killed. His aggression in this situation was, in itself, evidence of his guilt.


    <i>Thump</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Without even drawing her sword, Ellen punched Hugson squarely in the sr plexus.


    <i>Bam</i>!


    ¡°Ugh... argh...¡±


    As Hugson bent over, retching, Ellen grabbed a fistful of his hair.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    She pulled his hair so violently that it seemed it might tear right off.


    ¡°The only thing superior about you whenpared to others is your brutal nature, not your skills.¡±


    ¡°G-Ga-Gahhh!¡±


    <i>Bang</i>!


    Ellen mmed Hugson¡¯s head directly into the ground.


    Like most adventurers who easily turned to banditry, Hugson had mistaken his cruel nature for actual skill. He had made it this far only because of his inherent brutality, not because of any genuinepetence. That was who Hugson was.


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t even touch a hair on Ellen¡¯s head.


    Ellen looked down at Hugson with a gaze full of contempt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mistake that for real skill.¡±


    ***


    The most pressing thing for the three of us was to rest our exhausted bodies. Ellen seemed reluctant to rest, possibly sensing that we weren¡¯tpletely safe yet, but we were already near our mental and physical limits.


    Eventually, we fell asleep¡ªperhaps copsed would be a better way to put it¡ªin the inn. Naturally, we got a triple room in case anything unexpected happened. Knowing that Eleris was with us, I just flopped onto the bed and passed out from exhaustion.


    Hugson was being detained in the temporary holding cell attached to the guild office. Predictably, he denied all charges. The guild officer, seemingly unaware of the extent of Hugson¡¯s scheming, had hastily dispatched a messenger to the headquarters at the Egxian Forward Base, and was busy making other urgent arrangements. If he didn¡¯t handle the situation properly, his own neck could be on the line.


    We woke up around noon. After refreshing ourselves with a shower and a meal, we were summoned to the guild office. We needed to be interviewed as key witnesses. At the guild office, we provided a detailed ount of everything we saw, heard, and did to a high-ranking guild investigator who had likely rushed over from the guild headquarters.


    He did not seem to be affiliated with the locals of Saints Point.


    ¡°... It¡¯s difficult to justify self-defense in the case of a massacre, even under these circumstances. You may believe that your actions were the best option, and I do understand the evidence supports that belief. Still, this concerns dozens of deaths. We can¡¯t establishplete innocence without some form of legal restraint....¡±


    Before he could continue, I took out the imperial crest and my Temple student ID.


    ¡°...¡±


    He looked at them in silence and then let out a sigh.


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re a student of Temple and under the royal protection means there¡¯s no risk of you fleeing. There¡¯s no need to detain you.¡±


    Even in a ce where killings weremon, it didn¡¯t mean killing was permitted.


    While those who killed then disappeared might evade capture, those who slew supposed wrongdoers had to face trial, instead of receiving amendation, when their deeds were brought to light.


    While hiding would have been the safer bet, Ellen had chosen to report the incident to the guild, exposing Hugson.


    As a result, Hugson would be investigated, but we also had to ount for our actions.


    It was unjust.


    And yet, I didn¡¯t particrly resent the situation.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll summarize this case in a way that justifies your actions. That should suffice.¡±


    Though the situation was unjust, we could leverage an even more significant, albeit unjust, advantage.


    We hadmitted killings, and whether they were righteous or malicious, it was, in essence, wrongdoing.


    But we belonged to a privileged ss capable even of bypassing repercussions for such acts.


    One injustice was being covered up by another. There would be no personal fallout for me.


    And that was all that mattered.

 Chapter 161

    <h4>Chapter 161</h4>


    After Ellen, Eleris, and I returned, we stayed in Saints Point for a few more days. It was partly to see how things would unfold, and also because we were under investigation.


    Hugson was currently being investigated in Saints Point. If the charges against him were proven, he¡¯d have a hard time surviving this. In the end, he was merely a braggart who only strutted around Saints Point.


    The possibility of us being tried for murder had be very unlikely. Therefore, apart from any punishments we had to receive, our rewards would be determined based on the benefits we¡¯d brought to the guild.


    This wasn¡¯t about earning amission.


    As such, there was no setpensation, and we didn¡¯t know the extent of our achievements.


    Moreover, this was a serious incident. Until the investigation wasplete and the whole truth came to light, our achievements andpensation would remain unknown.


    Saints Point, and the points south of it, were frequented by low-level adventurers.


    Given the evidence of arge-scale massacre and the identification of suspects, the Egxian Forward Base had deployed a significant number of personnel.


    This ce, usually crowded with mere stragglers, would now see the arrival of not just adventurers but actual military forces.


    ¡°The convoy mission might be scrapped entirely, and specialized troops will likely take over those roles.¡±


    With the intensification of adventurer activity and the copse of Klitz Point...


    Significant guild resources had been invested, and because there had been a nned attempt to seize those resources, even more specialized personnel now had to be deployed. From the guild¡¯s perspective, just discovering that the person in charge of the escort had intended to steal the very resources he¡¯d been charged with safeguarding must have been quite a shock.


    We submitted ourselves to whatever investigations necessary over those few days, and we were now ready to head out again.


    ¡ªAre those the ones?


    ¡ªYeah, that¡¯s them.


    ¡ªThey killed all those guys by themselves?


    ¡ªNo way...


    ¡ªIs that mage actually really powerful or something?


    ¡ªAnyway, a lot of people owe their lives to them.


    We had be famous figures in Saints Point. Even though job opportunities had disappeared, if things had gone on, many would have fallen into Hugson¡¯s trap and lost their lives.


    Though we had killed many people, we¡¯d saved numerous others as a result.


    The dead couldn¡¯t speak.


    And so, the praise from the living tickled the back of my mind in an ufortable way.


    Ellen, Eleris, and I were having lunch after getting upte.


    We¡¯d been exhausted from the investigations and needed to rest.


    This incident had essentially been handled by Ellen from start to finish. She was the first one who¡¯d detected the issues, the first one to specte about them, and the first one who understood everything that was going on.


    Since the sh with therge band of robbers, my thoughts had be a little jumbled. Trying to act nonchntly after killing something felt wretched, and my mind wasn¡¯t sharp anymore.


    I was at my limit mentally, and that left me with no room to think about anything else.


    Honestly, it was strange that I was holding on, but it was even more unusual that Ellen was as well.


    ¡°We needed experience, but we ended up getting an entirely different kind of experience... damn it,¡± I said.


    We knew to be cautious around people. However, neither Ellen nor I had wished for this kind of experience.


    ¡°... I had some idea, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad,¡± Ellen responded.


    Ellen seemed to have anticipated something like this. Ellen was definitely in a state of constant vignce. She seemed to remember above all else that one had to be wary of people.


    What kind of stories had Artorius shared with his sister Ellen? I didn¡¯t know.


    The biggest incident in Saints Point, the copse of Altz Point, was now resolved.


    Now that we had handled such a major case, there was no longer any reason to stay. The only thing to do if we stayed was to head down to the southernmost point, but the newly-formed supply convoy would take care of the problems there.


    ¡°For now, we should head back to Egxian or¡ª¡±


    Just as I was trying to organize our future ns, a voice interrupted us at our table.


    ¡°Um, excuse me...¡±


    Ellen, Eleris, and I turned to look in the direction of the voice.


    ¡°...¡±


    There stood Austin, his face disying a multitude of emotions, including despair, shame, and embarrassment.


    With great difficulty, he opened his mouth, enduring his shame.


    ¡°I came to say I¡¯m sorry, and thank you... If it wasn¡¯t for you all, our convoy members, including me... we all would¡¯ve died.¡±


    If we hadn¡¯t been there, the convoy would have departed as nned, and they would have been massacred by those guys whilepletely defenseless. He hade to express his gratitude and to apologize for that.


    Even though he had been coerced into it, he¡¯d still tried to frame us. He seemed to be carrying a lot of guilt over that.


    Honestly, there was no need for him toe find us. We hadn¡¯t done this while expecting Austin¡¯s gratitude. But Austin had gone out of his way toe and apologize.


    That was more than enough.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it too mu¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Ellen interrupted, looking directly at Austin.


    ¡°H-Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Stop doing this.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s voice had amanding tone to it, something uncharacteristic for her. Her sudden words made Austin¡¯s face turn pale. Ellen continued to speak in a cold, unwavering tone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the skills to protect your own life.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the discernment to identify dangerous people.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the caution to consider the risks of the tasks you¡¯re given.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should at least have the sense not to bother us. But you do have that sense, apparently.¡±


    It was the first time I¡¯d heard such harsh wordse from Ellen¡¯s mouth. I was as taken aback as Austin was.


    He had neither the skills, nor the judgment, nor the caution.


    But he did somehow have a sense of decency.


    ¡°Hugson may have disqualified himself as a person, but as an adventurer, he was a sess. He was bold, ruthless, andcked any sense of decency.¡±


    Ellen seemed to have concluded the moment Austin hade to apologize that he absolutely had to quit being an adventurer.


    If he hadn¡¯t apologized and had acted shamelessly, it might have been different, but he couldn¡¯t even do that.


    Since hecked so many things, he should have at leastcked a conscience as well, but Austin was still trying to maintain his.


    Because of that, Hugson was somewhat more qualified to be an adventurer. Though he was merely a killer, adventurers, in the end, were people looking for big opportunities.


    Those who were less than human survived better as adventurers.


    <i>If you don¡¯t have the skills or the drive to score big, you shouldn¡¯t be an adventurer.</i>


    Hugson may not have had great skills, but he had the required tenacity. In a world where such individuals survived, what was the point of Austin entering it with his current disposition?


    <i>If youck skills, you should at least be wise.</i>


    <i>If youck both skills and wisdom, you should at least be cautious.</i>


    <i>If you possess none of these, you should abandon your conscience.</i>


    <i>If you want to be kind, you need the skills to ovee the weaknesses that kindness brings.</i>


    <i>You don¡¯t fit into any of these categories.</i>


    Ellen was pointing all this out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you qualify as a human being, but as an adventurer, you¡¯re disqualified. So quit.¡±


    Ellen seemed to have a strong disdain for people who aspired to be adventurers just because they idolized Artorius. These were people who followed a romanticized idea of adventuring without knowing its true nature.


    They were doomed to be sacrificialmbs, unaware that their half-baked admiration could cost them their lives. They didn¡¯t realize that, instead of dying in battle with monsters, they might get robbed on the roadside or betrayed by their ownrades.


    Ellen¡¯s candid criticism turned Austin¡¯s face a ghastly white.


    ¡°Ah... uh, yeah... I guess you¡¯re right...¡±


    He hung his head, a miserable expression on his face. It was pitiful to see that he couldn¡¯t even muster a single rebuttal to Ellen¡¯s cold words.


    Austin, who¡¯d once bragged about having a B-rank adventurer in his party, hadn¡¯t even known what kind of person that was.


    Was it really a good thing to crush the dreams and hopes of someone who was full of them, and send them back home?


    Ellen, seeing that his hopes and dreams had already been cracked, chose topletely destroy them.


    She was telling him to live an ordinary life. She had used harsh words because she knew he wouldn¡¯t listen to moderate advice.


    I watched silently as Austin walked out of the inn, defeated. He might take on anothermission despite these words, or he might give up and return to his hometown.


    Ellen must have thought it was better for him to stay alive rather than spend it chasing futile hopes and dreams.


    ¡°...¡±


    Despite this, Ellen¡¯s eyes were wide, betraying the fact that she couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d just said.


    It seemed like she couldn¡¯t believe that she was the one who was saying such things to someone else.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a moment.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I got Ellen up and took her to our room.


    Eleris watched Ellen and me with aplicated expression as we headed upstairs to our room.


    ***


    Once back in the room, I faced Ellen. I didn¡¯t have any intention of saying something specific. There was no reason to say anything.


    Ellen kept her head down, staring at the floor.


    ¡°Should we go back?¡± I merely asked, seeing Ellen nkly gazing at the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    It had been a harsh experience.


    We had to kill not just one person, but dozens. We didn¡¯t have the time or space to properly reflect on the experience, since we were constantly preupied with one thing after another. While I couldn¡¯t handle it, Ellen had been trying to keep her mind sharp and keep track of everything.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t, Ellen was doing it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to force yourself.¡±


    It was only natural that Ellen was more mentally exhausted than I was. She must have believed that not only her life, but mine as well, depended on her actions.


    She must have been under much more tension and stress than me. And then this happened.


    It was strange that she hadn¡¯t yet broken down once in this extremely dire situation. Seeing Austin must have triggered her, causing her highly-strung emotions to suddenly explode.


    She couldn¡¯t help but say something because she found him so pitiful. And she was surprised by her own harsh words.


    Eleris had worn aplicated expression as she watched using upstairs, and that also prompted me to ask Ellen this question.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be so harsh,¡± she mumbled, almost to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I gently reassured her, even though it was clear she was struggling. ¡°You¡¯re doing the best you can.¡±


    This was simply a reality check¡ªa raw, brutal lesson about the cruel world we inhabited. And it was a testament to how far we still had to go.


    I stood beside Ellen, thinking about how to handle the next step, knowing that we both needed time to process, recover, and decide our future course.


    She was shocked by the fact that she had lost her self-control.


    So, I asked the question.


    <i>If you want to go back, we can go back. There¡¯s no need to force yourself to keep doing this.</i>


    ¡°No...¡± Ellen leaned her head against my chest. ¡°I¡¯m just... tired...¡±


    She didn¡¯t suddenly break down and cry or anything like that.


    She simply leaned her head against my chest and remained silent for a while. I gently cradled her head with one hand and stayed still.


    However, Ellen seemed to grow more emotional, and began to tremble slightly.


    As she began to show her vulnerable side, it was as if a dam had broken, and her suppressed feelings flowed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m scared...¡± Ellen was trembling. ¡°I¡¯m scared that I¡¯m starting to be like my brother...¡±


    ¡°What are you... talking about?¡±


    ¡°I always thought that it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to other people¡¯s lives... That¡¯s what I thought before...¡±


    It seemed like the stress she was feeling waspounded by something else.


    ¡°But now I¡¯m... acting just like my brother...¡± she continued.


    If we hadn¡¯t eliminated the band of robbers upying Klitz Point, countless people would have died.


    That was why Ellen had decided to annihte that band of robbers. Why she hadn¡¯t hesitated to stain her hands with blood.


    She had deferred reflection, and opted to take what actions she had judged necessary in the moment.


    As those deferred thoughts began to surface, though, Ellen realized the truth.


    Despite vowing never to live a life in which she would sacrifice everything for the sake of others like her brother, she¡¯d ended up taking dangerous actions without regard for her own safety when the situation arose.


    She¡¯d killed to save someone¡¯s life.


    Ragan Artorius must have acted the same way.


    It would have all started as a simple sense of justice¡ªdoing what he could because he could.


    Since saving lives couldn¡¯t possibly be a bad thing.


    However, as the same thing was repeated, it turned into a sense of duty.


    First a few lives, then dozens, hundreds, thousands.


    Eventually, saving lives became an inevitability, and he was revered as a hero.


    And finally, he came to see sacrificing even his own life as a matter of course.


    In the end, he¡¯d killed the Demon King at the cost of his own life.


    Ellen was terrified to realize that she was starting to follow the same path as her brother. She absolutely did not want to, but with this the very first step, she had unwittingly done just that.


    It wasn¡¯t that she regretted her actions.


    She didn¡¯t regret saving someone.


    She was merely terrified by the realization that she was bing just like Ragan Artorius.


    She felt as though it was the inherent, unchangeable nature of the blood within her.


    ¡°What nonsense,¡± I muttered, pulling her head closer to me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah.


    I understood what she was struggling with.


    ¡°In that situation, anyone would have made that same choice.¡±


    But ultimately, it was nonsense.


    ¡°If you have the ability and the skills, anyone would do the same.¡±


    There were exceptions, of course, and some people simply could not do it.


    But there were plenty of people who would have acted just as we did.


    ¡°We were able to, so we did it. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There was no other reason.¡±


    We just made an ordinary decision.


    The process and the oue were far from ordinary, but we were ordinary.


    <i>¡®You didn¡¯t make that choice because you are the sister of Artorius.</i>


    <i>¡®You have to believe that.</i>


    <i>¡®Even though it wasn¡¯t ordinary, you have to believe it was.¡¯</i>


    Pointless worry and anguish provided no answers.


    ¡°... Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s trembling gradually subsided.

 Chapter 162

    <h4>Chapter 162</h4>


    Because Ellen was exhausted not physically but mentally, she went to bed very early, even before the sun had set.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be sleeping well, though, probably because of all the anxiety and tension. After all, it was hard to say that this ce was safe.


    Seeing her sleeping with a furrowed brow made me feel sorry for her. She clearly still felt a lot of tension even though she was physically asleep.


    At this rate, I might end up losing one of myrades.


    Although Ellen might have felt reassured by my presence, it seemed that my presence also increased her sense of responsibility.


    Since it was a room for three, Eleris was also there.


    ¡°Shall we take a walk?¡± Eleris asked.


    I gestured towards Ellen with my eyes. Even though Saints Point was almost free of danger, it didn¡¯t feel right to leave a sleeping child alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Eleris mouthed. ¡°I¡¯ll cast an rm spell.¡±


    She was trying to put me at ease.


    It appeared she had something she wanted to say.


    ***


    Eleris and I left the inn and went for a walk, watching the bustling activity as Saints Point prepared to send out a new convoy.


    Though Saints Point wasn¡¯t veryrge, it was big enough for a nice stroll.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a good friend.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed.¡±


    Aside from a brief moment at Klitz Point, this was the first time I¡¯d been able to have such a casual conversation with Eleris.


    ¡°But I¡¯m also worried.¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    Eleris looked toward the inn where we were staying, her eyes turning a bit sorrowful.


    ¡°She¡¯s so strong that she seems like she¡¯ll break.¡±


    I understood she meant Ellen, not me. Ellen was the one she was worried about.


    <i>¡®So strong that she might break.¡¯</i>


    I understood what that meant. Ellen had been strong the entire time we¡¯d been at Saints Point. She was always on edge, suspicious of everything. As a result, we had managed to stay safe, but she was suffering from extreme mental exhaustion.


    Her acute sensitivity had allowed us to avoid various dangers and uncover the truth behind several incidents.


    However, she might suddenly break down if she kept going about each day in this state.


    Eleris was worried about that.


    ¡°Everyone needs someone that they can show weakness to,¡± she said.


    No one can be that strong. Everyone has a weak side.


    They have to be able to let that weakness show.


    ¡°It seems that you are that someone for her.¡±


    Someone to whom she can show her weakness...


    Eleris believed me to be that person for Ellen.


    Indeed, Ellen had often shown her weak side in front of me, a side she never showed to anyone else.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°... Well, that¡¯s a relief then.¡±


    Eleris looked at me. ¡°Please take care of her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already doing that.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    Eleris smiled as if she was relieved.


    ¡°The things that happened here weren¡¯t good,¡± she continued. ¡°Certainly, they were tragic, and were not experiences that anyone would desire. You¡¯ve suffered through things I wished you hadn¡¯t, but...¡±


    Eleris looked toward the sunset, her expression a mix ofplex emotions. ¡°I think I can feel a bit more at ease now.¡±


    People had been killed. But it had been to protect someone else. Although it couldn¡¯t be called a good deed, Eleris seemed both sad yet somewhat reassured.


    ¡°Still... Are you okay, Your Highness?¡±


    Ellen seemed to be wondering if I was struggling with inner turmoil. The guilt and sorrow of having killed someone.


    Ellen had suggested thinking about itter, and feared she might follow in her brother¡¯s footsteps.


    And what about me?


    Ellen suggested to leave thinking about it forter, and focusing on the tasks at hand for now.


    After organizing my thoughts, the conclusion was clear.


    ¡°I have to be okay.¡±


    For now, I wasn¡¯t going to think about it.


    ***


    We had originally decided to return to the Egxian Forward Base the next day to n our future schedule, but taking a few days off seemed like a good idea. Ellen needed some time to recuperate in a rtively safe ce without having to think about anything.


    Given what we¡¯d been through, if Ellen continued to operate in this state, she might begin to experience stress-induced hair loss, and that would be a serious issue.


    How miserable would it be if she had a bald spot! While I would be fine, it wouldn¡¯t be right for her! I had a ring that gave me permanent immunity from hair loss!


    I needed to protect Ellen¡¯s hair.


    Night came around...


    After finishing our meal, I was about to go to bed. Ellen, who was still asleep, had even skipped dinner.


    Would she wake up in the middle of the night, hungry? Eleris was sitting on the bed, preparing to sleep. I wasn¡¯t sure if she would actually sleep, though.


    She might only be pretending to sleep while keeping watch.


    And then...


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to our room.


    The business with the guild should have been wrapped up by now.


    Ellen had already gotten up, as if the sound itself had awakened her. Had she really even been sleeping?


    Cautiously, I approached the door with my sword in hand. One could never be too careful.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡ªAn investigator from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    The voice from outside sounded familiar. It was the investigative officer who¡¯d been dispatched from Egxian. I thought all our business was concluded, but it seemed there was still something left to address.


    When I opened the door, the stern-faced investigative officer was standing there, looking at me calmly.


    ¡°Can we talk for a moment? Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s rted to the investigation, but it¡¯s not about any charges against you,¡± he added, as if to reassure us.


    ***


    Since this was supposed to be a quiet discussion, the officer came into our room and sat at the table. Ellen, Eleris, and I were all curious as to what the investigator had to say.


    ¡°You assumed that the attack on Klitz Point was conducted by the same group that attacked Altz Point, correct?¡±


    Both Ellen and I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we thought.¡±


    We had suspected that the robbers, after attacking Altz Point, had moved north and attacked Klitz Point. We had offered our theory to the officer, believing that the bandits had been attempting to seize the convoy¡¯s supplies.


    ¡°We have obtained a confession from Hugson regarding the Klitz Point attack. His group, which had been sent ahead as a vanguard, nned to upy Klitz Point and ambush the convoy,¡± the investigator exined.


    ¡°... So?¡±


    Whether Hugson confessed willingly or through some other means was unclear, but whatever the case, the investigator had somehow managed to extract a confession out of him.


    Ellen and I tilted our heads in confusion. What was he trying to say?


    ¡°The key point is the term ¡®vanguard¡¯. He said that they¡¯d set off from here and went to Klitz Point, rather thaning up from Altz Point. Hugson imed to know nothing about thepletemunication cutoff at Altz Point.¡±


    While Hugson had admitted to the attack on Klitz Point, he denied any involvement in the Altz Point incident, and was insisting that they were entirely unrted events.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already traced the robbers¡¯ movements using the guild records. They all passed through Saints Point and headed to Klitz Point three or four days ago. We confirmed that it was impossible timewise for those bandits to be responsible for the Altz Point attack.¡±


    Hugson wasn¡¯t lying. Based on the Adventurers¡¯ Guild records, the investigator had determined that the robbers couldn¡¯t have been involved in the Altz Point attack.


    Our assumption was wrong. The reason for themunication ckout at Altz Point and the southern region was still a mystery.


    But why bother telling us this? We weren¡¯t investigators, so there would be no reason for us to be held ountable just because our spection was incorrect.


    However, Ellen seemed to understand why.


    ¡°... You want us to find out the reason for the copse of Altz Point, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... You catch on quickly.¡±


    The investigator clicked his tongue briefly.


    ¡°The manpower we have currently avable is extremely scarce, and all of it is being used just to organize the convoy. Egxian and the guild don¡¯t have much manpower left to spare. On top of that, there are nopetent adventurers avable at Saints Point.¡±


    Hugson, who was supposed to be the highest-ranked adventurer, turned out to be someone who¡¯d tried to pull off a senseless act.


    Despite being mere F-rank novices, the three of us had been bold and skilled enough to annihte the bandits upying Klitz Point.


    From the investigator¡¯s perspective, discovering the cause of Altz Point¡¯s copse was an urgent matter. If the threat was severe, more guards would have to be assigned to the convoy.


    ¡°No one has returned from Altz Point yet, so this mission is expected to be very dangerous. Therefore, the choice is yours. I¡¯m merely making a proposal.¡±


    Forcing adventurers to take on a task was out of the question. Since he was an investigator from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, he was likely very highly ranked.


    ¡°The objective is a reconnaissance of Altz Point. Remember, the mission is to scout, not to eliminate any threats you might find.¡±


    He was offering this mission to us and hoping that we would take it up due to the severeck of manpower.


    ¡°The anticipated danger level is B-rank, making this a very hazardous mission. The reward is ten gold coins each. If the information is verified, an additional ten gold coins each will be paid out.¡±


    Because of this danger, he could verbally promise a considerable reward. Simply going down to Altz Point and determining what had happened could earn us thirty gold coins. If the information waster verified, we could earn another thirty coins.


    Reconnaissance missions usually didn¡¯te with such high rewards¡ªten million won per person was quite generous. However, it was undoubtedly a dangerous task, as we had no idea what had urred at Altz Point.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s do it!¡± Eleris suddenly eximed, before Ellen and I could say anything.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    What was this?


    Why was Eleris suddenly jumping the gun instead of waiting for us to judge the situation?


    ¡°Oh, um... I mean, I think we should do it... yeah.¡±


    Ah. I finally remembered.


    Eleris¡¯s shop made practically no sales, and her living conditions were terribly spartan.


    The mention of money must have caused her to react instinctively.


    ... Eleris, driven by the prospect of earning arge amount of money, had spoken before thinking. Ellen seemed to contemte Eleris¡¯s sudden enthusiasm for a moment before nodding her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a reconnaissance mission, not an elimination mission. It seems doable,¡± she said.


    Ellen then looked over at me as if to ask for my opinion.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Money...


    I liked money too.


    ***


    We were in a situation simr to Hugson¡ªwe were being tasked with a significant mission at Saints Point due to theck of skilled personnel around.


    With no other skilled adventurers in Saints Point, this important mission had fallen onto us, the unproven rookies. There might be actual experts further south, but reaching out to them wasn¡¯t feasible, and recruiting talents from other regions would also take time.


    The investigator exined that we could return to either the Saints Point Adventurers¡¯ Guild or the Egxian headquarters if we seeded in the mission. We received a writtenmission signed by the investigator on the spot.


    ¡°The reward is quite substantial, even though it¡¯s just a reconnaissance mission,¡± Eleris remarked after the investigator left.


    ¡°If we fail or die, they don¡¯t have to pay us. Since this mission is directlymissioned by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, payment uponpletion is guaranteed, so they don¡¯t provide advance payments. That¡¯s why the rewards are higher,¡± Ellen exined.


    We would receive the reward only if we seeded. Since themission wasing directly from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, there was no worry about not getting paid.


    However, the dead don¡¯t receive payment.


    If we failed or perished, the guild wouldn¡¯t owe us a single coin. Though the adventurers¡¯ world was ruthless and harsh, and we might encounter brutal and cutthroat adventurers, such was the nature ofmissions.


    Adventurers were sent on dangerous missions with the promise ofrge sums of money, and only those who returned alive were paid.


    In the end, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was equally cruel. While the moths swarming to the promise of money might be stupid, without the guild holding themp and tempting them with that money, they wouldn¡¯t be drawn in at all.


    Ellen¡¯s exnation made Eleris¡¯s expression grow gloomy. This ce rendered one¡¯s existence and dignity worthless in the face of greed, which was symbolized by money.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave early tomorrow. Let¡¯s get some rest.¡±


    The time spent waiting for the investigation to wrap up had provided us with enough time to recover. We decided to head south again the very next day.


    ***


    It was roughly a four-day journey to Altz Point. Before setting out, we finished our preparations, stocked up on preserved food, and visited the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in Saints Point as requested by the investigator.


    ¡°If necessary, we can provide you with horses.¡±


    Whether or not the convoy set out would depend on what we found. Each day of dy could mean more damage to the isted forward bases and significant losses while those personnel remained trapped.


    This was why such a high reward was being promised.


    The investigator mentioned that horses could be provided to us despite the substantial promised reward.


    However, Ellen mentioned that she couldn¡¯t ride a horse, since she hadn¡¯t learned to yet.


    ¡°I can ride,¡± Eleris said, indicating that she had some skill with horseback riding.


    Given the urgency, traveling on horseback didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea.


    My riding skills weren¡¯t exceptional, but we weren¡¯t racing; it was just traveling, so I thought it could be manageable.


    ¡°Then maybe you could ride behind me...¡± I suggested.


    However, it seemed Ellen was considering more than just whether or not she could ride a horse.


    ¡°It¡¯ll just be a hassle. Let¡¯s not take them.¡±


    She judged that horses might be inefficient because we couldn¡¯t predict when and where an emergency might arise, and their presence could end up bing a hindrance.


    I didn¡¯t particrly think that we had to use horses either. Given the uneven terrain, riding would not significantly increase our speed.


    Eleris and I went along with Ellen¡¯s decision.


    ¡°I hope all three of you return safely,¡± said the investigator.


    We nodded in response.


    ***


    We set off again towards Klitz Point. Thanks to Eleris casting a Chilling Touch spell on us, the heat was hardly an issue.


    ¡°... Now that I think about it, we¡¯ll reach Klitz Point by tonight since it¡¯s just a day¡¯s journey, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Ellen nodded, agreeing with my observation.


    ¡°Hmm... So we¡¯ll have to spend a night in a ce filled with corpses,¡± Eleris said, looking quite dejected.


    ¡°We could camp out instead,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Should we camp out, or sleep in a ce where people were massacred...?¡±


    <i>¡®Both choices are unappealing!¡¯</i>


    Regardless of whether we rested at Klitz Point or not, we would have to camp outdoors eventually, as the journey to Altz Point was quite lengthy.


    ¡°But what on earth could have happened at Altz Point?¡± Eleris wondered aloud.


    Neither Ellen nor I had any clear ideas. The timing precluded Hugson¡¯s bandit group from being involved in the destruction of Altz Point. They had recognized that the copse of Altz Point would lead to arge-scale convoy of supplies, and had headed from Saints Point to Klitz Point without first going to Altz Point.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure, but there are two possibilities,¡± Ellen said, organizing her thoughts as she walked to the front. ¡°One, the people who were returning from the front were killed by bandits at Klitz Point.¡±


    Adventurers might have tried to return to Klitz Point, knowing that they were isted at the frontiers. They could have been killed by the bandits upying Klitz Point, which would exin theck of news from Altz Point.


    That was one possibility.


    ¡°Two, there¡¯s another bandit group or some simr issue at Altz Point itself, and the people who tried to return were killed there.¡±


    In this scenario, they didn¡¯t even make it back to Klitz Point.


    We didn¡¯t know whether the incident at Altz Point was already resolved, or still ongoing.


    ¡°Anyway, since our objective is reconnaissance, let¡¯s not overextend ourselves,¡± she concluded, reminding us of the essence of our mission.


    If it turned out to be something beyond our capacity to handle, we could simply report it. Just like with the unexpected situation at Klitz Point, where we ended up exterminating the bandit group, we couldn¡¯t predict what might happen.


    For now, fighting would be thest resort.

 Chapter 163

    <h4>Chapter 163</h4>


    Leaving aside the journey down to Altz Point, we still had to make a choice. In the distance, Klitz Point was getting closer.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Neither Ellen nor Eleris could give a specific answer to my question.


    Thest time, we¡¯d arrived at Klitz Point at midnight because of the rain. This time, though, thanks to the good weather, we were able to reach the outskirts of Klitz Point as the sun was setting.


    In the light, the deste atmosphere of Klitz Point, devoid of any living souls, looked even more bleak. We had to choose between sleeping in that gloomy, eerie ce, or camping out.


    Camping out was dangerous. At Klitz Point, we could rest in rtive safely, with walls around us and a roof over our head. Of course, we would have to endure the spookiness and the smell of blood.


    Since safety was the top priority, it seemed better to stay at Klitz Point, despite the reluctance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out first,¡± Ellen suggested. ¡°If we can tolerate the smell, we¡¯ll rest there.¡±


    She seemed to be willing to give it a shot first. If the smell from the dposing bodies was bearable, we could rest there.


    Thinking about it made me feel horrible again. Just seeing the corpses was already awful, and after a few days, the bodies would have dposed and would be swarming with maggots. I didn¡¯t think I could handle seeing that and retain my sanity.


    Moreover, there were also the corpses of the people we had killed.


    Eleris also seemed to be having simr thoughts. Her expression seemed pretty terrible.


    <i>¡®... But isn¡¯t a vampire considered undead? Technically, shouldn¡¯t Eleris be viewed as a corpse? ... What is this?¡¯</i>


    I¡¯d only thought about it, but I felt like I had inadvertently made an offensive joke at Eleris¡¯s expense. It felt like an extremely disrespectful thought.


    After offering a sort of mental apology to Eleris, we entered Klitz Point. Ellen had suggested that, if the stench of rotting bodies was unbearable, it was better camp outside instead of staying at Klitz Point.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... What¡¯s going on?¡±


    First of all, the smell of rotting corpses that Ellen was worried about waspletely absent. That wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing.


    ¡°Where... did all the bodies go?¡±


    The corpses that should have been scattered around Klitz Point were gone without a trace.


    ***


    The bodies of the original inhabitants of Klitz Point had all been thrown into a single pit by the bandits. It was effectively a mass burial, if it could even be called that.


    We had also dug a trap at the entrance of the inn to bury the bandits alive, but we¡¯d killed any that tried to escape through the windows by stabbing them or shooting them with arrows. We hadn¡¯t had time to deal with their bodies after that.


    There should have been bandits¡¯ corpses left lying around. Yet all the bodies had disappeared, as if they had vanished into thin air. Ellen and I had taken out two sentries at the entrance and hid their bodies in the bushes. Those bodies were gone too.


    And that wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡°... I doubt that someone buried them.¡±


    The pit in front of the inn and the one where the other corpses had been thrown in had both been dug up.


    Had whatever happened at Altz Point spread up to Klitz Point? Or was this an entirely separate incident? Either way, it seemed that something unusual had happened at Klitz Point.


    ¡°Could it be that some kind of monster has eaten all the corpses?¡± Eleris cautiously theorized.


    If it were just one animal, it wouldn¡¯t have been capable of consuming so many bodies. Besides, there should have at least been some bones left behind.


    ¡°Is there a monster that could eat up so many bodies entirely, even digging up the burial pits to consume them all?¡± Ellen asked with a serious expression.


    ¡°Hmm... we can¡¯t rule it out,¡± Eleris replied, looking pensive. It seemed like she was considering different candidates in her mind. Apparently, she knew of such voracious monsters.


    The disappearance of the corpses and the suspicious circumstances made the area feel undoubtedly dangerous.


    Ellen was still thinking.


    ¡°I can¡¯t decide if camping out is more dangerous or if staying here is riskier,¡± she said.


    Moving around at night was treacherous. Camping out meant being exposed on all sides, making us vulnerable to nighttime ambushes. However, staying at Klitz Point without knowing what had happened was also dangerous. We had to choose between two sets of risks.


    We were being forced into an ufortable dilemma.


    ¡°We could travel all night like we didst time...¡±


    That would deplete our stamina too much. Since we couldn¡¯t be sure if the southern route waspletely safe, exhausting our energy this early was not a good decision. It was not a viable option to consider.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest here and assess the situation. It¡¯s impossible to stay hidden if we¡¯re outside. It feels more dangerous that way.¡±


    At least Klitz Point had buildings with walls and a roof. If we hid inside, it would be difficult for potential enemies to identify our location.


    Ellen, who was the leader of our group, made the decision.


    ***


    Since the corpses had disappeared and there was no stench of decay, there weren¡¯t any other major diforts except for the eerie and gloomy atmosphere.


    We settled into a different inn from the one we had burned down. To prepare for any potential emergencies, we decided to rest in the ground-floor dining area rather than in rooms, where escape might be difficult.


    This choice provided us with a wider space for movement and allowed us to monitor our surroundings through the windows of the open space. We could either light all the torches within Klitz Point to have a consistent source of light that would allow us to preemptively identify any threats, or we could choose not to use any light at all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not light the torches. We might be targets.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen chose thetter option. Even inside the inn, the lingering smell of blood from the previous massacre seeped through the covered leather and carpets. However, it wasn¡¯t unbearable¡ªmost of the smell had dissipated over time.


    Although there were cooking facilities in the dining area, the tense atmosphere didn¡¯t permit us to consider such luxuries. Instead, we relied on preserved food such as bread and ham that we found within the inn. We avoided any food that had started to decay.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what might happen. Make sure you eat plenty.¡±


    ¡°... Alright.¡±


    Ellen seemed intent on keeping up our energy, and since the food wasn¡¯t ours to begin with, we might as well consume it. Honestly, though, wasn¡¯t she just looking for an excuse to eat more?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just want to eat a lot under the guise of preparing for anything?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest and leave quickly at dawn,¡± Ellen said.


    Eleris nodded in agreement. ¡°Sounds like a good idea.¡±


    We decided to use the wide tables on the first floor of the inn as makeshift beds. However, we couldn¡¯t sleep soundly through the night since we needed to take turns to keep watch.


    Ellen took the first shift, I took the second, and Eleris took the third. Each of us would sleep for two hours before switching. Ellen nned to take two turns, which allowed us to rest for a total of eight hours.


    ¡°I could take two turns,¡¯ said Eleris, looking worried. ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself.¡±


    She offered to take thest four hours of the watch, but Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°No, Ms. Rellia, you need to conserve more energy.¡±


    It seemed she was trying to be considerate, since Eleris was a mage.


    Although Eleris appreciated it, she appeared anxious, suppressing the urge to voice her actual thoughts. <i>¡®I¡¯m fine! Really fine! Actually, I¡¯m more alert at night!¡¯</i>


    We decided to sleep early and leave at the crack of dawn, while it was still dark. We all wanted to minimize our time at Klitz Point as much as possible.


    ***


    I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed since we¡¯d fallen asleep on the tables.


    <i>Tap, tap</i>.


    ¡°... Huh.¡±


    I¡¯d slept lightly, but I woke up immediately, as though I hadn¡¯t been asleep at all. Pale moonlight seeped through the windows around the dim first floor of the inn. Ellen¡¯s expression indicated that nothing had happened.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Go get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen nodded and climbed onto the table to lie down. She might not fall asleep right away, but it would be good if she could rest, even just a little. Just as I was sensitive even while sleeping, Ellen was likely even more sensitive. If I made any unnecessary noise, she might wake up, so I sat down on a chair, crossed my arms, and scanned the surrounding windows. I didn¡¯t want to disturb Ellen by moving around too much.


    Despite it being midsummer, the surroundings were eerily quiet, making it feel almost chilling.


    ¡°...¡±


    The realization that I could sleep soundly in a ce where so many people had died made me aware of how steely my nerves had be. If we managed to return safely, I couldn¡¯t say how much my skills would improve, but my mental resilience would have strengthened considerably.


    I could understand why Ellen had wanted to gain realbat experience. There were limits to what could be achieved through training and practice alone; certain things could only be obtained in realbat.


    Experiencing killing was never something I desired.


    Through it, Ellen and I had gained something, and also lost something.


    I couldn¡¯t call this growth, but it was undeniable that we had changed, and there was no going back to how we were before.


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris was lying on her side on a table, looking at me. It seemed she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep at all.


    While Ellen and I were tense, Eleris was probably even more on edge. She was likely staying alert, ready for any unexpected incidents.


    Had Eleris ever really gotten <i>any</i> proper sleep since the beginning of this journey?


    She was under a lot of stress, just like Ellen, but she didn¡¯t show any signs of struggling.


    Eleris smiled at me quietly in the darkness.


    It was a smile that conveyed a message: she could protect Ellen and me, no matter what situation arose. <i>¡®So, rx.¡¯</i>


    That smile eased my tightly wound nerves, giving me a small sense of peace. It was a smile that alleviated my stress and fatigue more effectively than sleep ever could.


    <i>¡®Yes. I am safe.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Get some rest,¡¯</i> I thought to Eleris.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m fine, Your Highness. You should sleep. I¡¯ll watch over us.¡¯</i>


    Eleris responded to my silent suggestion with her own silent insistence that I should rest.


    How could I break Eleris¡¯s stubbornness? Despite Eleris¡¯s reassurance that I should sleep, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so.


    I spent the time by myself keeping watch. If Eleris¡¯s shift ended, she probably wouldn¡¯t even wake Ellen. She would just let her sleep.


    How much time had passed?


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± said Eleris, who had been watching me.


    Her expression suddenly hardened. ¡°You need to get ready.¡±


    Get ready. Her words made all the muscles in my body tense up.


    ¡°Something ising.¡±


    It seemed Eleris had detected something through her surveincework. I immediately moved to the window and scanned Klitz Point under the moonlight. The darkness made it hard to see.


    I couldn¡¯t use night vision magic, but I cast Self-Deception to enhance my vision. While I couldn¡¯t achieve true night vision, I hoped to see a bit more clearly.


    Though it wasn¡¯t quite night vision, I started to make out shapes in the darkness.


    ¡°... Is that...?¡±


    Something was gathering around Klitz Point. Something, inrge numbers.


    ¡°Wake up!¡±


    At my shout, both Ellen and Eleris sprang to their feet.


    Arge number of unknown figures were advancing towards Klitz Point. Though I couldn¡¯t identify them clearly, it was evident that a group of something was moving toward Klitz Point.


    Both Ellen and Eleris had gotten up and armed themselves. The shapes visible through the window soon became distinguishable under the moonlight.


    ¡°What... are those...?¡±


    ¡°... Holy...¡±


    Ellen momentarily froze at the bizarre sight outside, and so did I.


    ¡°Zombies,¡± Eleris murmured softly as she took in the scene.


    A horde of zombies was heading towards Klitz Point¡ªno, to be precise, they were rushing towards the inn where we were staying.


    ¡°The rooms! Get to the rooms! Now!¡± Eleris shouted urgently.

 Chapter 164

    <h4>Chapter 164</h4>


    The first-floor dining area of the inn was spacious. There was a possibility that the zombies could break in through the windows instead ofing through the main door. Facing a swarm of zombies pushing in from all directions in such an open space with just the three of us was impossible.


    We went into a room on the second floor and barricaded the door. As ast resort, we nned to escape by jumping out through the window.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Block the door!¡±


    After locking the door, Ellen and I moved any heavy objects, including the wardrobe and the bed, in front of the door. We didn¡¯t know how long it would hold, but it would buy us some time.


    <i>Bang! Bang bang! Bang!</i>


    The zombies rushing in from Klitz Point must have already reached the inn door, as they were banging on it violently.


    ¡°Did all the corpses... turn into zombies?¡±


    ¡°... Seems like it,¡± Ellen mumbled in disbelief.


    Goblins, skeletons, and zombies were among the ssic fantasy creatures.


    I had never included zombies in the story before, so these zombies must have been created arbitrarily.


    The zombies here did not seem to be slow; rather, they could run.


    Slow-moving zombies were overused, so nowadays, the new type of running zombies was the trend.


    <i>¡®Damn, why out of all the possible trends does this one have to be followed?!¡¯</i>


    Anyway, at least we now knew where all the missing corpses had gone. The corpses hadn¡¯t been devoured or disappeared; they had moved on their own.


    Using Control Demon was not an option. Even if I used it, it wouldn¡¯t make any difference. Zombies had no reason or cunning. To them, I was just as much of a target. Ellen¡¯s face turned pale as she observed the swarming zombies from the second-floor window.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Ellen, who usually maintained herposure, covered her mouth as if she had seen something unbearable, her face as white as a sheet.


    ¡°... Damn it.¡±


    Even a brief glimpse made my mind go in the same direction. The stench of rotting corpses that was rising up to our floor was bad enough, but just looking at them felt like it could shatter one¡¯s sanity. The sight of living, moving corpses could never be anything but horrible.


    The undead...


    Now that I was face to face with them, I realized that, regardless of the danger they posed, they were a type of monster I never wanted to encounter again. Dangerous and disgusting as they were, though, we had no choice now. They would soon break through the inn¡¯s door and try to smash the door to the room we were in. Holding out forever was impossible.


    We had to do something.


    ¡°To kill a zombie, you have to sever its head. They won¡¯t die from most other wounds. Their physical abilities, especially their strength, have been enhanced as well. Do not let them grab you. If they do, they will tear your flesh off. You must not let theme within reach,¡± Eleris exined calmly.


    In this desperate situation, Ellen didn¡¯t have time to question how Eleris suddenly knew all this information. Information and action were critical at this point.


    However, now that zombies had appeared, there was something that concerned me more.


    ¡°Do you get infected if you¡¯re bitten?¡±


    ¡°Infected? Yes, there would be toxins from the corpse, so being bitten would result in infection, but...¡±


    Eleris¡¯s response indicated that she hadn¡¯t fully grasped what I¡¯d meant. Getting bitten by a decaying corpse would be fatal in itself. But hearing this from her was enough. It was clear that being bitten by a zombie didn¡¯t turn you into one.


    <i>Growrrrr!</i>


    <i>Grrr! Grrr!</i>


    <i>Urrgh!</i>


    <i>Bang! Bang! Crunch! Crackle!</i>


    Soon, the inn door was broken down, and zombies started pouring inside. They seemed to instinctively sense our location without seeing us. They were going to break into our room.


    Ellen gritted her teeth, her expression bing resolute.


    ¡°... Ms. Rellia.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What you see here, please don¡¯t mention it anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean...?¡±


    <i>Whoosh</i>.


    Having decided there was no longer a need for secrecy, Ellen summoned Lament straight away. The Lament that she hadn¡¯t even revealed while annihting the bandits, she wasted no time in bringing out this time.


    Ellen must have assessed that it would be difficult to handle the situation without it.


    Eleris¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the sword. She had known about it, but seeing it in person for the first time was different. Eleris probably knew from Loyar that Ellen carried a soul-bound sword. Though Loyar mentioned that Ellen had an unusual sword, she hadn¡¯t been able to identify it.


    I hadn¡¯t told her about Ellen¡¯s true identity either.


    However, Eleris recognized at once that the sword Ellen had summoned was Lament.


    ¡°Th-This... Th-This is... this is impossible...¡±


    Naturally, Eleris could not help but realize who Ellen truly was. For a moment, Eleris was stunned by a truth that surpassed her expectations. She was shocked that thest prince of the Demon Realm, me, was friends with someone wielding the holy sword Lament. Originally, the holy sword Lament belonged to Ragan Artorius.


    A girl who somehow possessed that sword...


    At that moment, Eleris must have realized Ellen¡¯s identity.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time to be startled.¡±


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    The zombies began banging on the door of the room we were in. Only then did Eleris seem to recognize that now was not the time for astonishment, and calmness returned to her features.


    Right then, Eleris, who had knowledge about zombies, needed to make the decisions.


    ¡°If we stall for time here, we can wait until all the zombies have entered the inn, then escape through the window.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t know the specifics about zombies in this world, I trusted that Eleris¡¯s judgment would be urate.


    ¡°And then, we do what we didst time.¡±


    Eleris suggested using the strategy we had previously employed. We would dig a pit at the entrance of the inn. Once we got out, the zombies would rush out of the inn too, and fall into the trap.


    ¡°Will we have enough time?¡±


    Given that this wasn¡¯t a surprise attack likest time, we wouldn¡¯t have the time to leisurely dig arge pit. Using earth-digging magic repeatedly would take time, and from Eleris¡¯s judgment, we didn¡¯t have that luxury.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cast the earth-digging spell repeatedly from here. Just hold them off until the pit isrge enough.¡±


    <i>Crack! Crack!</i>


    The door to the room was gradually breaking apart. Eleris began casting the earth-digging spell from the second-floor window, towards the entrance of the inn.


    We needed to hold out until the pit was big enough to trap all the zombies, and then make our escape. Any zombies trying toe out of the inn would fall right into it.


    Ellen nodded with a determined expression.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    <i>Crack</i>!


    <i>Raaaargh</i>!


    <i>sh</i>!


    Ellen swiftly split the head of a zombie trying to wedge itself through the broken door with a single sh of Lament. Instead of severing its neck, she cleaved through its head. The zombies were so strong that they gradually pushed aside the bed and wardrobe that we had used to barricade the door. We were stabbing and shing at the zombies through the gaps in the broken door.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Damn it! Ugh!¡±


    This was a different kind of madness thanst time. The burnt corpses and ones that were missing limbs and rotting were an awful sight to see, and were giving off a sickening stench. Maggots writhed in their gnawed flesh, and it was horrific to look at them directly while stabbing them with a sword.


    We needed to decapitate them to kill them, but the situation we were in made it impossible to do so. All we could do was thrust our swords through the gaps in the broken door.


    We continuously stabbed at the corpses, but they wouldn¡¯t die and kept pushing in.


    <i>Screeeeee</i>!


    ¡°<i>Shut up</i>!¡±


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    To keep my sanity, I yelled back at them. My eyes were wide as I repeatedly thrust my sword forward. Though I was the one doing the stabbing, it felt like I was being tortured.


    Ellen was also struggling despite wielding Lament. Sword thrusts weren¡¯t enough to take these creatures down. It was grueling to witness pieces of flesh, blood, and grease from the corpses gathering on our swords. The entire ordeal was utterly horrifying.


    Fortunately, the blood and grease clinging to the de seemed to dissipate continuously like smoke. The sword was enchanted with automatic restoration magic. I could understand why Ellen had said that this sword was the best for actualbat. The sword kept returning itself to the best possible condition. However, it wasn¡¯t the time to marvel at the weapon.


    <i>Crack! Crack!</i>


    The zombies were gradually breaking down the door and pushing aside the barricade. If even a small gap appeared, they would all flood in. No matter how skilled we were, we would be overwhelmed by their numbers. We couldn¡¯t hold back dozens of zombies rushing at us with just a single sword each.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    Once we were pushed back, the added force caused the barricade to be shoved aside instantly.


    ¡°Is it ready yet? Is it done?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ready! Let¡¯s escape!¡±


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    At Eleris¡¯s urgent shout, I immediately moved to the window, grabbed her by the waist, and jumped out.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    We weren¡¯t that high up, and although I was holding Eleris, the impact on my knees wasn¡¯t severe. It must have been the power of bodily reinforcement at work. Ellen followed, leaping gracefully from the window andnding lightly on her feet.


    At the entrance of the inn, a massive pit had been created to catch the zombies pouring out. Ellen, panting heavily, looked at me.


    ¡°Just likest time. We¡¯ll take out the ones escaping through the window or any other route one by one.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The n remained the same¡ªit was just that we were fighting zombies instead. Some of those zombies might be ones that we had already killed. There were zombies whose bodies had been burnt, as well as those with stab wounds to their arteries or vital spots, possibly from Ellen and me. We had to kill what we had already killed once again.


    <i>Grrrrrrrr</i>!


    The zombies that had crowded the second floor of the inn started to scramble and stumble over each other, rushing outside as we made our escape.


    ¡°You need to behead them. But don¡¯t let your guard down; keep your distance at all times.¡±


    This time, however, more was being demanded of us. The zombies wouldn¡¯t die unless they suffered catastrophic damage to their skulls or were beheaded. Though this was more difficult, the fact that they were zombies instead of people made things somewhat easier, in a way.


    <i>Screeeeech</i>!


    As the zombies rushed out of the inn, they fell into the pit one by one, the trap Eleris had dug. They had no intelligence.


    The zombies behind mindlessly plunged into the pit after the ones ahead of them, disappearing as if being sucked in. Theycked the intelligence to understand the concept of a trap.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    However, a few impatient zombies managed to leap out through second- or first-floor windows. While they were overwhelming when in arge group, in this situation, we could take them down one by one.


    ¡°Reinhart, protect Ms. Rellia.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Ellen left Eleris¡¯s protection to me and charged forward to deal with the zombies. With Lament in hand, Ellen moved like a specter.


    Eleris¡¯s advice to aim for the neck was correct. Beheading was an efficient method to ensure an instant kill. But with Lament, that wasn¡¯t strictly necessary.


    <i>sh</i>!


    With a single swing of her sword, Ellen could sever a zombie in half at the waist or cleave it from right shoulder to left hip, making short work of any zombie in her path. Lament was such a devastating weapon that any way she swung it would result in a fatal cut.


    Ellen continued to kill the zombies that jumped out of the windows.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>St</i>!


    My weapon was good, but it was no match for Lament.


    Because of this, I needed to act with more precision. The zombies¡¯ movements were not strategic; they were straightforward. They just rushed forward to bite and tear. Understanding and responding to such one-dimensional attacks was no longer difficult for me.


    I aimed a diagonal sh at the neck of a zombie charging at me, severing it. The zombie, with more than half its neck cut through, fell and thrashed on the ground.


    Simply striking the neck wouldn¡¯t cut through it. It required a slicing motion, like carving meat, with the de at an angle. It wasn¡¯t about hitting with force, but rather using a drawing cut.


    Calcting the correct angle for the de to meet the neck was crucial. When I felt the resistance of bone, I would apply even more force, trying to shatter it and punch through.


    The tip of the sword wasn¡¯t effective for this; it needed to be the lower part of the de, just below the midsection. I had to adjust my swing so that portion of the de met the zombie¡¯s neck.


    I was learning things I didn¡¯t want to know. Or, to put it more correctly, these things were being ingrained in my mind as I cut through the zombies attacking me.


    Kill these creatures by cutting and slicing, since stabbing wasn¡¯t effective. I didn¡¯t want to know this, but I was being forced to learn it.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    <i>Grah... gurgle...</i>


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    <i>Crunch</i>!


    As another zombie lunged at me, I embedded my sword into its neck. This time, rather than slicing, I twisted the de to crush its cervical vertebrae. I kicked the limp zombie away.


    Although Ellen had instructed me to protect Eleris, she wasn¡¯t just standing idly behind me.


    <i>Crack</i>!


    A chilling sound sung through the air as a charging zombie¡¯s head was shattered, and the stricken creature fell backward instantly.


    Eleris wasn¡¯t just assisting with her magic.


    <i>Whirr! Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!</i>


    A threatening whistling noise filled the air as something spun rapidly in Eleris¡¯s hands. She was using a sling.


    <i>Whizz</i>!


    A zombie running at us from a distance took a stone to the head, and its skull was utterly crushed. One by one, Eleris loaded and readied her sling with a focused expression, eyeing her next target and spinning the sling.


    Using a sling in a situation like this felt almostical, but the zombies who were struck had their heads burst open, quite literally.


    Given that her identity consisted of not being able to use powerful magic, she must have put a lot of thought into finding another means to attack, and that turned out to be the sling.


    Was she aiming for a warrior-mage concept?


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>sh</i>!


    I was using all my strength to behead the zombies, all the while feeling a mix of exhaustion and absurdity. Yet, amidst this horrific scene, Eleris¡¯s seemingly yful use of the sling somehow acted as a strange pir of mental support for me.


    In this kind of situation, Eleris had no need for powerful magic.


    The confidence Eleris exuded was palpable.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    While I frantically swung my sword to sever one zombie¡¯s neck, Eleris was systematically crushing zombie skulls with her sling, exhibiting incredible uracy.


    ***


    ¡°Huff... huff...¡±


    ¡°Somehow... it¡¯s more or less over...¡±


    After about thirty minutes of fiercebat, all the zombies were finally dealt with. In addition to the twenty or so bandits, all the people who had been at Klitz point had turned into zombies, resulting in a massive number of them.


    The pit was writhing with fallen zombies, and around us, more than thirty zombies had finally reverted to mere corpses.


    The hellish stench and brutal scene were enough to make me feel dizzy. Ellen, having dispatched the most zombies, dismissed Lament and walked back to us.


    This wasn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°Let¡¯s burn them all now.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    We hadn¡¯t anticipated that the corpses woulde back to life. Although they were already dead, to prevent any further unforeseen situations, we decided to burn all the bodies.


    <i>Screeeech</i>!


    <i>Grrrr! Grrrr</i>!


    The zombies in the pit emitted mind-numbing screeches.


    ¡°They might start moving suddenly. Be careful when handling them.¡±


    Following Eleris¡¯s advice, Ellen and I cautiously began to gather the dead bodies into one ce.


    Our bodies had suffered a beating while fighting the zombies. Handling the decaying corpses was a revolting experience. No matter how many zombies we had in, it was impossible to get used to it.


    During the fierce battle, I could kill with my eyes wide open, but now that it was over, I couldn¡¯t even bear to look at the faces of the dead.


    Was death always this repulsive?


    It takes only a few days for humans to lose their human form, and humans feel a deep sense of revulsion toward things that resemble them imperfectly.


    This was the essence of the ¡°uncanny valley¡±.


    Zombies were a terrifying example of this uncanny valley. Since they were once human, the sense of disgust was amplified. While I carried the bodies and severed heads separately, countless thoughts crossed my mind.


    Though it felt like we were merely handling a zombie attack, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that I had be someone meticulously trying to erase all evidence after brutally killing people.


    We gathered all the bodies of the zombies that had not been trapped in the pit together, and Eleris poured several mmable liquids she had collected from various ces over them before setting them on fire.


    <i>Whoosh</i>!


    She then doused the pit full of zombies with mmable materials and oil and set it aze as well.


    <i>Screeeeeech</i>!


    Amidst horrific screams, two pirs of fire rose at Klitz Point.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three of us sat down wherever we could, staring nkly at the two pirs of fire.


    Why did the corpses at Klitz Point turn into zombies? Had a simr incident urred at Altz Point as well?


    If so, had all three of the frontline bases ended up like this?


    <i>Thump.</i>


    Ellen, who was sitting beside me, leaned her head against my shoulder.


    There were too many unresolved questions.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    But we were too exhausted to discuss any of them right now.


    ¡°Get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Ellen, who was leaning against my shoulder, quietly closed her eyes.

 Chapter 165

    <h4>Chapter 165</h4>


    The next day...


    At the break of dawn, Ellen and I woke up.


    We had fallen asleep leaning against a building wall, relying on each other for support.


    We were too exhausted, despite being in a situation where anything could have happened. We were so tired that we had given up thinking and just fell asleep.


    It wasn¡¯t really sleep¡ªit was more like passing out.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    Eleris greeted us calmly as if she had been awake this whole time. Ellen looked bewildered.


    ¡°... Did you perhaps not sleep... because of us?¡±


    ¡°No, I was also out cold... We almost had a big problem, all of us.¡±


    Despite what she said, it was obvious she hadn¡¯t slept. Waking up in this environment made it hard to understand how anyone could have slept.


    The corpses, burnt to charcoal, were piled up, and blood and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere. The smell of burning bodies was foul.


    ¡°There¡¯s water to wash up with in the inn. For now, let¡¯s clean ourselves up and eat something before we set off. I¡¯ll tidy up here a bit more.¡±


    The first thing to do was to improve our wretched appearances.


    ***


    The zombie bodies had been burned to such a degree that they could never rise again. It might have been the intensity of the mes, or Eleris must have taken additional action while we were asleep.


    Ellen and I scrubbed our dirty bodies at the inn, which had been swarming with zombies the night before. We changed into different clothes, but there was nothing we could do about our armor, which had been sttered with blood.


    It was time to tend to our swords, but since they had an automatic repair function, we just gave them a rough wipe with an oiled cloth.


    After having a simple breakfast of preserved food, we gathered together.


    ¡°Can we continue heading south?¡± Eleris asked, tilting her head.


    Her question had many implications. Arge number of mysterious zombies had already appeared at Klitz Point.


    Heading further south would be more dangerous.


    It was prudent to wonder if we still intended to go south in such a situation. Although Eleris would protect us if anything happened, the decision was left to us.


    ¡°What do you think, Ms. Rellia?¡± Ellen asked, seeking her.


    What we¡¯d faced the night before had been an unexpected threat, but from now on, we would be heading into known danger.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll leave it up to you,¡± Eleris said, giving us the choice.


    Ellen looked at me.


    Until this moment, Ellen had made the decisions and taken action, but this time, we needed to decide together. Our lives had been at risk the night before. Such an event could happen again, or things could be even more dangerous.


    The question was: would we continue despite that?


    ¡°... If you go, I¡¯ll go. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t,¡± I said, naturally deferring the choice to Ellen.


    Both of us had suffered mentally, though in a different way than when we¡¯d wiped out the bandit group.


    Facing the undead was more a matter of mental endurance than skill. Dealing with those abominations was incredibly difficult.


    ¡°Are you okay with it?¡± Ellen asked, looking at me. She was asking if I could handle more of this.


    ¡°... If I were alone, I don¡¯t think I would have been okay.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But somehow, I think I can manage.¡±


    Ellen nodded at my answer.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She then looked back and forth between Eleris and me. ¡°I feel the same way.¡±


    Just being with someone else helped me endure this horror.


    Just as it was for me, it seemed to be the same for Ellen.


    In the end, we decided to continue heading south.


    <i> </i> *


    We headed south, taking the road toward Altz Point. Ellen was more vignt than before, but also voiced various concerns along the way.


    ¡°How did the zombies immediately know we were there?¡±


    The question was directed at Eleris. The night before, in that urgent situation, Eleris had quickly provided information on what the zombies were and how to deal with them.


    An encyclopedia... That was exactly the role a mage was supposed to fulfill, and Eleris had certainly done that yesterday.


    Of course, she knew all this not because she was a mage, but because she came from the Dark Land. Ellen likely misunderstood that it was because Eleris was a mage.


    ¡°Zombies can track living beings. I don¡¯t know if they do it by scent or some other instinct. So, hiding from zombies is pointless.¡±


    Thus,bat was inevitable.


    ¡°If more zombies show up, we¡¯ll have to fight again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But zombies typically move at night, so we only need to be cautious at night.¡±


    ording to Eleris, zombies were nocturnal.


    ¡°So, during the day, do they sleep or something?¡±


    At my question, Eleris pressed a finger against her lips and tilted her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you could call it sleep. Zombies are said to move into shaded areas or cooler ces during the day. They probably wait there until nightfall, but whether they actually sleep or not is unknown.¡±


    ¡°Why do they seek cooler ces?¡± asked Ellen. She was curious as to why zombies would look for cooler, shaded areas during the day rather than simply sleeping.


    ¡°Probably because of the rate of dposition.¡±


    Dposition...


    During the day and in high temperatures, dposition would progress rapidly.


    ¡°Zombies are generally on a timer,¡± Eleris exined, wiggling her index finger. ¡°Their bodies are already in a state of death, so dposition would naturally continue, right? If dposition keeps progressing, they will ultimately be reduced to just bones.¡±


    It was a rather horrific description, but her gesture somehow seemed cute.


    Zombies were reanimated corpses, but dposition still continued, and they attracted flies and maggots.


    Whether zombies could be considered living beings is uncertain. Either way, their existence was on a countdown.


    In the end, only bones would remain.


    Did zombies have a survival instinct despite theirck of real intelligence that drove them to try to extend their existence?


    ¡°When they reach that final state, their behaviorpletely changes.¡±


    <i>¡®They are on a countdown, yet their behaviors change?¡¯ </i>


    Eleris gave me a peculiar smile in response to my curious gaze.


    ¡°What do you think happens when a zombie with only its bones remaining moves about?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. Is that it?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... They be a skeleton?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    When a zombie reached the final stage of dposition, it was not a zombie anymore. It became a skeleton.


    In the end, both undead were the same type of creature.


    <i> </i> *


    ¡°You know a lot,¡± Ellen remarked.


    Eleris looked startled, perhaps thinking she had aroused suspicion.


    ¡°Ah, well... All of this is in the monsterpendium. I went through it thoroughly, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem particrly suspicious. Something else seemed to perk her curiosity, and looked at Eleris again.


    ¡°You use a sling very well...¡±


    ¡°At my current level, I can¡¯t just rely on magic. I need another means of defense. I became proficient with it since I used to practice throwing as a hobby from a young age.¡±


    As a low-ranking mage, Eleris couldn¡¯t resolve everything with magic alone, so she had prepared a secret weapon. Of course, her slinging uracy was incredible, so urate that she could explode zombies¡¯ heads when she scored a hit.


    The power was immense, far surpassing simple low-level magic. Eleris showed off the sling she had skillfully employed the other day to smash multiple zombie heads.


    ¡°It¡¯s enchanted, you know.¡±


    ¡°Enchanted?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®So it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary sling but a secret magical item?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It has a Weight Increase enchantment. For a short moment after something is thrown with it, the item¡¯s weight increases.¡±


    ¡°Ah... that¡¯s why it had such power...¡±


    There was a reason why the zombies¡¯ heads had exploded, instead of their skulls fracturing. Even light objects turned into heavy projectiles when thrown with it.


    Ellen didn¡¯t ask why Eleris hadn¡¯t used it during the bandit extermination. Perhaps she considered it a thing of the past.


    <i>¡®But is that really a magical item? Or did Eleris just cast a Weight Increase spell on the object while throwing it with the sling?¡¯</i>


    Since I couldn¡¯t speak with Eleris alone, I was confused as well.


    ¡°Then why did the zombies appear?¡±


    That was the most important question. Ellen¡¯s query made Eleris furrow her brow and tilt her head.


    ¡°Well... Zombies can ur naturally, or they can be artificially created through dark magic.¡±


    Zombie urrences could be either artificial or natural.


    ¡°But if zombies are created by a dark mage, they would be under the mage¡¯s control. The zombies yesterday didn¡¯t seem to be controlled... did they?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The zombies had simply swarmed in from all directions, as if drawn to us, without showing any signs of coordinated behavior.


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a slight possibility that a dark mage could be involved, but at this point, it seems more likely that these zombies urred naturally.¡±


    Eleris seemed to think that the chance of a dark mage being behind the mass urrence of zombies was low.


    ¡°In what situations do zombies ur naturally?¡±


    At my question, Eleris furrowed her brow again.


    ¡°Umm... There are too many causes to pinpoint just one. But to simplify it... Negative energy concentrated in a ce can result in various strange phenomena. Zombies appearing is one of those strange phenomena... that¡¯s probably the best way to exin it.¡±


    Negative energy...


    Eleris¡¯s words were too vague to fully exin the nature of the incident. In simple terms, she was suggesting that bizarre events often urred in unclean ces. and the emergence of zombies was one of those bizarre events.


    This implied that the area we were in was already tainted.


    Eleris gazed silently at the winding path leading south.


    ¡°We are essentially heading south to discover the cause of this negative energy.¡±


    This made us realize that this southward journey was bing increasingly dangerous.


    ¡°If such anomalous phenomena are spreading outward from Altz Point...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Something serious is definitely going on.¡±


    If Altz Point were the epicenter of the incidents, and the unholy phenomena were spreading all the way to Klitz Point, which was three days away...


    Something undoubtedly serious was going on.


    ¡°Ms. Rellia,¡± Ellen said quietly.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You can go back now, Ms. Rellia.¡±


    Eleris tilted her head in confusion at Ellen¡¯s suggestion that she should head back.


    ¡°Reinhart and I have teleportation scrolls. We have a means to escape if needed. If things be dire, we can use the teleportation scrolls to flee.¡±


    Ellen was suggesting that it would be safer for ¡®Ms. Rellia¡¯ to turn back, since it would only get more dangerous the further we went, and while Ellen and I had a way to escape, she did not.


    Ellen was concerned for her safety.


    ¡°If you go back and report the zombie incident at Klitz Point, you will receive a considerable reward.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡± Eleris nodded quietly, understanding what Ellen was saying. Then, she smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have my own secret weapon as well.¡±


    One might wonder what that was.


    ¡°Just like the sword you summoned yesterday,¡± she continued.


    The subtext was clear: <i>¡®since I¡¯m not asking about your secret, don¡¯t pry into mine.¡¯</i>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask what Eleris¡¯s secret was.


    Biting her lip, Ellen softly murmured, ¡°If it gets dangerous and we escape using teleportation, I hope you won¡¯t hold it against us.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Those who can survive should survive.¡±


    Ellen seemed to find it increasingly hard to understand this mage named Rellia.


    However, despite the short period of their acquaintance, they had risked their lives together twice.


    Therefore, Ellen did not voice any further objections to continuing their journey with the somewhat suspicious mage, Rellia.


    <i> </i> *


    It was a three-day journey to Altz Point.


    We walked south all day. Nothing unexpected¡ªlike zombies¡ªinterrupted our journey.


    ¡°There might be more zombies, likest night. We should avoid sleeping on the road,¡± Ellen said, and Eleris and I both agreed.


    If there were zombies, they would be able to locate us precisely. Hiding would be meaningless.


    ¡°It would be great if we could find a cliff that zombies can¡¯t climb up, but I don¡¯t see anything like that. So we should find arge tree to sleep in. It¡¯ll be ufortable, but it¡¯s the safest ce.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    Although we would not be able to sleep properly, and there was a risk of falling out of the tree while resting, choosing a tree where zombies couldn¡¯t reach us seemed like the best option for now.


    As we continued to walk, we kept an eye out for trees sturdy enough for us to rest on before nightfall.


    Soon, we found an old towering tree with thick branches.


    ¡°That looks sturdy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Since zombies couldn¡¯t climb trees, we could rest ourselves against the strong branches of the tree. Ellen and I both had prior experience climbing coconut trees with our bare hands on a deserted ind.


    ¡°... But how do we climb this?¡±


    Climbing coconut trees involved hugging the trunk, but this tree was massive, and its trunk had a circumference far toorge to hug. Climbing it with bare hands wasn¡¯t feasible.


    Without a word, Ellen rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a rope.


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t thought of using tools, only of tackling it head-on. The saying was true: if you¡¯re not smart, your body suffers.


    Ellen tied a stone to the end of the rope and threw it at a branch. The rope spun around the branch several times as it wrapped itself securely around it.


    Ellen tugged at the rope a few times to test the tension, and then began climbing.


    In a sh, she¡¯d climbed about six meters and perched herself on the branch, stomping on it a few times with her foot.


    ¡°It¡¯s sturdy. Come on up.¡±


    It seemed there was no problem.


    I grabbed the rope and started climbing. The fact that I could do this so effortlessly, something that would have been impossible before, still surprised me.


    I reached the branch and looked down. The view was dizzying. The branch was thick enough that I could probably lie down on it if necessary.


    Sturdiness aside, though, if I fell asleep and then fell off, wouldn¡¯t I break my neck?


    Ellen looked down and shouted, ¡°Ms. Rellia! Hold onto the rope, and I¡¯ll pull you up.¡±


    ¡ªOkay!


    Not just anyone could climb up, so Ellen intended to pull Eleris up herself. Eleris wrapped the rope around her body and held on tightly, and Ellen began pulling her up effortlessly.


    ¡°Phew, you¡¯re really strong,¡± Eleris eximed, impressed that Ellen had pulled her up with such ease.


    At this height, even if a swarm of zombies came, they would be like dogs chasing chickens, unable to reach us.


    Ellen moved swiftly, leaping onto other branches or using the rope to climb even higher, searching for a safer ce to rest.


    Ultimately, she found a hollow in the massive tree trunk. It looked almost like a cave. It was the kind of crevice that only formed in old trees.


    ¡°This should prevent us from falling down. It¡¯s wide enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Though it was cramped, it looked big enough for the three of us to squeeze into and sleep. Even if we moved around a bit, being inside the trunk meant we didn¡¯t have to worry about falling.


    Of course, the position we had to adopt was somewhat awkward.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was inside the hollow tree trunk. Ellen was sitting in my arms, and Eleris sat across from us.


    Due to theck of space, Ellen ended up sitting with her back against my chest.


    It looked like I was holding her from behind. We had to sleep in this position.


    ¡°Heh, you two look quite close,¡± Eleris teased, giving me a knowing look.


    <i>¡®Stop saying unnecessary things!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat something now.¡±


    Of course, Ellen, without a second thought, leaned against me and talked about food.


    <i> </i> *


    Although it was a rtively safe ce, and we would be able to hear if zombies came, we decided to be cautious and take turns to stay awake again.


    Each of us took a two-hour shift.


    This time, I had the first watch. The pitch-ck night descended, and both Eleris and Ellen fell asleep.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if Eleris was truly sleeping or not. If she hadn¡¯t been sleeping all this while, she must have been extremely tired. That would be a tremendous burden.


    I hoped Eleris could get some rest too, since we were safe for now.


    Ellen seemed to fall asleep quickly. Her breathing quickly grew quiet and steady.


    Although she shifted asionally due to difort, it wasn¡¯t overly distracting.


    Normally, I might have felt a bit flustered, or my heart would be racing in such a situation despite not caring much about these things, but now...


    Just as Ellen was acting sensitively under the current circumstances, so was I.


    In the current atmosphere, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if a ghost suddenly appeared.


    I had always been the type to detest jump scares, including ghosts.


    But now, after having seen such horrors, would I even care if I encountered one?


    How would we respond if zombies swarmed us? Could any of them possibly climb the tree?


    Various thoughts ran through my mind in the darkness.


    ¡°Mmgh...¡±


    Aside from Ellen making odd noises in her sleep and squirming a little, nothing significant happened.

 Chapter 166

    <h4>Chapter 166</h4>


    The next day...


    Fortunately, nothing happened, and we descended from the tree and continued on our journey.


    <i>¡®What should we do if whatever this is is beyond Eleris¡¯s power to handle?¡¯</i>


    Of course, we could escape with the scroll, and Eleris could also teleport away.


    Trusting in our own safeguards, we continued south. If we made good progress over the next two days, we would reach Altz Point, and from there, after observing the situation, we would be able to return to Saints Point,pleting our mission.


    After a simple meal, we kept up a solid pace. As expected from our experience from the day before, it seemed there were no zombies, but we couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to safety. This time, instead of resting in a tree, we climbed a steep cliff and made camp on a t area above.


    It was more or less the summit, where we could observe the surrounding terrain.


    However, no matter where we looked, the mountain range prevented us from seeing anything suspicious.


    There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s eerie.¡±


    However, an eerie feeling of unknown origin tickled the back of our heads. It would have been better if something had appeared; theplete absence of anything made it feel bizarre.


    ***


    The next day...


    We departed at first light. If we only began our journey after the sun had risen, we would only arrive at Altz Point after sunset. We nned to reach Altz Point earlier that day, depart immediately, and begin the journey back at night.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be more cautious, and if we face any serious issues we can¡¯t handle before reaching Altz Point, we¡¯ll turn back,¡± Ellen said, clearly tense even though nothing had happened yet.


    We could intuitively sense that we were about to discover the root of the matter. We walked continuously, taking only brief rests in between.


    It was around five in the afternoon.


    ¡°There it is... Altz Point.¡±


    As we crested a hill, we saw Altz Point located at the edge of the hillside. We halted our approach and stopped to assess the situation.


    ¡°On the surface, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any problem,¡± said Ellen.


    I used my vision enhancement to examine the base, but outwardly, Altz Point seemed normal, aside from theplete absence of people moving around.


    ¡°I will use a Telescope spell.¡±


    Eleris utilized a low-level spell for more certain long-distance observation. After a brief casting period, Eleris quietly observed Altz Point.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different from Klitz Point. There are no corpses. None, but....¡± Eleris muttered absently. ¡°Rather than corpses, it looks more like remains... bones and fragments...¡±


    Remnants that seem to have been devoured... Apparently, that¡¯s what Eleris could see when the scene was magnified.


    ¡°What could have eaten them?¡±


    ¡°At this stage, it seems likely that it was zombies.¡±


    The remnants looked like the remains of people devoured by zombies. However, quite some time had passed, leaving only bone fragments.


    ¡°There might have been footprints or other tracks if there was any foot traffic, but the recent rain hasn¡¯t helped. There¡¯s nothing at all.¡±


    It rained the night of our raid on the bandit group.


    While all previous tracks would have been washed away then, there should still have been traces of movement if they happened just recently, but there were none.


    ¡°It seems Altz Point has been empty for quite some time. If zombies emerged here too, they must have scattered to the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°They would have no reason to return to Altz Point since there are no living people to attack... Is that urate?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    If there had been a zombie outbreak, then they had all left Altz Point, leaving it empty for quite a while.


    Altz Point was a gateway to the frontier points of Altz Points 1, 2, and 3, and was also the route through which those returning from those bases would take.


    Ellen briefly organized her thoughts.


    ¡°No one has returned from the three points further out?¡± she said.


    ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    The three points at the frontier might have already been annihted.


    None of us could deny the high possibility that that had happened.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    Since the ce did not seem to have anything that immediately appeared abnormal, we decided to enter Altz Point.


    *


    By appearance alone, it was a deserted vige that exuded a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.


    However, the bright red blood stains sttered across various buildings naturally added a feeling of terror.


    Additionally, there were human bones strewn here and there.


    Altz Point was a waypoint to the three forward bases. Hence, it was three timesrger than the Saints Point or Klitz Point. Despite it being such arge base, there was no one around.


    We searched the vicinity of Altz Point with heightened vignce. There were neither survivors nor zombies in sight, but we had no idea what might jump out, or from where.


    There was the possibility of danger if we split up, so we searched the buildings together.


    Even inside the buildings, there were bloodstains and bone fragments scattered around. The bones, already picked clean by maggots, were so dried up that they no longer even smelled of rot.


    ¡°Could they have been attacked by zombies?¡± Eleris asked with a serious expression, as she stared at the bone fragments that seemed to have been gnawed clean.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± replied Ellen, shaking her head. She was looking at the bloodstains sttered on the wall.


    ¡°If Altz Point had been annihted by a zombie attack, there would be more bone fragments. While there are bone fragments here and there that look like they were picked over by zombies, it¡¯s not enough to ount for everyone who was in Altz Point.¡±


    There were signs of scavenging, but the signs were too few.


    Ellen continued, ¡°Perhaps these were not devoured while alive, but picked over after they were already dead.¡±


    Ellen quietly picked up one of the dry white bone fragments.


    ¡°A corpse with a severed neck wouldn¡¯t turn into a zombie.¡±


    There was a cut on the surface that suggested something sharp had sliced through it cleanly in one strike.


    ¡°Someone¡ªor multiple people¡ªwielding weapons massacred the people of Altz Point, and the zombification happened afterward.¡±


    What had been devoured were not living beings, but corpses that couldn¡¯t turn into zombies.


    That was Ellen¡¯s conclusion.


    *


    Traces of sharp cuts were visible on several bone fragments.


    Though we didn¡¯t know who the culprit was, whoever it was had a very sharp de. A weapon sharp enough to slice through a human being in one strike.


    Such a weapon was rare. Just skill alone wouldn¡¯t have been enough.


    We carefully continued our search inside the point.


    ¡°The Adventurers¡¯ Guild office. Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    Ellen seemed to know exactly where to go within Altz Point and headed to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. There were bloodstains inside the guild house as well.


    Ellen had a reason for heading to the guild house.


    ¡°We need to find the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s log. Most of what happened in Altz Point would be recorded there.¡±


    Ellen already knew what to look for. There would be a high chance of finding significant clues there.


    Ellen rummaged through the drawers and other parts of the office of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, and retrieved arge book.


    ¡°This seems to be the administrator¡¯s logbook.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    Ellen opened the logbook.


    Thest recorded entry was dated Tuesday, July 21st.


    It was Friday, August 7th.


    This meant the incident at Altz Point happened roughly three weeks ago.


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Tuesday, July 21st.</i>


    <i>We should never have sent people to that tomb.</i>


    <i>Snoden will kill us all.</i>


    That was thest recorded entry, mentioning some tomb.


    Could that tomb be the source of all this trouble?


    And the name Snoden...


    Ellen turned the pages, looking for the initial mention of that tomb.


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Thursday, July 2nd.</i>


    <i>A-rank Snoden, B-rank Paijin, and B-rank Lyge reported discovering an unusual structure about two days east of Altz Point. The sketch suggests it might be a sealed tomb. Since the party is highly reliable, there¡¯s no chance of false information.</i>


    <i>The information spread, and now it seems arge team is being organized for a thorough investigation.</i>


    The adventurers of Altz Point had discovered a tomb about a month ago. They organized arge team to investigate the tomb, not knowing what dangers might lie inside.


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Sunday, July 12th.</i>


    <i>An expedition of A- to C-rank adventurers, about twenty in size, returned from investigating the tomb east of Altz Point.</i>


    <i>ording to the report, the tomb had three levels, and did not contain any dangerous demons or threats.</i>


    <i>They returned with arge amount of jewels and precious metals. It was a substantial haul.</i>


    <i>There were also several items that appeared to be enchanted. Detailed results will be known after appraisal.</i>


    <i>At times like this, fights over the loot can break out, leading to stabbings, but such situations must be prevented at all costs.</i>


    <i>Interestingly, there was a sword inside a coffin on the third floor of the tomb.</i>


    <i>It seemed that the leader of the expedition team, Snoden, decided to keep the sword. No one appeared to have any objections to this.</i>


    <i>A coffin inside the tomb, and a sword...</i>


    <i>Could the adventurers have tampered with something they shouldn¡¯t have?</i>


    <i>I have an unsettling feeling.</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Tuesday, July 14th.</i>


    <i>Fortunately, the expedition adventurers divided their shares without fighting. The reward was so substantial that there was no reason for conflict.</i>


    <i>Two magical items were confirmed in total: an earring and a bracelet, which were taken by the other two who initially discovered the tomb, excluding Snoden.</i>


    <i>The sword Snoden kept was also presumed to be a magical item, but Snoden said appraisal wasn¡¯t necessary.</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Wednesday, July 16th.</i>


    <i>Last night, just like the night before, I had nightmares.</i>


    <i>Strangely enough, everyone in Altz Point has had nightmares. The content varied and was iprehensible, but how is it possible for everyone¡¯s sleep to be disturbed simultaneously?</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Thursday, July 17th.</i>


    <i>Zombies suddenly rose from the marketce next to the base and bit and killed three people. The situation was quickly handled, but why did this happen?</i>


    <i>There is a growing sense of foreboding.</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Friday, July 18th.</i>


    <i>Snoden¡¯s behavior has grown strange. It¡¯s reported that he holds the sword from the tomb even while sleeping. He talks less and doesn¡¯t eat anything, almost as if he¡¯s be a different person. Snoden¡¯spanions have reported that the sword seems to be cursed.</i>


    <i>They n to investigate this tomorrow.</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Saturday, July 19th.</i>


    <i>When confronted with the possibility that the sword might be a product of dark magic, Snoden gave no response.</i>


    <i>He just smiled bizarrely and muttered some strange things. It didn¡¯t even sound like proper speech.</i>


    <i>It¡¯s clear that Snoden has been cursed. When we tried to forcibly take the sword from him, He killed three guild members, including two of his long-timepanions, before fleeing.</i>


    <i>The situation has be increasingly terrifying.</i>


    <i>The sword Snoden has is undoubtedly cursed. We¡¯ve started organizing a search party to track and kill Snoden.</i>


    <i>¡ªImperial Year 323, Sunday, July 20th.</i>


    <i>As soon as the search party organized to kill Snoden left the base, they were massacred by Snoden in front of our eyes.</i>


    <i>After Snoden ughtered the entire search party, he disappeared.</i>


    <i>We knew Snoden was skilled, but not to such an extent.</i>


    <i>Everyone is in a state of panic. Some are trying to escape the point, while others believe they will be killed by Snoden if they do.</i>


    <i>That tomb...</i>


    <i>That tomb is the root of all this trouble.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Having understood the whole situation, we looked at each other. We could roughlyprehend the catastrophe now.


    The adventurers had meddled with something that they should not have.


    They retrieved a cursed sword from a tomb, and the adventurer Snoden, who possessed the sword and had been driven mad by it, was the main culprit of this disaster. He hadmitted the massacre at Altz Point, and a curse that turned the dead into zombies was spreading throughout the area.


    ¡°It might be a type of sword that controls the owner¡¯s mind,¡± Eleris spected with a grim expression. She clearly saw the sword as the main catalyst.


    Ellen ced the logbook in her backpack.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Our task here is done,¡± Ellen said.


    Our mission was to identify what happened at Altz Point, and this logbook served as proof.


    With that, our mission wasplete.


    Our mission wasn¡¯t to resolve this issue, but to understand the full story behind it. Now that we knew the identity of the one who annihted Altz Point, we could leave the rest to others.


    A cursed sword... And an adventurer driven mad by it...


    It was a disaster brought about through meddling with something that should have been left alone.


    We exited the guild office and headed towards the outskirts of Altz Point. We knew that this area was surely dangerous, and our n was to leave the vicinity of Altz Point as quickly as possible, without resting for the night.


    ¡°... So it¡¯se to this after all.¡±


    Someone was standing at the entrance to Altz Point, where we had entered from.


    A man with disheveled white hair, empty eyes, and grayish skin stood there.


    He held a single sword and stood quietly at the entrance, as if to prevent us from leaving.


    This man had to be Snoden, the main culprit behind the Altz Point incident. He didn¡¯t approach us nor move away, but merely stood there, blocking the entrance.


    ¡°... He doesn¡¯t appear to be alive.¡±


    That was Eleris¡¯s assessment.


    Indeed, the man showed no signs of free will or self-awareness. His hollow eyes said it all.


    He was already dead, and was merely being dragged around by the curse on the sword.


    And it wasn¡¯t just that.


    <i>¡ªKweeeek!</i>


    <i>¡ªGrrrr! Grak!</i>


    ¡°... Zombies as well?¡±


    Zombies began to appear one by one at the opposite entrance to Altz Point.


    It was a dangerous situation. Ahead of us stood Snoden, cursed by an unknown force, while zombies were starting to gather behind us.


    Being surrounded by zombies meant certain death. At Klitz Point, we managed to take them down individually, but we couldn¡¯t fend them off if they attacked in a horde.


    Fortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be that many zombies yet.


    ¡°We need to break through.¡±


    Though the one blocking the entrance was the bearer of an unknown curse, he was still one man.


    If we didn¡¯t break through, we would die. It seemed Ellen wasn¡¯t considering the Teleportation scroll yet.


    She believed that leaving Rellia behind would mean certain death for her. After all, Eleris had never mentioned that her ¡°secret weapon¡± was an escape method.


    Eleris nodded, then asked, ¡°Whatever your secret weapon is, do you think it can stop those zombies?¡± Her expression was tense.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s give it a try. But if it gets too dangerous, you must escape. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    It seemed Eleris had decided not to argue against Ellen¡¯s risky choice.


    <i>Shing!</i>


    Ellen summoned Lament and looked at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s nk him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    We had only one opponent.


    Hisbat strength was unknown, but it was two against one.

 Chapter 167

    <h4>Chapter 167</h4>


    The difference in power between Snoden and us was striking.


    <i>ng</i>!


    Just blocking his sword swing pushed me back several steps. That was the sheer force behind his blow.


    I felt an excruciating pain, as if my hand was being torn apart. The sensation was iparable to what I¡¯d felt during the duel I had with Mayaton.


    I was lucky that I didn¡¯t just drop my sword.


    In the past, I would have definitely dropped it.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Kwoooreorak</i>!


    The zombies looming from behind were being handled by Eleris.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    <i>Boooom!</i>


    Eleris had stopped pretending to be a low-level mage. The continuous stream of fireballs she unleashed was evidence of that.


    However, Ellen had no time to be shocked by Eleris dropping the pretense.


    <i>ng! ng! Kagak!</i>


    <i>Kr...huk!</i>


    Just blocking the relentless onught of sword strikes seemed difficult enough to endure. Skill aside, his sheer physical strength and reaction speed were on apletely different level than ours.


    <i>ng!!!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    The only fortunate thing was that there were two of us. If we attacked simultaneously, one of our attacks would inevitablynd.


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    I stabbed my sword into the back of the guy who had just deflected Ellen¡¯s de.


    He swung his sword at me straight away,pletely disregarding the injury. I managed to pull my sword out and leap away, but if my thrust had been even slightly deeper, my neck would have been shed open.


    Despite how deep the stab wound was, I did not think it would kill him.


    ¡°This is absurd...¡±


    <i>Ssss</i>...


    However, I did not expect the wound to heal on its own either.


    Both Ellen and I stared in disbelief as the wound miraculously closed up and disappeared.


    <i>¡®He can regenerate.¡¯</i>


    ¡°We have to sh, not stab.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    We had to sever a part of him with a single stroke.


    We might not stand a chance one-on-one, but the effects of ourbined attacks were significant.


    We could ovee this overwhelming difference in physicality. Ellen and I had practiced a lot together. Although we hadn¡¯t specifically practiced coordinated attacks, we could roughly predict each other¡¯s movements.


    Even though we didn¡¯t have perfect synchronization, we were as proficient at it as if we had done this often.


    He seemed to instinctively recognize Ellen as the greater threat and focused his attacks more on her. After several exchanges, I found an opening to swing my sword at his neck.


    <i>Thunk! sh!</i>


    Just like severing the heads of zombies, I sliced through the neck of the guy who was blocking Ellen¡¯s attack, cutting it off in one stroke.


    ¡°This is... insane...¡±


    The severed head reattached itself automatically.


    Even though his head hade off and reattached itself, he showed no expression. From the gaping holes where his eyes should have been, I could read no emotion.


    It was apletely different feeling from looking at a zombie.


    He wasn¡¯t human, nor was he undead; he was something entirely different.


    Overwhelming strength, reaction speed, and regeneration...


    ¡°That sword.¡±


    With limited information about the enemy, all we could do was guess.


    ¡°We need to make him drop that sword.¡±


    The only clue we had was that the sword was the source of everything.


    If the source of his regenerative power came from that sword, we had to make him drop it.


    If that didn¡¯t work, we¡¯d have to think of the next move.


    In the worst-case scenario, we would escape via teleportation.


    Snoden charged at us. This time, he was targeting me.


    ¡°Heup!¡±


    Trying to stop his attack head-on would only get me pushed back. Instead, I used his sword¡¯s force against him, deflecting and parrying the blows. Certainly, in terms of raw strength, he had the upper hand, but hecked skill.


    His swordsmanship couldn¡¯t evenpare to Ellen¡¯s. And I had received extended training from her.


    I had learned many ways to deal with overwhelming strength.


    Since I Ellen always overpowered me, I had to be proficient at fighting opponents who had an overwhelming physical advantage, and I was all too familiar with it.


    <i>sh</i>!


    ¡°Grah!¡±


    Our opponent was focused on attacking me, and was suddenly distracted by Ellen¡¯s sword striking from the side. Ellen had a definite technical advantage, and I also had a slight edge in skill over him, and our advantage was increased by the coordination between our attacks.


    While I couldn¡¯t say how a prolonged battle against this infinitely-regenerating enemy might pan out, we could at least handle him for now.


    This time, he swung his sword down towards Ellen.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    Then, an unbelievable thing happened.


    Ellen took the blow of the descending sword with her body. However, her body was wrapped in a blue light.


    She grabbed the sword as if to ensure he wouldn¡¯t drop it.


    Only then did it dawn on me... A single-use protection bracelet.


    With just that one defensive spell, she¡¯d created a significant opening.


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    My body moved before I had the chance to think.


    ¡°Give me that arm, you bastard!¡±


    <i>sh</i>!


    I swung my sword with all my strength, slicing through Snoden¡¯s wrist.


    <i>Cling</i>!


    Ellen quickly kicked the fallen sword far away the moment it hit the ground.


    ¡°Graaaagh!¡±


    Snoden let out a terrifying scream and lunged towards his severed hand. He acted as if he had lost his mind, though he had beenposed up until then.


    The fallen hand didn¡¯t reattach. It didn¡¯t regenerate.


    The sword twitched and trembled as if it were the source of his power.


    It seemed separating the sword from his body was the right answer.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    Ellen body-mmed him as he tried to run towards the sword, sending him sprawling.


    ¡°He¡¯s weakened...!¡±


    Without that monstrous strength, he was easily sent flying. The struggling fiend and the buzzing sword were now separated.


    Ellen immediately swung Lament at the downed Snoden, decapitating him.


    ¡°Keuueeek!¡±


    The trembling body of the guy suddenly went limp.


    <i>Wooong!</i>


    But it wasn¡¯t over yet.


    The sword suddenly floated into midair and then flew off. It was heading toward one of the zombies that Eleris was dealing with, one she hadn¡¯t managed to destroy yet.


    <i>Thwak!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    One of the zombies picked up the sword, almost as if the sword hadmanded the zombie to grab it.


    The cursed sword had just switched its owner randomly.


    ***


    The zombie, now empowered, came charging at me with the sword.


    <i>Kuang</i>!


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Just one sh of our swords was enough to send me reeling backward.


    No matter who the host was, the host itself became enhanced.


    Even if I cut off the arm, the sword would fly towards the zombies on its own. It was clear that it controlled the surrounding zombies.


    Unless we did something about the sword itself, this situation would keep on repeating. Eleris was handling the most important task of neutralizing the iing zombies. We needed to exterminate all the other zombies, and then take off the arm.


    Even with me reinforcing my physical attributes, matching the guy¡¯s strength was impossible.


    Thankfully, he relied only on brute force and did not possess much skill, so I managed to deflect his attacks somewhat.


    However, the strain on my body was progressively increasing and my whole body felt like it was creaking.


    <i>Shwick</i>!


    ¡°...¡±


    The zombie had begun to adapt. He dodged to avoid the attack that Ellen had aimed at his arm. He recognized that we were targeting it.


    He realized we were aiming to cut his arm off and focused all his attention on preventing that specific attack.


    Any other wounds he suffered were immaterial. His body would simply regenerate. The sword¡¯s power was continually restoring his body.


    <i>Boom! Boom, Boom! Boom!</i>


    Eleris was preupied with holding off the horde of zombies. Did she think we could handle things on our end by ourselves? Would she be able to protect us if we were truly in danger?


    In this situation,munication was impossible. I couldn¡¯t tell if Eleris had any energy to spare. Even if she did, I couldn¡¯t afford to rely on that now.


    We had to do this on our own, without counting on external help.


    Relying too much on insurance was not an option.


    My whole body was tingling. Deflecting each of his blows made my wrists and shoulders feel like they were about to break.


    ¡°We can¡¯t drag this out into a battle of attrition.¡±


    If this turned into a prolonged battle, we would lose. His stamina seemed infinite, and even in this short fight, our bodies felt like they were falling apart. It was clear that Ellen¡¯s body was also under tremendous strain.


    But was there any way to avoid a drawn-out fight?


    While we maintained our standoff, Ellen called out to me.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    If we kept allowing the sword to switch hosts, our wrists would be shattered merely from the constant exchange of blows.


    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t intervene.¡±


    Ellen seemed to have decided that she could sever the zombie¡¯s arm on her own.


    But how would she do that, when we had no solution other than ourbined effort?


    Ellen took a deep breath.


    ***


    <i>Before departing for The Dark Land...</i>


    ¡°Hey. Hit me hard once.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon me?¡±


    It was the day when Loyar had asked Ellen if she would die for Reinhart, to which she had answered that she didn¡¯t know.


    Loyar had promised to teach Ellen something.


    ¡°Just hit me in the sr plexus or wherever you want, with all your strength.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do I have to show you how it¡¯s done first?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    As instructed, Ellen struck Loyar in the sr plexus with all her might. The sound was almost like a loud crack, but Loyar was barely pushed back and remainedpletely unscathed.


    When Ellen had sparred with Loyar for the first time, she had controlled her strength to a certain extent, but this time, she had used her full power.


    Yet Loyar waspletely undamaged. It even seemed like Ellen¡¯s own fist might have been the one to break first.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°... Mana Reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Loyar could protect and enhance her body using mana.


    ¡°There¡¯s a world of difference between someone who can do this and someone who can¡¯t. It¡¯s like magic. Not just anyone can do it. Just as there are very few who can be mages, there are very few who can reinforce their body with mana.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get any closer to understanding just by staring at me; I¡¯m not going to tell you why I can do it.¡±


    Just as very few could be mages, only a select few could reinforce their bodies with mana to reach a superhuman level. And among those, only a minuscule number achieved the ssification of Master.


    ¡°Someone like you who can¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement can¡¯t beat me, not in a million years. Using that weird sword of yours might change things a bit, but not by much.¡±


    The difference in power levels was stark.


    Unless Ellen managed to surpass her limits, she could never hope to defeat Loyar.


    ¡°They probably haven¡¯t taught you this at the Temple yet. If you don¡¯t learn it correctly... it¡¯s hard to exin, but you could end up bleeding out from every part of your body and die. While magic can¡¯t be learned by those who aren¡¯t smart enough, this technique could kill those whose bodies aren¡¯t fit for it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s taught so cautiously.¡±


    Mana Reinforcement...


    It was a double-edged sword. Thus, only those with appropriate aptitude were carefully selected and taught. If taught wrongly, it would mean the loss of a valuable talent.


    ¡°If only geniuses could awaken this technique, then some geniuses would be able to master it, wouldn¡¯t there? But even among those geniuses, there are geniuses who stand out. Just as only geniuses be mages, among those mages, there are exceptional geniuses. When ites to this technique, things are no different.¡±


    Loyar looked directly at Ellen. ¡°You will master this very easily,¡± she proimed.


    <i>¡®In my eyes, you transcend the category of genius, and are a monster. Hence, you don¡¯t need to learn it as cautiously as most people do,¡¯</i> Loyar thought.


    ¡°Honestly, someone like you probably doesn¡¯t even need someone to teach it to you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem like she needed anyone to guide her.


    ¡°... But I don¡¯t know how to do it,¡± Ellen said.


    Loyar shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never even tried.¡±


    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t have attempted something she hadn¡¯t even learned yet. It was only natural. Why would she try to do something she hadn¡¯t been taught?


    Ellen thought the white-haired <i>ajumma </i>was talking nonsense.


    ¡°Feel the mana inside your body, control it with your will, and use it to reinforce your body. It¡¯s simple.¡±


    That was an overly simplified exnation of Mana Reinforcement. It wasn¡¯t something that could be summed up with just a few words.


    ¡°If it¡¯s so simple, then why can¡¯t everyone learn it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple... but only for you.¡± Loyar was confident. ¡°It might be difficult for everyone else, but it will be simple for you.¡±


    ¡°... Why are you so sure?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve never seen anyone with talent as absurd as yours in my life.¡±


    Loyar believed that Ellen had the greatest potential of anyone she had ever encountered.


    Hoping that she would be an ally to Reinhart, Loyar told Ellen of this technique.


    She told her that she didn¡¯t have to wait for someone to teach her Mana Reinforcement, and that it would be easy for her to learn, despite it being hard for others.


    ¡°But you said that if it¡¯s used incorrectly, I¡¯ll cough up blood and die.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s just your fate.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is. If you¡¯re bored of waiting for someone to teach it to you, try doing it on your own. But don¡¯t push yourself too hard. If you have plenty of time, just wait until they teach you at the Temple.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you teach me yourself?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    <i>¡®Such an irresponsible person...¡¯</i>


    Somehow, though, those words wereforting.


    Ellen remembered them that way.


    And now, Ellen was facing an iprehensible enemy.


    Loyar hadn¡¯t advised her to use it immediately in actualbat.


    But right now...


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen realized she had to do it to ovee this situation.


    Not having learned it meant she had no reason to try it. She knew it was a dangerous skill, and she didn¡¯t want to approach it carelessly.


    But now, she had a reason to attempt it, despite not having learned the proper technique.


    This was as absurd as someone who knew nothing about magic trying to use magic on their own.


    She could escape with Reinhart using a Teleportation scroll.


    But shecked the courage to flee.


    She didn¡¯t know how Rellia, the suspicious mage, could suddenly unleash advanced magic.


    But in the end, she was just a mage.


    There was no way she could handle this monster. Facing this creature was up to herself and Reinhart.


    The mage was doing a mage¡¯s job, and doing it perfectly.


    She couldn¡¯t abandon them and flee.


    She didn¡¯t have the courage to leave someone behind in the grip of death and run away.


    Though she was not someone she knew well, this person had fought alongside her.


    She was not a precious person, nor a familiar one, but someone who had joined her in her risky endeavors without question.


    She hadn¡¯t argued or opposed her, and simply followed her intentions silently. Whatever secret she might be hiding wasn¡¯t something to ponder right then.


    Although she had seemed saddened by the excessive demand to take so many lives, she had ultimatelyplied.


    Her secrets could be pried out of herter.


    For now, she couldn¡¯t abandon her. She couldn¡¯t abandon someone who was fighting for them.


    She had told Austin that if one couldn¡¯t be strong, they should at least have some sense of shame.


    Yet, here she was, faced with an iprehensible enemy, unable to choose to abandon a suspicious ally and run away shamelessly.


    She simply couldn¡¯t make that choice.


    In that case, then, she had to be strong.


    To maintain her sense of honor, she had to be strong. To survive with her honor intact, she had to be strong.


    Because of this, she now needed to take a life-threatening gamble.


    She had to take the gamble of using something she had never even practiced, directly inbat¡ªa gamble with her life on the line.


    With no courage to retreat, she staked her life under thepulsion that she had to be stronger.


    Just like her brother had done.


    Unable to turn away from her conscience, she set out down her brother¡¯s path, the brother who had spent his life striving to be strong enough to live with his own conscience.


    She didn¡¯t know how to do it, but she would try.


    Harness the mana within her body and use it to elevate her physical abilities to a higher level.


    Furthermore, coat it over her skin like armor to enhance her defense.


    Mana Reinforcement... The white-haired <i>ajumma </i>who skillfully wielded this technique had endured Lament¡¯s strike with just this reinforcement.


    Ellen doubted she could reach that level. Lament¡¯s strike couldn¡¯t simply be blocked by some middling degree of Mana Reinforcement.


    The woman might even be a Master. That was Ellen¡¯s guess.


    Whether or not she could even use it was uncertain.


    A power of which she knew the result, but not the process.


    Mana Reinforcement...


    The white-haired <i>ajumma </i>was certain that Ellen could do it without any formal training.


    ¡°Haaaagh....¡±


    Unfamiliar forces resided within her, and she needed to elevate her overall physical capabilities by explosively harnessing them.


    Had she ever focused like this in her life?


    Had she ever been this tense in her life?


    Ellen felt the awakening of her super senses, and she opened her eyes.


    At that moment, blue energy swirled within Ellen¡¯s pupils.


    ¡°...¡±


    The enemy was watching her.


    <i>sh</i>!


    Ellen¡¯s body disappeared.


    She had achieved a speed beyond human capability.


    Suspended in mid-air, the tip of Ellen¡¯s sword swung down precisely at the zombie¡¯s wrist, the one that held the sword.


    Blue energy rippled around Ellen¡¯s entire body.


    -<i>ng</i>!


    However, the zombie blocked the sword strike.


    ¡°What in the... world?¡± I muttered in a daze, and Ellen caught my words with her ears.


    The creature that had been way too overpowered before was suddenly thrown back by her.


    There was no room to retreat...


    If there was no room to retreat, the only option was for her to be stronger.


    Harnessing her heightened senses, where even a slightpse in concentration would make her lose her mind, Ellen continued her calm assault.


    ***


    Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t believe it. Ellen was overpowering the creature that had so far overwhelmed us with its physical might.


    <i>Bang! Kwakang! ng! ng!</i>


    The enemy tried to deflect Ellen¡¯s sword strikes, but was continuously being pushed back. It seemed like it was struggling just to defend itself.


    Mana Reinforcement...


    It was a core subject in the Temple¡¯s curriculum, and a crucial part of the main story. It was supposed to be taught from next year onwards. Though the teaching of it would start next year, Ellen would be the only one to master it immediately.


    All the students withbat talents would practice it, and would make numerous mistakes along the way. That¡¯s how it was supposed to y out. Many wouldn¡¯t even master it by the time they graduated.


    Ellen, after learning it, would quickly ascend to the rank of superhuman.


    Now, though, history had changed.


    Ellen had seeded in the insane task of mastering Mana Reinforcement on her own.


    ¡°...¡±


    [Achievement Unlocked - Superhuman (Ellen Artorius)]


    [Ellen Artorius has embarked on the path to bing a superhuman much earlier than expected.]


    [You have received 500 Achievement Points.]


    Ellen had changed the path of the story, and therefore I had unlocked an achievement. But this was not the time to focus on that.


    Interfering with Ellen¡¯s fight was not an option.


    <i>Thunk! Thud!</i>


    ¡°Gragh!¡±


    I took down the zombies that Eleris had missed one by one, preventing them from interfering with Ellen¡¯s fight. The extent of their decay was far worse than what we had seen at Klitz Point, and it was difficult to endure the repulsive smell and sight.


    As I sliced through the zombies¡¯ necks, I made sure none of them could get close to where Ellen was fighting.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang</i>!


    It didn¡¯t sound like swords shing. Instead, it sounded like massive weapons colliding with each other.


    Ellen, who was using Mana Reinforcement, was emitting a blue aura from her body. It looked almost like she was shrouded in ghostly mes.


    <i>Swoong</i>!


    With an upward strike, Ellen opened a gash in the enemy¡¯s chest.


    <i>sh</i>!


    A fierce sh followed, carving through the vulnerable area around its elbow. The sword was separated from the monster¡¯s arm once again.


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    Ellen swiftly decapitated the zombie that had just lost its weapon. She seeded in disarming the sword¡¯s host a second time.


    ¡ªUgh!


    Ellen copsed in a fit of coughing.


    ¡°Ellen!¡±


    No sooner had she dealt with the zombie than she started coughing up blood. The mere fact that she had used Mana Reinforcement without any prior training was already a miracle. It was only natural that there would be side effects.


    The situation was dire.


    The sword began to move of its own ord again.


    It was searching for another host.


    Ellen was now incapacitated. If the sword found another host, we would be out of options.


    There was no time for me to hope for Eleris to do something.


    I had to act.


    I had to do something, anything!


    ¡°Ugh... Damn it!¡±


    I threw myself into the air and grabbed the handle of the cursed sword.


    I activated Revise.


    <i>¡®I would not be controlled by this sword!¡¯</i>


    But my expectations were dashed.


    [This Revise function cannot be executed.]


    Was it impossible to execute an operation to avoid being controlled by the sword? Was the curse embedded in the sword <i>that</i> powerful?


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    [The trait ¡®Divine Spirit¡¯ is protecting you.]


    The trait I had acquired from Olivia Lanche, Divine Spirit, protected me.

 Chapter 168

    <h4>Chapter 168</h4>


    I gripped the cursed sword, and the Divine Spirit protected me. When I held the cursed sword, the zombies that had been charging at me started to copse just like dominos. It was as if the cursed power being emitted by the sword had been cut off suddenly.


    ¡°Let go, Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°Drop the sword!¡±


    Ellen and Eleris were more shocked by me grabbing the sword than the battle being over. They had no idea that I wasn¡¯t being controlled by the sword.


    ¡°It seems it doesn¡¯t affect me at all.¡±


    ¡°Just let go of it!¡±


    ¡°Let go! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Alright.¡±


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    Hearing the urgency in their voices, I stuck the sword into the ground. Both of them stared nkly in amazement at the fact that I had not only gripped the sword, but then voluntarily let go of it as well.


    The sword, which had been moving on its own, was now perfectly still as if it were dead. It didn¡¯t move; there was no reaction at all. The battle had ended so quickly, and Ellen and Eleris were just approaching me.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°... I feel a bit tired.¡±


    Ellen looked exhausted, probably due to the aftereffects of using Mana Reinforcement. She had even coughed up blood.


    This whole situation was absurd...


    Ellen had suddenly used Mana Reinforcement in a real battle, despite never having learned it before.


    I was perfectly fine even after holding onto a cursed sword that supposedly controlled its wielder¡¯s mind.


    And Eleris, who had been masquerading as a low-level wizard, had suddenly unleashed high-level attack magic.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three of us had each done something that was difficult to exin.


    ***


    The three of us had done things that were hard to put into words. Ellen had done something that was generally considered impossible. I was somehow immune to the cursed sword, and it seemed that the sword had been neutralized. And Eleris had been hiding her true abilities until now.


    Ellen, looking exhausted, staggered towards me.


    ¡°For now, I won¡¯t ask why you¡¯ve been hiding such power,¡± Ellen said to Eleris.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Although Ellen was suspicious of Eleris, there was too much to think about at the moment. In the end, despite her suspicions, Ellen did not choose to escape using the Teleportation scroll.


    ¡°This sword. Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Oh... I¡¯m not sure either. Let me try using Detect on it first.¡±


    Eleris moved her hand closer to the strange sword that had stopped moving. As a precaution, she didn¡¯t touch it.


    The sword itself did not look particrly special. Just like how Lament wasn¡¯t extremely shy except for the glowing runes engraved on it. The one peculiarity of note was that this swordcked a cross-guard. It was a straight sword, resembling an ordinary longsword but with a somewhat dark hue.At first nce, though, it did not look like a cursed sword at all.


    The hilt was wrapped in worn-out leather, and a teardrop-shaped ck gem, or possibly obsidian, was embedded at the end of the pommel. Eleris, who appeared to be scanning the air around the sword for a while, finally sighed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell... If it were an object imbued with magic, I could identify what kind of magic it is, but this sword... I don¡¯t know.


    ¡°It seems to be cursed, but I can¡¯t determine what kind of curse it is. Curses generally don¡¯t have standardized magical forms, so their causes and effects can be very diverse. Since this isn¡¯t an object created through a deliberate ritual, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    So, although she knew some stuff about curses, and it was clear that the sword was cursed, the exact nature of the curse itself was unknown. That was probably the nature of curses¡ªthey were inherently unpredictable.


    ¡°But while we may not know the cause of the curse, we have seen its effects. This sword controls the mind of its wielder, and emits an evil aura strong enough to raise undead around it, and probably controls the nearby undead as well.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a dangerous object then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very much so.¡±


    Though the Divine Spirit¡¯s protection prevented me from being controlled by the sword, it would likely be different for anyone else. I couldn¡¯t predict what would happen if Ellen or Eleris were to grip this sword.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to dispose of this sword...¡±


    ¡°No, wait a moment,¡± I interrupted Eleris. ¡°I think I might be able to use this.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    Both Eleris and Ellen seemed bbergasted.


    ¡°No, look. I¡¯m fine, aren¡¯t I?¡± I said, casually gripping the sword again, Ellen¡¯s face reddened with anger.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Ellen yelled at me, losing thest of herposure.


    It was the first time I had seen her so furious.


    ¡°P-Please let go, quickly!¡±


    Neither of them could believe that I was perfectly fine while holding the sword.


    <i>¡®Even if it¡¯s an evil and suspicious weapon, it¡¯s powerful. Isn¡¯t it a waste to dispose of it if I can use it perfectly well? Are you guys crazy?¡¯</i>


    Ellen and Eleris were both at their wit¡¯s end, just like I was.


    ***


    In the end, after much argument, I had to let go of the sword. I couldn¡¯t refute the logic that while I wasn¡¯t immediately controlled, the longer I held onto it, the more dangerous it could be.


    Ellen, already exhausted, massaged her temples and groaned. My stubbornness only seemed to tire her further.


    In the end, we decided not to dispose of the sword right away, but to take it to the Temple to verify its safety.


    Anyway, thanks to Eleris¡¯s assistance, Ellen awakening her Mana Reinforcement power, and the protection of my Divine Spirit, theplicated reconnaissance mission at Altz Point had been fully resolved.


    Ellen fixed her gaze on Eleris. ¡°Now, exin yourself.¡±


    There was no need to say it explicitly. It was clear what she wanted to know. She was asking why Eleris had deceived us all this time by pretending to be a low-level mage.


    Eleris¡¯s lips twitched, and she looked utterly dumbfounded.


    ¡°W-Well, um... how should I put it... a concept, maybe...?¡±


    She probably had an excuse prepared, but found it hard to articte it herself.


    ¡°... A concept?¡±


    ¡°You know... The concept of being an apprentice mage on an adventure.¡±


    Ellen red at Eleris as if telling her to stop messing around. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I, I am actually... a dragon, here on a whim... you know...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I had already told Eleris nearly everything that happened in the Temple. I had told her about the senior, the little brat named Rudina, who believed she was a dragon. I¡¯d even asked if a real dragon could lose their memory just for a little fun, and Eleris¡¯s response had been negative.


    I never imagined that she would use the exact story here.


    Eleris continued, stammering, ¡°Well, I wanted to experience adventures and various activities like humans, but if I showed my true power, it wouldn¡¯t be an adventure anymore... yeah. So... I was hiding my abilities, but it was an emergency... I was worried you all might be in danger... so I had no choice but to abandon the concept... So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on...¡±


    A Vampire Lord, iming to be a dragon just having some fun...


    At this point, telling the truth would be even more absurd. It would make more sense if she were <i>actually</i> a dragon.


    ¡°So... I was looking for goodpanions at Saints Point who would be easier to travel withpared to high-ranking adventurers... and Reinhart happened to help me when I was in trouble... so...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Since her skills were real, she wanted to find people she could enjoy the adventure with, rather than rough ones, and that happened to be us. That was her reasoning.


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a dragon,¡± Ellen said, cutting her off immediately. She clearly wasn¡¯t buying any of it.


    ¡°Wh-Why not? I¡¯m right here in front of you...¡±


    Seeing Eleris insisting on her dragon concept made me feel like I was going crazy too.


    <i>¡®Is this some sort of trend?¡¯</i>


    ¡°And besides, whether I¡¯m a dragon or not... the fact is that I saved you from a dangerous situation, didn¡¯t I? I wanted to help you, that¡¯s all...¡±


    What she was basically saying was, ¡°You should just be grateful that I saved you!¡±


    She waspletely insistent on her point.


    ¡°Proof. Can¡¯t you show something to back it up? I¡¯ve heard that dragons can cast magic without casting spells.¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s just a myth!¡± Eleris offered, as a feeble excuse. But then again, everything about dragons was a myth. Nobody knew what was true and what was false.


    Eleris didn¡¯t even believe in the existence of dragons in the first ce.


    ¡°W-Well... it¡¯s difficult to show my true form...¡±


    Eleris suddenly closed her eyes and then opened them.


    Blood-red eyes with pupils that were vertical slits...


    ¡°These are dragon eyes... it¡¯s a trait of dragons.¡±


    She let her eyes be seen for a moment, and then closed them again. When she opened them, they had returned to normal.


    It had to have been an illusion spell, or something simr.


    ¡°... Was that real?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s real...¡±


    The problem with stories about dragons was that there were many legends, but there was no definitive consensus on what they actually were.


    It was unclear whether their forms were even that of winged lizards or not.


    Hence, when asked to prove that she was a dragon, anything could serve as evidence, since no one knew anything about dragons. Pointing out dragon eyes or anything else didn¡¯t actually constitute evidence, because no one had ever seen a real dragon.


    Eleris was offering up random nonsense as proof that she was a dragon. Ellen, who did not know any better, was starting to consider the possibility.


    Ellen seemed to be deep in thought.


    Indeed, given Eleris¡¯s excellent physical stamina which allowed her to keep up with our grueling journey withoutint, her exceptional uracy with a slingshot, her timely use of spells, her vast knowledge, and her ability to unleash high-level magic without hesitation, it was hard to see her as just a low-level mage.


    ¡°Whether you¡¯re a dragon or not, I suspected you might not be human,¡± Ellen said, voicing her doubts in Eleris¡¯s humanity.


    ¡°Oh, i-is that so...?¡±


    Ellen seemed to half-believe her story, but in the end, she seemed to conclude that, as long as Eleris didn¡¯t harbor any hostility towards us, it didn¡¯t matter who or what she was. Ellen still looked troubled about having used Mana Reinforcement to protect someone who didn¡¯t actually need protection.


    Anyway, whether Ellen truly believed the dragon story or not, she knew that Eleris wasn¡¯t hostile towards us. Meanwhile, I had to struggle to pretend to be surprised along with her.


    Eleris was spouting bizarre nonsense, and although I knew it was all garbage, I had to y along, acting amazed at her supposedly unbelievable true identity.


    It felt like torture.


    We gathered the bodies of the zombies and burned them all, just in case, even though the curse from the sword had dissipated.


    For the moment, I sealed the cursed sword by wrapping it tightly in strips of clothlike bandages and slung it over my back. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough, but there was no way Ellen and Eleris would befortable with me carrying it in any other way.


    Regardless of what had been said, I didn¡¯t want to hand the sword over to either of them. Who knew what might happen?


    Eleris remembered seeing Ellen coughing up blood, and said, ¡°By the way, we should examine Ellen¡¯s physical condition. It didn¡¯t seem like you knew how to perform Mana Reinforcement before...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Are you really okay?¡± I asked Ellen.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. I feel a bit dizzy.¡±


    Ellen was at least aware that she wasn¡¯t at her best.


    ¡°May I take a look?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen hesitated, possibly still suspicious of Eleris, but she eventually allowed Eleris to touch her.


    ¡°Hmm... It looks like your mana is severely depleted. It¡¯s probably because you overexerted yourself.¡±


    Since she did not know the proper method of harnessing her mana, Ellen had used her power excessively, exerting severe strain on her body.


    ¡°I¡¯ll share some of my mana with you.¡±


    A blue light flowed from Eleris¡¯s body into Ellen¡¯s. After a short moment, Ellen¡¯splexion improved a little.


    ¡°Do you feel slightly better now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m not a specialist in treating these kinds of injuries. There will likely be limits as to what Divine Power can do. When you return to the Temple, seek out an expert and receive proper treatment.¡±


    Injuries from Mana Reinforcement could not be healed with Divine Power. I knew this too, since Ludwig had a tough time mastering it.


    This meant she needed a chi therapy specialist, someone skilled in Mana Reinforcement. Such individuals could be found at the Temple.


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    A suspicious mage iming to be a dragon...


    Though Ellen seemed hesitant, she seemed to reluctantly acknowledge Eleris¡¯s genuine intention to help us. Had Eleris helped us more effectively from the start, Ellen might not have felt the need to consider it further.


    At any rate, everyone was safe for now.


    ¡°Given the circumstances, let¡¯s return via teleportation this time. I¡¯ll transport us all. Don¡¯t waste the scroll.¡±


    Now that she was done with her pretense of concept, she could easily offer us a means of travel that did not involve walking.


    ¡°Hmm... but wait a moment,¡± said Ellen. She seemed to think there was something else to sort out.


    ¡°Is there more to do?¡±


    After all, Altz Point was now safe.


    ¡°There must still be treasures around here,¡± Ellen said.


    There had to be plenty of unimed treasures lying about.


    ¡°Is there any reason why we shouldn¡¯t take them?¡± she continued.


    <i>Why leave valuable items behind? We should gather everything. If we leave them, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild or some rogue adventurers would likelye and im them instead!</i>

 Chapter 169

    <h4>Chapter 169</h4>


    We gathered the remaining treasure in Altz Point. Aside from small jewels and precious metals, there were three important items that we had to retrieve.


    The items were listed in the guild journal: the cursed sword, as well as a pair of earrings and a bracelet that were considered as magical items.


    However, we could not find the bracelet and were only able to locate the earrings. ording to the results of Eleris¡¯s Detect spell, it was confirmed that they were not cursed items.


    ¡°These are earrings that are imbued with the Tranquility spell.¡±


    ¡°Tranquility?¡±


    Eleris exined, ¡°It¡¯s a type of magic that calms the wearer¡¯s mind. It¡¯s used to soothe people who are in a state of confusion.¡±


    <i>¡®So it functions like a calming pill or tranquilizer... Is that a good thing?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is it a good item?¡± asked Ellen.


    Eleris nodded. ¡°Certainly. Being able to stay calm in a crisis is important, right? It¡¯s not an easy item to make. Of course, I don¡¯t need it, though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it either.¡±


    Ellen handed the earrings to me. Ellen was moreposed in crisis situations than I was, even with my Divine Spirit. Surely, she wouldn¡¯t need such a magical item.


    However, with my Divine Spirit performing a simr role, I didn¡¯t particrly need it either.


    ¡°Hmm... I guess I can sell it or something... It should be useful somehow.¡±


    I put the earrings in my backpack for now. Possessing an expensive item was never a bad thing, regardless of who used it. In addition, we managed to retrieve arge number of jewels and gold coins from the luggage in an inn, which we presumed to have been upied by adventurers.


    Although we were taking items that had no owners, it felt oddly guilt-inducing.


    We found about twenty gold coins and some other precious metals whose value was difficult to judge urately.


    We decided to split these among ourselves. Since there were more precious metals than money, it wasn¡¯t possible to divide everything exactly three ways, but we chose to overlook that.


    ¡°You all can take the magical items. I don¡¯t need them,¡± said Eleris, maintaining the concept that, as a dragon, she was not greedy for such things. Of course, she still collected lucrative items like precious metals.


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll prepare the Teleportation spell,¡± Eleris said.


    It would take five days to return to Saints Point. Eleris intended to reduce that travel time with a mass Teleportation spell.


    ¡°... At this point, it would be stranger if you weren¡¯t a dragon,¡± said Ellen.


    ¡°Ahaha... This will take a bit of time, so please sit and rest.¡±


    The fact that Eleris could use top-tier spatial magic seemed to convince Ellen even more of Eleris¡¯s im that she was a dragon.


    We waited by her side for thirty minutes until the incantation wasplete.


    ¡°It was a roller coaster ride, but in the end, we somehow made it through.¡±


    I never truly held the optimistic expectation that the reconnaissance mission would only involve reconnaissance.


    However, I never expected we would end up resolving the entire incident. Even though Eleris¡¯s contribution was significant, Ellen and I had managed to wrap up a pretty substantial case.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep that thing on you for too long,¡± said Ellen worriedly, constantly ncing over at the cursed sword strapped to my back. ¡°Make a report and hand it over to the Temple straightaway.¡±


    Her concern was entirely understandable.


    ***


    After teleporting back to Saints Point, we reported the events at Altz Point to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild officer. The officer¡¯s log from Altz Point served as sufficient evidence.


    ¡°Hmm... zombies... and a cursed sword...¡±


    Once he grasped the series of events, he realized how much more serious the situation had been.


    ¡°You not only defeated the horde of zombies at Altz Point but also retrieved the cursed sword?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We couldn¡¯t avoid a fight.¡±


    The guild officer stared at us in shock. He nced at the sword strapped to my back and wrapped in multipleyers of cloth, unable to hide his unease.


    ¡°The principle is generally to leave items acquired by adventurers to them. However, if an item is excessively dangerous, the guild is supposed to take possession of it for a fairpensation.¡±


    He seemed to think that me keeping the cursed sword might lead to further danger, and his statement wasn¡¯t incorrect. After all, it was because of adventurers mishandling a dangerous item that this disaster had happened in the first ce.


    Ellen and Eleris both seemed to think it was better to leave the sword with the guild and remained silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I n to take it to the Temple for further analysis,¡± I replied.


    ¡°... Right. Of course.¡±


    He finally seemed to remember that we had the imperial crest, as well as Temple-issued student IDs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard things about it, but the Temple truly is remarkable... For such young kids to be able to resolve such a significant case...¡±


    He was unaware of the full circumstances surrounding us, and so found it unusual that we, as students, had managed to handle ourselves in such arge-scale incident. Hearing things about Temple was one thing, but seeing its prowess firsthand was different. Of course, Eleris¡¯s help had been substantial, and we were not typical Temple students, but we didn¡¯t go into those details.


    ¡°We assessed the risk to be B-rank, but it turned out to be much more severe. I¡¯ll give you the promised payment of ten gold coins each, plus an additional ten each. So, a total of twenty gold coins each. Additionally, we will further assess the situation and provide extrapensation based on our findings.¡±


    The Adventurers¡¯ Guild was generous. Since the task had been more dangerous than expected, and we had aplished more than requested, they were willing to give us the maximum payment and provide furtherpensation after a thorough analysis of the incident.


    ¡°I will send the extrapensation owed to the two of you to the Temple... As for this mage, I understand she is not a Temple student...¡±


    ¡°I can collect it from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that will work.¡±


    He stared at the three of us for a moment. Whatever expectations he had from us, this was clearly not what he anticipated.


    ¡°You are all F-rank adventurers, but with this incident and what happened previously, your ranks will certainly be updated.¡±


    Resolving these two incidents was a perfect demonstration of our skills, and would be enough to see our adventurer ranks rise significantly. The guild officerpleted the paperwork necessary to authorize ourpensation and handed each of us our own copy. We could submit them to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild at the Egxian Forward Base to receive our rewards.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well. On behalf of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and countless other adventurers, I extend my gratitude. The guild will do its best to handle the aftermath.¡±


    There was a certain expression of respect in his eyes, especially since we were still so young. It felt quite peculiar.


    Ellen looked at me.


    Had we truly helped anyone? It seemed like all we¡¯d done was kill things. We had taken on the gruesome deed of killing the dead a second time.


    In the end, we didn¡¯t know what were the conditions on the frontier thaty beyond Altz Point. The people there might have already been wiped out by the zombie horde.


    Ellen, who needed experience, had gained it. Whether she was satisfied with that or not, I couldn¡¯t tell. I had my own share of uncertainties.


    Ellen looked at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± she said softly.


    Whatever the case, our short stint as adventurers hade to an end.


    ***


    Since it was alreadyte, we spent a day resting at Saints Point.


    The next day...


    We returned to the Egxian Forward Base and received our basepensation from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. Each of us got twenty gold coins. Our adventurer ranks would be adjusted after a thorough evaluation, and we would be informed about it through Temple once it was finalized.


    We were now heading back to Temple. It was also time to part ways with the mage who imed to be a dragon entertaining herself, Rellia.


    At the warp gate in Egxian, Eleris bid us farewell.


    Ellen stared intently at Eleris. ¡°What will you do after we leave?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m not sure. Maybe wander around here and there... Something like that. Though honestly, I don¡¯t want to go through such intense experiences again.¡±


    In the past, Eleris had mentioned being sick of killing. A thought suddenly crossed my mind. I wondered if asking her to protect us in emergency situations was causing her distress.


    She continued, ¡°It was only a short time, and saying that I was happy with you all... It feels like something I shouldn¡¯t be saying...¡±


    Although we had many aplishments, the entire experience couldn¡¯t truly be called good. Killing things and mutting corpses could never be a good experience.


    ¡°I enjoyed being with you two. Truly.¡±


    Though I knew Eleris had to lie to Ellen until the end, I could tell that she was being sincere. Ellen stood silently, just staring at Eleris.


    After a long, steady gaze, Ellen finally spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what you¡¯re saying, and I still don¡¯t understand the real intention behind your actions.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t believe Eleris was a dragon, but it seemed she was convinced that Eleris was some sort of strange beingparable to one.


    Why she had acted the way she did remained a mystery. Nevertheless, Ellen extended her hand.


    ¡°Still, thank you for being with us.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    In the end, Ellen merely acknowledged that we had received help from the suspicious mage named Rellia, and expressed her gratitude. Eleris nkly stared at Ellen¡¯s outstretched hand. For some reason, it seemed as if she might cry.


    She took Ellen¡¯s hand, her eyes slightly red. ¡°I hope someday we can travel together again. Not in such dangerous ces, but somewhere... prettier and more beautiful. I want to have a journey where we only see good things.¡±


    ¡°I hope for that too.¡±


    Ellen, who had once struggled with interacting with people, was nowfortable saying such things. That was undoubtedly one of the positive changes that hade about through our various trials.


    With that, we left Egxian.


    [Event Complete ¨C Adventure in The Dark Land]


    [Evaluating achievements...]


    [You did your best! Great job!]


    [Reward: One of Ellen Artorius¡¯s traits will be randomly granted to you.]


    [Trait - ¡®Hero¡¯s Lineage¡¯ acquired.]


    I also received an entirely unexpected reward.


    ***


    <i>Trait: Hero¡¯s Lineage</i>


    <i>Description: Heroes possess extraordinary potentialpared to ordinary humans. They have unparalleled limits that are far beyond what normal humans can achieve, and their growth rate rarely slows down.</i>


    The Divine Spirit trait¡ªthe one I received from Olivia Lanche¡ªwas another thing I had never consciously set as a trait in the original story.


    There were things in the original work that couldn¡¯t be exined by talent alone. For example, why did Ellen Artorius continue to grow in strength rapidly, as if unaffected by the limits that others faced?


    This added setting of ¡°Hero¡¯s Lineage¡± provided a usible exnation for that growth.


    Even so, it all boiled down to one fact: ¡°she can do it because she¡¯s the sister of a hero.¡± That was the literal meaning of the trait¡¯s name. However, Ellen likely had other traits as well. Unfortunately, there was no way to verify which other traits she possessed.


    This particr trait concerned speed of growth, and limits. Simply training daily would not mean a consistent rate of growth. Once one reached a certain level, the rate of growth would slow, until one reached a certain limit.


    In the world ofpetitive sprinting, as sprinters grew better and more advanced, the differences became smaller, even to 0.01 seconds. Everyone had their own personal limits. For some, their strength ceiling might be at B-rank, for others, A-rank, or even S-rank.


    This trait significantly raised those limits. If my original strength growth limit was at B-rank, now, it could be elevated to A+ or S-rank.


    The Divine Spirit trait already provided me with a significant advantage, but this Hero¡¯s Lineage trait was akin to giving me simr¡ªif not identical¡ªgrowth potential to Ellen.


    In short, it was the most crucial trait for me right now, a trait that would allow me to surpass my personal limits.


    The Dark Land event promised rewards based on performance, and it seems the overlords recognized the effort I put in this time.


    For once, I had achieved a satisfying reward indeed.


    Who would have thought I¡¯d be grateful to that stupid candy vendor?


    [Strength 8.1 (C-)]


    [Agility 8.1 (C-)]


    [Dexterity 9.5 (C-)]


    [Mana 12.4 (C+)]


    [Stamina 12.8 (C+)]


    [Control Demon - D] (Unique Ability of Archdemons) (Not usable in the current state.)


    [Self-Deception - C]


    [Swordsmanship - C]


    [Combat Level Assessment: B-]


    However one chose to look at it, the practical experience gained on this excursion had propelled me to the next step. The rank of my Self-Deception had increased, and thanks to my consistent training, my Swordsmanship had risen to C-rank. Admittedly, it had already been at this level before our trip to the Dark Land.


    Of course, the ranks of my stats were not everything, but it <i>did</i> serve as a partial indicator of where I am.


    Compared to before, the improvement in mybat level was significant, but a B-minus rating indicated there was still a long way to go.


    Of course, even this level of ability was more than sufficient to draw some envy.


    I was also entering the phase where growth would typically start to slow down. However, thanks to the Hero¡¯s Lineage trait, that limitation was now virtually eliminated.


    The adventure had ended, and I had received an unexpected reward.


    However, as we headed back, carrying memories that were far from happy, I found it difficult to feel any spring in my step.

 Chapter 170

    <h4>Chapter 170</h4>


    After returning to the Temple, we handed back our equipment and met with Mr. Effenhauser to discuss what had happened.


    Even the usually calm and collected Mr. Effenhauser looked regretful after hearing what we had gone through.


    ¡°It was a hasty decision on my end,¡± he said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sent you there.¡±


    The two of us, mere students, had annihted a gang of bandits, wandered around and cursed by a cursed sword, and had eventually retrieved the sword itself.


    While Ellen and I informed him of everything that had gone on, we minimized the story about the mage, Rellia, since we had decided to keep Rellia¡¯s abilities a secret. Although Ellen couldn¡¯t understand Rellia, it seemed like in the end, Ellen hade through with a favorable impression of her.


    The Temple did not know much about the situation at the Egxian base, or within the Dark Land as a whole. The higher-ups believed that everything would be fine since many adventurers had been dispatched there, but they hadn¡¯t considered that the adventurers themselves could be a threat.


    Most people who hadn¡¯t been to Egxian would think that way. After all, while Ellen and I knew we had to be cautious of the adventurers, many things were unbelievable even when seen with our own eyes.


    Had the Temple authorities known the reality of it, they would have never let us go there.


    Still, they had done the best they could. They had initially intended to assign Mr. Effenhauser as our supervising teacher and to travel with us, but when we declined, they had even provided us with a Teleportation scroll to escape in case of emergency.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the cursed sword that you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I ced the sword, wrapped in a rag, on the table. I also warned Mr. Effenhauser not to touch it directly, just in case.


    Mr. Effenhauser silently stared at the cursed sword.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you weren¡¯t affected by the curse?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had a few spections as to why... Perhaps I have some... innate resistance to this sort of magic or curses.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s too hard to exin. It is what it is.¡¯</i>


    There was no other way to exin it. Attributes like these were powers that physical scanners couldn¡¯t detect.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll request an analysis from the relevant department within the Temple. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure they know it¡¯s a very dangerous item. Of course, it belongs to you. If the Temple decides that it¡¯s safe for you to use it, we won¡¯t interfere with your possession of it.¡±


    As long as it was deemed safe, the Temple would willingly allow me to use the cursed sword in any way I saw fit.


    It was a sinister item, but it was clear that it possessed significant power.


    ¡°If you need psychological counseling, let me know.¡±


    Since we had gone through a horrific experience, Mr. Effenhauser thought we might need counseling, but neither of us decided to receive psychological counseling.


    Mr. Effenhauser was almost astounded to hear that Ellen had awakened her Mana Reinforcement ability on her own, since it was generally considered impossible.


    Watching his shocked reactions to our aplishments was rather amusing.


    Of course, Ellen had to receive some follow-up treatment for her deteriorated physical condition, as the injuries were beyond the healing capabilities of ordinary priests.


    The person who administered the treatment to her was apletely unexpected person.


    ¡°It¡¯s like releasing a dragon in a narrow alley, Ellen.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°Very well. Even if you stumble on your first step, what does it matter? The important thing is that you¡¯ve taken that first step, so you can be considered to have started walking now.¡±


    Ellen looked perplexed.


    ¡°Now... breathe in deeply... and exhale... Feel the energy of the universe...¡±


    It was the person who I suspected was a yoga master, or maybe even a hypnotist.


    It was no other than the mana management training instructor¡ªthe one who taught the ss in which students seemed to fall asleep and wake up only to realize the ss was over.


    Apparently, there was no one on the entire continent who could match him in internal mana management and operation. In other words, he was a master among masters. Though he wasn¡¯t necessarily a Swordmaster, he was <i>some</i> kind of master in his field.


    <i>A Master of Masters...</i>


    That basically made him a Grandmaster, then.


    Anyway, the Grand Yoga Master guy performed something akin to energy healing on Ellen.


    In the first ce, the injuries caused by Mana Reinforcement were not injuries that anyone would normally sustain. In martial arts terms, it was akin to something like internal energy deviation. If you were not at a certain level, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to sustain such injuries.


    Naturally, therefore, finding someone capable of healing such an injury would be extremely difficult.


    However, there was someone at the Temple who was the perfect person to be able to treat it. It dawned on me once again how impressive the Temple¡¯s human resources were.


    Ellen looked quite relieved after the treatment was done.


    ¡°What about Mana Reinforcement? Did he say anything about it?¡± I asked Ellen.


    ¡°He told me not to use it, and that it¡¯s dangerous. He said I¡¯ll be receiving one-on-one guidance on it once the semester begins.¡±


    It seemed that the Grand Yoga Master teacher had decided to personally tutor Ellen on Mana Reinforcement, given this unprecedented situation. It was basically akin to instructing a child who was ying with a nuclear weapon on how to use it properly.


    Anyway, the events in the Dark Land had finallye to a close.


    We hadn¡¯t been away from the Royal ss dormitory for that long, but it felt as though we were returning home after a very long time.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    However, something about the atmosphere of the Temple dormitory felt unfamiliar to the both of us, and it wasn¡¯t just because the ce was almost deserted during the vacation.


    We remained silent, quietly contemting the sense of relief from having returned safely, and the <i>something </i>within us that had changed.


    A mix ofplex emotions surged within us, yet it was hard to identify exactly what they were. It was nearly impossible to describe them in a single word.


    In the end, we didn¡¯t even head to our rooms to rest. Instead, we just sat side by side in the lobby, staring nkly at the air.


    It felt like we should have said something to wrap up the situation, so we sat together, but no words came out, as if we had forgotten what to say.


    Then, I realized the truth...


    Ellen and I were both simply utterly exhausted. We had faced overwhelming challenges without having a moment to truly rest, and now that everything was over, we werepletely drained.


    All the events in the Dark Land left us with horrific memories, so we didn¡¯t feel the need to bring them up.


    Although we had resolved them, the events themselves were gruesome and dreadful.


    We needed to wrap things up and move on, but we didn¡¯t even have the strength or the will to have the necessary conversation.


    Even though we had managed to get through everything, we both had unerasable scars that left their imprints on our hearts. Verbalizing these feelings might only deepen the wounds.


    Ellen silently leaned her head on my shoulder.


    We stayed like that for a long while, saying nothing.


    ***


    Even after returning from the Dark Land, it was only natural to continue our training.


    It had been three days since we returned to the Temple, and vacation was still ongoing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    There were hardly any people left in the Royal ss. Except for me and Ellen, only Adelia remained.


    We started doing morning exercises together, and by now, I could easily keep pace with Ellen. It wasn¡¯t difficult to do so, especially with my supernatural power giving me a bit of assistance as well.


    At the beginning of the year, I was frail and weak, but somehow, I hade this far. I guess all of this was a result of personal effort, my supernatural power, and cheats.


    After finishing a long workout, we sat on a bench, drinking water to quench our thirst.


    The silence dragged on.


    Since returning from the Dark Land, we hadn¡¯t talked much.


    It wasn¡¯t because it was awkward; we simply didn¡¯t know what to say.


    We hadn¡¯t discussed anything about the Dark Land since our consultation with Mr. Effenhauser.


    Ellen had been talkative while we were in the Dark Land since there was a lot to think about, discuss, and question.


    Now that we were back at the Temple, though, her words had grown few and far between again.


    It wasn¡¯t that Ellen had returned to her usual self; it felt different from that.


    We hadn¡¯t mentioned any of the events from the Dark Land at all, as if it were a taboo, avoiding the topic altogether.


    However, neither of us could possibly carry on a conversation without avoiding that topic.


    Naturally, our minds were preupied with thoughts about them.


    These thoughts were about killing others and almost being killed. Even though things hade to a conclusion, it was inevitable that they would haunt us like a trauma¡ªthe people we had killed, and the battles with the zombies.


    It was true that I was having constant nightmares.


    I lost sleep remembering the maggot-infested faces of zombies and the memories of ughtering them.


    Oddly enough, I didn¡¯t have these nightmares while in the Dark Land. Now, though, in a safe ce where I could finally process my thoughts, those memories surged to the fore, hitting me like an aftershock.


    I tried not to think about it, yet despite theck of any guilty feelings, the horrific images still flooded my mind.


    That was why we avoided talking about the Dark Land, and as a result, why we hardly spoke at all.


    Even though we had been together constantly since our return, except when we slept, we barely talked.


    Our conversations were just limited to:


    <i>¡°Want to eat?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Yeah.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Let¡¯s exercise.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Sure.¡±</i>


    That was pretty much it.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just that we were talking less; there were also some other changes.


    Ellen treated me a bit more casually than before.


    She leaned on me asionally, and evenid her head in myp during a training session, iming she was tired, before eventually dozing off.


    It felt nice to be closer to her, but... It was a strange feeling, almost like we were a married couple who no longermunicated at all.


    ***


    Although many things had happened, only two weeks had passed since the beginning of the vacation.


    We had spent just over a week in the Dark Land, yet so many things happened that changed both Ellen and me forever.


    Thinking it was about time that Eleris returned, I went to her shop and found her sitting there.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Eleris had shed her disguise as Rellia and returned to her true form.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what you went through.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Your Highness. Although it wasn¡¯t enjoyable... it was a meaningful experience,¡± Eleris said.


    She smiled sadly. ¡°That girl. She must be rted to Ragan Artorius, right?¡±


    I paused for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s his younger sister.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    <i>The younger sister of Artorius, the one who killed the Demon King...</i>


    <i>And the son of the Demon King who killed Artorius...</i>


    Eleris seemed conflicted about whether such a rtionship should even exist.


    ¡°She seemed like a nice girl; upright, strong, and kind,¡± Eleris said as she quietly took my hand. ¡°I sincerely hope that you and that girl do not end up in a tragic rtionship, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Even though she said that, Eleris had a look on her face that suggested that she was witnessing a story with an inevitable ending.


    ¡°Sarkegar... He must never, ever know about this.¡±


    If Sarkegar found out, he would do everything in his power to harm Ellen. I wasn¡¯t sure about Loyar, but she hadn¡¯t caused Ellen any harm after I¡¯d told her to leave her alone.


    The rtionship between Ellen and I, no matter how strong, was as fragile as ss, at risk of shattering with the revtion of a single truth.


    ¡°Make sure Loyar keeps her mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°And deliver this to her as well.¡±


    I ced the backpack I was carrying in front of Eleris. It contained the jewelry and valuables we had brought back from the Dark Land, as we intended to sell them through the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    I didn¡¯t know their exact value, but they had to be worth a significant amount. I had brought not only my share but Ellen¡¯s as well, since I knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to sell them on her own. Even if she could, she would find it bothersome.


    Combining this with Eleris¡¯s own share, we would be free of any financial issues for a while.


    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, look for a ce in a basement, or one that doesn¡¯t get much sunlight. What¡¯s the point of earning money if you don¡¯t spend it?¡±


    ¡°I-Is that... really okay with you, Your Highness?¡± Eleris trembled with joy, clearly delighted by the mere thought.

 Chapter 171

    <h4>Chapter 171</h4>


    Our training continued on and on.


    In the past, the routine sometimes felt tedious, but now it felt like we were taking a break, especially for Ellen. In the Dark Land, she had been like a hissing cat, on edge and suspicious of everything that came at her. Now, though, she was gradually returning to her usual self.


    Speaking of which, just imagining Ellen hissing seemed kind of cute...


    Of course, Ellen¡¯s demeanor in the Dark Land had been far from cute. In fact, she had been impressive. She had incredible charisma, spoke way more than usual, and everything she said had been spot on.


    She was almost back to her usual self now; cool and collected.


    Her sensitive behavior in the Dark Land was theplete opposite of her usual self.


    Now that she was back in the safe environment of the Temple, she was returning to her original state.


    Of course, it still wasn¡¯t easy for us to have conversations like we did before. We still worked out together in the early mornings and trained together in the training grounds, but it felt like we were just performing assigned tasks.


    It wasn¡¯t awkward, but it was just hard to know how to strike up a conversation. We ended up having short, curt conversations instead.


    Normally, I would joke around or tease her, and Ellen would respond sulkily or eventually get annoyed, but that wasn¡¯t happening right now.


    Even when we made something to eat at night, I would make it on my own, and Ellen would eat it quietly.


    It wasn¡¯t that we felt ufortable with each other. In fact, she seemed perfectlyfortable with me. It was just that our minds were filled with topics we did not want to discuss, so nothing was said.


    It was just that kind of typical lunchtime.


    There were only three first-year ss A students left in the Temple: Adelia, Ellen and me.


    Adelia had been extremely worried when we first returned, so much so that she was nearly in tears. Of course, I had always found her difficult to deal with, and it was the same with Ellen.


    We didn¡¯t tell her what had happened in the Dark Land, and only mentioned that the protection bracelet she¡¯d made had been a great help. In fact, when Ellen cut off Snoden¡¯s arm the first time, she had activated the protection bracelet so that she could catch hold of the sword, so it truly had been useful.


    I still hadn¡¯t used mine yet, though, so I still wore it just in case.


    ¡°Um... Are you really not going to tell me what happened?¡± Adelia asked, seemingly not convinced by our im that nothing had happened.


    ¡°I told you, nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh! S-Sorry! I-I shouldn¡¯t have asked so much...¡± she stammered apologetically, startled by my rather sharp response.


    <i>¡®Why does she always treat me like I am continuously angry when I am not? How annoying of her.</i>


    <i>¡®Oh... I get why now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, Ellen paid no attention and ate quietly, gazing with her hollow eyes.


    It was clear that she wasn¡¯t getting proper sleep.


    ***


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I was flung backward. I rolled several times across the floor of the training grounds, and then got up unsteadily.


    ¡°Hey... are you seriously trying to kill me?¡±


    ¡°It was a mistake. Sorry.¡±


    Regardless of the various issues guing us, we were still sparring as usual on the training grounds, and Ellen was being much rougher than usual.


    Ellen adjusted her grip on her practice sword and pointed it at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen rushed towards me, swinging her sword downward.


    Instead of blocking, I sidestepped, aiming to avoid the attack entirely and counter with a strike to her neck.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As I tried to pivot to the side, she anticipated my move and took my legs out from under me.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    Ultimately, I lost my bnce and fell. She pointed her sword at me as Iy on the ground.


    ¡°... Are you really trying to break one of my bones or something...?¡±


    Ellen hadn¡¯t performed a simple trip; she had intentionally targeted my ankle. It stung so much that getting up was incredibly difficult.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen looked down at me and then grabbed my hand to help me up.


    Although my skills were iparable to before, and I had even reinforced my body with my supernatural powers, I was still no match for Ellen, who wasn¡¯t even using Mana Reinforcement.


    While I grew stronger, Ellen also continued to improve. I was trying to catch up, but she was always a step ahead.


    Though I was continually getting beaten, every blow I received was making me improve in ways I didn¡¯t even realize.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡±


    Ellen raised her sword again, and this time I took the initiative and moved forward with a thrust.


    <i>ng</i>!


    Instead of deflecting my sword, she struck the side of it as it came at her.


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>!¡±


    I didn¡¯t lose my grip like before, but the trajectory of my sword twisted sharply, leaving my chest exposed. Ellen deflected my sword and simultaneously thrust her training sword into my abdomen.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The blunt tip of the training sword struck my abdomen forcefully, causing me to copse immediately.


    She didn¡¯t stop the sword blow that should have been stopped...


    ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Ellen, seemingly startled, knelt down in front of me, examining my condition.


    ¡°Hey... It seems like you can¡¯t control your strength...¡±


    Her eyes were hollow, and she looked incredibly exhausted.


    If she was truly tired and worn out, she might lose to me, but because she couldn¡¯t control her strength at all, she had be even more rough than usual.


    <i>¡®If we continue like this, I might end up getting seriously injured by ident.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. These things happen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I staggered a little as I slowly got up.


    Normally, I would have just gone to rest, but I had to go see the duty priest.


    At this rate, I might actually end up seriously hurt.


    ***


    Ellen stared nkly at the gate to the training grounds, where Reinhart had taken his leave.


    She woke up about five or six times the night before because she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly.


    Since Ellen has a good memory, the faces of the people she killed woulde to her mind just before she fell asleep. She remembered the horrific forms of zombies, the shapes of their innards, and how their flesh and blood dripped and sttered as she ughtered them.


    She was tormented by these horrible memories as she struggled to fall asleep, and when she <i>finally</i> managed to<i> </i>fall asleep, those images would materialize in her dreams as well.


    There was no way she could sleep properly.


    The faces of the people she¡¯d killed, the ghastly appearance of the zombies that had risen from the dead¡ªthey flitted through her dreams, causing her to wake up drenched in cold sweat as if she had been having a seizure.


    <i>¡®Reinhart must be going through the same thing. I don¡¯t want to keep having these nightmares. I don¡¯t want to fall asleep gued by such horrifying images any longer. None of this happened in the Dark Land. In fact, in the Dark Land, I didn¡¯t have nightmares at all.¡¯</i>


    Ellen knew something else too.


    Lately, she hadn¡¯t been able to have any real conversations with Reinhart.


    It was like they¡¯d been exchanging questions and answers, rather than having a proper conversation.


    Single words exchanged here and there without any actual follow-up were not real conversations.


    She wished he would say something to her, but she did not want to pry into what he was struggling with because that was something she didn¡¯t want to talk about either.


    Before that, though...


    Ellen realized a more fundamental problem: the decline in their conversations wasn¡¯t due to a change on Ellen¡¯s part.


    Reinhart, who always initiated conversations first, had be quieter.


    She has always been the silent one, both in the past and now. Whether her mind was clear or full ofplications, she was always silent.


    The currentck of conversation was because Reinhart couldn¡¯t find anything to say.


    <i>¡®Always... always... He¡¯s always the one who starts the conversation.¡¯</i>


    Every conversation always began with Reinhart speaking.


    Although her responses were always short answers like ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no,¡± despite her terse replies, Reinhart relentlessly kept the conversation going.


    He would always continue to talk about something, anything, even when she did not respond. Be it nonsense, ramblings, or whatever.


    Reinhart always kept the conversation alive, as if he was expecting her to eventually respond. He was always persistent, saying this and that.


    Now that Reinhart had stopped talking, their conversations had dried up.


    Ellen realized for the first time how passively she had been behaving. She stood there nkly in the training yard for a long while.


    ***


    Ellen had shut herself in her room and did note out.


    Even without Ellen, I continued my training routine. Practicing my form and my swordsmanship against the training dummy had be quite familiar to me.


    Besides, I had always done physical training alone anyway.


    That night, after finishing my evening training, I cooked something for myself since Ellen wasn¡¯t around, washed up, and went to bed.


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    However, just before I fell asleep, someone knocked on my door.


    Who could it be? There were no curfews in the dorm, and since it was vacation, the dorm supervisors didn¡¯t patrol.


    <i>¡®Could it be Sarkegar? He visited once before, disguised as a maid, so it¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡¯</i>


    However, when I opened the door, it was someone unexpected.


    ¡°... What brings you here at this hour?¡±


    Standing there in her pajamas was Ellen.


    Entering each other¡¯s dorm rooms at night was, of course, not allowed. However, it was summer break, and the dorm supervisor¡¯s surveince was generallyx.


    Although it was against the rules, as long as we didn¡¯t get caught, it would be fine.


    Without waiting for my invitation, Ellen stepped briskly into my room.


    There wasn¡¯t anything embarrassing in my room that I needed to hide, so her sudden entry didn¡¯t bother me.


    But then, she did something utterly unexpected.


    Shey down on my bed.


    ¡°... What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep here.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    My brain momentarily froze.


    <i>¡®What is she saying? Maybe she¡¯s lost her mind? Is it an aftereffect of what happened in the Dark Land?¡¯</i>


    Ellen stared at me intently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been having nightmarestely.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    I could easily see from the dark circles under her eyes that her restless sleep was adversely affecting her. I was experiencing the same thing too.


    <i>¡®But what does having nightmares have to do with sleeping in my room?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have nightmares when I was with you.¡±


    <i>¡®Hence, I¡¯m going to sleep here with you.¡¯ </i>That was what she meant.


    ¡°No matter howx the dorm supervisors are during vacation, it¡¯s still possible that we could get caught. What if that happens?¡±


    Ellen, lying down with her head on my pillow, shook her head.


    I realized that I wasn¡¯t saying ¡°no¡±, but rather asking what we would do if we got caught, which wasn¡¯t quite right either.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    She was basically saying, ¡°If we get caught, so what?¡±


    True, the probability of being caught by a dorm supervisor was very low...


    ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t you ask for my permission in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°Previously, you didn¡¯t mind us sleeping together.¡±


    Was she saying, ¡°We¡¯ve already done it once, why not do it again?¡±


    She clearly wouldn¡¯t get up even if I tried to force her to.


    <i>¡®I understand that we¡¯ve be morefortable with each other... but are we really this close? That she¡¯s okaying into a guy¡¯s room and casually saying that she¡¯s going to sleep here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... If we get caught, I¡¯m going to say you forced your way in and that I couldn¡¯t kick you out because you were too strong.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen, who was giving off the ¡°do whatever you want¡± vibe, pulled the nket over herself and prepared to go to sleep.


    <i>¡®What is this? Did the various things we had to do in the Dark Land somehow make Ellen immune to any normal reaction to this kind of bizarre action?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡°If we did it in the Dark Land, why can¡¯t we do it here?¡±</i>


    That had to be what she was thinking...


    ¡°Move over.¡±


    <i>Whack</i>!


    In any case, I turned off the light and pushed Ellen towards the wall with my foot before lying down on the bed. There was more than one pillow, so that wasn¡¯t an issue, but there was only one nket.


    Ellen turned to face me, staring at me intently, her face illuminated in the faint moonlight.


    <i>¡®Why is she staring? What does she want?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do <i>you </i>have nightmares?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®Honestly, nightmares right now would be preferable, because at least that would mean that I¡¯m getting some sleep, and not being confronted by this ridiculous situation.¡¯</i>


    Ellen looked at me for a moment.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said suddenly.


    ¡°What are you suddenly apologizing for?¡±


    Ellen looked at me with sad eyes. ¡°For bringing you to a ce like that...¡±


    The horrible memories from that ce haunted us in the form of nightmares, and it seemed she felt guilty about it. Going to the Dark Land had be a bad memory for both of us.


    It was only now, long after our return, and in this strange and awkward situation, that we could even bring up that ce.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who said we should go in the first ce,¡± I replied.


    Ellen had agreed not to go when I¡¯d initially discouraged her from going, so it was actually me who had urged her to go, despite her hesitation.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t brought it up... you wouldn¡¯t have thought of going there,¡± Ellen retorted. She seemed to believe that her initial suggestion led me to eventually think about going to the Dark Land, and that it was ultimately her fault.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just say we both made mistakes.¡±


    She hesitated for a bit. ¡°Okay.¡±


    I had been prepared to face whatever it was that was going to confront us in that ce. Ellen had been as well. Even though what we encountered exceeded our wildest imaginations, we hadn¡¯t exactly gone there expecting to write vibrant and beautiful stories.


    We had decided to take it on and experience it, and now, all that was left was to ovee it.


    ¡°I... I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±


    It seemed Ellen still had more to say.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°About us, not talking at alltely.¡±


    It seemed Ellen was also troubled by the fact that we hadn¡¯t had a real conversation in a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard for me because you haven¡¯t been saying anything,¡± she continued. ¡°I want us to talk about something, anything. I want to sort out my thoughts, but you haven¡¯t been talking at all... And I realized something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a hint of guilt in Ellen¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You always, always start the conversations.¡±


    Now that I thought about it, she was right. I was always the one who initiated conversations with Ellen. Whether it was suggesting that we eat or exercise, making small talk, or even starting an argument, it was always me who instigated it.


    Not every conversation was like that, but in most cases, I was the one to start the dialogue. Even if she responded brusquely, I kept at it, grumbling or whatever, continuing to ramble on.


    Ellen was not the type to talk much, nor was she the type to initiate a conversation, and so most of her replies were brief. It was hard to hold a long conversation with her, even when things were normal.


    While she¡¯d been pondering why I hadn¡¯t been initiating conversations, she hade to the realization that she was always just waiting for the conversation toe to her, and making no effort to start it herself.


    Ellen quietly reached out and held my hand under the nket.


    ¡°Sorry, Reinhart. For everything... up until now, I haven¡¯t made any effort at all.¡±


    So, Ellen hade to me in the middle of the night, unexpectedly, to make things right.


    Unlike before, she was now attempting to initiate the conversation herself.


    I paused for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for. I like talking, and you¡¯ve always been indifferent no matter what I say, which actually makes it easier for me.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just saying that out of awkwardness; it was true. Ellen never paid attention to the rumors or what people thought of me in the ss. She didn¡¯t care if I wasbeled a troublemaker or anything else, and simply had zero interest in those things.


    Because of that, her reactions to whatever I said were always minimal, and I could say anything around her without much consequence.


    Ellen¡¯s passive attitude made it easy for me to be myself without having to make any significant effort, since I¡¯d always been someone used to spouting a lot of nonsense.


    <i>A very silent person, and someone who carries on about anything...</i>


    In a way, our personalities just clicked.


    My words drew a small smile from Ellen. It was painful to see her smile like that in the moonlight.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re going to wake me uppletely, you know?¡¯</i>


    Ellen closed her eyes while still holding my hand.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah, sure. I probably won¡¯t have any nightmares now.</i>


    <i>¡®More importantly, though, I should be worrying about whether I¡¯ll even be able to fall asleep.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The next day...


    <i>Smack</i>!


    ¡°Ow! What the?!¡±


    I woke up with a start thanks to sudden pain in my head.


    ¡°...¡±


    When I looked up, I saw Ellen with her hair all messed up, ring at me coldly through half-open eyes.


    ¡°What the heck! Why did you suddenly hit me on the head while I was sleeping?!¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t touch weird ces.¡±


    ¡°... T-Touch...? M-Me?!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where¡ªWhere did I touch?!¡±


    ¡°... Do you really want me to say it?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    I could muster no response in the face of Ellen¡¯s icy stare.


    Sensing that another wrong word could get me beaten up this time, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

 Chapter 172

    <h4>Chapter 172</h4>


    I woke up at the same time as always, which was dawn.


    We were so ustomed to our early morning training that our bodies naturally woke up at this hour.


    Ellen went to her room to get ready, and we met at the entrance to the dormitory.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Although we hadn¡¯t had another conversation until then, thanks to Ellen¡¯s attempt to reach out the night before, things felt a little more settled. It was a strange feeling, as if something had been untangled, even though there was no real tension between us.


    Still, nothing had changed significantly. We continued to converse during our morning run.


    ¡°Did you have any nightmaresst night?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her eyes didn¡¯t look as weary as they did the day before.


    ¡°I did have a dream, but it wasn¡¯t a nightmare,¡± Ellen said, but she didn¡¯t say what kind of dream it was.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Ellen asked me back, perhaps thinking about how she used to respond with short answers without continuing the conversation.


    Was she trying to change? I mean, there was no need for her to.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a nightmare either.¡±


    Even just a few nights back, I had tossed and turned a lot before barely falling asleep, too tired to even dream.


    Did she really think I could sleep peacefully next to her, though? Maybe it was fine for her, but it was certainly a little difficult for me.


    I was sure that Ellen Artorius didn¡¯t have normal human feelings...


    Anyway, this was now a problem.


    ¡°You¡¯re not nning to sleep in my room again tonight, are you?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you cane to my room.¡±


    ¡°How did it turn into that...?¡±


    ¡°If the dorm supervisor is the problem, it¡¯s summer break now, so we can sleep outside. We have plenty of money.¡±


    ¡°Why does it alwayse to that?¡±


    <i>¡®Why is she always insisting on sharing a bed with me? Why is she so extreme? Of course, I understand that she¡¯sfortable with me, but still...¡¯</i>


    Did I need to add a new Self-Restraint talent to myself or something?


    It seemed Ellen had no intention of listening to what I was saying.


    <i> </i> ***


    After finishing up our morning exercise, we sat down on a bench to rest.


    ¡°Okay fine. But only until the break is over.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ever since we had returned from the Dark Land, Ellen, who had been gued by nightmares more severely than I had, seemed to be deteriorating more and more.


    For some reason, if I was by her side, the nightmares went away, so she wanted me to stay with her until she got rid of the nightmares. There was no reason I couldn¡¯tply with her request. In fact, it might even help me toughen up mentally.


    ¡°And you should know, I¡¯m quite a gentleman. Okay?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    <i>¡®Seriously. Do you have any idea how bizarre this is? I¡¯m trying my hardest to ensure my second life remains G-rated!¡¯</i>


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is don¡¯t do this with just anyone.¡±


    At my words, Ellen stared at me.


    ¡°...¡±


    She seemed to be struggling with what to say.


    <i>¡®Was she offended by the ¡°just anyone¡± part? Did I speak too carelessly? Should I apologize?¡¯</i>


    Ellen pondered for a while and then said cautiously, ¡°Previously, just before we went to the Dark Land... the white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>asked me something.¡±


    ¡°Loyar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Loyar was known as the Hound of Irine, a name nobody knew except me, Ellen, and Sarkegar. Club members referred to her as ¡°Boss,¡± others as the Hound of Irine, and Ellen called her the white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>. Of course, every time she did, she got beaten up for it, but Ellen seemed to intentionally seek out that reaction.


    <i>¡®What did Loyar ask Ellen, though?¡¯</i>


    ¡°She asked if I could die for you.¡±


    Why had Loyar asked her that? Perhaps she wanted to understand mymand to her not to harm Ellen, because she saw Ellen as someone dangerous.


    ¡°Back then, I replied that I wasn¡¯t sure. Because no one can know until you face such a situation.¡±


    Ellen quietly fiddled with her canteen, as if deep in thought.


    <i>¡®Can you die for someone?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No¡± is probably the truthful answer. ¡°Yes¡± might not necessarily be true, since one would only know the answer when the actual situation urs.


    Ellen knew that it was something she¡¯d only know by experiencing it. Nheless, saying that she didn¡¯t know was quite different from saying that she couldn¡¯t die for me.


    After that, though, Ellen and I had gone to the Dark Land, where we experienced risking our own lives and taking someone else¡¯s life.


    Ellen fiddled with her canteen and avoided eye contact.


    ¡°I think I could die for you,¡± she finally said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen now seemed certain that she could die for me. I wasn¡¯t sure if she had reached this conclusion after the battles in the Dark Land, or after our return.


    After finishing her sentence, Ellen looked at me.


    ¡°Someone that precious... can¡¯t just be ¡®anyone¡¯ to me.¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah. I know how you feel about me.¡¯</i>


    But I remembered what Eleris had said.


    No¡ªeven without Eleris¡¯ words, I already knew. The truth could easily destroy our rtionship, and I didn¡¯t believe this lie wouldst forever.


    It was getting dangerous¡ªno, we were already in a lot of danger.


    Both for me and for Ellen Artorius.


    We might be worse than strangers to each other, and that would probably happen someday.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    I said it as if I were apologizing for speaking carelessly, but it was more than just that.


    ¡°And.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    <i>Smack</i>!


    I flicked Ellen¡¯s forehead.


    Ellen was startled.


    ¡°Would you stop talking about dying for goodness sake?! It¡¯s creeping me out!¡±


    Ellen¡¯s eyes went wide. She waspletely bewildered as to why she had been flicked on the forehead.


    ¡°Shut up and let¡¯s just eat.¡±


    For the rest of the day, Ellen pouted and acted as if I didn¡¯t exist.


    <i> </i> ***


    In the imperial city of Gradium stood the Imperial Pce, Emperatos. Within its walls was the Princess¡¯s Pce. It had originally been the Empress¡¯s residence, but after her death, it was naturally passed down to the First Princess.


    Located symmetrically across from this pce was the Prince¡¯s Pce. Within theplex of the Imperial Pce, the prince and princess rarely had reasons to cross paths, unless for official matters.


    Thanks to intense security measures and protective barriers, there was no threat of assassination, and even if there was, it was well known that the prince and princess no longer attempted to assassinate each other.


    Nevertheless, everyone inside this pce was under the princess¡¯s control, so no secrets leaked out.


    Within the bedroom of the first princess in the Princess¡¯s Pce, Charlotte sat in a rocking chair, dressed in casual clothing instead of a dress. The interior was dim. The ckout curtains were almost fully closed, allowing only minimal sunlight to filter in.


    Though it was midday, the bedroom was shrouded in near-darkness, with only the faintest light trickling in.


    In front of Charlotte, who was seated in her rocking chair, a man was kneeling.


    ¡°Your Highness. It is time... you acknowledged it.¡±


    ¡°We agreed not to talk about that anymore,¡± Charlotte replied after a short pause, her voice weak and devoid of strength.


    The kneeling man lowered his head even further after hearing her disheartened response.


    ¡°Your Highness. We havepiled all the information. We¡¯ve scoured the entire continent and identified every individual we could. We checked and rechecked it repeatedly. Even after multiple verifications, as per your instructions, to ensure nothing was missed, the results have remained the same.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The man seemed about to bury his head into the ground.


    ¡°Fifty-seven individuals were kidnapped. Nowhere among them was a boy matching the appearance or age of the one we encountered.¡±


    ¡°Dyrus.¡±


    ¡°That boy was not kidnapped! You already know this well yourself!¡±


    ¡°Dyrus.¡±


    ¡°That child was in too good a condition to have been captive for a long time! He did not appear starved, and the possibility that he was a recent captive, as you suggested, is simply too unlikely!¡±


    <i>Dyrus...</i>


    After ying a significant role in the princess¡¯s escape from the Demon King¡¯s castle alongside the unknown boy, Dyrus had be Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard.


    He was already aware that something was suspicious, and had organized his thoughts on the matter.


    Unlike Charlotte, who had appeared emaciated, the boy had seemed perfectly fine, and had somehow found the magic scroll immediately. The demons acted as if they were on his side while the boy made his escape.


    Havingpiled the list of kidnapped individuals, none of their descriptions matched the boy¡¯s. No matter how many times he mentioned this, though, it was futile. Even though he had repeatedly insisted that the boy was strange and needed to be investigated properly, no orders were given.


    ¡°Dyrus, are you done speaking?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Dyrus lifted his head quietly to look at Charlotte.


    ¡°What exactly changes?¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°If that boy is suspicious, what exactly changes?¡± Charlotte said, her weak voice radiating calm.


    She looked softly at Dyrus.


    ¡°If he wanted to escape alone, he could have used the Teleport scroll the moment he found it,¡± she continued. ¡°But he went out of his way to return to the encampment and save me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Dyrus, no matter how many times you say it, it¡¯s useless. Even if the boy is suspicious, and no one knows his identity, it¡¯s all pointless. Nothing changes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The fact that he risked his life to save me doesn¡¯t change. The fact that he didn¡¯t expect any reward for saving me doesn¡¯t change either.¡±


    There were countless suspicious circumstances surrounding this boy, but nothing changed.


    The boy had risked his life to save her. Even if there were countless other lies, in that aspect, there was no falsehood.


    Charlotte leaned back in the rocking chair, swaying gently.


    ¡°The order remains the same.¡±


    Her face passed through a sliver of light that was streaming into the room.


    ¡°Do not investigate the boy any further.¡±


    Each time Charlotte¡¯s face crossed the beam of light, her eyes gleamed momentarily. Her right eye, in particr, was no longer its usual golden hue, but had taken on a pitch-ck darkness, like that of a deep abyss.


    ¡°Your Highness, that boy might be the only one with even a slight chance of knowing how to remedy your condition.¡±


    ¡°I said, that¡¯s enough.¡± Charlotte¡¯s darkened eye shimmered ominously. ¡°I don¡¯t want to extend the life he saved at the cost of putting him in danger.¡±


    A fragile sliver of hope...


    Dyrus sought that hope in the boy, but Charlotte rejected it. Now that she knew he was in a safe ce, there was no need to drag him back into the chaos of the world.


    <i>The scroll shop of some unknown mage...</i>


    Charlotte and Reinhart were the only two who knew that it was connected to the boy.


    Charlotte hadn¡¯t even told her own people about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    After Dyrus left, Charlotte covered her eyes with her right hand and stared nkly at the ceiling.


    <i>¡®Who are you?¡¯</i>


    She had learned to gradually ept many things she hadn¡¯t wanted to acknowledge, due to the passage of time.


    <i>¡®Are you really my enemy?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte took deep breaths with her right hand still covering her eyes, then let out a long sigh.


    When she removed her hand, her eyes had returned to their usual golden hue.


    <i>¡ªAm I being cruel?</i>


    <i>¡ªWhy... Why are you doing this to me? What are you trying to do to me?</i>


    <i>¡ªDoes this seem cruel?</i>


    <i>¡ªStop! Stop! Ugh, ugh! Stop!</i>


    <i>¡ªThis is a war in which everything is on the line. A battle in which both sides have staked their existences.</i>


    <i>¡ªDon¡¯t touch me! Leave me alone!</i>


    <i>¡ªThere¡¯s no reason not to have an insurance policy for contingencies.</i>


    <i>¡ªUgh! Ugh! Sob! Ahhhh!</i>


    Charlotte¡¯s body trembled slightly, as if her vision of the past had triggered a convulsion.


    Whenever she revisited them, the memories were always horrifying.


    <i>¡ªThud! Thwack!</i>


    <i>¡ªUgh, ugh, ah... Aaaaah!</i>


    <i>¡ªUgh! Aaah!</i>


    She felt her sanity snap as she watched the people devouring each other. Seeing those who had abandoned their dignity, witnessing those whose dignity had been lost.


    Seeing people tearing at the flesh of the dead, and in their madness, even attempting to eat the living.


    And seeing her mother, too, devouring someone amid the frenzy.


    Charlotte had lost her sanity...


    She already knew... She was already well aware of the situation even if Dyrus did not tell her.


    She simply did not want to admit it.


    That boy¡¯s existence was her only small fragment of hope. That was why she couldn¡¯t ept it.


    <i>¡ªSob, sob... sob...</i>


    <i>¡ªPlease,e to your senses...</i>


    She just wanted to believe that the boy had somehow survived through luck.


    She knew the truth in her mind, but her heart could not ept it.


    Now, though, she had to acknowledge it. There were too many pieces of evidence, too many unavoidable truths that revealed that she had killed everyone in the cell.


    <i>¡ªSob, sobbing! S-Somebody... Somebody... help...</i>


    <i>¡ªNo, that¡¯s not true! I... I was locked in here, just like everyone else!</i>


    <i>¡®Yet, how could there be a survivor?¡¯ </i>she had thought.


    She was astonished by the boy¡¯s existence, and it almost gave her a sense of relief, as if it was proof that she hadn¡¯t lost her mind and killed everyone.


    It brought her a strange sense of joy, the fact that there was some other possibility.


    Now, though, she had to ept the simple truth that there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone alive in that situation, and that the boy was not a survivor.


    In the frantic moments she had gone through, she had already noticed many suspicious things.


    If the boy had been imprisoned all along, he would have known about ¡°that¡± incident.


    However, he was entirely unaware of the ghastly, horrifying massacre that had taken ce.


    Hence, Charlotte had chosen to remember only the most crucial fact about that time:


    <i>You saved my life at the risk of your own.</i>


    She chose to remember only that truth.


    ¡°...¡±


    Tears leaked out from under Charlotte¡¯s closed eyelids and flowed down her cheeks.


    <i> </i> ***


    Nothing much changed after our talk.


    Ellen and I still didn¡¯t talk much, but continued our exercise and training. The only unusual thing was that Ellen ended up sleeping in my room instead of her own. At first, it felt ridiculous, but I soon realized that people were creatures of habit, because, after a few days, it no longer bothered me.


    Ellen asionally left the Temple to visit Loyar, and sometimes she would returnte at night, staggering as if she had been beaten up.


    Time passed by like that, and our vacation was nearing its end.


    Ellen, Adelia, and I packed our belongings and left the Temple. Riana de Granz was waiting for us at the entrance, dressed in casual clothes.


    ¡°Perfect timing,¡± she said.


    A trip to her vi in the Edina Archipgo would be thest thing before the end of this summer break.

 Chapter 173 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 173 [Illustration]</h4>


    We had managed to get priority ess to the gate with the imperial crest, but the prestige that the name of the Ducal House of Granz carried also allowed us to use the gate first. We were using giant warp gates to get to the southernmost part of the continent.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Harriet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She said she¡¯d be waiting there,¡± answered Riana. ¡°Heinrich should be there too.¡±


    There were six people going to Duke Granz¡¯s vi in the Edina Archipgo: me, Ellen, Riana, Adelia, Harriet, and Heinrich von Schwartz.


    Riana had said that she was going to take this break to rx, and that was probably what she¡¯d done.


    Her skill at Electrokinesis was growing rapidly, and even if she didn¡¯t put much effort into it, it would naturally be stronger.


    Ellen trained diligently, but Riana did not. She was like the talent among talents.


    ¡°How was the Dark Land?¡± Riana asked, as if that was the thing she was most curious about.


    ¡°It was just... nothing special,¡± I replied.


    ¡°... Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± Ellen added, nodding in agreement.


    We didn¡¯t want to talk about what had actually happened in the Dark Land, since it wasn¡¯t a good story, nor something that anyone needed to know about.


    <i>A massacred vige, a gang of robbers, hordes of zombies, and a cursed sword...</i>


    What we¡¯d experienced over there was too horrific to be considered a heroic tale.


    ¡°Hmm, by the way, you two...¡± Riana looked back and forth between Ellen and me, tilting her head slightly. ¡°It seems like the atmosphere between you two has changed a bit.¡±


    There was a subtle difference that was hard to pinpoint, but Riana seemed to have noticed it. We didn¡¯t say much about it, and it didn¡¯t seem like Riana was too curious about it either.


    <i> </i> ***


    We would be passing through the warp gates and reaching the southernmost point, where a mage of the Granz family would teleport us to the Edina Archipgo.


    We could have been transported all at once using Mass Teleportation, but Mass Teleportation was an advanced spell that was beyond ordinary teleportation.


    The mage nned to teleport us to the vi one by one by consecutively casting individual teleportation spells.


    There was a bar in the Edina Archipgo run by the subus queen Airi, but we had no reason to go there. Although I wanted to see how things were going with her, there was no time to spare.


    We passed through multiple giant gates, simr to our previous journey, and arrived at the beach where the mage was waiting for us.


    ¡°Ellen! Riana! Adelia!¡±


    Harriet, who had arrived ahead and was waiting for us, ran over and Heinrich von Schwartz, who had been standing somewhat awkwardly, also approached us.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe, Ellen!¡± Harriet eximed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so relieved. I was really worried.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Harriet kept nodding, clearly relieved that Ellen was safe.


    ¡°Was it dangerous at all?¡±


    ¡°No. It was fine.¡±


    Even though we had several close calls, there was no need to mention that.


    After greeting everyone, Harriet finally looked at me.


    It was the perfect moment for her to sarcastically ask why I hadn¡¯t just died out there instead ofing back unscathed.


    ¡°... I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. Yeah.¡±


    I was taken slightly aback because I didn¡¯t expect her to say it with such a bright smile.


    She genuinely seemed happy, leaving me at a loss for words.


    <i> </i> ***


    We were teleported one by one across the vast ocean to the vi on the southern archipgo. I was thest to be sent over.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Those who arrived first were admiring the scenery before they even started unpacking.


    The vi stood prominently at the edge of a private beach that waspletely devoid of people.


    The scenery had been great during ourst trip to the uninhabited ind, but that ce was extremely humid. Here, however, the humidity was low, and the view to the horizon was so clear that it seemed as if the sky and ocean were touching.


    Ellen was gazing quietly at thendscape.


    The staff who came out of the mansion took care of our luggage.


    We would spend a week here before returning to the Temple for the start of the second semester.


    ¡°Our mage is busy, so he¡¯s returned to the main house. Like it or not, you guys will have to stay here for a week.¡±


    Obviously, the mage wasn¡¯t going to hang around here in a leisurely fashion. He had to return to his own tasks after transporting us all across.


    That meant that we couldn¡¯t leave halfway if we got bored, although there didn¡¯t really seem to be any need to leave.


    For Ellen and I, who had been through a lot during the summer break, this was our first andst real ¡°break¡±, since we¡¯d continued training even after returning to the Temple from the Dark Land.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat first,¡± said Riana, pulling us into the mansion. She was always one to prioritize fun.


    ¡°What... What is all this...?¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Adelia and I were amazed at thevish food that had been prepared.


    Harriet, who came from a noble background, Heinrich, who was of royal blood, and Riana, the daughter of Duke Granz, didn¡¯t seem particrly affected.


    ¡°...¡±


    And then there was Ellen...


    Ellen seemed more captivated by the spread of food than by the expansive and beautiful beach that we had just seen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about formalities. Eat as much as you want, however you want. If it¡¯s not enough, just say so,¡± Riana dered, as if to say to hell with table manners, so even those of us unfamiliar with proper etiquette feltfortable eating.


    Of course, while Ellen was chomping away, I was eating a fair amount as well.


    To be honest, Ellen¡¯s appetite was on another level, but I also ate a lotpared to the average person, thanks to all the physical activity I did.


    However,pared to me, Ellen was on a godly level.


    <i> </i> ***


    Riana mentioned that this ce was on the outskirts of Rajak, the main port city of the Edina Archipgo, which was also the city where Airi had opened her bar.


    Since this was the capital of the Edina Archipgo, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find my way around even if I tried.


    Riana suggested that there were many ways to enjoy our stay.


    ¡°If you get tired of the beach, you can visit Rajak. Just don¡¯t go alone; you¡¯ll get lost.¡±


    It felt more like she was inviting friends to rx at her vacation home, rather than nning for us to do anything together.


    ¡°... Did you have a safe trip?¡± Heinrich asked me during the meal.


    ¡°Oh, yeah I guess.¡±


    My first impression of him had been awful. He had picked a fight with me because he thought someone without any supernatural powers had no right to be in his ss, and I had to knock some sense into him. After that, he avoided me, probably thinking I was the son of some bigwig, and thenpletely disregarded me once he found out I was just a beggar.


    After that, we did not really cross paths or have any significant interactions, even on the uninhabited ind.


    Now though... Everyone else here was a girl except for the two of us, and he had an interest in Riana.


    He didn¡¯t have anyone else tofortably talk to, so despite not liking it, he was trying to strike up a conversation with me.


    ¡°Did you see any demons or anything like that?¡±


    ¡°... Not really. Nothing much happened.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the kind of story worth sharing, so I just gave a vague answer.


    ¡°Then what did you do all the way out there?¡±


    ¡°We just wandered around. It wasn¡¯t that dangerous.¡±


    ¡°... So you basically just wasted your time?¡±


    <i>¡®Wasting time...¡¯</i>


    Hearing that made me want to pass out. Ellen, who had been eating quietly, seemed to flinch slightly. She probably heard that too.


    It was definitely a sneer directed at us.


    We hadn¡¯t, in fact,wasted our time; we¡¯d gone through something far more intense than he could imagine, but I had no childish desire to boast about it.


    <i>¡®Wasting time.¡¯</i>


    Maybe it would have been better if we had indeed just wasted our time.


    ¡°... Maybe so.¡±


    My calm acknowledgment seemed to surprise Heinrich.


    <i> </i> ***


    In summer, it was all about the beach.


    Following the ssic flow of a summer adventure, we decided to go swimming after lunch so we all changed into our swimsuits.


    ¡°... Are you two doing this on purpose?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Riana¡¯s somewhat exasperated remark caused Ellen to tilt her head in confusion, while I responded curtly, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°... I kinda figured you two would do this.¡±


    Harriet nodded with a slightly exasperated expression, as if she had expected this from us.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you really have to wear the Temple swimsuits here?¡±


    That¡¯s right. Ellen and I were both wearing the swimsuits provided by the Temple, while the others were all wearing their personal swimsuits.


    Riana was in a tube top bikini, Harriet wore a swimsuit paired with a wrap skirt, and even Adelia, though modest, was in a one-piece swimsuit. Heinrich was also wearing a pair of trunk shorts.


    Ellen didn¡¯t see why she should care about swimsuits, and I, in a simr vein, just brought the one provided by the Temple.


    Riana seemed to find this ridiculous, while Harriet seemed to have half-expected it.


    ¡°You¡¯re fussing over swimsuits when you can¡¯t even swim.¡±


    ¡°... What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t swimming what¡¯s important, not the swimsuit? You¡¯re nitpicking over trivial things.¡±


    <i>¡®Then again, I actually do agree that in some situations, the swimsuit matters more than the swimming skills.¡¯ </i>


    Riana frowned at my sudden retort.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve barely seen you for a while and you¡¯re already getting on my nerves.¡±


    Riana shook her head as if all the joy of seeing me had vanished, and then stared at me in my Temple swimsuit.


    ¡°... Ah... you¡¯re right, the swimsuit isn¡¯t what¡¯s important.¡±


    She was ncing back and forth between Heinrich and me.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with the scanning?¡¯ </i>


    It felt ufortable.


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, Heinrich suddenly and carefully put on a training top.


    <i>It wasn¡¯t about the swimsuit. </i>


    I think I knew what she meant.


    Adelia, and even Harriet for that matter, couldn¡¯t look my way at all.


    Clearly, Heinrich, who had Pyrokinesis, didn¡¯t engage in much physical activity. I, on the other hand, despite my abilities, still did a lot of physical training since my skillsy in closebat.


    Swimsuit or not, it was obvious¡ªI had a good physique.


    ¡°Wow, it feels like I¡¯m touching a rock.¡±


    ¡°You crazy little¡ª! Watch where you¡¯re touching me!¡±


    Riana approached without hesitation and started feeling my abs, causing me to jump in surprise.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s gotten into her?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Does it wear off?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡±


    ¡°Hold still. Flex.¡±


    ¡°Are you nuts? What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Stay still. Or do I need to knock you out first? Want to get shocked?¡±


    Riana de Granz¡¯sck of reserve was startling even to me.


    Harriet, Adelia, and Heinrich watched with dumbfounded expressions.


    ¡°You little... then you flex too!¡±


    As I moved to retaliate, Riana spread her shoulders wide.


    ¡°Yeah? Here, I¡¯m flexing. What are you gonna do about it?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh? I wasn¡¯t expecting that response.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You actually have boundaries? That¡¯s unexpected,¡± Riana said, covering her mouth and muffling augh as she looked at me, still somewhat stunned.


    I could feel Heinrich¡¯s ufortable gaze on both Riana and me.


    <i> </i> ***


    After mucking around for a bit, we went swimming. But it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary swim.


    Recalling how we had swam underwater with the help of a water-breathing spell on the uninhabited ind, we all had Harriet cast the water-breathing spell on us and explored the ocean.


    Heinrich and Riana seemed fascinated by the experience, as it was their first time. Heinrich, although hesitant, showed a desire to stick close to Riana, and Riana, noticing this, took him around as they explored the underwater scenery.


    Despite his apparent awkwardness, he had some social skills.


    Previously, Ellen and I had primarily spent our time underwater hunting. Of course, what we saw underwater was both simr to and different from what we¡¯d seen back then.


    Harriet dragged Adelia around, showing her various interesting things, although it was also her first time underwater.


    Ellen swam around, asionally meeting my eyes. For some reason, she didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying herself.


    On the uninhabited ind, she¡¯d been absorbed in the underwaterndscape, and had even seemed to find it fun.


    However, I felt the same way as her. The unease from our most recent experiences weighed heavily on me, making it hard to fully immerse myself in carefree activities.


    <i> </i> ***


    We swam for almost the entire day. It was only possible because Harriet kept renewing the water-breathing spell for us.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so exhausted...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seriously...¡±


    ¡°Stepping on the ground... feels awkward...¡±


    Everyone except Ellen and I were severely fatigued, since moving around underwater all day, even with a water-breathing spell, was incredibly tiring.


    After washing up and changing clothes, everyone sprawled out haphazardly in the mansion¡¯s lounge.


    We then had avish dinner, much like the lunch.


    Everyone was still exhausted, so after dinner, they lounged about in their own ways. The mansion had enough guest rooms for each of us to have our own.


    Riana muttered helplessly that she felt likeing here to rest had only led to her losing even more energy.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t you know that resting is actually the hardest thing to do, kid?¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> ***


    Since there was nothing much for me to do, I went out for a night walk.


    My body felt a bit restless, but I knew that we¡¯d be up and running hard again after this break, and it was crucial to rest properly while we could.


    I needed to take this opportunity to recover mentally as well.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    As I looked towards the beach, I noticed a red me flickering in the darkness. A me about a meter high was burning on the sand, and Heinrich was there, standing in front of it.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s that guy doing over there? Is he practicing his powers, even here? Well, he¡¯s diligent, I¡¯ll give him that.¡¯</i>


    Not feeling particrly interested, I walked past him and wandered along the beach for a while before heading back to the mansion.


    Riana and Adelia seemed exhausted and had fallen asleep early, while Harriet was in the lounge. She sat in front of Ellen, and they were engaged in some conversation.


    ¡°... Why can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Just... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something good for you to know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    However, the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem quite right.


    Harriet had been staring intently at Ellen, but swiftly noticed my presence and asked me, ¡°You guys... it¡¯s not true that nothing happened, was it?¡±


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You told Adelia that you used the Protection Bracelet effectively.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. So, that¡¯s what they were talking about.¡¯ </i>


    Ellen had mentioned that the Protection Bracelet had been effective, but hadn¡¯t exined how she¡¯d used it.


    Once she heard that, though, Harriet understood that we¡¯d encountered a situation where such protective gear was necessary. Adelia might have thought the same as well, but had chosen not to ask about it.


    Harriet was pressing Ellen for specifics of the dangerous situation we¡¯d encountered, and Ellen wasn¡¯t ready to talk. Harriet clearly wanted to know what kind of danger we had faced.


    I hadn¡¯t used mine and still wore it, but Ellen had used hers.


    ¡°As Ellen said, it¡¯s nothing you need to know about.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was no point in telling her about it, since telling stories about killing people and mutting corpses¡ªeven that in itself was revolting and horrifying just to hear¡ªserved no purpose.


    Harriet¡¯s expression changed. She clearly looked hurt.


    She had given us that item out of concern, but we weren¡¯t telling her anything about what had happened during that journey.


    It was natural for her to feel frustrated and upset, not knowing the details, but I knew that if we told her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Ellen and me the same way anymore. That was why we couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°So even you guys treat me like a child,¡± Harriet mumbled under her breath as she walked away.


    Ellen and I were left staring at each other, her eyes full of sadness.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did we...¡± Ellen¡¯s voice trembled.


    We couldn¡¯t talk about our experiences because they would only evoke disgust or fear in others. Even if we left out the more gruesome parts, fighting zombies was not much different.


    ¡°Did we really... just waste our time?¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t a waste of time. We had definitely gained something.


    If it had been a waste of time, nothing would have changed.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a waste of time. Absolutely not.¡±


    However, perhaps it would have been better if we really <i>had</i> just wasted our time, if nothing had changed...


    We were unable to resolve everything around this secret of ours perfectly, but we could eventually ovee it. This was just a moment of confusion.


    I could only quietly watch Ellen as she stared out the window with a gloomy expression.


    Harriet seemed hurt but unfortunately, that was a wound we couldn¡¯t remedy.


    Did she feel like she was being ostracized by us? No, it had to be an even worse feeling.

 Chapter 174

    <h4>Chapter 174</h4>


    That night, we slept in our respective rooms.


    At the dormitory, Ellen and I had been sharing a bedtely, but since we were with other ssmates now, she didn¡¯t insist on sleeping in the same bed with me. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t been having nightmares recently, so I wondered if she¡¯d be alright sleeping alone.


    With my mind on those thoughts, I found myself unable to fall asleep.


    While everyone else seemed exhausted and fell asleep quickly, I didn¡¯t feel particrly weary, even after an entire day of swimming. It seemed like my stamina had improved tremendously.


    When driving your body to exhaustion was routine, moderate exertion would never be enough to leave you truly tired enough to sleep...


    Since I couldn¡¯t sleep, I decided to step outside for some tea. The servants lived in a separate residence, so there were no servants around, and we were the only ones in the mansion.


    At the end of the hallway on the second floor, Ellen sat on the terrace, staring nkly outside.


    ¡°... Oh, you¡¯re not asleep?¡± I asked as I approached her.


    ¡°I woke up,¡± she replied.


    Her pajamas were slightly damp from what seemed to be sweat, an indication that she¡¯d had a nightmare. I, too, suffered from nightmares, but they weren¡¯t bad enough to prevent me from sleeping, like Ellen. Her trauma seemed to be more severe than mine.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I sat in the chair next to Ellen, but didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    Things seemed to be getting better if it was just the two of us around, but seeing our ssmates again brought me back to reality.


    ¡°Riana¡¯s abilities seem to have improved a lot over this break,¡± Ellen said first, not waiting for me to start the conversation.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been going about her usual routine, but still achieved significant progress.¡±


    Ellen had definitely changed.


    ¡°Adelia can now do basic designs for permanent engravings and other magical apparatus with magic crafting. It¡¯s pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... She¡¯s quick.¡±


    Adelia had been buried in her studies while at the Temple, and she had made good use of her time, learning to do various new things.


    ¡°Harriet has been studying both destructive magic and supportive spells that are useful in practical scenarios.¡±


    Harriet had spent the break studying specific spells that would be useful in real-life situations. From what I¡¯d witnessed at the beach earlier, Heinrich¡¯s abilities seemed to have improved greatly as well. He was well past the point of only being able to create a small bonfire.


    Everyone had grown in their own way.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s worked hard, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems so.¡±


    Ellen was staring nkly at the waves crashing onto the beach.


    Everyone had indeed grown in their own way.


    ¡°We were just too hasty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We could have taken it slow, lived our lives normally. But we wanted to get stronger too quickly, to be just a bit more powerful... I think we made a mistake.¡±


    We had gotten stronger. That much was true. Ellen was almost at the level of a superhuman, and I, too, had made significant improvements in my abilities. We made a lot of money as well, and I¡¯d even obtained a powerful sword, albeit a cursed one.


    In that process, however, we had been through harrowing experiences that we had to hide, to lie about or keep silent in response to those who asked about them.


    Even if we had let things develop at a normal pace, we would have grown steadily stronger.


    Our ssmates had spent their break living their lives in their own way, and had grown in various aspects. Perhaps we¡¯d made a mistake, rushing into taking a shortcut just because we wanted to move forward faster. In the end, I also ended up hurting Harriet because of it.


    Ellen seemed overwhelmed with emotions after observing our ssmates, who had grown in their own ways, through experiences that were different from ours.


    I took a deep breath and sighed.


    As someone who¡¯d gone through the same experiences, I didn¡¯t want to say it, but I had to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to see this in a positive light, even if it¡¯s hard.¡±


    ¡°Positive...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even though what we went through was terrible, we can¡¯t say that the oue was bad.¡±


    Understanding this cruel dichotomy was what Ellen needed right now.


    I looked straight into Ellen¡¯s slightly bewildered eyes.


    ¡°We saved more lives than we took.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was a horrid experience, but it isn¡¯t something to be ashamed of.¡±


    If it hadn¡¯t been for us, at least fifty people would have died. It was a dreadful experience, one that was hard to talk about, but it wasn¡¯t worthless.


    Ellen seemed to think that what we¡¯d done was all meaningless, and was sinking into despair.


    ¡°Maybe going to the Dark Land was a mistake, but we didn¡¯t make any mistakes while we were there.¡±


    We¡¯d made the best choices we could in that ce. There was no reason to drown in self-recrimination and nightmares.


    Even if our decision to go to the Dark Land had been a mistake, the choices we made there were the best we could have made.


    ¡°... Do you really think so?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <i> </i> ***


    The next day, we ate a simple breakfast prepared by the servants.


    ¡°... What¡¯s up with the atmosphere?¡± Riana asked as she looked around, puzzled by the tense mood.


    Harriet¡¯s expression was noticeably gloomy, and Ellen, who usually showed little reaction to whatever was happening around her, was barely eating her breakfast.


    Seeing Harriet genuinely hurt made it hard to bear. Normally, when she got upset, she pouted or went ¡°Hmph¡±, but when she felt truly hurt, she would suffer in silence. I realized this anew, and it was difficult to see her like that.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to Rajak today. Whoever wants toe,e along. Those who don¡¯t, you can rest here.¡±


    Riana was nning to go into Rajak City for some fun that day. I didn¡¯t feel like tagging along, so I decided to stay at the vi to rest.


    ¡°Ellen, you don¡¯t have a choice. You have toe.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    For some reason, Riana was insistent that Ellen go with her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand the sight of you in that Temple swimsuit. Let¡¯s go and buy a new one. I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    Riana was clearly irritated by the sight of Ellen ying around in her Temple swimsuit at the resort.


    <i>¡®Really? Was it </i>that<i> annoying? Then again, who knows what goes on in the mind of a duke¡¯s daughter?¡¯</i>


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem to have any objections.


    <i>¡®But hang on, if we¡¯re considering this, I brought my Temple swimsuit to the resort too. Why is she only buying one for Ellen?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Wow, are you shamelessly asking me to buy one for you too? Not a chance.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Fine, whatever.¡±


    Of course, I was just joking around¡ªI didn¡¯t actually expect her to buy one for me.


    Heinrich decided to go along, and Adelia, after some hesitation, said she would go too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and rest here,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    Harriet seemed to be in no mood to go out and nned to rest at the mansion. I considered going along with the others, but I noted Harriet¡¯s expression, and figured I couldn¡¯t leave her alone. I also had something to give her, but whether it would lift her spirits or not, I wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here too,¡± I said.


    I decided to stay at the mansion as well.


    <i> </i> ***


    The others left for Rajak. Since the vi was on the outskirts of town and quite far away from the city, they all took a carriage. That left just Harriet and me at the mansion.


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    I knocked on the door to Harriet¡¯s room and she appeared, wearing a gloomy expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Without a word, Harriet exited her room. There was a terrace at the end of the hallway, the same ce where I talked with Ellen the previous night.


    I took Harriet there and sat her down in a chair.


    Of course, since it was daytime, the scene was refreshingly different.


    ¡°Are you mad at something?¡±


    Usually, I would have asked why she was acting like such a baby, but that would have hurt her feelings more, so I phrased the question differently this time.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not mad,¡± Harriet murmured with a gloomy expression. ¡°It¡¯s just... I was so worried about you all. But it felt like I didn¡¯t matter to you guys, like you thought I wouldn¡¯t understand even if I heard about what happened...¡±


    She clenched her small fists tightly. ¡°That just... made me sad.¡±


    She¡¯d stayed up on several consecutive nights making artifacts out of concern for us, with the hope that they would protect us. She had been worried about our safety and was eager to find out how her artifacts had helped us, but the only response she got was, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    That was all.


    How could she not feel hurt?


    Ellen felt guilty for not being able to say anything, which exined the tense atmosphere that morning. If we left it like this, the mood would remain somber despite us all being at the vi to have fun.


    ¡°We¡¯re not ignoring you,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s really hard to talk about. That¡¯s just being honest.¡±


    In the heat of the moment, we had to act desperately, doing whatever we could to survive. However, once we returned to a safe environment, the reality of what we had done started to sink in.


    My tone was softer than usual. Harriet looked at me quietly.


    I took something out of my pocket and ced it on the table.


    <i>Clink.</i>


    It was a pair of earrings.


    ¡°What... is this?¡±


    ¡°I picked them up on the way.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I wanted to say something to ease the tension, but Harriet didn¡¯t seem to get it.


    ¡°I brought them back with me. They¡¯re for you.¡±


    ¡°... What are they, exactly?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re earrings. Can¡¯t you tell by looking at them?¡±


    They were enchanted with magic that fortified their wearer¡¯s mental strength. They were unnecessary for Ellen, whose mental fortitude was already stronger than mine, and I didn¡¯t need them either. Although I could have sold them, I had first considered who might need them the most, and Harriet hade to mind.


    ¡°They¡¯re artifacts with the Tranquility enchantment permanently engraved on them. I don¡¯t need them, and neither does Ellen, so I¡¯m giving them to you. If you can stay calm while casting spells, it¡¯ll make it easier, right?¡±


    Harriet seemed astonished at the realization that the earrings were magically engraved artifacts. More than anything, she seemed most baffled by the fact that I was giving them to her.


    ¡°... Where did you get something like this?¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s hard to exin,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s not really a bribe, but please take them and let this slide a little, okay?¡±


    I understood that she might feel upset or hurt if we continued to keep our silence.


    ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I can tell you, it¡¯s that we risked our lives to get this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    While I didn¡¯t share any detailed circumstances, I let her know that we¡¯d acquired such an item only after going through a dangerous ordeal.


    She was now in possession of an item we had risked our lives to obtain. Harriet clutched the earrings tightly and lowered her head.


    ¡°I... I wanted to help too.¡±


    ¡°You <i>did</i> help.¡±


    Harriet kept her head lowered, and tears began to fall onto her hands.


    ¡°I wanted to go with you guys. But I was told that there was no way, that it was too dangerous for someone like me to go to a ce like that. I was scolded, heavily, and confined to my room by my parents. They were so worried I might run away, so I couldn¡¯t leave my room until my dad confirmed that you guys had returned safely.¡±


    Harriet wanted toe with us to the Dark Land. But of course, no parent would allow such a thing. So, it seemed that Harriet spent her break in confinement rather than enjoying her vacation.


    It was only after confirming our return to the Temple that Duke Saint-Ouen allowed Harriet her freedom.


    The Duke made the right decision. Had Harriete with us, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it. Ellen and I, despite dealing with trauma, are managing to cope in a way that¡¯s not normal. It wasn¡¯t about treating her like a child; the abnormal ones were those who could endure it in the first ce.


    ¡°I also want to be good with magic... and if I do get better... if I be more skilled....¡± Harriet, choking back tears, held the earrings I gave her tightly. ¡°Could I then go with you guys?¡±


    Harriet seemed to feel sorrowful that she wasn¡¯t recognized as apetent mage. She probably felt that if she could fulfill the role appropriately, she could be allowed to join up with us. Her parents didn¡¯t acknowledge her abilities yet, and she herself understood she wasn¡¯t up to that level.


    That must have been what had bothered her so much during the break.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s stopping you froming with us now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was already capable of using practical magic, and her skills had improved considerably since the deserted ind incident. The only thing she wascking was experience. She coulde along with us anytime.


    The issue was whether she could handle it herself.


    To be honest, I had no intention of taking her along. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even sure if I would ever engage in such an activity again.


    However, at that moment, this lie seemed to be what Harriet needed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve improved a lot, and with these earrings, you¡¯ll be even stronger. There¡¯s no reason you can¡¯te along in the future.¡±


    Harriet looked at me, tears still in her eyes, holding onto the hope that she could someday be a part of our group.


    Sometimes, offering a bit of hope, even if not entirely truthful, can be a small sce in moments of pain.


    ¡°Thank you... Reinhart.¡± Harriet didn¡¯t inquire further about what we had gone through. ¡°I¡¯ll treasure it.¡±


    She held the earrings tightly, tears streaming down her face.

 Chapter 175

    <h4>Chapter 175</h4>


    Harriet seemed more sad than angry. She seemed downcast because she couldn¡¯t be of help to us, and she felt ignored not just by her family for being a child, but also by us. It was different from feeling angry.


    Eventually, thanks to my roundabout way of exining things, Harriet¡¯s mood improved quite a bit.


    She and I continued our conversation on the terrace.


    Harriet was wearing the pair of earrings I had given her. They weren¡¯t that fancy. They were button earrings with small emeralds embedded in them, about half the size of a pinky nail. They didn¡¯t stand out too much, and had just the right feel of an elegant essory.


    Harriet¡¯s expression turned a bit dazed, and the corners of her lips twitched. ¡°Th-Thank you for this... but it feels a bit strange.¡±


    ¡°Strange, how?¡±


    ¡°What should I say... I guess it feels like I¡¯m gradually calming down...?¡±


    It was clearly a magical item, and the calming magic seemed to be stabilizing her mind and body, which was a strange sensation for her. It was understandable, since it was almost as if it was forcibly turning the usually high-spirited Harriet into someone like Ellen.


    It could almost be considered as if an automatic tranquilizer was being administered to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to wear them all the time. Just use them when necessary.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah... You¡¯re right. Sorry.¡±


    She seemed apologetic for not being able to wear the gift all the time. However, I had given it to her to be used only in unavoidable situations in the first ce, so it was no big deal.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how precious this really is, though... How valuable is it actually? Wouldn¡¯t your family have loads of items like these piled up in storage?¡± I asked.


    These were the questions I had before giving her the gift.


    The Duchy of Saint-Ouen was renowned for its magic. The Duke of Saint-Ouen, whom I had seen before, was an Archmage, so it was possible that what I¡¯d given Harriet could be less valuable than themon magical items they had stocked in their family warehouse.


    I had debated whether to give it to her or not, and in the end, I¡¯d decided to give it to her just to lift her spirits.


    Harriet took off the earrings that made her feel strange and put them in her pocket, then pondered for a moment.


    ¡°There are three main criteria for determining the rarity and price of magical items: first, the number of uses; second, the magic used; and third, the item it¡¯s imbued in.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A single-use magic scroll is, after all, a magical item too, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Magic scrolls are considered disposable items.


    Harriet then excused herself quickly and brought something from her room. It was a wand about thirty centimeters in length.


    ¡°What¡¯s that? Is it a magic wand?¡±


    ¡°It can be considered a weapon for self-defense. I carry it just in case. There are generally two kinds of magical wands or staffs: one helps stabilize or control the user¡¯s mana flow, and the other is already charged with spells that are ready to use. They are different from scrolls in that only people who know a bit about handling magic can use them.¡±


    So wands or staffs could either assist the wielder in performing magic, or coulde pre-charged with spells.


    ¡°This one has ten charges of Chain Lightning on it.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s much more expensive than a scroll then?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Some of these be useless once all the charges are consumed, while others can be recharged. Naturally, the rechargeable ones are harder to make and more expensive. This one can be recharged.¡±


    A wand that could produce the advanced destructive magic Chain Lightning ten times, and was also rechargeable... It had to be an extremely powerful magical item.


    Harriet must have wanted toe along because she had something reliable.


    ¡°However there are also wands where the spell is permanently inscribed into the item itself. In that case, you just have to channel your own mana, and the inscribed spell activates.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Those are the rarest items. You can cast the inscribed spells without any casting time, making them exceedingly rare. As far as I know, the techniques to create such items are mostly lost as well.¡±


    The rarity of magical items increased with the number of charges they had, and whether or not they could be recharged. Therefore, artifacts that were permanently inscribed with magic were extremely rare.


    I now realized just how extraordinary the me of Fire hanging around my neck really was.


    Even a wand or staff with a single permanently inscribed spell was treated as an ancient relic, and the me of Fire allowed me, who wasn¡¯t even a mage, to conjure mes with just my will. It wasn¡¯t just essing a specific piece of magic, but a tool that allowed me to wield a branch of the elements.


    While I knew that it was an incredible treasure, hearing Harriet speaking made meprehend just how powerful a magical item it was. It was considered a significant treasure across the entire continent.


    ¡°However, this only applies to destructive magic. Enchanted items like armor or clothes often have permanent inscriptions, but inscribing activation-based destructive magic is extremely difficult.¡±


    Ellen and I had taken enchanted equipment from the Temple on our expedition to the Dark Land. I had suspected they were very expensive, but it turned out that all of them had permanent inscriptions.


    Enchantment of anything rted to destructive magic was extremely rare and expensive.


    ¡°Of course, the rarity of an item also depends on which magic is imbued, but magical jewelry is exceptionally rare.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Harriet held up the earrings I had given her between her thumb and forefinger to show me.


    ¡°They¡¯re small.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s easy to permanently inscribe magic into such a tiny object? And it¡¯s not even a low-level spell like a weight-reduction spell, but a mental stabilization spell. Tranquility may not be a top-tier spell, but it¡¯s at least mid-high-tier mind magic. It¡¯s very difficult to imbue such a magical effect into something you can hang on your ears.¡±


    The third criterion for determining the rarity of a magical item was the object it was imbued into.


    In other words, size mattered.


    It was easier to imbue magic intorger items, such as armor or swords. However, highly advanced techniques were required for imbuing magic into jewelry. The earrings I had given Harriet were only half the size of a pinky nail.


    Harriet smiled at me. ¡°So, this is an extremely rare item.¡±


    She¡¯d given a lengthy exnation to my question about how rare the item was for one simple reason.


    She wanted to exin to me the value of the gift, which I wasn¡¯t fully aware of, and to thank me for it.


    ¡°Thank you, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Um... Excuse me, honored guests.¡±


    Someone interrupted our conversation on the terrace. It was a maid who managed the affairs within the mansion.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Um... There seems to be a problem,¡± she muttered somewhat awkwardly.


    ¡°A problem?¡±


    The maid hesitated. ¡°The young miss has left her purse behind.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh... What a ssic scatterbrain.¡¯ </i>


    This sort of thing happened to them just when they least expected it.


    <i> </i> ***


    Being scatterbrained is a bit different from being dumb. Scatterbrains can bepetent most of the time, but makepletely unexpected mistakes at odd moments. Riana de Granz was that sort.


    She had nned everything out and prepared all the things she needed for shopping, only to realize, upon reaching the counter to pay, that she had forgotten her purse. That had to be the situation she would soon find herself in.


    The servants must have been startled to find the coin pouch sitting right there on the table while cleaning Riana¡¯s room. Of course, since she was part of the high nobility, she could still leave her name and promise that the de Granz estate would settle the bill for her.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the imperial capital of Gradium. Even though they were from a noble family, it was uncertain if the influence of the de Granz family would extend across the sea to this distant southern ind nation. Furthermore, aside from a single coachman, she hadn¡¯t taken any attendants with her.


    ¡°... Adelia didn¡¯t bring her purse either.¡±


    ¡°... I think Ellen might be in the same situation.¡±


    We rummaged through our belongings, and while we couldn¡¯t check Heinrich¡¯s things, we confirmed that both Adelia and Ellen had not brought any money. Judging by the situation, I doubted Heinrich had brought any either; he¡¯d probably just followed Riana without any intent to shop for anything.


    The mage from the de Granz family could teleport the purse over, but he was busy and wouldn¡¯t arrive until the day we were scheduled to return. The servants seemed at a loss, and hade to us as ast resort.


    If nothing changed, the youngdy of the de Granz family would face the embarrassment of trying to treat her friends and ending up without money to pay. It would be an immense disgrace if they had to wash dishes to cover their tab.


    ¡°Um... They¡¯ve most probably entered Rajak City already. Even if we take the coin pouch with us, how would we get it to them?¡±


    <i>¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just let them face the shame and return? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be able to find them easily.¡¯</i>


    Harriet tilted her head and pondered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they bring their student IDs?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s suggestion that they might have forgotten their coin pouches but taken their Temple student IDs was quite usible.


    <i>¡®Hmm, Ellen might not have brought hers, but the others might have.¡¯ </i>


    The Temple student ID served as an identification card, and one never knew when you might need it.


    ¡°But even if they brought their student IDs, how does that help us find them?¡± I asked.


    Harriet nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve learned how to detect the tracking magic embedded in student IDs.¡±


    This had to be a result of the previous time when I¡¯d gone missing. It seemed Harriet had learned how to detect the tracking magic on the student IDs after the case of my disappearance. Of course, back then, I had deliberately removed the tracking magic on my ID.


    Somehow, I felt proud, apologetic, and grateful all at the same time.


    It was a bit overwhelming.


    <i> </i> ***


    The servants had approached us out of sheer desperation, hoping to prevent the youngdy from being humiliated, and had unexpectedly stumbled upon the right solution.


    To catch up quickly, Harriet and I requisitioned a horse from the mansion.


    ¡°... Do you know how to ride a horse?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°I... I¡¯ve learned it before.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when she learned I knew how to ride a horse. Apparently, riding was also considered a basic skill among the high nobility, so Harriet knew how to ride as well.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t want to risk a fall from hurrying, so Harriet and I urged our horse onward at a brisk trot towards Rajak. It wasn¡¯t that far away, especially on horseback.


    As we approached the outskirts of the city, we saw ces where horses and carriages were tethered.


    ¡°Over there. That carriage looks like it belongs to the de Granz family. See the crest?¡±


    They must have parked the carriage on the outskirts and walked into the city. Among the arrayed carriages, the luxurious carriage with the de Granz crest was easily recognizable.


    We entrusted the horse we rode in on to the waiting coachman of the de Granz family and proceeded into Rajak.


    We took some time to marvel at what we saw.


    ¡°It feels like a port city.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it does.¡±


    Though the sea was quite a distance off, a refreshing sea breeze wafted through the city, rather than an unpleasant fishy smell. Rajak was a bustling city, not as grand as the imperial capital, but still quite lively. In the distance, atop a hill bound by sheer cliffs, stood a building that looked like the royal castle of the Kingdom of Edina.


    Entering the city through its gate, we were greeted by a gentle downhill slope that allowed us to take in the entire cityscape at once. The bustling harbor and docks were filled with numerous shipsing and going.


    Harriet gazed in amazement at the scene before her. ¡°So this is what a ce without warp gates looks like, huh.¡±


    The introduction of the Warp Gate system had dramatically shortened trade routes, making scenes like this a thing of the past. The numerous white buildings made the city look more clean than cluttered.


    I understood why Riana had mentioned this ce as a lesser-known tourist spot. Just watching the vast ships traversing the clear blue sea filled me with inexplicable joy. Instead of being a grimy port filled with greasy stains and a fishy smell, it was a picturesque harbor city.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s find the others.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Harriet closed her eyes, apparently casting some tracking magic. After a brief moment, she opened her eyes.


    ¡°Hmm... It¡¯s that way.¡±


    She pointed, but to be honest, I couldn¡¯t tell what she was pointing at.


    Harriet took the lead, and I followed.


    ¡°Magic is amazing, even as you learn it,¡± Harriet said with a peculiar smile as we walked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I learned this tracking magic for student IDs because I wanted to be of help if someone else went missing, like what happened to you thest time.¡±


    Whenever there was something she wished she had known or some magic she wished she could use, Harriet would strive to learn it.


    She continued, ¡°But to use it just to return a coin pouch...¡±


    Harriet had learned the tracking magic to prepare for potential missing student incidents, but she was now using it to return a lost coin pouch to a friend. She found it amusing that she was using the magic in a way that differed from its intended purpose.


    ¡°I mean, I guess it¡¯s just the same as that underwater breathing spell I used thest time to help you guys,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Yeah. But what amazes me more is how you can decide to learn some magic and then just go ahead and master it immediately,¡± I said.


    It seemed as though she had skipped too many of the intermediate steps. If she wanted to learn it, she simply learned it¡ªit was as simple as that.


    Though I wasn¡¯t a magic major, I knew that what Harriet said would make the other magic majors cry out in frustration. Geniuses were geniuses, after all.


    Harriet cast an annoyed nce at me, not exactly pleased with my teasing.


    ¡°Well, I keep telling you this, don¡¯t I? Why are you acting like it¡¯s new now?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I never said you were dumb! I just said you¡¯ve got a thick skull.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing! And there you go again, calling me a thick skull!¡± Harriet yelled, her face flushing red.


    She seemed to be enjoying this high-energy banter. It had been a while since I¡¯dst made her angry, and it felt good to see her react like this.


    <i>¡®Ah. I must be a sadist¡ªat least when ites to her.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s find the others quickly, Thick-Skull!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you? Pretending to be nice to me and then doing this! You always end things like this!¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry... It honestly feels like I have to do this on a daily basis. It¡¯s likepleting a daily quest¡ªthose tasks that seem unnecessary but leave you feeling a little unsatisfied if you don¡¯tplete them.¡¯</i>


    ¡°How did you know that? And why are you only realizing this now?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!!!¡±


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    Unable to contain her frustration, she punched me in the chest.


    ¡°Oh wow? You¡¯re even hitting me now?¡±


    The punch was so weak that it was almost bewildering.


    ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t even hurt you at all! My hand hurts more from hitting you!¡±


    <i> </i> ***


    I wondered where the kids who¡¯d left their purses behind might be and what they were doing. After walking through the city for a while and bickering, Harriet suddenly let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that they¡¯re in a problematic situation.¡±


    <i>¡®How could she know it without actually seeing them?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Their position hasn¡¯t changed. They¡¯ve been in the same spot for a while.¡±


    I sort of understood what she meant. Harriet had made a deduction based on the fact that their location hadn¡¯t changed, even after all the walking we¡¯d done.


    They had to be stuck somewhere, unable to move off once they realized they didn¡¯t have any money. This meant that ourst hope, Heinrich, was also without funds.


    Harriet pointed to a ratherrge restaurant.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. They¡¯re over there.¡±

 Chapter 176

    <h4>Chapter 176</h4>


    We confirmed that our ssmates were inside and entered the restaurant. As soon as we stepped in, we spotted the four of them who had left the vi earlier, stuck at a table with an enormous amount of empty tes in front of them.


    It was just as Harriet predicted.


    ¡°Oh dear, you guys are here, you thick-skulls.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call us thick-skulls...! Ehem... Uhm...¡± yelled Harriet reflexively, even though nobody had directed that at her, and her face turned bright red. She seemed to mistake every mention of ¡°thick-skull¡± as being about her... I guess I had trained her too well.


    Heinrich, Ellen, Riana, and Adelia were staring nkly at the two of us and our sudden appearance.


    ¡°You really are something. Who goes shopping and leaves their money behind? Do you want a nickname simr to ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯ like her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a thick-skull!¡±


    <i>Jingle.</i>


    Riana¡¯s mouth fell open as she stared at her own coin purse, now lying on the table.


    <i> </i> ***


    Apparently, before starting their shopping, Riana had suggested they grab a quick bite at a ce she knew in Rajak that served good food. Knowing Ellen always ate a lot, Riana had ordered a massive amount of food, but just as they were about to leave, she realized that no one had brought any money.


    Just as I predicted, Riana had tried to convince them to bill it to Duke Granz¡¯s estate, but got rejected.


    So there they were sitting, all in a daze, wondering how to resolve the situation, when Harriet and I suddenly appeared.


    Harriet answered Riana¡¯s question on how we had found them so quickly, and Adelia seemed slightly surprised that Harriet had learned such a spell.


    ¡°You tracked our student IDs? When did you learn that?¡±


    ¡°Just, you know, in passing.¡±


    While Adelia learned spells that could make money, Harriet learned the ones she wanted to. It seemed that Adelia took this as another defeat for her. Conversations with Harriet always left Adelia feeling pitiful.


    Ellen and I locked eyes. Ellen seemed curious as to why Harriet¡¯s mood had improved, and I shrugged slightly in return. It wasn¡¯t the right moment to go into details.


    Riana sighed in relief after catching her breath. ¡°Thank goodness... Thank you both.¡±


    Heinrich, on the other hand, didn¡¯t look too pleased. Perhaps it bothered him that Harriet had yed a significant role, while I hadn¡¯t contributed much.


    Regardless, Riana looked at me and said, ¡°Hey, since you¡¯ve worked hard as well, I¡¯ll buy you a swimsuit too.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re making it sound like I came all the way here just to get a swimsuit. I came here purely out of kindness, one hundred percent.¡±


    Riana snorted, an exaggerated look of surprise on her face, as if she hadn¡¯t expected this at all. ¡°Do you even have such a thing as pure kindness within you? I thought you always needed something in return.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I may be rude, but I¡¯m not heartless, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you do realize that you¡¯re rude. I¡¯m surprised you actually have a conscience.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not worth talking to you.¡±


    What was the difference between Harriet and Riana? When I spoke to Riana, it always felt like I was the one getting riled up. In terms of verbal sparring, she was on a higher level than me.


    Seeing me shut my mouth in annoyance, Harriet stared at Riana as if she were some kind of deity.


    ¡°Riana, what¡¯s your secret?¡±


    ¡°... Secret to what?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you talk to him, he can¡¯t move a muscle. How do you do it?¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, you know. At least have this conversation where I can¡¯t hear you guys, okay?¡±


    ¡°So? Shut it,¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet seemed genuinely curious about Riana¡¯s secret to making me speechless. Riana just looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°Even though he pretends to be reckless, he¡¯s actually a coward who can¡¯t really go all out. Try acting boldly next time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I can hear everything.¡±


    ¡°B-Boldly?¡±


    Harriet seemed to ponder this for a moment, probably recalling yesterday¡¯s situation. The ¡°go ahead, touch me if you can¡± moment from yesterday seemed to sh across her mind.


    She then looked at me with a meaningful expression.


    ¡°... Kid, what you¡¯re thinking about is called humanpatibility,¡± I told Harriet.


    ¡°What? Hu-Humanpatibility?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I might not be able to do it to her, but I might actually follow through with you.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not about what you say, but who says it. No matter what you learn, you¡¯re still Harriet de Saint-Ouen, not Riana de Granz, so the oue will bepletely different.</i>


    <i>¡®Some people leave the room feeling awkward while telling dad jokes, while others can make everyoneugh and call them witty with the same jokes. Reactions change depending on who delivers the joke. Do you know how unfair that feels? Of course, I¡¯m not speaking from experience or anything...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what bold move you¡¯re thinking of, but you better behave yourself. You might end up regretting it.¡±


    I smiled ominously, and Harriet¡¯s face started to turn pale.


    <i>¡®I couldn¡¯t do anything to Riana, but what about you? What do you think will happen to you?¡¯</i>


    Harriet seemed to dive into a whirlwind of imagination.


    ¡°W-What... You P-Pervert! Seriously... You¡¯re a crazy pervert!¡± Her face turned bright red, and she squealed, covering her chest.


    What on earth was she thinking?


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t even say anything to begin with. Why are you freaking out on your own like that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°What kind of bold move were you nning on making to get such a reaction?¡± I asked.


    ¡°N-No! I didn¡¯t say anything yet! I didn¡¯t say a word!¡±


    ¡°Then why are you calling me a pervert?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Whatever Riana tried to teach her proved to be useless.


    When it came to Harriet and I, there was a perfect hierarchical rtionship between us.


    <i> </i> ***


    Anyway, now that we¡¯d brought the money, they could finally get back to the original mission of shopping for swimsuits.


    But let me tell you this: Even if we think a medieval fantasy has nothing to do with real medieval times, isn¡¯t this level of disregard for historical uracy a bit too much?


    There was a specialized swimwear store, and the fabrics they used looked no different from modern swimwear materials. I knew that synthetic fibers and modern-style clothing existed in this world, but this seemed like...


    <i>¡®Hmm.¡¯</i>


    In this world, there were far more elements resembling the modern era than the medieval one. What should I call such a bizarre world setting? What kind of twisted world had I created? The conclusion was always the same: thinking about it meant admitting defeat.


    The task was simple. We were going to a swimwear store to buy ourselves swimsuits. As simple as that!


    While our main objective was to buy a swimsuit for Ellen, Riana also seemed interested in buying one for herself. As she was helping Ellen pick out her swimsuit, she tried some on for herself as well.


    ¡°How does it look?¡± Riana asked for opinions from everyone, including me, whenever she tried on a swimsuit.


    ¡°Well, uh... I think... I think it looks really good on you,¡± Heinrich stammered, unable to even nce over at Riana.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even looked at me. How can you say it looks good without seeing it?¡±


    When she asked him to give a proper opinion, he only broke out in more nervous sweat.


    After hearing Heinrich¡¯s hesitant answer, Riana turned to me.


    ¡°Hey, take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it looks good on you,¡± I answered half-heartedly while looking elsewhere.


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you at least going to make an effort to look?¡±


    ¡°Well, anyway, what outfit wouldn¡¯t look good on the beautiful and noble Lady Granz?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to annoy me now.¡±


    Riana moved on, asking others for their opinions. Ellen, seemingly indifferent to everything, wore whatever Riana picked out for her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Even looking in the mirror elicited no reaction from Ellen. Though Lady Granz might have a moremanding height and style, Ellen couldn¡¯t be dismissed either.


    Adelia and Harriet both stared in awe at Ellen in her bikini.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°M-Maybe I should... start working out too...¡±


    Both of them looked at Ellen with admiration in their eyes. She was wearing a basic ck bikini.


    ¡°It suits you well.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t look for too long because a strange feeling came over me. An unwee, unsettling feeling... So I just said it looked good because it indeed did.


    Ellen stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time.


    <i> </i> ***


    Apparently, Riana and Ellen never got tired of trying on swimsuits, switching between different ones repeatedly, while Adelia and Harriet also checked out various swimsuits they liked.


    Of course, they asked me to pick something too, so I chose a pair of trunks that seemed like they¡¯d fit and bought them without even trying them on.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m the kind of person who hates spending hours shopping! Walking around for two hours from the first store only to decide you like the first one best and go back is really infuriating.</i>


    <i>¡®This damn quasi-medieval-fantasy world; we could do without this kind of thing, so why is it even here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re gonna try on dozens of swimsuits just to buy one?¡± I said to Riana.


    Riana tilted her head, puzzled by myment.


    ¡°One? What are you talking about?¡±


    She pointed at the pile of swimsuits she had tried on.


    ¡°I¡¯m buying them all.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah.¡¯</i>


    I had underestimated the magnanimity of Lady Granz, who owned mansions all over the continent.


    <i> </i> ***


    In the end, both Ellen and Riana bought a mountain of swimsuits.


    ¡°What if, after buying so many, the sizes don¡¯t fitter...?¡±


    ¡°Then we buy new ones.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    <i>If they don¡¯t fit? Just throw them all away and buy new ones. </i>


    Rich people on a different level had entirely different mindsets.


    With our shopping done, we could either head back to the mansion to swim again or rest and y as we pleased.


    It made sense that Riana hadn¡¯t brought an attendant to the city with her since she¡¯de with friends. She seemed aware that Adelia might feel out of ce, so it was a considerate move on her part.


    That meant Ellen and Riana both had an armful of heavy bags to carry.


    While Ellen handled it effortlessly like the monster she was, it was clear that Riana was struggling.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have all the money in the world to buy stuff, but did you even think about how you were going to carry it all back?¡±


    ¡°... Apparently not.¡±


    <i>¡®What an airhead.¡¯</i>


    She always seemed to have some screw loose somewhere.


    ¡°Give it here.¡±


    I took about half of Riana¡¯s load. After Ellen, I was probably the strongest in our group.


    Once I¡¯d relieved her of half of her burden, Riana looked at me pointedly and held out the rest of her bags.


    ¡°Hey, since you¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you take all of them?¡±


    ¡°Screw you.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll carry those!¡±


    ¡°Uh... sure. Thanks.¡±


    Heinrich von Schwartz eventually ended up taking the rest. However, his feebleness showed as he huffed and puffed, struggling to keep up. Seeing this, Harriet, Adelia, and even Riana chipped in to distribute the load more evenly.


    They <i>had</i> bought an awful lot, to say the least.


    As we were leaving Rajak, amotion among the popce caught our attention.


    ¡ªHow much have you had to drink in broad daylight? Huh?


    ¡ªI... <i>hic</i>... I had my reasons!


    ¡ªYou¡¯ve been to that damn Airi¡¯s tavern again, haven¡¯t you! You think I wouldn¡¯t find out!


    ¡ªI told you, I haven¡¯t...! Ugh, I¡¯m so drunk.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re going to ruin our family, you fool! Wasting away all your time drinking!


    How should I put it... I had no reason to run into Airi, yet her name kept popping up everywhere. It seemed she was doing well selling alcohol, even in broad daylight.


    <i>Crash</i>!


    ¡ªI¡¯m going to strangle that vixen myself!


    This did not sound good. I could hear families breaking apart all around us.


    <i>¡®Is this really okay? She said she wanted to make a lot of money, and it seems she¡¯s indeed making a lot. But isn¡¯t she at risk of getting stabbed over all this or something? Then again, she did say she had confidence in her skills.¡¯</i>


    Anyway, I had plenty of time. Perhaps I coulde back to Rajak alone someday and check on her.


    With those uneasy thoughts lingering in my mind, I left Rajak.


    <i> </i> ***


    Back at the mansion, we went swimming just like the previous day. Ellen and Riana wore their new swimsuits, and this time, instead of diving down, we just yed by the seaside as usual.


    Iy back on a sunbed, watching them from a distance, as I didn¡¯t feel like getting into the water.


    Adelia, Ellen, Harriet, and Riana were ying. I observed the four of them having fun at the beach while sipping on my drink. Harriet seemed in a much better moodpared to the day before, which was a relief.


    As I watched them, I started to think about exercising, just to upy myself. But then again,ing here to rx just to end up exercising felt a bit contradictory.


    Heinrich von Schwartz called out to me. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to join them?¡±


    He was in his swimming trunks, much like the day before, with a training jacket thrown over. I hadn¡¯t put on my swimsuit since I had no intention of swimming.


    ¡°Not today.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Maybe he felt awkward being there alone?


    He stood beside me, mumbling softly.


    ¡°So, is it true that nothing really happened to you in the Dark Land?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s the Dark Land, it wasn¡¯t dangerous at all?¡±


    He seemed curious, wondering if I was just avoiding talking about the Dark Land, or if really nothing had happened. He wanted to know if I was hiding something, or if the ce wasn¡¯t as dangerous as its reputation suggested.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go to any dangerous ces in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°... Then what was the point of going there?¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm.¡¯</i>


    Why was he asking these questions?


    ¡°Is there any need to gamble with your life? It¡¯s better to just stay cautious, so that¡¯s what I did.¡±


    Whatever I said would be a lie anyway, so it wasn¡¯t worth putting much thought into it. I didn¡¯t care what this guy thought of me.


    ¡°So, you made a lot of noise about going to the Dark Land, but like a coward, you didn¡¯t actually do much, huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at Heinrich, and he seemed a bit intimidated by my gaze.


    ¡°Well, what does it matter?¡± I said.


    ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d at least have taken down a goblin.¡±


    ¡°Sure you would.¡±


    ¡°Look, my abilities aren¡¯t at the same level anymore.¡±


    <i>Fwhsh!</i>


    He concentrated briefly, and a burst of mes shot up from the middle of the sand.


    I didn¡¯t want to pay too much attention to whatever he was saying, but the speed and intensity of his pyrokic abilities had clearly increased since I¡¯dst seen him.


    He must have been training hard.


    ¡°Yeah, it looks like you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Heinrich seemed a bit thrown off by my indifferent acknowledgment; it seemed like he had hoped to impress me.


    From the way he was acting, it seemed he wanted me to feel jealous, angry, or upset. Thanks to the me of Fire, though, I already had all the abilities Heinrich possessed. Besides, I didn¡¯t see any reason to be affected, even without those mes.


    At the end of the day, I had my own abilities, and he had his.


    ¡°So just know that messing with me won¡¯t get you anywhere, just like before,¡± he said.


    He walked toward the beach with a sly grin, and I didn¡¯t feel like saying anything to his retreating back.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s his deal? Why is he so keen on forming a rivalry with me?¡¯</i>


    In the past, I would have smacked him upside the head, but I no longer had the desire to do so. Getting worked up over such trivial provocations felt exhausting.


    It felt like my mindset had shifted to a different level.


    <i> </i> ***


    After swimming, everyone cleaned up then gathered for dinner. Since we hadn¡¯t spent the entire day swimming, no one seemed particrly tired.


    Still, everyone seemed to want to turn in early, knowing that there was another day ahead.


    ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± I asked out of concern.


    Ellen had had another nightmare the night before, and there was no guarantee she wouldn¡¯t have one again.


    She nodded vaguely in response. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We still had plenty of time, so perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to visit Airi in Rajak. I could just tell the kids that I was going to go somewhere alone.


    As I mulled over these thoughts, I started to drift into unconsciousness.


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    Someone knocked on my door.


    Thinking it might be Ellen, I opened it, but it was Riana standing there.


    ¡°Come out.¡±


    ¡°... All of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Juste already.¡±


    What business could she have at this hour?


    Riana gave me a sly grin.


    ¡°We need a drink on a night like this, don¡¯t we?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, </i>noona<i>... You¡¯re truly the best!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 177

    <h4>Chapter 177</h4>


    Riana took me to thergest room in the mansion. The room was dimly lit, with one weak light emitting a soft yellow glow. She hadn¡¯t just invited me¡ªeveryone else was already seated around the table and sofas in that room. I was thest one to arrive.


    On the table, there was an ice bucket surrounded by various unknown bottles.


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    ¡°The servants would freak out if they saw us drinking, so we had to wait until we got to the lodging.¡±


    I mean, I <i>had </i>rushed over as soon as I heard there was alcohol, and drinking with friends on a trip was amon scenario, but it felt like a strange and mixed up thing in this different world.


    How much of the real world was mixed into this fantasy setting?


    There was wine as well as high-proof spirits that were slightly different from soju. I was unsure if minors were allowed to drink. Harriet looked a bit nervous, and so did Heinrich and Adelia.


    ¡°Have you tried drinking before?¡±


    I nodded in response to Riana¡¯s question. ¡°Um, yeah... Not much though.¡±


    Ellen was just sitting quietly, and Riana seemed to have had her fair share of sneaking drinks before.


    And here she was, trying to get her ssmates to drink as well.


    <i>¡®Was she the troublemaker type at home?¡¯ </i>


    The more I got to know her, the more interesting she became.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to drink, you don¡¯t have to. No one¡¯s forcing you.¡±


    Riana skillfully opened a bottle and poured a small amount into each of our sses, adding ice to each of them.


    ¡°But, but... won¡¯t we get in trouble for this?¡± Harriet said in a worried voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a drink before...¡± Adelia added.


    Harriet and Adelia looked a bit nervous, a hint of fear in their eyes.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to scold me about this?¡± said Riana. ¡°You just have to go for it.¡±


    She was basically saying that she could be forgiven for anything.


    Ellen stared quietly at the golden liquid in her ss. I remembered Ellen mentioning in the Dark Land that we should try drinking together some time, because she was curious about the experience.


    It seemed like it was going to happen, but in a very different ce.


    Heinrich looked a little tense as he stared at the drink in his ss.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate at all and downed the whiskey in my ss.


    ¡°Ah... this is it,¡± I said.


    Since I¡¯d decided to have fun, I had no reason to refuse the alcohol. Everyone watched in a daze as I drank without hesitation.


    The sensation of heat down my throat...


    This was it.


    I had forgotten what it felt like for far too long.


    ¡°U-Um... then I¡¯ll try too!¡± said Heinrich, who made up his mind after witnessing me and drank his shot.


    Immediately he sputtered and choked, falling into a coughing fit, then sneezed several times.


    <i>¡°</i>Huff... huff... it feels like my throat is peeling off...¡±


    Riana, who had been patting his back for a while, sighed.


    <i>¡®You have to brace yourself for the burn before drinking; no wonder your body reacted that way.¡¯</i>


    ¡°This drink isn¡¯t made to be gulped down the way he just did,¡± Riana cautioned Heinrich. ¡°He¡¯s just weird.¡±


    She clearly thought it was odd to do what I¡¯d done.


    Adelia and Harriet sipped the whiskey cautiously, then stuck out their tongues.


    ¡°Bitter!¡±


    ¡°Yuck...¡±


    Ellen took a sip of the whiskey and furrowed her brow slightly.


    ¡°Bitter.¡±


    Well, what would they know about the taste of alcohol anyway?


    Riana seemed to anticipate this reaction and opened another bottle.


    ¡°Then you guys can drink something sweet.¡±


    It appeared to be some kind of sweet wine. Riana poured the wine into sses for the three of them. She seemed pretty experienced at choosing drinks.


    Did she leave the Temple every weekend to return to the Grand Duke¡¯s house in the capital not because it was morefortable, but because she couldn¡¯t drink at the Temple? I was almost certain of it.


    All three of them tried the sweet wine and nodded.


    ¡°Wow, this is delicious,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Yeah... it¡¯s sweet.¡± Adeliamented.


    ¡°This is better,¡± Ellen added.


    ¡°Really? Then you guys can drink this.¡±


    Riana looked at me, tilting the bottle and her head.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t try the sweet one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t give it to me.¡±


    She surprisingly remembered the conversation we had at the dessert cafe the other day. Though I could clearly see Heinrich furrowing his brow slightly at that.


    ¡°And you, Heinrich? Should I give you this too? In case the other one¡¯s too strong for you.¡±


    ¡°... No, I¡¯ll stick with the same one.¡±


    It seemed Riana had no idea that Heinrich was interested in her, so she wouldn¡¯t have realized that her words were irritating him either.


    <i>¡®Why do I feel like that guy keeps wanting topete with me? I understand not wanting to show weakness in front of a girl you like, but still. I¡¯m not yourpetitor, you idiot.¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t tell him that, though, so I just watched silently.


    <i> </i> ***


    Riana, Heinrich, and I were drinking whiskey and Ellen, Harriet, and Adelia were having sweet wine. There was chocte and cheeseid out in front of us as snacks.


    Initially, everyone was a bit nervous, but after one or two drinks, they started drinkingfortably.


    However, this kind of situation usually led to trouble.


    <i>¡°Oh? This tastes quite good and I don¡¯t feel tipsy at all!¡± </i>Then suddenly, you find yourself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.


    ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t juice. Drink slowly, or it¡¯ll hit you hard.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the buzzes a bitte. Drink slowly, Ellen.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Ellen needed to be cautioned as she was downing the wine like grape juice. Harriet and Adelia, who were also gulping it down, began to pace themselves after hearing my advice.


    ¡°But I¡¯m curious about what Ellen would be like when she¡¯s drunk,¡± Riana said with a faint smile, staring intently at Ellen.


    I had to admit, I was curious too. Would she be more talkative?


    Or maybe she would just fall asleep. You never know how drinking would affect someone until they actually drank a few sses.


    ¡°By the way, what are your ns for the next semester? sses and all that,¡± Riana asked, wanting to know about our ns for the next term.


    We hadn¡¯t had many serious conversations up until then and had just been fooling around, so this impromptu drinking session was finally the setting in which we would really begin to talk.


    ¡°Hmm... I think mine will be simr to the first semester. Mostly magic sses... I¡¯ll probably take them with Adelia. Additionally, I¡¯m thinking of taking more alchemy sses this time,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Yeah... that sounds like me too,¡± Adelia agreed.


    The two of them were the only ones majoring in magic in ss A, so it seemed they would be sticking together in the second semester as well.


    The focus then shifted to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything different. Supernatural powers ss, Meditation, and Mana Attunement training are fixed for me. Swordsmanship as well. I haven¡¯t thought of anything beyond that.¡±


    I assumed I¡¯d end up in the same Swordsmanship ss as Ellen. It was obvious I¡¯d be taking supernatural power sses with Heinrich and Riana. Not much would change. Ellen seemed to be taking a moment to think.


    ¡°Mine won¡¯t be very different either. If there¡¯s anything new, it might be... Demonic Ecology,¡± she finally said.


    ¡°... Demonic Ecology?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Everyone tilted their heads when hearing this unexpected topic. We didn¡¯t know what the Demonic Ecology course entailed, but judging by the name, it was probably a ss that taught students about demons.


    Ellen must have felt unprepared when dealing with the zombies and realized she had no prior knowledge about them, which would exin why she was aiming to take her studies in that direction.


    <i>¡®Hmm. Actually, that sounds like something I should be learning about as well. You know what, I should take that ss with Ellen.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmm... Demonic Ecology. Sounds interesting. Should I take it too?¡± Riana seemed interested as well.


    ¡°By the way, you realize that you¡¯ll be learning about demons we¡¯d never meet... Oh¡ª¡± Harriet started to question the need to study Demonic Ecology, but then quickly shut her mouth.


    She knew something had happened in the Dark Land and thus did not probe further. Ellen¡¯s face darkened a little, realizing she might have misspoken by bringing up such a topic.


    Sensing the atmosphere bing awkward, Riana raised her ss.


    ¡°It¡¯s vacation; we shouldn¡¯t be talking about studying. Let¡¯s drink!¡±


    When things grew uncertain during a drinking session, just taking a shot often solved the issue.


    Was she really a high school student? Sometimes I wondered if she had the soul of someone in their thirties or forties.


    In that cozy room filled with warm yellow light, we continued our conversations about various things.


    ¡°Speaking of which, there¡¯s a festival in the second semester,¡± Riana mentioned.


    School life in school-themed stories often followed certain forms.


    In summer, it would be the beach. And in winter, it¡¯s the hot springs. And then, there¡¯s the school festival.


    It¡¯s be such a clich¨¦, yet these stories would feel iplete without it, so I made sure to include it. The festival at the Temple, with its student body exceeding a hundred thousand, was grand and borate.


    ¡°Hmm... But from what I¡¯ve heard, the Royal ss doesn¡¯t really partake in the fun surrounding the festival... is that right?¡± Harriet asked hesitantly, and Riana nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s because of the rivalry event.¡±


    <i>The rivalry event.</i>


    ¡°I wonder what the Orbis ss¡¯s skill level is like?¡±


    The Temple has two special sses: The Royal ss, selected for their talent, and the Orbis ss, selected for their skill.


    In the same vein as a college rivalry, the Orbis ss and the Royal ss would face off during the festival as one of its main highlights.


    In the original story, there was a rivalry within the Royal ss between ss A and ss B, and beyond their own ss was the rivalry with the Orbis ss.


    These were the two major rivalries.


    The storyline first showcased the rivalry that ss B had with ss A in the first semester, and the festival in the second semester introduced a new rival¡ªthe Orbis ss.


    Frankly speaking, since those in the Royal ss, especially ss A, were selected based solely on talent, there were some who barely had any real skills. There was the notorious trio of Kaier Vioden, Erhi de Raffaeli, and Connor Lint, who represented the deadweights of ss A, just to name some. Of course, in Connor Lint¡¯s case, it wasn¡¯t forck of effort, but due to the drawbacks of his abilities.


    On the other hand, students in the Orbis ss were selected based solely on skills, regardless of their natural talent. Therefore, there were hardly any useless members in Orbis ss. They were all students with a tireless work ethic.


    In the first year, ording to the original storyline, while a few skilled individuals managed to win their individual matches, the Royal ss would be defeated.


    In any case, the head-to-head confrontation with the Orbis ss was approaching.


    ¡°Closebat majors often get severely injured, so both of you be careful,¡± Riana said, alternating her gaze between Ellen and me.


    Even though I was a superhuman, I was still ssified under the closebat category.


    ¡°But... Do the Orbis ss students really hate us that much?¡± Adelia asked cautiously, looking a bit scared.


    ¡°My second brother was in the Orbis ss. So when I was selected for the Royal ss, he really disliked it. He couldn¡¯t tell me not to go, though,¡± Harriet answered.


    I didn¡¯t know how many brothers Harriet had, but I knew there was at least a third one, which suggested there were three of them. All of them were likely Temple alumni, and the second one had graduated from the Orbis ss. It was the first time we were hearing this, so we all tilted our heads in curiosity.


    ¡°They think we rely solely on our talent and nothing else. Even the teachers intentionally support this belief, and their ss atmosphere strongly emphasizes that they can¡¯t lose to us.¡±


    I knew this well.


    An elite group who received special treatment due to sheer talent, and another elite group that was forged through hard work and perseverance.


    The Orbis ss despised the Royal ss, but the Royal ss didn¡¯t really care about the Orbis ss. It was a one-sided animosity, mainly due to the limitations of the Orbis ss students.


    In the lower grades, the effort could bridge the gap in talent. However, as students advanced through the grades, the gap between the Orbis ss and the Royal ss widened.


    Experiencing defeat at the hands of Orbis ss members reminded those in the Royal ss that, if no effort was put in, even the most talented would lose to the average individual. Those who didn¡¯t realize this and still didn¡¯t put in the effort simply became irrelevant.


    Because of this dynamic, the Orbis ss inadvertently turned thezy geniuses of the Royal ss into hardworking geniuses. Talent couldn¡¯t be surpassed by effort alone, and this inherent unfairness caused the Orbis ss to feel an inevitable inferiorityplex towards the Royal ss.


    Riana crossed her arms. ¡°Our dorms being so far apart is precisely because of this animosity. They used to be closer, but fights broke out so frequently that they had to be moved.¡±


    Whenever they had the chance to re up, confrontations and violent incidents urred. The students of both sses weren¡¯t just ordinary students, but the elite of the Temple. Any misstep could escte from a mere fight into actual murder.


    Thus, the dormitories of the Orbis ss and the Royal ss were situated far apart, minimizing encounters.


    Harriet took a sip of wine and sighed. ¡°Even so, I¡¯ve heard things have improved a lot now. It used to be that just wearing the uniform and being recognized would be enough to start a fight.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what the Orbis ss uniform looked like, but I had never faced any trouble just for wearing the Royal ss uniform.


    Things were better now, and just seeing each other¡¯s uniforms wasn¡¯t enough to trigger hostilities. However, the two sses were still far from friendly, and their officially-sanctioned confrontation was scheduled for the second semester.


    The Orbis ss would be sharpening their knives to defeat us, and the Royal ss, due to teamwork issues, was ted to lose in team events, and win only a few individual bouts.


    Ludwig would face and lose to the top freshman in the Orbis ss during the individual matches. However, given the additional members to the Royal ss, I wasn¡¯t sure how the matchups would y out this time.


    Riana then turned to Ellen. ¡°By the way, Ellen, are you going to participate in the tournament?¡±


    ¡°Tournament?¡±


    Aside from the rivalry event, the festival also hostedrge-scale events for the entire Temple cohort, thergest among which was the tournament that was held for each grade. It primarily featured those majoring in closebat.


    In the original storyline, Ellen wouldpete in the tournament with the intent of winning the freshman championship. Her final opponent in the tournament was the top freshman in the Orbis ss¡ªthe same one who would easily defeat Ludwig in their individual match. Ellen would defeat this individual effortlessly, mirroring the scenario on the deserted ind and setting Ellen up as the main hurdle that Ludwig had to ovee.


    Of course, this tournament was roundly criticized by the readers. Readersined about being tired of martial arts tournaments, bored by the repetitive pattern of fight and win, fight and win.


    ¡°So, how many chapters until this part is over?¡± was a frequentment that I received.


    After writing it, I even had to take tranquilizers because of all the hatements...


    That ¡°boring part¡± was now bing a reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ellen replied hesitantly.


    Ellen¡¯s response was somewhat negative. It would have been natural for her to take part and win it, but it seemed things had changed a bit.


    After a moment, Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Honestly, I think you¡¯d clinch first ce,¡± Riana said.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see a reason topete.¡±


    I knew why she was so hesitant.


    Ellen had unlocked Mana Reinforcement. At this point, she had such an overwhelming advantage over her peers that she didn¡¯t see the point in participating.


    I put a hand on Ellen¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve made a good decision. Don¡¯tpete in it.¡±


    Ellen looked puzzled, and I grinned at Ellen.


    ¡°If youpete, I can¡¯t win first ce.¡±


    My sudden deration took everyone by surprise. Their expressions were priceless.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think you¡¯d get first ce even if I¡¯m not there,¡± Ellen remarked.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a bit harsh, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter at Ellen¡¯s sudden jab.


    My unexpected deration of joining the tournament, followed by Ellen¡¯s disparagement, lightened the mood.


    <i>¡®Does someone have to sacrifice themselves and be miserable just for you all tough? You guys are awful.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I win first ce, huh?!¡±


    I tried to y along and whined a little, but Ellen quietly sipped her wine while staring at me.


    ¡°... Do I really need to spell it out for you? You can¡¯t even handle Cliffman. What if hepetes?¡±


    ¡°... Oh, right.¡±


    <i>¡®Oof.¡¯</i>


    She hit me with the hard truth, and I had nothing to say. Even with my supernatural powers, I couldn¡¯t beat Cliffman. I might have improved a little over the break, but Cliffman probably hadn¡¯t been cking either.


    If I couldn¡¯t beat Cliffman, that meant I also couldn¡¯t beat anyone who could defeat him.


    ¡°Hmm, okay. Then I¡¯ll just have to break the legs of all those Royal and Orbis ss guys who are stronger than me before entering the tournament.¡±


    Riana red at me with a sense of caution at my ominous remark. ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that. I¡¯m scared you might actually do it.¡±


    ¡°And how do you n on breaking the legs of those who are stronger than you?¡± Harriet chimed in.


    ¡°Ambush. No one can withstand a surprise attack, right?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face went pale, clearly considering the possibility that I might follow through on my outrageous statement.


    ¡°... Are you seriously going to do that?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m just kidding. It¡¯s not worth the trouble.¡±


    I was just joking, and I didn¡¯t seriously think I could win first ce just because Ellen wasn¡¯tpeting. It was all in jest.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t have much interest in participating in the tournament. Spending time sparring and bickering with Ellen was the best way to improve my skills.


    Moreover, I nned to focus more on other things starting next semester, which would leave me no time to idle away in such events.


    The festival? Forget it.


    The grand martial arts tournament? Not interested.


    Rivalry event? Count me out.


    My life wasn¡¯t so rosy that I could just live like a carefree student.


    ¡°Still, you should participate,¡± suggested Ellen out of the blue.


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say I wouldn¡¯t win?¡±


    After basically telling me that I sucked at fighting, now she¡¯s encouraging me topete? What was this about?


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± Ellen said, looking at me intently.


    Was she curious about my abilities? But she had already seen a bit of what I could do in the Dark Land.


    In the original storyline, Ellen easily won the tournament. However, Ellen had grown much strongerpared to her original self. She had decided not to participate in the Temple tournament as the result would be too predictable.


    ¡°You should at least make it to the quarterfinals.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t be the onepeting, but she seemed curious to see how far I could go, considering I had learned swordsmanship from her.


    It seemed she wanted to send her student in topete, and watch from the sidelines.


    ¡°... Are you drunk?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions turned odd as Ellen, who was usually modest, suddenly exhibited an unusual confidence. She wasn¡¯t typically like this, saying things like how I shouldn¡¯t fail to reach the quarterfinals since she was my teacher.


    The yellow lighting had masked it at first, but I could see that her face had turned slightly rosy.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t make it, I¡¯ll be mad.¡±


    The subtle smile on her face was almost too intense to look at.


    It would have been better if she were just drunk and throwing a tantrum.


    Her current demeanor made my whole body feel stiff.

 Chapter 178

    <h4>Chapter 178</h4>


    Ellen seemed slightly tipsy, though notpletely drunk. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just Ellen; everyone seemed a bit excited.


    Harriet, possibly tipsy as well, was excitedly exchanging words with Adelia.


    ¡°So, how about we try creating an operational magic weapon?¡±


    ¡°Th-That sounds way too difficult for our level...¡±


    ¡°Even so, let¡¯s give it a go. I¡¯ll ask the Temple for the materials, and if they don¡¯t have them, I¡¯ll find a way to get them!¡±


    ¡°R-Really...? I feel so bad for you...¡±


    It seemed like their thoughts were unraveling without much order.


    Ellen sat on the sofa, hugging her knees.


    I got it now. She was a cute drunk.


    Ellen looked at me, her chin resting between her knees.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Have some of this,¡± I said, pointing out the snacks on the table.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t want this.¡±


    Cheese and chocte didn¡¯t seem to satisfy her.


    She clearly wanted something else¡ªher expression said as much.


    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t think we have any ready-made snacks avable,¡± said Riana. She seemed to be thinking about what else she could prepare, but nothing wasing to mind.


    Heinrich kept drinking silently.


    <i>¡®Oh no, that guy... This doesn¡¯t look good.¡¯</i>


    While Heinrich was a concern, Ellen was more important.


    She was staring at me as if she was not going to breathe until she got what she wanted.


    ¡°This is really turning into a creative nuisance,¡± I muttered under my breath.


    In the end, I nced over at Riana.


    ¡°Do you have any cooking ingredients here?¡±


    ¡°We probably do...?¡±


    Riana didn¡¯t sound convinced.


    ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just going to make something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not that drunk!¡± I said.


    As I tried to get up from the sofa, though, my ankle twisted under me.


    Riana, probably thinking I was drunk, was ready to follow me out of the room. ¡°Hey, hey. Wait up, I¡¯ming with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Do you even know where the kitchen is?¡±


    I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    This was a mansion, after all. I would need someone to show me the way to the kitchen. I¡¯d just end up wandering around otherwise.


    Was I really drunk?


    ***


    The pantry of the kitchen that Riana led me to was filled with food. I grabbed things at random, not really knowing what I needed.


    Riana watched me with a worried expression.


    ¡°Do you even know how to cook?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise it¡¯ll satisfy the tastes of a duchess, but I can make something edible for that bug upstairs.¡±


    ¡°You always speak in a way that riles me up, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t aiming to make hors d¡¯oeuvres to pair with wine; I was just making food to fill the stomach of a hungry drunk.


    ¡°Be careful with that knife.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I chopped the sausages into bite-sized pieces and roughly chopped some onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. I threw them all into a frying pan to saut¨¦ and added some ketchup, sugar, pepper, and salt.


    It didn¡¯t take long at all.


    Riana tilted her head, puzzled, as she considered the hastily-prepared meal.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sausages mixed with some vegetables, tossed in ketchup, sugar, and pepper.¡±


    ¡°... I was asking for the name of the dish, not how it was made.¡±


    <i>¡®Would you even understand if I told you the name of the dish is ¡°ssoya¡±? Just eat it without questioning me!¡¯</i>


    Of course, since Ellen was the one eating, I prepared a massive amount. There was also a baguette, so I sliced it and piled it onto a te.


    Riana, looking skeptical, tried a bite.


    She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing incredible, but... it¡¯s surprisingly decent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same reaction that the thick-skull hadst time.¡±


    Both of them were so used to fancy foods that they weren¡¯t able to say out loud that they enjoyed it, but at least they didn¡¯t spit it out. Riana folded her arms and looked at me.


    ¡°You know, the more I look at you, the stranger you seem.¡±


    ¡°I get that a lot.¡±


    Thinking about it, I realized most people said that to me.


    ***


    When I returned with the massive te of sliced baguette and saut¨¦ed sausage with vegetables, everyone¡¯s eyes widened.


    As expected, Ellen silently started to spear the sausage and vegetables with a fork and ate them with the bread. Even Riana, despite her skepticism, picked at it little by little once it was right in front of her.


    Adelia tried some, and her eyes widened.


    ¡°Reinhart, you¡¯re... surprisingly good at a lot of things,¡± Adelia said.


    ¡°Uh, thanks.¡±


    Adelia, possibly slightly tipsy, had a rosy flush to her cheeks.


    ¡°At first, I just thought you were... really scary... But now, I don¡¯t think so...¡±


    The girl who couldn¡¯t meet my eyes when she was sober was speaking rather normally now that she had some alcohol in her system. Riana also nodded silently.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You did seem different during thest group mission.¡±


    During the group mission, everyone had been ready to give up, but Ellen and I were the first to take action. Although Vertus was the one who actually took charge, I had given plenty of hints along the way.


    ¡°Y-Yeah... that time... he... he was pretty...cool... right?¡± asked Adelia, looking at Harriet.


    ¡°Uh... Hm? Um, I-I mean, d-don¡¯t ask me...¡± Harriet stammered back, shaking her head and looking flustered.


    Honestly, I could feel that my ssmates¡¯ opinions of me had shifted significantly since that event.


    Riana threw a sidelong nce at me, and a subtle smile spread across her lips. ¡°If only he could fix that damned crooked attitude of his...¡±


    <i>m</i>!


    ¡°Ah shit.¡±


    A soft curse broke the atmosphere.


    The mood instantly turned icy, as if cold water had been sshed over us.


    Heinrich von Schwartz, his eyes zed over, had mmed his ss down roughly. ¡°Reinhart this, Reinhart that. What¡¯s so great about that guy?¡± he muttered to himself.


    <i>¡®This guy... He¡¯s definitely drunk.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Some lowlymoner with a filthy temper who throws punches everywhere and doesn¡¯t know his ce. What¡¯s so great about that bastard who dares to hit and insult royalty and nobility that he wouldn¡¯t normally even dare to look at?!¡±


    Adelia flinched at his sudden outburst. Ellen stared at him intently, and Riana furrowed her brow, while Harriet seemed flustered.


    <i>¡®Wow, this jerk.¡¯</i>


    I had already sensed that Heinrich had umted a grudge against me, but for it to explode in this situation...


    ¡°Hey, shut up,¡± I said to him curtly. ¡°If you keep on babbling, you¡¯ll regret it tomorrow.¡±


    Honestly, if I wanted Heinrich to get what he deserved, remaining silent would have been the best course of action. He was destroying his image on his own, and leaving him to continue down this path would be the best way to make sure the next day would be the most miserable one for him.


    Telling him to shut up was all the mercy I could offer him. This was my limit.


    It was obvious that his feelings had been twisted up in various ways during this trip. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t show much reaction to his nonsense.


    But it seemed like my words only further provoked his temper.


    ¡°What makes you think you can talk down to me, a royal of Kernstadt, you filthymoner? Do you still think you¡¯re at the Temple? Just because you¡¯re at the Temple, do you think you¡¯re equal to high nobility or royalty? Do you think you¡¯re on par with the prince and princess just because you¡¯re in the same ss as them, you pathetic little¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop it.¡±


    Riana de Granz put her hand on Heinrich¡¯s knee, and he flinched heavily.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? If you¡¯re drunk, just go to sleep.¡±


    Riana¡¯s words probably struck a nerve. Telling a drunk person that they¡¯re drunk is like pressing a self-destruct button. It would be even worse if it came from someone they liked.


    ¡°Hey, who do you think you are?¡± Heinrich growled, ring at me as he spoke.


    He looked at the others. ¡°This guy is nothing. He bragged to everyone about going to the Dark Land, acting all high and mighty, but once he got there, he chickened out and did nothing but wander around safe zones. What kind of adventure is that? It¡¯s a pic. How is it any different from just hanging out here?¡±


    It was clear that there was a lot of resentment built up inside him.


    I felt tired, but not angry. Dealing with him was exhausting, and getting seriously angry at a drunk idiot felt like a waste.


    In situations like this, he just came off as pathetic. I¡¯d had enough.


    Besides, I didn¡¯t have any strong feelings toward Heinrich von Schwartz one way or the other.


    Was there really any need to deal with someone behaving so obnoxiously?


    If I stayed quiet, he¡¯d just be ruining his own reputation on his own.


    ¡°Whatever you say, man. Everyone knows the truth,¡± I finally said, barely even looking at him.


    Letting him dig his own grave was the best course of action.


    I decided to leave him be. If I punched him, it would actually be doing him a favor. No matter how justified I might be for doing so, hitting him would only redirect everyone¡¯s anger towards me.


    So I stayed put.


    That was the worst thing I could do to Heinrich.


    ¡°Hey. I told you to stop...¡±


    He ignored Riana¡¯s attempt to calm him down, and pointed an using finger at me. ¡°Hold on a second. You¡¯re nothing but a thug who picks on weaker kids at the Temple. Did you get so scared in a real ce that you couldn¡¯t do anything? Coward.


    ¡°What, are you gonna hit me? Like you always do? The coward who was useless in the Dark Land can only throw punches here, right? Go on, hit me. Do you think it will be as easy as before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Riana or me who interrupted him.


    ¡°If you keep talking,¡± said Ellen, holding a whiskey bottle and ring at Heinrich coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    She looked ready to bash his head in with the bottle right then and there.


    ***


    Ellen¡¯s sudden and chilling words made the already tense atmosphere even more so.


    I quickly snatched the whiskey bottle out of her hand.


    ¡°Hey, calm down. What¡¯s gotten into you all of a sudden?¡±


    Ellen stared down the now-frozen Heinrich with a murderous gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t speak about things you don¡¯t have the slightest clue about.¡±


    ¡°What? What don¡¯t I understand...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak carelessly when you don¡¯t even know anything.¡±


    It seemed like Ellen had lost herposure, just like Heinrich had lost his senses. The tension had destabilized her, and hearing Heinrich insulting me as a coward had triggered her anger.


    Going to the Dark Land wasn¡¯t something we were proud of, but we were not cowards. However, it wasn¡¯t something worth getting riled up over just because of a mere provocation.


    Heinrich, who had been frightened initially, seemed to calm down a bit when I intervened. Then, out of embarrassment, his face turned red, and his attitude suddenly changed.


    Heinrich looked at Ellen as though he had just remembered andughed. ¡°Oh, right. You went to the Dark Land too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    It was clearly a mockingugh.


    ¡°So, did you also chicken out when you got there? What, do you feel embarrassed and ashamed when someone points that out?¡±


    ¡°Just stop it! Why are you acting like this?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong, Heinrich?¡±


    Even Harriet and Adelia urged Heinrich to stop, but he didn¡¯t seem willing to listen.


    Riana de Granz sighed, and her expression turned ice-cold.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re annoying.¡±


    <i>Bzzzzt</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Electricity shot out from Riana¡¯s body and struck Heinrich. She had finally lost her patience and taken direct action.


    Riana looked at the now unconscious Heinrich, who had copsed from a single electric shock, as if he were some kind of insect. ¡°If I had known he was this kind of guy, I wouldn¡¯t have invited him along.¡±


    Now that his sudden outburst had been subdued by a single electric shock, Riana took a calm sip of her whiskey. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not dead.¡±


    The casualness of her remark was the scariest part.


    In any case, Heinrich had let his jealousy or sense of rivalry towards me drive him to do unnecessary and foolish things, earning the full ire of Riana de Granz.


    Maybe I should have just knocked some sense into him from the start. Not that I had any reason to do such a favor for someone who was being deliberately obnoxious.


    I seemed to have mellowed out quite a bit. In the old days, I would¡¯ve drop-kicked him on the spot. Of course, back then, my standing had been precarious, and I couldn¡¯t stand to be ignored. Now, I didn¡¯t have to worry about such things anymore.


    Plus, I didn¡¯t want to get seriously angry over some nonsense spouted by a drunk. Leaving a drunken fool alone was the best punishment, so I had just watched.


    <i>¡®Well, this certainly took a turn,¡¯</i> I thought, looking at the unconscious form of Heinrich von Schwartz.


    Harriet and Adelia, who had tried to stop Heinrich, seemed relieved but also a bit stunned. Ellen¡¯s rage had dissipated, and the anger on her face had been reced by a more contemtive look as she watched the scene y out.


    And there was Riana, nonchntly sipping her drink as if nothing much had happened. That was perhaps the most unsettling of all.


    In the end, I decided not to do anything as a way to subtly retaliate. Part of it was because I didn¡¯t want to ruin my good mood from drinking after such a long time.


    We brought the unconscious Heinrich into one of the rooms andid him on a bed. Despite the unexpectedmotion, it seemed like Riana had no intention of ending the gathering.


    Ellen¡¯s expression was still displeased. She was clearly still irked by Heinrich¡¯s remarks.


    ¡°By the way, you two,¡± Riana said, alternating her gaze between Ellen and me. ¡°I never really believed that nothing happened in the Dark Land from the beginning...¡±


    Riana seemed to be referencing Ellen¡¯s earlier outburst: <i>¡°Don¡¯t talk about things you don¡¯t have a clue about.¡±</i>


    She never actually believed us when we¡¯d said nothing happened.


    Riana, still looking at us, took another sip of her whiskey. ¡°If it¡¯s something you don''t want to talk about, even with someone like him calling you cowards, then I can kinda guess what might have happened.¡±


    Riana understood that there was a reason why we couldn¡¯t talk about it.


    She refilled Ellen¡¯s ss with wine and mine with whiskey. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, that¡¯s fine. But I believe that, whatever you did, it must have been for a good reason.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Riana was willing to believe that there were unavoidable circumstances that led us to do whatever it was within the Dark Land.


    ¡°But just know that it¡¯s natural for us to be curious about what happened,¡± Riana continued with a smile as she raised her ss. ¡°Because after all, we¡¯re friends. That¡¯s what I think.¡±


    <i>Friends.</i>


    Riana de Granz considered Ellen and I her friends. Hearing this from her caught me a bit off-guard, and I found myself momentarily stunned.


    We hadn¡¯t known each other for long, nor had we shared that many conversations. But then again, people didn¡¯t have to spend ages together to be friends.


    A slightly tipsy Riana was more open and talkative than usual, which was why she expressed this thought aloud. <i>¡®Because we are friends, it¡¯s natural to be curious about such things.¡¯</i>


    It was theplete opposite of Heinrich, who had gone on a drunken rant about social hierarchies and acted as if we were still at the Temple.


    He believed that social hierarchies couldn¡¯t be transcended, while Riana believed they could and thought of us as friends.


    Ellen seemed slightly surprised by Riana¡¯s words as well. She stared at Riana quietly for a moment before turning her gaze to me, and I understood what her look meant.


    <i>¡®Is it okay to tell them?¡¯</i>


    She seemed to be weighing whether or not to share. We had refrained from speaking about it because we feared the others would look at us with fear or disdain if we did.


    But to keep hiding it after Riana¡¯s deration of friendship would be disrespectful¡ªnot just to Riana, but to Harriet and Adelia as well.


    Ellen seemed to want to stop hiding it from the people who could understand. I met her gaze and gave a small nod.


    Ellen took a few deep breaths; it seemed like the alcohol had worn offpletely.


    ¡°We killed people.¡±


    Ellen spoke calmly, but there was a slight tremor in her voice. Aside from Riana, Adelia and Harriet visibly caught their breath in shock.


    ¡°In total, there were twenty-six of them.¡±


    Unlike me, Ellen remembered the exact number of those who had died.


    ***


    Ellen continued her exnation calmly, and slowly, as if all the alcohol had left her system. Everyone listened in silence as she recounted our journey through the Dark Land.


    She exined how we¡¯d started from Egxian and headed toward Saints Point, where we sussed out bandits attempting to rob us and preemptively attacked them.


    How, at Saints Point, we joined forces with a mage, and how we¡¯d also shed with a B-rank adventurer named Hugson.


    We told them that we chose to check out Altz Point on our own instead of signing on for the escort mission, and had headed south. That led to the massacre at Klitz Point and the annihtion of the bandit gang.


    We continued with our return to Saints Point and the discovery that Hugson was an aplice of the gang and apprehended him... And how we took on a special request from an investigator from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild headquarters, which led us back to Altz Point.


    Eventually, we reached the story of what had happened at Klitz Point¡ªhow we found out that the bodies had disappeared, and how they had be zombies and attacked us.


    Everyone sat in stunned silence as Ellen told the harrowing tale of how our journey in the Dark Land unfolded.


    Ellen then described the cursed sword incident at Altz Point.


    She spoke about the grotesque happenings caused by that cursed sword and the ensuing battle against the zombies under its control.


    However, she left out the part about the mysterious mage, Relia, and her true identity.


    Finally, Ellen shared how she had awakened Mana Enhancement in those fights, and how we eventually recovered the cursed sword and handed it over to the Temple.


    The three listening to our story sat in stunned silence.


    ¡°Many people lost their lives, and we had to kill people ourselves. It¡¯s not a tale anyone would want to hear,¡± Ellen said as she looked at Harriet, who seemed dazed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t tell you because I didn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    She apologized to Harriet for not saying anything. Harriet bit her lip, then shook her head vigorously.


    ¡°No... No, it¡¯s okay. I understand why you couldn¡¯t tell me. It must have been hard... I¡¯m sorry for not understanding and making assumptions...¡±


    Now that she¡¯d heard the full story, Harrietpletely understood why we hadn¡¯t spoken about it before and made her own apology to Ellen.


    Thest lingering awkwardness between them finally vanished.


    ¡°You two must have had a hard time. You both did well,¡± Riana said.


    Her words were brief, but they were full of understanding. Not just understanding, but a sense of admiration as well.


    ¡°Honestly, just listening to it is scary... Really, really scary. But both of you were amazing. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything. I-I think... you guys did well! You did what had to be done! And the fact that you didn¡¯t run away but chose to fight... that¡¯s incredible... So, don¡¯t feel so down. Okay?¡±


    Adelia, despite the fear still evident in her voice, forced out words of encouragement, trying to affirm what Ellen and I had done. Despite the trembling in her voice, her words conveyed sincere admiration.


    Harriet looked back and forth between Ellen and me. ¡°You two saved so many people.¡±


    We¡¯d feared that those who heard our story might be afraid of us or avoid us.


    ¡°So... while it¡¯s not something to brag about everywhere, I think you should be proud of yourselves. I hope this doesn¡¯t torment you,¡± Harriet continued.


    All of it turned out to just be our misunderstanding.


    ¡°... Thank you,¡± Ellen said quietly, sipping her wine with a faint smile.


    It felt as though the shadow of negative emotions that had lingered over Ellen¡¯s face since the Dark Land had finally lifted.

 Chapter 179

    <h4>Chapter 179</h4>


    The next day, Heinrich von Schwartz, who had obviously been drunk, imed not to remember anything from the night before.


    He was the only one who cked out, so everyone else remembered the scenes from yesterday.


    Ellen¡¯s feelings toward Heinrich were clear: ¡°disdain¡±. Harriet seemed to think he was ¡°pitiful¡±. Adelia initially felt ¡°a bit of dislike¡±, but after his tirade againstmoners the night before, her true sentiment was now ¡°utter disgust¡±.


    Most importantly, there was Riana de Granz.


    ¡°... Why should I apologize to him?¡±


    ¡°Just listen to me and do it.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡°Then just apologize for not remembering.¡±


    Riana de Granz was showing considerable generosity toward him, the same as the night before. She was instructing Heinrich to apologize to give him onest chance to atone for his mistakes yesterday. However, Heinrich was clearly unwilling to do so.


    The most important person¡¯s opinion¡ªRiana de Granz¡ªon Heinrich was definite: plete vermin¡±.


    Not only that, but he woke up around lunchtime, long past morning. All of us skipped breakfast because we felt too queasy in the morning.


    One of the servants seemed to have noticed something was up and was speaking to Riana. The strong smell of alcohol was impossible to miss.


    Heinrich was arguing over lunch about how unfair it was to be told to apologize without knowing what he did wrong. He insisted that he shouldn¡¯t have to apologize for something he didn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°Forget it. What¡¯s the point of receiving that kind of apology? There¡¯s no way an apology for something you don¡¯t remember could be sincere,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Heinrich frowned at myment.


    It was easy to get under his skin. The more he showed his immaturity, the more magnanimous I would appear, and the more he would damage his own reputation.


    Riana¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at me.


    ¡°Huh, Reinhart, you¡¯re all grown up now, huh? You can even tolerate things like this now?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay childish forever, unlike some people.¡±


    ¡°... Are you talking about me?¡± Heinrich asked.


    I chuckled as I picked up a strip of bacon.


    ¡°What, do you feel guilty?¡±


    ¡°Are you mocking me? Do you want to settle this right now?¡±


    Heinrich seemed to have gained quite a bit of confidence in his abilitiestely, and he showed it while drinking yesterday as well as before that.


    It felt like it was time to settle things.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out.


    ¡°What?¡± he replied.


    I grabbed my fork and stabbed it into a slice of steak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a talk after we eat, just the two of us.¡±


    There was only so much I could tolerate. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but it seemed like it was necessary to settle things.


    ***


    I always had a rough way of speaking and used to scare the other kids with threats about gouging their eyes out and whatnot. However, my calm invitation to have a chat must have seemed like a serious warning to everyone else because they all tried to dissuade me from it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to talk,¡± I reassured them.


    Heinrich seemed confident, no matter what I said or did. In the end, pushing everyone aside, I left the mansion with Heinrich.


    We walked to a secluded spot behind the mansion where no one could eavesdrop on us and turned to face Heinrich. I had tolerated his annoying behavior long enough.


    ¡°So, you want to try your luck? Come at me if you can,¡± I said.


    Heinrich didn¡¯t look scared. His newfound confidence in his abilities and his assumption that I¡¯d acted in a cowardly fashion while in the Dark Land made him think I wasn¡¯t much of a threat.


    ¡°You do realize I¡¯ve been showing you a lot of consideration, right?¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to his provocations partly because I found them bothersome and had other things to worry about.


    In reality, though, I¡¯d shown him plenty of consideration just by letting him be until now.


    ¡°Anyway, you seem quite confident. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got,¡± I said.


    It was the moment he had been waiting for, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.


    ¡°You might die, you know? I can¡¯t control my strength very well anymore,¡± he warned, seemingly confident that he could take me out right then and there.


    I sighed as I looked at him. Unlike brawling, pyrokinesis wasn¡¯t exactly something you could practice sparring with.


    He seemed incredibly excited. He was finally going to pay me back for the humiliation he¡¯d suffered in the first semester.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you that I¡¯m not the same as I used to be,¡± he dered, focusing intently.


    His breathing grewbored as he started to concentrate.


    ¡°Hey, you idiot,¡± I called.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    I enhanced my body and charged at him while he was gathering his focus.


    <i>Thunk</i>!


    I drove my knee squarely into his abdomen.


    ¡°Guh... ugh!¡±


    ¡°Did you think all I¡¯ve done is y around while you were training?¡±


    Why did this idiot think he was the only one who had gotten stronger?


    ¡°Ugh... Ugh! Argh! Ack!¡±


    I looked down at him as he keeled over, dry-heaving. His concentration had already been shattered.


    One knee to the abdomen. That was all it took. There was no shy exchange of powers or abilities.


    The difference between us was too vast, and the chasm between our basic physical abilities was too wide.


    ¡°Just like you¡¯re not the same pocket flint you used to be, I¡¯m not the same guy who smacked you on the forehead back then,¡± I said.


    I stood in front of him until he regained his senses, hunched over and dry-heaving.


    He¡¯d managed to bring the five-second focus time he needed to ignite his mes down to about one second. However, a single second was an incredibly long time in an actual fight.


    I could now break that one second down even further. Therefore, there was no way I could lose to Heinrich von Schwartz.


    While I could have taken advantage of his groggy state to thoroughly trounce him, I didn¡¯t go that far.


    He staggered back, staring at me in confusion.


    There had been a fair distance between us, but he probably hadn¡¯t even seen my approach.


    His abilities had grown stronger, but so had mine.


    He hadn¡¯t expected this. He never thought he would be floored by just one undodgeable knee strike.


    ¡°How ashamed would you have been if you were reduced to this pitiful state in front of the others?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    I¡¯d deliberately chosen a ce where no one could see us. Had this happened in front of others, the humiliation would have been unbearable. I could have easily chosen to disgrace him and trample on his pride in front of everyone, had I wanted to.


    Even up to now, though, I¡¯d held back. I was telling Heinrich von Schwartz that I¡¯d been considerate toward him.


    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯m protecting the pride of someone who hates me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t try to start a rivalry with me. I have no interest in Granz, so why are you being so hostile towards me?¡±


    ¡°What, wh-what?!¡±


    My sudden, seemingly nonsensical statement left him flustered. He clearly didn¡¯t expect me to know that he had an interest in Riana de Granz.


    ¡°Wh-What are you talking about? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t noticed how you get all antsy every time you see her?¡±


    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s not like that at all. Not at all!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Then why does your face darken every time Granz and I exchange even a single word?¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s... that¡¯s because...!¡±


    His face turned beet red as he stammered then trailed off. I realized that even a pompous and rude royal snob like him could get embarrassed over something like this. It revealed just how much of a child he still was.


    ¡°Enough. Anyway, I have no interest in her, so stop acting like a fool around me. If you keep it up, I really will beat you down in front of everyone. Don¡¯t me me then. There¡¯s a limit to how many times I can let things slide.¡±


    As I brushed past him, I quietly added, ¡°And when we get back, apologize to the others. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll regret it even more.¡±


    After that, he no longer bothered me.


    ***


    I¡¯d reluctantly given Heinrich, who was under the delusion that he had be much stronger than me, a lesson. I could have been more aggressive, but I chose not to.


    After all, he was a ssmate, one that I would have to see regrly. While I couldn¡¯t befriend everyone, I didn¡¯t want to be enemies of anyone either. At the beginning of the semester, I had acted aggressively because I didn¡¯t want to be ignored, but now, that wasn¡¯t necessary.


    If my rtionship with any ssmate deteriorated to the point where they were ready to stab me in the back at any time, it wouldn¡¯t benefit me at all. That said, I wasn¡¯t about to turn into a groveling pushover who went out of my way to help someone like Heinrich.


    When we returned to the mansion, Heinrich apologized in front of Riana and the others for ruining the atmosphere.


    ¡°Um, everyone, I¡¯m sorry... I was a bit rash.¡±


    He added that he didn¡¯t remember what happened the day before, but assumed he had made a mistake and was sorry.


    Everyone seemed confused, probably wondering what I had done to make Heinrich apologize all of a sudden. Since I had left no visible marks on him, it didn¡¯t look as though I had hit him.


    ¡°As long as you understand. Just don¡¯t do it again,¡± Riana said, trying to wrap things up.


    After saying that, Riana nced back and forth between Heinrich and me.


    ¡°By the way, you two... You didn¡¯t get into a fight, did you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Uh, w-well...¡±


    Heinrich hesitated for a moment before scratching the back of his head awkwardly and forcing augh.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. We were just talking, and I realized I was in the wrong...¡± he said.


    Hearing him admit such a thing left me and everyone else feeling slightly stunned.


    In the end, Heinrich had realized that he was still no match for me. I could have pummeled him in front of everyone but had chosen not to. Instead, I¡¯d called him aside and simply demonstrated the difference in our abilities.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he was more upset about getting hit or if he actually realized that I had shown him some consideration. He wasn¡¯t exactly grateful, given that I had struck him, but he didn¡¯t seem to hate me either.


    It seemed like he understood that I had been holding back quite a bit, and that it had been for his own dignity, not mine.


    Riana noticed the subtle air between Heinrich and I and smiled.


    ¡°Alright then. How about we have a drink to reconcile tonight?¡± she suggested.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Heinrich, if you drink too much and pass out again tonight, I¡¯ll knock you out myself. So be careful.¡±


    Was she seriously nning to drink again? Was she so addicted to alcohol that she was making any excuse for it?


    ¡°Knock me out...? I passed out yesterday?¡±


    Heinrich¡¯s face turned pale as he realized that he hadn¡¯t just cked out; Riana had knocked him out cold.


    ***


    Heinrich had been somewhat out of ce until now.


    To be precise, he had been too fixated on me to properly enjoy himself. He¡¯d always been on edge and paid too much attention to what I was doing.


    Realizing the difference in our abilities after I struck him, coupled with me dering that I had no interest in Riana, seemed to have made him morefortable. Although it might take some effort on his part to polish his tarnished image, Heinrich no longer tried to test me. He seemed to be keeping an eye on me in a different way, but I chose to ignore it.


    Ultimately, the less Heinrich focused on me, the better he fit in with everyone else.


    Since Riana, thedy of the mansion, was fine with it, the others kept any displeasure they might have had to themselves. Ellen, as indifferent as usual, showed very little reaction.


    There was a new revtion about Riana as well: she was an alcohol lover.


    That night, under the guise of having a reconciliatory drink, we gathered quietly once again and drank. This time, Heinrich wasn¡¯t just sipping alcohol alone; he joined in various topics of conversation.


    The atmosphere was different from the previous night.


    ¡°You called him amoner... degrading him like he¡¯s some piece of dirt...¡±


    ¡°I... I did that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Heinrich, I know you¡¯re a high-ranking noble, but... hearing that made me feel sad,¡± Adelia, now drunk, spilled the beans about Heinrich¡¯s remarks from the previous night, which hit him hard.


    She didn¡¯t call him a bad person outright, but let him know how hisments to me had also hurt her. It was a different kind of confrontation.


    ¡°I-I... Did I say that? I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m so sorry, Adelia.¡±


    Learning about his drunken behavior, Heinrich¡¯s face turned beet red in embarrassment. He finally seemed to understand why Riana had insisted he apologize.


    ¡°It was surprising to see Reinhart keep his cool yesterday. Normally, he¡¯d throw a punch in this kind of situation,¡± Riana said.


    Even as Heinrich apologized to Adelia, he kept ncing at me, seemingly unable to believe it himself. Given my normally vtile nature, he probably expected that I would have retaliated immediately.


    Of course, I had held back because silently tolerating his buffoonery was the quickest way to get under his skin. Heinrich seemed to realize just how much restraint I had shown.


    Despite everything he said, I hadn¡¯t thrown a punch. It dawned on him just how much I had held back.


    In the end, he even apologized to me. ¡°Uh, well... I¡¯m sorry, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as you understand what you did wrong.¡±


    I didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it.


    Of course, Ellen¡¯s threats to kill Heinrich or the true nature of the events that had transpired in the Dark Land did note up. Fortunately, that night, no one got drunk and caused a scene. Riana ended the gathering before things could get out of hand.


    Before going to bed, I headed to the beach around midnight to clear my head.


    This scene was simr to one that had yed out on the deserted ind, but with subtle differences. As I sat on the sandy shore, someone joined me.


    ¡°Not sleeping?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In a bit,¡± Ellen responded.


    Ellen sat next to me as if it were the most natural thing to do, then leaned her head on my shoulder, just as naturally. I was used to this by now.


    We watched the wavese and go in silence for a while.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    If talking to the others yesterday had alleviated some of her distress, then I was d for it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any nightmaresst night,¡± she said.


    ¡°That might have been because of the alcohol.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Whether it was the alcohol or not, it¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t have any nightmares.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter whether it was the alcohol, or the effects of sharing her burden. For one night, at least, Ellen had been free of her recurring nightmares.


    Since she¡¯d had some alcohol, I could feel Ellen¡¯s warm breath against me. After a while, I asked, ¡°Are you asleep?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, what am I supposed to do if you fall asleep like this?¡±


    Ellen had suddenly fallen asleep while leaning on my shoulder.


    ***


    Harriet was preparing for bed in her room. The buzz from the alcohol made her feel dizzy, and she felt ready to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


    After changing into her pajamas, she found the moonlight too bright and went to close the curtains. Outside the window, the beach was visible¡ªa beautiful sight any time of day. It wasn¡¯t much different from the view on the deserted ind, but here, it was tranquil and safe.


    The beach at night, as seen from the mansion window, was truly beautiful. Unlike on the deserted ind, there was no need to worry about heat, humidity, or survival.


    Dressed in clean clothes, Harriet could simply enjoy the view.


    Despite this, her memories of the deserted ind weren¡¯t entirely negative. She should have disliked it. It should have been the worst experience of her life¡ªyet it wasn¡¯t.


    She gazed out at the nighttime view, lost in thought, and noticed someone walking toward the beach, then sitting down to watch the sea.


    <i>¡®Reinhart...¡¯ </i>she thought<i>.</i>


    Even from behind, Harriet could tell it was Reinhart.


    <i>¡®Is he having trouble sleeping?¡¯</i>


    She thought about going out to talk with him for a bit.


    As she stood by the window, contemting, she noticed someone else heading toward the beach.


    It was Ellen.


    Ellen casually sat beside Reinhart, leaning her head on his shoulder. Reinhart didn¡¯t react, as if it was a familiar urrence.


    Harriet couldn¡¯t hear their conversation and didn¡¯t know what they were discussing, but she understood.


    She knew that Reinhart and Ellen were very close. Since they¡¯d shared such a traumatic experience, it was only natural that they would rely on each other and be closer.


    It was inevitable.


    Harriet had already noticed the change in their rtionship after seeing Ellen so worked up over Reinhart¡¯s issues, as if they were her own.


    She knew it, but seeing it with her own eyes was still painful.


    <i>Swish</i>!


    Unable to bear the sight any longer, Harriet closed the curtains.


    <i>¡®Would things have been different if I had gone with them?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt wretched for even pondering such a thought.


    The memories from her time on the deserted ind should have been the worst, but they weren¡¯t.


    The memories from her time in this mansion should have been the best, but Harriet felt that they wouldn¡¯t stay that way.


    She didn¡¯t think she would remember her time here as pleasantly as she wanted to.

 Chapter 180

    <h4>Chapter 180</h4>


    After that, I managed to rxfortably as nned since there was no further conflict with Heinrich.


    I heardter on that Riana de Granz had been on the verge of kicking Heinrich out if he continued to act like a buffoon. When I asked her how she had intended to kick him out when the mage was only supposed to return on Sunday, Riana told me she had nned to use a Teleport scroll to send him away.


    The fact that she was willing to use an incredibly expensive Teleport scroll just to get rid of an annoying guy showed just how absurdly wealthy the Granz family was.


    Had I not stepped in and knocked some sense into Heinrich, he would have suffered an even harsher fate at Riana¡¯s hands. His resentment toward me would surely have grown, and while the immediate satisfaction of seeing him being taught a lesson would have been nice, life at the Temple would have be more burdensome.


    In the end, I didn¡¯t stop by Airi¡¯s pub in Rajak. She seemed to be doing fine on her own, and there was no need for me to visit a ce where I had no connections and potentially leaving traces.


    We rested at Riana¡¯s mansion until Sunday and then returned to the Temple.


    ¡°It was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Adelia asked, reminiscing her good memories from the mansion.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Harriet responded with a nod and a smile, although she seemed a little tired.


    Of course, most of the other students had also returned to the Temple since the vacation was over.


    A loud sigh filled the ss A dormitory lobby. It was Connor Lint, sprawled out on one of the couches, looking dejected. ¡°It feels like we barely had any fun, and it¡¯s already over...¡±


    The Three Idiots had already gathered.


    Kaier tilted his head as he looked at Erhi de Raffaeli. ¡°By the way, Erhi, you look a little different.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? I worked out a bit during the vacation,¡± Erhi said, flexing his arm as if it were no big deal.


    It was surprising since he wasn¡¯t the type to exercise; did he really work out during this vacation?


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to get some rest. Great job, everyone,¡± Riana said as she stepped into her own room, looking exhausted.


    Even though we¡¯d had fun, the journey back had been tiring, so everyone went to their rooms to rest.


    ¡°Good job,¡± Heinrich said in passing before heading to his room as well. It felt like the awkward tension between us had eased somewhat, though it hadn¡¯t been entirely resolved.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Erhi de Raffaeli, one of the Three Idiots, waved at me as he noticed our return. What was this? Why was he acting so out of character?


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Hey.¡± I responded.


    ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    ¡°Just the usual.¡±


    ¡°So, how did your trip to the Dark Land go?¡±


    <i>¡®Why was this guy acting all friendly now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Nothing much happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah... really?¡±


    He shed a strange smile. I could guess the source of his newfound confidence.


    Perhaps he thought that since he¡¯d done some working out during the vacation, he could now overpower me.


    I had thought that our confrontation was over, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    It wasn¡¯t just Heinrich von Schwartz... It seemed like, during this second semester, I would have to go a second round with those who had gained some unfounded confidence during the break.


    These little noobs kept trying to rise up to me... Was this the fate of a viin?


    ***


    Ellen seemed to have freed herself from her nightmares, and since sharing a bed with me was only supposed tost until the end of the break, I would send her packing if she came into my room again.


    In the end, the summer break, which felt like it had just started, was over just as quickly.


    The second semester of the first year had begun, and while there would be various changes, some things remained unchanged. For instance, the early morning exercises I always did with Adriana.


    ¡°Junior! Long time no see!¡± Adriana shouted.


    ¡°Yes, it has been a while,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I was so worried! I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe!¡±


    Adriana, her face radiant, warmly congratted me on my safe return.


    When she inquired about what had happened in the Dark Land, I gave her a vague answer. Although I had shared details of our journey with a few people, I knew it wasn¡¯t something to boast about openly.


    The regrs I always met in the early morning were still the same. There was Ludwig and Ellen, as well as Scarlett and Charlotte. Each one exchanged simple greetings in passing, while Charlotte looked at me with a strange smile, as if she knew everything that had happened.


    ¡°Reinhart! Long time no see!¡± Ludwig eximed.


    ¡°Yeah, same here.¡±


    Ludwig must have undergone ranger training over the vacation. His personality seemed unchanged, but there was a noticeable difference about him. It felt like the naive part of him had disappeared.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°I managed.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    It was almost like a ritual: everyone who saw Ellen and I would ask about our experience in the Dark Land. After all, it was indeed something noteworthy.


    After exchanging greetings with those I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, I finally left the dormitory with Adriana.


    ¡°Senior, what did you do during the vacation?¡±


    ¡°Well, I attended some faith training and did various volunteer work and prayers. It was a fulfilling time,¡± she said, smiling.


    Adriana had had a busy and enjoyable vacation. The fact that she found joy in helping others made me think about how vastly different she was from me. Sometimes, I found myself feeling a deep sense of respect for her.


    ¡°Wow, you really have changed, even though it was just a month of vacation.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey, watch where you¡¯re touching!¡±


    Adriana nonchntly touched my arm, leaving me slightly flustered. It seemed my muscr gains were quite evident.


    ¡°Oh, uh, sorry,¡± Adriana apologized, her cheeks turning slightly red when she realized I was feeling ufortable.


    We continued with our early morning training after a month-long break.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve made a lot of progress. Did you keep up with your training throughout the vacation? I couldn¡¯t manage to.¡±


    Though it had been a while since I trained with Adriana, I had been training early in the mornings with Ellen. Of course, the past week had been more about rxing, but despite all my efforts, I had yet to catch up to Adriana, and in the end, I was the one who grew exhausted first.


    ¡°Huff... huff...¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve really worked hard. I¡¯ll give you credit for that,¡± Adriana said, not sparing her praise, even though her stamina was still naturally much better.


    Even though my own endurance could not match hers fully, I was at least able to keep pace with her until she started to feel slightly tired.


    After finishing our early morning training, we sat on a bench to rest for a bit.


    ¡°It feels good to exercise after a while,¡± she said with a sigh.


    <i>¡®Feeling good from exercising?¡¯</i>


    I had been consistent with it, but it wasn¡¯t something I particrly enjoyed.


    ¡°Did you take a break from training all through the vacation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was busy,¡± Adriana nodded, exining that she hadn¡¯t had the time to exercise because she had been praying and doing volunteer work.


    ¡°Actually, it was a bit tough,¡± she said softly, punctuating her words with a small nod.


    ¡°Tough? In what way?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well... I felt kind of lost, you know?¡± she replied.


    The Olivia Lance incident had dented her belief in the Order of the Holy Knights, and it seemed Adriana had been wrestling with whether it was right for her to continue maintaining her faith.


    It appeared she had put a lot of thought into it over this vacation.


    ¡°The thing is, I couldn¡¯t quite figure out if I was struggling with my faith itself, or if I was just trying to find an excuse to give up on it. I couldn¡¯t make a clear decision,¡± she exined.


    She wasn¡¯t sure whether her doubts stemmed from a genuine ce, or if she was just looking for an excuse, and that indecision weighed heavily on her. I couldn¡¯tpletely grasp what she meant by that.


    ¡°Now, though, I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Adriana smiled at me. ¡°So, I¡¯ve decided not to give up.¡±


    She had pondered the question deeply over the vacation and had made a choice. Although I couldn¡¯t understand her entire thought process, she had clearly decided to hold onto her faith.


    It was not my ce to tell her whether her decision was right or wrong. In any case, it seemed that Adriana had found an answer to the questions she had been wrestling with throughout the vacation.


    <i> </i> *


    Adriana had decided not to abandon her faith, and she hadn¡¯t shared all of herplicated thoughts with me. There was no way for me to figure out what she hadn¡¯t told me.


    When I finally walked into the ssroom after such a long while, it felt like an oddly new thing. I had already seen the girls and Heinrich during the vacation, but it was my first time seeing Vertus, Cliffman, and the Three Idiots in a while, although I had briefly encountered the Three Idiots yesterday.


    ¡°Long time no see, Reinhart,¡± Cliffman greeted me in a friendly yet still somewhat awkward manner, and I nodded in response.


    ¡°Yeah, you too. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Same old... So, what about your trip to the Dark Land?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much happened,¡± I replied as always to the standard inquiry, but from the back of the room, I heard stifledughter.


    <i>¡ªSnicker.</i>


    <i>¡ªGiggle.</i>


    <i>¡ª</i>Why did he even go there?


    It was the Three Idiots.


    They wereughing at me, sharing the same perspective as Heinrich had adopted at first. They saw me as an empty bag of wind who returned from the Dark Land with nothing to show for it.


    Why did they have to be so irritating? Was the start of the new school year making their heads itch? Were they trying to provoke me into hitting them?


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    I did not have much of an exchange with Vertus. He was just sitting there, wearing an enigmatic smile as he watched the guys subtly mocking me from behind.


    ¡°You did a good job out there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Vertus had a look that indicated he already knew what Ellen and I had been up to during the break. It would be pointless to deny or downy my experiences in front of him, so I just shrugged.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    ¡°Take your seats,¡± said Mr. Effenhauser as he entered the ssroom.


    ¡°The second semester starts today. The first thing to handle is course registration. Submit your forms by today.¡±


    While some might have alreadypleted this, I hadn¡¯t, so I needed to fill out my registration form by the end of the day.


    As always, Mr. Effenhauser delivered his instructions simply and directly, without any superfluous words.


    ¡°The major events of this semester, aside from the midterm and final exams, will be the group mission and the Temple festival. Detailed schedules will be announcedter. Today¡¯s first ss will be a physical scan.¡±


    Like a piece of well-dried jerky, the man expressed no concern, nor did he offer any pleasantries or ask us how we had been. I thought that that was the end of his announcements, but then Mr. Effenhauser pulled something out from his pocket.


    ¡°A-2 and A-11, new adventurer IDs from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild have arrived.¡±


    They were our new IDs.


    I then remembered that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had decided to upgrade both our adventurer ranks, and that the guild was supposed to send the updated IDs to the school.


    The mention of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild left many students looking puzzled, except for those who already knew about the situation.


    Mr. Effenhauser inspected the IDs before handing over one each directly to Ellen and me.


    ¡°You have been promoted from F-rank to B-rank. This is quite an exceptional urrence, which shows that the incidents you handled out there were very significant. You should feel proud of yourselves.¡±


    In a rare gesture, Mr. Effenhauser gently patted our shoulders. He wasn¡¯t the type to do such things, so not only was I surprised, but the eyes of the rest of the students also widened in shock.


    Mr. Effenhauser had previously inquired if we needed psychological counseling after what we had gone through, thinking that we might be suffering from guilt or trauma. This was his way of offering some form offort, and he wanted to make sure we knew that it was right to feel proud rather than ashamed of our actions.


    ¡°There is also an additional reward. Each of you will receive one hundred gold coins.¡±


    A drastic increase in adventurer rank from F-rank to B-rank, and along with that, an additional reward of one hundred gold coins each.


    Aside from those who knew the details, everyone looked bewildered. Since I had said that nothing had happened, they couldn¡¯tprehend why the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would offer such a significant increase in rank.


    And then there was the material reward. An immense additional reward of one hundred gold coins each.


    It had to be thebined reward for both the extermination of the Klitz Point bandits as well as for resolving the cursed sword incident.


    Everyone realized that my im that ¡°nothing much happened¡± was a lie, and that we had clearly resolved some major and unusual events.


    Heinrich and the Three Idiots looked especially flustered. They had been treating me like a worthless coward who had done nothing, but the way things had yed out clearly showed that that wasn¡¯t the case. It seemed there was no need for me to take any direct action anymore, and that they would naturally be intimidated on their own.


    ¡°Regarding the item that was entrusted to the Temple, I have something to discuss with you. You and Number 2,e to my private office together.¡±


    There was another matter: the cursed sword.


    It seemed there was something he needed to tell us regarding that as well.

 Chapter 181

    <h4>Chapter 181</h4>


    After the morning assembly ended, there was a brief break.


    Ellen and I headed to Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s private room, ignoring the curious nces from our peers that seemed to ask, ¡°What on earth did they do?¡±


    ¡°The Temple has created an environment in which the sword cannot exert its power, and the sword is currently being researched thoroughly by multiple mages,¡± he said.


    The Temple was being extremely cautious to ensure the curse from the sword could not affect anything else.


    ¡°To put it simply, the sword still currently belongs to you, but there is a high likelihood that it might not remain so,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said.


    The Temple was essentially appraising my item on my behalf. The reason why they might not acknowledge my ownership of it any longer was if the item was so dangerous that no individual would be allowed to possess it.


    I understood the reasoning behind this, since the sword had decimated an entire vige and had raised the dead in arge area around it as zombies.


    Still, this item had not appeared in the original story. If we had not resolved the incident of the cursed sword, someone else would have eventually taken care of it. Although the cursed sword was dangerous, we had managed to handle it ourselves. If someone more skilled than us had been brought in, they would have found a way to resolve the situation somehow.


    Of course, there were manyplexyers to the situation, but I did not feel that it was a situation that no one else but us could have resolved.


    It felt like we had just resolved an issue that would have been taken care of eventually.


    ¡°At this point, we are considering disposing of the sword. I felt you both should know,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said.


    <i>Disposing...</i>


    They were thinking of disposing of it because it was too dangerous. That meant the cursed sword would disappear from the story.


    ¡°Have they determined what exactly this sword is?¡± Ellen asked.


    Mr. Effenhauser ran a hand through his hair and then sped his hands together.


    ¡°No, they haven¡¯t. Aside from the fact that it contains a very dangerous curse, nothing else has been discovered,¡± he replied.


    Eleris also had said that it was difficult to discover much about such items because the origins of curses and their effects varied greatly. It seemed that the Temple had arrived at the same conclusion.


    Both Eleris¡¯s brief study of the artifact and the Temple¡¯s in-depth analysis led to the same conclusion.


    ¡°You might think that the Temple¡¯s capabilities are insufficient, but I assure you that is not the case. You may not be aware of this, but even the Temple has a limited curriculum on dark magic. That means we have dark mages adept in dark magic working as instructors,¡± Mr. Effenhauser continued.


    I knew about that as well. Dark magic, despite being regarded as an evil form of magic, was ultimately one of the most powerful branches of magic. Thus, although it was highly restricted, there were still lectures on dark magic.


    Therefore, people qualified to teach dark magic, including dark mages, were employed as instructors. These were dark mages with impable records and no history of causing societal scandals.


    For instance, there was a student named Anna de Gerna in ss B who had a talent for dark magic and was learning dark magic at the Temple.


    Of course, even if dark magic specialists had clean records, there was a stigma against them in the magicmunity and because of that discrimination, many dark mages wound up underground. The Temple was not ignorant of dark magic, and they had more knowledge about curses than Eleris did. Even so, they still couldn¡¯t identify what the cursed sword was.


    ¡°The mages said that the power within the sword is so ancient that it can¡¯t be urately identified. To put it simply, it contains a curse based on an ancient magic that has fallen out of use in the current era. This makes it extremely difficult to analyze, and they can¡¯t predict what kind of power the curse might exert. Therefore, the current consensus is to study it briefly and then dispose of it as quickly as possible,¡± said Mr. Effenhauser.


    Essentially, they had determined that the cursed sword was too suspicious and dangerous for me to keep and use.


    ¡°Of course, since this involves taking away your property, at ourst faculty meeting, we have decided topensate you with an item of considerable value, even if it might not be exactly equivalent. I can promise you equipment of at least A-rank,¡± he continued.


    The Temple seemed to be trying to appease me by offering something else of significant value, but I felt disappointed.


    Though I was unaffected by the sword¡¯s curse and could technically use it, I couldn¡¯t be certain that nothing dangerous would happen just because it was in my possession. The cursed sword turned out to have a much deeper history than I initially thought.


    In the end, since the Temple authorities had been unable to ascertain its true nature, they decided to dispose of it after further research.


    <i>An ancient artifact even dark mages couldn¡¯t decipher. A real-world application of magic...</i>


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser,¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you have something you wish to say?¡± he responded.


    I wasn¡¯t overly greedy when it came to the cursed sword. Top-tier Enchanted equipment was already ssified as B-rank, and A-rank equipment would essentially be akin to a treasure. There was no reason to refuse such an offer.


    However, it felt like such a waste. I felt certain that this was an item that was too valuable to let slip away. Even if it was to be discarded, I wanted to know what it was before throwing it away.


    <i>Ancient magic. An old curse. Applied techniques.</i>


    ¡°If it¡¯s ancient magic...¡± I murmured as onest possibility came to mind, ¡°Could it be something like sorcery?¡±


    Sorcery... A power so ancient that no one within the Temple could recognize it, much less teach it.


    ¡°In that case, why not request Dettomorian in ss B to analyze it? He might be able to figure out what that cursed sword actually is,¡± I suggested.


    I had a strong hunch that Dettomorian, with his talent in sorcery, might just be able to uncover the true nature of the cursed sword.


    Otherwise, nothing woulde of it.


    Mr. Effenhauser had a lukewarm response to my suggestion to use sorcery to identify the artifact¡¯s nature. He likely understood the unpredictability of using an unknown power to discern the nature of an unknown artifact. Nheless, he said he would discuss it with Ms. Mustang and Dettomorian before dismissing us.


    As we walked down the hallway and back to the ssroom, Ellen asked, ¡°Do you really need that sword?¡±


    It was clear that she was still uneasy about my desire to keep the sword, and understandably so, since it was a cursed and ominous item.


    ¡°It¡¯s a waste to dispose of it without knowing what it is,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    Additionally, I could wield the sword, so throwing it away seemed wrong to me. While Ellen appeared disgruntled, she did not persist in trying to change my mind.


    ***


    The first ss of the new semester was reced with a physical scan to measure our physical data. Essentially, it was a health check-up to see how much our physical abilities had improved. Upon entering the measurement room, we would undergo some tests using the physical scanner. The results for each student¡¯s physical abilities would then be posted on the bulletin board.


    Since this was conducted monthly, the data had been continuously updated throughout the semester.


    <i>A-11 Rheinhart:</i>


    <i>[Strength: 8.3 (C-)] </i>


    <i>[Agility: 8.5 (C-)] </i>


    <i>[Dexterity: 9.6 (C-)]</i>


    <i>[Mana: 12.8 (C+)] </i>


    <i>[Stamina: 13 (C+)]</i>


    <i>Talents:</i>


    <i>[Self-Deception] </i>


    <i>[Mana Attunement]</i>


    There was a slight increase in my stats after returning from the Dark Land. I was reaching the stage where my growth would usually slow down, but the Hero¡¯s Lineage trait I inherited from Ellen would help me ovee that teau.


    Overall, my growth was well-bnced. Given my stats from the beginning of the semester, I could serve as an exemry case of how one could improve their physical abilities. With Self-Deception, I could boost my physical strength to around B-minus rank. The rank of my Self-Deception skill itself had also improved significantly, which enhanced this effect.


    Reflecting on the time when my physical abilities had been rated a smattering of Fs and Ds brought a sense of nostalgia. Soon, I would be engraving my third talent, which, barring any significant surprises, would be rted to magic.


    ¡°Erhi! You¡¯ve improved a lot, man!¡± Connor Lint eximed, patting Erhi¡¯s shoulder roughly after seeing the updated physical data chart.


    ¡°Well... have I? There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡±


    Erhi had mentioned that he had done some training over the break.


    I decided to check his progress.


    <i>A-9 Erhi de Raffaeli:</i>


    <i>[Strength: 10.2 (C)] </i>


    <i>[Agility: 6.4 (D)] </i>


    <i>[Dexterity: 5.4 (D-)]</i>


    <i>[Mana: 4.1 (F+)] </i>


    <i>[Stamina: 8 (C-)] </i>


    <i>[Divine Power -]</i>


    <i>Talents:</i>


    <i>[Divine Power] </i>


    <i>[Swordsmanship] </i>


    <i>[Martial Arts]</i>


    <i>¡®So the only thing he did was weight training, huh?¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t cared enough to remember his previous physical data, but it was evident that his strength had skyrocketed. However, his agility and dexterity, along with his stamina, weregging significantly. He needed a more bnced growth.


    Still, Erhi¡¯s strength was ranked higher than mine. Why a guy who had so much potential but had never put in any effort before had suddenly decided to train was beyond me. More importantly, despite his talent for divine power, he hadn¡¯t used it even once, making it impossible to evaluate at all.


    ¡°Wow, at this rate, you might reach A-rank soon!¡± Connor Lint eximed.


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s not possible,¡± Erhi replied, though his chest puffed up with pride at thepliment.


    I wondered what Connor Lint¡¯s stats looked like.


    He was bound to be a lost cause.


    <i>A-8 Connor Lint</i>


    <i>[Strength 3.1 (F)] </i>


    <i>[Agility 7 (D+)] </i>


    <i>[Dexterity 5.1 (D-)]</i>


    <i>[Magic 1.4 (F-)] </i>


    <i>[Stamina 4 (F+)]</i>


    <i>Talents</i>


    <i>[Teleportation]</i>


    <i>¡®Wow.¡¯</i>


    Even calling him a lost cause seemed too generous.


    Did he even gain anything from all the physical training we did during ourmon sses?


    Here was someone relying solely on a weak supernatural power, barely suited for the Royal ss. It wasn¡¯t Erhi, but Lint, who was the true misfit.


    Connor Lint¡¯s physical abilities were even worse than mine had been at the start of the year. Not that I was particrly interested in this kind of trash data anyway.


    <i>A-2 Ellen:</i>


    <i>[Strength: 18.5 (B+)] </i>


    <i>[Agility: 20.3 (A-)] </i>


    <i>[Dexterity: 23.1 (A)]</i>


    <i>[Mana: 27.2 (A+)] </i>


    <i>[Stamina: 20.5 (A-)]</i>


    <i>Talents </i>


    <i>[Weapon Mastery] </i>


    <i>[Mana Control]</i>


    At the beginning of the first semester, Ellen¡¯s physical abilities had mostly been in the B-rank range, but now nearly all of her physical data had reached the A-rank. Because she was approaching the limits of human capability, her growth rate was slowerpared to someone like me.


    The closer one got to the extreme, the slower the growth naturally became. Hero¡¯s Lineage wasn¡¯t a trait that allowed one to push beyond human limits.


    Even during the first semester, none of her peers could match up to her, and now she had be even stronger. With Mana Reinforcement, her physical abilities would increase explosively.


    I couldn¡¯t be certain, but it was my spection that she might even reach S-Rank. Thinking about that made her seem truly like a monstrous entity.


    Those looking at Ellen¡¯s physical data couldn¡¯t help but be wide-eyed with amazement. She had been exceptional before, but now she was even more of a monster.


    However, Ellen Artorius herself showed no interest in such things. She simply sat at her desk with her chin resting on her hand, staring absentmindedly at the ckboard.


    ***


    Even though it was the second semester, the content of ourmon education sses remained simr. Since it was still summer, our physical education sses had been reced with swimming lessons.


    At the beginning of the first semester, I would often be leftpletely exhausted after these sses, but now I could go through the physical education schedule without much trouble, which filled me with a sense of aplishment.


    That day, several students stayed behind in the ssroom after sses had ended.


    ¡ªHey, let¡¯s take this ss together.


    ¡ªYeah, let¡¯s do it. It sounds fun.


    Adelia and Harriet were nning to sign up for the same lectures, as were Ellen and I. Even the Three Idiots were discussing which sses they could take together despite their different majors.


    Ellen fiddled with her course registration form for a while before abruptly leaving the ssroom.


    <i>¡®What the...?¡¯</i>


    I quickly got up and called out to Ellen, who was heading towards the faculty office.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡±


    She paused. ¡°What?¡± she replied, tilting her head as if she didn¡¯t understand what the problem was.


    <i>¡®This honestly... It feels a bit sad!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t you at least ask if we want to take any sses together?¡± I said, feeling slightly annoyed.


    We had grown quite close, and I had forgotten how emotionally detached she could be. Come to think of it, even though we had already gotten pretty close in the first semester, she would still walk past me in the hallway without even making eye contact.


    ¡°... Why should we take sses together?¡± she asked.


    It seemed she couldn¡¯t grasp why being friends would mean taking sses together.


    <i>¡®Ah, right. She has serious issues with social interactions.¡¯</i>


    It had been a while since I¡¯d been reminded of that, but her progress in this area was exceptionally slow.


    <i>¡®Sure, there¡¯s no real reason we have to take sses together, strictly speaking. Yeah. That¡¯s true, you¡¯re totally right.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to take some ovepping sses, you know!¡± I protested.


    <i>¡®Okay fine, you¡¯re not taking any supernatural power sses since you don¡¯t have supernatural powers, but you could at least take Swordsmanship with me!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Do you want to see my course list?¡± Ellen asked.


    Since I was making a fuss, she showed me her course registration form.


    She didn¡¯t understand why I was upset but seemed willing to amodate me. Seeing her nonchntly offer her course list made me feel somewhat conflicted.


    <i>¡®Why do I feel so attached to her? Is this... some kind of... obsession? But wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have someone you¡¯re close to in the same ss, though? Isn¡¯t that normal? Am I the weird one here?¡¯</i>


    This situation made me feel like I was clinging to someone who didn¡¯t even care about me.


    Even while these thoughts came up internally, I ended up filling in the same Swordsmanship and Demonic Ecology sses as Ellen into my own schedule. Ellen¡¯s timetable included several individual tutorials rted to Mana Reinforcement rather than Mana Attunement training, sses I couldn¡¯t join even if I wanted to.


    ¡°By the way,¡± she said, watching me fill out my course list in the hallway.


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    Ellen looked at me intently. ¡°Do you really want to be with me that much?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡± I was taken aback.


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was teasing me; she genuinely seemed curious.


    ¡°We¡¯re always together anyway. We practice together all the time too.¡±


    <i>¡®Why do you want to be with me so much that you even want to take the same sses? What¡¯s the reason for it?¡¯</i> she seemed to be thinking.


    She wasn¡¯t mocking me or anything; she was genuinely curious. It was as if she couldn¡¯t understand human emotions at all.


    <i>¡®What about all the things you¡¯ve said to me until now?!¡¯</i>


    I could feel cold sweat running down my back, stemming from a sense of humiliation I couldn¡¯t quite articte.


    ¡°Forget it, just go away!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    While Ellen had asionally gotten upset at me before, this was the first time that I was the one sulking.


    A sudden feeling of immense shame and embarrassment washed over me as I realized I was sulking at a teenage kid.

 Chapter 182

    <h4>Chapter 182</h4>


    My timetable for the second semester was as follows:


    On Mondays and Thursdays, I still hadmon sses, and the subjects remained unchanged.


    There wasn¡¯t much difference in my individual tutoring sses either.


    Tuesday: Swordsmanship Theory II, Swordsmanship Practice II, Swordsmanship Practical.


    Wednesday: Meditation II, Supernatural Power Control, Supernatural Power Practical.


    Friday: Mana Attunement Training II, Comprehensive Martial Arts II, Demonic Ecology.


    Most of my sses were simr, with only a change in instructors. The only differences from the first semester were the subjects Demonic Ecology, Supernatural Power Practical, and Swordsmanship Practical. These were the two additional practical sses I was taking.


    The practical sses involved summoning creatures via summoning magic or illusion magic, and then battling them or subduing them. In Swordsmanship Practical, we subdued enemies using Swordsmanship, and in Supernatural Power Practical, we did it with supernatural powers.


    The two sses were effectively the same to me, since the practical application of my supernatural power was to enhance my physical ability and increase closebat performance.


    Demonic Ecology was a lecture that provided basic knowledge about demons.


    Since I spent all of Tuesday learning Swordsmanship, it seemed like I would be stuck with Ellen all day.


    After sses ended, I returned to the Royal ss dormitory. I stopped by the ss B dormitory to return the imperial emblem to Charlotte.


    ¡°Thanks for letting me use it,¡± I said.


    She took the emblem from me with a slight smile. ¡°You seemed to have put it to good use, didn¡¯t you? Ignoring the queue at the warp gate, and shing it whenever a dispute arose.¡±


    Charlotte sneered at me as if to say, ¡°Did you feel like royalty?¡±


    ¡°H-How do you know about all of that?¡±


    ¡°Reports are going toe in when you start brandishing the imperial emblem everywhere, of course.¡±


    Since it wasn¡¯t something just anyone carried around, it seemed each time the emblem appeared it was reported, even in the Dark Land.


    ¡°I mean, wasn¡¯t that what you gave it to me for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Charlotte said as sheughed and covered her mouth, as if she had just been teasing me.


    Indeed, the imperial emblem had been the most helpful item among all the things we had brought with us. It not only saved us time but also helped us avoid unnecessary quarrels, and it had even shielded us from potential murder charges.


    Because of this emblem, our journey in the Dark Land had concluded safely, and I recognized just how much Charlotte had really helped us.


    ¡°I read all the incident reports. You really worked hard out there, Reinhart.¡±


    Just as Vertus seemed to possess knowledge of our journey, it was only natural that Charlotte was fully aware of what we had gone through in the Dark Land.


    ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡± Charlotte asked. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    I had no particr reason to reject her suggestion.


    ***


    Charlotte and I walked through the park in front of the dormitory. There were hardly any people around the Royal sspound, so we rarely bumped into anyone.


    Come to think of it, now that the vacation was over, would Charlotte ask me to deliver a letter to Baalier? I had been acting as her messenger pigeon, and without me, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to send letters, since she wouldn¡¯t have sent her own people to Eleris¡¯s shop.


    ¡°It must have been tough. It wasn¡¯t any ordinary incident,¡± Charlotte said quietly as we walked.


    ¡°... I¡¯d be lying if I told you that it wasn¡¯t tough.¡±


    Ellen and I had both suffered quite a bit of trauma, and we were only just starting to get over it.


    ¡°Ellen... Artorius...¡± Charlotte mumbled the name quietly.


    Only Charlotte, Vertus, and I knew Ellen¡¯s real name. She seemed to savor the surname, as if saying it for the first time.


    ¡°The fact that she¡¯s the hero¡¯s sister... I always knew she would be extraordinary, and she certainly is... but to acquire Mana Reinforcement on her own...¡±


    Charlotte seemed genuinely impressed, as if she hadn¡¯t thought it was possible.


    ¡°Ellen Artorius might not be remembered as the hero¡¯s sister. Instead, Ragan Artorius might be remembered as Ellen¡¯s brother,¡± she continued.


    Ellen might be so strong that her achievements could surpass her brother¡¯s, pushing Ragan Artorius and his fame into the background. Charlotte seemed to think that such a scenario was possible.


    ¡°You ventured into the Dark Land with such an incredible person and came back unscathed. That¡¯s no small feat,¡± Charlotte remarked.


    Ellen had the weight of expectation on her while I had none, and I had stille through the journey with Ellen safely. Charlotte seemed to think that meant I was no ordinary person either.


    ¡°... I¡¯m just d I didn¡¯t get in the way.¡±


    Charlotte smiled faintly at my remark. ¡°Still, you went on a journey together... Didn¡¯t you have any moments of excitement, or some simr experience?¡±


    Charlotte looked at me with a teasing expression, like a friend probing into a love story.


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ohe on, you never know, right?¡±


    That look on her face... She was surely finding this immensely entertaining.


    ¡°The things we dealt with over there had nothing to do with that kind of stuff. Just keeping it together was all I could manage,¡± I said.


    Charlotte¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Oh... right. I¡¯m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.¡±


    She realized that it was insensitive to ask if there had been any romantic moments given the traumatic experiences we faced and apologized.


    ¡°Thanks to what you guys did, though, the imperial family will soon be taking some measures. In the end, it all worked out for the best.¡±


    ¡°Measures?¡±


    <i>¡®Is there something the imperial family needs to act on?¡¯</i>


    At my question, Charlotte tilted her head as if wondering why I was confused.


    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild receives support from the imperial family. How do you think the imperial family will feel, knowing that adventurers tried to steal assets from that guild?¡±


    The imperial family provided the guild the necessary support for exploring the Dark Land, and now, adventurers had tried to wrongfully appropriate that material support for themselves. This greatly displeased the imperial family.


    ¡°We need to tighten the system for managing materiel at the Egxian base and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. While we might not eliminate incidents like this entirely, we should at least make them lessmon.¡±


    The imperial family supported the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but they were unaware of the state of the Egxian Forward Base. This incident, and the way in which we had resolved it, had brought the situation to the attention of the prince and princess, and thus to the entire imperial family.


    Originally, the bandits had nned to loot the guild¡¯s resources and disguise it as demon activity. Because we¡¯d thwarted that n, the imperial family now saw the necessity of tightening the management of the Egxian base and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°The guild is severely understaffed, and there are too many drifters, which opens the door to many crime rings too. Thanks to what you and Ellen did, Egxian will be safer than it was before.¡±


    Charlotte was saying that what Ellen and I had done was more beneficial than we realized.


    <i>Smack</i>!


    Charlotte suddenly pped my back.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°So, don¡¯t you or Ellen be so gloomy,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°... Was it that obvious?¡± I asked.


    Charlotte smiled, bringing her finger to her lips. ¡°You two walk around acting like youmitted some great sin in the Dark Land, yet keep pretending like nothing happened. Of course it was obvious.¡±


    Whenever we were asked about our journey to the Dark Land, both Ellen and I told everyone that our venture had borne no results. Charlotte, who knew what had really happened, was telling me about these follow-up measures to reassure us.


    Because of our intervention, the crime rate among adventurers at the Egxian base would likely decrease from now on.


    ¡°Then, we should probably head ba¡ªArgh!¡±


    Charlotte, who had been speaking casually, suddenly covered her right eye with her hand and stopped. She bent over slightly, her body trembling a bit.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Uh... No, it¡¯s nothing. Hold on. Just a moment.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you in pain?¡±


    ¡°No, just... hold on... Just a moment...¡±


    Covering her eye, Charlotte took a few deep breaths, and after a moment, she sighed and lifted her head. She was sweating a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay now,¡± she said with a relieved sigh.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh... it¡¯s nothing. This happens sometimes.¡±


    Charlotte tried to act like everything was fine, but she didn¡¯t look fine at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s just an aftereffect of my time in the Demon King¡¯s Castle.¡±


    I wondered if it was something like a panic attack, but Charlotte insisted that it was nothing and told me not to worry about it.


    Although it didn¡¯t seem like nothing, she didn¡¯t seem inclined to exin further. Charlotte said she needed to rest, and suggested we head back to the dormitory.


    As we walked back, she pulled a letter from her coat.


    ¡°... Sorry for always asking you to do this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Really.¡±


    This time, Charlotte¡¯s expression looked a bit sad as she handed me the letter.


    ***


    The contents of the letter were simr to the previous ones. Charlotte wrote about what she had done during the vacation and the various events that urred, and also asked how I was doing.


    I was getting increasingly used to writing replies filled with clumsy lies. The more ustomed I became to these deceitful letters, the more my guilt towards Charlotte grew.


    After writing a reply in the upper room at Eleris¡¯s shop, I went down to the first floor.


    ¡°Your Highness, what should we do with this?¡± Eleris asked as she ced arge pouch on the table. It contained the proceeds from selling the precious metals we¡¯d obtained from the Dark Land through the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    The total amounted to roughly 3,500 gold coins, equivalent to about 3.5 billion won. Since this treasure was initially supposed to have been enough for the twenty adventurers that made up the initial expedition, such a colossal fortune wasn¡¯t surprising.


    Since it was being split three ways, each share came to over a billion won.


    ¡°Leave my share with the Rotary Club. I¡¯ll take Ellen¡¯s portion back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Use your share to find a house or an apartment. Don¡¯t invest it in the Rotary Club.¡±


    ¡°Is... is that really okay?¡±


    Eleris seemed unsure whether it was appropriate to use such a vast amount solely for herself. Though I had told her to do so, seeing such a tremendous sum in front of her seemed to be making her dizzy.


    Any money I was going to spend would be on matters rted to the Rotary Club, so I didn¡¯t need my share of the money immediately. I considered it as capital for any future ventures. The only share I nned to take back with me was the portion meant for Ellen.


    ¡°Wow. This is really heavy.¡±


    <i>Clink.</i>


    <i>¡®Money is great, but it¡¯s so damn heavy!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I... I should have exchanged it for tinum coins... But going through financial institutions could be problematic as well... They might ask about the origin of the funds, which could be inconvenient... So I just brought it over like this...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just consider it as a form of exercise.¡±


    After all, it wasn¡¯t as if I couldn¡¯t manage the weight.


    ***


    Tuesday came around, and I had a full day of sses rted to Swordsmanship. Despite being upset with Ellen, I¡¯d ended up registering for the same lectures as her.


    I was like thatmon, clingy guy who was easily upset yet was persistent. What even was I? If such a character were a supporting role instead of the main character, people would leavements like, ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t stand this guy. When will he die already?¡±


    Swordsmanship Theory, Swordsmanship Practice, and Swordsmanship Practical.


    These subjects were bundled together, with a break for lunch scheduled for after the practice session. The instructor for this semester was different from the first, which brought about some changes. In the first semester, Ellen had been the only other Royal ss student taking Swordsmanship sses with me.


    In this semester, there were about fifty students in the ss, and among them, four of us were from the Royal ss, including myself: Ellen, me, B-2 Scarlett, and B-11 Ludwig. And so, I ended up attending sses with the main protagonist.


    ¡°Reinhart!¡± Ludwig said in greeting. ¡°We¡¯re in the same ss this time!¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Oh Ellen, you¡¯re here too! Hi!¡±


    Ellen answered with a silent nod.


    Our ever-energetic and cheerful protagonist was still as lively as ever. Ellen seemed utterly disinterested.


    Ludwig naturally took a seat next to me. I had Ellen on my right and Ludwig on my left.


    <i>¡®Was Ellen supposed to take sses with Ludwig during the second semester of the first year? I don¡¯t think they did.¡¯</i>


    Things were developing slightly differently from the original plot. It was probably supposed to be only Ellen and Scarlett in this ss, but because of me, Ellen¡¯s circumstances had changed too much for her to act the way she did in the original story.


    ¡°Scarlett! Over here! Let¡¯s sit together.¡±


    ¡°Oh... O-Okay.¡±


    Scarlett, who had been sitting far away, came over and sat next to Ludwig, but her awkwardness was evident. When our eyes met, Scarlett gave a small nod to acknowledge me, as if that was the most she could manage.


    These were the differences from the original story:


    In the original story, Ludwig was supposed to rescue Scarlett from being bullied and be friends with her during the first semester. However, it was Charlotte who had resolved the situation with Scarlett. As a result, while Ludwig wanted to be friends with her, Scarlett still found him intimidating. The fact that she still addressed him formally was proof of that.


    A major event involving one of the main heroines had been removed, resulting in this situation. Although Scarlett didn¡¯t seem to dislike Ludwig, they just weren¡¯t close.


    Consequently, Ludwig¡¯s presence in the narrative had be insignificant¡ªpractically like air.


    But honestly... Why did I have to care?


    I had enough on my te without worrying about the narrative significance of the original protagonist. No matter what I did, the gate was destined to explode, regardless of Ludwig¡¯s actions or inaction...


    Anyway, the current situation had been included in the main story.


    ¡ªWow... There are four Royal ss students in this ss.


    ¡ªAnd two from Orbis ss as well.


    ¡ªThis ss must have incredibly high standards...


    This was supposed to be the part of the story where, at the start of the second semester, Ludwig and his ssmates encountered the students from the Orbis ss for the first time. Because I was following Ellen, though, I ended up witnessing this situation firsthand.


    ***


    The Temple had dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different uniforms, each with a unique design. Of course, I wasn¡¯t familiar with most of them. The only one I knew well was the Royal ss uniform that I wore.


    Among all the uniforms, though, only two uniforms stood out as being the most famous, as if they were business cards and identification badges rolled into one: the uniforms of the Royal ss and the Orbis ss.


    Both Royal and Orbis sses had no more than twenty students per grade, making them an elite few. Naturally, everyone was buzzing when six of these elite students were in one lecture together. Some seemed abuzz with anticipation, while others were alreadymenting about how their grades would undoubtedly plummet.


    For me, it was the first time I was seeing the Orbis ss uniform.


    <i>¡®So that¡¯s what it looks like.¡¯</i>


    I still thought the Royal ss uniform was prettier.


    The theory lecturer entered and took attendance, calling out names one by one. People raised their hands in response.


    ¡°Royal ss A-2, Ellen.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Royal ss A-11, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Royal ss B-3, Scarlett.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Royal ss B-11, Ludwig.¡±


    ¡°Here!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    The names were called one by one.


    ¡°Orbis ss A-8, Adler Belkin.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    ¡°Orbis ss B-3, Nilsonia.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Like the Royal ss, the Orbis ss also used A and B ssifications, which divided the special ss into two ranked groups. It seemed only natural that the Orbis ss used the same system.


    Among the fifty or so students in the ss, four were from the Royal ss and two were from the Orbis ss.


    As Harriet had mentioned before, the Royal ss didn¡¯t pay much attention to the Orbis ss. However, the Orbis ss subjected themselves to rigorous training with the specific goal of never losing to the Royal ss. Since their positions were earned through hard work, relentless effort was their daily routine, and they were a ss that despised those born with talent.


    Therefore, it was no surprise that the two Orbis ss students nced at us¡ªScarlett, Ludwig, Ellen and I¡ªwith disdain in their eyes.


    In the original storyline, only Scarlett and Ludwig were in this ss. Ellen and I weren¡¯t supposed to be here. Because of this, I wasn¡¯t sure if the plot would diverge or not.


    After the theory lecture would be the Swordsmanship Practice ss. In the original plot, Ludwig suffered a humiliating defeat during a sparring session with an Orbis ss student. It was a scene meant to highlight the contrast between the hard-working Orbis ss and the supposedly talent-reliant butzy Royal ss.


    The Orbis ss students had skills that those in the Royal ss like Erhi and Kaier couldn¡¯t hope to match. Their blind jealousy and hatred towards the Royal ss was central to their introduction as viins of the story in the second semester.


    Now that Ellen and I had joined the ss, though, there was a chance that either of us might be selected for the sparring session instead of Ludwig. Me being selected would be fine, but if Ellen was chosen, it could break the spirits of the Orbis ss students immediately.


    <i>¡®Is this really okay?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 183

    <h4>Chapter 183</h4>


    There was a practice ss after the theory ss, and it seemed like my worries had been for nothing. As soon as the practice session started, the instructor gathered us in arge training ground and began speaking in a tone of great interest.


    ¡°Since we have six members from the special ss, how about a practice match between the Orbis ss and the Royal ss? Anyone interested in giving it a try?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Ludwig was full of enthusiasm from the start and sprang up when volunteers were called for. That was just the kind of person he was.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes sparkled at the mention of a show match between the Orbis ss and the Royal ss. Ellen, however, looked absent-minded, showing no interest at all, while Scarlett seemed slightly nervous, worried that she might be called.


    ¡°Then, one person from the Orbis ss, please step forward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    A determined-looking girl stepped forward from the Orbis ss. She had a resolute expression, and introduced herself as B-3, Nilsonia. Adler Belkin from Orbis ss A stood there with his arms crossed, quietly observing the scene.


    Nilsonia was the one who would thoroughly defeat Ludwig, making him realize that the Orbis ss members were not to be taken lightly.


    ¡°Make sure not to get too aggressive,¡± reminded the instructor, who seemed fully aware of the rivalry between the Orbis and Royal sses and had intentionally set up this confrontation.


    Ludwig, gripping his practice sword, faced off against Nilsonia.


    ¡°Nilsonia, right? Let¡¯s have a good match.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nilsonia did not reply to Ludwig¡¯s greeting. She had a deadly serious expression on her face, as if this was a real battle for her. She was creating quite an intense atmosphere by herself.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Nilsonia charged at Ludwig aggressively, showing no intention of holding back. I couldn¡¯t quite remember the details of how I had described the duel, but it was something along the lines of Ludwig being overwhelmed by the superior skill difference, which then resulted in Ludwig pushing himself even harder in his training.


    <i>ng</i>!


    As soon as their practice swords shed, Nilsonia attempted to slide her sword along Ludwig¡¯s and deflect his away. Just as she was about to force her way in, Ludwig¡¯s expression changed. Gone was his previously aimless look, reced by a sharp focus.


    <i>Kang</i>!


    Ludwig put more force into their connected swords to counter Nilsonia¡¯s attempt to deflect his de.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Wham</i>!


    With just that light push, Nilsonia was sent flying andnded sprawled out on the floor in an ungraceful heap. The oue was decided in an instant.


    ¡°Oh, sorry! Are you okay?¡±


    What was this? Why did he win?


    Nilsonia had lost, but I was the one who felt like my brain had short-circuited.


    <i> </i> ***


    The reason for Ludwig¡¯s victory was simple: overwhelming strength. His sheer physical power was so immense that no amount of skill could make a difference. All he had to do was push with his sword, and his opponent would be thrown back before she could even attempt anything.


    In the original storyline, Ludwig was always depicted as having physical prowess butcking skill, which led to his defeat. He was supposed to lose all five of the practice matches, but this time, the results had changed.


    <i>Bang</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Wham</i>!


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    <i>Thud</i>!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°A-Are you okay? I¡¯m sorry. Really, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Nilsonia could do nothing in the next three practice matches and was thrown about pitifully, simply overwhelmed by the stark difference in physical strength. In the fourth match, she took a low kick from Ludwig, who had spotted an opening, and crumpled to the ground.


    Nilsonia sat on the floor with her mouth agape, as if she couldn¡¯t believe she had been so soundly defeated. To make matters worse, Ludwig, despite being the victor, was fussing over her, worried and apologetic, which seemed to make Nilsonia feel even more humiliated.


    Ludwig had a knack for making people feel terrible despite his good intentions.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. The weight ss difference is too extreme. The match is over.¡±


    In the end, the instructor dered that the remaining practice match was unnecessary because the result was already obvious.


    Nilsonia hobbled back to her seat with an undeniable look of defeat on her face and sat down miserably. Even the expression on Adler Belkin, a member of the Orbis ss A, was seriously grim.


    Ludwig returned to our side and sat down, scratching his head. It seemed he hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way either. He, who was supposed to lose all the matches, had instead won them all¡ªoverwhelmingly.


    What had changed?


    At that moment, the grim-faced member of Orbis ss A, who had been quietly observing the situation, raised his hand. ¡°Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you want to have a go too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It seemed uneptable for them to let this situation end with the Orbis ss¡¯s defeat. Given the military-style discipline of the Orbis ss, if word got out of their miserable loss in a practice match against the Royal ss, it might lead to their whole grade getting assembled and being harshly punished by their seniors.


    The girl who had just lost looked not only resentful but also pale, likely fearing the repercussions if this became known.


    ¡°Who will be your opponent, then? Will Ludwig go again?¡±


    The instructor looked at Ludwig, whoughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°O-Oh... I don¡¯t think I would be a match for someone from ss A... After all, I¡¯m thest-ranked in the Royal ss...¡± Ludwig responded hesitantly.


    Thest-ranked.


    At Ludwig¡¯s words, not only the two Orbis ss members but the students from the general sses who were attending the lecture visibly flinched. Even though Nilsonia was in Orbis ss B, losing to the lowest-ranked member of the Royal ss was effectively saying she¡¯d lost to a bottom-tier opponent.


    <i>¡®Wow. This guy. He sure knows how to piss people off, doesn¡¯t he? Is that a talent?¡¯</i>


    Of course, if we ranked everyone by actual skill, the order might be different, but it was true that, on paper, Ludwig was the lowest-ranked member of the Royal ss. Still, saying that here would only serve to make the Orbis students furious. It was like rubbing salt into their wounds in front of everyone.


    He was basically implying that the lowest-ranked student in the Royal ss was this strong...


    ¡°Hm, alright. ss B should challenge ss B, and ss A should challenge ss A then. That does seem fair. Then, someone from the Royal ss A, step forward.¡±


    The teacher had fallen for Ludwig¡¯s ¡°I¡¯m so weak¡± act, and Adler or whatever his name was appeared to be more than happy with this arrangement as he stood there quietly and watched us.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    <i>Tap.</i>


    I tapped Ellen on the shoulder and she tilted her head, looking at me with questioning eyes.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go? What are you doing?¡±


    <i>¡®Go and win this!¡¯</i>


    I wanted Ellen to deal with that obviously enraged guy because I sure didn¡¯t want to face someone <i>that</i> pissed off.


    Ellen gave me a nk look before shaking her head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You go,¡± Ellen murmured quietly. ¡°Go and win.¡±


    Suddenly, memories of drinking at the vi in the Edina Archipgo came flooding back. Ellen had mentioned that I had to at least make it to the quarterfinals. It seemed like she wanted to see how well I could handle the Orbis ss.


    <i>¡®Go and win.¡¯</i>


    At those words, Adler¡¯s expression twisted. He probably thought that Ellen considered him not worth dealing with personally, as if he didn¡¯t even merit her attention.


    ¡°If you lose, you¡¯ll be in trouble,¡± Ellen added.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t even nce in Adler¡¯s direction.


    <i>¡®Am I your Pok¨¦mon or something? Do I have to go when you say, ¡°Go, Reinhart!¡±?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn it, if I win, you¡¯ll be the one in trouble,¡± I muttered, feeling like I was being treated like a Pok¨¦mon.


    Nevertheless, I stood up from my seat.


    <i> </i> ***


    My opponent was Adler Belkin, A-8 of the Orbis ss. Unlike Nilsonia, who was a girl, Adler was a guy. He had a cold demeanor, but it was obvious that he was highly displeased.


    In the Royal ss, students were ranked purely by talent, and their ranks seldom changed. However, the Orbis ss was different. Their ranking system was fluid, with students¡¯ ranks and sses constantly shifting based on their performance each semester. This ss emphasized effort, and therefore their rankings were often changed ording to diligence and results.


    Since we were in the second semester, there had been likely changes in the rankingspared to the first semester. While in the Royal ss, the number didn¡¯t necessarily equate to rank, in the Orbis ss, your number was your rank. Therefore, Nilsonia, whom Ludwig had just faced, was probably ranked about 13th in the Orbis ss.


    Of course, there were also students specializing in magic and academics among them, so Nilsonia¡¯s rank wasn¡¯t strictly a measure ofbat ability.


    Nevertheless, being A-8 in the Orbis ss meant that Adler Belkin was the eighth-strongest first-year student in the Orbis ss.


    Looking at it more broadly, out of the Temple¡¯s total student poption of over a hundred thousand, there were about ten thousand first-year high school students.


    While entry into the Royal ss was decided based on talent, the students of the Orbis ss were chosen by skill. So, excluding those in the Royal ss, the boy standing in front of me was likely the eighth most capable student among all freshmen when it came tobat, and this included students in the general sses as well. This was why he had earned his ce in the Orbis ss.


    Thinking of it this way made it seem quite daunting.


    A guy like him was ring at me as if he wanted to kill me.


    ¡°Alright, this is the first of five practice matches. Both of you, try not to get too worked up over the results.¡±


    <i>¡®Um, teacher? The opponent already looks pretty worked up. Why does it seem like you¡¯re enjoying this?¡¯</i>


    The deration to start the match was announced, and I stood in a defensive stance, ready to counter. However, instead of approaching, the guy kept his distance.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re ss A Number 11, right?¡± he said.


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the lowest-ranked student in Royal ss A?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    If I wanted to make him even more irritated, I could confirm his assumption. But was there really a need for that?


    ¡°Well, not exactly. Things don''t work the same way in the Royal ss. The number isn¡¯t a direct representation of rank or skill.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°You might have just pulled a dud.¡±


    I pointed to my Royal ss ssmates, who were watching with a slight grin on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m in ss A, but out of all the Royal ss students attending this lecture, I¡¯m actually the weakest,¡± I said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Was it really necessary to make him feel any worse?


    Of course there was! When people got too emotional, they made mistakes!


    ¡°So, if you lose to me,¡± I said, ¡°that means that you¡¯re just aplete weakling.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s ¡°Go, Reinhart!¡± had gotten me out on the battlefield, and Reinhart had just used ¡°Taunt¡± on his opponent.


    ¡°... Get ready to die.¡±


    It was super effective!


    <i> </i> ***


    This guy definitely knew how to fight.


    <i>Kang! Kaang!</i>


    His strength, agility, and swordsmanship skills were all impressive.


    I kept retreating as the duel went on, making sure not to give him any openings to exploit when our swords shed.


    Although I had been tutored in swordsmanship by Ellen, I still only had about half a year¡¯s worth of training. I had somebat experience, but I had never faced someone like him.


    After all, this was the Temple which was filled with students receiving professional training in wielding weapons.


    And this guy had earned his spot in the Orbis ss purely based on his skill.


    Adler was not some half-baked swordsman I had faced in the Dark Land. He had trained in swordsmanship far longer and far more rigorously than I had.


    <i>Kang! Kaang! Kang!</i>


    As I kept stepping back and parrying or not even attempting to push forward, he kept probing for openings, trying to force his de through my defenses.


    He sneered. ¡°Is retreating all you know how to do? Is this what it means to be the weakest?¡±


    His strength surpassed mine, and his skill was certainly superior as well.


    However, his excitement made his sword movements janky, and I could sense how badly he wanted tond a solid hit on me.


    Unlike Nilsonia in her match with Ludwig, I stayed calm, retreating and giving him no chances to thrust or break through, prolonging the duel.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t keep retreating forever. He aimed a stab at my chest, and I parried his sword away with a half-swording technique and attempted a counterthrust, aiming for his neck.


    <i>Feigning continuous retreat beforeunching a sudden counterattack</i>.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    However, he seemed to have anticipated my move. As if he knew exactly what I was nning, he twisted his sword aside and twirled it around, deflecting my counterattack.


    Even as I was being bested, I couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around,¡± he said, aiming his sword at my neck with an expression of utter contempt, as if looking at an insect. It was a clear defeat for me.


    ¡°The first match goes to Orbis ss. Return to your positions.¡±


    There were a total of five matches. Ludwig and Scarlett seemed quite surprised that I had lost. Ellen, on the other hand, gave me a dour look, as if she was disappointed.


    This guy was definitely skilled, and had managed to defeat me, the weakest in the Royal ss, in the first match¡ªalbeit not effortlessly.


    Adler openly mocked me after winning the first match. ¡°People say the Royal ss is full of those who rely on talent alone and do not put in the effort. Looks like you¡¯re one of them.¡±


    He had measured me and found me wanting: I had kept on retreating and then botched a clumsy counterattack.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point in continuing to battle with you. How about someone stronger?¡±


    He seemed confident he could not be defeated now that he had assessed my weakness.


    ¡°Hey, since we¡¯re on the topic, let me ask you something,¡± I said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You mentioned talent, didn¡¯t you?¡± I gave him a sly grin. ¡°Actually, my talent lies in supernatural power.¡±


    I adjusted my grip on the practice sword and pointed the tip of the de at him again.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t used my supernatural power yet, since I thought you might find it unfair.¡±


    He treated me like someone who relied solely on talent without putting in the effort. The truth was, I hadn¡¯t used my talent at all in thatst exchange.


    ¡°So, can I start using my supernatural power now?¡±


    I purposely hadn¡¯t used my abilities, and Ellen probably looked slightly annoyed because I had faced him without using my supernatural power and had ended up losing.


    ¡°In other words, can I actually start relying on my talent now?¡±


    <i>¡®What will you do?¡¯</i>


    My second taunt made his eyes turn cold. His disdain for talent was clear. He had presumed that I was someone who relied solely on innate ability, but I had fought him with skill earned purely through hard work.


    If this guy wanted to surpass the Royal ss, he had to ovee my supernatural power.


    That was enough to provoke Adler.


    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Alright, here Ie then.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Type A.¡¯</i>


    I could have called upon the closebat preset for close-quarters sword fighting, but I decided to take a different approach.


    <i>¡®Strength enhancement.¡¯</i>


    I maximized my muscle strength only.


    He approached and thrust his de at me. His move was designed to catch my de with his own, and then follow up with a series of strikes.


    Unlike before, when I had evaded or parried his sword, I didn¡¯t hold back this time.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Instead, I simply smashed his de aside.


    <i>Crash</i>!


    With a single swing, his practice sword shattered, scattering debris across the floor of the training ground.


    He stared in disbelief at the broken practice sword and then at me.


    One strike¡ªjust one¡ªand the practice sword had been destroyed. If the sword hadn¡¯t broken, he would have either been disarmed or sent flying along with it.


    A heavy silence fell over the training ground.


    I threw his earlier words right back at him. ¡°So, is there a point in us continuing this further?¡±


    If our swords shed, his practice sword would shatter, and if it didn¡¯t, I¡¯d still disarm him with a single blow.


    For all further attempts, the oue would be obvious.

 Chapter 184

    <h4>Chapter 184</h4>


    Before using my supernatural powers, I had been defeated only after a long bout of sword fighting. However, once I used them, the duel ended in just a single move. Adler didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of backing down, so we had three more practice matches, and I used my abilities every time.


    With the physical enhancements that my supernatural powers gave me, my skills were overwhelmingly superior to Adler Belkin¡¯s. I only decided to destroy his training sword once.


    Thanks to my supernatural powers, I was stronger, faster, and more precise than him in terms of technique.


    My ever-improving supernatural powers went beyond simple physical enhancement. They even leveled up my swordsmanship skills.


    Eventually, A-8 Adler Belkin from Orbis ss returned to his seat, his face a mask of defeat. Nilsonia from ss B had lost to Ludwig, and Adler Belkin from ss A had lost to me, someone who¡¯d imed to be the weakest in the Royal ss.


    These two practice duels between the Royal ss and Orbis ss ended in Orbis ss¡¯splete defeat.


    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± I said as I returned to my seat.


    <i>Flick</i>!


    ¡°... Why did you hit me?¡±


    Ellen covered her forehead with her palm and red at me.


    ¡°If I lose, I get scolded. If I win, you get scolded, remember?¡±


    ¡°... I never agreed to that.¡±


    ¡°I never agreed to get scolded either.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen found herself at a loss for words, and she pouted in frustration.


    Sometimes, when I saw her pouting like this, I couldn¡¯t help but find it incredibly cute. She was on par with¡ªif not cuter than¡ªHarriet. Unlike Harriet, though, dealing with her came with its own set of unique challenges.


    <i>¡®... But why am I even thinking about this so seriously?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart, you¡¯re amazing! Your skills have seriously improved,¡± Ludwig remarked, seemingly impressed by how I had ended each practice duel in one move with my supernatural powers.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I responded nonchntly.


    Ludwig seemed astonished by my one-blow victories. He was probably how I had be so much strongertely.


    Scarlett wasn¡¯t speaking to me directly, but I could tell from the slight flush on her face that she was impressed as well.


    ¡°But seriously, how can you call yourself the weakest? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. I don¡¯t think I could ever beat you,¡± Ludwig said, genuinely puzzled by my im of being the weakest among the four of us.


    ¡°I meant without using my supernatural powers,¡± I rified.


    ¡°Oh... Even so, I think I¡¯m still far from your level,¡± he replied.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t talk nonsense, protagonist. If we assume I¡¯d use my supernatural powers, that¡¯s one thing, but without them, you¡¯d beat me every time. You may only have physical prowess, but you¡¯re still ¡°the protagonist¡±, after all. There must be some system or trait supporting you that I didn¡¯t even n for.¡¯</i>


    Just like Ellen¡¯s Hero¡¯s Lineage trait, there were probably other traits I was unaware of, and Ludwig probably has a ton of those special traits too. Why? Because he was the protagonist. He might even have the Hero¡¯s Lineage trait, considering how he eventually reaches a simr level of strength as Ellen.


    As for me, even with my supernatural powers, I would never be able to beat Ellen even when she wasn¡¯t using her Mana Reinforcement, nor would I be able to surpass Scarlett. Scarlett¡¯s skills were on par with someone as talented as Cliffman.


    Still, thanks to the various experiences I¡¯d had and my Self-Deception power, my physical abilities had seen explosive growth. If I could somehow manage to learn Mana Reinforcement as well, there would be nothing more I could wish for. The double buffs of Mana Reinforcement and Self-Deception would make me unstoppable.


    But would I even be able to do that? It seemed like it was finally time to lock in my third talent. I had held off on it for quite a while.


    Anyway, the Orbis ss did not achieve any meaningful results from their baseless grudge against the Royal ss, and the lesson proceeded without any further disruption.


    <i> </i> ***


    After all the sses ended, I searched for Ludwig¡¯s physical data stats and realized the reason behind his sudden surge in strength.


    <i>B-11 Ludwig:</i>


    <i>[Strength: 14.2 (B-)]</i>


    <i>[Agility: 10.4 (C)] </i>


    <i>[Dexterity: 9.7 (C-)]</i>


    <i>[Mana: 9.2 (C)] </i>


    <i>[Stamina: 32.2 (S)]</i>


    <i>Talent</i>


    <i>[Stamina]</i>


    Ludwig¡¯s physical abilities were skyrocketing at a rate that outpaced his growth in the original storyline. His stamina had reached S-rank, a level that transcended human limits. Even Ellen¡¯s physical stats had yet to reach S-rank.


    There was only one reason for this: Ludwig hadn¡¯t gotten entangled in the internal incidents and troubles of the Royal ss because of my presence.


    This allowed him to focus solely on his training, which exined the dramatic boost in his physical abilities beyond what had been outlined in the original story.


    As his importance to the narrative decreased, he grew even stronger than originally intended. There was nothing around him to disrupt his progress. It felt like I would be trounced by him even if I used my supernatural powers.


    What kind of situation was this?


    <i> </i> ***


    To say that we fought with the Orbis ss would not be correct. We only had practice duels against them while attending the same ss. The losing side might have felt pretty upset, but the ss ended without any major issues, and no further confrontations arose afterward.


    However, when I returned to the dormitory, the atmosphere felt a bit off.


    ¡ªJust tell the teacher.


    ¡ªNo, it¡¯d be too embarrassing.


    The Three Idiots were gathered in the lobby, engrossed in a serious conversation. What could have happened that prompted the suggestion to involve a teacher?


    It appeared that Erhi was at the center of this issue. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his face was slightly swollen.


    ¡°What happened to you? Where did you get beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    ¡°Re-Reinhart...¡±


    Kaier, Connor Lint, and Erhi all looked startled at my sudden approach.


    From Erhi de Raffaeli¡¯s state, it was clear he¡¯d been beaten up. This brat Erhi, who had probably believed that he could challenge me after bulking up a bit over the break, had backed off once he realized I¡¯d done something serious in the Dark Land.


    They did not seem to have expected me to show any interest, and all three were visibly flustered.


    ¡°What happened? I¡¯m asking you, damn it.¡±


    Why were these guys so slow to answer? Did they want another beating from me?


    <i> </i> ***


    I sat at an angle on the armrest of the chair Connor Lint was sitting in, listening to Erhi stammer out his story.


    ¡°... You had a run-in with the Orbis ss?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    It looked like Erhi had a simr day to ours. He was in a different Swordsmanship ss, and an Orbis ss student had been in that same ss.


    But the story was absurd.


    ¡°You idiot, that¡¯s not a run-in, that¡¯s you picking a fight! Damn it.¡±


    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t like that! I only said a few words!¡±


    I raised my hand, and Erhi flinched so violently that his body was jerked around. Was he already cowering just from seeing my hand go up, even though I wasn¡¯t going to hit him? It was fascinating how quickly their fear of me returned after disappearing for a while.


    Anyway, Erhi found himself in a situation simr to the one I¡¯d faced.


    ¡°So, you lost a practice duel, got pissed off, and then picked a fight after ss, resulting in you getting beaten up. Is that something you should be proud of? And you, Kaier.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh... Me...?¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you sitting here debating whether to tell the teacher about it?!¡±


    ¡°Well, we did get beaten, after all...¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    As I intensely frowned, Kaier quickly shut his mouth.


    While what led up to the situation seemed simr to mine, the circumstances that followed were theplete opposite. Erhi had attended a Swordsmanship ss and, like today, had a practice duel against an Orbis ss student. After suffering a humiliating defeat, his pride was clearly hurt.


    ¡°It¡¯s already a sensitive topic for those kids, and then you go and tell them that theyck talent and that you¡¯ll be able to crush them by next year? You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t get stabbed. You met someone with principles. They just gave you a decent beating and let you go.¡±


    Erhi had probably said something like, ¡°You don¡¯t have any talent or anything, so by next year, I¡¯ll be able to crush you. Enjoy this while you can, you fool!¡±


    He was lucky not to get stabbed.


    Anyway, he provoked the other party by needling them in their most sensitive point, and was severely beaten up on the spot.


    Erhi shriveled up in his seat, unable to refute what I was saying.


    Erhi¡¯s character development had diverged slightly from the original storyline. A guy who originally did not know the meaning of effort, he was supposed to start understanding it, but only muchter. However, judging by his physical data, it seemed like he had worked out a bit during the break, although it was probably just some weightlifting.


    His odd behavior towards me at the beginning of the term gave me a strong hint about why he had done it.


    ¡°You worked out over the break just to try and take me on, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked.


    Erhi flinched at my question.


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Erhi¡¯s face turned pale.


    I had guessed correctly. This brat must have felt oppressed living under my thumb, so he had put his all into physical training over the break and wanted to start the new term by taking me down.


    The Three Idiots definitely saw me as a nuisance since Erhi, like Kaier, had also been beaten up by me before.


    It seemed Erhi had quickly abandoned his hope of challenging me, though, since not only did he correctly assume that I had grown stronger as well, but he also likely realized the futility of challenging me.


    However, having gained a bit of confidence, he needed to act out somewhere, and the Orbis ss gave him the perfect opportunity to do so. Erhi and the other two guys were practically withering under my scrutiny.


    ¡°You¡¯re pathetic. If you can¡¯t win the fight, don¡¯t even start it. That goes for both me and the guy who beat you up today.¡±


    I had the confidence to win, that¡¯s why I fought¡ªand in the end, won.


    <i>¡®Why would you even try if you weren¡¯t sure you¡¯d win?¡¯</i>


    Erhi couldn¡¯t lift his head at my rebuke.


    ¡°Are you being a bully? Hitting kids again?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I turned around at the sudden voice and saw Harriet standing there with her arms crossed, sighing at me.


    ¡°... What do you mean by ¡®hit¡¯? I didn¡¯t hit him.¡±


    ¡°Then why does his face look like that?¡±


    Harriet had noticed Erhi¡¯s red and swollen face and clearly thought that I was the culprit.


    ¡°No, really, it wasn¡¯t me. Hey, did I hit you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Huh? Uh... Ah, n-no, it wasn¡¯t him... it really wasn¡¯t,¡± Erhi admitted, albeit reluctantly, under my menacing re.


    To anyone else, this probably looked like I¡¯d beaten him up and was now threatening him to make him keep quiet about it.


    <i>¡®I seriously didn¡¯t do it!¡¯</i>


    Harriet stared at me as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing.


    ¡°... Wow, you really seem like a bully right now... and now you¡¯re even threatening people,¡± she said, her voice dripping with genuine disappointment.


    This wasn¡¯t looking good. She seemed truly let down by me.


    <i>¡®No! I really didn¡¯t hit him!¡¯</i>


    I felt like crying. It was as if I had be the boy who cried wolf.


    Harriet sighed deeply and then yelled at the downcast Erhi, ¡°And you! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to get beaten up by someone like this? If you can¡¯t handle it, you should tell a teacher or do something about it instead of letting this happen!¡±


    ¡°H-He really didn¡¯t beat me up...¡±


    ¡°Then why does your face look like that? If you were hit, you should say so!¡±


    ¡°T-That... it¡¯s just... just that...¡±


    <i>¡®Wow.¡¯</i>


    I stood there, feeling utterly helpless.


    It was like my school days all over again. I almost felt like I was developing PTSD. This conversation was more painful than actually getting hit.


    Harriet seemedpletely unaware that she was shattering Erhi¡¯s dignity to pieces.


    What was this? I was just trying to figure out why he was mumbling behind my back and if he was concocting some sort of scheme against me. I didn¡¯t want it to escte into an intense public shaming. Besides, I didn¡¯t even actually hit him!


    ¡°This guy is really nothing to be scared of. He¡¯s just got a nasty temper and can¡¯t do anything when someone stands up to him. He keeps picking on you because you stay quiet and let him,¡± Harriet said, pointing at me.


    ¡°Uhh, well... that¡¯s...¡±


    Harriet continued tosh Erhi with her words without realizing what she was doing.


    ¡°Harriet? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Themotion had attracted more attention, and this time, it was Riana de Granz who showed interest. As she approached, Harriet sighed and pointed at me usingly.


    ¡°That bully over there can¡¯t drop his bad habits and is harassing people again.¡±


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not right. I was just asking them what happened! I didn¡¯t actually hit him! I admit it, my words might have been a bit harsh, but seriously, I didn¡¯t hit him! Besides, you¡¯re the one doing the harassing right now, did you know that? Just look at Erhi¡¯s face!¡¯</i>


    Now that Riana had joined in, Erhi¡¯s expression became one of absolute despair. The other two didn¡¯t look much better either.


    ¡°... Great job. Two days into the new term as well,¡± Riana remarked sarcastically, looking at me with undisguised disdain as if questioning whether a dog could hold back from doing its business.


    She nced at Erhi and, with a puzzled tilt of her head, asked bluntly, ¡°But why are you always getting beaten up?¡±


    After delivering that fatal blow, Riana nonchntly walked away, leaving behind an even more despondent Erhi.

 Chapter 185

    <h4>Chapter 185</h4>


    Erhi waspletely frozen and stiff as a statue. After getting beaten by the Orbis ss andining about it, his mental state had been shattered by his ssmates from the Royal ss.


    Considering Erhi had been the ringleader when it came to bullying Scarlett, he had no right toin even if he ended up as a permanent punching bag. But then it wasn¡¯t really my ce to say that.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly pretending to worry about him? And I really didn¡¯t hit him!¡± I exined.


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! I really didn¡¯t hit him!¡±


    No matter how much I insisted, though, no one believed me.


    Anyway, I was somewhat dumbfounded because I never expected Harriet to try to stop me after seeing what I was doing. The three hopeless idiots had already sneaked back to their rooms, so it was just Harriet and I left in the lobby.


    ¡°Why would I worry about them? I just don¡¯t want to see you acting like that. It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    So it wasn¡¯t about the kids that were being bullied, but about my actions themselves. That was kind of sad in its own way.


    Harriet¡¯s personality had changed so much that she couldn¡¯t bepared to her character in the original story. The Harriet who despisedmoners and did not consider those of low status as humans seemed to have disappearedpletely.


    It seemed that being involved with me had forcefully wiped out her passive disdain formoners.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why did you act out again? What got on your nerves this time?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Harriet seemed genuinely curious about the reason, and believed that I wouldn¡¯t have done it without cause.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just asked him where he got beaten up and why.¡±


    ¡°... Got beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m telling you, I didn¡¯t beat him up!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t beat him up?¡± Her eyes clearly showed that she still didn¡¯t believe me.


    She was so sure in her judgment of me. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped since I was basically the boy who cried wolf. In situations like this, no one would ever believe me no matter how much I tried to exin things.


    ¡°It seems like he got into a fight with the Orbis ss and got beaten up. All I did was tell him not to pick fights randomly...¡±


    ¡°... The Orbis ss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems he lost a practice duel, got annoyed, and picked a fight after ss, only to get beaten up by them.¡±


    Harriet seemed a bit dazed, as this was very different from what she had thought was going on.


    ¡°Why does he act like that?¡±


    ¡°If you ask a leaky bucket why it¡¯s leaking, it¡¯ll just tell you it¡¯s because it¡¯s leaky. There¡¯s no other reason why.¡±


    ¡°... What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°It just means he¡¯s that kind of person.¡±


    Harriet seemed to think Erhi was even more pathetic for picking a fight after being beaten and then being beaten again.


    <i>A guy who went around getting beaten up and had a terrible personality...</i>


    Harriet¡¯s opinion of Erhi seemed to drop even further.


    She crossed her arms and red at me.


    ¡°... Come to think of it, you¡¯re the same kind of person.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You pick fights anywhere and charge right in if you get annoyed.¡±


    ¡°... So what?¡±


    She seemed convinced that if I ever ran across the Orbis ss, I¡¯d definitely start a fight as well. She believed that, given my personality, I¡¯d end up either beating someone up or getting beaten up, just like Erhi.


    ¡°... There was actually a simr incident today,¡± I said.


    ¡°... What? Did you get into a fight already?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°Not a fight! Okay, I know I might look like a crazy person who throws punches at the slightest provocation, but we were just having a practice duel this time!¡±


    When I exined how I had already had a practice bout with a member of the Orbis ss and had won an overwhelming victory, Harriet seemed to be taken aback.


    ¡°... Alright, I guess it wasn¡¯t really a fight then.¡±


    ¡°See? It might surprise you, but I actually do care about manners and appearances. It¡¯s hard to believe, I know.¡±


    Harriet sighed. ¡°But you didn¡¯t use your abilities from the beginning, lost the first round on purpose, and then used them to win everything else, right? I know you did that out of spite.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not true.¡±


    <i>¡®How does she know me so well? She just urately described how messed up my personality is!¡¯</i>


    As Harriet and I continued our conversation in the lobby, someone called out to me from behind.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey.¡±


    It was Ellen, who had changed out of her uniform and into training clothes.


    She gestured towards the training ground with her chin, asking me to go train with her.


    ¡°You know you only won because you used your abilities, and without them, you¡¯d have beenpletely beaten, right?¡±


    ¡°I know, alright? I¡¯m not being overconfident.¡±


    ¡°You are overconfident, relying on your powers.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn.¡¯</i>


    Anyway, it was training time.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go now, okay?¡± I told Harriet.


    ¡°Hm? Oh... okay,¡± Harriet said, nodding absentmindedly.


    <i> </i> ***


    The training session did not go on for very long, since I had something I needed to give Ellen that I couldn¡¯t the day before.


    ¡°... Are these all gold coins?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Ellen looked surprised at the enormous pouch of gold coins that I had brought to her room.


    ¡°These are all yours¡ªone thousand one hundred and eighty gold coins, to be exact. Count them if you want,¡± I added.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble.¡±


    To be fair, it did seem like a hassle to count them all. While Ellen appeared astonished at the amount of gold, she didn¡¯t seem particrly pleased. She was probably just wondering what food to buy with it.


    From a materialistic point of view, the true gains from the Dark Land weren¡¯t the cursed sword or the magic earrings I¡¯d given Harriet, but all this money.


    An astounding amount of money, equivalent to roughly a billion won...


    However, since we were in the Temple, an environment where our food, clothing, and shelter werepletely provided for, neither Ellen nor I were significantly moved by the money. Ellen picked up and put down the heavy pouch of gold coins repeatedly, trying to find a ce to stash it.


    She finally looked at me with a grumpy expression. ¡°It¡¯s just luggage to me.¡±


    To Ellen, this enormous sum of money seemed like nothing more than a burden.


    ¡°Fine, give it to me then.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Ellen shook her head, rejecting my attempt to make a quick buck with a single remark.


    <i>¡®Tch, and here I thought I might get some easy money.¡¯</i>


    Ellen stared intently at the pouch of gold coins. Perhaps she was thinking that money, if left untouched, was no better than a pile of barley corn left out in the open.


    <i> </i> ***


    Dinner time came...


    The main difference this time was that Ellen had started to eat with the other girls, and I was also included in their party. Of course, Ellen rarely talked or reacted much, and most of the conversation was carried by Harriet and Riana, with Adelia chiming in now and then.


    I wasn¡¯t the type to initiate conversations with them either, so unless someone spoke to me first, I stayed mostly silent. The girls had learned that trying to get anything substantial out of me was akin to putting a coin into a broken vending machine, so they didn¡¯t bother talking to me much.


    But then, something unusual happened.


    ¡°I have something I want to ask.¡±


    Ellen had spoken up first for a change. She wasn¡¯t addressing me, but looking at Riana and Harriet instead.


    ¡°Sure, ask away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time Ellen¡¯s asking something. Yeah, what is it?¡±


    Both seemed intrigued, since it was unusual for Ellen to ask questions.


    Ellen tilted her head, as though in deep thought.


    ¡°You both have a lot of money, right?¡± she finally said.


    ¡°Money? Uh... yeah, I guess. Harriet too, probably.¡±


    The Duke of Granz had estates all over the continent. And Harriet, she was more like a princess than a noblewoman of the Grand Duchess of the Principality of Saint-Ouen.


    Asking them if they had a lot of money was like asking if they breathed. It was obvious. But why suddenly bring up money?


    ¡°If you have a lot of money, what do you do with it?¡±


    <i>¡®This girl...¡¯</i>


    She must have spent all that time before dinner in her room, clutching that pouch of gold coins, wondering what she should do with it and what would make people acknowledge that she spent it well.


    Imagining Ellen sitting alone doing that made her seem oddly cute, since she did not usuallye across as such a person.


    <i>¡®What to do if you have a lot of money, huh?¡¯</i>


    The two seemed a bit dumbfounded, not expecting such a question from Ellen.


    ¡°Oh... are you talking about the reward you received from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡±


    The additional reward we¡¯d received from the guild yesterday through Mr. Effenhauser was quite substantial, but to these two, it was probably a petty amount.


    ¡°Not that. I got some money from selling jewels and other things that we found. It¡¯s a lot, but I don¡¯t know where to spend it.¡±


    ¡°How much are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°More than a thousand gold.¡±


    <i>A thousand gold coins.</i>


    ¡°Ahem! Hack! Kek! Kek!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Adelia! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Drink some water!¡±


    Adelia, who had been listening quietly, was so shocked that she choked and fell into a coughing fit.


    After her exaggerated surprised reaction subsided, her face remained beet red, and she continued with her meal in silence.


    <i>A thousand gold coins, equivalent to over a billion won...</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s an awful lot...¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Harriet and Riana didn¡¯t deny that it was a considerable amount of money. While the amount itself might have been pocket change for them, earning such a sum in one go was a different matter entirely. Of course, they knew the details of the situation and understood that it hadn¡¯te easy.


    <i>¡®What do you do when you have too much money?¡¯</i>


    Ellen seemed curious about where they usually spent their money.


    ¡°Well... I usually buy various magical tools or rare magic stones to study. Even though it <i>is</i> quite a substantial amount, I think I¡¯d spend it quickly,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Hmm... I often think the same; if I had a lot of money, I¡¯d probably spend it that way too,¡± Adelia added.


    While the Temple provided various forms of support, they did not provide unlimited financial support, and there certainly were things that could not be sanctioned due to financial constraints.


    For someone majoring in magic, there was always something useful to buy. However, Ellen did not specialize in magic.


    ¡°I usually spend money on clothes and such. You do have a lot of money, Ellen, but I think I¡¯d spend it all pretty quickly too.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a billion won, for crying out loud! You¡¯ll spend it quickly on clothes? What on earth do you wear?¡¯</i>


    I barely managed to suppress my urge tosh out at Riana¡¯s offhandment, which would give anymoner a serious headache.


    Anyway, it seemed Riana could easily spend massive amounts of money on herself.


    ¡°... Now that you mention it, it reminds me,¡± Harriet said cautiously, as if she had realized something.


    ¡°Ellen, you don¡¯t have any clothes other than your uniform, right?¡± she continued.


    ¡°I do,¡± Ellen said, pointing to the clothes she was wearing.


    Her answer made Riana and Harriet¡¯s faces darken.


    ¡°... I meant clothes other than training outfits,¡± Harriet rified.


    Harriet was right. Ellen had nothing besides her uniform and clothes for training in. I¡¯d never seen her wear anything else. No casual clothes at all. Even right now, Ellen was dressed in a training outfit.


    After sses, everyone usually changed into their everyday clothes. Adelia was wearing a gray dress, Harriet was in acey, elegant ck dress, and Riana was sporting pants with a blouse.


    They weren¡¯t dressed extravagantly, just wearing casual outfits. But Ellen always wore training clothes, the designs of which hardly varied.


    Realizing this, Riana¡¯s mouth dropped open in surprise. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t even have a single in dress?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    The only time I¡¯d seen Ellen in anything resembling a skirt was when she wore her uniform.


    Riana grabbed Ellen¡¯s hand with a determined look.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. We need to go buy clothes.¡±


    Ellen looked startled at herment.


    Riana had previously bought Ellen a swimsuit because she hadn¡¯t wanted to see Ellen in the standard Temple swimwear. Now, she seemed annoyed at the realization that Ellen didn¡¯t have any proper casual clothes either.


    Having resolved to take Ellen shopping, Riana turned her gaze to me. ¡°Hey, youe along too.¡±


    ¡°... What? Why me? I didn¡¯t ask for advice on where to spend my money,¡± I replied.


    Riana frowned deeply. ¡°You¡¯re the same. You¡¯re always in either your uniform or training clothes too, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Just like Ellen didn¡¯t have a single skirt to her name, I didn¡¯t own a single proper pair of pants aside from those for training.


    Gender aside, Ellen and I practically had the same fashion style.


    <i>¡®I mean, we¡¯re constantly training and exercising¡ªwhy would we need casual clothes? It¡¯s not like we¡¯d wear them anyway.¡¯</i>


    Ellen was probably thinking the same way I was.


    ¡°Anyway, after ss tomorrow, we¡¯re going shopping. Everyone meet at the dorm.¡±


    Was it just me, or did Riana de Granz seem like the one with the most authority in this group?


    <i> </i> ***


    On Wednesdays, we had Meditation, Supernatural Power Control, and Supernatural Power Practical sses. Meditation and Supernatural Power Control were sses that we had also taken during the first semester.


    The previous day¡¯s Swordsmanship Practical ss involved summoning dummies via summoning magic and having realbat practice with those dummies. Sometimes, monsters would be summoned, but it was mostly a matter of fighting remote-controlled puppets, like sparring with golems armed with swords.


    The ss we were at was the supernatural power version of that, and it was exclusive to the Royal ss.


    There were six superhumans within the Royal ss: Riana, Connor Lint, Charlotte, Heinrich, Evia, and me.


    Only those whose supernatural powers had offensive capabilities attended this ss.


    Evia from ss B had telepathic abilities, but since her power wasn¡¯t used for offense, she did not attend this ss. Her abilities would be capable of offenseter on, but of course, at that moment, no one except me was aware of that.


    In Connor Lint¡¯s case, with his teleportation ability, it was a bit ambiguous. Depending on how it was used, teleportation could be a powerful offensive skill. However, due to the critical side effect of ending up naked, Connor Lint couldn¡¯t participate in practical sessions.


    Still, thanks to the improvements in the skills of the Royal ss¡¯s superhumans, Connor Lint¡¯s abilities had also progressed.


    Before the Supernatural Power Practical ss, we had a Supernatural Power Control ss first.


    ¡ªOh... Oh my! Mr. Lint! This is incredible! I can¡¯t believe it! You managed to do it!


    ¡ªT-Teacher...! I did it! I finally... I finally did it!


    ¡ªYes! I-It¡¯s great! But... please don¡¯te any closer to me in that state!


    ¡ªOh... O-Okay...


    Connor Lint, who was practicing his abilities in a sealed ssroom as usual, was exchanging emotional words with his instructor, who was congratting him just as excitedly.


    Havingpleted a round of ability tests, Riana noticed themotioning from Connor Lint¡¯s side and tilted her head in curiosity.


    ¡°... What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Charlotte still wasn¡¯t around; it seemed she was attending sses somewhere else entirely.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Connor Lint¡¯s training instructor suddenly flung open the door of the sealed room and eximed in a delighted tone, ¡°Everyone! Great news! It¡¯s about our fellow colleague Mr. Lint over here! Mr. Lint has finally managed to teleport with his underwear on!¡±


    At these words, everyone¡¯s activities came to a halt, and even the instructors were wide-eyed and speechless. It was a moment of collective shock.


    ¡°R-Really?!¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, Ms. Rellin! It¡¯s not a fluke! He seeded three consecutive times!¡±


    ¡°This... this can¡¯t be!¡±


    The once hopeless superhuman, Connor Lint, had evolved his ability through grueling practice to the point where he could teleport his underwear along with himself.


    <i>Sniffle... Sniffle</i>...


    Connor Lint, who appeared to have just put his clothes back on, was so ovee with emotions that he was muffling his sobs with his hands, tears of joy streaming down his face.


    Heinrich and Evia were also stunned by Connor Lint¡¯s remarkable progress.


    The ability that once required him to abandon all of his dignity to use had now evolved to the point where he only had to forfeit about 90% of it.


    Riana looked somewhat pale and seemed bewildered.


    ¡°It... It sure is incredibly impressive, but... why do I feel so strange...?¡±


    Given that a critical penalty of using his ability had been removed, it was right to congratte him, yet it still felt a bit awkward.


    I distinctly remembered this part. Connor Lint¡¯s ability would continue to evolve. Right now, he could teleport with his underwear, but eventually, he¡¯d be able to teleport with all of his clothes. His ability would improve to the point where he wouldn¡¯t have to sacrifice his dignity at all.


    However, the <i>process</i> of getting there was just hopeless...


    <i>¡®I think the next achievement is him teleporting with his socks or something like that...¡¯</i>


    From what I remembered of the original story, after sessfully teleporting with both his underwear and socks, Connor Lint decided that it looked too odd. So, even though he did manage to teleport with socks, he ultimately chose not to teleport with both socks and underwear together.


    ¡°I... I knew I could do it...!¡±


    We couldn¡¯t help but cheer for the deeply emotional Connor Lint in this captivating moment.


    It was a strange moment, filled with both joy and a sense of bittersweet sympathy.


    Anyway, the hero of the day was undoubtedly Connor Lint.

 Chapter 186 [Illustration]

    <h4> Chapter 186 [Illustration]</h4>


    Abilities would continue to develop.


    Connor Lint couldn¡¯t participate in the subsequent practical ss since his ability to teleport with only his underwear had no actualbat utility, so it had no practical use in battle.


    Even if he could teleport with his clothing and weapons, his skills were so poor that it would end with him barely being able to twist a child¡¯s wrist at best.


    Aside from Connor Lint and Evia, the other four superhumans attended the practical sses: Charlotte, Heinrich, Riana, and myself.


    Charlotte, as usual, was whisked away somewhere as soon as the ss began, preferring to be alone. During our deserted ind mission, she had managed to take down an orc all by herself, which meant that herbat capabilities were certainly exceptional.


    Heinrich, on the other hand, struggled in the practical sses due to the activation dy of his abilities and was constantly dodging and rolling around, nearly exhausting himself in the process.


    He ran about the training ground, wheezing and out of breath.


    <i>Boom! Boom!</i>


    He managed to fend off the goblins by surrounding himself with mes, but he couldn¡¯t hit any of them.


    As for Riana...


    <i>sh! Bang!</i>


    She stood still and shot electric bolts at the iing goblins, and the goblins disintegrated into smoke upon being hit. The time when the range of her abilities was only five meters felt like a distant memory; now both her range and power had increased tremendously.


    Riana hadn¡¯t been able to inflict significant damage on the orc using her abilities during our time on the deserted ind. Now, though, an orc wouldn¡¯t even be able to approach her without getting roasted instantly. Her ability felt overpowered, no matter how I looked at it. Lightning... Lightning truly was invincible...


    I kept things simple.


    <i>Wham</i>!


    I kicked the head of a charging goblin, and the goblin that had been summoned turned into smoke and disappeared.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure if Reinhart¡¯s ability has gotten stronger, or if he himself has just gotten stronger.¡±


    My instructor couldn¡¯t tell if my immense physical strength was a result of an enhancement of my superpower, or an increase in my inherent physical strength.


    ***


    After Wednesday¡¯s sses, Riana de Granz and I headed back to the dormitory together. Since everyone was nning to set out from the dormitory to go shopping, there was no reason to go separately.


    Ellen had apparently awakened her Mana Reinforcement abilities too early, so she was receiving individual instruction and would be taking numerous sses rted to Mana Reinforcement. I wasn¡¯t sure if the yoga master teacher was instructing her or if it was someone else.


    We returned to the dormitory, and after a short wait, Harriet and Adelia also returned. Both went to their rooms, changed into casual clothes, and then came out again.


    ¡°Did you put on makeup?¡± I asked Harriet.


    She nodded in response. ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±


    There was a slight change in the color of Harriet¡¯s lips. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what makeup she had applied, but there was something subtly different about her appearance.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the best sort of makeup is the sort that makes it look like you¡¯re not wearing any,¡± Imented.


    Harriet red at me. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to make fun of me for not knowing how to apply makeup properly?¡±


    ¡°... No, I was actually saying that you did well...¡±


    <i>¡®Why does she always think I¡¯m attacking her?¡¯</i>


    My words made Harriet¡¯s face turn red.


    ¡°Well... whatever. It¡¯s not like I wanted to hear that from you.¡±


    <i>¡®No, don¡¯t start it again. If you act like this, I¡¯ll be unable to control what I say again!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, I was just saying. It¡¯s not like I was trying to make you feel happy or anything,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy!¡±


    ¡°You look happy to me. You seem positively thrilled to beplimented!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thrilled at all! Not even a bit!¡±


    ¡°Geez, why is it such a big deal topliment you on how good your makeup looks? What¡¯s your problem, huh?¡±


    ¡°Aargh! You¡¯re so annoying!¡±


    Harriet eventually seemed to realize that conversing with me was a losing battle and gravitated towards Riana.


    ¡°You should know by now that having a conversation with him thatsts more than five sentences will inevitably piss you off, right?¡± Riana said.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Riana patted Harriet¡¯s shoulder tofort her and to show that trying to deal with me wasn¡¯t worth the trouble.


    Anyway, after waiting a bit longer, Ellen, thest one in our group, finally returned to the dormitory.


    ***


    Riana mentioned that she rarely went out to buy clothes. Most of the time, she ordered custom-made clothes by contacting a boutique, who would then send her a bunch of clothes for her to choose from.


    That was how rich people did things, apparently.


    Another rich person, Harriet, professed not to be very interested in clothes. If she needed formal wear, she¡¯d get it tailored to her measurements whenever she needed it. Despite not looking like it, Harriet was actually quite a bookworm. She was diligently focused on her studies, much like a model student.


    Although she wasn¡¯t as extreme as Ellen, Harriet was also the kind of person who poured all her attention into her major, so she didn¡¯t seem to have that many sets of casual clothes either.


    Adelia was simr¡ªa nerd who lived off the allowance provided by the Temple, without much interest in spending it on anything extravagant.


    Anyway, other than Riana de Granz, who had dragged us all out here, we rarely bought clothes. We simply weren¡¯t that interested in it.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since Ist went shopping,¡± Riana said as we arrived at a street lined with upscale clothing stores.


    While there were plenty of clothing shops within the Temple, Riana seemed to want a full-fledged shopping experience.


    ¡°Ellen, if you shop without paying attention, a thousand gold coins will disappear in an instant.¡±


    <i>¡®What on earth are you nning to buy that will make that happen?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t my money, but I was already feeling anxious about wasting it.


    ***


    This time, it wasn¡¯t Riana¡¯s treat. We were shopping and buying clothes with our own money.


    Since Ellen had no clue about fashion, Riana stuck by her and rmended various items. We wandered through countless stores, trying on and purchasing various outfits. I bought a few sets of casual clothes myself, since having more outfits wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°You should try them on before you buy.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll probably fit,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you two twins or something? Were you separated at birth and only realized it now? How do you both say the same things?¡± Riana eximed. She was in shock as she watched Ellen and me buy clothes without trying them on.


    It seemed she had developed a theory that Ellen and I were long-lost twins.


    Harriet and Adelia were also buying clothes.


    ...¡±


    Harriet tried on various outfits and shoes, including a white dress and pink shoes, and checked herself out in the mirror. As she was looking at herself, our eyes met.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    She seemed embarrassed, her face flushing red. But why? She looked good in them. Did she really think I would seize this moment to tease her?


    ¡°...¡±


    Since she told me not to say anything, I kept my mouth shut.


    ¡°... Are you really not going to say anything just because I told you not to?!¡±


    ¡°... What?! What do you want from me, damn it!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to say anything, then why do you keep staring at me?¡±


    She seemed upset that I was just staring without saying anything.


    ¡°Does it harm you if I look? I was just looking because I think it suits you! You look cute! Geez!¡±


    ¡°Wh-What! Why are you praising me like you¡¯re angry?!¡± she yelled, her lips quivering.


    Although my tone had been harsh, I had meant it as apliment.


    Eventually, she shivered and fled into the fitting room.


    Suddenly, Riana called me over.


    ¡°Hey. Hey! Come over here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and take a look.¡±


    Riana dragged me over to where Ellen was standing.


    ¡°... It feels so empty.¡±


    She seemed ufortable, fidgeting with the hem of her dress.


    Ellen was wearing a ck off-shoulder dress with frills, paired with ck leather shoes. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark clothing, entuating her figure.


    While Harriet looked cute, it was difficult for me to keep my eyes on Ellen because of how stunning she appeared.


    ¡°You look so good in this. Why do you always wear tracksuits?¡± Riana muttered as she stared dazedly at Ellen, feeling incredulous that such beauty had been hidden away for so long.


    ¡°Because this is ufortable.¡±


    Ellen, however, seemed quite ufortable in the revealing outfit. She caught my eye, and unlike Harriet, who had told me not to say anything, Ellen remained silent as she looked at me.


    <i>¡®Should I say something?¡¯</i>


    Riana continued to speak without waiting for me to say anything. ¡°Wow, look at how slim your waist is. Where does all that strengthe from?¡±


    Riana seemed dumbfounded as she touched Ellen¡¯s slender waistline. She was astonished by Ellen¡¯s delicate waist, especially since Ellen had the best physical stats in ss A of the Royal ss.


    ¡°I mean, how can she have such a waist when she eats so much?¡±


    It seemed Riana was beginning to question the veryws of physics.


    <i>¡®... That¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Ellen asked abruptly, noticing that I was avoiding eye contact and keeping silent.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What? Was she asking me to say something about how she looked?


    I was slightly stunned, and before I could gather my thoughts, Riana smirked.


    ¡°Ah, I see what it is,¡± Riana said as she looked at me, with one hand around Ellen¡¯s waist. ¡°You¡¯re used to seeing her sweaty and swinging a sword around, but now that she¡¯s dressed properly... It feels different, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What the hell are you talking about?! Shut up!¡±


    What nonsense was she spouting now?


    ¡°Why did you suddenly be a mute then? Say something! ¡®It looks good on you,¡¯ or ¡®You look pretty.¡¯ Don¡¯t you have anything to say? Why can¡¯t you say such simple things?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    <i>¡®It really isn¡¯t! It¡¯s a moreplicated and subtle feeling that I can¡¯t quite exin!¡¯</i>


    ¡°It looks good on you. Yeah,¡± I finally said.


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    <i>¡®As if anything wouldn¡¯t suit you.¡¯</i>


    Ellen ended up buying the dress.


    ***


    We all returned to the Temple, our arms loaded with newly-purchased clothes. Everyone changed into their new outfits as soon as we got back, and each of our wardrobes was noticeably fuller.


    ¡°Hey, try this on.¡±


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s a hassle.¡±


    ¡°Come on, just try it on?¡±


    ¡°... Fine.¡±


    Instead of going back to her room, Riana had barged into Ellen¡¯s room and made her try on all the clothes they had bought.


    Riana de Granz discovered something new that day: dressing someone else was surprisingly fun, especially when the person looked good in everything.


    Seeing such a perfect model in front of her made her greedy. To think this girl had been wasting her potential by wearing only her uniform and tracksuits all the time! Riana firmly believed it was a waste of talent.


    Despite Ellen showing signs of annoyance, she couldn¡¯t push Riana away because of how excited she was. Riana made Ellen try on boots, skirts, dresses, various essories¡ªpretty much everything.


    ¡°Oh, we should go shopping for dresses next time. You would look absolutely stunning.¡±


    ¡°Dresses?¡±


    Riana really wanted to see Ellen in a proper dress, not just casual clothes.


    Riana was convinced that everyone would see this fitness addict in a new light.


    ¡°Yeah. Reinhart waspletely dazed just seeing you in that one dress today. If he sees you in a proper dress, he¡¯d be totally blown away.¡±


    Riana found Reinhart¡¯s reaction amusing. It was oddly satisfying to see him unable to make proper eye contact with Ellen, which was so unlike his usual self.


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Ellen tilted her head at Riana¡¯sment. She seemed puzzled about what her wearing a dress had to do with Reinhart.


    Riana stared intently at Ellen.


    <i>¡®Was I wrong in my assumption?¡¯ </i>she thought.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like Reinhart?¡±


    Ellen tilted her head again.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°So, do you dislike him?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t dislike him.¡±


    Ellen paused for a moment to think.


    ¡°I think I like him... but I¡¯m not really sure what that means,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh... I think I get it.¡±


    She simply thought of him as a very close friend. Riana, while she hadn¡¯t observed Ellen for that long, had realized that despite her exceptional abilities, Ellen was somewhat awkward and inexperienced in certain areas.


    Ellen liked Reinhart, but she was unsure if her feelings were those of romantic interest.


    Ellen had probably never experienced having feelings for someone before. She liked Reinhart, but she didn¡¯t fully understand her own emotions.


    Riana smirked. ¡°Hmm... Do you ever feel nervous or does your heart race when you¡¯re with him?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Ellen had felt nervous before¡ªlike the first time she and Reinhart had had to kill someone in the Dark Land, or when they fought off hordes of zombies. But she knew that wasn¡¯t what Riana meant.


    She had never felt nervous because of Reinhart.


    ¡°What about when your fingers identally touch or your bodies brush against each other? Do you ever feel your heart race or get nervous then?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sword training was a daily routine for them, so such moments weremon. In fact, it was usually Reinhart who got more nervous. He¡¯d shake a lot¡ªbut just from exhaustion and fatigue. By the end of their training, he¡¯d often be trembling, even.


    The intrigue in Riana¡¯s expression slowly began to fade.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get tense or act differently around him, right?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°And if you see him getting close to other people, you don¡¯t feel jealous or angry?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Ellen had never felt such emotions. She feltfortable being around Reinhart, and there was no reason for her to feel nervous.


    Riana let out a sigh, clearly disappointed.


    ¡°I thought something might have developed between you two after your journey through the Dark Land together, but it seems there¡¯s nothing at all. You guys are really just friends, huh? Well, at least that¡¯s the case for you.¡±


    Riana confirmed that Ellen really saw Reinhart as just a friend and then plopped down on Ellen¡¯s bed, looking deted.


    ¡°Is that what happens when you like someone?¡± Ellen asked.


    Feeling unnecessarily anxious, growing angry when they seemed to get closer to someone else, doing things you didn¡¯t normally do... Ellen wondered aloud if what Riana had said about liking someone was true. Riana thought about it for a moment, then suddenly looked confused.


    ¡°... You know what, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never liked anyone either. Most of what I¡¯d saides from romance novels.¡±


    Riana de Granz suddenly realized she¡¯d been talking about what happened when someone liked someone else without having actually experienced it herself. That realization left her speechless and a little dazed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Two people, neither of whom had the practical experience or a full understanding of what it was to like someone, had just been specting about it.


    Ellen started to think about Reinhart again.


    <i>¡ªIt looks good on you. Yeah.</i>


    When Reinhart had said those words, while she had been wearing clothes she had never worn before, Ellen had felt a strange, almost ticklish feeling in her chest. It was an odd sensation, something she had never felt before.


    Could that be considered evidence of something deeper?


    <i>¡®Probably not,¡¯</i> Ellen thought.

 Chapter 187

    <h4>Chapter 187</h4>


    That night, after shopping...


    <i>Kaang! Kang!</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We changed into training clothes and sparred in the training grounds as usual. Even though we¡¯d bought casual clothes, I didn¡¯t know if we¡¯d ever get a chance to wear them, since our daily routine was more or less set in stone. I wondered if a day woulde when I¡¯d even be able to try on the clothes we¡¯d bought earlier.


    There were three people in the training grounds, as always: Cliffman, Ellen and I.


    Ellen and I would spar while Cliffman trained alone. Sometimes, Cliffman and I would spar, though things were still awkward between us. Cliffman still couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with Ellen¡ªhis shyness was almost pathological.


    After a prolonged bout, I reached my limit and copsed on the floor of the training hall. I still couldn¡¯t match her. I guess it was inevitable, after all, but Ellen''s strength had grown even faster than mine, and there was nothing I could do about it.


    Ellen sat down quietly next to me as Iy on the floor.


    ¡°What? Do you have something to say?¡±


    Though she hadn¡¯t spoken yet, it felt as if she had something on her mind, so I asked.


    Ellen stayed silent for a while before asking, ¡°Have you ever liked someone?¡±


    I was stunned for a moment. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking something like that?¡±


    ¡°Just curious.¡±


    It was a question far beyond my expectations.


    Had I ever liked someone before? Of course, I had. It was before I became who I was in this world, though.


    ¡°Yeah, I have.¡±


    There¡¯s no rule that said you couldn¡¯t have had a first love before seventeen, so I just said it straightforwardly, since it wasn¡¯t particrly strange.


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem particrly surprised. ¡°So, how did it feel?¡±


    ¡°... It felt like crap.¡±


    ¡°Like crap?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like crap. What else would it feel like?¡±


    Maybe things were different if both parties had mutual feelings for each other and started a sweet rtionship, but if you developed feelings for someone who had no interest in you, wouldn¡¯t it feel like crap?


    Ellen tilted her head, seemingly not understanding why it would feel like crap. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it feel good?¡±


    I got off the floor suddenly and faced her.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s think about this.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Someone appears in your dreams every night, right? When you wake up in the morning, they¡¯re the first thing you think about. You think about them while eating, while working, and when you¡¯re with them, you just feel good. Just making eye contact makes you feel good. You just keep thinking about them.¡±


    Ellen stared at me with a quizzical look.


    ¡°Then, guess what? That person is already seeing someone else! Even if they aren¡¯t, they have no interest in you at all! They treat you like garbage. Or maybe they find it annoying when you keep talking to them and they avoid you.¡±


    Ellen looked lost.


    ¡°Now, won¡¯t that feel like crap?¡± I asked.


    <i>¡®Love is crap, you idiot! It¡¯s a disease! Unrequited love is always a sickness!¡¯</i>


    Ellen tilted her head at my sudden outburst. ¡°Have you gotten rejected before?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the next step after you actually confess, isn¡¯t it? I couldn¡¯t even confess. Satisfied?¡±


    Who in their right mind would confess knowing they¡¯d get rejected for sure? It was better just to wallow in your emotions until you forgot about it, that¡¯s all.


    Ellen paused for a moment. ¡°Anyways, so you do know what it feels like to like someone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But why are you suddenly curious about that?¡±


    Ellen stayed silent for a long while, then took my hand as Iy sprawled on the ground. It wasn¡¯t unusual for her to randomly lean on me or do simr things as ofte.


    ¡°Do you feel nervous?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Do you feel nervous when we do this?¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that? Why would I feel nervous? I¡¯m not shaking!¡±


    I mean, I did shake a little when I drank to the point of drunkenness, but that wasn¡¯t the case now! I didn¡¯t have any of that anymore! Balding, tremors, I left all that behind with my rebirth!


    Ellen nodded to herself as if she realized something. ¡°I don¡¯t feel nervous either.¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s up with her? Did she eat something bad?¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> ***


    After training, Ellen washed up and changed in her private room, then headed to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. Eating ate-night snack with Reinhart was part of her fixed routine. Unless Reinhart was particrly busy, they always ate together.


    Riana de Granz had told her that when you liked someone, being with them made you feel nervous and tense.


    Ellen had never felt that way when she was with Reinhart.


    Reinhart said that when you liked someone, they appeared in your dreams and you thought about them all the time, anywhere. And if that person had no interest in you, it felt like crap. He seemed to dislike the very idea of liking someone.


    Ellen didn¡¯t think about Reinhart all the time, no matter where she was. Just making eye contact with him didn¡¯t make her feel particrly good or anything like that.


    That led her to hold his hand just now to check for sure, and neither Reinhart nor she had felt nervous or anything. It was as if it was something that happened all the time and was nothing special.


    Ellen easily came to a conclusion.


    She did like Reinhart, but not in that way.


    That¡¯s what Ellen thought.


    She didn¡¯t fully understand it either, but afterbining various stories and her own emotions, that was the conclusion she reached.


    But then, a question arose.


    <i>¡®Have I been too unreserved with Reinhart, even though we¡¯re just friends? Indeed, I¡¯ve done many things with Reinhart that typical friends wouldn¡¯t do, and I still act that way with him. Maybe I¡¯ve been behaving strangely?¡¯</i>


    Perhaps, in addition to not knowing how to interact properly with people, she also didn¡¯t know how to maintain an appropriate distance. There seemed to be moments when she might have unknowingly crossed boundaries in rtionships.


    Riana had seemed somewhat surprised that Ellen thought of Reinhart merely as a friend. For the first time, Ellen started to consider that the way she behaved around Reinhart might be a bit off.


    As Ellen arrived at the cafeteria and was about to enter, she noticed somemotion inside and stopped.


    ¡ªIf I eatte at night, I¡¯m going to gain weight!


    ¡ªOh,e on, just do some exercise to burn it off then.


    ¡ªI told you I don¡¯t want to eat. Why do you keep insisting I do? I¡¯m not hungry!


    ¡ªYou¡¯re the one who was dragged over here after munching on snacks in the magic researchb. Stop nibbling and eat properly!


    ¡ªUgh! I wasn¡¯t eating!


    ¡ª<i>A</i> <i>sigh.</i>


    ¡ªClean the cookie crumbs off your mouth before you talk, will you?


    Harriet and Reinhart were having a yful argument. As always, Harriet¡¯s face was flushed red with indignation, while Reinhart wasughing and teasing her.


    Ellen quietly watched the scene unfold.


    ¡ªFine, if you don¡¯t want to eat, then don¡¯t. I just thought you might be hungry and wanted to invite you for ate-night snack.


    It seemed Reinhart had caught Harriet eating something in the magic researchb and decided to bring her along so that they could eat together since he was already going to make some food anyway.


    Harriet had let herself be dragged along and was now bickering with him. This happened asionally. Just like how Ellen and Reinhart sometimes trainedte into the night, Harriet often stayed in the researchb untilte.


    In response to Reinhart asking her to leave if she didn¡¯t want to eat, Harriet bit her lip and sat down at the table.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll see what you¡¯re making first.


    ¡ªAlright, just hang tight for a bit.


    Ellen watched from the entrance of the cafeteria, first looking at Reinhart¡¯s back as he headed into the kitchen, and then at Harriet¡¯s slightly flushed face. She didn¡¯t feel anything in particr when seeing Reinhart being close to someone else.


    Why would it be unpleasant to see a friend being friendly with another friend?


    ¡°Oh, hey Ellen.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ellen entered the cafeteria and sat across from Harriet, whose face was still slightly red.


    Harriet¡¯s lips twisted, and she shook her head in annoyance. ¡°Why is he dragging someone who doesn¡¯t want to eat here? What a jerk.¡±


    Ellen observed Harriet quietly. Her face was slightly flushed.


    Harriet¡¯s tone was sharp and cutting, almost trembling. Ellen had a favorable impression of Harriet de Saint-Ouen. Initially, she¡¯d held no opinion since she didn¡¯t know her, but as they spent time together, she got to know various sides of Harriet.


    She wasn¡¯t sure about how Harriet used to be, but at some point, Harriet had stopped looking down on others and unting her status and talent.


    When speaking to Adelia, who was still her friend despite being amoner, Harriet was careful not to speak thoughtlessly, and apologized immediately if she made a mistake. She tried her best not to make any insensitive remarks at all.


    As Ellen, Harriet, and Adelia started hanging out together, it felt like they were excluding Riana, so they had begun including Riana too.


    Harriet was very considerate of those around her, unlike Ellen. Among friends, Harriet often took the lead in conversations and spoke clearly and wisely. When it came to magic, there was almost nothing she didn¡¯t know.


    But when it came to Reinhart, Harriet acted differently. She wasn¡¯t kind or gentle, and almost always ended up fighting with him. Although Reinhart often initiated the teasing, Harriet¡¯s behavior towards him was distinct from how she interacted with anyone else. Her words and actions were different when it came to Reinhart alone.


    When she encountered Reinhart, she was different from her usual self.


    ¡°I mean... I appreciate him being considerate, but he has a way of making people feel unappreciated,¡± Harriet remarked.


    A slightly flushed face, that subtle smile she couldn¡¯t help but show when talking about Reinhart when he wasn¡¯t around...


    Ellen didn¡¯t fully understand her own feelings, but she was beginning to believe that it probably wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d suspected.


    ¡°What do you think he¡¯s making?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    However, Ellen had a good sense that Harriet de Saint-Ouen liked Reinhart. If that was the case, what was she supposed to do? She didn¡¯t quite know. But she thought that if she continued to interact with Reinhart as casually as she did now, it might hurt Harriet.


    <i> </i> ***


    Thursday came, and I received an update from Mr. Effenhauser regarding the issue with the cursed sword.


    ¡°Your suggestion to use sorcery to identify the nature of the sword has been epted.¡±


    Using an unknown power to uncover the mystery of an unknown sword...


    It seemed Temple had decided to go with that n for now. Whether Dettomorian would be able to discover the inherent power of the sword through sorcery remained uncertain.


    Of course, there was no need for me to observe the ceremony directly; the Temple authorities would inform me of the results. Whatever ritual was going to be conducted, it would surely take some time before it produced results.


    ¡°The ceremony will take ce tonight at the Shrine of Ouen, within the Temple grounds.¡±


    To prevent any potential mishaps, there would be both mages and priests around, fully prepared to ensure no malevolent energy seeped out. This was likely why they had chosen a sacred ce like a shrine for the ceremony. It was surprising that the shrine attendants had even allowed such a cursed item inside.


    ¡°Can I observe the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t see why that would be necessary, but if you make sure to keep your distance, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    While it might not be strictly necessary for me to be there, I decided to observe the ceremony in case an unexpected threat arose that required my intervention.


    <i> </i> ***


    Thursday night came...


    Ellen heard about the ritual to divine the nature of the cursed sword and wanted toe along. Dettomorian had skipped all his sses that day to prepare for the ritual.


    Within Temple grounds were individual shrines dedicated to all the Five Great Gods. The ritual would take ce in the Shrine of Ouen, the god of purity.


    Ellen and I took a tram towards the Shrine of Ouen.


    ¡°Nothing bad will happen, right?¡± Ellen said, sounding worried.


    ¡°I hope not.¡±


    If the item we brought to the Temple causes any further incidents, it would be entirely my responsibility. After all, I had been the one to insist that an artifact that should have been disposed of or abandoned be brought here.


    Those majoring in religious studies probably visited the shrine often, but for Ellen and me, this was our first time seeing the interior of one of the Temple¡¯s shrines. The Shrine of Ouen resembled a grand church more than a traditional shrine, and despite the massive main doors being wide open, entry into the shrine was being strictly controlled.


    Since our entry permits had been prearranged, showing our student IDs allowed us to enter the shrine.


    After passing through a few corridors and yet another set of grand doors, a dome-shaped chapel came into view.


    In the center stood a statue of Ouen, the god of purity. This location had been chosen because the cursed sword had the power to resurrect the dead, and it made sense to contain its force within Ouen¡¯s shrine, given its opposing nature.


    The dome-shaped chapel was crowded with people, mostly Temple staff. Many were dressed in priestly robes, and there were numerous mages as well. They were all busy carrying out various preparations, given the uncertainty of what might happen.


    They were setting up protective barriers using magic and Divine Power to prevent any potential idents. Seeing so many people hard at work because of this single item I¡¯d brought back made me feel somewhat guilty.


    The priests, while busy with their tasks, kept casting uneasy nces towards the center of the chapel.


    At the heart of the ritual, the cursed sword floated about thirty centimeters above the chapel floor, encapsted in what looked like a crystal. It appeared to be some form of magical containment rather than sorcery. There, Dettomorian was slowly working on something.


    ¡°... This feels ominous.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Both Ellen and I couldn¡¯t help but voice the same sentiment. It quickly became clear why the priests kept ncing over with such difort.


    Dettomorian was using blood to draw an unknown magical circle on the floor. In the shrine dedicated to Ouen, the god of purity, and right in front of the goddess¡¯s statue, he was drawing an unknown ritual circle in blood.


    Who knew whose blood it was, but there was a bucket filled with bright red blood beside him.


    Dettomorian was diligently working away without any awareness of the sphemy he wasmitting.


    Everyone around the chapel wore uncertain expressions, knowing that the Temple had approved the procedure but still feeling uneasy about it. If we felt that way, how much worse did it have to be for the priests?


    The magic circle wasn¡¯t theplex ones I had seen on several scrolls, but it was being drawn rather simply. Even so, why was it so crooked and uneven?


    I stared at the uneven ritual circle, wondering if it was supposed to be like that, but it didn¡¯t seem right.


    I mumbled to myself absent-mindedly as I watched Dettomorian work.


    ¡°... Does he have hand tremors or something?¡±


    ¡°... Is that even allowed?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know...¡±


    Had I been mistaken about him? Dettomorian wasn¡¯t shaking from nervousness; it seemed his hands trembled naturally. The lines he drew for the circle were aplete mess¡ªhis hands were shaking visibly.


    <i>¡®Is this really alright?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 188

    <h4>Chapter 188</h4>


    People gathered around the chapel, and since we were mere bystanders without any role to y in maintaining the safety measures, we kept our distance, observing the scene from the far end of the chapel.


    The priests began chanting protective spells, and a sacred atmosphere enveloped the interior of the chapel. It was a warm, soothing energy, and it felt as though everything would conclude without incident.


    Dettomorian, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the cursed sword, started to murmur something. I couldn¡¯t make out exactly what it was, but some kind of ritual was definitely beginning. I wondered what kind of object the cursed sword was, and if the curse could be lifted that night.


    Everyone was tense, and Dettomorian¡¯s mutterings didn¡¯t reach us because we were far from the center of the chapel. While I could enhance my hearing to listen, I didn¡¯t really want to.


    For a very long time, nothing significant happened.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen and I made eye contact, but we couldn¡¯t break the solemn atmosphere by chatting. Yet, we were likely thinking the same thing: <i>¡®When is this going to end?¡¯</i>


    An hour had passed since the ritual began, but Dettomorian continued his mumblings, and the priests and mages maintained their protective barriers without anything noteworthy urring.


    It reminded me of the time I¡¯d stepped into Dettomorian¡¯s ult Research Club with Charlotte. At that time, Charlotte hadined about the darkness and asked if we could turn on a light. Dettomorian had told us that doing so would end the ritual and had added that turning on the light would mean restarting the ritual, which would cost another week.


    I started to worry that this ritual might not end in just a few hours, but could take several days or even weeks. If that were the case, the people stationed here would surely grow exhausted and leave. Could Dettomorian even take breaks for meals during such a prolonged ritual?


    We¡¯de here without knowing how long it would take. Asking Dettomorian about this at this point wasn¡¯t an option, and although the priests and mages might know something, they were all deeply focused on their own tasks, so interrupting them was not feasible.


    The chapel doors were firmly closed, preventing any chance of leaving. I considered that we might just open the door and walk out, but...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What if opening the doors disrupted the ritual, broke someone¡¯s concentration, or caused Dettomorian or someone else to make a mistake? The chapel was so quiet that everyone would hear us sneaking out.


    Ellen and I found ourselves trapped in this self-imposed prison until the ritual ended. We sat side by side on a bench in the chapel, endlessly staring at the ongoing ritual.


    ***


    Midnight had passed, and we still hadn¡¯t returned to the dormitory.


    Ellen grew tired, and she began dozing off. Normally, in such situations, she would just lean on me and fall asleep.


    Watching her sway back and forth made me a bit worried, so I pulled her towards me andid her head on myp. By this point, such actions were no longer out of the ordinary for either of us.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen, awakened slightly, looked up at me quietly and tried to get up. I gently pressed her head back down to let her know that it was alright for her to sleep if she felt tired.


    ¡°...¡±


    She seemed to resist a bit but then closed her eyes, resigning herself to the situation. Somehow, this kind of casual physical contact had be easy for both of us.


    While there was nothing wrong with this, it made me feel strange, as if we had skipped past dating and had gone straight to being a couple that had been married for ten years.


    The ritual continued, and the priests and mages gradually showed signs of fatigue. Despite the initial tension, the cursed sword emitted no ominous energy and remained in the same state as before.


    The only indication that the ritual was ongoing was Dettomorian¡¯s continuous muttering.


    I once thought of him as weak, but I was clearly mistaken.


    Although I was looking at him from a distance, Dettomorian showed no signs of exhaustion or struggle. Despite the significant amount of time that had passed since the ritual began, his posture remained the same as he continued his chanting.


    In many ways, Dettomorian was quite impressive. Eventually, I too sumbed to sleep and dozed off while sitting.


    ***


    We were awakened by someone¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Stop! Stop it now!¡±


    Both Ellen and I were jolted awake by the sudden yell.


    The high priest, who appeared to be overseeing the scene, was shouting.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! You have to stop!¡±


    Multicolored light streamed in through the stained ss dome. The morning had arrived without us noticing. However, Ellen and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at whaty under that cascade of colored light.


    A bizarre and ominous energy was emerging from the cursed sword, twisting menacingly under the light.


    The sinister plume of energy was enormous,parable in size to the statue of the goddess Ouen. Everyone was tense as we watched the eerie¡ªalmost sentient¡ªenergy moving.


    ¡°It takes time for it to stop...¡± Dettomorian said weakly.


    ¡°Yes, right. Hurry up. Stop it quickly. We don¡¯t know what might happen if we continue any longer,¡± the high priest urged.


    Although the bizarre energy emanating from the sword hadn¡¯t yet caused any idents, the fact that it kept growing in size had convinced everyone present that the ritual had to be halted.


    Either due to Dettomorian¡¯s control or the priests¡¯ barriers, the ominous energy did not attack anyone. However, the colossal, malevolent aura filled everyone except Dettomorian with a palpable sense of dread.


    Time continued to pass, and the strange energy that was escaping from the cursed sword eventually retreated back into it.


    ¡°What... what is that...?¡± Ellen murmured, grappling with the fundamental question on everyone¡¯s minds.


    We both knew it was an extremely dangerous object, but neither of us had anticipated this extent of danger.


    Ultimately, Dettomorian abandoned the ritual midway, since the collective anxiety that something irreversible might happen had grown too strong to ignore.


    As the dark energy dissipated, the mages quickly surrounded the cursed sword, swiftly taking the necessary measures to secure it.


    With the situation seemingly under control, Ellen and I approached the center of the chapel.


    ¡°Are you the students who brought that item here?¡± a grave-looking priest asked us.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied.


    Given that the only students present were Dettomorian, Ellen, and me, and the two of us hade to witness the ritual, his guess was spot on.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you. You did well to prevent such a dangerous object from causing chaos in the world,¡± he said, his tone void of any reprimand. ¡°But it¡¯s an extraordinarily ominous item. Though we don¡¯t know exactly what it is, we can¡¯t keep it in the Temple any longer.¡±


    It was clear that he considered it impossible to hold onto this item, even within the Temple¡¯s walls. That left two options: dispose of it or seal it away.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask for another chance to figure out more.


    Dettomorian, looking pale and unsteady¡ªeither from the fact that he¡¯d been up all night, or from the exertions of the ritual itself¡ªstumbled towards us.


    ¡°No... I think I discovered some things about it...¡± he said.


    Although the ritual had been interrupted and could not bepleted as nned, Dettomorian had discovered something about the cursed item¡¯s origin.


    ¡°Really? Do you know what kind of malevolent object it is...?¡± the priest asked, anxiously awaiting Dettomorian¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°Not exactly, but... yes, kind of.¡±


    The person in charge looked at Dettomorian, urging him silently to divulge more details.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very old... artifact. It has a very deep history... so deep that we can¡¯t see its end... It¡¯s an artifact that¡¯s older than anything in the world...¡±


    Although the exact nature of it was unknown, Dettomorian was suggesting that this artifact was older than anything else in existence, older even than stones or rocks.


    ¡°It¡¯s an object created before the world itself...¡±


    While I couldn¡¯t fullyprehend the implications, the priest looked utterly shocked, barely able to contain his astonishment.


    ¡°No... it can¡¯t be...¡± the priest stammered in disbelief.


    Ellen¡¯s expression turned serious. She seemed to have had a realization herself. ¡°Is it a Holy Relic...?¡± she mumbled to herself.


    If it was an artifact of the deities who¡¯d created the world, then it would indeed predate the world¡¯s existence, and such an item would naturally be older than anything else in existence.


    Dettomorian had discovered that the cursed sword was, in fact, a Holy Relic of the gods. Only such an artifact could be that old.


    The high priest, filled with astonishment, looked back and forth between Ellen and me. ¡°You guys... If what he says is true, then what you¡¯ve found is... a demon god¡¯s Relic. Even the demon gods left relics in this world...¡±


    A Relic capable of spreading unholy energies that could raise the dead. If that were the case, it couldn¡¯t be a relic of the Five Great Gods, but a Demon God Relic. That was the high priest¡¯s inevitable conclusion.


    ¡°The demon god known for such power... is the god of corruption, Kier... It must be Kier¡¯s Relic.¡±


    Kier, the god of corruption, stood in stark contrast to Ouen, the god of purity.


    For the first time in human history, a relic of a demon god had been discovered. The high priest appeared confused, torn between whether to feel fear or awe at the situation.


    ¡°A Demon God Relic...? Kier?¡±


    Ellen was just as stunned as I was.


    However, my shock stemmed from a different understanding.


    There were no demon gods. There were only five main gods, and it was the misinterpretation of demons¡¯ beliefs that had led to the concept of demon gods. Consequently, there couldn¡¯t truly be a Demon God Relic. While there was a Demon God Cult and its followers might wield Divine Power, the idea that a demon god could have a relic was preposterous.


    The god of corruption, Kier, did not exist. Kier was simply another name for Ouen, the god of purity, taken out of context.


    If Dettomorian was correct, then the cursed sword was definitely a Holy Relic.


    In the original story, there were five Holy Relics. However, I had only introduced two in the story: the sword of Alse, the god of war, called Alsbirnger, and the sword of Mencius, the god of the moon, called Lament.


    I hadn¡¯t depicted or even conceptually established the relics of the remaining three gods since there was no particr reason to feature all five relics.


    Now, though, in this reality that had be my own, even the relics that had originally been left undefined had to have their own ce and history.


    Ellen and I had stumbled upon an artifact presumed to be a relic of the demon god, Kier, within the Dark Land.


    There may be no demon gods, and certainly no Demon God Relics, but this sword was indeed a Holy Relic that possessed powers that stood in diametric opposition to those of Ouen, the god of purity.


    Ultimately, strongly suggested that this cursed sword was likely the Holy Relic of Ouen. For some reason, though, perhaps due to the influence of the Demon God Cult, its powers had been twisted into their opposite.


    Initially, I had only defined Alsbringer and Lament. However, after entering this world and taking theology courses during the first semester, I¡¯d learned about the other three relics.


    The god of corruption, Kier, was actually Ouen, the god of purity. Thus, the mysterious sword had to be Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic.


    That confirmed it: the sword was the Holy Relic, the Holy Sword Tiamata.


    ***


    [Event Triggered - Holy Sword Tiamata]


    [Description: So, you¡¯ve discovered that the object you insisted on bringing back from the Dark Land is actually the Holy Sword Tiamata, mistakenly believed to be the relic of a demon god? What a convenient coincidence! It¡¯s almost like your own novel!]


    [Reward: Already given.]


    <i>Already given?</i>


    What does that even mean?


    Could the confirmation that this was the Holy Sword Tiamata itself be the reward?


    This event message basically served as explicit confirmation that the sword is indeed the Holy Sword Tiamata. Essentially, this validated my hypothesis.


    <i>¡®I suppose that¡¯s the reward ... So, the system essentially verified that it¡¯s the Holy Sword Tiamata and seems to be challenging me to figure out a way to im it...?¡¯</i>


    I had suspected that the cursed sword was no ordinary object. Anything that could spread malevolent energy over such a vast area and resurrect the dead as zombies could not be trivial.


    That was precisely why, despite knowing it was dangerous, I hadn¡¯t given up on it that easily. However, I never anticipated that it would turn out to be a Holy Relic.


    Among the three relics that I had not explicitly described in my original story, this one had somehow found its ce, and Ellen and I had ended up discovering it during our sojourn into the Dark Land.


    Had it not been for us, the sword would likely have been discarded or sealed away as a malevolent relic, without even reaching the mistaken belief that it was a Demon God Relic.


    The Holy Sword Tiamata, which was never meant to make an appearance, had emerged, and it was currently mistaken for a Demon God Relic. Naturally, the Temple would not allow anyone to possess such an item and would either seal it away or destroy it.


    Whether anyone could actually destroy a Holy Relic was uncertain, but undoubtedly, the Temple authorities would not let anyone keep it. Even though I¡¯d found it, it wasn¡¯t going to be mine.


    If I continued to insist on hanging onto this sword, I could be mistaken as a Demon God cultist. People might start growing suspicious of me because of how obsessed I was with the artifact.


    The Temple could very well use me of being a demon god worshiper.


    The reward, Tiamata, had already been offered, the system seems to imply.


    <i>Take it if you can.</i>


    That was the situation the system seemed to be proposing...


    ***


    ¡°A relic of a demon god...¡± Ellen muttered nkly as we walked back to the dormitory.


    I was the only one who truly understood the situation.


    The true concept of the god of corruption, Kier, as the antithesis of Ouen, the god of purity, was known to very few, and I was one of those.


    However, there was a puzzling aspect to all this: if there were no demon gods, why was the Holy Sword Tiamata exhibiting powers that were theplete opposite of its divine nature?


    Demon Gods typically shared simr or opposing attributes with their counterparts. In the case of Ouen, the god of purity, the opposite would be the god of corruption.


    Could it be that recognizing Ouen as a god of corruption allowed the holy sword to manifest the powers of corruption? Had the Demon God Cult members corrupt the Holy Sword Tiamata somehow? Was that even possible?


    Regardless, the current belief was that the cursed sword was the weapon of Kier, the god of corruption. The malevolent energy it emanated supported that belief.


    If I tried to argue that it was actually the Holy Sword Tiamata, people wouldn¡¯t use me of sphemy; they¡¯d think I had lost my mind. That was how utterly unreasonable the situation was.


    If I left things as they were, I¡¯d have to watch on helplessly as my opportunity slipped away.


    I had to find a way to acquire it somehow.


    I needed to try every possible angle; losing this holy sword that I¡¯d unexpectedly found wasn¡¯t an option.


    Ellen and I walked back to the Royal ss dormitory in silence.

 Chapter 189

    <h4>Chapter 189</h4>


    The Temple had firmly demanded that me, Dettomorian, and Ellen keep news of the demonic relic a secret. The discovery of a Demon God Relic was unprecedented in human history, and there was nothing beneficial about letting the cult members or the general public know about it.


    Even if it was indeed the relic of the demonic god, Ellen and I had aplished a monumental feat. By bringing back an item that could cause great chaos to the world beforehand, we had prevented it from bing an even bigger threat.


    However, because of the nature of the item that we¡¯d found, we couldn''t openly brag about our achievement. Hence, while this was a monumental event worthy of being recorded in history, it had to remain buried, unknown to anyone.


    Though I hadn¡¯t been able to return to the dormitory the night before, it didn''t particrly pose a problem. On Fridays, the sses were Mana Attunement Training II, Comprehensive Martial Arts II, and Demonic Ecology, which I attended with Ellen, Riana, and Harriet.


    The ss on demonic races proceeded with a simple overview. In reality, most people never encountered the demonic races. Moreover, with the end of the Great War, it was information that wasn''t necessarily needed unless someone intentionally sought out dangerous ces.


    Ellen listened diligently to the lecture, but honestly, I couldn''t concentrate at all. Learning the biology of goblins or orcs was all well and good, but what mattered to me more was figuring out what to do before the Holy Sword Tiamata was sealed.


    After all the Friday sses were over, Ellen, Harriet, Riana, and I returned to the dormitory together.


    "It''s surprisingly interesting. I never knew goblins built homes and lived in them. I thought they lived in caves or ces like that," Riana said, finding enjoyment in acquiring what she considered unnecessary knowledge.


    "Th-That aside... I was more shocked by the fact that an orc settlement could have over a thousand members...¡± Harriet''s face turned pale, possibly thinking about the vicious orcs she had encountered on the deserted ind and imagining a vige teeming with a thousand of them.


    Ellen, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought, as if she were silently reviewing the lecture, although it was also possible that she was just wondering about the dinner menu.


    "How about we just eat out tonight?" Harriet suggested, taking advantage of the fact that we had the entire weekend free now that sses had ended.


    Ellen and Riana nodded in agreement.


    "I have somewhere to go," I replied.


    I had something I needed to check out, so I couldn''t join them for dinner. Harriet gave me a mischievous look.


    "Oh? I wasn''t even nning on inviting you in the first ce."


    "Yeah, okay, whatever. See you."


    "Oh... huh? Yeah, okay."


    Harriet seemed a bit taken aback by the fact that I was leaving without making my usual snarkyeback.


    ***


    I went to the Royal ss dormitory library. Unlike the dorm rooms that were spread out on the ground floor, the library was located straight ahead in one of the annex buildings, which also included banquet halls and other facilities.


    At a nce, the library''s collection seemed extensive, though I couldn''t determine exactly how many books it held.


    Harriet or Adelia probably borrowed a lot of books from here for their magical studies, but this was my first time visiting.


    Tall bookshelves lined the walls, each equipped withdders to reach the higher shelves. The ce almost looked like a building made out of books. It seemed excessive to have such a gigantic library for only about a hundred and twenty students.


    The more I experienced the perks of the Royal ss, the more I felt they might be a bit too extravagant.


    I saw a few students reading in the study area, but there were less than three of them, and none of the faces were familiar.


    As I wandered around aimlessly, someone who appeared to be the librarian approached me. "What book are you looking for?"


    "I''m looking for books about the Holy Relics of the Five Great Gods."


    "Ah, I see. Wait here a moment."


    Given the vastness of the collection, it seemed that students did not go around locating books themselves, but had the librarian retrieve them instead. The librarian disappeared for a while and soon returned with about five books, setting them down in front of me.


    "I''ll take care of putting them back, so just leave them here when you''re done. If you want to borrow them, fill out a loan card. The loan period is one week."


    "Yes, thank you."


    I didn''t intend to borrow them, so I sat down at a table in the reading room and opened the books. The books weren''t particrly thick.


    I opened the book titled "The History of the Five Holy Relics".


    <i>[The god of war, Alse - Arsbirnger]</i>


    <i>[The god of the sun, Shm - Lapelt]</i>


    <i>[The god of the moon, Mensis - Lament]</i>


    <i>[The god of courage, Riter - Alixion]</i>


    <i>[The god of purity, Ouen - Tiamata]</i>


    The table of contents listed the names of the five relics. Since I wasn''t interested in the other relics, I immediately turned to the section about Tiamata.


    <i>[The Sword of Purity, Holy Sword Tiamata]</i>


    <i>The god of purity, Ouen, is a deity who fervently rejects all unclean beings and desires their purification and eradication. Consequently, the Holy Sword Tiamata, imbued with the power of the goddess, is known to possess extraordinarily powerful abilities when ites to eradicating unclean beings, a power unmatched by the other four relics.</i>


    <i>Whenever Tiamata has appeared, it has been in times when thend has been gued by scourges of undead, vampires, and other beings opposing the will of purity. In such times, Tiamata has always been wielded by a champion enacting Ouen¡¯s will, purifying the world.</i>


    <i>No unclean being can withstand the power of Tiamata, and it has the strongest exorcizing power among the Holy Relics. </i>


    <i>The first appearance of the Holy Sword Tiamata was...</i>


    .


    .


    .


    .


    The subsequent pages enumerated the various champions who had wielded the Holy Sword Tiamata throughout history. It detailed what they aplished with Tiamata and which evil beings they had vanquished. While not immediately pertinent to my needs, the descriptions provided insight into the capabilities of the Holy Sword Tiamata.


    When confronting the undead, it was the ultimate weapon. I wasn''t certain I needed such a weapon specifically, but it was undeniably impressive. Having such a powerful weapon couldn''t hurt.


    I read on further and reached thest section.


    Ouen¡¯s Final Champion was someone named Laigorn. Laigorn¡¯s numerous exploits, after obtaining the Holy Sword Tiamata, were extensively documented. He was renowned not just for hunting powerful undead. His primary targets were the heretics of the demonic faith. He had crushed numerous demonic cults that were corrupting the empire.


    After the book listed out numerous feats, the final record appeared. It was a document from about the 30th year on the Imperial Calendar. It was now the 332nd year on the Imperial Calendar, which meant that the events urred 300 years ago.


    <i>Around the 30th year on the Imperial Calendar, an unidentified group managed to steal Tiamata, killing Ouen''s champion, Laigorn, in the process. The group was suspected to have fled to the Dark Land with Tiamata. Arge number of Ouen¡¯s holy knights were dispatched to the Dark Land in pursuit, but none ever returned.</i>


    <i>Subsequently, Ouen¡¯s priests and holy knights continued to scour the Dark Land in an effort to recover Tiamata, but their efforts were in vain. The number of those sacrificed to the monsters of the Dark Land increased steadily. Ultimately, the Church of Ouen failed to retrieve Tiamata, and so we reach the present day.</i>


    <i>The identity of the group that killed Laigorn and their exact reasons for stealing Tiamata remain unknown. However, it is widely believed that, since Laigorn was actively exterminating heretics who followed the demonic faith¡ªand posed the greatest threat to their expansion¡ªthe heretics had plotted and carried out his murder and then hid Tiamata to prevent another champion of Ouen from emerging.</i>


    Three hundred years ago, the demonic faith had run rampant across thend. Laigorn, the champion of Ouen, had undertaken numerous missions to eradicate these heretics rather than fight the undead.


    In the end, however, he was murdered by the heretics, who then fled to the Dark Land. Although there was no concrete evidence to prove it, the circumstances strongly validated this theory.


    The Holy Sword Tiamata had disappeared into the Dark Land and, three centuriester, had re-emerged as an ursed, unidentified sword found in the samend.


    The heretical followers of the demonic faith who had worshiped Kier, the god of corruption, would have naturally harbored the greatest hatred for Ouen and Ouen''s devotees¡ªtheir opposing deity and their followers. Their hatred for Ouen''s champion, Laigorn, would have been intense beyond words.


    This created a bizarre scenario in which the worshippers of what was basically the same divine being despised each other the most.


    In any case, the followers of Kier had killed Laigorn and fled to the Dark Land with the Holy Sword Tiamata. True to their service to the god of corruption, they had likely attempted to corrupt Tiamata, resulting in that cursed sword.


    Why this sword had eventually ended up in a tomb somewhere within the Dark Land remained unknown.


    Several theories were possible. It could be that Ouen¡¯s holy knights had eventually found the heretics who had stolen Tiamata and after a fierce battle, seeded in exterminating the heretics. Unable to recognize the now-corrupted Tiamata, they might have deemed it an evil artifact and sealed it in a tomb alongside with the heretics'' belongings.


    Alternatively, it was also possible that the heretics themselves couldn''t handle the corrupted sword they had created and decided to seal it away themselves. Given that this sword could dominate its wielder''s mind, either scenario was usible: the holy knights of Ouen might have sealed it away, or the heretics might have done so themselves.


    Of course, the truth of the past was irrelevant to me.


    ¡°...¡±


    What mattered was that the Holy Sword Tiamata, an object of purity, was now manifesting the power of Kier, the god of corruption. This suggested that the concept of "divinity" might inherentlyck any intrinsic character of good or evil.


    If one followed the doctrine of Ouen, the god of purity, and believed in Ouen, they would wield divine power rted to purity. Conversely, by following the doctrine of Kier and channeling divine power from the same entity, they''d wield divine power rted to corruption.


    Faith in the same entity was crucial, yet the nature of that faith yieldedpletely different powers. It wasn''t that demon gods didn''t exist; rather, it seemed that the supreme deity itself might be neither good nor evil, granting power based on the believer¡¯s faith.


    Ouen or Kier, it didn¡¯t matter. The deity simply acted as a conduit for divine power. If someone believed in the deity as a god of purity, they¡¯d borrow the power of purity. If they believed in the deity as a god of corruption, they¡¯d borrow the power of corruption. Thus, the deity could be both a demon god and a god of purity¡ªit was the believers, not the deity, who determined how the divine power manifested itself.


    The corruption of Tiamata demonstrated the existence of demonic power within the concept of divinity.


    In conclusion, Tiamata had been corrupted. The heretics had tainted the item of their most hated deity, but both deities were essentially the same being. The object of one belief lent power to those who held the opposing belief, which reversed the direction of that power.


    Thus, the Holy Sword Tiamata became a cursed de. Did the heretics, after corrupting Tiamata, realize that Kier and Ouen were actually the same entity? Just as followers of the holy deity couldn''t ept such a concept, the heretics likely couldn''t admit it either.


    If corruption was possible, then purification should be possible too, since the heretics had first corrupted Tiamata.


    Therefore, if priests who believed in Ouen purified the cursed sword, it should revert to Tiamata. However, the Temple had taken various measures so far. Mages and priests must have tried to identify, understand, or remove the curse on the sword through various means.


    So why hadn''t the sword returned to its original state?


    Perhaps the methods used by the priests were insufficient, since the heretics had intentionally sought to corrupt the Holy Sword Tiamata, while the priests of Ouen believed it was a curse and were merely trying to identify it and cleanse it.


    That was the wrong approach. This sword wasn''t cursed in the traditional sense¡ªits power had been twisted. There wasn''t any curse on it at all from the start.


    Instead of trying to restore it, they were in essence pressing the delete button repeatedly. If they understood that the cursed sword was indeed the Holy Sword, the priests could perform the necessary rites to restore Tiamata.


    Before that, though, could the priests of the Ouen church ept that the Holy Sword Tiamata had been corrupted?


    Could they cope with the fact that what had emanated from this sword wasn''t the power of the demonic god Kier, but rather the twisted power of Ouen? They would have to ept the possibility that a Holy Relic could be corrupted¡ªthat a relic of Ouen, god of purity, had been corrupted and taken on its opposite nature.


    The priests would never acknowledge that this relic was Tiamata. Even suggesting that the cursed sword was Tiamata could lead to me being handed over to the inquisitors.


    Knowing the truth that the cursed sword was Tiamata had allowed me to gather clues here and there. However, the priests wouldn¡¯t believe me, and even if they did, epting that a Holy Relic could be transformed into a demonic one would shake their beliefs to the core.


    Even if I had a solution, the need to convince the priests first remained a tremendous challenge. Convincing them would require their thinking to undergo a transformative shift¡ªon the scale of a religious reformation.


    Moreover, did I even have any authority to challenge the current consensus that the item was a Demon God Relic? This situation was far beyond a simple student¡¯s capability to handle. Even though I had retrieved the item, my words would now hold no weight.


    The discovery of the first Demon God Relic would draw the attention of the imperial family and the followers of the Five Great Gods.


    And then I''de around and say, "I know what this really is: it''s not a Demon God Relic but the Holy Sword Tiamata. By the way, I¡¯m seventeen years old.¡±


    It would be surprising if I didn''t lose my head for that statement. This was a monumental event that would go down in history. No adults would believe my im, no matter if I was the original discoverer of the artifact or not.


    <i>¡®Damn it. What¡¯s the point of figuring out a solution if Tiamata is already beyond my reach? Should I try to leverage the power of Charlotte and Vertus? Then again, being overly obsessed over this supposed Demon God Relic also wouldn''t look good.¡¯</i>


    One thing was clear: without the aid of external forces, I did not hold enough power to personally exert any influence over the fate of Tiamata.


    Ultimately, I left the library and trudged back to my private room.


    "...?"


    When I entered, I saw something unusual.


    "What the...?" I mumbled to myself, unable toprehend whaty in front of me.


    <i>¡®Why is this here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    A longsword without a crossguard, its de slightly darkened.


    "What the hell is this?"


    The cursed sword was lying on my bed.


    <i>¡®How did an object that absolutely shouldn''t be near me end up in my room?¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure what this implied, but one conclusion was clear.


    "... I''m screwed, aren¡¯t I?"


    I was screwed.


    I was utterly andpletely screwed.


    For some unknown reason, it now seemed as if I had stolen the artifact that had been identified as a Demon God Relic. It was the perfect setup for a misunderstanding revolving entirely around me.

 Chapter 190

    <h4>Chapter 190</h4>


    Telling the teachers that a cursed sword had suddenly appeared in front of me wasn¡¯t going to do any good.


    All this while, I¡¯d been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get my hands on Tiamata, but to them, this wasn¡¯t Tiamata. It was clearly being mistaken for a Demon God Relic, and just having it in my possession would lead to the total annihtion of my family.


    If I got caught with this thing, I¡¯d lose my head. There was no room for excuses.


    If I told them that it just appeared out of nowhere, that would only make things worse.


    The Temple might not be in a visible state of chaos right now, but I knew for certain that it was. After all, the Demon God Relic had suddenly vanished.


    Who could it be? Who would do something like this to mess with me?


    If anyone caught me red-handed, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to offer an exnation. It wouldn¡¯t matter if they found out I was the Demon King¡¯s son; they¡¯d kill me for being possessed by the Demon God Relic.


    I immediately grabbed a training sword case from the training ground and put the cursed sword inside it. Carrying a sword wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary, so it wouldn¡¯t raise any suspicions.


    Feigning nonchnce, I headed out of the dormitory and towards the main Temple grounds as night fell. Then, I threw the sword away in a secluded spot where it wouldn¡¯t easily catch anyone¡¯s eye and returned to my room.


    The Temple would be plunged into a frenzy as the teachers and authorities tried to find it; someone would eventually discover it since it was a dangerous object, and it was likely that everyone would be warned not to touch it.


    And then...


    ¡°...¡±


    I soon realized that no one had ced that cursed sword in my possession to mess with me.


    ¡°What... the...?¡±


    The cursed swordy on my bed in the exact same position as before.


    No one had put it there. It was impossible, given the circumstances.


    I threw the cursed sword outside several times. But every time, again and again, the sword would reappear on my bed in the same manner.


    No one could have put it there, hence, the sword hade back on its own.


    There was no other exnation besides that.


    Wasn¡¯t this like one of those stories? Like the cursed doll that always returned home no matter how many times the protagonist threw it away?


    This time, though, it was happening with a demonic sword.


    I finally understood the message that had been disyed regarding the reward when the event had been triggered.


    The reward had already been given.


    It wasn¡¯t about revealing Tiamata¡¯s true nature or anything like that.


    I had already be the master of the corrupted Tiamata, and Tiamata would keep returning to me.


    The goal of the event wasn¡¯t for me to purify Tiamata and im it.


    The event centered around the Holy Sword Tiamata and how it was misunderstood as a Demon God Relic.


    The cursed sword that kepting back to me, no matter how many times I discarded it, had already epted me as its master.


    The ritual from the day before must have had some influence on it. Perhaps the waning power of the sword had been reawakened.


    Were things in such an ambiguous state because the ritual hadn¡¯t been fully performed?


    No matter how many times I threw it away, the sword would find its way back to me. If it became known that I had be the master of a Demon God Relic, I would not be left alive.


    If anyone saw me with it, they would know me as someone who had been soul-bound to the Demon God Relic. Even if I said it kepting back on its own and that I had nothing to do with it, no one would believe me. iming it was actually the Holy Sword Tiamata wouldn¡¯t convince anyone either.


    I was trapped, no matter which way I turned.


    The objective of this event was to somehow deal with this situation.


    ***


    This was no time to go to the library and read books.


    The moment I grabbed that sword in the Dark Land, I had somehow be its master. However, until this moment, the sword hadn¡¯t constantly made its way back to me.


    Thanks to the ritual the day before, something had changed within Tiamata, and the sword that had been quiet so far now kept returning to its master¡ªme.


    Who would have thought I¡¯d live to see a day when a sword had an obsession with me? Was it possible that the sword itself had some kind of will? Was it testing how long I would keep discarding it?


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s see how long this goes on.¡¯</i>


    If this really was Tiamata, I¡¯d be recognized as Ouen¡¯s champion. At that moment, though, I was the only one who knew the truth. All the chaos that would ensue was because the sword was presumed to be a Demon God Relic.


    The disappearance of what was believed to be the Demon God Relic had to have thrown the Temple into an uproar. It was certain that Ellen and I, the ones who first found it, would soon be summoned.


    I didn¡¯t know whether the authorities would suspect us or not. I was stuck, unsure of what to do, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.


    <i>Knock Knock.</i>


    ¡°Reinhart,e out.¡±


    It was Ellen¡¯s voice. Her tone sounded uneasy.


    I quickly hid the cursed sword, not on the bed, but underneath my clothes in the drawer of my wardrobe. There was no way Ellen could see this. She¡¯d keep the secret, but nothing good woulde of her seeing this mess.


    <i>nk.</i>


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s expression was grave.


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser wants to see us.¡±


    The Temple had already started investigating the disappearance of Tiamata.


    Cold sweat trickled down my spine.


    ***


    Mr. Effenhauser was waiting for us outside the Royal ss dormitory. His normally stoic expression was even more serious than usual.


    ¡°The Demon God Relic has vanished.¡±


    ¡°N-No way...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the mention of the missing relic, and I felt my legs go weak.


    For reasons I couldn¡¯t exin, I couldn¡¯t confess that the relic was currently in my room. Telling them that the relic kept returning to me no matter how many times I discarded it wouldn¡¯t do any good.


    The master of Tiamata was recognized as Ouen¡¯s champion. If the relic of the god of corruption, Kier, kept finding its way to me, it meant that this relic had chosen me as its master. It wouldn¡¯t take much for people to start to think of me as Kier¡¯s apostle or champion.


    If I were lucky, they might just cut off my head; otherwise, I¡¯d be subjected to horrendous suffering before death.


    I had to keep this a secret at all costs.


    Ellen looked stunned, and I was just as bewildered, but for different reasons.


    ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°No, sir, I don¡¯t either...¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. Considering B-8 conducted the ritual, it¡¯s reasonable to assume you wouldn¡¯t know why this happened...¡±


    The ritual had been abruptly interrupted, and then the relic had disappeared. Mr. Effenhauser seemed to think the answery with Dettomorian and not us. Dettomorian was from ss B, and their supervising teacher, Ms. Mustang, would likely handle that.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a dangerous development?¡± Ellen asked Mr. Effenhauser, her expression tense.


    ¡°Yes. This situation cannot be considered under control at all.¡±


    This situation could hardly be said to be under control, not even as a joke. An object presumed to be a Demon God Relic had suddenly vanished from the heart of the Temple.


    ¡°Is it possible to track the relic¡¯s energy to find it?¡± Ellen asked, concern evident in her voice.


    Mr. Effenhauser shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert in such matters, but it seems that it has literally vanished. It¡¯s been said that the relic¡¯s energy haspletely disappeared... While it would be great if it has vanished for good, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡±


    That was some good news, at least. The wicked energy that had emanated from the cursed Tiamata hadpletely vanished, which meant that the mages and priests were having trouble tracking it.


    If it were otherwise, they would have stormed into my room by now. Since that hadn¡¯t happened, I knew I wasn¡¯t being tracked, at least for the time being.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good for other students to know about this, so keep this matter under wraps. We¡¯ll handle it ourselves. And do not, under any circumstances, try to find it yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    If rumors spread that a Demon God Relic had appeared and then suddenly vanished, chaos on the scale unleashed by the previous terrorist incident in the imperial capital would ensue. For now, it was clear that Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t suspect either me or Ellen.


    After Mr. Effenhauser left, I hesitated for a moment.


    Should I tell Ellen the truth? That the cursed sword seemed to have chosen me as its master and kept making its way back to my room no matter how many times I discarded it?


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen was staring at me.


    Seeing the look in her eyes made me abandon any thoughts ofing clean.


    <i>¡®See, I told you bringing that was a bad omen,¡¯</i> her eyes said.


    Ellen had consistently resisted me bringing this sword back with us. She had wanted to leave it in the Dark Land, or let the suspicious wizard, Rellia, handle it.


    It had indeed been my greed that led to this situation. Even if I told her it was actually the Holy Sword Tiamata, she wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    If I confessed, ¡°It¡¯s in my room and keepsing back no matter how many times I throw it away,¡± she¡¯d probably beat the crap out of me. She¡¯d go, ¡°I told you so!¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t actually kill me, but I¡¯d definitely be left half-dead.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I¡¯m so scared...¡¯</i>


    Getting beaten up by Ellen was scarier than being put on trial.


    Was this what a husband felt like just as he was about to get caught buying a gamingputer behind his wife¡¯s back?


    No, this felt more like secretly buying a supercar and getting caught. It wasn¡¯t just a p on the wrist kind of thing; it was a ¡°beat you senseless and divorce you¡± sort of offense.


    Of course, the two of us weren¡¯t in that kind of rtionship, though...


    But if I came clean, I¡¯d go beyond getting scolded and truly get beaten to a pulp.


    Ellen¡¯s murderous re made me feel like she might devour me on the spot. My lips trembled as I stood there, unable to speak.


    ¡°S-Sorry...¡± I mumbled in a voice that sounded as small as I felt.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably better that it disappeared. If you had insisted on using that thing, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, if I insisted on using it, what were you going to do?¡±


    Ellen red so fiercely that I felt my life-force drain out of me. ¡°Do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°N-No! Absolutely not!¡±


    <i>¡®I-I¡¯m so sorry, that thing is in my wardrobe! I wanted to throw it away, but it wouldn¡¯t let me!¡¯</i>


    I felt like crying for real.


    ***


    Bedtime came, and I sat on my bed in the darkened room. In front of me, like a haunted doll that kept returning, was the cursed Tiamata.


    I had somehow be the master of this cursed Tiamata. No matter how much I wanted to discard it, it wasn¡¯t happening.


    I didn¡¯t know the mechanism which caused the sword to return to my room instead of my hand, but the cursed Tiamata seemed to have recognized me as its master the moment I¡¯d touched it. When I¡¯d grasped this sword back in the Dark Land, the zombies that had been animated by its power had all copsed, turned back into lifeless corpses.


    From the moment I grasped it, I had already be Tiamata¡¯s master. Only someone who could withstand the sword¡¯s curse could be the master of the cursed Tiamata, it seemed.


    All this time, though, throughout all the investigations conducted by the Temple, the sword had never returned to me. The ritual conducted by Dettomorian must have impacted it somehow. That ritual must have somehow drawn out the sword¡¯s power or done something to influence it. As a result, the sword now continually recognized me as its master and returned to me.


    I stared at the cursed Tiamata in my hand.


    Then a thought struck me.


    <i>¡®Do I really need to purify this sword to use it?¡¯</i>


    This idea unexpectedly popped into my head.


    Since I¡¯d be its master, the sword hadn¡¯t emitted any malicious energy around me. Aside from the ritual, where Dettomorian had forcibly drawn out its power, it hadn¡¯t disyed any other evil influence.


    As long as I didn¡¯t wield it with malicious intent, the cursed Tiamata couldn¡¯t exert its malevolent influence. In other words, though cursed, it wasn¡¯t having a particrly negative effect on me or my surroundings. Moreover, since I had be its rightful master, the sword couldn¡¯t be used for impure purposes without my will.


    If I wanted to purify Tiamata, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it myself; someone else would have to undertake that task.


    If it was revealed that I was the master of this Demon God Relic, I¡¯d lose my head. But if it was discovered that I was the master of Ouen¡¯s Holy Sword, I¡¯d receive a lot of unnecessary attention¡ªcontinent-wide attention.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t going out of her way to hide that she was the sister of Ragan Artorius and the master of the divine sword Lament for no reason. Even if I wasn¡¯t the Demon King¡¯s son, I would prefer to avoid such a troublesome life. Given that I had my own secrets to keep, it was best not to have to deal with all the attention.


    So, this situation wasn¡¯t necessarily bad for me.


    I¡¯d figured out that the cursed sword was actually a Relic, and it had fallen into my hands. As long as I was its master, it wouldn¡¯t cause any special harm.


    Sure, there would be a lot ofmotion surrounding the disappearance of this supposed Demon God Relic, but was I willing to step forward, purify the cursed Tiamata, announce that it was actually the Holy Sword Tiamata, and dere myself its master, just to quell thismotion?


    Did I really need to?


    Laying low seemed to be the best option in this situation.


    However, even if I decided to use the sword as it was, there was an important premise to consider.


    Despite its current form, this was still the Holy Sword Tiamata. Given that Ellen¡¯s Lament and Alsbringer could both form soul bonds, this sword likely had the same capability.


    Perhaps the sword had already be soul-bound to me?


    Ellen could summon and dismiss Lament at will. Normally, it was kept in a sword case in her room, but she could summon it or dismiss it whenever needed.


    I raised my hand into the air, trying to summon Tiamata.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Of course, nothing happened.


    The sword remained on the bed,pletely stationary.


    I tried every way I could to make the cursed Tiamatae to my hand, but it didn¡¯t budge an inch. I couldn¡¯t tell whether the sword was soul-bound to me or not, but it clearly didn¡¯t respond to my will.


    There didn¡¯t seem to be any special method needed to summon a soul-bound sword.


    In any case, it was clear that the bonding was only half-done. The cursed Tiamata was an iplete artifact, and I was its iplete master.


    Keeping it hidden in my room was at best a temporary solution. The servants in the Royal ss dormitory came in to clean the rooms. I couldn¡¯t keep telling them not to enter under the pretense that I¡¯d handle the cleaning myself, since that would raise suspicions.


    For now, I could hide the sword in a ce where the servants wouldn¡¯t touch, but if they suddenly decided to do a thorough cleaning, I¡¯d be out of luck.


    Even if I left the sword as it was, it wouldn¡¯t harm anyone as long as I, its master, didn¡¯t wield it.


    But for that to work, I¡¯d need toplete the soul bond with the sword, which would enable me to summon and dismiss it at will.


    If that wasn¡¯t possible, then keeping the cursed Tiamata in my room was insanity.


    <i>¡®I need to think of something...¡¯</i>


    I had to do something about this¡ªone way or another.

 Chapter 191

    <h4>Chapter 191</h4>


    The Demon God Relic had been lost, and though there was probably an uproar among the teaching staff, the students remained oblivious.


    Regardless, the guilt nagged at me as the Temple staff diligently searched for something they would never find.


    But what could I do?


    I couldn¡¯t exactly confess that it was in my possession just because I felt bad. That would be the equivalent of putting my neck on the line.


    ***


    Saturday came, and I skipped my usual early morning exercise.


    Leaving my room while an unpredictable bomby inside wasn¡¯t something to be done nonchntly. Adriana might have been waiting for me, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go out.


    Just staying in the room made my heart pound, and I couldn¡¯t sleep properly.


    <i>¡®What if someone sees it? What if the Temple teachers find out about this? Can I somehow escape the Temple using the Ring of Sarkegar?¡¯</i>


    The thoughts came, unbidden, and constantly thinking about what would happen if things turned for the worse was terrifying.


    A Royal ss student brought some cursed, mysterious object to the Temple, and upon inspection, it was suspected to be a relic of Kier, the god of corruption...


    Then it suddenly disappeared, only to be discovered to be in the possession of the very Royal ss student who had brought it back.


    Upon investigating the student, it was discovered that he was the sole surviving descendant of the Demon King. Even with a billion achievement points, it was clear I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if that was revealed.


    Moreover, the sheer number of coincidences that led to this situation was infuriating. I just happened to find a cursed sword in the Dark Land, which just turned out to be a Holy Relic, that was mistakenly identified as a Demon God Relic. And it just so happened to keep finding its way back to my room.


    The situation felt absurdly contrived. If this situation wasn¡¯t artificially designed to screw me over, then it made no sense at all. It felt as if the entire world hated me.


    Of course, if I had just gone ¡°Oh, this looks ominous,¡± and ditched it back in the Dark Land, none of this would have happened in the first ce. Even if it had all been orchestrated this way, it didn¡¯t change the fact that my own decisions had led me to this mess. There were many moments when I could have abandoned the cursed sword, but my greed made me hang on to it until I was finally brought to this point.


    Anyway, although I hadn¡¯t slept properly and did not show up to the morning exercises, Iy in bed trying to sort out the situation.


    <i>¡®The cursed Tiamata.¡¯</i>


    The Temple had tried to understand the curse on the sword in order to dispel it. I didn¡¯t know the intricate mechanics of Divine Power. Perhaps if they approached it from the angle of attempting to restore its original form, viewing it as a relic rather than a cursed object, they might get different results.


    That was just a thought.


    I wasn¡¯t a priest or a mage, so even if their approach had been wrong, I couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly in what way they were wrong. The important thing out of all this was that I could no longer entrust this to the Temple¡¯s priests, since admitting that the cursed sword had found its way back into my possession would be suicidal.


    I would be mistaken for an apostle of the demon god, and whether or not it was my intention, the religious factions would try to hunt me down. If I said, ¡°I¡¯m not the demon god¡¯s apostle,¡± they¡¯d retort with, ¡°Sure you are,¡± and then execute me. Who in their right mind would trust the bearer of such an object? Certainly not me, if I were in their shoes.


    With this supposed lost relic of a demon god in my possession, and without the Temple¡¯s support, there were only three people I could turn to for help.


    One was Ellen. Ellen would undoubtedly believe mepletely and offer tangible help. Of course, I¡¯d have to brace myself for a severe beating. However, I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of assistance Ellen could provide.


    Next was Dettomorian, who had conducted the ritual.


    I could ask Dettomorian what the ritual we¡¯d attempted that night was truly about, and if it was possible to carry out the remaining part of it. Though I didn¡¯t know the specifics of the ritual, it had clearly awakened the power of the cursed Tiamata and brought about some change. That¡¯s why Tiamata, which had been dormant, now kepting back to me.


    If Ipleted the ritual, the soul-binding might be finalized, allowing me to control the sword with my will. Since the cursed Tiamata didn¡¯t exert a malevolent influence on its own, I could stash it away somewhere secret and only summon it when needed.


    There was a third option, and the main reason why I hadn¡¯t been dominated by the cursed sword.


    I could approach the originator of the Divine Spirit trait, Olivia Lanche.


    Olivia Lanche, who had such powerful Divine Power that she was called the Saintess of Eredian. However, she had abandoned her faith. Despite losing her attachment to her faith, she still retained immense Divine Power.


    I had saved her life, so it was quite likely that she would help me.


    If I exined that this sword wasn¡¯t actually a relic of a Demon God, but that I suspected it to be the Holy Sword Tiamata, she might be able to conduct a purification or restoration ritual.


    Perhaps she might even be willing to take ownership of the sword from me.


    Setting aside whether it was possible to transfer ownership of this sword, there was no one I could truly give it to even if it were possible.


    The sword had the power to dominate the mind of whoever held it. The only ones who were definitely immune to this curse were those with Divine Spirit, like Olivia Lanche and myself.


    Since I had be the sword¡¯s master when I gripped it, instead of falling to its curse, it was likely that Olivia Lanche would not be affected either if she held the sword.


    The possibility of a transfer of ownership aside, the only person who could possibly take ownership of the sword right now was Olivia Lanche.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if she would ept my request.


    ***


    It was the weekend, and I couldn¡¯t stay holed up in my room all day, so I kept the cursed Tiamata in a drawer and secured it with a padlock. Even if someone came to clean, they wouldn¡¯t check inside.


    However, I felt antsy even while eating breakfast.


    It felt like I had adult videos ying on myputer while I was out of the house.


    Though no one would enter my room, I worried endlessly¡ªwhat if someone did? What if they saw it? My mind was filled with those thoughts.


    However, the crucial difference was that, if discovered, it wouldn¡¯t just end with embarrassment, but my head getting chopped off.


    The feeling was just too simr... I was ridiculously on edge.


    Fortunately, my anxiety didn¡¯t show on my face, and no one noticed anything unusual during the meal.


    After breakfast, I first went to look for Dettomorian from ss B.


    However, he wasn¡¯t in his room.


    When I asked Charlotte, whom I encountered at the ss B dormitory, if she had seen Dettomorian, she tilted her head slightly before responding.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Detto, Ms. Mustang called him over yesterday, and he hasn¡¯te back yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... you must be worried too.¡±


    Charlotte sighed briefly and patted my shoulder, seemingly aware of the situation. She probably thought that I was restless and trying to do something about the urgent matter of trying to find this missing Demon God Relic.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Reinhart. The teachers will take care of everything. Don¡¯t worry too much and try to rest. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    <i>¡®Ugh.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte¡¯s unconditional trust in me pierced my heart.


    The appearance of an item suspected to be a Demon God Relic had surely stirred up the imperial family. The fact that it had suddenly disappeared would have caused even more of an uproar.


    I didn¡¯t know the internal workings of the imperial family, but the atmosphere there must have gotten intense as well.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I had brought back something so significant that it was causing chaos everywhere.


    It was like an eel slipping through one¡¯s fingers.


    Of course, if the sword had been revealed to be the Holy Sword Tiamata, the atmosphere would turn celebratory in an instant. However, recognizing that Tiamata was cursed would be a different story.


    This could spark an historical debate in this world.


    <i>¡®Is the cursed Tiamata, spewing corruptive power, truly Ouen¡¯s will? Can a cursed Tiamata be considered Tiamata?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®If a relic of the god of purity was corrupted and then restored, could it still represent the power of purity?¡¯</i>


    Both sides would continue to battle fiercely, and might even shed blood over which side had the truth of it.


    It might not be a dispute over the item itself, but a conceptual dispute. The mere fact that relics were not absolute would create turmoil within the religiousmunity.


    Anyway, I had intended to find out from Dettomorian what the ritual was about, but it seemed he was being held up by the teachers.


    I hoped he wasn¡¯t being maltreated since, in the current situation, the biggest suspect wasn¡¯t me but Dettomorian. After all, it was after his ritual that Tiamata disappeared.


    The ritual did not look sacred, to say the least; in fact, it had appeared almost sphemous.


    However, Dettomorian hadn¡¯t conducted the ritual of his own volition; the order to perform it hade from the Temple higher-ups.


    Since my first point of contact, Dettomorian, wasn¡¯t avable, I headed to the fifth-year dormitory and asked for Olivia Lanche.


    ¡°Reinhart! Long time no see. Nice to see you!¡±


    As soon as Olivia Lanche saw me, her face lit up and she dashed over, grabbing and hugging me tightly without any warning.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°How mean of you! Didn¡¯t you miss me? Huh? Don¡¯t you think you took way too long toe see me? Hmm?¡±


    ¡°L-Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Nooo!¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it. I had a feeling this might happen!¡¯</i>


    ***


    Olivia Lanche...


    Once a devout follower of Ouen, the god of purity, everyone had expected her to be the next leader of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    However, after discovering the corruption within the Order of the Holy Knights, she had made it clear that she was going to abandon her faith. If things had followed their original course, she would either have faded into obscurity or met a tragic end.


    However, Adriana and I managed to rescue Olivia Lanche from the clutches of the former leader of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche.


    Since then, Olivia Lanche hadpletely renounced her faith. Her disillusionment went beyond the corrupt religious order and led to her doubting the very concept of gods.


    After that incident, whenever she saw me, she¡¯d go around spouting nonsense like, ¡°Reinhart is going to marry me, so nobody else better touch him.¡±


    Because of that, I received countless res and ended up with the reputation of being someone who only chased after girls.


    In truth, thatbel wasn¡¯t entirely inurate, so I had no real defense.


    Anyway, when it came to Olivia Lanche and how close we were, we weren¡¯t exactly friends.


    She found me endearing in her own aggressive way, which was the problem.


    ¡°I was so sad... I had nowhere to go and stayed here all vacation, but you never once came to see me. I thought you¡¯d at least tell me what happened in the Dark Land...¡±


    ¡°Why would I tell you about that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to share everything with each other, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°What?! Why are you like this, seriously?¡±


    Despite my distress, I found myself unable to firmly push her away, which made me feel unbearably pathetic. Being around her made it feel like my mental state was deteriorating in real time.


    Anyway, we exited the Royal ss dormitory and talked about various things. She clung to my arm andughed cheerfully while I couldn¡¯t even look her in the eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some things. They say you resolved a monumental incident, got a ton of money, and your adventurer rank skyrocketed.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hardly anyone hasn¡¯t heard about it. They say you and someone named Ellen went to the Dark Land and took care of something tremendous! Rumors are flying all over the ce.¡±


    Just the fact that two first-year students had gone to the Dark Land was a big deal, but it was also clear that we had resolved some significant incidents. It seemed that word about that had already spread around.


    ¡°So I was really looking forward to youing and telling me all about it...¡±


    Olivia Lanche pouted, clearly showing her disappointment.


    Seriously, if she was so curious, she could¡¯vee and asked, instead of waiting for me to visit.


    ¡°Senior,¡± I said to Olivia.


    ¡°Hmph. What?¡±


    She pretended to be upset, but it was obvious she wasn¡¯t, and that it was all an act.


    ¡°I need to talk to you about that issue, which is why I asked to see you.¡±


    ¡°That issue...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But first, I need to ask you something...¡±


    I looked Olivia Lanche straight in the eyes. ¡°No matter what happens, can you keep what I¡¯m about to tell you a secret?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    With a slight tilt of her head and a beaming smile, Olivia assured me that she could, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    However, given her lighthearted, carefree attitude, it was hard to take anything she said seriously. It was impossible to tell where the jokes ended and genuine sentiment began. She came off as someone who just giggled and yed around, no matter what she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking,¡± I said.


    Olivia Lanche¡¯s expression stiffened at the seriousness of my tone.


    Realizing my earnestness, theughter vanished from her eyes, reced by a firm resolve. ¡°You need help, don¡¯t you?¡±


    She released her grip on my arm and looked at me with a determined expression.


    ¡°... Yes. I need help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll believe this, but...¡± Olivia Lanche¡¯s smile softened. It was different from the yful one she usually wore. ¡°I¡¯m on your side.¡±


    It was a slightly sad smile, reminiscent of the one she had when she bore the mantle of the Saintess of Eredian.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± she said, as if implying she could handle whatever I had to share. ¡°And I¡¯ll trust you too.¡±


    Olivia Lanche was perfectly calm as she said those words.

 Chapter 192

    <h4>Chapter 192</h4>


    They say human nature never changes.


    Olivia Lanche¡ªdespite seeming like a light-hearted and mischievous senior on the outside, her core nature hadn¡¯t changed. She still felt some kind of duty to help others, and if it was the one who had saved her life, then it was only natural for her to do so.


    I had pleaded earnestly for her help, and I could tell just by looking into her eyes that she would do everything in her power to help me. Someone who mighte across as frivolous, but could always be serious when needed¡ªthat was Olivia Lanche.


    Most students probably wouldn¡¯t have known, but the Temple was in a state of turmoil. I wanted to discuss this sensitive issue outside the Temple, but it was impossible to take the cursed Tiamata outside the Temple. Even disguised as a training sword, it would obviously get caught at the exit.


    Now that this Demon God Relic, shaped like a sword, had disappeared, it would look suspicious to walk around with a sword hanging from my waist. Therefore, we went to a secluded park in front of the dormitories instead, where I gave a brief exnation of what had happened.


    I recounted all that had happened in the Dark Land, the cursed sword, and how I had brought it back to the Temple to find out more about it through the ritual performed by Dettomorian. I also exined how it was actually a cursed sword, suspected to be a Demon God Relic, and how it kept inexplicablying back to me.


    I confessed that I might be suspected of being an apostle of the demon god if things continued like this. If Olivia Lanche reported this to the teachers or the church, my life would be effectively over.


    However, I believed Olivia Lanche wouldn¡¯t do that.


    After hearing the entire story, Olivia furrowed her brow.


    ¡°Every single thing is hard to believe...¡±


    Quite some time had passed, since it had been a long story. Olivia was silent for a moment, seemingly going over my story from the start.


    ¡°Yeah... You couldn¡¯t have told anyone. If the Order finds out, they¡¯d try to kill you, whether or not you came into possession of the sword willingly or not. There wouldn¡¯t even be a trial.¡±


    Having served in the Order, she knew how the priests and inquisitors of the Ouen Order operated.


    This was the relic of corruption that stood in antithesis to Ouen, as well as I, who had been chosen as its master.


    ¡°They¡¯ll believe the very fact that you were chosen by that relic means that you are a corrupt being. They¡¯ll use that logic to justify killing you.¡±


    Olivia Lanche, who had once served Ouen, knew exactly how they would react to someone chosen by such an unholy power.


    ¡°But... I don¡¯t know how to help with this...¡±


    Though she was shocked by the mention of a Demon God Relic, Olivia couldn¡¯t figure out how to assist someone chosen by such a relic, no matter how hard she thought about it.


    However, I had already prepared what I was going to say to her.


    ¡°Senior, this is just my spection, but I don¡¯t think this is a Demon God Relic.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Olivia Lanche seemed startled. The whole saga had beenid out before her, all of it implying that this could only be a Demon God Relic. Yet now, she was being told that it might not be.


    ¡°So, what...? You think it¡¯s not a relic but just an evil item?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe there is such a thing as a Demon God Relic in the first ce.¡±


    Her surprise deepened. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in the existence of Demon God Relics?¡±


    ¡°At least that¡¯s what I think.¡±


    To me, the idea of a Demon God Relic didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Then what do you think it is?¡±


    ¡°My guess is that it¡¯s Tiamata, the holy sword of Ouen. I think it¡¯s a corrupted version of it.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Naturally, Olivia rejected my absurd hypothesis. It could have been usible if it were any other relic, but the nature of Tiamata, the holy sword, was theplete opposite of this curse sword.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have conclusive evidence, but once I heard the assumption that the sword was a Demon God Relic, I researched the relics of the Five Great Gods. They¡¯ve consistently appeared over thousands of years. People have used them, and their histories are well-documented.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true. I know that better than you do.¡±


    Olivia Lanche had more extensive knowledge of the relics of the Five Great Godspared to my own cursory understanding, and she had an in-depth understanding of the events and histories surrounding these sacred items.


    The whereabouts of the relics of the Five Great Gods could not be constantly traced throughout history. However, there was plenty recorded in history of individuals aplishing great deeds with those relics throughout the years.


    ¡°Despite all this, a Demon God Relic has never appeared even once in this long history of humanity.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    There were no known tales or even any information regarding the existence of such Demon God Relics.


    Dettomorian¡¯s testimony, the fact that the sword was cursed and immensely powerful, with its ability to resurrect corpses as undead, and the fact that it had been found in the Dark Land¡ªall of these led to the spection that the sword might be a Demon God Relic. Though the Temple¡¯s experts had surmised that it could be a relic of Kier, the god of corruption, even they couldn¡¯t assert that with full certainty.


    Olivia epted the premise that the cursed sword I possessed was indeed a relic. However, I was arguing that it couldn¡¯t be a Demon God Relic precisely because no such relic had ever appeared before.


    ¡°Thest known sighting of Tiamata was about three hundred years ago. It¡¯s said that demon god worshippers who killed Ouen¡¯sst champion stole Tiamata and fled to the Dark Land.¡±


    Olivia nodded at my words.


    ¡°Right. After Ouen¡¯sst champion, Laigorn, was killed by the demon worshippers, they fled to the Dark Land... with Ouen¡¯s holy sword...¡± she said.


    She recounted the history that she knew well, but started slowing down once she realized that I had discovered this sword in the Dark Land.


    ¡°Could it be that the demon worshippers back then cursed Tiamata and turned it into what it is now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°For now, that¡¯s my assumption.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too far-fetched. Believing that a holy sword could be turned into something like that is just too much.¡±


    It was hard to convince Olivia with my words alone. Even if she had abandoned her faith, it didn¡¯t mean that she rejected Ouen entirely.


    The idea that a relic of purity could be corrupted in such a way that it exhibited such contrary powers was too spective. This debate would go nowhere unless I could convince her that the demon god Kier and the great god Ouen were essentially the same being, but that was something I couldn¡¯t exin.


    Denying the existence of a demon god meant knowing the truth about demonic faith, and just the idea that I was aware of that truth put me in a precarious position. It didn¡¯t make sense for me to im I knew the reality of the demonic faith. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t share the truth about the demon god worshippers.


    The idea that the Holy Sword Tiamata, known for destroying the undead, could turn into a cursed de that controlled the undead sounded absurd, even to me. Even Eleris, who knew the reality of the demonic faith, wouldn¡¯t believe it if I told her about this situation.


    Olivia couldn¡¯t ept my im that this ursed relic that had been found in the Dark Land was Ouen¡¯s holy sword, especially since the holy sword had disappeared into the Dark Land.


    ¡°Maybe the reason a Demon God Relic has never been discovered is that they¡¯ve remained hidden in the Dark Land all along? It could have been kept among the demons who worshiped the demon gods,¡± Olivia said.


    Olivia¡¯s conjecture was quite reasonable.


    Just as the Holy Relics of the Five Great Gods existed in the human world, perhaps the relics of the Five Demon Gods existed in the Dark Land, unknown to humans. And by chance, I had discovered one of them.


    However, I had a counterargument to this. ¡°What about the Great War? If such relics existed, a Demon God Relic would have been wielded by one of the demons for sure. Yet, the allied armies killed the Demon King and looted all the treasures from the Demon King¡¯s castle without stumbling across or making any reports of any Demon God Relics. If such relics existed, news would have spread by now.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true. Even if I didn¡¯t participate in the battles, I was deployed in the Great War to provide medical support. I¡¯ve never heard of anything about a Demon God Relic.¡±


    If these Demon God Relics were real, they would surely have been used in the all-epassing war between humans and demons.


    Olivia had actually participated in the Great War, providing medical support for the wounded, so she knew more about the events of that time. There were no stories of demons using powerful Demon God Relics.


    The victorious human army had looted vast treasures and magical items from the Demon King¡¯s castle, but there was never any mention of anyone finding a Demon God Relic. Olivia knew more about this than I did. If powerful Demon God Relics had existed in the Dark Land, they would have been used in the Great War.


    Now, I had imed that such Demon God Relics never existed in the first ce, and Olivia seemed increasingly unsure herself.


    This was a conclusion I had decided upon before beginning my spection: there are no Demon God Relics. Therefore, the cursed sword could not be a Demon God Relic. Consequently, there was only one conclusion¡ªit was a Holy Relic of the Five Great Gods.


    But how could a relic of the Five Great Gods have turned out like this? Tiamata had been carried into the Dark Land by demon god worshippers. After that, the demon worshippers had to have done something to the relic. That was my conjecture of how things came to be.


    ¡°For now, that¡¯s what I think. The sudden appearance of a Demon God Relic is too out of the blue. But if it isn¡¯t a relic, it wouldn¡¯t possess such powerful strength and energy. So I believe it is a relic of the Five Great Gods that has somehow been cursed.¡±


    If my words were true, me beingbeled as the owner of a non-existent Demon God Relic was all a misunderstanding. In fact, it was just the Holy Relic Tiamata, which had been influenced by something unholy.


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying. If this was the past, I wouldn¡¯t have believed a word you said...¡±


    Back when she had been a devout believer, mentioning something like this would have been a grave sphemy against Ouen.


    But she no longer served Ouen. Setting aside whether or not Ouen¡¯s relic could be corrupted, she at least wasn¡¯t angered by me bringing up the subject.


    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, it makes me even more disillusioned with the gods.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Let me take a look at that item. I can¡¯t guarantee that I can purify it, but I can at least try.¡±


    This theory was something no priest of Ouen would believe, nor was this action one that any priest would have any reason to attempt. This was about believing that this cursed sword was actually Tiamata, and then trying to restore it to its original state.


    However, Olivia Lanche was willing to attempt it without any resistance.


    ***


    The Demon God Relic had disappeared, and although neither Reinhart nor Ellen had it in their possession and it was now a matter for the teachers to handle, Ellen still felt uneasy.


    Reinhart would typically try to do something in such situations, and Ellen was worried that he might do something unnecessary on his own, leading to even bigger trouble. She wanted to keep him upied in the training grounds to prevent him from getting into any mischief today.


    After breakfast, however, Reinhart had rushed off somewhere. Surely, he was off to do something unnecessary again. Determined to find him and drag him back if need be, Ellen was waiting in the lobby, unsure of where he had gone.


    ¡ªYou promise to only look around my room, right?


    ¡ªOf course. Do you think I would do anything else?


    ¡ªOh, please, stop saying things like that.


    Just as Ellen¡¯s anxiety was about to peak, she noticed something thatpletely erased her worries.


    Olivia Lanche, a fifth-year student that she asionally encountered, entered the first-year ss A dormitory, clinging to Reinhart¡¯s arm. She wastched tightly onto his right arm.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t seen her often. She was just a senior who acted in an overly friendly manner with Reinhart when they were together¡ªthat was the extent of her awareness of Olivia.


    ¡ªWhy do you keep trying to get into my room? What¡¯s there to see?


    ¡ªHmm. I wonder why?


    ¡ªIf you try anything weird, I¡¯ll scream.


    ¡ªOh my, what are you thinking? So you¡¯re a man after all, huh?


    Reinhart¡¯s disgusted expression contrasted sharply with that of the senior girl clinging to his arm, who was smiling brightly.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen realized she was worrying needlessly. A senior girl was insisting on entering Reinhart¡¯s room for some reason, and it seemed he had reluctantly agreed.


    Reinhart made eye contact with Ellen, but passed by without acknowledging her properly.


    ¡ªDo you have any snacks or tea in your room?


    ¡ªNo, I don¡¯t. What do you expect from me?


    Although Ellen had felt anxious, she now watched quietly as Reinhart was dragged away. She had worried that he was going to cause some trouble, but it seemed that her concern was unfounded. It seemed like he was just having an ordinary weekend.


    However...


    ¡°...¡±


    An unfamiliar emotion started to stir within Ellen. It was a strange feeling, something she had never experienced before in her life.


    ¡ªGive me some space!


    ¡ªWhy? I know you like it too.


    ¡ªI don¡¯t! I really don¡¯t!


    ¡ªOh my, you¡¯re speaking to me informally now? Hmm? Do you want to get scolded, young man?


    ¡ªUgh... this is so annoying...


    It felt like something was pressing down on Ellen¡¯s chest, constricting it. It felt as if insects were crawling through her heart and mind.


    It was a strange, unpleasant emotion.

 Chapter 193 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 193 [Illustration]</h4>


    I entered the room and sighed deeply.


    ¡°I just asked if we could enter casually; I didn¡¯t mean for you to stick to me like this and cause a scene.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean by ¡®scene¡¯? You... you should be mindful of what you say to your seniors.¡±


    It would have been suspicious if Olivia Lanche entered my room looking overly serious, so I asked her to act more naturally, as if she were just visiting a fellow student¡¯s room. However, she¡¯d gone overboard when I just wanted her to behave coolly. I¡¯d asked her to act casually since it would seem like we were going to discuss something serious if we both went in looking somber, and look what happened?


    <i>¡®Ugh, whatever. Better toe off as a pervert than a demon god worshiper, right?¡¯</i>


    I closed the door and drew the curtains.


    ¡°...¡±


    Bringing a female senior into my room, locking the door, and closing the curtains...


    To anyone who saw this, it would obviously look improper.


    Olivia Lanche couldn¡¯t meet my gaze and scratched her cheek slightly.


    ¡°Ha... Ahaha... I don¡¯t know why but... I-I feel a bit... nervous...¡±


    <i>¡®This girl... She¡¯s scared now.¡¯</i>


    It became clear that all her teasing and messing around with me was just that¡ªteasing. Now that she was in a tense situation that felt almost real, she grew afraid.


    <i>¡®Right, even though she¡¯s an adult, she¡¯s been serving under Ouen without ever having such experiences with men, not even a fling. It¡¯s understandable.¡¯</i>


    Her fists were clenched, and it looked like her hands were sweating.


    ¡°I-I mean. You know. I¡¯m actually pretty good at fighting... Not that, uh... Just be careful,¡± she said.


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°J-Just saying!¡±


    Saying all that in such a frightened manner made it seem like I was really nning to do something bad.


    She always acted like she could handle anything, but if she was this scared before anything even happened, just how inexperienced was she? Did she see me as just a kid, which was why she was okay with casually teasing me? Now that things were turning out this way, was her imagination running wild, making her nervous?


    Had she only now realized that I was actually a man?


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with this person? With sweat on her forehead and all...¡¯</i>


    Not wanting the atmosphere to get any weirder, I carefully opened the locked drawer and took out its contents.


    ¡°So, this is it...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At first nce, it appeared to be just an old, unremarkable sword.


    It was mistaken as a Demon God Relic, but in reality, I believed it to be the corrupted holy sword, Tiamata. Olivia watched me hold the sword with a slightly displeased expression.


    ¡°They say it controls the mind of the person holding it...¡±


    ¡°In my case, I seem to have a natural resistance to such curses, so it didn¡¯t affect me...¡±


    ¡°Hmm... then maybe I¡¯ll be okay too. Actually, I¡¯ve had a pretty strong immunity to mental interference from the start. I found that out thanks to my anti-demon power measurements.¡±


    Fortunately, Olivia Lanche knew that her resistance to mental magic and interference was very high. She likely knew that even if Leverier Lanche had tried to manipte her mind, she couldn¡¯t be controlled.


    Instead, through various means of torture, they had tried to break Olivia Lanche¡¯s will, but her strong will, along with her resistance to mental magic, left her unbroken, ultimately almost turning her into a wreck instead.


    ¡°Can I try holding it once?¡±


    ¡°... Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Though I already knew she would be alright, I said it just to reassure her. Supporting the de with one hand, I pointed the handle towards her. Even though I knew I would be safe, Olivia Lanche wasn¡¯t sure she would be.


    Despite that, she didn¡¯t seem to hesitate. With a tense expression, Olivia Lanche carefully grabbed the cursed Tiamata¡¯s handle.


    I didn¡¯t know if the ownership would transfer this way. However, just as it had been when I first held it, Tiamata didn¡¯t react when Olivia Lanche held it either.


    ¡°Hmm... I see... I understand. I can feel something very strong, some kind of interference.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t feel it, but Olivia Lanche seemed to sense that the cursed Tiamata was trying something on her, and that it had failed.


    ¡°... This might indeed be the Holy Sword Tiamata...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Am I the first person after you to touch this sword directly?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Since it was a cursed object, others would have been careful while handling it. They would have been thoroughly warned that the sword could control the mind of whoever held it.


    Other than me, Olivia Lanche became the second person to hold this sword safely.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± she said, staring nkly at the cursed Tiamata.


    ¡°It¡¯s apletely different kind of power. This is the first time I¡¯ve felt something so evil and unpleasant...¡±


    As she held the sword, Olivia shed a somewhat sad smile. ¡°And yet, it feels very familiar.¡±


    A power that shared the same origin...


    Olivia seemed to sense it vaguely. Although I didn¡¯t understand what Divine Power was, she had spent her entire life honing it.


    Because she was holding it directly, Olivia could feel the sword¡¯s inherent power more urately than any priest could. Therefore, Olivia Lanche, who could wield Divine Power at the level of a high priest, could notice all of this just by holding the sword.


    ¡°Ouen¡¯s power is purity before it is anything else. It¡¯s the power of purity.¡±


    ¡°Purity?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Olivia stared silently at the sword.


    ¡°A rejection and annihtion of all that is impure. Hatred and loathing of all beings that defy the natural order. Such things are not tolerated. So, it is more about purity than just being pure.¡±


    The extent of aversion to the existence of such things, reaching an almost neurotic level of purity. That was the doctrine of Ouen.


    ¡°Tiamata is a manifestation of that will,¡± she said.


    The will to annihte those that defied the natural order, a neurotic level of purity that bordered on hatred, in ordance with Ouen¡¯s doctrine.


    ¡°But... this is the exact opposite,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Opposite?¡±


    ¡°It harbors hatred for all living things, disdain for the natural order, and apulsion to overturn that order...¡± Olivia said, as she continued to sense the nature of the sword. ¡°It¡¯s a different kind of... purity.¡±


    Tiamata was the guardian of the natural order, representing a neurotic purity against those who defied it. The fallen Tiamata represented neurotic hate, an obsessivepulsive purity that desired to negate the natural order itself.


    ¡°... The power is different, but ultimately, the ¡®will¡¯ is simr.¡±


    ¡°Purity, but with opposing values?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Olivia seemed to have realized something.


    ¡°This is fundamentally different from Ouen¡¯s power, yet, in essence, it is eerily simr.¡±


    The neurotic purity symbolized by Ouen¡¯s power had a simr essence. Olivia, who was familiar with that power, could not help but feel that the cursed Tiamata was rmingly simr to Ouen in itsplete opposition to the natural order.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible that this is a relic of Kier, the god of corruption. But, if this really were a relic of Kier, then Kier¡¯s power is strangely simr to Ouen¡¯s.


    ¡°The manner in which the power manifests is directly opposite, but the origin of the power is remarkably simr. This cannot be a force that originates from another entity.


    ¡°This really is Tiamata... but... the fact that Ouen¡¯s holy artifact is emitting a force identical to that of the demon god Kier...¡±


    An opposing manifestation, yet from an incredibly simr source. It was a corrupted relic, but Olivia felt that the fundamental source of its power hadn¡¯t changed.


    Themonality between the two opposing entities¡ªOuen, one of the Great Gods, and Kier, the demon god¡ªwas purity.


    ¡°Could it be that Kier and Ouen are actually... the same entity...?¡± Olivia said.


    Olivia Lanche left bewildered by this sudden, shocking realization.


    ***


    Although Olivia Lanche had forsaken her faith, the thought that Ouen, whom she had worshiped all this time, might be identical to Kier, the god of corruption, whom she had been taught to loathe, left her in a daze. She had questioned and then abandoned her faith, but she had never imagined that the truth could be so unbelievable.


    From the corrupted relic, Olivia Lanche could sense the power of an unfamiliar demon god, but she eventually realized that this demon god¡¯s power was ufortably familiar.


    It was too simr to Ouen¡¯s power, and hence she instinctively recognized that Ouen and Kier were essentially the same being, something that countless priests had failed to uncover.


    It was understandable that the priests hadn¡¯t noticed it. They were unable to even consider the possibility that the cursed sword might be Tiamata. Moreover, they would never have doubted their doctrine and what they believed in.


    Olivia could objectively grasp the situation because she had shed all religious preconceptions. Finally, she reached the conclusion that Ouen and Kier were the same entity. Everything followed from that realization, leading to the inevitable conclusion that all faith in the demon gods was a sham.


    I gave Olivia some time to pull herself together.


    ¡°Well... it seems I¡¯ve learned something I shouldn¡¯t have,¡± she finally said.


    Compared to the truth she had nowe to realize, the secrets of the Order of the Holy Knights were trivial. If it became known that the demon gods and the Five Great Gods were the same entities, the very foundations of human faith would copse. Of course, such ims would not be so easily epted.


    ¡°So, can you turn it back into Tiamata?¡±


    If the priests of Kier had managed to corrupt Tiamata, it would be possible to reverse it.


    ¡°Hmm... I can try, but I can¡¯t guarantee the oue. My power alone might not be enough.¡±


    There was no one else who could help with this task. Olivia had to attempt to purify Tiamata with her own strength.


    ¡°Hmm... this will take quite some time. We can¡¯t take it outside, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No... probably not.¡±


    It would be ideal to conduct the purification ritual in a more secluded ce. However, it was too dangerous to simply carry the sword outside.


    The night before, I had pretended it was a practice sword while bringing it outside to dispose of it, but that was before anyone had known that this sacred artifact of a demon god had disappeared. We could risk taking it outside the dorm, but taking it beyond the Temple grounds would be impossible.


    Olivia Lanche scratched her cheek, looking troubled.


    ¡°So... it seems we¡¯ll have to perform the ritual in this room...¡±


    Just like with Dettomorian, it was going to be a time-consuming process.


    ¡°Uh, Reinhart, it looks like I¡¯ll have to stay in your room for the whole day...¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Her usual clinginess was gone. Olivia Lanche was visibly nervous at the thought of having to spend a whole day in a boy¡¯s room.


    If she was going to get this nervous, she shouldn¡¯t have acted that way in the first ce.


    She initiated everything, but now that it hade to this, why was she suddenly so frightened?


    ***


    Performing the ritual in a safer ce would be ideal, but there were no viable options avable. We had to conduct the ritual inside my room. Even though the ritual could be performed in the room, there was always the risk of someone entering.


    Ultimately, we decided to conduct the ritual in a specific part of my room to minimize the risk of interruption.


    ¡°... Is this really alright?¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s no other choice, really.¡±


    Olivia decided to conduct the ritual in my bathroom. Once the door was closed, no one would know what was happening inside. Although the bathroom wasn¡¯t that cramped, it wasn¡¯t particrly spacious either.


    Purifying a sacred artifact in a dorm room bathroom... What kind of situation was this?


    ¡°I¡¯ll start right away, since we don¡¯t know how long it will take.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think it will roughly take?¡±


    ¡°Well... Since I¡¯ve never done it before, it could take all day or even longer.¡±


    Fortunately, it was Saturday, so we had until the next day.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to eat something first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    I had made the suggestion out of concern that Olivia might be physically exhausted, but she just smiled as if it was no big deal.


    She ced the cursed Tiamata on the bathroom floor, then knelt down in front of it.


    <i>¡®Oh my. In that position? For a whole day?¡¯</i>


    I quickly fetched several cushions and handed them to Olivia.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to wreck your knees like that.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ah... yes. Thanks.¡±


    Olivia ced the cushions on the floor and knelt on them.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to thank me for, senior. I¡¯m the one who should be grateful.¡±


    After all, all her efforts weren¡¯t for herself but for me. What I appreciated most was how she was willing to do everything she could without me even having to ask.


    She believed that if a person could help someone, it was their duty to do so. She had to have lived her entire life with that mindset. She was a personpletely different from me.


    I just stood there, watching her begin her prayers.


    I quietly observed as the power of the god of purity enveloped her entire body. A false prayer from someone who had abandoned their faith, yet her god still responded. Ouen continued to grant her power.


    I wondered if Olivia Lanche felt grateful or disdainful that she was receiving power through a prayer that wasn¡¯t genuine.


    I watched silently from outside the bathroom as Olivia Lanche prayed.


    ***


    Olivia had warned me that it would take a long time, so there was nothing for me to do but watch and wait. Divine Power emanated from Olivia¡¯s body, enveloping the cursed sword. Something seemed to be happening, but the process was excruciatingly slow.


    Olivia, who was conducting the ritual, might have sensed something, but she was so focused that I didn¡¯t dare interrupt her.


    If things continued like this, Olivia might end up fasting all day while performing the ritual. Would she be okay?


    There was no need for me to do the same. Whether I was there or not, the ritual would progress, and there was no particr reason for me to watch over it.


    Nevertheless, I decided not to have lunch. Someone was going through tremendous effort for my sake, so I couldn¡¯t just casually go about eating and resting.


    Even though it probably wouldn¡¯t make a difference to Olivia Lanche whether I ate or not, I couldn¡¯t feel at ease. I stayed in the room to guard against any potential interruptions, though honestly, no one was likely toe.


    If anyone were toe, it would be Ellen, but if I didn¡¯t show up at the training grounds, Ellen would probably just assume I was busy with something else and continue with her own activities¡ªshe wasn¡¯t the type toe and call me.


    Time passed with no interruptions.


    ***


    There was an unspoken rule about practicing with Reinhart. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t really a rule, but something that had naturally settled over time.


    Practicing together with him was never a forced event. It always came as a natural thing. If it happened, it happened, and if not, it didn¡¯t.


    Ellen went to the training grounds almost every day, and so did Reinhart, though asionally, he would skip practice to do other things. In such cases, Ellen would simply train by herself rather than go looking for Reinhart.


    Of course, when they happened to cross paths, they would gesture to each other to suggest training together, but Ellen never insisted. This was how things had always been.


    Therefore, Ellen usually didn¡¯t mind if Reinhart didn¡¯t show up; she would simply assume he was upied with something else.


    However, that day was different.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t heing?¡¯</i>


    The same thought kept swimming through her mind.


    <i>Pak! Pa-Pak! Pak!</i>


    Aside from herself, only Cliffman was present in the training grounds.


    <i>¡®Is he still with that senior? She should¡¯ve already left by now.¡¯ </i>


    When Ellen had seen Olivia Lanche entering Reinhart¡¯s room earlier on in the lobby, she just went to practice in the training grounds by herself.


    Quite a bit of time had passed, and Olivia had to have left. Besides, Reinhart didn¡¯t seem to like the idea of that senior hanging around in his room for too long either.


    <i>¡®She must have left; it¡¯s already past lunchtime.¡¯</i>


    Yet, Reinhart hadn¡¯te down for lunch either.


    <i>¡®Is he still in there? Doing what? Why does this even bother me? Why do I even care if he¡¯s with someone or not? She must¡¯ve left. Or maybe she¡¯s still there?¡¯</i>


    Ellen didn¡¯t know why she was even bothered by this, but these conflicting thoughts were all tangled up in her mind¡ªunidentified feelings crawled around like worms inside her.


    This confusion felt strange and unpleasant. It was a feeling she had never experienced before¡ªand she felt ufortable with herself for even having such emotions.


    These were just distractions, she told herself. Merely emotions that would be of no help to her.


    They wouldn¡¯t aid her growth or her rtionship with Reinhart in any meaningful way.


    Reinhart was simply living his own life, so there was no reason for her to intrude further.


    To Ellen, he was just a friend. Although he was a very precious person to her, she¡¯d decided that he was still just a friend to her.


    So, she needed to let it go. She <i>had </i>to let it go.


    <i>Pak. Pak! Pak! Crack! Creak! Crunch! Snap!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen looked down coldly at the wreckage of what had once been a practice dummy. It was the practice dummy that had shattered, not the training sword.


    ¡°Uh... oh,¡± Cliffmanmented.


    Cliffman, who had been striking another dummy not far away, was looking at Ellen with a horrified expression, standing among the debris of the shattered practice dummy.


    <i>¡®Did that actually break? What just happened?¡¯ </i>he thought.


    Cliffman couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing, even with his own eyes.


    ¡°... What?¡± Ellen asked Cliffman sharply, who was staring at her with terrified eyes, as if asking if he had something to say.


    ¡°Uh, no... It¡¯s nothing... Nothing at all, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Cliffman had unknowingly used a respectful tone with Ellen.


    Reinhart didn¡¯t show up at the dining hall for dinner either, and Ellen had a restless night.

 Chapter 194

    <h4>Chapter 194</h4>


    The ritual began around ten in the morning and it continued straight through until one in the morning, well past my usual bedtime. Since there wasn¡¯t anything like a roll call the next morning, though, I didn¡¯t have to worry about much.


    During that time, Olivia Lanche was entirely focused on the ritual, and did not even take a sip of water. I didn¡¯t necessarily need to follow her example, but I continued to fast with her as the hunger didn¡¯t bother me that much.


    I couldn¡¯t gauge how tired or exhausted she was, but watching her made me feel restless. I kept thinking about what I could do to help.


    <i>¡®Should I wipe off her sweat or something?¡¯</i>


    Honestly, it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t matter if I just went to bed, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to think that way, so I continued watching over her.


    For more than twelve grueling hours, she worked on one singr task without the slightest movement.


    Yet, it was evident that her efforts were effective. Though the progress was painfully slow, I could see her purification ritual slowly taking effect. The cursed sword¡¯s form was changing, as if its outer shell was being peeled away.


    The cursed Tiamata was reverting to its original state, and the once-dark de was gradually regaining its milky-white appearance. Olivia Lanche¡¯s purification ritual was undoubtedly yielding results.


    It didn¡¯t suddenly sh with a white light and turn into a holy sword in a grand burst of holy radiance, but underwent a slow and steady transformation.


    But just like scales peeling awayyer byyer, it was as though the Divine Power was burning the curse away. Bit by bit, the cursed sword¡¯s outeryer gradually turned red and disappeared.


    The holy sword was slowly but surely being restored through a process of a steady, if undramatic, transformation.


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia Lanche continued praying, seated quietly in my shower, maintaining the same posture she had assumed from the beginning. I stood leaning against a wall in my dark room, watching the scene as if it were my duty. Both Olivia and I remained in the same positions throughout the night.


    During the endless hours of silence, the only noticeable change was the gradual transformation happening to the cursed sword.


    The final scale of the cursed sword peeled off.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished,¡± Olivia whispered.


    ¡°Thank you for your work,¡± I replied.


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± she replied softly.


    The ritual came to an end just as the first bit of light began to turn the horizon dark blue.


    ¡°Please get some rest. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I should.¡±


    Olivia didn¡¯t have the strength to stand on her own, so I supported her and helped her onto my bed. She must have been extremely exhausted from performing the ritual as she fell asleep almost instantly, as though she had passed out.


    I reached out my hand toward the sword lying on the floor of the shower.


    With a soft swishing sound, the sword vanished from the shower floor and reappeared in my hand. Now that Tiamata had been fully restored, it seemed the soul bond between us was fully reestablished.


    Olivia Lanche had taken over the work left iplete by Dettomorian and finished it, albeit in a different manner.


    The ivory-colored de seemed to have a warm texture, different from that of cold steel. Though the sword was still missing a crossguard, some ancient characters were engraved into the fuller, simr to other Holy Relics.


    I could read them:


    <i>Purify the world with wrath.</i>


    Wrath...


    It was a rather ominous phrase for a holy sword.


    The restoration of the Holy Sword Tiamata wasplete.


    [Event Complete - Holy Sword Tiamata]


    I had fully imed the reward that had initially been given to me in a cursed state.


    [Additional reward granted.]


    [You have be the master of Tiamata due to your Divine Spirit, the trait you share with Olivia Lanche.]


    [Reward: You share the Holy Sword Tiamata with Olivia Lanche.]


    With that, I was granted an unexpected reward uponpletion.


    ***


    Tiamata returned to my desk drawer when I dismissed it. It instinctively moved to the ce where I wanted to store it.


    I could pinpoint its location effortlessly. This was the true essence of a proper soul bond, and that bond was shared with Olivia Lanche; we co-owned Tiamata.


    Olivia Lanche had fallen into a deep sleep, and I was equally exhausted.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t sleep next to her, so I locked Tiamata in the drawer and stepped out into the hallway. It wasn¡¯t time to wake up yet, so the corridor was empty in the dim light of dawn.


    I decided to grab some sleep on one of the sofas in the lobby. I was so tired, I felt like I would copse. Surprisingly, after fasting for so long, I wasn¡¯t even hungry.


    Now that Tiamata had been restored, it didn¡¯t matter if someone discovered it. Whether people believed the cursed sword was the true Tiamata or not was irrelevant; the sword I had was the genuine article. The results spoke for themselves, and the world only cared about results.


    I had been certain that the cursed sword was a Holy Relic, and now that it had been purified, it had returned to its holy state. The Temple had mistaken the Holy Relic for a cursed object, and had intended to dispose of it or seal it away. Since I was in the right, no one could say anything to me.


    The cursed Tiamata had caused me so much stress over the past two days that I was worried I¡¯d end up with bald patches from the anxiety.


    As I staggered towards the lobby, I noticed someone sitting idly on the sofa.


    It was Ellen.


    ¡°What are you doing up and not asleep?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Just... nothing,¡± she replied.


    Ellen, who had been sitting on the sofa and staring nkly ahead, looked up when she noticed me. She didn¡¯t seem to be heading out for her usual early morning workout.


    She hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, ¡°Are you going for a workout?¡±


    ¡°... No,¡± I answered as I took a seat opposite Ellen.


    I hadn¡¯t slept, but it seemed like she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep either. She didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did I. I did not offer any exnation, since exining something to someone when they hadn¡¯t inquired about it would be odd. If she asked, ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± it would look like I was just making excuses out of nowhere.


    Despite that, everything was resolved now, one way or another.


    In the end, I decided to talk to her. Perhaps it would be easier once I exined everything, even if it meant getting punched a bit.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Promise me something.¡±


    Ellen tilted her head, puzzled by my sudden request. ¡°What kind of promise?¡±


    ¡°Promise not to beat me up until I finish talking.¡±


    I was fine with getting punched after exining, but I didn¡¯t want her hitting me in the middle of it.


    <i>¡®At least let me get everything off my chest first... Please...¡¯</i>


    Ellen looked at me, clearly confused by what I was saying.


    I led her to a quiet training hall since no one would overhear us there even if we caused a bit ofmotion.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s something I need to tell you. You know that Demon God Relic? Yeah, well, I had it.¡±


    Ellen seemed taken aback, unable to grasp what I was saying. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    I continued, ¡°To be precise, it seemed to recognize me as its owner. So it kepting back to me. I didn¡¯t steal it; it just kept appearing in my room no matter where I tried to discard it. That¡¯s what was happening...¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    With each passing second, Ellen¡¯s expression grew increasingly displeased, and I began to lose track of what I was saying.


    ¡°...¡±


    Her expression turned cold, and the atmosphere became tense, causing my words to trail off. She didn¡¯t shout, and her fists weren¡¯t raised; she just red at me.


    It was clear that she was really angry, as if daring me to exin myself further. ¡°Go on, exin,¡± her eyes said.


    ¡°Should I... continue?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes. Keep talking,¡± she replied.


    Her gaze was so intense it felt like she would kill me if I said a word wrong.


    ***


    Under Ellen¡¯s icy gaze, I continued my story nervously and eventually reached the end of my exnation. I recounted how the cursed sword kept appearing before me, how I¡¯d sought Olivia Lanche¡¯s help to resolve the situation, how she¡¯d informed me that the cursed sword was Tiamata, and how she performed the purification ritual overnight.


    To show her proof, I hastily summoned Tiamata in front of Ellen.


    ¡°No way... That really is Tiamata,¡± Ellen muttered, still finding it hard to believe that the cursed sword had turned into Ouen¡¯s famous Holy Relic. Yet, as unbelievable as it was, the realityy before her eyes.


    What had been presumed to be a Demon God Relic had turned out to be Tiamata in its cursed state. With the reality right in front of us, there was no point in arguing further.


    It had begun as a dangerous item, and we had considered abandoning it, but despite numerous trials and near-death experiences, this was the result. Instead of bringing back a Demon God Relic, we had retrieved the Holy Relic of Ouen from the Dark Land.


    While finding a Demon God Relic would have been noteworthy, reiming a Holy Relic lost for three hundred years was an extraordinary achievement. And now, I had formed a soul bond with Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic.


    This essentially meant that I was now a champion of Ouen, the god of purity.


    ¡°So... it was destined for you to have this... or something like that,¡± Ellen mused.


    The cursed sword had failed to take over me, and Ellen seemed to be pondering if the fact that I was now the master of Tiamata had been some sort of inevitability.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence. That senior wasn¡¯t affected by the sword¡¯s curse either,¡± I reasoned, exining how Olivia Lanche had purified the sword.


    ¡°... That could be,¡± Ellen acknowledged.


    After dismissing Tiamata, I carefully watched Ellen¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Sorry... for not telling you,¡± I apologized, expecting her anger to explode at any moment.


    Given the circumstances, she had every right to yell at me for my stubbornness and the danger it had brought us, even if the oue had been good.


    Instead, Ellen just looked at me thoughtfully, contemting the series of events that led us to this point.


    ¡°... Fine. Just don¡¯t do it again,¡± Ellen said with a slight pout.


    She had seemed both shocked and somewhat angry at first, but now she appeared to have calmed down.


    I had braced myself for a serious beating, but it seemed Ellen was more mildly annoyed than anything else.


    <i>¡®Am I... not going to die then?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I promise not to let greed get the better of me from now on. I don¡¯t want to end up dead,¡± I said sincerely.


    I meant it. The oue had been favorable, but things could have gone horribly wrong. At best, I could have had to flee the Temple; at worst, I could have lost my head.


    True, without this risky venture, I wouldn¡¯t have obtained the incredible weapon that was the Holy Sword Tiamata, but one could not always expect such results.


    Ellen sat down on the training hall floor and took a deep breath.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About the fact that the cursed sword is actually Tiamata. Are you going to report it to the Temple authorities?¡±


    The Temple was still in chaos, with all the staff frantically searching for the missing Demon God Relic. Hiding Tiamata wasn¡¯t difficult anymore since I could summon and dismiss it from anywhere. I could even store it in the Irine River and retrieve it whenever I needed it if I wanted to.


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to think telling them is the right thing to do¡ª¡± I began.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a hassle. A big one,¡± Ellen interjected.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    There was a reason why Ellen hid the fact that she was the sister of Artorius and the wielder of the Holy Sword Lament. It wasn¡¯t for nothing.


    The immense expectations from others, the fame, all of it would be an enormous hassle for Ellen. She would be seen as a hero, and that would mean being under subtle pressure every single day.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s better if it¡¯s forgotten. Now that Tiamata is restored, there won¡¯t be any major issues,¡± Ellen suggested.


    She was right. Problems would arise if it were truly a Demon God Relic, but now that it had returned to its form as Tiamata, no such issues would ur. Ellen believed it was better to keep the fact that I had be Tiamata¡¯s master a secret.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s better this way,¡± I concurred.


    There would still be some lingeringmotion while everyone searched for the vanished Demon God Relic, but if nothing happened for a while, the situation would eventually quiet down, just like how it did after the terrorist incident in the imperial capital.


    ***


    The issue with the cursed sword had finally been resolved, and Tiamata had been restored to its holy form. I had braced myself to get beaten up by Ellen and told her the entire truth, and to my surprise, while she had initially seemed angry, she was ultimately relieved that everything had finally been resolved.


    Ellen and I sat leaning against the wall of the training hall.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep at all?¡± Ellen asked, noticing my paleplexion.


    ¡°... No. I couldn¡¯t sleep while someone was working through the night because of me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°... I guess you wouldn¡¯t have been able to,¡± she agreed.


    Though it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I¡¯d slept, the guilt, remorse, and gratitude I felt had kept me awake, vigntly watching over the ritual.


    ¡°I nned to let Olivia sleep in my bed while I rested in the lobby, but then I saw you there and figured I might as well talk to you,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ellen¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she realized that I had forced myself to stay awake because of her.


    ¡°... Get some sleep here, at least,¡± Ellen suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I will,¡± I replied, lying down on the training grounds.


    The floor was hard, but I was so tired that it didn¡¯t bother me at all.


    ***


    Ellen watched intently as Reinharty down and fell asleep haphazardly on the floor. The nagging irritation she had been feeling inside seemed to fade away.


    She was angry, and hearing what had happened had made her furious. She¡¯d been infuriated to the core.


    She had warned Reinhart multiple times, yet his greed had led him into a dangerous situation.


    Still, she had decided to hear him out, suppressing her anger for the moment.


    As she listened to my story, Ellen found her anger subsiding without her realizing it. She felt as though she had the right to be angry; after all, Reinhart had done something foolish and put himself in danger. But her anger had already dissipated, leaving her with nothing to be mad about.


    The fact that it was the Holy Sword Tiamata hardly mattered to her. Other than a bit of surprise that it was a Holy Relic, she didn¡¯t have much of a reaction.


    <i>¡®Yeah. See? This was what it really was. There was no way things could have been any other way. There was a reason behind everything.¡¯</i>


    Her mind was filled with these thoughts, along with a sense of relief, frustration, sadness, and an array of other emotions. Then, something strange happened: they all vanished at once, leaving a peculiar sense of calm.


    The retrieval of the Holy Sword Tiamata was indeed something that would astonish the world, but Ellen wasn¡¯t particrly surprised by it. Something else seemed to be more important to her.


    Hugging her knees, Ellen watched Reinhart intently as he fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes. She looked at him as if seeing a fascinating new animal for the first time, although she had been observing him all this time.


    It almost felt like she was truly seeing him for the first time.


    <i>¡®Sleeping like that must be ufortable,¡¯</i> she thought.


    Ellen unfolded her sped hands and stretched her legs out. Then, gently lifting Reinhart¡¯s head, she ced it on herp.


    <i>¡®This way, it won¡¯t be ufortable for him,¡¯</i> she rationalized.


    It was just for that reason, and nothing more. Just because it would otherwise be ufortable for him.


    And also because she felt guilty. Guilty for all the misunderstanding. She felt sorry for feeling hurt and for doubting Reinhart. She was doing this simply because she was sorry.


    She decided not to think about anything else. Why else was she doing this? She decided not to dwell on it any further.


    Ellen gently brushed her hand through Reinhart¡¯s hair as he slept, and without even realizing it, she found herself smiling faintly.

 Chapter 195

    <h4>Chapter 195</h4>


    The incident hade to a close.


    What worried me the most was whether Dettomorian would face any negative repercussions because of me. Maybe it was because he was a fellow Temple student, or perhaps because he was actually not guilty. Whatever the case, he had been investigated all day Saturday and seemed to have already returned to the dormitory.


    Olivia Lanche had already begun to sense that we were both masters of the holy sword.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t really want to use it. Just think of it as yours, Reinhart.¡±


    Olivia Lanche had tried to help me without any personal interest in the holy sword itself, so the fact that she had been soul-bound with Tiamata didn¡¯t seem to interest her much.


    Anyway, this person, exhausted as she was, had slept soundly in my room until well past lunchtime. Her disheveled state didn¡¯t seem to detract from her appearance one bit...


    <i>¡®What? She¡¯s just woken up, how does she look just as stunning? That¡¯s ridiculous!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uahhhhh!¡±


    Stretching her body and letting out a big yawn, Olivia Lanche blinked her sleepy eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, do you want to see something interesting?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What, what is it...?¡±


    <i>¡®Please, not something weird, okay? Please, no, I can¡¯t handle that! We¡¯ve only spent one day together; you couldn¡¯t have be that close to me already, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    Olivia Lanche raised her right hand and then closed her eyes.


    <i>Wooooom...</i>


    ¡°... What is this?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the energy swirling around Olivia Lanche¡¯s hand. This person could wield an immense amount of Divine Power. She had even channeled Ouen¡¯s Divine Power during the ritual yesterday.


    ¡°Heh... I think I¡¯vee to understand the essence of Divine Power.¡±


    However, the energy coalescing in Olivia Lanche¡¯s hand now seemed far too dark and sinister to be considered Ouen¡¯s Divine Power.


    ¡°No way... Is this what I think it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    When Olivia Lanche opened her eyes, they radiated a menacing aura, entirely different from before.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out how to use the power opposite to Ouen¡¯s¡ªin other words, Kier¡¯s power.¡±


    Ouen was synonymous with Kier, and Olivia Lanche had realized that, by altering the manifestation of Ouen¡¯s Divine Power, it could serve as the opposite force. Performing the all-day ritual the day before to restore Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic to its original state had led her to understand the mechanism of the power.


    Olivia Lanche seemed to have gained the ability to wield not only Ouen¡¯s Divine Power, which was the power of purity, but also the power of Kier, the god of corruption.


    She had be capable of using the two entirely different aspects of Divine Power¡ªboth purity and death.


    ¡°Does this mean... I¡¯m the only true follower of Ouen in the world? How ironic.¡±


    Having abandoned her god, she hade to understand her god better. Because she had forsaken Ouen, she could now wield both Ouen¡¯s and Kier¡¯s powers, mastering the duality of Ouen. In a sense, one could call her the only true follower whoprehended all facets of Ouen.


    Anyway, Olivia Lanche had be the only person in the world capable of using both the great god¡¯s power and the demon god¡¯s power.


    How was I to describe it?


    It felt like the significance of the incident had gone beyond just the Holy Sword Tiamata. It was as if I had witnessed the birth of an even more formidable monster.


    ¡°Oh, I wonder if that would work too?¡± she mused.


    <i>Skkkk.</i>


    Still on the bed, Olivia Lanche summoned the Holy Sword Tiamata to her hand. Since we were both masters, Tiamata belonged to both of us. She gave me a sinister smile, staring at me eerily.


    ¡°What if I corrupted the Holy Sword Tiamata, which we painstakingly restored, back into a demon sword?¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about, you crazy person?!¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just a joke¡ªjust a joke.¡±


    <i>¡®If I hadn¡¯t stopped you, you genuinely would have done it!¡¯ </i>


    Ultimately, it was true that Olivia Lanche had saved me from danger. To be precise, even while in its cursed form, using it would not have been problematic. However, having a proper soul-bonded with Tiamata made it much easier to control.


    I decided to keep the fact that the Holy Sword was in my possession a secret. As nned, I chucked it into the very bottom of the Irine River, where no one would ever find it. I didn¡¯t even need to go there myself, just thinking of sending it there made it a reality. I could sense it vividly.


    Although I had saved Olivia Lanche¡¯s life, in my own way, I expressed my gratitude to her as well. Olivia Lanche was magnanimous. She said that if I was that grateful, I could buy her a meal sometime in the future. Then she mentioned that she nned to spend the rest of the day sleeping in her room and left.


    ***


    Feeling refreshed, Ellen washed up after Reinhart woke up and returned to his room. It was Sunday, and she hadn¡¯t been able to focus properly the day before, so she was determined to concentrate that day.


    With Reinhart¡¯s troubles now resolved, he mighte to the training ground today. Of course, he might note if he got caught up in something else, but it didn¡¯t really matter if he didn¡¯t.


    Ellen was heading to the training ground when she ran into someone. Though the person looked a little tired, she still drew attention. It was Olivia Lanche, the senior who had helped Reinhart. She¡¯d spent the night in Reinhart¡¯s room, and seemed to be on her way back to her own dormitory.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Seeing Ellen staring at her, Olivia Lanche tilted her head.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a friend of Reinhart¡¯s, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you have something to say?¡±


    Reinhart had been in real danger. If this person hadn¡¯t helped him, things could have been much worse.


    If that was the case, this senior was a person whom she should be grateful to. However, Ellen felt a sense of guilt for feeling an irrational dislike towards her yesterday.


    She felt guilty for disliking someone who had helped Reinhart out of kindness, without any reason.


    Ellen looked around. There was no one else nearby.


    ¡°Thank you. I heard you helped Reinhart. He seemed to be in quite a bit of trouble. Thank you for helping him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Right. You¡¯re the friend who¡¯s close to Reinhart.¡±


    Olivia smiled kindly, as though it was something she was supposed to do naturally. She had helped Reinhart purely out of goodwill.


    Ellen felt a bit embarrassed for having experienced those inexplicable feelings yesterday.


    ¡°But, you know that Reinhart is mine, right?¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    Olivia Lanche shed a slightly wicked smile and left after making that statement. Ellen silently watched Olivia¡¯s retreating figure.


    <i>¡®Yeah. I don¡¯t like that person. I don¡¯t mind Harriet, but why do I dislike her?¡¯</i>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t figure out the reason.


    ***


    Even though Tiamata was now in my possession, it didn¡¯t change much for me. Unless there was a major incident like an undead army appearing in the capital, I didn¡¯t foresee myself using it. I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d ever go to the Dark Land again, but even in that case, it was a weapon that demonstrated its true power solely against the undead.


    Of course, from what Olivia Lanche had told me, Tiamata had an opposite potential. She had mentioned it jokingly, but in reality, Olivia Lanche could indeed corrupt the restored Tiamata once more.


    The Holy Sword Tiamata was a weapon that exerted considerable power against impure beings. Conversely, in its cursed state, the Demon Sword Tiamata exerted the exact opposite power. It would wield absolute power when killing the living.


    Depending on how it was used, Tiamata could alternate between being a weapon of light and darkness. Whether it was wielded in the right manner as a holy sword or corrupted back into a demon sword, it could show absolute power against both the living and the dead, depending on how its power manifested.


    Of course, handling Divine Power was impossible for me, and I would need Olivia Lanche¡¯s help for that. The idea of a weapon that could function as both a holy sword and a demon sword was quite intriguing.


    With Olivia Lanche¡¯s assistance, Tiamata could be an all-powerful weapon. Granted, it would be best if I never had to use either version of the sword, though I was aware that one day, that necessity would inevitably arise.


    Sunday passed, and it was Monday, after themon sses had ended.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re treating Detto to a meal?¡±


    ¡°He went through a lot of trouble because of me, so I need to do something for him.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m always surprised when you show that you care about such things.¡±


    Leaving the ssroompound, I headed towards Main Street with Dettomorian and Charlotte de Gradias.


    ***


    B-8 Dettomorian didn¡¯t seem to have faced any severe hardships or endured any overly rough treatment. Nevertheless, it was clear that he had been a suspect. Although he had been released, he¡¯d had to go through such an ordeal because of my original request.


    Securing Tiamata safely was just as much due to Olivia Lanche¡¯s efforts as it was to Dettomorian¡¯s. I felt personally sorry for him and wanted to do something for him, especially since he didn¡¯t know the full details of the situation. All I could do was treat him to a meal, though.


    Charlotte had tagged along even though I hadn¡¯t invited her. When I said in ss B that I was going to treat Dettomorian to a meal, Charlotte seemed intrigued by the idea and decided to join us.


    It seemed like the princess had some free time.


    In the end, I was d for hering along. Dettomorian was a typically quiet and gloomy guy, so even though he followed along when I said I would treat him to a meal, he didn¡¯t say much. Charlotte, who hade along out of boredom, filled the empty spaces in our conversation.


    ¡°I can never get used to all this swimming,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s so exhausting, I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    It was still September, so the weather was warm, and our physical education sses were still swimming sses. Nevertheless, my stamina had improved, so I wasn¡¯t as wiped out as I¡¯d been during the first swimming ss. Dettomorian looked tired, but not to the point of copsing.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°... Sashimi. Raw meat.¡±


    How should I put it?


    His response felt... very much like him.


    Of course, I knew there was no corrtion between his origin in the northern primitive tribes and his craving for raw meat.


    Still, it felt... so typical of him.


    I looked toward Charlotte.


    ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I told you, I don¡¯t mind stuff like that.¡±


    So, we ended up going for raw meat.


    ***


    I knew the Temple had all sorts of restaurants, but I never expected them to have a ce specializing in raw meat.


    Dettomorian led the way. He seemed to know the ce well, as if he came here often. He ate the raw meat piece by piece, and Charlotte, trying it for the first time, widened her eyes in surprise. After tasting a few pieces, she found it unexpectedly ptable and ate heartily.


    Honestly, I felt a bit bad thinking it¡ªit was rude and disrespectful¡ªbut seeing Dettomorian, so skinny and eagerly eating the raw meat, gave me a strange feeling...


    What was the best way to describe it...? It just felt... weird!


    That said, the taste of the meat itself was quite good. Considering that the food in the Temple was made from the finest ingredients, it was no surprise.


    ¡°Detto, try some of this too. It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Now that I thought about it, Charlotte called Dettomorian by his nickname, which on some level irked me. However, that was just my petty self-contradiction, nothing more. Did she call others by nicknames too, though? Or was it just with ssmates?


    ¡°Are you always this considerate to others?¡± I asked as I watched Charlotte fussing over Dettomorian, making sure he tried different things.


    ¡°Huh? Oh...¡±


    Charlotte smiled bashfully at my question.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just... it reminds me of the old days... I just do it unconsciously.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. So that¡¯s what it was.¡¯</i>


    Dettomorian always looked as if he were starving. His character was supposed to be impossibly thin, one of the skinniest in this world. This reminded Charlotte of her time starving in the Demon King¡¯s castle, and had ended up taking care of him out of habit.


    Even the reason for taking care of him was really sad and pitiful...


    ¡°No matter how much I eat... I don¡¯t gain weight...¡±


    When Ellen said this, other girls usually reacted by giving her envious looks. When Dettomorian said it, though, it just seemed pitiful.


    <i>¡®Maybe he could try eating butter and rice every day? Even then, would he gain weight? He might not gain weight... could he end up with cardiovascr problems instead?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, anyway. I¡¯m sorry. I asked you for a favor and that caused you some trouble. It must have been tough.¡±


    This was the main point I wanted to talk about.


    ¡°Aside from this meal, I do have some money. I¡¯m not asking to settle this with money, but if there¡¯s anything you need help with or something you need, just let me know,¡± I added.


    If the priests of the Ouen order had seriously intended to harm him, who knows what might have happened to him? Whether it was the Temple or Charlotte who had protected him, Dettomorian had truly been put in danger because of my thoughtless request.


    Not being able to tell him the full details made me feel even more apologetic.


    Dettomorian slowly shook his head in response to my words.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay... Everything I need... the Temple provides...¡± he answered in his slow manner while still chewing on the raw meat. ¡°If I need help... I¡¯ll let you know...ter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay... Sure.¡±


    What could Dettomorian possibly ask for my help on?


    I just hoped it wasn¡¯t something involving ghosts...


    If I had the holy sword, I could deal with ghosts in one strike... But I probably wouldn¡¯t survive the heart attack I¡¯d get first. After all, I had died from a heart attack just by reading hatefulments!


    For the moment, things seemed to be settled, and I owed Dettomorian one. I didn¡¯t know what his reputation was like in ss B. He was likely still the same as he was in the original story¡ªa bit off-putting, always gloomy, silent, and muttering strange things to himself.


    Now, though, with the untouchable Charlotte looking out for him, maybe he had made some friends.


    ¡°So, this is just personal curiosity. What exactly were you trying to do with that ritualst time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that...¡±


    While Charlotte hadn¡¯t seen it herself, she must have been briefed about it. Dettomorian had performed a ritual on a cursed sword, which had subsequently disappeared.


    Dettomorian started to exin the ritual while slowly picking at his food.


    ¡°I was trying tomunicate with it.¡±


    ¡°... Communicate?¡±


    ¡°I was attempting to converse with the spirit dwelling in the sword... But since the spirit was asleep... I had to wake it up little by little until it could respond... Midway through, though, the ritual was interrupted as I was receiving some information.¡±


    <i>Primitive magic.</i>


    It was vastly different from the standardized magic of the present time. Dettomorian had tried tomunicate with the spirit residing within the sword itself. However, since it had been asleep and unable to converse, he kept prodding at it gently.


    Had he been saying to the sword, ¡°Hey, are you asleep? Come on, wake up. Hey, I need to talk to you. What? You¡¯re not waking up? Even now? Wow, stubborn little thing. Not waking up still, huh?¡±


    Anyways, he¡¯d managed to awaken the spirit halfway, enough to hear something akin to sleep-talking. But the ritual had been interrupted halfway through. He had truly been trying tomunicate, attempting to awaken the weakened spirit of Tiamata. That¡¯s why the sword had ended up in my room after forming a crude soul bond with me. This implied that the demonic version of Tiamata¡¯s spirit could have been fully revived.


    While Olivia Lanche had restored it to its original state as a Holy Relic, if Tiamata had beenpletely restored to its demonic state, who knows what might have happened? Either way, I was still its master. We couldn¡¯t be sure what would have happened if Dettomorian hadpleted his ritual. Fortunately, no incidents had urred because of the interruption to the ritual.


    ¡°By the way, are you certain that it was truly a Demon God Relic?¡± Charlotte asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°That... I don¡¯t know either... I just know that it¡¯s... very old item...¡±


    ¡°Hm, I see.¡±


    The assumption that it was a Demon God Relic hadn¡¯t been made by Dettomorian; it had been established by the high priest controlling the ritual. Whether it was actually a Demon God Relic or something else entirely had not been confirmed.


    In the end, I apologized to Dettomorian, and we shared a meal together.


    It was time to wrap up this matter and focus on student life in the Temple again.


    ¡°But what exactly is Sorcery? Hearing about it makes me really curious,¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°... What?¡± Dettomorian replied.


    Charlotte tilted her head in confusion while Dettomorian stared at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of vague and hard to pin down, but it seems like you can do a little bit of everything with it,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°After all, Detto figured out something even the Temple¡¯s dark mages and priests couldn¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t figure it all out...¡±


    ¡°Still, figuring out even a bit of it is something, right?¡±


    Dettomorian scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed by Charlotte¡¯s praise.


    <i>¡®What is this? Is he actually getting shy right now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh... Actually, Detto, when I went into your club roomst time, it felt kind of eerie... I think I misunderstood. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay... it happens to everyone...¡±


    He seemed used to such reactions.


    ¡°But Detto, what exactly is Sorcery?¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well... when you hear about destructive magic, illusion magic, alchemy, enchantments, or magical crafting, you at least get a rough idea of what they involve, right? But Sorcery... it seems to be able to do a lot of things, but it¡¯s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. What¡¯s the difference between magic and Sorcery?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Listening to Charlotte, it made sense why someone might have such a question.


    Of course, the Sorcery Dettomorian used was something I had created. Although I hadn¡¯t provided much detail since he wasn¡¯t the protagonist, I had set some basics.


    If you broke things down, destructive magic, illusion magic, alchemy, enchantments, and such, were all specific genres of magic. Sorcery wasn¡¯t a genre. Sorcery was essentially primitive magic; it was supposed to be an ancient term for what was called magic in the present time.


    Sorcery, therefore, was aprehensive concept of magic that was not confined to a specific use.


    Harriet had a talent for mastering all forms of modern magic, but Sorcery wasn¡¯t categorized as a modern genre of magic, so she wouldn¡¯t naturally have a talent for it, since Sorcery predated modern magic.


    On the other hand, Dettomorian did not have any talent in modern magic, but could master all facets of Sorcery. Hence, Sorcery itself is aprehensive skill.


    At least, that was how I had set it up. I was curious how Dettomorian, the beneficiary of this talent, would exin it in his own words.


    ¡°... The clear difference between magic and Sorcery is... the certainty of cause and effect...¡±


    ¡°The certainty of cause and effect?¡± Charlotte echoed.


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    Charlotte seemed somewhat confused, but I had a better grasp of what he meant.


    ¡°For destructive magic, there are specific magic forms and methods of mana maniption for casting a spell like Fireball... If you follow those procedures exactly, the Fireball spell is activated... But Sorcery doesn¡¯t work that way...¡±


    ¡°Oh... So, you mean there isn¡¯t a standardized method?¡±


    ¡°In a way, yes... Even using the same shamanistic ritual, sometimes the effect is much stronger, sometimes there¡¯s no effect at all... Or sometimes apletely different result might ur...¡±


    Sorcery was an ancient magic system where the cause and effect were unclear. It was the ultimate form of random magic.


    Charlotte¡¯s face paled a bit upon hearing the exnation.


    ¡°Th-That sounds... kind of dangerous,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m careful about those aspects...¡± Dettomorian assured her, but how cautiously he actually conducted his rituals was anyone¡¯s guess.


    Charlotte nodded slowly, indicating that she somewhat understood his exnation.


    Sensing that Charlotte might be a little scared, Dettomorian shook his head.


    ¡°Not all rituals or ceremonies are dangerous... Many are simple... like astrology, face reading, palmistry... fortune-telling or divination...¡±


    Palmistry and face reading¡ªconcepts familiar even outside of Sorcery¡ªmade Charlotte tilt her head in recognition.


    ¡°Those are considered Sorcery, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sorcery... It often involves judging these small things more than performing grand rituals... So I¡¯m more ustomed to those kinds of things...¡±


    In essence, shamans spent more time offering readings and collecting fees for fortune-telling than holding ceremonial rites.


    ¡°What¡¯s divination? Can you see the future?¡±


    ¡°As I mentioned... it¡¯s not certain.¡±


    Dettomorian looked back and forth between Charlotte and me, then asked in a low voice, ¡°Shall I... give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Now? Can you do it immediately?¡±


    I felt a bit scared, worried he might foresee something ominous and dark. But Charlotte¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Sheughed, noticing my apprehension.


    ¡°You¡¯re curious, right, Reinhart?¡± she teased, her enthusiasm undeterred.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess...¡± I muttered hesitantly, feeling a mix of curiosity and dread.


    In the end, seeing how intrigued Charlotte was, I reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°... Remember, I only say what I see... And even I don¡¯t know specifically what it means... So don¡¯t me me if it doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Dettomorian warned.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Charlotte replied confidently.


    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± I nodded.


    Dettomorian stared intensely at Charlotte for about three minutes and then turned his gaze on me, staring for another three minutes. The silence and his piercing gaze made me break out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Show me your palm...¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Here,¡± Charlotte said, extending both of her hands.


    Dettomorian examined the lines on her palms intently and then turned to inspect mine.


    <i>¡®... Wait, are my palm lines the same now as when I¡¯m in Baalier¡¯s form?¡¯ </i>


    I couldn¡¯t tell. <i>¡®And my face... do my current facial features have any significance?¡¯</i>


    ¡°You both... have secrets you can never tell anyone...¡±


    His words made both Charlotte and me freeze.


    <i>¡®What? How? How did hee to such a conclusion?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte and I locked eyes.


    Charlotte knew my secret¡ªabout being the heir to the Rotary Club and knowing Baalier¡¯s location. I also knew hers¡ªthat a boy named Baalier had helped her, that she was secretly in contact with him outside of Vertus¡¯s knowledge, and that she wielded an unknown power.


    Secrets that we couldn¡¯t tell anyone.


    Charlotte might believe that she understood what I was hiding because she knew those secrets, but in reality, there was more. I had a secret that was even more deeply hidden¡ªthat I had created this world. A secret so unbelievable that even if I told someone, they wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    Dettomorian was just guessing, or interpreting what he saw, without truly knowing the details. Nheless, he had quickly discerned that both Charlotte and I harbored secrets.


    A shiver ran down my spine.


    Then, Dettomorian fixed his gaze on me.


    ¡°Reinhart, you... need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll run into a lot of trouble because of women...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had noeback for that.


    Being told to conduct myself well made me break out in a cold sweat. It was true; I hadn¡¯t exactly made wise choices. Deep down, I knew I had been something of a jerk.


    But being directly called out like that... I really had no words to say. <i>¡®What do I do now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah... yeah, that¡¯s something you could know without needing a reading... Reinhart is a bit of a spineless guy, isn¡¯t he?¡± Charlotte remarked, looking at me with a mix of amusement and derision.


    It was as if she was saying that everyone close to me was already aware of it, since most of my interactions were with girls. But still, wasn¡¯t that expression a bit too much? Was she really being this openly disdainful?


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Reinhart. You should take Detto¡¯s advice and be carefu¡ª¡±


    ¡°And... Charlotte,¡± Dettomorian interjected.


    ¡°Uh, yes?¡±


    ¡°You are going to marry Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... Wh-What?¡±


    The sudden bombshell left Charlotte utterly speechless.

 Chapter 196

    <h4>Chapter 196</h4>


    <i>Charlotte was going to marry me...</i>


    It wasn¡¯t just Charlotte who was dumbfounded by this sudden revtion; I was equally stunned.


    ¡°What the¡ªh-hey, what kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I just... said what I saw...¡± Detomorian replied, staring straight at me.


    ¡°No,e on. How could that make any sense, no matter how you spin it?¡±


    ¡°Th-Th-that¡¯s right. It¡¯s, well, it¡¯s ridiculous to even say this, but... I¡¯m of royal blood,¡± Charlotte stammered, her face bing pale and her lips trembling.


    Although we were at the Temple, she was still royalty, and I was amoner. How could the two of us get married? As much as she hated to even speak of this absurdity, the ludicrous prediction of the future had forced her to make such a statement.


    ¡°People¡¯s futures... are unpredictable,¡± Detomorian replied.


    Sure, that was a reasonable statement. No one knew when, where, or how something might happen.


    But still, a shiver ran down my spine.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but did this mean that Charlotte would eventually discover I was a Baalier? And then, somehow, in some way, we¡¯d end up reconciling and getting married or something?


    No. Before all of that...


    Wouldn¡¯t this whole prediction make Charlotte begin to suspect that I might be a Baalier? If Charlotte began to doubt, it wouldn¡¯t be long before my true identity was revealed.


    This was a big problem.


    I had only nned to get my fortune read for fun, but if Charlotte began to make strange deductions, things could getplicated.


    ¡°It might be wrong... I just said what I saw,¡± Detomorian insisted.


    ¡°Yeah! Then it must be wrong! Aha... ahaha. I¡¯m not doubting your abilities or anything. It¡¯s just not possible, right? The difference in status is too great. It wouldn¡¯t make any sense at all. Right from the start, something like that could obviously never happen!¡± I eximed urgently.


    ¡°Y-Yeah... That doesn¡¯t make sense, right?¡± Charlotte nodded, still looking dazed.


    ¡°Exactly. Something that ridiculous could never happen.¡±


    We needed to dismiss this before Charlotte started entertaining strange ideas. There was definitely a possibility that Detomorian was wrong.


    ¡°Right?! Me... getting married to Reinhart? Ha, what a preposterous idea! That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, how could something like that happen? It¡¯s a totally impossible scenario.¡±


    Charlotte and I vehemently denied that such a future could evere to pass. Our eyes met for a moment during our frantic objections.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, it became increasingly difficult to look each other in the eye.


    ***


    After returning to the Royal ss dormitory, Charlotte changed out of her uniform and was now in the shower, washing herself.


    She had asked just for fun, but Detomorian had hit the nail on the head by revealing that she had a secret she could not tell anyone. That moment had sent chills down both her spine, as well as Reinhart¡¯s.


    Even though he might not have discovered the details, the fact that he¡¯d identified the existence of such a secret was enough. That¡¯s why she found Sorcery terrifying¡ªit was a strange, inexplicable force. She had always thought so.


    ¡°Ha. Ridiculous.¡±


    But what hade after that had been even more oundish.


    He¡¯d said she would marry Reinhart, and the moment she¡¯d heard it, Charlotte believed it to be nonsensical, and couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded. Her mind had gone nk for a moment, leaving her at a loss for words.


    Marrying Reinhart.


    If there were ever a scenario with zero possibility, that would be the one.


    The fundamental difference in their statuses meant immediate opposition from the imperial family, which would end any such notion right there. Even some of the highest nobles weren¡¯t considered suitable suitors for her. Amoner, who had been a vagrant and former member of a criminal organization before entering the Temple, bing her husband? It was an impossible proposition.


    More importantly, Charlotte had never considered Reinhart as anything more than a friend, unlike someone else.


    For that someone else, however, she might be willing to do whatever it took, even facing the opposition of the imperial family, or even if she had to leave the imperial family. That, she could understand. But Reinhart? And all of a sudden?


    Detomorian had given a simple answer: ¡°You never know with people.¡±


    Charlotte knew that too. You could never predict what could happen in life. You could be living a perfect life within the imperial household and then be kidnapped to the Demon King¡¯s castle one day.


    Regarding the whereabouts of that child, a mage named Elena knew, and Reinhart was the link between her and that child.


    What if something happened to that child?


    Reinhart was the only person Charlotte could consult about that child¡¯s situation. If in the course of discussing matters with him, she came to rely on him...


    Was it really an impossible scenario after all?


    People¡¯s lives were unpredictable, and there was a small chance that it wasn¡¯t truly impossible. Could she be so sure that falling in love with Reinhart was absolutely impossible?


    ¡°What am I... even thinking...¡±


    She often imagined worst-case scenarios in her head, and now she was doing it again. Thinking about something happening to that child, and feeling like she might end up relying on Reinhart.


    It was disrespectful to both the child and Reinhart.


    It was an impossible urrence. She wasn¡¯t doubting Dettomorian¡¯s abilities, but there was no reason to be shaken by just one statement. Even Dettomorian himself had said it could be wrong. And while she indeed had no feelings in that regard, even if she did, what of it?


    Reinhart¡¯s reaction had also been one of extreme denial. He¡¯d vehemently rejected the notion. <i>Very </i>vehemently.


    ¡°...¡±


    Thinking about it, Charlotte felt a strange sense of difort.


    <i>¡®Who does he think he is? ... How ridiculous of him to have such a reaction,¡¯ </i>Charlotte thought.


    Sure, it was an impossible situation, but he had denied it so intensely, almost to the point of appearing angry.


    Was such a reaction really necessary? What did he have to lose as opposed to her?


    Although they were both living as Temple students and not bound by status, in the whole continent, her status was second only to the emperor¡¯s.


    She took pride in her intellect, wealth, and abilities, and was confident that shecked nothing.


    As for her character... She believed she presented herself well on the outside.


    So who was he to react like that?


    Even if he were to kneel and beg, she wouldn¡¯t even consider it, and yet he¡¯d acted as though he was repulsed by the very idea.


    Who did he seriously think he was?


    He had a terrible personality, insignificant status, and there were terrible rumors about his private life. The only noteworthy thing about him was that he had a somewhat decent-looking face.


    <i>¡®The audacity,¡¯ </i>she thought.


    The idea that she might marry such a guy? Absolutely ridiculous.


    Of course, when she seriously considered it, it wasn¡¯t entirely baseless.


    Yes, he had a nasty personality, but she had been worse, and he had still helped her and kept her secrets. Despite the possibility that it might cause him to fall out of favor with Vertus, he didn¡¯t hesitate to maintain his friendship with her. She knew the rumors about his private life were just misunderstandings and nder.


    He also had courage, audacity, and undeniably good abilities. More than good¡ªthere weren¡¯t many among their peers who couldpare.


    When she thought about it... Really, seriously thought about it, regardless of their differences in status, she had to admit he was an extraordinary person.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte realized she had to give credit where credit was due.


    Her focus had always been on the other child, and she hadn¡¯t given much thought to Reinhart. Thanks to Dettomorian¡¯s sudden statement, though, she found herself thinking seriously about Reinhart, which led to a strange feeling.


    ¡°... Unbelievable.¡±


    In the end, Charlotte found herself feeling irrationally angry at Reinhart¡¯s vehement disgust, and she impulsively punched the shower wall.


    <i>Thunk! Thunk!</i>


    Of course, given herck of strength, it didn¡¯t make a very satisfying sound, and only left her with an aching fist.


    <i>¡®As if I would ever be interested in someone like you. Even if you were interested, I¡¯d still be the one rejecting you. How could you say something like that could never happen?</i>


    <i>¡®If I decided to make it happen, it could. If I became the empress, there would be no such thing as an impossible scenario, regardless of the imperial family¡¯s opposition.</i>


    <i>¡®Who is he to react like that? Someone like him?¡¯</i>


    Fuming, Charlotte looked at herself in the shower mirror, as water streamed down her face.


    Her reflection stared back at her.


    ¡°...¡±


    As she stared at her angry reflection, she suddenly thought of the one usible reason for his extreme rejection.


    <i>¡®Am I... not attractive?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte found herself gazing nkly at her reflection in the mirror.


    At that moment, she realized that she couldn¡¯t view herself objectively.


    ***


    Without much time to organize my thoughts, I decided to head out that Monday night for a brief outing.


    I felt it necessary to inform my people about the matter regarding the Holy Sword Tiamata.


    Still, Detomorian¡¯s words left my mind in turmoil.


    <i>¡®Charlotte and I getting married...¡¯</i>


    Of course, there was a chance he was wrong, so it wasn¡¯t a certainty.


    But if we did end up getting married, what would lead to that?


    Would it be because Charlotte discovered that I was a Baalier and decided to forgive me? Would that somehow lead to us getting married?


    Even so, my social status waspletely ipatible with royalty. This current situation only worked because we were both at the Temple. In the hypothetical scenario where Charlotte became the empress, it was highly unlikely that we would ever marry. Unless, of course, she wielded such absolute imperial power that she could override all opposition.


    Otherwise, perhaps Charlotte would lose herpetition for the throne, escape somewhere, and end up marrying me¡ªsomething along those lines.


    If such a thing did ur, while the specifics of the process were unknown, the result would be clear. Charlotte and I would survive the uing gate incident. Reaching some endpoint called marriage indicated as much.


    If Dettomorian¡¯s words were true, what they signified wasn¡¯t necessarily our marriage, but the fact that both of us would survive.


    One vague prediction was enough to make my head spin.


    And yet, despite my personal feelings, I found it strange to ponder how such an event would ur, and what it would ultimately mean. I realized I hadn¡¯t even considered whether I liked or disliked the idea.


    As I walked the streets outside the Temple, this thought struck me.


    It felt as if I was so preupied with pointless causal reasoning that I was losing something important within myself.


    ***


    ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    I had arrived at Eleris¡¯s new address. Eleris had managed to secure a semi-basement room near the Aligar shopping district, just as she wanted. From the look on her face, she was absolutely thrilled.


    The ce was damp and musty, but Eleris seemed to like it. Considering how pitiful she¡¯d been, having to use the morning sunlight as her rm clock... I suppose she didn¡¯t have that problem here.


    She seemed to have found a good ce. There were no unnecessary neighbors, and the upper floor was amercial space rather than a residential one, so it would be empty at night.


    Eleris had carefully picked a secluded, rarely frequented ce that I could asionally visit without causing much concern.


    She had chosen well.


    Seeing Eleris so delighted with her new home made me feel slightly pleased as well, although, under normal circumstances, someone might ask if she really had to live in a ce like this. It was barely furnished, and honestly looked like a haunted house.


    ¡°I still need to do some cleaning, but I¡¯m nning to take my time with it. I¡¯d like to even do some interior decorating this time,¡± Eleris said.


    The contrast between Eleris dreaming about how to decorate her new home and the damp, eerie atmosphere of the room was stark.


    I hoped she nned on decorating it in a normal way. She wouldn¡¯t just put a coffin in here or something, right?


    ¡°By the way, what brings you here, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡±


    It would be too risky to visit frequently just because I was bored, so I typically avoideding unless it was to ¡®deliver¡¯ a letter from Charlotte or something equally important.


    ¡°You know that sword we brought from the Dark Land?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. Has the Temple figured out what it is?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, it wasn¡¯t the Temple staff that figured it out, exactly.¡±


    Given what she was, it was difficult to just show it to her directly.


    ¡°It turns out, it¡¯s the Holy Sword Tiamata.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    As expected, Eleris had no idea what I was talking about.

 Chapter 197

    <h4>Chapter 197</h4>


    After my long and detailed exnation about the Holy Sword Tiamata, Eleris still seemed uncertain. So, in the end, I still had to show Eleris Tiamata, the holy sword that was now bound to my soul, before she fullyprehended the situation.


    When I summoned it, she reacted as if she had seen garlic, a violent reaction typical of vampires. She was more startled than when exposed to direct sunlight, leaping up from her spot and sticking to the wall as if trying to run away, trembling all the while.


    ¡°... Does just seeing a holy sword cause damage to the undead?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that... It¡¯s just that its nature is inherently antagonistic to mine...¡±


    When I dismissed Tiamata, Eleris let out a deep sigh of relief, as if the ground had given way beneath her. She exined that while it didn¡¯t cause physical damage, merely looking at it made her feel a deep chill.


    ¡°It¡¯s fascinating... how that sword turned out to be Tiamata...¡±


    Eleris seemed quite shocked at the idea that the Holy Sword Tiamata could fall so far and end up in such a state.


    ¡°In the end, while it¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯ve be the master of a holy sword, and I want to congratte you... due to my circumstances...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Now that I had be the master of the weapon that was most lethal to her, Eleris seemed a bit frightened.


    ¡°Still, thank you for telling me,¡± Eleris said. She believed my honesty about Tiamata showed that I trusted her.


    For quite a while, Eleris and I talked about the differences between the demon gods and the great gods of humanity, and about their divine statuses. In the end, we agreed that the meaning of the great gods varied, and their powers changed depending on what people believed.


    Olivia Lanche had altered the usage of Ouen¡¯s Divine Power so that she could also wield the power of the demon god Kier.


    ¡°Gods seem to be far stranger beings than we can imagine.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    However, this was all because I hadn¡¯t set things up properly from the beginning.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t really have a need for it,¡± I said. ¡°I happened to obtain it by chance.¡±


    By attending sses at the Temple and sparring with Ellen, I had naturally grown stronger. And while the Holy Sword Tiamata was indeed a powerful weapon, it was also a limited one.


    I had no reason to fight against the undead for now, and so its power would only be of use to me in its corrupted form. And I would lose my mind if I killed people with the corrupted Tiamata and raised them as undead.


    I kept it because it was a good thing to have, and it turned out to be a better item than expected, but having it wasn¡¯t exceptionally beneficial to me.


    Eleris pondered my words, pursing her lips in thought.


    ¡°At this point, it is more valuable as a symbol than as a weapon,¡± she said.


    ¡°A symbol. You mean its symbolic value as Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had a rough idea of what Eleris meant by this.


    ¡°If it were to be revealed that Your Highness is a demon, and it became known that you are the master of Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic Tiamata...¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°The Ouen Church would have to make one of two choices: either deny Tiamata, or acknowledge that even demons can be Ouen¡¯s champions.¡±


    I fully understood what she meant.


    The Ouen Church followed the doctrine of purity, and rejected the undead and demons. A demon, particrly the Archdemon who was also the Demon King, was not supposed to be able to be the master of Ouen¡¯s Holy Relic, Tiamata. Yet, the Demon King had be Tiamata¡¯s master.


    In such a case, they would have to either im that the Tiamata I had was a fake, or acknowledge that demons could indeed be Ouen¡¯s champions.


    ¡°As you know, however, the high priests would be able to tell at a nce that this is Tiamata. Even if they aren¡¯t fully faithful, they cannot deny the power this sword holds.¡±


    One cannot cover the sky with the palm of their hand.


    Denying Tiamata or acknowledging that a demon could be a champion of Ouen were both difficult positions for the church of Ouen to adopt.


    ¡°The fact that Your Highness is the master of Tiamata is an issue significant enough to shake the entire faith in the Five Great Gods.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed it would be.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that the entire church of Ouen would side with Your Highness. However, if such a situation were to arise, Tiamata could be a very powerful means of obtaining political and religious protection.¡±


    Tiamata had more value beyond its use as a weapon.


    In the worst-case scenario, revealing that I was Tiamata¡¯s master could potentially lead to meing under the protection of the church of Ouen.


    Of course, there was always the possibility that they might try to eliminate me.


    Eleris had provided some alternative uses of Tiamata, at least. She didn¡¯t seem too worried about me bing Tiamata¡¯s master.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t here just to inform her about the matter of Tiamata.


    I was also here to prepare for the uing Gate Incident. My preparations for that had to begin in earnest.


    As a preliminary preparation, I was constantly training to be stronger myself, but naturally, that wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    The Gate Incident was fundamentally an ident. An ident that overtook the human world while it was unprepared.


    That was why the resulting casualties would be enormous, and the level of damage so unmanageable that even students of the Temple, who were still just students but of noble status, would be conscripted to fight.


    I was the only one who knew the exact timing of this unknown ident.


    If we could prepare in advance, the loss of life could be astronomically reduced. The location of the incidents, the circumstances, and the flow of the events¡ªthese were known to me.


    If anyone within the empire or anyone else knew these things in advance, they would be able to prepare for it, so there was no reason not to do so.


    It was obvious that bing individually stronger wouldn¡¯t suffice. If I could mobilize arge number of people, I could aplish so much more.


    But how could I exin and convince people that I knew about an unprecedented, colossal incident known as the Gate Incident and that we needed to prepare for it?


    Indeed, I had the prince and princess by my side who were capable of mobilizing countless legions, but even if they believed my warnings about the Gate Incident, how could I exin why I knew it?


    Even revealing my identity as the Demon King wouldn¡¯t suffice as an exnation.


    Therefore, for now, the best motivation for mobilizing people was money. I needed an astronomical amount of money, not for wielding economic power over the empire, but to prepare for the Gate Incident.


    Money was a means. I wasn¡¯t sure yet what exactly I would be able to do with it or how extensively I could extend my reach, but to prepare for the future, I first needed to amass a colossal amount of money.


    The Rotary Club was the primary source.


    ¡°How are things on Airi¡¯s side these days?¡± I asked.


    Airi, who was living in the Edina Archipgo and solely focused on acquiring wealth, was the second source.


    There was Eleris, Sarkegar, Loyar, the Rotary Club, and the Thieves¡¯ Guild. Along with that, I also had connections with the prince and princess.


    Then came Airi in the Edina Archipgo, and her affiliations with the wealthy local figures over there.


    I essentially had influence from the imperial family and money from Edina Archipgo,


    With these two sources of power, I had to prepare for the Gate Incident.


    Eleris tilted her head at my question about Airi¡¯s current situation.


    ¡°Well... based on the most recent update, it seems that things have progressed quite a bit sincest time.¡±


    ¡°Progressed in what way?¡±


    ¡°With shipowners, money lenders, and local dignitaries. It seems she has built quite a few connections. It¡¯s not so much that she¡¯s be richer on her own. Rather, she is now able to mobilize the people who control capital. It seems she is achieving her intended goals, though...¡±


    Airi was not just amassing money, but also trying to control those who possessed vast capital. I wasn¡¯t sure how she was doing it, but she was getting the desired results. Controlling the people who had ess to and could move money wasn¡¯t much different from having a lot of money herself.


    Despite this, Eleris seemed somewhat concerned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much money would be enough to shake up the empire¡¯s financial system, but it seems that Her Highness will soon be able to exert significant influence over the Edina Archipgo.¡±


    I had only sent her there to keep her upied, but Airi had done remarkably well. In less than a year, she had established herself in the capital of the Edina Archipgo and formed numerous connections with local wealthy individuals and those who wielded power.


    Eleris¡¯s concern was that Airi was doing her job too well, potentially causing significant disruption in the human world.


    ¡°Having a lot of money isn¡¯t a bad thing. They¡¯ll move as Imand, and when the timees, we¡¯ll take appropriate measures,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Despite my reassurance that I was in control of the situation, Eleris still seemed uneasy.


    The money that Airi had amassed would be used slightly differently from how she had originally envisioned it. Despite Eleris¡¯s unease, I would only benefit from Airi¡¯s continued sess.


    The more means at my disposal, the better.


    ¡°How is the Rotary Club doing these days?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the Rotary Club.¡±


    The issue of the Rotary Club was still pending.


    The new clubhouse, their new headquarters, had already beenpleted some time ago, and everyone had shed their ragged appearances and at least somewhat resembled decent people.


    After the bizarre incident in which I had been kidnapped by the Thieves¡¯ Guild due to ack of information sharing, Loyar had been continuously updating Eleris and Sarkegar on the Rotary Club¡¯s situation.


    Airi¡¯s progress was too smooth, which was problematic in its own way. However, Eleris¡¯s furrowed brow seemed to imply that there were some issues with the Rotary Club.


    ¡°Apparently, the sales are bing increasingly difficult. There are too manypetitors now, and as a result, the passengers on the magic trains are beginning to avoid them more.¡±


    The subway panhandling was getting harder and harder. Of course, I had anticipated that much.


    ¡°Of course. I never thought it would be a long-term business.¡±


    ¡°Now that the club members¡¯ standards of living have improved, they need more money. They seem unsure of how to continue running the club. It¡¯s bing awkward for them to keep asking the Thieves¡¯ Guild for support as well.¡±


    To live like proper people, they needed certain things. Although the club members¡¯ standards of living had improved, the peddling business on the subway was generating less and less ie.


    I always knew that a different revenue model was needed. It felt ridiculous to talk about a revenue model for begging, but a shift was necessary.


    Apparently, Loyar had been under a lot of stresstely. The club members were used to rough living and adapting to whatever came their way, but now they had many burdens, and their heads seemed on the verge of exploding due to the sudden increase in responsibilities.


    ¡°How about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness...?¡±


    ¡°We make the businesspletely legal.¡±


    At the mention of legality, Eleris tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°We turn the peddlers inside the magic trains into legitimate vendors. Make it a permissible business.¡±


    ¡°... Are you suggesting we leverage the power of the prince or princess?¡±


    Currently, selling items inside the magic trains wasn¡¯t illegal. However, since passengers felt inconvenienced by it, it would soon be illegal.


    Making it a legal business would solve this issue, but that was something only the prince or princess could do, not me.


    ¡°Yes. Instead of just carrying goods around and selling them as they do now, we can get them to set up proper shops.¡±


    My initial idea was to have them selling snacks on push carts, but that would probably never get approved.


    Magic trains did not have fixed seating, and having carts running around while passengers tried to stand and move around would undoubtedly cause significant inconvenience.


    ¡°Right now, each station where the magic train stops is just a station, with nothing in it. Let¡¯s set up shops there and run our business.¡±


    All stations merely served as boarding gates, and had no shops or facilities. Why leave such valuable spaces empty? It would be so much better to open shops there and sell goods. The stations were ces with high foot traffic, and having nothing there was just a wasted opportunity.


    We could transition from begging to operating a legitimate business. The permits could be issued by Vertus or the princess. The proposal was unlikely to be rejected, since it had no losses attached to it.


    If they refused, we could deal with it then.


    ¡°... It certainly sounds like a good idea. But... even if we get the permits, wouldn¡¯t it cost an enormous amount of money to set up stalls or shops at numerous stations?¡±


    Setting up dozens of shops was no small feat. Even with the permits, without money, it would all be for naught.


    <i>¡®Ohe on, don¡¯t be so naive.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Who starts a business with their own money? We get investments. There are plenty of people willing to invest.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°The empire would be granting us exclusive business rights. It¡¯s a sure-win business with nopetition. Why should we use our own money? We should use other people¡¯s money.¡±


    <i>¡®Businesses are meant to be funded with other people¡¯s money!¡¯</i>


    If this worked out, the government would be granting us a monopoly.


    <i>Monopoly.</i>


    What a beautiful word.


    The Rotary Club finally getting an exclusive business contract with the government... Anyone who wouldn¡¯t invest in this would be insane.


    Eleris, who was skilled in magic but not in business, looked bewildered.


    <i>¡®Starting a business without money? Is that even possible? Is that allowed?¡¯ </i>her expression said.


    Eleris could be quite endearing at times.


    ¡°The Merchants¡¯ Guild should be our first stop. Those fellows would drool like dogs just at the thought of securing the suppliers¡¯ rights.¡±


    ¡°Right... that makes sense.¡±


    I personally didn¡¯t care much for the Merchants¡¯ Guild, but as the saying goes, hate the person, not the money. They had lots of money, and if we agreed to source all goods for the train station shops exclusively through the Merchants¡¯ Guild, they¡¯d be ecstatic.


    They¡¯d not only invest, but we could also negotiate substantial discounts on the goods. By creating a bidding war within the Merchants¡¯ Guild for supply rights, prices would drop substantially due to thepetitive nature of their members.


    We would use the investments from the Merchants¡¯ Guild to sell goods supplied by them.


    Essentially, the Merchants¡¯ Guild would end up doing everything, but the Rotary Club would rake in the profits. Of course, the Merchants¡¯ Guild would still make significant gains.


    With the personnel and the exclusive business rights, the Rotary Club would be able to generate an immense amount of money.


    This was why power was so advantageous. It was easier to make money using power than to buy power with money.


    ¡°Inform Loyar. I will discuss this with Vertus or Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    It would be great if they approved it; if not, we woulde up with another n.


    Airi¡¯s seemed to be progressing well on her own, and if this n worked out for the Rotary Club, the club would begin to earn money on apletely different scale.


    Eleris had another concern. ¡°Your Highness, can Loyar actually handle a business of that scale?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already struggling with managing the club; scaling up the business so drastically might lead to failure.¡±


    In Eleris¡¯s view, Loyar was a bit of an idiot. She seemed to have gotten somewhat better since taking on some management responsibilities, but at her core, she was still not very bright.


    Strictly speaking, she was more like a brute than an idiot.


    Eleris was worried that Loyar didn¡¯t have the capacity to handle such arge-scale business. Since I had to attend sses in the Temple, I couldn¡¯t take on the task myself.


    ¡°Eleris, have you seen a homeless person that doesn¡¯t have a story to tell?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Homeless people and vagrants, they all have some sort of story, whether big or small.¡±


    ¡°Yes... I suppose so, but...¡± Eleris tilted her head, not understanding what stories had to do with the situation.


    ¡°In other words, there are over two hundred homeless people with stories in the club.¡±


    In one of Tolstoy¡¯s works, <i>Anna Karenina</i>, there is a famous quote: ¡°All unhappy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.¡±


    The Rotary Club was a gathering of unhappy people.


    Over two hundred unique tales of misfortune.


    ¡°Among them, don¡¯t you think there¡¯ll be at least one person who failed in business, either through their own mistakes or by being swindled?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    There were undoubtedly several individuals who had ended up on the streets due to failed businesses.


    Loyar did not have to figure out the whole business on her own. She could rely on advisors from within the club to move things forward.


    Eleris nodded fervently, realizing the sense in it.


    ***


    After giving Eleris an outline of the n, I returned to the Temple.


    The next steps needed to be taken gradually.


    Taking control of the imperial capital¡¯s underworld.


    That was something else I needed to consider.


    There were two ways to go about that: using the Thieves¡¯ Guild, or leveraging the Rotary Club. However, it seemed more beneficial to utilize the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    Although it was uncertain what exactly they could do, if I could manipte the denizens of the underworld, we might be able to destroy all the warp gates in the capital at once.


    <i>Warp gates.</i>


    They were the key. In about two years, just as the first semester of the third year begins, all the warp gates across the continent would connect to another world, allowing otherworldly beings to pour forth.


    That was the Gate Incident.


    I had to figure out a way to stop that cmity from happening at the source, or, if prevention was impossible, at least minimize the damage.

 Chapter 198

    <h4>Chapter 198</h4>


    I had written in the Gate Incident out of frustration after ack of ideas in developing the plot left me with a sense of giving up. I, the author, who had been writing nothing but novels filled with bad endings and countless deaths, now found myself in the midst of such a catastrophic event. And as the protagonist, I had to either stop the madness or minimize the damage.


    After the warp gates morphed into dimensional portals that connected to another world, all travel between warp gates became impossible. Furthermore, the imperial city had thergest number of warp gates on the entire continent.


    Because the imperial city had the most warp gates, it suffered the greatest loss of human life. Yet it remained the imperial city. Though the city ended up under significant attack, it remained rtively unharmed thanks to therge number of soldiers stationed there and the presence of the Temple.


    From that point on, it became crucial to either destroy the warp gates that were connected to the other world, or sever the connectionpletely.


    Only the imperial city managed to handle the situation somewhat effectively. While nearly the entire continent was plunged into chaos, the imperial city remained safe, isted from other regions.


    Following this, the empire, which now consisted solely of the imperial city, and the Temple began a long and arduous fight to either destroy or restore the warp gates scattered across the continent. In the end, I never exined why the Gate Incident had happened in the first ce. It simply happened out of the blue.


    However, this world had so far supplemented any missing exnations with its own logic to fill in the gaps. Hence, there was a definite reason why the warp gates would suddenly be connected to another world. If I could discover that reason, I could prevent the Gate Incident from urring at all.


    This might have been the greatest punishment for myzy writing style, which was skipping over important exnations out of convenience.


    <i>Because you skipped important details, you now have to find out for yourself what will happen, if that¡¯s even possible.</i>


    That had to be the intention behind this.


    If I couldn¡¯t figure it out, tens of millions of people would die horribly.


    The Gate Incident had a conclusion, but its cause was unknown. My initial thought was to destroy all the warp gates on the continent, but that would be impossible.


    Getting rid of the warp gates in the imperial city might be somewhat possible, but destroying all the warp gates that existed was not feasible. If they were meticulously destroyed one by one, more warp gates would be created.


    In this world, warp gates had be indispensable to humanity. If someone destroyed any of them, there would certainly be retaliation, and the gate would simply be rebuilt.


    In the original work, the warp gates were destroyed and then magically restored, which was how the empire slowly reimed its territory. Once the gates were destroyed or normalized, beings from the other world would no longer pour out of them.


    Though the imperial city had managed to hold out against the initial onught, a tremendous number of people still perished, since the imperial city had the most warp gates and faced the highest influx of monsters. If the incident yed out for real, the city would suffer catastrophic damage.


    If someone destroyed all the warp gates in the imperial city before the Gate Incident urred, would that prevent monsters from appearing there?


    While destroying every gate on the continent was impossible, it might be possible to limit the scope to the imperial city. Of course, I still didn¡¯t know the true cause of the Gate Incident. Even if all the gates were destroyed, a simr catastrophe could happen due to another unknown factor.


    Finding the cause of the Gate Incident and preventing it from happening in the first ce would be the best course of action. The next best option would be to destroy as many warp gates as possible before the crisis unfolded. However, preemptively destroying the gates might not be the ultimate solution, since there was a possibility that an unexpected third scenario could pop up.


    Regardless, resources and funds were needed. Suddenly telling Vertus and Charlotte that around the third year of school, all the warp gates on the continent would suddenly connect to another world and cause chaos, thus necessitating the destruction of all warp gates, wouldn¡¯t be convincing.


    To resolve the issue in this manner, evidence was required¡ªproof that such an event would ur. If such evidence existed, it could be used to persuade the imperial family. Though it seemed there was ample time, in reality, there wasn¡¯t much.


    I needed to gain powerful forces that were currently beyond my reach.


    Money, people, and power.


    I needed to acquire all three.


    ***


    ¡°... So, you want to set up a stall and do business at the station?¡± Vertus asked.


    ¡°... In a way, yes. Doesn¡¯t it sound good?¡±


    Vertus stared at me with a slightly bewildered expression.


    To think that my next move in dealing with a crisis akin to the end of the world would be to ask for permission to run a business at a subway station. What was I even doing?


    Vertus initially seemed to be taken aback by my sudden suggestion, but then he shed a cunning smile. ¡°Is your ie dropping to a dangerous level because ofpetitiontely?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡±


    Of course, Vertus knew about the Rotary Club and its revenue sources, so he wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. In fact, it was more surprising that he had left them alone until now.


    Vertus stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°It does feel like we¡¯ve been leaving a high-traffic area underutilized. Doing something there wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea.¡±


    It looked like Vertus was considering it positively.


    ¡°There have beenints about peddlers on the magic trains, and there¡¯s been talk of driving them all out...¡± he added.


    ¡°... Really?¡± I asked.


    It was news to me that such discussions were happening.


    Vertus nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been blocking those measures till now, but I guess there¡¯s no need for that anymore.¡±


    ¡°What? You blocked them?¡±


    What was he talking about? Blocking them?


    Vertus smiled wryly as he noticed my confusion.


    ¡°Of course, the precious family members of my ssmate could end up out on the stree¡ªwell, they technically already are I guess. Anyway, it would be a problem if they lost their source of ie, right? So, I told them to just leave it be.¡±


    What was this? I was genuinely moved by Vertus. I mean, wasn¡¯t I supposed to be?


    ¡°Seeing you make that kind of face to me is pretty gross. Your usual slightly annoying look suits you better.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m just being grateful.¡±


    Vertus seemed a bit unnerved by my emotional expression. Apparently, he had a higher opinion of me than I thought and seemed to care about things I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    <i>¡®Yeah, if a viin is on my side, that was a good thing, right? Even if he¡¯s a douchebag, if he¡¯s on my side then he¡¯s a good douchebag!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, it looks like you¡¯ll want an exclusive business license. But even if you get the business rights, you guys wouldn¡¯t have the capital to start such a venture, would you?¡±


    Vertus acknowledged my ambition, but questioned whether it was too excessive and whether I could handle it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll raise some through investment.¡±


    ¡°Investment, huh. Well, at least you have some sense. But from where?¡±


    ¡°For now, I¡¯m thinking of the Merchants¡¯ Guild.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Vertus grinned at me. ¡°You actually have a knack for this, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about knack, but it seems like a reasonable bet, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Vertus appeared intrigued by the fact that I had nned out not only the business venture, but also had a pretty solid idea of where to get the initial capital.


    I had never thought of myself as that type. To be frank, I <i>wasn¡¯t</i> that type. I didn¡¯t know the first thing about running a business and only had the ideas. It would be up to the others to manage the actual operation.


    Although the Rotary Club had a history of failure, there were definitely people with business experience among them, and they could use their collective intelligence to run the business. All I needed to do was get the authorization.


    ¡°Alright. A 90-10 split, then.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    <i>¡®A what split? What was he talking about?¡¯</i>


    Confused by the sudden numerical proposition, I stared nkly at Vertus, who narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Were you nning on getting this for free? If so, that¡¯s more surprising. Or should it be me getting 90% and you getting 10%?¡±


    ¡°No! No! No! Of course, I¡¯ll give you 10%! Absolutely! You got it! Wow, I¡¯ve been so oblivious! I get told that a lot!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be putting in any additional investment, though. You¡¯re still fine with giving me 10%?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Oh my, I¡¯d feel guilty that you¡¯re taking so little!¡±


    ¡°Really? Then maybe I should take a bit more, say twen¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a figure of speech, my friend! Haha! Come on now!¡±


    Vertus seemed to enjoy watching me frantically running through a range of emotions with just a few words from him.


    ***


    After Vertus proposed a 90-10 split, he said he would consider my suggestion in a positive light, and he would inform me once everything was finalized.


    It was quite a shock to realize that the reason the peddlers had managed to keep up their operations so far wasn¡¯t due to government inaction, but because Vertus had been deliberately preventing any crackdown. Of course, it probably wasn¡¯t a significant effort on his part¡ªjust a simple ¡°Let it be.¡± Still, it was something.


    There was noplex reason behind why I¡¯d gone to Vertus instead of Charlotte. It was because of Dettomorian¡¯s unexpected prophecy that I didn¡¯t have the courage to properly face Charlotte.


    Getting a sudden ¡°You two will get married¡± prophecy and then immediately going to her and saying, ¡°Hey, I need permission to run a business at the subway stations because of this and that¡± just seemed some and awkward!


    Simply put, I knew it wasn¡¯t something I should worry about, but still.


    Somehow, it was just... awkward.


    Anyway, the sudden announcement from Dettomorian had altered the rtionship between Charlotte and me a little.


    ¡°Uh, um... Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Have sses ended?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Oh... okay. I¡¯ll be going then.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. Sure.¡±


    It had be absurdly awkward between us.


    Previously, when Charlotte and I asionally crossed paths, she used to greet me with a bright smile and a preppy sort of energy. However, ever since that incident, whenever we bumped into each other, we¡¯d awkwardlyugh, exchange nces, and then walk past each other without knowing what to say.


    We could just dismiss Dettomorian¡¯s prophecy as being untrue, but it seemed both of us were still stuck in a state of confusion, wondering how such a thing might even be possible. I felt like I had received a prophecy about my identity as Baalier being exposed. That would certainly cause everything to spiral out of control.


    I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how Charlotte might feel.


    Anyway, thanks to the huge rock that Dettomorian had thrown, Charlotte and I were now in this weirdly awkward situation.


    Sensing the strange atmosphere between Charlotte and me, Ludwig tilted his head in curiosity. ¡°Did you two have a fight?¡±


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s not that.¡±


    It was Tuesday, the day we had Swordsmanship sses. After our Swordsmanship Practical, Scarlett, Ludwig, Ellen, and I headed back to the dormitories together.


    Ludwig seemed concerned, thinking that Charlotte and I might¡¯ve had a falling out since we were acting a bit distant.


    ¡°See you guys,¡± Scarlett said formally.


    ¡°Oh... yeah. Take care.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    Scarlett nodded politely to Ellen and me before heading back to the ss B dormitory with Ludwig.


    Scarlett hadn¡¯t changed in the exact way that she had in the original story, but in a way, this seemed alright too. She appeared to be evolving in her own subtle manner. I wished she would drop the formal speech, though. How long was she going to keep speaking so formally?


    That day¡¯s Swordsmanship Practical ss hadn¡¯t been particrly special. We didn¡¯t have another practice sparring session with the Orbis ss students like we didst week. I sparred with Scarlett and Ludwig under Ellen¡¯s watchful eye.


    Without using my supernatural ability, I lost to both of them. Using my powers, I had a slight edge over Ludwig, but was still far from overpowering Scarlett. It hadn¡¯t been an overwhelming defeat, but I was still easily taken down by her. I had anticipated Scarlett¡¯s skill, so it was not a surprising oue. She was inherently very strong and yed a significant role in the Gate Incident while showcasing potential that rivaled Ellen¡¯s.


    In the future, she would gain the nickname ¡°Spellbreaker¡± due to her incredible magic resistance that rendered her almost immune to spells. Scarlett had her own growth trajectory, and Ludwig, being the protagonist, would close the gap with her if given even the slightest chance, or he would soon catch up to me.


    Inevitably, Ludwig would surpass me. He was, after all, the protagonist. And Ellen, even without using Mana Reinforcement, defeated all of us effortlessly.


    In a way, this served as a measurement of ourbat capabilities.


    Under normal conditions:


    Ellen > Scarlett >>>>> Ludwig > Me


    When going all out:


    Ellen (with Mana Reinforcement) >>>>>>> Scarlett > Me (with supernatural powers) > Ludwig


    That was the rough hierarchy. It was hard to specte how things would change if I summoned Tiamata, so I hadn¡¯t factored it in.


    Among the other main meleebatants in the Royal ss¡ªVertus, Cliffman, Erhi, and, to a lesser extent, Delphine, although she specialized in archery rather than close-quarterbat¡ªit was clear that both Vertus and Cliffman were far more skilled than I was.


    I could sense Cliffman¡¯s superiority whenever we sparred, and though I¡¯d never crossed swords with Vertus, he was likely on par with or better than Cliffman. Thus, considering all the physical close-quarterbatants in the Royal ss, Erhi and Ludwig were the only ones I could absolutely beat.


    In other words, my only real match was the kid who didn¡¯t train hard at all, and the other who was ate-blooming protagonist¡ªand even then, I needed my supernatural power to defeat thetter.


    I had certainly grown, but there was still a long way to go.


    As Ellen and I headed toward the ss A dormitory, we walked past a scene that gave me a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    ¡ªHey, we should tell the teacher.


    ¡ªUgh... Whatever... That son of a bitch.


    The Three Idiots were sitting in the exact same spot and positions as the week before. Erhi de Raffaeli, who had been beaten by the Orbis ss studentsst week, was sitting there with a swollen cheek once again, nked by Connor Lint and Kaier.


    The week before, that guy had gotten himself beaten up by someone from the Orbis ss. He had bragged about how he would eventually take them down anyway because they had no talent, which was why he ended up getting beaten up. I had told him to stop picking fights, and then Harriet had scolded me, thinking that I was the one who¡¯d hit him.


    ¡°Hey, you go in first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen walked toward her room, while I approached the trio. They looked visibly distressed as I drew near.


    ¡°So, where did you get beat up this time?¡±


    It was the same pattern as the previous week. He picked a fight with someone from the Orbis ss, got beaten up, and then came back to the Royal ss to get lectured by me.


    Erhi grimaced and shook his head.


    ¡°No, hey. This time it wasn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s <i>not </i>like that?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah! This time I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! Do you think I¡¯m crazy enough to pick another fight?¡± he shouted. It was as if he was trying to preemptively stop me from giving him a thorough scolding.


    ¡°... Okay, if you didn¡¯t, you didn¡¯t. Why the hell are you yelling and causing a scene?¡±


    <i>¡®Why is he so riled up, yelling with those sharp eyes of his?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, I-I didn¡¯t mean it like that...¡± Erhi said, flinching at my sudden outburst and mming up.


    I sat down on the sofa opposite him, crossing my arms.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s it this time?¡±


    If Erhi was telling the truth, did he just get beaten up for no reason this time? Last week he was at fault, but was he truly innocent this time around?


    ¡°Hey! I told you to cut it out!¡±


    And then, another d¨¦j¨¤ vu moment: the sharp voice of Harriet echoed from behind me.


    ¡°You hit him again, didn¡¯t you!¡±


    Apparently, Harriet had just arrived and was ring daggers at me.


    <i>¡®Ugh! Why are you always like this with me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No! Hey! It wasn¡¯t mest time, and it¡¯s not me this time either! I exined everything! Do you think I beat up people for fun? I stopped that ages ago! Why do you always use me of things?¡±


    Seriously, thest time I¡¯d hit a ssmate was when Heinrich had wanted to have a go at me, and that had been mutually agreed upon. And before that, it was when Erhi had tried to steal Scarlett¡¯s prize on the deserted ind and whined to me, which riled me up enough to give him a knock on the head.


    Those were all ages ago!


    Seeing how genuinely exasperated I was, Harriet¡¯s expression softened a bit.


    Harriet¡¯s lips twitched slightly. ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    <i>¡®Hm? What¡¯s this now?¡¯ </i>


    She seemed to be enjoying my frustration. She had the look of someone who had always been teased and had just discovered the joy of returning the favor¡ªa taste of revenge.


    Come to think of it...


    <i>¡®Why are you always like this with me?! Why only me!¡¯</i>


    That was exactly what Harriet would say whenever I teased her. And now, I had done the same thing.


    ¡°A thug like you who only knows how to hit people? It¡¯s pretty obvious. Don¡¯t lie. It¡¯s always you.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not! It wasn¡¯t me thest time, and it¡¯s not me this time either! I know I¡¯ve done a lot of bad things, but in this case, I¡¯m innocent!¡±


    <i>¡®No! She¡¯s figured out how to get to me!¡¯</i>


    As Harriet and I bickered, Erhi de Lafaeri¡¯s expression grew more and more forlorn. He was caught in the crossfire, taking blows from both sides.


    In the end, Erhi, swallowing his pride and humiliation, spoke up. He rified the situation to Harriet and told her that it hadn¡¯t been me who¡¯d hit him. Seeing him in that state, it was hard not to feel a bit sorry for the guy.


    Truthfully, though, I hadn¡¯t hit him, and I wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°Orbis ss again? Really?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s remark about him getting beaten up again made his expression contort with embarrassment, but it was true. He had been struck by someone from the Orbis ss, the same person who had hit him the previous time.


    Crossing my arms, I asked him, ¡°So, what happened this time?¡±


    Though it was hard to fully trust Erhi¡¯s words, he imed he hadn¡¯t provoked anyone this time, unlike thest time.


    ¡°No... I did nothing this time... But after ss... we bumped shoulders... and suddenly...¡±


    It was evident that recounting his beating to Harriet and me was incredibly humiliating for Erhi. Kaier and Connor Lint watched him with sympathetic expressions.


    Harriet frowned. ¡°Last week¡¯s incident was your fault, but this time they beat you up for no reason, because they held a grudge?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It seemed Erhi had seriously pissed off his Orbis ss ssmate. The guy had knocked his shoulder into Erhi¡¯s after ss, picked a fight, and then hit him. It did indeed sound like a situation that he had every right to feel indignant about. Connor Lint¡¯s suggestion to report this to a teacher also made sense.


    But whoever that guy was really held a grudge. While Erhi had overstepped his bounds initially, beating him up again a weekter out of nowhere showed just how twisted that Orbis ss guy¡¯s mindset was.


    ¡°What a strange guy. Why beat up someone who¡¯s minding their own business?¡± Harriet muttered with a frown.


    She seemed different fromst week. Her irritation at my apparent bullying of others and her nagging was also different.


    Was she evolving into a ss-representative type of character? <i>¡®Please, no. I¡¯m not a fan of the cheerful, justice-loving types like Ludwig.¡¯</i>


    Harriet stared at me intensely, her expression turning somewhat sulky.


    ¡°What...? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Why would I be angry? I wasn¡¯t the one who got hit. Was she asking why I wasn¡¯t mad that our Royal ss ssmate had gotten himself beaten up outside? Did she expect some sense of solidarity or ss spirit from me? I didn¡¯t feel such attachment.


    ¡®<i>What do you expect from a Demon Prince who doesn¡¯t even feel a sense of belonging to the Demon Realm? Oh, what an idiot.¡¯</i>


    That was really the extent of my thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°Strange. I thought you¡¯d jump straight into action,¡± Harriet remarked.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the kind of person you are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really not true!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Harriet, though; even Kaier and Connor Lint were looking at me expectantly.


    I could read their minds: <i>¡®Show us how it¡¯s done, Reinhart! You¡¯re the guy who gets things done! Senior or not, you always make the first move!¡¯</i>


    What was up with those hopeful expressions? They seemed to be wishing I¡¯d cause amotion, just like I always used to do. This time, they wanted the chaos directed at the Orbis ss. Those hopeful looks seemed to be asking me to exact revenge on their behalf.


    <i>¡®Please, cause some trouble! Avenge us!¡¯</i>


    Was this also a form of trust...?


    ¡°Listen, if you feel wronged for getting beaten up, either tell the teacher or train harder so you can beat them up yourself. What do you expect me to do about it?¡±


    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Erhi protested.


    <i>¡®Oh, right. You didn¡¯t actually ask for anything...¡¯</i>


    Erhi seemed to be bing increasingly more pitiful.


    Harriet muttered with a disgruntled expression, ¡°I understand that the Orbis ss dislikes us, but this is too much... they even did something to me.¡±


    ¡°... What? To you?¡±


    Harriet wasn¡¯t suddenly acting like a ss representative. She was already angry because she had experienced something simr in her interactions with the Orbis ss, and hearing that a fellow ssmate had been beaten up had made her even angrier.


    But did something happen to Harriet?


    ¡°Yes. During the Destructive Magic Practice ss, someone cast an electric spell near me. They said it was an ident, but it felt... intentional. They got a demerit for it, though.¡±


    ¡°... Huh.¡±


    Something snapped in my mind.


    ¡°Those... damned bastards.¡±


    It felt like a bolt in my head had shattered.

 Chapter 199

    <h4>Chapter 199</h4>


    ¡°Wh-Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! I swear I¡¯m going to knock some sense into him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I said I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m not hurt!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, there¡¯s a limit to what¡¯s eptable as a joke. Firing destruction magic near someone? That bastard needs to get some sense beaten into him.¡±


    Harriet clung to my clothes, trying to stop me from storming out of the dormitory. She seemed really flustered, probably because she¡¯d expected some trouble, but not something this serious.


    The Three Idiots scattered as soon as they saw how angry I was, as if afraid I¡¯d turn on them.


    ¡°He got a demerit point, and if he does it again, he¡¯ll be disciplined. He won¡¯t do it again! You don¡¯t need to worry about it; it won¡¯t happen in the future!¡±


    In the end, after a prolonged tussle, I reluctantly backed down. Harriet, while trying to calm me down, dragged me to the tea terrace and sat me down.


    ¡°Seriously, I really can¡¯t tell you anything now... Even if it did hit me, it wasn¡¯t that dangerous of a spell,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Dangerous or not, the fact that he intentionally did it is the issue.¡±


    <i>¡®No matter how much of a joke it was, casting a spell near someone in magic ss and then pretending it was a mistake? That bastard must be out of his mind.¡¯</i>


    While I fumed, Harriet kept a nervous eye on me. She seemed worried that I might charge into the Orbis ss dormitory while she wasn¡¯t looking.


    In an unusual gesture of concern, she even made me a cup of tea herself, trying to help me calm down.


    ¡°I always wonder if you¡¯ll even react, but when you really do, it scares me. I can¡¯t predict what you¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°... Hey. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve caused that much trouble, right?¡±


    At my minor protest, Harriet¡¯s facial expression warped a little, as if she was aghast. ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve already caused several incidents even though it¡¯s only the beginning of the second semester of our first year is already a problem...¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    It did seem ridiculous that I imed I hadn¡¯t caused much trouble when, in fact, I had, while others were going about their lives quietly without causing any trouble.


    ¡°Also, when Erhi said that he was hit, you didn¡¯t seem to care, but when it came to me, you got so worked up even though I wasn¡¯t hurt. Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because...¡±


    <i>¡®Because...¡¯</i>


    I started to speak, but my tongue froze. What would be the right thing to say?


    When it came to Erhi, my prejudice against him made it so that I didn¡¯t really care if he got hit or not. Of course, considering that his actions had been orchestrated by me, disliking him would be self-defeating.


    Harriet¡¯s cheeks were slightly flushed. She seemed somewhat pleased that I was angry over something rted to her.


    ¡°... You¡¯re a friend.¡±


    In the end, that was all I could say.


    ¡°... And Erhi is not?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be friends with that guy?¡±


    Yes, to be honest, I was genuinely mad. It wasn¡¯t the action itself but who it had been done to that mattered.


    ¡°... Friend...¡±


    Harriet seemed to be rolling that word around in her mouth. She didn¡¯t look disappointed or sad. Rather, she seemed relieved, maybe even happy¡ªher expression wasplex, one I couldn¡¯t quite decipher.


    ¡°...¡±


    Just then, Ellen, dressed in her training clothes, approached the tea terrace, and our eyes met. This ce was slightly secluded, and it seemed she hade here looking for me.


    Was she going to ask me to go to the training grounds with her?


    However, Ellen gave Harriet and I a brief look and then, without a word, turned on her heel and left.


    Was she not looking for me?


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t cause any trouble. I can handle my own affairs.¡±


    ¡°Okay... I got it.¡±


    Harriet, who was sitting in a position that made it so that she hadn¡¯t seen Ellen, continued to lecture me for a while about behaving myself and not stirring up trouble. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of scolding, Harriet let out a deep sigh and took a sip of her tea.


    In any case, I had something I wanted to talk to Harriet about.


    ¡°Hey. So, you know, have you ever thought about doing that?¡± I asked.


    Harriet tilted her head in puzzlement. ¡°That? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Starting a club or something.¡±


    ¡°... A club?¡±


    Harriet looked surprised, as if wondering why I was suddenly bringing up clubs.


    ¡°You study magic, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Mainly with Adelia, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But what does that have to do with a club?¡±


    Harriet seemed slightly irritated, as if urging me to get to the point.


    Just as Ellen, Cliffman, and I spent most of our time at the training grounds, Harriet was usually holed up in the magic researchb with Adelia, unless something special came up.


    Contrary to appearances, she was a serious academic, at least when it came to magic.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you gathered more people and studied magic together?¡±


    ¡°Gather more people?¡±


    The slice-of-life academy setting was not originally meant to focus much on clubs.


    However, since this was the reality now, there was no rule against it. Of course, I had no intention of joining any club myself, aside my tenuous ties to the religious club Grace.


    Just as Ellen had grown stronger earlier than in the original story, I wanted other characters to be stronger as well.


    Leaving Ludwig alone seemed to be the best approach for him.


    Harriet, too, was diligent enough, but there was no reason not to guide her onto a better path.


    ¡°For example, if you gathered students from ss B with magical talents and formed a magic research club, you could discuss and learn about magical fields you¡¯re not familiar with. Wouldn¡¯t that be beneficial? You have a talent that isn¡¯t limited to just one specific area of magic, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... with students from ss B?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I know there are clubs in the Royal ss, although I¡¯m not sure about a magic research club. But discussions and research conducted at the student level can¡¯t possibly produce the same results as asking the teachers. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t do it...¡±


    Harriet seemed to have her own reasons for not being part of anything like a magic research club. She believed that the topics and research handled at the student level wouldn¡¯t be of high enough qualitypared to what they could learn from their teachers.


    But even this reaction was already a sess.


    The original Harriet would have been disgusted at the thought of conducting research with the lesser ss B students. However, the present-day Harriet had a much different personality.


    It wasn¡¯t about them being in ss B or anything; she was more questioning the practical benefit of forming a student club. Instead of outright rejection, she was simply at the level of asking, ¡°Why bother?¡±


    ¡°It will definitely be helpful.¡±


    ¡°... Why do you think that?¡±


    There were two students in ss B with magical talents¡ªCristina, who was talented in enchantment and alchemy, and Anna de Gerna, who had a talent for dark magic.


    Both of them had their own strengths and would be valuable assets in various ways during the Gate Incident.


    However, the one who could truly spur Harriet¡¯s growth weren¡¯t these two with magic-rted talents.


    ¡°There¡¯s Louis Ankton from ss B. He¡¯ll be incredibly helpful.¡±


    ¡°Oh... him? But he¡¯s not a mage, is he?¡±


    Even though Harriet had little interest in ss B, she naturally knew who was who, and she would be aware of Louis Ankton¡¯s talent as well.


    ¡°He is studying magic, though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that, but...¡±


    Louis Ankton had a talent for ¡°schrship¡±. He was exceptionally sharp¡ªhis mind was unparalleled.


    Though he couldn¡¯t use magic himself, Louis Ankton was on the path to bing a magic schr, studying magic as an academic discipline. He was well-versed in theory, butcked the ability for practical application.


    Cristina and Anna de Gerna from ss B would significantly advance in their magical prowess thanks to Louis Ankton¡¯s advice. This development happened after he warmed up to his ssmates and became friends with them.


    Louis Ankton had the ability to greatly enhance the growth of others with magical talents.


    The original Harriet would have been utterly repulsed by the idea, but given how her personality had softened, I believed she would be open to it, which is why I was mentioning it now.


    Studying together with Louis Ankton would benefit Harriet, Adelia, and the other two from ss B.


    Of course, the fact that I had nned all this without consulting them first did seem a bit underhanded.


    But hey, this wasn¡¯t the first time I had done something like this. And, after all, it was for everyone¡¯s benefit this time.


    Harriet seemed to be considering it seriously.


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m not sure, really.¡±


    ¡°Then just meet up and have a conversation first. If you think it will be helpful, you can go ahead with it. If not, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Harriet nodded, indicating that she was willing to give it a shot. ¡°If it¡¯s just that, I suppose we could give it a try.¡±


    <i>¡®Alright. This is how youy the groundwork, piece by piece.¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t predict the extent of their aplishments, but I could suggest numerous magical research projects, including the possibility of connecting the warp gate to another world.


    If they made a breakthrough, great; if not, it didn¡¯t matter.


    They might even be able to create items that would be neededter in advance.


    The mere fact that they would gather and work together on these activities would significantly enhance everyone¡¯s magical achievements.


    Louis Ankton might not be a mage, but he was extremely knowledgeable about magic, so he could help the others attain higher levels of achievement.


    As I was imagining this vision, Harriet blushed slightly and asked, ¡°But, why are you... interested in creating a magic research club? You¡¯re... you¡¯re a superhuman. Wouldn¡¯t you find it boring to be in a club like that with me? Is that okay with you?¡±


    <i>¡®Huh? What was she talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Me? Why would I join it?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    The idea was for the students who knew how to handle magic to gather in a small group, discuss various topics, and conduct research together. I never meant for me to be part of it.


    Harriet looked somewhat stunned by my response.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re not doing it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not a mage, and I don¡¯t know the slightest thing about magic. How could I possibly be of any help?¡±


    Apparently, Harriet had misunderstood me. She took my suggestion to mean that I wanted to start a club together with her, when all I meant was that she should give it a try on her own.


    Come to think of it, though, it was only natural for her to have interpreted it that way. Telling her out of the blue to gather people and start a club didn¡¯t really make sense unless I intended to join as well.


    So, Harriet¡¯s interpretation¡ªthat I wanted to create a magic research club together¡ªwas perhaps inevitable.


    Inevitable or not, seeing Harriet¡¯s face turn bright red as she realized her misunderstanding was just too hrious to ignore.


    ¡°Do you actually want to do it together with me?¡±


    As I chuckled and teased her, Harriet¡¯s face got even redder. ¡°Wh-What? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Why, do you want me to join?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?! No! Why would I want to start something like that with someone like you who doesn¡¯t even understand basic magic? I only assumed you wanted to join because you brought it up! So I was just wondering what you could even contribute! Even if you wanted to join, I would refuse! It¡¯s not that I want to do it together¡ªif anything, I don¡¯t want to at all! Absolutely not!¡±


    As predicted, Harriet flew into a rage, peppering me with words like a hailstorm. Watching Harriet lose her temper like this for the first time in a while felt oddly refreshing. It was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then that¡¯s fine. But why are you getting so angry about it? You should wear the earrings I gave you more often. Your mood swings are definitely a sign of a problem, you know.¡±


    ¡°Ack! Why do you act like this only with me?! Either be nice to me or stick to being mean! Just pick one!¡±


    ¡°Oh, calm down. Hey, put that down. You can¡¯t just throw that at someone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to throw it! I¡¯m absolutely going to throw it!¡±


    Harriet had picked up the teapot filled with hot tea and was looking at me as if she was ready to hurl it at me at any moment.


    Harriet¡¯s arm, which was holding the teapot, trembled violently before she ultimately lowered it without throwing it. However, that didn¡¯t mean her anger had subsided; she was still fuming.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if it was good or bad that I had managed to transmute her embarrassment into anger¡ªperhaps it was a bit of both.


    Of course, even though I wasn''t going to join the club, it didn¡¯t mean I would just leave everything to Harriet from now on.


    ¡°You¡¯re not close with anyone from ss B, right?¡±


    ¡°... I only know their faces. I don¡¯t even say hello.¡±


    While Harriet had grown closer to the girls in ss A, she still remained somewhat distant from the boys, except for me. Unexpectedly, her rtionships with any ss B students were non-existent.


    ¡°I won¡¯t join, but I¡¯ll try to persuade the ss B students to join. It would be tough for you to handle that directly.¡±


    ¡°... You will?¡±


    Harriet seemed surprised that I was willing to go that far.


    ¡°Yeah, I may be an outsider who doesn¡¯t know the basics of magic, but as a bit of a thug, I can at least grab hold of those who are reluctant to join and get them all in one ce.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll drag them here even if they don¡¯t want toe?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying that. I wouldn¡¯t actually do that.¡±


    ¡°But you do seem like the type who would. You thug.¡±


    ¡°No, seriously... I was joking.¡±


    Harriet found yet another way to tease me, just as I had made fun of her earlier. Given the chance, she would pounce on any opportunity to mock me.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll talk to the students and try to gather them together. After that, it¡¯s up to you and the others.¡±


    The mages of Royal ss A and B would unite for themon goal of enhancing their magical abilities.


    Originally, this kind of gathering was supposed to happen only within ss B, with the students from ss A only joining muchter. I was just bringing that timeline forward.


    Just as Ellen had awakened her Mana Reinforcement early, Harriet could also be an even more powerful mage sooner.


    Harriet seemed slightly relieved at the thought that I would at least help gather the people.


    However, she was still pouting.


    ¡°... Hey,¡± she said.


    ¡°What? Do you have something else to say?¡± I responded.


    ¡°... If you really want to join, I might let you.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying although I don¡¯t really want you in our club, if you really want to join and you ask me, I might let you into the club!¡±


    What was this? I had no intention of joining in the first ce, and since I didn¡¯t understand magic, it wouldn¡¯t be meaningful for me to participate anyway.


    But here she was, suggesting that if I wanted to join and asked her sincerely, she might let me join? What was that supposed to mean?


    I pondered this while observing Harriet¡¯s sulky face, and then I understood. Her words meant one thing, but her eyes conveyed another.


    This was her way of asking me to join.


    However, instead of just saying that we could do it together, she had to frame it as if she was grudgingly willing to grant me membership if I begged.


    This way of asking was very much in line with her personality.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate for long.


    ¡°Alright. Having someone to handle the grunt work wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing.¡±


    Even though I had no idea what I could actually do in a magic research club since I knew nothing about magic, it didn¡¯t matter.


    The specifics were irrelevant; what mattered was avoiding seeing the expression she would make if I refused.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it together, then.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I guess I have no choice then.¡±


    Did she even realize how mismatched her expression and her tone of voice were? I had never seen her smile this brightly before.

 Chapter 200

    <h4>Chapter 200</h4>


    In the first semester, it had been overwhelming just to take care of myself. Therefore, I had no room to worry about other things. Just taking responsibility for my own development and safety had been difficult.


    Of course, even in this second semester, I hadn¡¯t be incredibly strong, nor had I gained enough strength to ensure my safetypletely. However, the routines themselves had stabilized.


    My personal training and practice routines had settled down, allowing me to pay attention to other matters such as Airi¡¯s issue, the new business of the Rotary Club, and even facilitating the growth of the main story characters.


    I had to continue to work independently on myself while ensuring that other matters moved forward. I hadn¡¯t fully decided if it would be the Magic Research Club, Magic Research Society, or Magic Research Study Group, but since I had to talk to the kids from ss B about it, I nned to visit them one by one as soon as sses ended, striking while the iron was hot.


    ***


    It was dawn the next day, Wednesday.


    I exercised early in the morning with Adriana. Although I was still behind in absolute ability whenpared to Adriana, I no longergged behind her.


    I hadn¡¯t gone out for early morning exercises for two days because of the Tiamata issue, and Adriana had done her morning exercises alone during that time. When she asked if anything had happened, I made an excuse, saying I¡¯d had too much sleep and couldn¡¯t wake up.


    I was curious about how Adriana would react if she found out I had be the master of the Holy Sword Tiamata. After all, it was the sacred relic of Ouen, the deity she served.


    She would surely be surprised, but of course, I had no intention of telling her. Adriana¡¯s heart was precious, after all.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    Afterpleting a round of our routine, Adriana and I sat on a bench on the hillside to rest.


    ¡°Summer is almost over,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    By the time October arrived, the heat would subside, and autumn would arrive. Then, after a short period, winter would follow. Adriana gazed at the view of the Temple spread out below us.


    ¡°The scenery here is fantastic when it snows.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Since Adriana had lived in the Temple for a year longer than I had, she had to have seen how the ce looked in winter. Indeed, it would be amazing to see it when it snowed.


    ¡°... But do you mean we can still do morning exercises even when it snows? What if we slip and get hurt?¡±


    Adriana conjured a stream of Divine Power that flowed through her hand and smiled. ¡°This is why.¡±


    She would continue with her training regardless of whether it snowed or not, as long as she could heal herself when she got hurt. This person was really something else.


    ¡°By the way, have you ever had any conflicts with the Orbis ss seniors?¡±


    Given what had happened the day before, I was suddenly curious. The incident involving Orbis ss and Ludwig was scheduled to happen during the school festival, but we were already bing entangled with Orbis ss over various small matters.


    I wondered if Adriana, who had been here a year longer than I had, had ever fought with students from the Orbis ss before.


    ¡°Orbis ss? Why? Did you fight with some Orbis ss kids?¡± Adriana asked with a somewhat exasperated expression, as if such news was unsurprising given my troublesome nature.


    <i>¡®Seriously! I understand that I have a certain reputation, but why does every little thing I say get linked to me being a troublemaker?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never had any conflicts with them. I just had a few proper practice duels,¡± I replied.


    Of course, I had run my big mouth a bit too much, but I knew that mentioning that would only disappoint Adriana, so I opted not to bring it up.


    <i>¡®Wait a minute.¡¯</i>


    Now that I thought about it, hadn¡¯t I tried to provoke some trouble, even though I didn''t end up getting into any? Technically, it was true I had caused some issues. The only reason there hadn¡¯t been any repercussions was that I¡¯d won.


    Adriana tilted her head slightly at my question. ¡°Hmm, the Orbis ss kids don¡¯t like us, and there are many here who dislike them too. Ard, for instance, has had a few scuffles with them.¡±


    Ard de Gritis, Number 3 from ss A¡¯s second year, was the guy whom I¡¯d challenged to a duel before, although it was the third-year Mayaton that I¡¯d actually ended up fighting.


    I hadn¡¯t encountered Mayaton since the duel. All I knew was that attempting to discipline a first-year kid via a duel hadpletely ruined his image within the Royal ss.


    Anyway, it seemed true that the second-year students, who had been at the Temple longer, had various run-ins with the Orbis ss.


    ¡°How did the fights go? Did anyone win?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, they were pretty simr in skill. The Orbis ss kids really put in a lot of effort. Of course, the fights were often stopped before they got too intense,¡± Adriana said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about Ard de Gritis¡¯s true skill level, but it seemed that when he shed with others from the Orbis ss, it was hard to determine a clear winner. Adriana took a sip of water from her canteen and sighed.


    ¡°I get it, though. We have natural talent, and many in the Orbis ss think we grow strong without any effort,¡± she exined.


    While there were those that simply relied on their talent and fooled around, there were also those like Adriana who consistently trained early in the morning. Thus, the Orbis ss¡¯s resentment toward the Royal ss was not based on the whole truth.


    ¡°The real problem is that the culture surrounding the Orbis ss enforces this hatred towards the Royal ss. Both the teachers and the seniors do it. It¡¯s constantly drilled into them that ¡®If you don¡¯t want to lose to those kids, you have to work hard,¡¯ or something like that.¡±


    The Orbis ss deliberately perpetuated this culture of inferiority when it came to the Royal ss to drive the students to work harder. They were told things like, ¡°Do you think you can afford to rest without talent?¡± and ¡°How do you n topete with the Royal ss without effort?¡± I heard it was almost like the military.


    While Adriana was aware that there were ssmates in the Royal ss who disliked the Orbis ss, she herself didn¡¯t have strong feelings about them. Instead, she seemed to consider the issue more from a structural point of view.


    ¡°So, you neither like them nor dislike them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. It¡¯s not like we never had any trouble with them, though,¡± Adriana said, offering a slightly troubled smile.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Uh... yeah. But it wasn¡¯t a fight. It was more like a... troublesome incident.¡±


    ¡°What kind of incident?¡± I asked.


    Adriana scratched her cheek with a slightly bewildered expression.


    ¡°Well... one of the Orbis ss students... followed me around for a while...¡±


    ¡°Followed you? For what... Oh, wait. Is it what I think it is?¡±


    From her slightly embarrassed expression, I could guess what kind of situation it had been.


    ¡°Did that person fall for you at first sight or something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Uh, mhm...¡±


    Adriana nodded slightly, her face turning red.


    Considering who she was, it wasn¡¯t exactly surprising or strange that such a thing had happened to her.


    ¡°I kept telling him that I would be a holy knight of Ouen and that I couldn¡¯t return his feelings no matter how much he liked me... but he just wouldn¡¯t give up, and it was quite troublesome.¡±


    It seemed her exnations that she would not be able to return his feelings had constantly fallen on deaf ears.


    Adriana wasn¡¯t the type to get into conflicts; she had umted these sorts of problematic encounters instead.


    ¡°It has to be troublesome for you when such things happen,¡± I said.


    Adriana couldn¡¯t reciprocate anyone¡¯s feelings¡ªnot just someone from the Orbis ss, but anyone who happened to have a crush on her.


    ¡°Yeah... it is, a little. So... I tend to be careful, since I might consider someone a friend, but they might think differently,¡± she said.


    Adriana tried her best to interact casually with those of the opposite sex, but sometimes, without realizing it, she might give someone the wrong impression, unintentionally hurting them. A small shadow of sadness passed across her face.


    Adriana stretched.


    ¡°Ugh... That¡¯s why I¡¯mfortable with you, junior. It¡¯s obvious you have absolutely no interest in me.¡±


    ¡°... You can tell?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can.¡±


    Adriana looked at me and smiled.


    My impression of her was someone who was kind and approachable to anyone, but this was the first time I realized that Adriana was actually cautious about these things.


    She probably felt at ease around me because she could tell I had no intention of advancing things beyond our current rtionship.


    Adriana fiddled with her canteen and gave a lonely smile.


    ¡°If someone I consider a precious friend wants to be more than just a friend... what should I do?¡±


    Though she couldn¡¯t reciprocate their feelings, she wanted to remain friends. But the other person didn¡¯t want things to remain just that, and she had only just realized their true feelings.


    It seemed Adriana was in such a situation at the moment.


    ¡°Pretending not to know... that would be a bad thing, right?¡± she asked.


    It seemed like she was talking about something other than the Orbis ss now.


    Someone liked her, but that person was a precious friend to Adriana. She couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to be anything more than that. However, she couldn¡¯t decide whether pretending not to know about those feelings was the right thing to do.


    ¡°It would be a bad thing, I suppose,¡± I said, taking a sip from my canteen.


    Was that really advice for Adriana, or was I saying it to myself? Even I couldn¡¯t tell.


    ***


    There¡¯s a saying that even having ten bodies would not be enough for someone who was incredibly busy.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t need ten. Just three would be perfect¡ªnot more, not less.


    I wished I could have one body to handle matters with the Rotary Club, one that did training at the Temple, and one to sort out things rted to my personal life. Having a body for my personal life was necessary since rtionships within the Temple were very important and couldn¡¯t be neglected. It wasn¡¯t enough to just get stronger on my own, as that wouldn¡¯t solve everything.


    Of course, creating three separate bodies wasn¡¯t possible, even with additional settings; so I had to do everything myself, working tirelessly without being told to do so by anyone.


    Truth be told, I probably wouldn¡¯t have worked this hard if someone else was making me do it.


    I entered the ss B dormitory on the matter rting to the Magic Research Club. In ss A, only Harriet and Adelia majored in magic. Since Adelia could be persuaded into it by Harriet, she wasn¡¯t my responsibility.


    I was in charge of the two ss B students majoring in magic and ss B¡¯s Number 2, Louis Ankton. Louis had helped me prepare for the midterm exams in the first semester, although it had more or less been forced on him.


    ¡°Hey, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... yeah. Hey Reinhart...¡±


    Louis Ankton, the nerdy bookworm, still acted stiffly around me. Honestly, I hadn¡¯t done much to him and just asked him to study with me; I hadn¡¯t bullied him or extorted him, nor had I said anything harsh to him.


    ¡°I have a good proposal for you.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Call Anna and Cristina and bring them to the Magic Research Lab.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Well, even if I didn¡¯t bully him, who would like someone speaking to them in such amanding tone?


    Honestly, though, it was much more convenient to just give orders and have them followed immediately rather than painstakingly offering exnations while asking for favors. Just saying ¡°Hey! Give that to me!¡± and having things handed over to me, or ¡°Hey! Do this!¡± and others carry out my demands.


    It was just incredibly convenient...


    I had already crossed the point of no return a long time ago.


    There was no way back now...


    ***


    The two magic majors from ss B were:


    ss B¡¯s Number 5, Cristina, who had talents in alchemy and enchanting; and


    ss B¡¯s Number 6, Anna de Gerna, who had talent in dark magic.


    And, although not a magic talent, there was ss B¡¯s Number 2, Louis Ankton, who studied magic.


    Enchanting, ording to what I¡¯d learned from Harriet, was a very expensive form of magic. It wasn¡¯t taught to just anyone, and its secrets were closely guarded.


    However, while the magic itself was rare, it didn¡¯t necessarily make it a higher-tier magic system.


    ss A¡¯s Number 7, Adelia, had talents in summoning magic and magic crafting. If enchanting imbued objects with magic, magic crafting created machines that operated using mana. Examples include magic trains and warp gates.


    Magic crafting was a much higher-tier form of magicpared to enchanting.


    Of course, Harriet, whose talent was for all of magic itself, was naturally at the top of all magic talents.


    ss B¡¯s Number 6, Anna de Gerna, was unique, as her talenty in dark magic.


    Even though dark magic was a sinister and evil school of magic, there were dark mages in the Temple who served as teachers. Not all practitioners of dark magic were cursed or evil. It was just another system of magic, and an academic discipline that could be studied.


    ¡°Uh, well... I brought them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well done. Good job.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Anyway, Louis Ankton followed my instructions and brought the other two students with him to the ss B Magic Research Lab. I noticed Louis¡¯s expression stiffen slightly at my words of appreciation. He was probably annoyed at being treated like a subordinate, but really, I was just thanking him for his effort.


    I had seen both Cristina and Anna around, but had never spoken to them before. They both seemed puzzled and curious about why I had asked for them.


    Still, the fact that they¡¯de even when someone they weren¡¯t really close to had called them spoke volumes about the importance of first impressions. Since my wild outbursts in the first semester, I hadn¡¯t really acted out much.


    In the second semester, apart from the minor altercation with the Orbis ss during the Swordsmanship Practical ss, I had been keeping a rtively low profile, although there were rumors floating around that I had resolved some unusual incident in the Dark Land.


    In any case, they had bothe because I¡¯d asked for them. Perhaps they thought it was better not to find out what might happen if they hadn¡¯t.


    Cristina was wearing sses, and her orange hair was tied up in a braid. She wore a white robe-like garment, which resembled a doctor¡¯s coat, covered in various stains¡ªpresumably from chemicals and what looked like dirt. Since she dealt with alchemical reagents and often handled nts and herbs, her clothes were always in that state.


    Anna de Gerna didn¡¯t look as perpetually gloomy as Dettomorian, but she always seemed somewhat gaunt. She had ck hair, ck eyes and somewhat pale skin, and wore a ck robe.


    If Dettomorian looked like a skeleton, Anna gave off more of a vampire vibe, the kind that made you want to hand her a blood pack. Even Eleris didn¡¯t look this unhealthy.


    Anna had a slightly ghostly, sickly appearance, almost as if she was an emo girl from a gothic novel.


    Both of them were staring at me intently.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to say anything threatening. This is your dormitory, after all. Take a seat, everyone.¡±


    I tried to speak in aforting tone, but it still came across as amand.


    What was this? Had I be too ustomed to this? Had the persona of Reinhart, a master at ying tough when needed, adhered to me so well?


    They all cautiously took seats,plying with the request while looking slightly confused.


    Each of these characters had distinct personalities. Since ss B had been well-documented in the original story, I knew each character¡¯s personality pretty well. Of course, by now, I had gotten to know the ss A students even better.


    Louis Ankton was a guy who lived in a state of superiority, quietly belittling and looking down on those he considered dumber than himself¡ªa pretty annoying character.


    Cristina was bright, cheerful, and curious.


    Anna de Gerna, though she projected a dark and gloomy vibe, wasn¡¯t actually a bad person.


    Despite their vastly different personalities, all three of them were acting like mice in front of a cat while in the presence of a superviin like me.


    Well, that worked to my advantage.


    If they were scared, it would be easier to talk to them.


    ¡°Would you guys be interested in joining a magic research club?¡±


    ¡°A... magic research club?¡±


    They were clearly all taken aback by something they¡¯d never expected toe out of my mouth. It was possible that they saw me as a superviin, but I wasn¡¯t doing this out of viiny. It was all for their own good in the long run.


    Listening to an elder¡¯s wisdom never led to regret, right?


    Someday, they¡¯d be thankful for this.


    Whenever that might be.

 Chapter 201 [Illustration]

    <h4> Chapter 201 [Illustration]</h4>


    After my rough exnation, the expressions of the three were all slightly different, but I could feel their surprise, which came from two sources.


    The first was that the suggestion to form a joint club between ss A and B, who typically regarded each other with indifference, hade from a representative from ss A. The second was that it was not a magic major student who made the suggestion but me, someonepletely unfamiliar with magic. The suggestion itself was surprising, but why was I the one to bring it to them? I could sense their doubts.


    ¡°I came up with the idea myself, and I¡¯ll participate in the club as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... a superhuman though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought too...¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    The three of them shared the same doubts, expressed in their own way. They seemed to have let go of their remaining bit of anxiety, since I was bringing up the formation of a club and not trying to stir up some serious trouble.


    I was only joining the club since Harriet had asked me to, so I didn¡¯t really know what I could contribute. I didn¡¯t even think I would be able to participate in every meeting.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be involved in the main stuff. Think of it as a side role. To put it inly, I¡¯ll handle whatever misceneous tasks there are.¡±


    ¡°Misceneous tasks?¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Even though they didn¡¯t even know me properly, when I said I¡¯d take care of misceneous tasks, they all looked at me with the same expression that said, <i>¡®There¡¯s no way you¡¯d do something like that.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know if there would be any misceneous tasks, but what else can I do? Should I teach you magic forms then? To be honest, I¡¯m just a prop!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, I think this is a good opportunity for both you and the ss A kids. Ultimately, the key is you, Louis Ankton.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re saying I should teach them magic?¡±


    They had some pretty unbelievable reactions to me telling them that Louis Ankton would be teaching them magic.


    All three of them stood there with their mouths wide open, as if I had just spoutedplete nonsense.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even use magic, so how am I supposed to teach it? I only study the theory; I can¡¯t actually perform any of it,¡± Louis Ankton said, his face reddening with embarrassment.


    Although he couldn¡¯t be a mage, Louis Ankton dreamed of bing a magic schr.


    But what magic schrs truly wanted to be were mages. It made sense in their heads, but those who couldn¡¯t use magic but still wanted to pursue it typically became magic schrs. Louis Ankton was probably feeling frustrated and resentful of his inability to use magic.


    It was a sensitive topic for him, and his face was burning as he spoke about knowing magic but not being able to use it.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you do that? Magic has been created by magic schrs before, right? ording to Harriet, some of the most amazing figures among magic schrs are as powerful as grand mages.¡±


    This was something I¡¯d heard from Harriet. When I suggested to her that Louis Ankton would teach them magic, she¡¯d thoughtfully considered it and confirmed that there were indeed such cases.


    Ultimately, though, it came down to this: in the original story, although Louis Ankton couldn¡¯t use magic, he nevertheless seeded in improving the magic proficiency and skill levels of the students around him.


    It seemed like the world had expanded this backstory and established that magic schrs could also teach mages. ording to Harriet, some remarkable magic schrs had achieved feats greater than grand mages, and were respected as significant figures.


    Louis inclined his head in acknowledgement. ¡°That¡¯s true, but...¡±


    I could sense that he was grateful for what I¡¯d said. A magic schr who couldn¡¯t use magic had to carry the fate of being considered iplete for their whole life.


    Even among mages, enchanters and magic crafters are regarded highly, while battlemages were not as respected. But Louis wasn¡¯t even a battlemage, let alone a mage.


    It was obvious that mages of the academicmunity would greatly look down on him. Yet, individuals such as he could be greater than mages if they made significant achievements and could even leave their mark on the history of magic.


    Louis Ankton was still a student. However, his inner self had been twisted in such a way that he secretly looked down on stupid people, because it was the only thing he could rely on to feel good. Internally, he was filled with resentment, anger, and sorrow for being unable to use magic.


    Louis Ankton, B-2, specialized in academics and had a strong ego, but low self-esteem.


    ¡°... Can I really do it?¡± he said.


    I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow. ¡°If you can¡¯t, then who else could do it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If not you, then who else could possibly do it? I¡¯m confident that only you can do this. If you still don¡¯t believe me, just give it a try for this semester. If you have no positive effect on the rest of them, I¡¯ll crawl under your legs while barking like a dog.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? You¡¯d go that far?¡±


    My conviction made his expression grow even more bewildered, and the other two who were listening quietly were also taken aback.


    ¡°Come on, do you really think I¡¯d do something like that?¡± I said.


    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying there¡¯s no way it won¡¯t work, you dummy.¡±


    If it didn¡¯t work, I¡¯d crawl through Louis Ankton¡¯s legs while barking like a dog. But I had no intention of doing that because there was no way it wouldn¡¯t work.


    Louis Ankton¡¯s expression grew slightly strange because of my wild confidence. It wasn¡¯t joy, sorrow, or any easily-discernible emotion; it was something else. It was as if he was experiencing recognition for the first time in his life.


    ***


    We discussed several other matters, and in the end, they agreed. Louis Ankton, despite his sense of inferiority when it came to mages, seemed quite hopeful about the idea of teaching magic to mages.


    While he perhaps did not fully trust my confidence, he seemed more than willing to give it a try.


    Cristina, with her lively personality, said it sounded interesting and that she¡¯d definitely participate.


    ¡°Actually, I was a bit scared. I wondered if I had done something wrong to you,¡± she said, scratching her cheek.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that would be possible. We haven¡¯t even interacted much,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Well, even so...¡±


    <i>¡®The delinquent Reinhart wants to talk to me? Did I wrong him somehow?¡¯ </i>was probably her first thought.


    She¡¯d seemed a little intimidated earlier on, but once she realized I had no ill intentions and actually wanted to help, her expression had gradually brightened.


    Looking back, Louis, Anna, and Cristina had all had the same expressions, which said, <i>¡®Which poor soul is this crazy guy mad at now?¡¯ </i>


    In the end, my true aim had been so very different.


    ¡°I think I might have misunderstood you.¡±


    ¡°Most of what you know about me probably isn¡¯t a misunderstanding. But I¡¯m not the kind of guy who goes around beating people up for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡±


    It was true... There weren¡¯t that many misconceptions about me.


    I only picked fights when something really ticked me off; if it didn¡¯t, then I didn¡¯t. That was it.


    ¡°But Reinhart, you¡¯re not a mage, right? Louis said he would teach us magic. Do you have any particr reason for rmending that we form this club?¡±


    It was a valid question. I wasn¡¯t particrly close to any of them. The only one I had really talked to was Louis Ankton. Even though we had seen each other often, this was practically like meeting strangers.


    Ultimately, they shared the same doubts that Harriet had.


    ¡°There¡¯s no special reason. It¡¯s just something worth trying. If it turns out well, then great. If not, no harm done, right? If my suggestion helps you improve your skills, who knows? Maybe one day you could treat me to a meal.¡±


    ¡°... A meal? That¡¯s enough for you?¡±


    Was asking for a meal too weak?


    ¡°Well, if you give me money, I¡¯d take that too. I do like money.¡±


    Louis and Cristinaughed, realizing I was joking.


    <i>¡®Yeah, don¡¯t be so intimidated. I¡¯m like a dog that doesn¡¯t bite unless provoked. That¡¯s why I try to live quietly nowadays.¡¯</i>


    Anna was staring at me, nodding quietly.


    ¡°You¡¯re... a good person, huh...¡± Anna said, smiling at me.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®What the...? Why am I getting goosebumps even though she¡¯s smiling at me?¡¯</i>


    If Dettomorian gave off an eerie vibe, Anna had a somewhat simr aura, yet it felt distinctly different. It felt more ominous somehow. I felt cold sweat on my back as I wrapped up the conversation.


    ¡°Anyway, since we¡¯ve all agreed to this, let¡¯s all have a meeting and discuss things further.¡±


    Although I could have suggested meeting in a few days, I wanted to move things along quickly. I wanted to get everyone together that day to discuss how we would proceed, organize our future actions, and determine our research projects. A semester wasn¡¯t that long, after all.


    ***


    There hadn¡¯t been any concrete progress on formalizing the club; in the meantime, Harriet¡¯s suggestion was to get together and have a discussion.


    I brought along the three individuals from ss B that I had persuaded to join, and we met with Harriet and Adelia from ss A outside the dormitory. While we could have had the conversation in the dorm, we decided that a change of scenery would be beneficial and headed to the caf¨¦ street near the ssroom buildings, which wasn¡¯t too far away.


    At the caf¨¦, the six of us gathered around arge table, including me.


    ss A Number 4, Harriet de Saint-Ouen. Talent: Magic


    ss A Number 7, Adelia. Talent: Summoning Magic, Magic Crafting


    ss A Number 11, Reinhart. Talent: Self-Deception, Mana Sensitivity (Excess)


    ss B Number 2, Louis Ankton. Talent: Academics


    ss B Number 5, Cristina. Talent: Enchantment, Alchemy


    ss B Number 6, Anna de Gerna. Talent: Dark Magic


    All the first-year students with magical talents had been assembled, plus one potential teacher and one extra human.


    We were all gathered, each with a drink in front of us.


    ¡°...¡±


    And also, silence.


    No one said a word. Everyone just sipped their drinks, casting furtive nces, but no one broke the silence. All of them were ncing around nervously.


    ¡°Why is everyone looking at me?¡± I said out loud.


    Everyone was looking at me, not because they were scared or intimidated by me this time. They had expressions that screamed, <i>¡®Come on, say something!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Seriously, I¡¯m just the extra here. A misceneous tasks guy. I originally had no intention of being a part of this, but Harriet insisted we do it together, so I tagged along!¡¯</i>


    Since I was the one who¡¯d raised the subject, I felt a responsibility to see it through and had gone along reluctantly. Were they expecting me to take charge now?


    Though I was the least qualified person in the group, everyone was staring at me intently.


    Harriet was friends with the girls in ss A, and me to some extent, but that was only because I¡¯d made the first move, so to speak. She wasn¡¯t exactly the social type herself.


    Adelia was another option, though she was so timid that she would probably break into a sweat if she had to speak up while under any sort of scrutiny.


    Then there was Louis Ankton. He was a smart guy, but fundamentally prickly. He probably didn¡¯t know how to engage in social conversations.


    Cristina, while lively, seemed nervous in front of the two magic majors from ss A.


    And Anna... she was scary.


    <i>¡®Stop looking at me with those sinister eyes!¡¯</i>


    Enough about her.


    But here¡¯s the thing¡ªif we were discussing character types, I had my own issues. Wasn¡¯t I the least socially eptable one there? I was the delinquent everyone in town gossiped about, the guy who would throw punches at the slightest provocation. Was it fair to expect me to lead this conversation?


    <i>¡®Are you guys worse than me?¡¯</i>


    Maybe they were thinking that since I was the one who had brought up the topic, that I should also be the one to take responsibility.


    ¡°I wanted you all to meet up and discuss your individual views on magic, your ambitions, and your goals, but looking at you guys, it seems like you all are just going to sip your drinks and then head off to sleep.¡±


    I had hoped they would freely talk among themselves, but now they were leaving the discussion to me, the one person among the group with no connection to magic.


    ¡°Anyway, you all know why we¡¯re here. I believe Louis Ankton has great potential as a magic schr. Beyond that, I think we can choose our own research topics or explore various methods of studying magic. Perhaps gaining knowledge in other areas of magic might solve some of the problems you¡¯re facing.


    ¡°Though I¡¯m not well-versed in magic, sometimes solutionse from the most unexpected ces.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if interdisciplinary integration applied to magic the same way it did in other fields, but knowledge was power, right?


    ¡°So, you all know that the idea is to form a club focused on researching magic. I wanted you to discuss amongst yourselves whether you actually want to do this or not. But looking at you guys now, it¡¯s clear that this conversation isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    Instead of a lively discussion about magic anding to a decision¡ª¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it!¡± or ¡°No, let¡¯s not¡±¡ªeveryone was too shy to say anything.


    I didn¡¯t have the ability to engage in a discussion of magic, but since everyone was signaling me to do something, I had to take charge.


    <i>Thud</i>!


    I mmed the table.


    ¡°So, are we doing this or not? Raise your hand if you don¡¯t want to participate.¡±


    Everyone stared at me wide-eyed at my sudden demand for a show of hands.


    ¡°No one, right? If there are no objections, then we¡¯re going ahead with it.¡±


    Everyone looked aghast at the quick, unteral decision.


    Harriet, shocked by the sudden vote and how I had railroaded the decision through, eximed, ¡°Wh-What? Hey! You can¡¯t just decide that suddenly! We didn¡¯t even discuss it fir¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who were the ones staring at me like helpless kids, unable to say a word, instead of having that good discussion?¡±


    ¡°Th-That...!¡±


    ¡°Then from now on, let¡¯s start an energetic discussion about magic research. Go on, do it.¡±


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    Harriet turned red and shivered, unable to say anything in response to my challenge to start the discussion immediately.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want things to be railroaded, then discuss! Hurry up.¡±


    Harriet wasn¡¯t the only one who was silent. The others were like mute sheep as well. Honestly, though, when someone suddenly said, ¡°Discuss now!¡± how many people could actually immediately start to say, ¡°Oh, well, this and that¡±?


    The same went for raising hands. There are usually fewer people who raise their hands than those who don¡¯t.


    When you want to pass something or make a decision, asking who wants to do it is less effective than asking who doesn¡¯t want to do it, since social pressure makes people hesitant. That¡¯s why instead of saying, ¡°Raise your hand if you want to participate,¡± I said, ¡°Raise your hand if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    <i>¡®And would you look at that, no one raised their hand, so it was unanimously passed. No take-backs now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s decided. We¡¯re doing this. If anyone suddenly changes their mind and says they can¡¯t do it, they¡¯d better be prepared.¡±


    <i>¡®You all left the responsibility to me and did nothing, so ept the consequences.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re going to see how things work now,¡± I continued.


    They¡¯d have to get used to me leveraging my delinquent reputation when it suited me, even though I didn¡¯t like being seen that way. They¡¯d all gathered here to have a discussion, and now they found themselves forced into a newly-formed club for not participating in the discussion. Everyone looked at me with bewildered expressions, except for one person.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°... Yeah? What is it? Do you have something to say?¡±


    Anna de Gerna was looking at me with a creepy smile.


    ¡°Then, who will be the president?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The president?¡±


    That¡¯s right, a club needed a president, and usually a supervising teacher. Six members was a decent size for a Royal ss club, so maybe we¡¯d be assigned a supervising teacher. Although we didn¡¯t necessarily need a vice president with just six members, we did need a president.


    Anna seemed to believe that since we had decided to go ahead with this, we needed to elect a leader.


    <i>¡®But why do you keep looking at me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... What¡¯s up? Why is everyone staring at me suddenly?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just her. The other members were also staring at me. ¡°No way. This isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t even think about such nonsense, you fools! This is a magic research club, or research department, rted to magic!¡¯</i>


    I was growing frantic.


    <i>¡®Y-You¡¯ve got to be seriously kidding, right? I¡¯m the one in charge of misceneous tasks, the extra one here. I¡¯ve got nothing to do with magic.¡¯</i>


    Being president was a huge responsibility, and it only made sense that the president could use magic. There would be so much to handle¡ªhaving to go to various ces to handle club-rted matters, securing approvals, speaking with teachers, and potentially interacting with the student council. That was too much work for someone like me, who was supposed to be handling only the small stuff...


    <i>¡®Uh... Wait, what? Handling misceneous tasks... Isn¡¯t that what all this is at the end of the day?¡¯</i>


    Harriet, with a triumphant smile, looked at me as if to say, <i>¡®I got you now, you¡¯re screwed.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Raise your hand if you don¡¯t want Reinhart to be the president!¡± Harriet shouted.


    ¡°Me!¡± I eximed.


    I was the only one who raised my hand.


    And so, I ended up bing the president of the Magic Research Club without knowing how to use any magic at all.

 Chapter 202

    <h4>Chapter 202</h4>


    It was Sunday, in the imperial pce Emperatos.


    Charlotte sat on the luxurious sofa in the emperor¡¯s office, dressed in her court attire.


    ¡°...¡±


    Opposite Charlotte, also d in formal attire, sat Vertus.


    They were both waiting for the emperor. They were the only two present in the vast office.


    The matter that had brought them together wasn¡¯t particrly important. Periodically, the emperor would summon them to the same ce and listen to their stories about life at the Temple. Just like any other parent, he wanted to know if his children were doing well.


    Of course, their family was different from any other ordinary family in one aspect: if it weren''t for the emperor¡¯s orders, one of the siblings might have already wound up dead due to their poor rtionship.


    Since they couldn¡¯t even pretend to have a good rtionship, there was no conversation between them. If their eyes identally met, only distasteful words would be exchanged.


    However, there was onemon topic they shared that wasn¡¯t particrly unpleasant.


    ¡°Reinhart wants to set up shops at every magic train station?¡±


    It was Reinhart.


    Vertus thought Reinhart had a terrible temper but was still someone who got things done when necessary. He had shown himself to bepetent during the group mission, and though he seemed tock ambition, he performed exceptionally when the moment required it. Thus, Vertus rather liked him. In fact, he had often helped or turned a blind eye to various matters.


    One such matter he had overlooked was that Reinhart, a member of ss A, was getting along with Charlotte de Gradias, a member of ss B and hispetitor. Vertus never said anything to Reinhart about it.


    When Reinhart had gone missing, both he and Charlotte had tried to find him using their own means.


    Anyway, Reinhart was amon topic for Charlotte and Vertus. That day, Vertus had a business proposal to present to the emperor, and before Charlotte could interfere and mess things up, he had to make it clear that it was Reinhart¡¯s idea, not his. The proposal involved setting up shops at the numerous magic train stations scattered throughout the capital.


    Currently, the magic train stations only had tforms for boarding and alighting and other bare minimum functions necessary for the stations to operate, such as ticketing stations.


    Magic trains had not been around long enough for people to experiment with how to use the empty space around the stations.


    Reinhart wanted to use that empty space.


    ¡°To be precise, Reinhart only proposed it. The actual business operators would be that Rotary Club or whatever they are.¡±


    ¡°Why are you helping him, then?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s suspicious question about why Vertus was helping Reinhart made him grin.


    ¡°We decided to share the profits. 90-10.¡±


    ¡°Ny percent? That¡¯s utterly exploitative, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Charlotte was convinced that Vertus was a scoundrel, and automatically assumed he was being a scoundrel and taking the bigger portion.


    Of course, he was indeed a scoundrel, from Charlotte de Gradias¡¯s perspective.


    Vertus¡¯s mouth fell open slightly in disbelief. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me much, but assuming that I¡¯m that bad is a bit much. It¡¯s not ny percent for me, obviously.¡±


    ¡°... Really? That¡¯s a bit surprising.¡±


    ¡°I know Ick trust and credibility, but I do have business ethics.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m surprised you even know about that, and even more so that you haven¡¯t gone about addressing it despite your knowledge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no saint yourself; why act so high and mighty?¡±


    They red at each other, and the air between them sparked with tension.


    ¡°Anyway, this isn¡¯t my business; it¡¯s Reinhart¡¯s proposal. If it gets scrapped, it¡¯ll be Reinhart who¡¯s in trouble, not me. So, it would be nice if you didn¡¯t run your mouth about this matter,¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s not my concern anyway. But I didn¡¯t realize you cared so much about Reinhart,¡± Charlotte replied with a slightly mocking smile.


    Vertus took a sip of his tea. ¡°The people precious to my dear sibling are precious to me as well,¡± he replied.


    It was a loaded statement filled with countless undertones, and the exact meanings hidden underneath it were unclear.


    <i>¡®The people precious to my enemy are also precious to me.¡¯</i>


    The word ¡°precious¡± could mean significantly different things in the first and second halves of the sentence.


    Despite that, Charlotte¡¯s expression remainedposed. Her perfectly controlled face betrayed no trace of emotion.


    ¡°So, your thinking is the same as mine, then?¡±


    Vertus smiled, as though acknowledging amon understanding. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that we both value what¡¯s precious to our sibling?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Neither of them revealed what exactly about Reinhart made them want to assist him and take care of him.


    In this world, only the oue mattered.


    Reinhart found himself caught between Charlotte and Vertus. While such proximity could bring some benefits, it couldn¡¯tst forever.


    It was the world¡¯s most dangerous tightrope walk, and it required Reinhart to continuously keep a fine bnce if he was to survive.


    Reinhart¡¯s story ended there, and a long silence lingered between Charlotte and Vertus once again. They were not the type to engage in frequent conversation, and when they did, their exchanges were often fraught with sharp, hostile remarks.


    Charlotte was the first to break this silence. Her expression suggested she was about to say something she really did not want to.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°... What now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of annoying that there¡¯s no one else to ask about this but you. I¡¯ve got something to ask.¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s about the ongoing mining rights issue, I have nothing to tell you. You don¡¯t seriously think I¡¯d spillpetitive secrets to you, do you?¡±


    Vertus assumed that if Charlotte had anything to ask him, it would be along those lines, and he made it clear he had no intention of sharing.


    Charlotte clicked her tongue and crossed her arms in frustration, judging Vertus for the presumption. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s about the Merchants¡¯ Guild, I¡¯ve told you already, I¡¯m not directly involved. Of course, if Reinhart¡¯s business takes off, he might get entangled with them, but that¡¯s strictly Reinhart¡¯s concern, not mine...¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m pretty?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯spletely unexpected question left Vertus momentarily stunned.


    <i>¡®Did I hear that wrong? I must have.¡¯</i>


    Although Vertus had heard her clearly, he couldn¡¯t believe Charlotte would ask something like that, and thus concluded that he¡¯d somehow misunderstood. It was so out of the blue, and there was no reason for Charlotte to ask him such a question like that all of a sudden.


    Charlotte heard no response from Vertus and frowned at him.


    ¡°... Why are you silent? I¡¯m asking you a question.¡±


    ¡°... What? What did you say?¡±


    Vertus decided that he needed to confirm what the question was. Charlotte, feeling irritated for having to say it again, sighed with her arms crossed.


    ¡°I said, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m attractive enough?¡±


    ¡°... Wh-What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡±


    Vertus paled once he realized he hadn¡¯t misheard.


    <i>¡®What is this? What kind of game is she ying?¡¯</i>


    Vertus felt a genuine sense of fear that he rarely experienced. The unpredictable context and purpose behind Charlotte¡¯s question made his head spin.


    Seeing Vertus suddenly flustered, Charlotte¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Are you deaf? Be honest. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m pretty?¡±


    ¡°Why... would you ask me something like that?¡±


    Vertus couldn¡¯t fathom the reason why Charlotte, his half-sibling andpetitor in their struggle for imperial power, would ask him whether she was attractive. He could not decipher the intention behind such a question, which left himpletely baffled.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the only one I can ask?¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°The maids just parrot phrases like ¡®You shine brilliantly today¡¯, and my own people aren¡¯t any different. You¡¯re the only one I think will give me an honest answer. I¡¯d prefer you say something, even if it¡¯s a biting critique.¡±


    Indeed, if Charlotte were to ask those around her, she would only get the answers they thought she wanted to hear, regardless of the truth.


    If so, then asking someone who disliked her might yield an honest answer.


    Vertus realized that, whatever her reasons, there was no hidden agenda behind Charlotte¡¯s question.


    ¡°Hmm... Sibling. You are quite attractive...¡± Vertus said.


    ¡°Hmm, right. I thought so too....¡±


    ¡°For a fish.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Vertus crossed his arms and gave a sly grin.


    ¡°Sister, you do realize your mug resembles a fish more than a human, right?¡±


    Of course, it was a malevolent remark, but Vertus couldn¡¯t help but grin as he watched Charlotte¡¯s face contort in anger.


    ¡°Did you just say ¡®mug¡¯? Did you justpare my face to a fish?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister. Among fish, you might find a match. Look around; I think your face could be quite popr in that crowd.¡±


    ¡°Are you tantly mocking me? Do you have a death wish right or something?¡±


    The angrier and more hostile Charlotte¡¯s words became, the broader Vertus¡¯s smile grew.


    ¡°Well, I answered honestly and straightforwardly. Is that wrong? And ease up on the frown; your fish face is beginning to resemble a deep-sea creature.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Shut up. It was a mistake asking you this in the first ce.¡±


    Charlotte cast her gaze towards the window, indicating that she was done with the conversation.


    Vertus continued to smirk as he observed Charlotte¡¯s angry expression. Though he tried to decipher why his half-sibling had suddenly asked such a question, he ultimately couldn¡¯t figure out the reason.


    ***


    It was Sunday, and Charlotte had returned from the imperial city. The day before, she had unnecessarily asked Vertus something trivial despite knowing he was bound to give a terrible answer no matter what she asked, and his answer had ended up ruining her mood.


    <i>¡®Fish? Did he really say a fish?¡¯</i>


    It was such an unexpected insult that it made her face burn with indignation.


    Objectifying herself was difficult, but Charlotte believed that she was undeniably attractive. In fact, she considered it a modest assessment. She wasn¡¯t someone who had let the maids¡¯ constant praise get to her head, saying she shone like the goddess of beauty.


    Some things could be determined at a nce. Just by looking in the mirror Charlotte knew, even if she wasn¡¯t so mesmerized that she¡¯d fall in love with her own reflection.


    She might not have been extraordinary¡ªthat was up for debate¡ªbut she was certainly good-looking.


    She had a level of understated and humble self-assurance.


    But that Reinhart? He had reacted with utter dismay at the thought of possibly marrying her.


    Even though she thought he was a good guy due to the various ways he helped her, it had scratched her pride.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? I have wealth, power, capability, and beauty. Does he think there¡¯s someone better than me on this continent?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte was starting to lean towards the belief that there might not be anyone in the world with better attributes and capabilities than her.


    <i>¡®Who does he think he is? ... Not that I¡¯m interested in him, but is there really someone better than me?¡¯</i>


    It shouldn¡¯t have mattered that a guy whom she would never ept even if he threw himself at her didn¡¯t show any interest, but it was still irritating.


    Charlotte never doubted her own attractiveness, but for the first time in her life, she was questioning it.


    And it wasn¡¯t just that. The new Rotary Club venture...


    The magic trains were an essential infrastructure in the imperial city,parable to the warp gates. Setting up shops at the stations was a solid idea, and she agreed with that.


    But that wasn¡¯t the issue.


    Why had Reinhart approached Vertus and not her? She was also the emperor¡¯s daughter; she could discuss such matters with him and gain approval with no problem.


    It wasn¡¯t as if it was something only Vertus could handle.


    She and Reinhart didn¡¯t meet daily or spend all their time together, but they were close enough to share secrets that no one else could know, or so she thought.


    Yet Reinhart had discussed such an important matter with Vertus instead of her.


    Why?


    Did he think Vertus was more reliable and capable than she was?


    Reinhart had clearly stated that he would be like a mediator, flitting from side to side, and Charlotte had resigned herself to that fact. She knew he needed to stay in Vertus¡¯s good graces as well as hers.


    She understood that he might have shared such ns and asked for favors from Vertus because he was in the same ss as him.


    She understood that, but it still infuriated her.


    <i>¡®Why did he tell Vertus and not me? Does he actually dislike me?¡¯</i>


    Her thoughts meandered to this conclusion, and she came to a halt.


    In the corridor leading to the Royal ss dormitory, Charlotte found herself stopping in her tracks, lost in thought.


    <i>¡®Reinhart might dislike me.¡¯</i>


    Reinhart had been inadvertently dragged into her search to find the child, only to learn a truth that shouldn¡¯t havee to light.


    He hadn¡¯t cooperated out of his own volition and had simply followed orders when asked to help.


    From the beginning, his coboration had been secured reluctantly, since the lives of the Rotary Club members had been at stake.


    He¡¯d onlyplied because he had no other choice, and he might actually resent her. He could be fearing that these secrets, if leaked or uncovered, might lead to his silent disappearance as well.


    Such secrets... No one would want to discover them.


    Her circumstances were merely her circumstances.


    For the first time, it dawned on Charlotte.


    She had always been using Reinhart, nothing more. She had never been curious about his feelings or thoughts, nor had she considered his emotions, burdens, or the pressures he might be under.


    Despite the danger, she always thought she was grateful and appreciative of his help. But that was all.


    She had always believed that Reinhart empathized with her situation, her position, and her sorrow. That¡¯s why he was helping her¡ªor so she thought.


    She never once considered that he might have been cooperating reluctantly, crushed under the weight of the power she held, and dealing with her unwillingly.


    <i>¡®I was selfish. Reinhart might feel morefortable with Vertus. Vertus wouldn¡¯t ask Reinhart to do anything dangerous.¡¯</i>


    When she realized this, Charlotte stood there nkly for a long time.


    ***


    Not knowing what to say to Reinhart, Charlotte headed toward the ss A dormitory. She felt she needed to apologize. But how? She had no idea what to say.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry for being a burden...</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve taken for granted that you were risking yourself...</i>


    <i>¡®You no longer have to deliver letters...</i>


    <i>¡®But then, how should I keep in touch with that child?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t ask even her own people to handle that task. Her people had failed to find the child, and it was only through the direct inquiries she¡¯d made with Reinhart that they had discovered anything at all.


    Charlotte believed that the fewer people who knew the truth, the better, so only Reinhart was aware of it.


    However, her associates, including Dyrus, had already begun to see that child in a different light.


    They had decided that the child might be the only one capable of resolving her condition, which was why she had to halt the search.


    If she wanted to stop Reinhart from doing anything that could lead him to danger, she had to stop making him deliver letters.


    But that would sever her only link to the child. She would lose all connection, even through letters.


    To maintain her link to the child, Charlotte would have to continue exploiting Reinhart¡¯s services, selfishly burdening him and exposing him to danger.


    Even though she appreciated Reinhart¡¯s help, mere gratitude didn¡¯t justify keeping him at risk indefinitely.


    What was she to do?


    This was something she did not want to lose.


    At this rate, though, she would have to keep sacrificing someone¡ªsacrificing the person who had treated her kindly despite her initial hostility. One day, that might lead to a real sacrifice.


    Still unsure of what she should say, Charlotte headed towards the ss A dormitory.


    A voice that had be familiar rang through the hallway even though the person couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡ªNo, seriously, hey. Why do I have to do that, you thick-skull?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s already been decided! Hmph! And calling me Thick-Skull doesn¡¯t bother me at all. You seem more upset right now, so it doesn¡¯t hurt my feelings at all!


    ¡ªYeah, whatever, Thick-Skull.


    ¡ªYeah, sure thing, president.


    ¡ªI told you I¡¯m not the president! I¡¯m not! I¡¯m not doing it! I said I¡¯m not doing it!


    ¡ªOh? Is this how you feel? I think I understand why you teased me. This is called, um, what was it... damage... damage something... damage-dealing? Is that right? Well, president, I wish you good luck moving forward!


    ¡ªAaargh! I said I¡¯m not doing it! Spare me, please!


    ¡ªHow could a mere member like me make such a decision, Mr. President?


    ¡ªI told you I¡¯m not the President!


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte listened to Reinhart arguing with someone and began to question whether her worries were somewhat foolish.


    <i>¡®Is this all just make-believe? Is he justpletely carefree?</i>


    <i>¡®It seems like he¡¯s living a joyous life at the Temple, with no burden, tension, or fear.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª Please! I¡¯ll do anything else. Anything else, okay? Being president is annoying! It¡¯s really annoying! I have lots to do too!


    ¡ªYou agreed to handle the menial tasks, which includes being the president. You promised, remember?


    ¡ªThat¡¯s not the promise I made!


    Charlotte, feeling oddly deted, trudged back to the ss B dormitory.


    However, the heaviness in her heart would not go away.


    She had postponed things for too long.


    She had deferred judgment for far too long, and now it was time to make a decision.


    She had to sort out her feelings now.


    That was what Charlotte believed.

 Chapter 203

    <h4>Chapter 203</h4>


    It was Monday, and I was in the ssroom building where we hadmon sses. I stopped by the teacher¡¯s office after all themon sses of the day were over.


    ¡°...What is this?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s an application for a club.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser narrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the piece of paper I handed him. This man who rarely showed any emotion was frowning.


    ¡°If my eyes aren¡¯t mistaken, it says ¡®Magic Research Club.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°And it says the president is ¡®Reinhart, Royal ss, Year 1, ss A, Number 11.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And as far as I know, you are a superhuman with the ability of Self-Deception, and you are receiving closebat training.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser put the club formation application I handed him on his desk and looked up at me as he sat in his chair.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did I.


    Meeting his stare was genuinely terrifying. It had been a while since I¡¯d felt this, like his gaze alone could make a mouse drop dead. Meeting Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s intense re made my legs tremble.


    During the first semester, Mr. Effenhauser had let me try various things because I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    And now I was experimenting with magic? He had to be thinking that I was crazy.


    ¡°Teacher, please feel free to say it bluntly.¡±


    <i>¡®Staring at me like that is even scarier!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Mr. Effenhauser asked.


    ¡°I¡¯mpletely fine, sir.¡±


    This was probably the limit of Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s restraint. He stared at me for a while, then pressed his fingertips against his eyelids and spoke as if he were spitting out the words.


    ¡°Then, exin it.¡±


    If this was an ordinary screw-up like before, he wouldn¡¯t have reacted this way.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not like my screw-ups are ordinary in the first ce. Maybe I¡¯m just used to them.¡¯</i>


    If I didn¡¯t exin clearly, I might really get in trouble.


    Did I finally seed in pissing off the unyielding Effenhauser with my hidden talent to infuriate people?


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not that strange if you hear me out. It¡¯s not a magic-less Magic Research Club or anything like that.¡¯</i>


    ¡°So, um, here¡¯s the thing...¡±


    I started to exin the situation in detail.


    <i> </i> *


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Fortunately, after listening to my exnation, Mr. Effenhauser no longer looked as though he thought I was high on drugs. His eyes softened a bit, and I almost sighed in relief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it either, but I¡¯m forcing myself to do it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, why force yourself?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are someplicated reasons for that...¡±


    ¡°Are you being coerced?¡±


    <i>¡®Yes! Honestly, I do think it¡¯s coercion! Why do I have to be the president?¡¯</i>


    I almost wanted to rat out this tyranny, but Mr. Effenhauser shook his head silently. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re not someone who would be coerced, so you must have your own reasons.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh... Yeah, I¡¯m used to it by now. Living like this... I don¡¯t even feel like denying it anymore.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The number of members is quite impressive, and the fact that there are students from both ss A and ss B involved is notable. Do you have any specific requirements for the club room or a supervising teacher?¡±


    ¡°No, please assign them as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Very well, then I will inform you about the approvalter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    It was odd that the president of a magic club wasn¡¯t a mage, but nearly all the members are either mages or very knowledgeable about magic. Therefore, there was no reason for the formation of this club to be denied.


    Just as I was about to leave Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s office, he called out to me.


    ¡°Number 11.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He stared at me silently for a while. After a brief pause, he added a shortment.


    ¡°One merit point.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t bother to borate on why I deserved the merit point. He probably assumed I¡¯d already understood the reason.


    The merit points I received in the first semester had expired when the final grades for that semester werepiled. Honestly, I didn¡¯t really care about my grades at the Temple, so I wasn¡¯t too affected by it.


    However, merit points weren¡¯t only useful for grades. They could be used to offset disciplinary actions or demerit points. Although it hadn¡¯t happened in the first semester, minor infractions could be nullified with merit points. They wouldn¡¯t save me if I went overboard, of course, but minor mishaps could be whitewashed with merit points.


    In other words, I now had a protective shield against penalties or disciplinary actions for the second semester.


    <i> </i> *


    ¡°Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did it, you brat.¡±


    Harriet had been waiting for me in the hallway, her eyes gleaming with anticipation when I came out.


    She¡¯d escorted me to the teacher¡¯s office, probably thinking that I might escape midway, given how much I hated being the president.


    <i>¡®Are you really that thrilled to make me the president? Do you enjoy making my life a hassle? Huh? Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I had been hooked. I¡¯d wanted to just be a name on the member¡¯s list and show up whenever I felt like it, but being the president meant I had to attend every meeting. If I didn¡¯t, she would definitely go ballistic.


    ¡°He said he¡¯ll inform us of the resultter. It¡¯ll take a few days.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    She was way too happy, which made my stomach churn with annoyance.


    <i>¡®No. I must be a really bad person. Is it seriously annoying me just to see her happy? How far have I fallen?¡¯</i>


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the kind of misceneous task I was talking about...¡±


    It was true that it was the president¡¯s job to deal with various tasks, but I didn¡¯t want my responsibilities to be on this scale.


    Seeing my sour expression, Harriet covered her mouth and giggled. ¡°You know you have to show up to every meeting without skipping now that you¡¯re the president, right?¡±


    ¡°Does that make you <i>that </i>happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s grea¡ª!¡±


    Harriet began to say something but quickly covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head vigorously.


    ¡°No! No! I just think it¡¯s great that you¡¯ll be handling all these annoying tasks now that you¡¯re president! It¡¯s awesome! Serves you right!¡± she said.


    ¡°... Hey, you brat. I¡¯m doing all this work for your benefit without getting anything out of it for myself. Can¡¯t you at least say thank you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re always like this! You act nice at first, but you just have to needle me in the end! So I¡¯ll do the same!¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t even act nice. You were prickly right from the start to the end.¡±


    ¡°Oh, whatever¡ªgood luck being president!¡±


    Harriet stuck out her tongue and ran down the hallway.


    <i>¡®President, huh. Is she forgetting that it''s a title of respect?¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> *


    The initial idea for this club was to bring forward the kind of challenges that the magic students would eventually faceter on, so that they could get stronger a bit faster.


    I thought it would be enough to get them together and say ¡°Hey, you guys research and y with magic here, okay?¡±, but then I got pulled in and ended up as the president.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like I couldn''t make time for it. Even though I trained with Ellen every day, I could still make time for this.


    Mr. Effenhauser would inform us about the supervising teacher and the location of the club room once the results of our application were released.


    It sounded easy enough, but it wasn¡¯t something that could be approved on his say-so.


    This wasn¡¯t a normal club; it was a club that researched magic.


    It wasn¡¯t just about having a room; we needed equipment for magic research and a space to put those equipment in.


    It wasn¡¯t just a meeting where we sat around a table and had a chat.


    We could use the existing equipment at the Temple, but if we needed new equipment, we had to request for it, and the school might provide it if it was within budget.


    <i>¡®Wait a minute. I¡¯ll have to handle all those things too, won¡¯t I? This is already depressing...¡¯</i>


    Anyway, it would take some time to learn about the details rting to the club, and until then, there weren¡¯t many tasks to deal with.


    Harriet was thrilled and constantly discussed with Adelia the research they wanted to do. Of course, since I was the president, they kept inviting me to join in their conversations, but honestly, I didn¡¯t understand a word of what they were talking about.


    In the end, life was busy, but still peaceful.


    Of course, peaceful didn¡¯t mean boring. I had to keep up with the rigorous schedule of daily training.


    I also made a major resolution.


    I had over 6,000 achievement points. I always kept some points in reserve for emergencies because the unexpected could always happen.


    Also, I worried that the speed at which I was developing talents was too fast. The Royal ss was supposed to be a ce for those who already possessed talents, not a ce where new talents were awakened. However, I had awakened two rare talents within a year, and was afraid that growing too quickly might raise unnecessary suspicion, so I¡¯d refrained from awakening new talents so far.


    Now, though, with no imminent crisis in sight, it was better to blossom another talent before it went to waste. The timing couldn¡¯t be better.


    [Mana Maniption - 4000 points]


    It was time to awaken my third talent.


    Self-Deception, Mana Attunement, and now Mana Maniption...


    Now that I had both Mana Attunement and Mana Maniption, I nned to start training in Mana Reinforcement.


    [Using achievement points.]


    A new talent, Mana Maniption, blossomed.


    There was no significant change in my body. Although Mana Attunement elerated my mana growth rate, the only benefit I had from it was using the me of Fire. I still would not be able to leverage my mana in any other way until I could use Mana Reinforcement.


    [Baalier]


    [Age: 17]


    [Race: Archdemon]


    Current Stats:


    [Strength: 8.5(C-)]


    [Agility: 8.8(C-)]


    [Dexterity: 9.9(C-)]


    [Mana: 13(C+)]


    [Stamina: 13.2(C+)]


    [Talents: Supernatural Power - Self-Deception, Mana Attunement, Mana Maniption.]


    Traits:


    [Divine Spirit] - Increased resistance to mental magic


    [Hero¡¯s Lineage] - Greatly increased growth limits. Faster growth rate.


    Skills:


    [Control Demon C] (Archdemon exclusive ability)(Not usable in the current state.)


    [Self-Deception C]


    [Overall Ability Rating: Low-level Demon King]


    [Combat Rating: B-]


    My physical attributes had increased since the beginning of the semester, even though not much time had passed.


    My growth rate seemed to have elerated even more. It should have slowed down, but instead, it had increased significantly.


    This was because of the Hero¡¯s Lineage trait I shared with Ellen, which boosted my growth rate.


    By the end of this semester, some of my stats might reach B-rank. To achieve a B- rank, they would need to hit at least 14, and that seemed entirely feasible.


    Despite having two mana-rted talents, the utility of my mana was still low.


    Ultimately, this was an investment for the future.


    However, this was not all.


    [Talent - Mana Attunement]


    [Talent - Mana Maniption]


    [Sub-talents are now prepared.]


    [When Mana reaches A-rank, ¡®Mana Attunement¡¯ and ¡®Mana Maniption¡¯ will evolve into ¡®Mana Domination.¡¯]


    <i>¡®What the heck does that mean?¡¯</i>


    The evolution of talents was a new concept.


    I understood the idea ofprehensive talents, but evolution of talents through merging was a new scenario altogether. What could it possibly mean?


    However, it was good news regardless. Having even a potential for something was better than having nothing at all.


    At the moment, there were a total of four individuals in the Royal ss withprehensive talents:


    Ellen: Mana Domination and Weapon Mastery;


    Cliffman: Combat;


    Harriet: Magic;


    Louis Ankton: Academics.


    If I had to stretch it, there was also Dettomorian¡¯s Sorcery, butprehensive talents had incredible merit. Just one talent cost a thousand achievement points, while theprehensive Magic talent alone was worth around 20,000 points.


    <i>¡®But what¡¯s the current situation?¡¯</i>


    [Swordsmanship - 8,000 points]


    After spending 1,000 points, 2,000 points, and 4,000 points, it now required 8,000 points to awaken a fourth talent. I had no clue what I¡¯d need to do to earn that many points.


    <i>¡®How much would aprehensive talent cost now?¡¯</i>


    [Magic - 50,000 points]


    [Combat - 50,000 points]


    [Weapon Mastery - 30,000 points]


    [Academics - 30,000 points]


    Although it wasn¡¯t like they hadhadn¡¯t doubled in price, they were still far more expensive than before. Even dreaming of buying aprehensive talent with achievement points was out of the question.


    There was also the potentialprehensive talent.


    Mana Domination, which was a fusion of Mana Attunement and Mana Maniption, was one of Ellen¡¯s talents.


    [Mana Domination - 50,000 points]


    Among theprehensive talents, it was a top-tier talent, on par with Magic and Combat.


    Mana Attunement and Mana Maniption were universal talents necessary for all activities involving mana. Mages needed it, and those who aimed to master closebat also needed it.


    After that was Mana Domination, an even higher-tier talent. It allowed for more than just Mana Reinforcement; it could potentially lead to an individual reaching Master rank with rtive ease.


    However, the requirements are stringent. An A-rank in mana.


    In other words, it seems to imply that, once an individual reached an A-rank in mana, their understanding and control over mana would be strong enough for the talent to forcibly evolve.


    Even Vertus, who had the talents of Mana Attunement and Mana Maniption, did not have an A-rank in Mana. If Vertus reached an A-rank in Mana, would he then acquire the Mana Domination talent?


    Truthfully, from the first time I¡¯d met Ellen, she¡¯d already had an A-rank in mana. Ellen¡¯s mana capacity was monstrous.


    That meant Mana Domination wasn¡¯t an innate talent, but one that blossomed when specific conditions were met.


    At the moment, my mana was at 13, a C+ rank.


    The subsequent rank ssification would be as follows:


    14-15 (B-), 16-17 (B), 18-19 (B+), 20-22 (A-), 23-25 (A), 26-30 (A+)


    My mana would have to increase by 10 to reach A-rank.


    While my mana now sat at 13, it had started at 9.9.


    It had increased by 3.1 so far, and even the yoga master teacher considered this rapid.


    My mana had increased by 3 over six months, so if I continued at that rate, it would take until the year after next to increase by another 10. Of course, if I focused more on mana growth, that could change.


    Anyway, new goals kept appearing like mushrooms after the rain, and unexpected objectives also emerged.


    A new talent, and the evolution of talents...


    Mana Domination was the most necessary talent for me right now.

 Chapter 204

    <h4>Chapter 204</h4>


    There was a lot to do. And I had to step up my training even more.


    I added some new routines in addition to those from the first semester.


    One of them was focused on enhancing my superhuman abilities.


    <i>Boom</i>!


    Ellen nodded after taking a hit from me.


    ¡°It definitely feels right.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Try a few more things. It seems like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Self-Deception was a vague superhuman ability, and so far, I had used it practically by calling up certain reinforcement patterns as presets.


    I devised a method to make it more useful and functional, and it seemed to be quite effective.


    It was a bit embarrassing to describe in detail, and it felt a little cheesy while using it. Still, if it worked, it was good enough.


    It was more about specialization than enhancement. I wanted to add more versatility to the use of my superhuman ability.


    One focus was on the specialization of Self-Deception.


    As for the other...


    ¡°... I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°... I also don¡¯t know how to teach it.¡±


    Ellen was staring at me struggling with my eyes closed, ultimately achieving nothing.


    This was the first step towards Mana Domination.


    I was trying to achieve Mana Reinforcement.


    Ellen had unlocked Mana Reinforcement on her own, and since then, she had focused on adapting and mastering it through one-on-one lessons. Ellen was such an exceptional case that she was the only one among the first years taking that ss. Even if I applied for it, I wouldn¡¯t be epted.


    Besides improving my superhuman abilities, I needed to be able to perform Mana Reinforcement.


    I had to learn to handle my mana while elerating my mana growth.


    With that in mind, after intensive training on the training grounds, I received one-on-one Mana Reinforcement training from Ellen.


    But Ellen, being a genius beyond mere genius, simply looked at me with a gaze that said, <i>¡®I can do it easily; why can¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I can do it, so I don¡¯t know why you can¡¯t,¡± she said.


    ¡°Damn it, do you think we¡¯re the same? Isn¡¯t it weird that you can do it so easily in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°... Still.¡±


    ¡°Still? What do you mean, still?¡±


    <i>¡®Do you think we¡¯re on the same level?¡¯</i>


    I thought having two mana-rted talents might help me grasp Mana Reinforcement, but that wasn¡¯t happening. I couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    <i>¡®Is this 4000-point talent even effective? I don¡¯t see any difference at all!¡¯</i>


    Come to think of it, if having two mana-rted talents meant I could instantly perform Mana Reinforcement, Vertus would already be a Swordmaster, since he also possessed both of those talents.


    Mana Domination... It was truly overpowered.


    ¡°Hmm... Mmm...¡±


    Ellen seemed to be struggling to figure out how to teach me Mana Reinforcement, even though she could do it easily herself.


    Then again, you can¡¯t just teach someone how to breathe. It¡¯s something you just know how to do. For Ellen, Mana Reinforcement was as natural as breathing.


    Ellen furrowed her brows slightly, repeatedly fortifying and releasing her mana, tilting her head in contemtion as she tried toe up with an idea. But nothing seemed to click for her.


    It was kind of cute seeing her like that, and it somewhat lightened my mood.


    ¡°Just try it again for now.¡±


    ¡°... ¡®Try it again¡¯? That makes it sound like I did something right before.¡±


    <i>¡®I haven¡¯t done anything... I honestly don¡¯t understand it at all. Telling me to try again isn¡¯t going to produce any results!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Just do it anyway.¡±


    ¡°... Alright.¡±


    Ellen sat across from me, and I focused my mind while seated.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel anything. I knew there was mana inside my body, but without knowing how to sense it, trying to use it to fortify my physical body seemed impossible.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Ellen held both of my hands in hers with a puzzled look.


    <i>¡®Is she trying to detect something on her end?¡¯</i>


    But then, Ellen suddenly let go of my hands as if startled.


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing. Just keep going.¡±


    <i>¡®What was that? Is she suddenly being shy after being so nonchnt about everything until now?¡¯</i>


    Ellen didn¡¯t take my hands again, and she just kept watching me attempt whatever I was doing.


    Ellen and I spent several hours sitting across from each other while I struggled.


    It was a torturous exercise, not even worthy of being called training¡ªit was a blind person trying to describe an elephant.


    I couldn¡¯t even tell if I was making any progress, so it hardly felt like training.


    <i> </i> *


    For activities like swordsmanship or physical conditioning, the results obtained were alwaysmensurate with the time invested. Even though the rate of growth might slow down, physical pain would always lead to growth.


    But with Mana Reinforcement, it was a different story.


    The problem was that Ellen was such an extraordinary genius that she could only offer conceptual and vague advice, and all I ended up doing was tensing my stomach muscles and feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom.


    Perhaps I had to wait until it was being taught in the regr curriculum, but even when it did, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d get the hang of it.


    However, I had all the necessary talents, so I believed that I¡¯d get it down eventually if I kept at it.


    If I could manage to use Mana Reinforcement by the end of the year, even if I wasn¡¯t considered a genius on Ellen¡¯s level, I¡¯d certainly still be considered a prodigy.


    However, I wasn¡¯t holding out much hope. After all, if the two talents I had eventually evolved into Mana Domination, all my problems would be solved.


    Concerning my life at the Temple, aside from the midterms, group missions, and finals, nothing particrly eventful or problematic happened.


    Of course, on a personal level, I was constantly busy with training, the Rotary Club projects, and now the Magic Research Club, which left me with no time to rest.


    The main storylines for the second semester mostly revolved around the festival and the group mission, but it was hard to predict how things would unfold in those cases.


    In the first semester, I lived a rough life due to those who looked down on me, but this semester, no one underestimated me anymore, so I didn¡¯t see myself having any reason or need to cause trouble.


    As such, I began directing my efforts toward more constructive pursuits. I nned to focus on making money, getting stronger, and seeking power.


    Though they weren¡¯t stressful tasks, I still had so much on my te that I suffered from a sense of constant fatigue, even if it wasn¡¯t to the extent of chronic exhaustion.


    A few days passed, and something else began to bother me.


    ¡°Uh, hi... Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh...¡±


    Charlotte no longer seemedfortable around me.


    There was something beyond awkwardness with her.


    <i> </i> *


    Ever since Dettomorian¡¯s abrupt revtion, Charlotte and I had grown awkward around each other. However, it was a prophecy that I had no reason to believe in. I thought things would get better with time, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    In fact, things only seemed to grow more and more awkward.


    Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t so much awkwardness as it was something else.


    She seemed to find me intimidating. She couldn¡¯t make eye contact with me and would brush past me in the hallway with the shortest of greetings.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on with her?¡¯</i>


    Could it be that she¡¯d be more conscious of me? It didn¡¯t seem that way. If that were the case, things would be more tense, wouldn¡¯t they?


    It definitely didn¡¯t seem like she was more conscious of me in that way. It felt different, in a specific sort of way.


    However, there was nothing going on between Charlotte and me.


    <i>¡®Why would she find me intimidating? Have I unknowingly caused some kind of trouble again?¡¯</i>


    I reached the point where I even began to doubt myself.


    Aside from the incident with Dettomorian, though, I couldn¡¯t think of any reason for Charlotte to act this way.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? Is she truly bing conscious of me? It doesn¡¯t seem like it.</i>


    <i>¡®Or is it? This is what they call ¡°delusions of grandeur,¡± isn¡¯t it?</i>


    <i>¡®What the heck am I thinking? Am I actually considering that the princess, after having her fortune read once, is now thinking about me?</i>


    <i>¡®Still, Charlotte is single-heartedly devoted to Baalier, isn¡¯t she? Well, then again, Baalier is me.</i>


    <i>¡®But what would it be called if Charlotte, who likes Baalier, ends up directing her feelings toward Reinhart? A change of heart? Well, since both are me, it wouldn¡¯t technically be a change of heart. Actually, perhaps it would be a change of heart, after all.¡¯</i>


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°You have an unpleasant expression on your face.¡±


    Ellen finally said something while we were heading back after ss.


    <i> </i> *


    Although there were other issues, these thoughts regarding Charlotte¡¯s change in attitudeplicated my mind greatly. After all, Charlotte was an important person to me, regardless of my personal needs or reasons.


    She was the first person I¡¯d met when I entered this world, and she made me realize that I could risk my life to save someone.


    After going through many ups and downs, we reunited, and despite giving her a somewhat poor first impression of me, we eventually formed a rtionship where we could talk normally and be friends.


    However, Dettomorian¡¯s words changed all that.


    At first, whenever Charlotte saw me after that, she would greet me awkwardly and brush past me with a slightly flustered expression. Recently, though, she hadn¡¯t just been flustered, but seemed to find it hard to even say hello, just hurrying past with her head lowered.


    Even if I didn¡¯t know all the details, I could clearly see that the situation was growing more awkward.


    These were all hypothetical thoughts, but:


    Suppose Charlotte started to genuinely like me (Reinhart).


    What would happen next?


    If she confessed her feelings to me and I said that I wasn¡¯t interested, would I lose my head for that because I dared to reject the princess?


    If I said that it was an honor, then would I be swiftly reminded that there was no ce in the royal family for someone of my lowly status, and lose my head anyway?


    Either way, my head would be in danger.


    The whole situation just became more absurd the more I thought about the princess liking me. In reality, I had no idea what Charlotte was thinking.


    <i>¡®Or maybe... is she scared? Is she distancing herself from me because she¡¯s afraid Dettomorian¡¯s prophecy wille true?</i>


    <i>¡®If that¡¯s the case, what should I do? Should I tell her that I have no intention of marrying her and that she should treat me like how she usually did?</i>


    <i>¡®Would saying that lead to ¡°How dare you discuss marriage with the princess?!¡± and result in my head getting chopped off?</i>


    <i>¡®No. No matter what I think of it, it always ends with my head getting chopped off.¡¯</i>


    The specific reason for it might be unclear, but it was evident that Charlotte was having a hard time associating with me, and was seriously avoiding me.


    It could all be a mere hunch, though.


    Even though she¡¯d only spent one day with me, Charlotte liked me (Baalier). That much is certain. But then she heard that she¡¯d be marrying the other me (Reinhart).


    Could it be that she had begun avoiding me because she was afraid her feelings for Baalier would be diluted by me (Reinhart)?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t believe in Dettomorian¡¯s prophecy.


    However, we could assume for a moment that it really was a prophecy about the future, as though he were an oracle.


    An oracle offered a warning about an oue, and no matter what action one took, that action would ironically ensure the prophecy¡¯s fulfillment.


    Take the story of King Laius. An oracle prophesied that his son would kill him and marry his wife, so he abandoned Oedipus, his son, an act that ultimately led to the prophecy being fulfilled.


    If that were the case, Charlotte¡¯s choice to distance herself from me might actually be the decision that ensured the prophecy bing reality.


    Of course, all this spection hinged on the fact that Dettomorian¡¯s prophecy would reallye to pass.


    Ultimately, every story rted to prophecies conveys one message: fate cannot be avoided, and what is meant to happen would inevitably happen. Actions taken to avoid destiny often hastened its arrival.


    As I thought about Charlotte¡¯s situation, I felt a chill run down my spine.


    It made me fear that all my efforts to handle the Gate Incident might be futile, or even cause unexpected problems.


    The Gate Incident was destiny, after all, and I was trying my best to avoid it.


    Would all my efforts to prevent it work as intended? Or would they lead to another kind of Gate Incident?


    I didn¡¯t know.


    The Gate Incident was a problem in the future.


    In the present, Charlotte seemed to have begun to find me intimidating, and although I didn¡¯t know the specifics, it appeared to be because of what Dettomorian had said. That was the issue.


    If Charlotte was trying to distance herself from me, what could I say to her to tell her that there was no need? Did I even have the right to say anything?


    After all, it was Charlotte¡¯s decision to act as she saw fit, and telling her otherwise would be absurd.


    Finally, while lost in thought in my room, mymunication device beeped.


    ¡°... Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s slightly somber voice came through themunicator.


    ¡°Could we... talk for a moment?¡±


    There was a determination in Charlotte¡¯s voice, as if she had decided something.


    <i> </i> *


    I left the Royal ss dormitory after Charlotte¡¯s call. She was waiting for me on a small bridge over a pond deep in the park in front of the dormitory. It was a quiet ce, rarely visited by others.


    Although it was secluded, the pond was well-maintained, with crystal clear waters.


    Charlotte leaned against the railing of the bridge, looking at me with a tilt to her head.


    ¡°You came.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Her manner was different from what it had been recently whenever we passed each other.


    Instead of just awkwardness or a sense of intimidation, she now seemed to be filled with deep sorrow. Charlotte leaned against the railing facing the pond, and I leaned against the railing on the opposite side, facing away.


    We did not face each other, as it seemed it would be morefortable for both of us this way.


    I didn¡¯t know what Charlotte was going to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a bit strangetely, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t deny it, even if I wanted to. Yes, you have.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it after hearing such surprising things...¡±


    ¡°... I felt the same way too...¡±


    She was talking about Dettomorian¡¯s reading again. The one in which we were supposed to get married.


    So, Charlotte¡¯s recent behavior had indeed been because of that.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked.


    The idea of us getting married. Charlotte said it was ridiculous, and I agreed with her on that.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s ridiculous,¡± I replied, turning my head slightly to nce at her.


    ¡°But you know, I felt a bit offended.¡±


    Charlotte looked at me with a slightly mischievous smile, and her words left me momentarily stunned.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t it strange? I didn¡¯t think anything of it, but then you went and denied it so fiercely. It felt bad. It made me wonder if I was that undesirable.¡±


    ¡°N-No, no! That wasn¡¯t my intention! You know what I meant by that!¡±


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t mean that I disliked you, just that from a realistic perspective, it was highly improbable. You know that, right?!¡¯</i>


    Instead of feeling happy about the prospect of marrying a princess, I had been horrified by the thought and had adamantly denied that such a thing could ever happen.


    Now that I thought about it, it was possible she found that offensive.


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t mean it that way. Sorry if I made you feel bad.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I understand what you meant. It¡¯s just... it made me feel strange. If you had somehow liked the idea... it would have been even weirder. When I thought about it calmly, I realized that.¡±


    Charlotte was smiling at me.


    Indeed, if I had been overjoyed and said something like ¡°Oh great, I¡¯m going to marry the princess! Life couldn¡¯t be better!¡± it would have been far weirder.


    It wouldn¡¯t have just been awkward; she would have genuinely avoided me, thinking, <i>¡®Does he really believe that? How terrifying.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But you know, even though Detto said it might note true, I couldn¡¯t help but give it some serious thought. What could lead to me marrying you...¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Why? Am I not allowed to do that?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that it isn¡¯t allowed... but isn¡¯t it weird, telling me about that?¡±


    Then again, I had given it some thought as well. About what circumstances would lead to me marrying Charlotte.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not that I like you or have an interest in you in that way. I was just curious to see if there was a logical sequence of events that could lead to that oue.¡±


    She kept her tone serious, emphasizing that she didn¡¯t want me to misunderstand anything. Had Charlotte reached some sort of rational conclusion after thinking about it on her own?


    Charlotte fixed her gaze on the fish swimming in the pond.


    ¡°Reinhart, you know...¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    ¡°From what I considered, I don¡¯t think marrying you is exactly impossible.¡±


    ¡°... Whaaat?¡±


    Charlotte surprised me with an answer far beyond my expectations. Seeing my reaction, sheughed.


    Though I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, I couldn¡¯t look away from her smile.

 Chapter 205

    <h4>Chapter 205</h4>


    Charlotte and me getting married...


    Charlotte had thought about it, just as I had, but she seemed to think it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible.


    In truth, I also didn¡¯t think it waspletely impossible. But I had considered it from the perspective of Baalier, not Reinhart.


    However, Charlotte was saying that her marrying Reinhart, not Baalier, was not an impossible scenario.


    Seeing my bewilderment, Charlotte narrowed her eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Do you dislike me that much? Do you really find me that intolerable?¡±


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not that! It¡¯s just... You springing this on me all of a sudden threw me off!¡±


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t it weird to not be surprised if someone suddenly said, ¡°I might marry you¡± to your face?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So it¡¯s not that you dislike me? Then does that mean you like me?¡±


    ¡°Wh-Why are you doing this to me...?¡±


    Since I said I didn¡¯t dislike her, it had to mean I liked her...


    <i>¡®What kind of answer are you expecting from me?¡¯ </i>


    Charlotte clicked her tongue.


    ¡°In the end, you can¡¯t say you like me, huh. You really are a strange one. What¡¯s so bad about me?¡±


    ¡°Please, please. I feel like I¡¯m going crazy. No matter what I say, it feels like a trap, so I can¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, alright. I¡¯ll stop bothering you.¡±


    Seeing me sweating nervously, Charlotte grinned so wide that she seemed to be squinting.


    ¡°It¡¯s just... you know... I may not know your thoughts and feelings, but I know mine, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Charlotte said she¡¯d imagined how a future in which we would get married woulde to pass. She couldn¡¯t know my thoughts, but she could contemte her own, and her thoughts had led her down that road.


    ¡°We share secrets, you and I. Because of that, I might end up relying on you emotionally, and over time, I mighte to like you... I¡¯ve thought about it.¡±


    The matter concerning Baalier... That was our only secret, as I was the one directly delivering the letters.


    But all considered, I was merely the contact person. Charlotte¡¯s true emotional dependence wasn¡¯t on Reinhart, but on Baalier. So why would she rely on me and possiblye to like me?


    ¡°... Not that child?¡±


    As if she expected me to say that, Charlotte smiled at me.


    ¡°The letters. You don¡¯t need to send them anymore.¡±


    It was the saddest smile I¡¯d ever seen.


    <i> </i> *


    ¡°I... I¡¯ve been too selfish until now. While you¡¯ve been risking your safety, I never once thought about how dangerous it must be for you, or how you must have felt. I know you¡¯re caught between Vertus and me, and it must be burdensome. It might even be frightening. I never considered that.


    ¡°I took too many things for granted, with just a single ¡®Thank you¡¯ in return.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Reinhart. It¡¯s not like I believed I had the right to demand that from you just because I¡¯m a princess.


    ¡°You might have followed my orders begrudgingly, thinking you¡¯d lose your club members and your family if you refused, and I never thought about that. You might have carried those worries, but I never considered it.


    ¡°As someone who asked you to take on such dangerous tasks, I should have considered what risks you¡¯d be taking and whether it was burdensome or scary for you. But I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°This is all my fault and negligence, Reinhart. I think I was too preupied with my own sadness, and so I thought of you as a kind person who was helping me out of goodwill. I never considered what you were thinking or how you genuinely felt about my requests.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my subordinate.


    ¡°I¡¯m not drawing a line and saying you can¡¯t be my subordinate, but I¡¯m saying it because it¡¯s true. You¡¯re in a position where you have to navigate between me and Vertus, and the only reason you¡¯re involved in this dangerous bncing act is because of my single request.


    ¡°It¡¯d be better for you to simply be a member of ss A, on Vertus¡¯s side, but because of my selfishness, you have to perform this dangerous bncing act.


    ¡°I put you in danger and made you suffer. And I acted as if I¡¯d repaid all my debts to you with a mere thank you.


    ¡°You have no reason to help me. What I¡¯ve done to you thus far is nothing more than coercion.


    ¡°So, Reinhart, I¡¯m sorry for everything up until now.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to send the letters anymore. I¡¯ve already received a lot from you. So step down from this dangerous tightrope. It¡¯s time for you to choose a side.


    ¡°Go ahead and side with Vertus. I won¡¯t feel hurt by it, and I don¡¯t have the right to feel that way. If you stand with me, you be Vertus¡¯s enemy. But even if you stand with Vertus, I won¡¯t be your enemy.¡±


    Charlotte finished speaking and looked at me intently. This wasn¡¯t a conclusion she¡¯de to after thinking about the possibility of marriage or anything like that.


    The letters...


    The burden of delivering them was something Charlotte hadn¡¯t considered until now¡ªa burden that had only just dawned on her, which caused her to seem increasingly awkward around me.


    But it wasn¡¯t really awkwardness... It was guilt.


    For some reason, Charlotte had reached the conclusion that it was unfair to burden me with delivering the letters and was now saying I didn¡¯t have to continue with it.


    ¡°So... from now on, you¡¯ll have someone else deliver them?¡± I asked.


    That meant someone else would have to visit Eleris instead of me. It wasn¡¯t impossible, but it wouldplicate things.


    However, Charlotte shook her head.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t be sending letters anymore.¡±


    That was an entirely unexpected response.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know, did you?¡± she said. ¡°The only ones who know about that child are you, me, and that mage. Just the three of us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone else, even my people. And now, I can¡¯t tell them for other reasons anyway.¡±


    If I didn¡¯t deliver the letters, Charlotte would have to deliver them herself.


    ¡°So... what are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going tomunicate with him anymore.¡±


    When Charlotte called me over themunicator, her voice had carried a tone of resolve. It wasn¡¯t to have a heart-to-heart with me.


    She had decided not to keep in touch with Baalier anymore.


    In order to maintain secrecy, Charlotte hadn¡¯t told her people about Baalier¡¯s whereabouts. Initially, it was better if fewer people knew, but now, for whatever other reason, she couldn¡¯t tell them even if she wanted to.


    Pretending to deliver letters and responding to them myself had been a constant source of guilt.


    I wouldn¡¯t have to write those painful replies anymore, and that was what I wanted too.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no need for you to take any more risks.¡±


    But if her reason was because she feared for my safety, or out of guilt for forcing me into unfair situations, then... there was no need for her to do that.


    She didn¡¯t need to forcefully cut ties with such a sad expression.


    ¡°Do you still not know me?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Though I usually spoke to her in a softer tone, I chose to be rougher this time. It was the kind of tone I¡¯d take when berating someone while in a bad mood.


    It was the voice of the rough, delinquent Reinhart.


    ¡°If I think something¡¯s bullshit, I¡¯ll just say it¡¯s bullshit and refuse.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte seemed taken aback by my sudden harshness. She hadn¡¯t expected this reaction.


    Yes, everyone knew Reinhart as a crazy guy. If something didn¡¯t go my way, I got pissed, and if someone treated me like crap, I¡¯d demand to know why. It didn¡¯t matter who the other person was.


    Had she forgotten that? For the first time, I spoke harshly to Charlotte.


    ¡°If I thought your request was bullshit, I would¡¯ve said so. Did I ever do that?¡±


    ¡°... No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I did it because I wanted to.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I say whateveres to mind and do whatever I want. There are no exceptions, not even for you.¡±


    <i>¡®Well... Maybe there are some exceptions for Charlotte... and Vertus...¡¯</i>


    Right now, though, I had to speak in this way.


    ¡°I did it because I wanted to. If I didn¡¯t want to, I wouldn¡¯t have done it. So your worry and guilt arepletely unnecessary.¡±


    Tears started welling up in Charlotte¡¯s eyes, growing more visible.


    ¡°So, if you have letters in the future you wish to send, don¡¯t waste time on unnecessary thoughts. Just think about one thing. Whether you want to send them, or whether you don¡¯t. It isn¡¯t so hard to deliver a piece of paper.¡±


    Tears started to roll down Charlotte¡¯s cheeks, yet she looked at me with a faint, helpless smile. She was smiling while crying.


    ¡°Yes... as expected, that¡¯s what you¡¯d say.¡±


    Had she anticipated this oue? Did she know I would respond like this? She dabbed her flowing tears with a handkerchief.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to deliver the letters anymore,¡± she said, her eyes still sad.


    My circumstances aside, it seemed she had already made up her mind regarding Baalier.


    ¡°Is it rude... to ask why?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not rude, but it¡¯s a difficult matter to exin.¡±


    Charlotte looked at me and bowed slightly. I was surprised; I didn¡¯t expect her to act like that.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Reinhart. Truly.¡±


    I no longer had to deliver Charlotte¡¯s letters.


    I no longer had to writhe in agony, crafting responses filled with lies.


    But seeing Charlotte struggle to endure her sadness was more painful to me than any of that.


    And yet, there were no words I could offer to console her.


    <i> </i> *


    Although Charlotte didn¡¯t break into full sobs, tears fell silently down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with her handkerchief. Only after some time did she regain herposure and look at me with an awkward smile.


    ¡°Sorry, it seems I always show you my weakest moments.¡±


    ¡°I consider it a privilege.¡±


    Being someone with whom the princess showed her vulnerable side wasn¡¯t a bad title to have.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s my story. There will be no more letters to deliver, so you don¡¯t have to walk the tightrope between me and Vertus anymore.¡±


    Charlotte had said she wouldn¡¯t resent me or consider me an enemy if I sided with Vertus. Thinking back, my involvement with Charlotte had begun because of her request. Without the letters, there was no reason for me to have additional dealings with her.


    In essence, Charlotte was letting me go.


    Or rather...


    ¡°So, are you saying we should stop acknowledging each other from now on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... not exactly what I meant...¡±


    Charlotte looked a bit taken aback at my sudden statement.


    ¡°Kinda makes me feel sad, hearing that, you know?¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    When I expressed my feelings directly, Charlotte seemed even more flustered.


    ¡°Sure, I hate being caught between you and Vertus, but if you just say it¡¯s over and I should side with Vertus, it makes me feel like you really were just using me. Doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... Is that how it works?¡±


    ¡°I thought we were friends, and I helped you out because we¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°F-Friends?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that surprised reaction? Did you actually think of me as just some underling?¡±


    ¡°N-No, absolutely not! That¡¯s not it at all!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned red and she shook her head vigorously. It¡¯s funny; I always felt like I had to tread carefully around her, but now that she was feeling guilty, she seemed unsure of how to handle my straightforward attitude.


    Perhaps the tables had turned.


    Even when I spoke harshly, Charlotte was struggling, unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°So, are we friends or not?¡± I asked with a grin.


    ¡°Uh... Umm...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned even redder, and her lips trembled. She either seemed to find it unbearably embarrassing for her to admit it, or she found it absurd that she was even in such a situation.


    ¡°Are we friends or not?¡±


    ¡°That... that... uh...¡±


    This was the kind of phrase I¡¯d use to pressure someone or when picking a fight. Like when I butted heads with Kaier.


    In the second semester, I could use this phrase even with the princess. The specific context was different, but still.


    <i>¡®Friends or not!?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-Yes, we are...¡±


    Charlotte, either out of embarrassment or some other feeling, nodded slightly, her face still flushed.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s perfectly natural to ask friends for favors and to have conversations with them when you run into each other. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too smart for your own good sometimes. That can be a problem too.¡±


    If you tried hard enough, you could always interpret situations in the worst possible light.


    What I¡¯d done out of friendship, Charlotte had thought about way too much, until she managed to convince herself that she¡¯d burdened me with a great wrong.


    Overthinking could be a problem.


    Of course, I was guilty of it at times as well.


    Hadn¡¯t Ie up with all sorts of bizarre scenarios to exin why she seemed to be avoiding me? As it turned out, the reality waspletely different.


    Both Charlotte and I had thought into our situations too much and made various assumptions.


    And we had both been wrong.


    In the end, honest conversation was what was required to get to the truth. Charlotte seemed a bit stunned by my remark that her intelligence was sometimes a problem.


    She took a deep breath, and her face slowly returned to its normal color.


    ¡°Okay, since we¡¯re friends, let me ask you something,¡± she said with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Sure, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Is Vertus also your friend?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Hit with such an unexpected question at such an unexpected time, I couldn¡¯t help but feel taken aback.


    ¡°Is Vertus a friend too?¡±


    ¡°... Uh... Well... I¡¯d like to think so, but...¡±


    Were Vertus and I truly friends? Charlotte seems to think so, but I could never really tell with Vertus. Charlotte tilted her head slightly and gave me a curious smile.


    ¡°Maybe you think of Vertus as closer to you than me?¡±


    She was smiling, but there was an edge to it that made me feel uneasy.


    <i>¡®Did she really think I was closer to Vertus? That¡¯s absolutely not the case! Sure, Vertus surprised me recently, but if I had to choose, it would be you!</i>


    <i>¡®Vertus wasn¡¯t just trying to kill you; he was trying to kill me too!¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s not like that! Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask Vertus for help with your club¡¯s new venture and not me?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh.¡¯</i>


    That question made my brain freeze.


    <i>¡®So this is all because of that! Whether Vertus told her or she found out otherwise, she found out!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Was it because you found me unreliable, or you thought Vertus would be able to handle it better? Or was it just because you¡¯re closer to him?¡±


    Charlotte looked at me intently. <i>¡®Why did you ask Vertus instead of me? Are we not friends? If so, does that mean Vertus is even more of a friend to you?¡¯</i> her eyes were probing, demanding an answer.


    <i>¡®Is she upset because of that? No way... did she think about that ande to the conclusion that I might dislike or even fear her?¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-Well, the thing is... given the circumstances...¡±


    ¡°Circumstances? What circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, right after Dettomorian said we¡¯d get married, if I suddenly came to you with that request, it¡¯d be... awkward, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to realize the situation, and understood why I couldn¡¯t bring up that request at that time.


    Whether I acted like I cared about it or not, I couldn¡¯t approach her with that request at such an awkward time.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Both of our faces turned red. We hade full circle back to the initial topic, Dettomorian¡¯s prophecy.


    We stayed silent for a while, our faces flushed.


    Finally, Charlotte broke the silence, stammering slightly.


    ¡°... But honestly, just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    Charlotte looked at me and asked bluntly, ¡°Am I not good enough?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°That is, am I not attractive enough?¡±


    ¡°W-Why are you asking such a thing!?¡±


    ¡°Because you seem to react so negatively all the time! Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful? Hey, I know Ellen Artorius is amazing, but am I so much less so? Sure, there are a few areas where she might surpass me, but I have many good points too!¡±


    ¡°Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, am I not good enough? Just give me a straight answer! Yes or no?!¡±


    Yes or no. The very question I¡¯d asked her earlier was being thrown back at me. We had been discussing serious issues just a moment ago, but why had the conversation suddenly turned in this direction after our deration of friendship?


    ¡°Yes! You¡¯re attractive! I should consider myself lucky!¡±


    ¡°... Hearing it like that makes it sound like you¡¯re just saying what I want to hear.¡±


    ¡°... What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Charlotte seemed even more dejected, her expression turning sour as she realized my answer didn¡¯t bring her any satisfaction.


    Charlotte stretched with a grim expression and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Friends, huh...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte looked at me and gave a small chuckle.


    ¡°Congrattions, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions for what?¡±


    ¡°For bing the second friend of the Imperial Princess of Gradias.¡±


    It seemed like she got along with everyone in ss B, but it seemed she had drawn a line in her heart. Being a true friend had to carry significant weight for her.


    I already knew who the first friend was, and it seemed like I¡¯d be the second.


    So, I was effectively Charlotte¡¯s only new friend. Charlotte looked at me with a mischievous grin as she furrowed her brow.


    ¡°Consider it an honor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, yes, it¡¯s quite an honor. Thank you so much for that,¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°You¡¯re bing morefortable around me, which I suppose is a good sign, but it¡¯s also a bit irritating.¡±


    Charlotte turned her gaze to the fish swimming in the pond.


    The hidden sadness within her was no longer visible on her face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best. At everything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know exactly what we¡¯re supposed to do well at.</i>


    <i>But whatever it is, let¡¯s do it well.¡¯</i>


    Her words sounded oddlyforting.

 Chapter 206 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 206 [Illustration]</h4>


    Charlotte returned to her own room, took a bath, changed into morefortable clothes, and then curled up on her bed.


    <i>¡®Did I do the right thing?¡¯</i>


    She had always believed she would eventually have to do it.


    The boy was someone she could no longer see and should no longer see. Eventually, she would have had to cut ties. However, the thought of severing that tenuous connection made her utterly afraid.


    He always felt within arm¡¯s reach...


    Though she couldn¡¯t see him, the feeling that she could reach him at any time was important, and losing that sensation was hard to bear.


    In the end, Charlotte severed that connection herself. The primary reason was the recognition that she was endangering Reinhart, but ultimately, for her own reasons, she realized that it was better for her to no longer contact the boy.


    A boy who was unknown and whose identity she couldn¡¯t discern.


    It had been a foolish action driven by heart and emotion, and severing the connection with him was also an action dictated by heart and emotion.


    <i>¡®I hope he is happy, somewhere Vertus and I cannot find him.¡¯</i>


    For the boy, who could be in danger merely by being associated with her, this was the right path. If she truly cared for him, this was the right action. Whoever he might be, however suspicious he was, Charlotte wished for his happiness.


    Even though she didn¡¯t know where he was or who he really was.


    She wished for that boy¡¯s happiness.


    Charlotte was now trying to forget about him.


    But not everything had disappeared.


    Through the various foolish actions taken while trying to find that boy, Charlotte had made another connection.


    A ssmate with a bad first impression and poor reputation... Reinhart.


    After various events and countless exchanges of help, they¡¯d be friends.


    In the pursuit of finding someone she cared about, she discovered someone else who had started to upy her thoughts.


    Charlotte felt guilty. Carrying such emotions felt like a form of cowardice.


    It felt like she had chosen an easier path because she was afraid of the more dangerous one.


    It wasn¡¯t that she liked Reinhart. It¡¯s just that she feared how these feelings might grow.


    Charlotte De Gradias was afraid of that.


    <i>¡®Detto... I kind of wish your prediction about me marrying Reinhart were actually true.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte clutched her pillow and buried her face in it.


    <i>¡®Because that would mean I¡¯d be alive until then.¡¯</i>


    The pillow was slowly getting damp.


    If these intense feelings of longing she had for that boy were to change easily, she thought she would be disappointed in herself.


    But more than that...


    She didn¡¯t want to die.


    She didn¡¯t want to waste the precious life that the boy had saved. This life was the only remaining gift from that connection¡ªit was what he had given her.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was greedy for life or that she wanted to live longer.


    This life itself was too precious. It was the only and final gift from the most important person in the world to her. She didn¡¯t want to lose it, and wished that prophecy would be true instead.


    Because that would mean she would not lose this precious gift. It would mean that she could endure just a bit longer.


    Reinhart¡¯s thought was that, if the prophecy about his marriage to Charlotte De Gradias was true, they would both survive the Gate Incident.


    It turned out that Charlotte was having simr thoughts as well.


    <i> </i> ***


    There was no need to deliver letters anymore. Charlotte didn¡¯t exin to me why she¡¯d made that decision or why she didn¡¯t want someone else to deliver the letters on her behalf.


    I had various doubts and considered a few possibilities, but in the end, spection was pointless.


    Only Charlotte knew the truth.


    Ultimately, the big stone Dettomorian had thrown had caused several ripple effets.


    That didn¡¯t mean that much had changed.


    More precisely, things had reverted to their original state.


    ¡°Hello, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°... What? Just ¡®Hey?¡¯ That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°... You have a fundamentalck of basic human decency. It¡¯s not about my status; you have a fundamental problem.¡±


    ¡°So, what should I do about it?¡±


    ¡°Fix it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t so much that things had returned to how they were before. Rather, I¡¯d started to treat Charlotte more casually. And in turn, Charlotte¡¯s eyes would sh and she would scold me for not being more considerate.


    Our rtionship had evolved into something that seemed both good and bad. With nothing binding us together anymore, both Charlotte and I felt more rxed, and since I became morefortable, I sometimes acted out. In response, Charlotte would always have a thing or two to say, leading to constant bickering.


    It felt different from how things were with Harriet.


    If we were in the same dorm, we¡¯d probably squabble even more, but since that wasn¡¯t the case, I only saw Charlotte during Supernatural Power sses ormon sses.


    Charlotte thought my personality needed some fixing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made it this far without changing, so why bother?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. How did the empire end up producing someone like you?¡±


    <i>¡®Sorry, but I¡¯m not exactly a native of this Empire. I¡¯m an import.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte shuddered dramatically as if she were repulsed, and took off somewhere with Scarlett.


    Of course, despite our bickering, Charlotte still waved and smiled brightly at me as she left.


    There was something about her smile that put me at ease.


    Maybe it was because she¡¯d been the first person I¡¯d met when I came to this world.


    Charlotte¡¯s mere existence held variousplex meanings for me.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s fine. Things don¡¯t always go as nned. Events happen in ces I don¡¯t think about or know of, and those events find their way to me. As I deal with them, unexpected oues emerge.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t fully understand what had happened when it came to the letter situation, but it seemed to have wrapped up.


    Now, I just had to wait for the results regarding the Magic Research Club application.


    As for the Rotary Club issue, I could get updates on the new project from Vertus.


    The problem with Charlotte, if you could even call it a problem, has been sorted out. Our rtionship had somehow gotten both better and worse.


    <i> </i> ***


    ¡°Oh, oh! I think I feel something!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I need to poop. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>Whack</i>!


    ¡°Ouch! Why¡¯d you hit me? And why the head? If I get dumber, will you take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°... Can you get any dumber than this?¡±


    Ellen narrowed her eyes at the nonsense I was spouting. There was no inkling of progress in the Mana Reinforcement training, so I could only resort to such nonsense.


    ¡°Your words are harsh! I might cry, you know? How bad do you think a grown man crying would look?¡±


    Actually, it would be a man in his thirties crying after getting hit on the head by a seventeen-year-old... How pathetic would that look?


    ¡°Shut up and go to the bathroom.¡±


    There had been no progress in my Mana Reinforcement training.


    After returning from the bathroom, I sat back down with Ellen to continue the training.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    <i>Srrr...</i>


    Ellen¡¯s whole body was enveloped in a blue aura of mana, and her eyes glowed with a blue light. She was demonstrating Mana Reinforcement for me to follow.


    ¡°You know, I just thought of something. Could it be used as a light source in the dark?¡±


    ¡°... I haven¡¯t tried. And stop saying useless things. Just follow along.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that the reason I¡¯m spouting this nonsense is that I genuinely have no clue how to do it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just sit down.¡±


    Ellen gave me a look that said if I spouted nonsense one more time, I¡¯d be getting a mana-reinforced punch to the face, so I quickly sat down opposite her, frightened enough to pee my pants.


    ¡°And you there,e over.¡±


    ¡°... Me?¡±


    ¡°Who else would it be?¡±


    Ellen gestured for Cliffman, who had been sparring with a training dummy, to join us. She made him sit next to us, looking just as tense as ever.


    Whenever she felt like I wasn¡¯t getting it, Ellen often dragged Cliffman into our sessions as well.


    ¡°I keep trying, but I just can¡¯t get it...¡± Cliffman said.


    ¡°Just keep at it. You might get it eventually.¡±


    ¡°... I really don¡¯t think I can.¡±


    ¡°So are you going to give up forever if you can¡¯t figure it out now?¡±


    ¡°N-No, but still...!¡±


    ¡°You have to learn it someday. Think of this as getting a head start.¡±


    Cliffman wasn¡¯t great at socializing. It wasn¡¯t so much that hecked social skills, but interacting with people seemed to drain him. His social ineptitude was different from Ellen¡¯s.


    And the person he found most difficult to deal with was Ellen. For some reason, he didn¡¯t just simply find it difficult; he seemed almost terrified of her ever since around the time the cursed Tiamata issue was resolved.


    When faced with Ellen, he was like a mouse in front of a snake, trembling and stuttering, sometimes even slipping into formal speech without realizing it.


    So here we were, the regr members of the training hall, engaging in Mana Reinforcement training under Ellen¡¯s lead.


    Both Cliffman and I had made zero progress so far.


    <i>¡®Hmm.¡¯</i>


    Just as I was aiming to raise the skill levels of the magic students in the Magic Research Club, Ellen seemed determined to teach us Mana Reinforcement in her own way.


    ¡°Uh... I heard that if you misuse this, you could get seriously hurt...¡±


    Cliffman was clearly concerned that experimenting with this could lead to injury, but Ellen simply shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re nowhere near the level where you could hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If you got injured while trying to handle mana, you would have to be able to manipte mana to begin with.


    Ellen¡¯s fact-driven statement silenced both Cliffman and me. We couldn¡¯t even hurt ourselves if we wanted to because we couldn¡¯t manipte mana at all.


    ¡°You know, sometimes you¡¯re really harsh with your words.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, though.¡±


    Ultimately, Cliffman and I had no counter argument since she was correct.


    <i> </i> ***


    From the second semester onward, I nned to be more proactive, so I had added various things to my schedule.


    The one concern I had was that Ludwig needed to grow stronger through various experiences, but now that many story events had gone missing, I was worried that he might not be as strong as expected. However, it seemed my worries were for naught.


    The fewer events he encountered, the stronger he became on his own.


    Of course, I could use my own foreknowledge to help Ludwig grow even stronger if necessary.


    I wasn¡¯t just aware of events; I could also utilize the resources and knowledge that remained unchanged regardless of whether I changed the future or not.


    Events were flexible. There were events that would ur no matter what I did, and there were others that I could intervene in order to prevent them from urring.


    I nned to start to tweak those little by little.


    The Temple was fundamentally protected by defensive barriers and anti-magic measures, but incidents and idents happened continuously. Naturally, it had to becking in some areas; otherwise, it would be hard to create events.


    In a perfect environment withplete safety, nothing much beyond ordinary school life could ur.


    Incidents ranged from fights between students to external influences or internal disturbances.


    Initially, I¡¯d intended to leave things alone as long as they ured naturally without my interference.


    However, knowing that Ludwig grew stronger on his own the fewer incidents he encountered made it seem eptable to preempt some significant crises.


    In essence, I was stepping in as the main character to reduce the number of distractions Ludwig would encounter.


    Ludwig didn¡¯t have to be this world¡¯s protagonist. What mattered was the Gate Incident, and that was the only thing that needed to be resolved.


    Ludwig didn¡¯t need to grow strong through suffering and hardship. The inevitable would happen, so there was no need to make him experience it prematurely.


    If Ludwig were a coward who needed to ovee his cowardice through various trials, I¡¯d let the main events ur, but Ludwig was inherently driven by a sense of justice.


    He was not someone who ran away when he had to fight, and would always step up when it was necessary. If he grew stronger steadily through normal training, he¡¯d be ready to pull his weight when the time came.


    Measures had been taken to strengthen the magic students.


    There were plenty of ways to further enhance the strength of thebat students, which would also benefit me, unlike what I was doing for the magic students.


    In the first semester, my focus had been on solidifying my foundation, and during the break, I¡¯d obtained the Holy Sword Tiamata, which I could continue to use going forward.


    In the second semester, I was turning my attention to other people and events.


    For events that were bound to happen, I would act to mitigate the damage before they escted. For events that might not ur depending on my actions, I¡¯d first consider the severity and impact before deciding whether or not to cancel them.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean I could neglect my basic training.


    I needed to maintain my existing regimen while taking on additional responsibilities.


    There had been no progress with Mana Reinforcement. Rapid progress would have been strange, as I didn¡¯t believe myself to be that much of a genius.


    Trying to make myself believe that I was an expert in Mana Reinforcement through Self-Deception didn¡¯t help either.


    I was still holding on with an ¡°it is what it is¡± mindset, and it hadn¡¯t even been a month since I¡¯d started Mana Reinforcement training.


    Whether it was urate to call them projects or not, I had five projects.


    The Edina Archipgo Project.


    The new Rotary Club project.


    The Magic Research Club.


    Mana Reinforcement training.


    Interference with the future.


    Andstly, the alpha and the omega... Achievement points.


    [Achievement Points: 2430]


    Before the start of the semester, I had rued 6430 points, but spent 4000 points on the new talent, Mana Maniption.


    Talents were inherently rare. Thus, having three talents already makes me quite the talent-rich individual.


    At the start of the semester, I had only possessed Infinite Aptitude, but now I had three specific talents. Considering I also possessed ultra-rare superhuman abilities, myints about Ellen being a genius seem a bit frivolous.


    After all, Mana Reinforcement was not typically something that could be achieved by teenagers. Even those with talents in mana required years of training to be able to use it.


    Even in this ce teeming with talented individuals, Mana Reinforcement was a power only a select few could awaken, and many did not manage to grasp it before they graduated.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for me to be struggling with it even with the talents of Mana Attunement and Mana Maniption¡ªEllen is simply an outlier.


    Still, I held onto the belief that I would be able to use Mana Reinforcement by the next year, even if it wasn¡¯t a feasible goal for the end of my first year.


    There was no other specific talent that I felt was strictly necessary, at least for the moment.


    Having a weapon-rted talent would be nice, but my swordsmanship skills continued to improve through training with Ellen.


    The achievement point cost for my next talent was double that of the previous one: 8000 points.


    The achievement points themselves were the most crucial.


    Whether they were used to activate Revise, asional Previews, or for additional settings¡ªalthough I haven¡¯t used it much¡ªthe achievement points were more valuable to me than money. I¡¯d been stockpiling them for a long time in case of unforeseen circumstances, but then chose to spend a significant amount as an investment.


    Since I¡¯d spent heavily, I need to stock up again just in case.


    With no ongoing events, there¡¯s only one way to earn achievement points: Completing challenges.


    [Challenge List]


    [Edina Archipgo Domination - 40,000 points]


    [Capital Underworld Subjugation - 20,000 points]


    [(Festival) Limitless Tournament Victory - 15,000 points]


    [(Festival) First Year Tournament Victory - 10,000 points]


    [Midterms Overall Rank 1 - 8000 points]


    Unlike in the past, there were now challenges that offered massive points, and since the main event of the second semester was the festival, there were challenges rted to it.


    However, what was the use of challenges that offered high rewards if they were nearly impossible?


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? ¡°Edina Archipgo Domination¡±? Sure, Airi is there, but do they expect me to conquer an entire kingdom right now?¡¯</i>


    In the past, there was one called ¡°Power p the Emperor¡±. Were the highest challenges always impossible?


    The ¡°Capital Underworld Subjugation¡± one might be slightly more feasible, but it was still uncertain.


    [(Festival) Miss Temple - 1100 points] (Can be achieved without being in Reinhart¡¯s form.)


    [(Festival) Mister Temple - 1000 points]


    [(Festival) Cross-Dressing Contest Victory ¨C 1100 points]


    <i>¡®And what¡¯s this? Mister Temple, I get. But why is Miss Temple here?</i>


    <i>¡®And why does Miss Temple offer 100 points more than Mister Temple?</i>


    <i>¡®Are they telling me to do what I didst time? Transform with the ring and go for it?</i>


    <i>¡®And what¡¯s with the Cross-Dressing Contest? Why is it also worth 1100 points? Get lost!¡¯</i>


    [(Festival) Miss Temple - 1500 points]


    [(Festival) Cross-Dressing Contest Victory - 1500 points]


    <i>¡®... What the heck?¡¯</i>


    The points were changing in real-time before my eyes.


    <i>¡®So, 1100 points wasn¡¯t enough? Alright, 1500 points, deal?</i>


    <i>¡®Is that what is happening right now?</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not doing it!¡¯</i>


    [(Festival) Miss Temple - 2000 points]


    [(Festival) Cross-Dressing Contest Victory - 2000 points]


    The numbers changed again in real time.


    <i>¡®Are they desperately trying to make me participate in some beauty contest by either cross-dressing or by using the ring? I said I¡¯m not doing it!¡¯</i>


    [(Festival) Miss Temple - 4000 points]


    [(Festival) Cross-Dressing Contest Victory - 4000 points]


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    <i>¡®Why is this system only generous in these sorts of things?</i>


    <i>¡®4000 points? I wouldn¡¯t do it even for 40,000 points!</i>


    <i>¡®Though... for 40,000 points... that¡¯s enough points to change the future...</i>


    <i>¡®Wouldn¡¯t that be worth doing, then?</i>


    <i>¡®Is there a chance it will change to 40,000 points?¡¯</i>


    [¨q¡É¨r]


    <i>¡®... So that¡¯s not happening, I guess?¡¯</i>


    Maybe 40,000 was too much. The reward didn¡¯t go that high.


    Suffering through the mental damage done to me by these challenges, I continued to scroll down the list. There were midterm-rted challenges, which were not much different from before. Given my previous failure, I wasn¡¯t nning to attempt them.


    Challenges were always a mixed bag.


    They were either extremely difficult to achieve or involved performing some ridiculous stunts. Things like sneaking out of the Temple at night, or getting ckout drunk in the dormitory, with meager point rewards.


    And then, something caught my eye...


    [First Kiss - 500 points]


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Why is this even here?¡¯</i>


    And then another one.


    [Face off with the Orbis ss - 500 points]


    Now they were just outright encouraging me to be a delinquent.

 Chapter 207

    <h4>Chapter 207</h4>


    Achievement points were always painstakingly umted, only to be spent in one go. This time, in order to begin my Mana Reinforcement training, I¡¯d spent a chunk of points to purchase a new talent.


    However, it was impossible to predict when an unexpected event would ur, and so it was necessary to always maintain a certain level of achievement points in case of emergencies.


    To make up the shortfall, I had to gather achievement points through challenges...


    Winning the first-year tournament would earn me a bucket load of points, but at this point, it was impossible.


    Sure, Ellen, the de-facto winner, had dered that she would not be participating, but there were other candidates who were clearly stronger than me. Even without Ellen, there was still Scarlett, Vertus, and Cliffman, and they were all definitely beyond my level.


    Of course, I could ask those three not to participate in the tournament, but even if I persuaded those three not to participate, I would definitely be defeated by the Orbis ss guys.


    So, very regretfully, the challenges I could realistically aplish at this point were antics that only delinquents would bother with.


    And in addition to that...


    [(Festival) Miss Temple - 4000 points]


    [(Festival) Cross-Dressing Contest Victory - 4000 points]


    [First Kiss - 500 points]


    [Face off with the Orbis ss - 500 points]


    There were these four.


    Regrettably, there was a higher possibility of bing Miss Temple or winning the cross-dressing contest rather than Mister Temple... If I could somehow disguise myself and alter my appearance with Sarkegar¡¯s ring, I would have a chance.


    Although I had made Reinhart¡¯s face decent, it wasn¡¯t that fantastic that it could be crowned the best face in the Temple.


    As for the cross-dressing contest, it might ironically have fewerpetitors, since only those who were extremely determined would participate.


    Of course, those two weren¡¯t the only ones to consider.


    However, getting my first kiss or going head-to-head with the Orbis ss seemed equally strange.


    <i>¡®A first kiss! Do they want me to throw myself at just anyone?¡¯</i>


    These challenges seemed designed to make me look like a weirdo no matter what.


    If I were to design them, the challenges would be all based on things that were difficult to achieve, but these felt like they were created based on how bizarre the act was.


    Cross-dressing contest, Miss Temple¡ªwhat was I supposed to make of these!?


    In the end, it was better not to see the list of challenges, which was why I didn¡¯t look at it regrly.


    If I suddenly visited the Orbis ss and challenged them to a fight, it was obvious that they would get pissed off and respond angrily.


    But why would I do such a thing?


    Even though it was widely known that I was a jerk, my core principle hadn¡¯t changed.


    I wouldn¡¯t mess with anyone who didn¡¯t start trouble with me first.


    I had no justification. I wouldn¡¯t take action without at least minimal justification. Unless they picked a fight with me first, there was no reason for me to hit them.


    I didn¡¯t want to get into such things pointlessly.


    As for the first kiss...


    <i>¡®No way. Let¡¯s not even think about it.¡¯</i>


    No matter what, it would just end up being a trashy or insane act!


    In the end, I decided that I would not attempt any challenge.


    Although I was in short supply of achievement points, they weren¡¯t immediately necessary, nor was I facing a life-threatening crisis.


    But then, I heard a sigh.


    ¡°Honestly... What am I going to do about the Swordsmanship ss? That guy is going to act out again...¡±


    I noticed Erhi de Raffaeli talking with the two other hopeless cases in the dormitory lobby.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just speak to the teacher now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how long are you just going to take it?¡±


    Connor Lint and Kaier were busy trying to persuade the glum Erhi to take action.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. He makes his demand under the pretense of a practice duel... Even if I say no, he insists it will be a lesson... It¡¯s that kind of situation, so I can¡¯t avoid it... And the other students in the ss... Theyugh at me so much...¡±


    ¡°What a ruthless bastard.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the instructor being too irresponsible?¡±


    Erhi de Raffaeli had recently gotten into trouble with one of the Orbis ss students and was being bullied during ss.


    The bullying itself wasn¡¯t the main issue. It was the fact that a Royal ss student was getting beaten up, and it was so bad that even the students from the general sses who attended the ss secretly mocked him orughed at him.


    In simpler terms, he was facing something akin to bullying.


    Watching the three hopeless cases with their gloomy expressions, an idea naturally came to me.


    It was the justification I was looking for.


    ¡°Hey, kid.¡±


    ¡°Huh... huh? R-Reinhart? Why?¡±


    As I approached, he looked utterly terrified. They had been talking about a madman, and then a real madman appeared, so it was natural to be scared.


    ¡°Hey, that bastard who¡¯s bullying you. Let me handle him.¡± I loosened my fists, shing a crooked smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility and deal with him.¡±


    <i>A bastard bullying a ssmate.</i>


    There was more than enough justification, wasn¡¯t there?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You, you will?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    The three hopeless cases were staring at me as if they had found a glimmer of hope amidst their crisis. <i>¡®If you¡¯re willing to step up, we¡¯re d, but do you really need to do so?¡¯</i>


    They were all clearly happy but couldn¡¯t hide their confusion.


    Even though it was for achievement points, I didn¡¯t have to let them know that.


    The crazy dog Reinhart was stepping up to take revenge for a ssmate who was being beaten up by the Orbis ss. Their reactions were priceless.


    Although they were usually terrified whenever I spoke, their faces now shone with unprecedented reassurance.


    ***


    I¡¯m wasn¡¯t really confident of winning.


    I could lose. I didn¡¯t know who this guy was. If he was among the top-ranked stus in the Orbis ss, I would lose.


    However, the challenge was just to face off against them.


    Win or lose, it didn¡¯t matter. Losing would be irritating, but it wouldn¡¯t be fatal.


    Getting beaten up in a fight was better than entering a cross-dressing contest or actually turning into a girl and participating in the school¡¯s beauty pageant.


    I didn¡¯t know whether or not Olivia Lanche would enter, but the thought ofpeting against her was terrifying.


    And since the Orbis ss yed both lead and supporting roles in many uing events, there was plenty of reason to check them out properly.


    Anyway, about the 500-achievement-point challenge for facing off...


    There had been a rted challenge in the first semester too. Back then, I had no idea about it and just beat up Kaier, which resulted in me unintentionallypleting the challenge.


    It was good to strike while the iron wass hot.


    I dragged the three hopeless idiots outside.


    Erhi de Raffaeli, Connor Lint, and Kaier Vioden.


    The three followed me closely from behind, and I felt like the leader of the three hopeless cases.


    Well, if you think about it, I was also a hopeless case in a different way, right? There were certainly aspects where I was worse than them.


    <i>The leader of the three hopeless cases, and the ultimate hopeless case¡ªReinhart.</i>


    I had all the attributes to be their leader. This was fate, wasn¡¯t it?


    If not for the achievement points, there would be no reason to do this, and I couldn¡¯t have imagined dragging them around like goons just five minutes ago.


    ¡°Uh, but are you sure? His skills are quite...¡±


    ¡°Who cares? If I lose, I¡¯ll just call a stronger guy to beat him up, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    If I was their big brother, then I also had a big brother I look up to.


    Ellen Artorius.


    <i>¡®Even if I get beaten up, big brother Ellen will take care of everything! Don¡¯t be scared! Reinhart is just the frontman!¡¯</i>


    The strongest first-year in the Royal ss, Ellen Artorius, will take him on.


    Although I wouldn¡¯t actually say that. If I lost, though, that would more or less be the turn of events.


    ¡°So... where exactly are we going?¡± Kaier asked hesitantly, looking a little frightened.


    ¡°Where do you think we need to go to beat an Orbis ss guy?¡±


    I pointed at one of the stops on the tram route map.


    <i>[Orbis ss Dormitory]</i>


    ¡°Y-You mean... You¡¯re going to directly go there?¡±


    ¡°Of course. What, you thought I¡¯d stride out onto the main street yelling for all Orbis ss guys toe out?¡±


    To find someone, it was only natural to go knock on their door. What else?


    Once they realized I was heading into the lion¡¯s den, their faces turned pale. After all, it was the heart of enemy territory.


    Though everyone knew I was a reckless and crazy guy, they were visibly reluctant at the idea of going directly to the Orbis ss dorm.


    ¡°If you want to go back, then go back. I don¡¯t really care if I go alone,¡± I said, folding my arms as I waited for the tram to arrive. They looked hesitant at the suggestion of turning back.


    ¡°Go ahead. Live your lives as cowards forever.¡±


    <i>¡®Turn back. Go back and live the life of a coward.¡¯</i>


    Not a single one of them said they wanted to turn back, perhaps gleaning something from my casual remark.


    ***


    It was Thursday.


    If it were Friday, the target might have gone home or gone out to have fun, but it wasn¡¯t, so there was a high chance he¡¯d be in the dormitory. If he wasn¡¯t there, we¡¯d just have to wait.


    The Orbis ss dormitory was situated on the opposite end of the Temple grounds from the Royal ss dormitory. Unless you ran into each other on the main street or in sses, there was hardly any chance of students from the two sses meeting near either dormitory.


    Of course, during the morning exercises when I did a circuit around the entire Temple with Adriana, I¡¯de across the Orbis ss jogging in perfect formation a few times.


    While the Royal ss trained autonomously, the Orbis ss behaveed uniformly.


    That¡¯s why talent-driven ckers like Erhi were easily beaten.


    While on the tram heading toward the Orbis ss area, Erhi was fidgeting nervously.


    ¡°B-But Reinhart... even if you win. What if he holds a grudge andes down on me... even harder?¡±


    <i>¡®What does this guy expect from me? I¡¯m just going there to confront this guy because I have a reason to do so; I don¡¯t care whether you get beaten up or not.¡¯</i>


    ¡°... What, you want me to take care of him afterward too?¡±


    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s not that... it¡¯s just...¡±


    I red at him, my eyes wide, and he shut up quickly. Kaier and Connor Lint also seemed to wrinkle at the thought that things might get worse after I dealt with the guy. I folded my arms and sighed while sitting in the tram seat.


    ¡°It sucks being bullied, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... O-Of course it does...¡±


    ¡°If you knew it, then why¡¯d you do it?¡±


    This guy had hit Scarlett in the back of the head for no reason and bullied her. But he couldn¡¯t do that anymore, and he had now be the recipient of bullying.


    Erhi looked startled. He seemed to havee to a new-found understanding. He probably never realized how those he¡¯d bullied in the past felt.


    The Swordsmanship sses took almost the whole day. After his miserable skills were exposed during the ss, Erhi was written off not only by the Orbis ss students, but also by the ordinary students.


    I wondered if Erhi realized his actions and regretted them.


    I wasn¡¯t sure. Generally, people did not remember their own poor actions, especially if they were malicious. They¡¯d say ¡°Oh, did I do that? I don¡¯t quite remember,¡± or something along those lines.


    ¡°...¡±


    Erhi couldn¡¯t say anything. He might not have been feeling guilty, but he was at leasting to some sort of realization after having gone through it himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not entirely your fault. The people who made you like that are partly to me too.¡±


    Just as Scarlett was a victim of the bizarre setups I created, Erhi was both a perpetrator and a victim of the strange way I had set up the backstory.


    All the problems of this world eventually looped back to me. Criticizing Erhi waws like spitting into the wind.


    ¡°... Are you insulting my parents right now?¡± Erhi demanded, his voice rising slightly.


    <i>¡®Ah. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡¯</i>


    Hearing that statement without context, did indeed sound like an insult to his parents, since ¡°The people who made you like that¡± would naturally be his parents.


    Connor Lint and Kaier also looked aghast at my inadvertent and scathing insult.


    Their expressions screamed, ¡°You really don¡¯t know any boundaries, do you?¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. If it came across that way, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Since it could see how my statement could have been misunderstood, I decided to just apologize and move on.


    ¡°That sounded pretty harsh...¡± Erhi mumbled timidly.


    <i>¡®Wait. Now that I think about it, trash talk or not, doesn¡¯t it apply to all kids who have both parents? I don¡¯t have any, so why can¡¯t I talk a little trash to someone who has?¡¯</i>


    ¡°What the heck, man? I have no parents, so wh can¡¯t I say something like that to you who has both?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true? Some say that those who have morein more. Good grief, how dirty is this world? Huh?¡±


    ¡°No, b-but still... You were the one who started it, so why are you getting mad at me?¡±


    The expressions on their faces were priceless as they watched me transition mid-apology into a sudden rant.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to have something than nothing? So shouldn¡¯t you just put up with a little trash-talk from me?¡¯</i>


    Even I thought it was aughable nonsense.


    <i>¡®No, but seriously, I didn¡¯t intend to trash-talk your parents!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 208

    <h4>Chapter 208</h4>


    The ambiance around the Orbis ss dormitory was somewhat different from that of the Royal ss dormitory.


    The path leading toward the entrance of the Royal ss dormitory was lined with rows of pirs, which gave the feeling that one was approaching a grand temple. The building itself had been designed with an architectural style that emphasized curves, giving it a majestic feel.


    However, the Orbis ss dormitory felt much more rigid.


    I wouldn¡¯t have considered it crude, since it was equally grand in scale.


    But if the Royal ss dormitory felt like a splendid temple, the Orbis ss dormitory felt like a castle. A silent fortress.


    The heavy and imposing architectural style already conveyed the essence of the Orbis ss.


    While the Royal ss was more free-spirited, the Orbis ss operated on strict military-like discipline, with clear seniority and hierarchy.


    The building itself reflected the Orbis ss¡¯s emphasis on order and unity.


    Although it was grand, it felt somehow stifling.


    ¡°Wow... I¡¯ve never been here before... It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be simr, but it¡¯spletely different.¡±


    Both Connor Lint and Kaier each had their own impressions of the ce. Just as the atmosphere between sses was different, so was the atmosphere of the dormitory buildings. Unlike those two who were captivated by the building, Erhi seemed anxious.


    ¡°... Everyone¡¯s staring at us...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s expected. We came in wearing our uniforms.¡±


    Though few in number, some Orbis ss students wereing and going near the dormitory, and we were familiar with their uniforms by now.


    They all stared at us intently as they passed by. While they didn¡¯t speak or confront us, it was easy enough to read their faces: <i>¡®Why are those guys here?¡¯</i>


    They didn¡¯t know us, but they recognized our uniforms.


    The hostility simmering in their eyes was apparent, simply because they knew we were from the Royal ss.


    We were in a ce full of people who disliked us.


    The other two flinched, clearly uneasy after hearing Erhi¡¯s words and seeing the hostile gazes.


    Like the Royal ss, the Orbis ss consisted of a select few. There were at most around a hundred and thirty of them.


    The tension between the Royal ss and the Orbis ss was solely instigated by the Orbis ss.


    In other words, the Orbis ss harbored a one-sided animosity. The Royal ss disliked the Orbis ss simply because they disliked us first.


    The Royal ss did not have anyone they needed to surpass. Ack of effort was a personal issue, and if one could ovee theirziness, they could achieve exceptional sess in their field of expertise.


    Without a specific target, the Royal ss did not need to use a sense of inferiority or hatred as a driving force for growth.


    However, the Orbis ss was set up with the Royal ss as their rivals, and they were pressured to surpass them.


    Their reactions were totally expected.


    All the students passing by, whether seniors or ssmates, seemed to view us as invaders.


    Amidst those hostile gazes, it was only natural for someone who looked like a senior to approach us.


    ¡°You guys seem to be freshmen. Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re in for a bad time if youe to the Orbis ss area without permission? Didn¡¯t your seniors teach you that?¡± he said.


    Though his demeanor was fierce, he was still only offering us a warning. He didn¡¯t know why we were there, but he suggested we leave to avoid trouble.


    He was still somewhat considerate, since we appeared to be freshmen.


    He was quite a handsome guy with blonde hair and golden eyes.


    Now that a senior-looking figure had suddenly said something like that, all three of mypanions were scared out of their wits.


    ¡°We¡¯vee for a fight.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t scared at all.


    ***


    I could win, I could lose, or I could get beaten up like a dog.


    But so what? Shame and disgrace over a loss or defeat didn¡¯t matter. It wasn¡¯t like I was going to die.


    Since my return from the Dark Land, whether it could be called growth or not, there had been an undeniable change in me.


    I had already seen the ultimate level of violence. I had sliced through the necks and smashed the heads of corpses that attacked me even after death.


    Because of that, winning or losing a fistfight didn¡¯t mean much. Winning wasn¡¯t a reason for joy, and losing wasn¡¯t a reason for despair.


    Though I hade under the pretext of seeking revenge for a ssmate who had been beaten up, even that wasn¡¯t my true intention.


    I had simplye for the achievement points.


    That was all.


    Considering the change in my mentality, entering a cross-dressing contest or a beauty pageant just for points might also seem appropriate...


    But no. Even so, that was a bit... It crossed the line of shame and disgrace and into something else.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that. Fighting was just easier...


    Though my mentality has changed, I couldn¡¯t handle that yet. It would feel like something other than my life was being lost. The prank I pulled on Connor Lint was still a traumatic memory, and I never wanted to do something like that again.


    ¡°... You came for a fight?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The person who looked like a senior in the Orbis ss seemed taken aback by my calm deration.


    ¡°I¡¯m Reinhart, first-year student, Number 11 in Royal ss A. To be precise, I came to personally resolve a situation. My friend here is being bullied without reason by a first-year student of the Orbis ss.¡±


    I stated my purpose confidently. Standing firm in front of a senior, let alone a senior from the Orbis ss, and calmly saying that I hade for a fight was enough to draw admiring looks from the Three Idiots.


    <i>¡®This guy¡¯s aplete lunatic. He¡¯s something else!¡¯</i> their expressions screamed.


    ¡°Bullying, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would have preferred to leave it alone, but it seems to be quite persistent. So, can we go in and call the person out?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The senior looked at me and then at the other three. It was neither disbelief nor bewilderment on his face¡ªhe seemed somewhat intrigued.


    ¡°Alright. If you want to handle a personal matter personally, it¡¯s not for me to say otherwise. I¡¯ll call them for you. Who is it?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh right. I didn¡¯t even ask who it was.¡¯</i>


    Since winning or losing didn¡¯t matter, I hadn¡¯t been at all curious about who was bullying Erhi.


    I stared at Erhi, and he hesitated before speaking up.


    ¡°Orbis ss, first-year ss A student Number 5, Lilka Aaron.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    <i>¡®... That sounds like a girl¡¯s name...?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Orbis ss, first-year A-5, Lilka Aaron.


    She wasn¡¯t one of the main characters. While Nilsonia and Adler Belkin, who attended Swordsmanship sses with me, gained some significance by sparring with Ludwig in the second semester, Lilka Aaron never did. She was outside the scope of my original main story arc.


    It made some sense why Erhi had adamantly refrained from telling the teacher about him being persistently bullied.


    It must have been extremely embarrassing for him to be continually beaten up by a girl. Even Connor Lint and Kaier seemed to realize for the first time that the tormentor was a girl.


    But why should that be embarrassing?


    Shouldn''t gender have been irrelevant once Ellen was revealed as the strongest amongst the first-years? I got beaten every day, and instead of feeling ashamed, I felt grateful. Although I had to admit it pissed me off sometimes.


    Anyway, that¡¯s what you call a useless sense of pride.


    The Orbis ss senior who had stopped us was in his fourth year. He didn¡¯t seem particrly irritated, perhaps because we were first-years, even though we were from the Royal ss.


    Coming to seek revenge for bullying among first-years and setting up a so-called fight.


    He seemed to find the whole situation both intriguing and amusing.


    Unlike the Royal ss, the Orbis ss had a militaristic air.


    ¡°Gilliot!¡±


    ¡°3-B-4 Gilliot! Present!¡±


    The senior who identified himself as a fourth-year barked a single order, and a lowerssman who happened to be passing by came sprinting to stand before him.


    <i>¡®Whatever this 3-B-4 designation is, it¡¯s probably akin to a military rank, right? Third-year, ss B, student number 4?¡¯ </i>


    I watched as the junior approached at full tilt and came to a stop in front of his senior. The senior who had stopped us inclined his head towards the Orbis ss dormitory.


    ¡°Summon everyone from the first year to themon training ground. All of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Without asking why or questioning the order, he dashed off towards the dormitory as soon as themand was given.


    ¡ªHello, sir!


    ¡ªHello, sir!


    Now that I thought about it, we asionally saw juniors bowing deeply at the waist whenever they ran into their seniors.


    The atmosphere was vastly different from the Royal ss. The expressions of the hopeless trio, already stiff with unease, became even more rigid.


    Seeing the actual workings of the Orbis ss in person made them even more intimidated.


    The senior, who had just spoken to his junior in amanding tone, addressed us rather kindly, which somehow made it even more frightening.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, guys. Everyone will be gathering now.¡±


    ***


    Themunal training ground to which the senior led us was simr to the one in the Royal ss. However, since each dormitory had its own attached training buildings, I had never felt the need to visit themunal one before. The other Royal ss students probably didn¡¯t frequent it much either.


    Given the timing, we should have been the first to arrive, since we made our way straight there after the call to assemble. But, as if by magic, the first-years of the Orbis ss were already there.


    They must have rushed over the moment the call had been sent out, given the way some were still catching their breath.


    This ce was clearly where seniors instilled discipline in juniors.


    Themunal training ground of the Orbis ss was evidently a well-used facility. The worn-out floors, the heavily-used training swords, and the scars on the training dummies all testified to that.


    The students who had been nervously expecting to receive punishment from their seniors seemed confused when they saw the senior leading us in, wearing Royal ss uniforms.


    In total, there were about twenty present, including us, which was probably the entire first year of the Orbis ss.


    The four of us and the fourth-year senior who had ordered the assembly...


    I noticed familiar faces among the group: Nilsonia and Adler Belkin. Their eyes widened in surprise. They couldn¡¯t fathom why I was there.


    Though my primary reason foring to the Orbis ss was to earn achievement points, I had a secondary motive.


    Beginning from the second semester, the Orbis ss would begin to weave into the main storyline. I had a personal interest in seeing what the characters I¡¯d written and described were actually like.


    Since the festival was the focal point of this semester, regardless of my interference, these guys would eventually sh with theirpatriots from the Royal ss.


    The conflict between the Orbis and Royal sses was something that would eventually happen regardless of my actions.


    Among them was someone who, although not quite fitting the bill of a viin, would serve as Ludwig¡¯s rival in the second semester.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize anyone just by their faces. Even if I¡¯d described their appearance, recalling the exact details wouldn¡¯t be easy, nor could a few written lines fully recreate their image in my mind.


    However, there were other more general traits that could help identify them.


    A guy whose calm eyes stood out, and was observing the situation even while everyone else was tense.


    He alone seemedpletely unfazed.


    That was likely den Amorel, A-1 of the first year of the Orbis ss, and currently the top student among the Orbis ss first-years. He was supposed to score a convincing win against Ludwig during the festival before losing to Ellen.


    However, it wasn¡¯t because he was weak. He was quite formidable as well¡ªEllen just happened to be a monster. As things stood, I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the one bullying Erhi; it was Lilka Aaron.


    den¡¯s character was cynical and calm. Though simr to Ellen, he was different in his own way.


    That didn¡¯t necessarily make him a bad person.


    But I had my eye on someone else.


    Just as den Amorel could be recognized for his calm demeanor, another guy stood out for different reasons.


    While den¡¯s calm and unshakeable aura set him apart, this other guy had a different aura.


    His eyes seemed somewhat uneasy. There was something off about him¡ªhe elicited a different sort of uneasepared to Dettomorian or Anna de Gerna.


    He had the kind of eyes that made you think he was about to get into trouble.


    Orbis ss first-year, ss B, student number 10.


    The lowest ranking student in Orbis ss.


    The true viin of this semester.


    Ender Wilton.


    Though I couldn¡¯t fully read his eyes, there¡¯s a saying that you see as much as you know.


    Apart from the fear instilled by the call to assemble, there was a twisted anger and sense of inferiority in his eyes.


    He was at the bottom of the Orbis ss, a ce that valued effort and training. In a ce where teachers and seniors preached that everything can be ovee through effort, he was the Number 10 in ss B.


    In a ss where ranks were reassigned each semester, he had been B-10 for both the first and second semesters.


    His self-disgust and sense of inferiority, fueled by his inability to improve no matter how hard he tried, were gradually driving him mad.


    In the original story, he would lose to Ludwig, the Royal ss¡¯s lowest-ranking student, in the festival tournament preliminaries.


    At this point in the original timeline, Ludwig would be much weaker and would have just been overwhelmingly defeated by Nilsonia, B-3 of the Orbis ss.


    In essence, Ender Wilton would fight with Ludwig, who was at his weakest point, over who was worse.


    The duel between the strongest of the Royal ss and the Orbis ss would end with a victory for the Royal ss.


    And even when it came to the two lowest-ranking students, the Orbis ss would lose to the Royal ss.


    After failing to achieve results despite his efforts and even losing to Ludwig, a rival from another ss, he would be officially recognized as the lowest of the low.


    He had neither talent nor the ability to ovee everything with effort.


    Ultimately, he would make the wrong choice and turn to dark magic to gain strength.


    In the first semester of his second year, he manages to defeat everyone in the Orbis ss and climbs to be the fifth-ranked ss A student.


    Then, at the festival, he challenges Ludwig, who had humiliated him before.


    But Ludwig hadn¡¯t been idle either.


    After his defeat by den Amorel at the festival, he underwent rigorous training during the winter break. By the time Ludwig enters his second year, he will be much stronger than he had been at the festival.


    Ender Wilton had grown strong, but Ludwig would manage to defeat him after a fierce battle.


    Even though Ender had turned to dark magic, he still lost.


    Both of them had been at the bottom of their respective sses, but while Ender gained strength through dark magic, Ludwig had grown strong without resorting to such means.


    The only difference was talent.


    Ender Wilton would fall into despair before the insurmountable wall he couldn¡¯t ovee, even with his forbidden power, and would eventually go mad.


    He would grow more dependent on dark magic, unable to stop even though he knew it led to ruin.


    Ludwig would learn from Anna de Gerna, who had a talent for dark magic, that Ender Wilton was involved with dark magic, and begin to investigate.


    Eventually, Ludwig would discover that Ender¡¯s strength came from his dabbling in forbidden power, and would try to stop him before he caused a bigger problem.


    He would confront Ender Wilton alone.


    Though he tried to give Ender onest chance to turn back, Ender had no intention of listening.


    Ender would attempt to kill Ludwig to silence him, but he would lose once again to the opponent he¡¯d already lost to before.


    And then, he would go berserk.


    Ender Wilton¡¯s body, with its excessive exposure to dark magic, was in an unstable state. The dark magic lurking within him ran amok, turning him into a monster.


    Ludwig would battle against the monstrous Ender Wilton, and after a series of struggles, managed to defeat the monster consumed by dark magic.


    Someone within the Temple had sought power through dark magic, eventually bing a monster, and Ludwig had put an end to him¡ªThat was the rough story arc.


    This incident was both a main event in the overall story, and a starting point for another arc.


    How did Ender Wilton, abat major,e to rely on dark magic?


    Who provided Ender Wilton with forbidden dark magic?


    These questions would lead to the next event.


    A fake viin, den Amorel.


    And the real viin, Ender Wilton.


    I familiarized myself with the faces of those two.


    Although they weren¡¯t present, there was also the real mastermind¡ªthe secret mage of the ck Order, a spy named Aaron Mede. But that¡¯s an issue for ater time.

 Chapter 209

    <h4>Chapter 209</h4>


    Ender Wilton¡¯s descent into darkness...


    As a result of this incident, instead of growing, Ludwig¡¯s mentality would shatter.


    Even though his enemy had turned into a monster, he¡¯d ended upmitting murder.


    Ludwig would report the whole incident to the Temple, and though he did not face any punishment, he would be tormented by the trauma brought on by the act itself.


    He would have to go through a prolonged period of psychological stagnation while he recovered.


    The bottom line was simple.


    If the incident with Ender Wilton could be prevented, Ludwig would be stronger than in the original story. He wouldn¡¯t have to take a long break to piece together his shattered mind.


    What could be done about it?


    I didn¡¯t have a n for that yet.


    I would think about it after this moment was settled.


    There were two reasons for meing: I¡¯de to earn achievement points, and to scout out and confirm what Ender Wilton¡¯s face looked like.


    <i>p!</i>


    The senior who brought us here pped his hands, drawing everyone¡¯s attention, and smiled warmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. As you can see, I didn¡¯t call you guys out to scold anyone. We have guests. So don¡¯t be so tense,¡± said the unknown fourth-year senior.


    He hadn¡¯t introduced himself, but he clearly wasn¡¯t an ordinary student. He looked at the first-year juniors, lined up in neat rows, and spoke briefly.


    ¡°Lilka Aaron.¡±


    ¡°1-A-5 Lilka Aaron!¡±


    As soon as her name was called, someone instantly raised her hand.


    ¡°Step forward.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    She marched forward without hesitation.


    What on earth did they do here to turn students into soldiers in just half a year? Seeing these young kids acting like this should have been cringe-worthy, but instead, it was chilling to see how well-trained they were.


    Orbis ss first-year A-5, Lilka Aaron.


    She had short brown hair and brown eyes and was probably about 154 cm tall.


    Quite small.


    <i>¡®... Erhi, you got beaten about by someone like this despite the difference in physicality?¡¯</i>


    Of course, I also lost to Ellen despite having a better physique, so I wasn¡¯t the one to talk.


    But she was really very tiny.


    She had a sharp expression, but even with such a stern look, she still appeared cute to me.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re saying that you¡¯ve been bullying a Royal ss kid, and they¡¯vee to get revenge.¡±


    At those words, Lilka Aaron¡¯s eyes widened. However, her gaze did not shift to Erhi.


    ¡°Is it true?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do I have to ask twice?¡±


    ¡°No, sir! It¡¯s true!¡±


    Though his question sounded straightforward, there seemed to be an unusual weight to the fourth-year senior¡¯s words.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡±


    At that, Lilka Aaron finally looked over at Erhi. Although she seemed very tense after being summoned by her senior, I could clearly read several emotions in her eyes.


    Contempt, disdain, hatred, and ridicule...


    ¡°That guy is Erhi de Raffaeli from Royal ss, first-year A-9. He said that Orbis ss students were a bunch of useless morons, and that we werecking in talent and would eventually all be overtaken by the Royal ss. I had to confirm if that was true by confronting him every week to see when that might happen.¡±


    The atmosphere, already cold and still, grew even more frigid.


    <i>Talent.</i>


    That word was Orbis ss¡¯s sore spot. Lilka Aaron¡¯s statement turned the tension in the air into palpable anger.


    Though I knew Erhi had made remarks along those lines, being in this ce made me realize the significance of those words when spoken to those who hated hearing them most.


    If the atmosphere in the training grounds could be hypothetically converted into damage, Erhi would be dead by now.


    ¡°Oh, is that so...?¡±


    Even the senior who had escorted us here was probably stung by those words. He nced once at Erhi with a faint, mysterious smile. It was hard to read his emotions, but nheless, the atmosphere had altered because of Lilka Aaron¡¯s words.


    ¡°Alright. Aaron. Regardless of the reason, it seems you have been bullying a Royal ss student named Erhi, and this Erhi dude has brought a proxy to seek revenge for the violence he¡¯s suffered.¡±


    Proxy.


    That word elicited chuckles from the Orbis ss students. <i>¡®What a pathetic guy. Despite his talk about talent, he¡¯s unable to handle his own affairs and he brought a friend along.¡¯</i>


    Open mockery and disdain spread, and Erhi shrunk further under the pressure.


    ¡°You said your name was Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, your friend here wants revenge. What do you think?¡±


    Lilka Aaron...


    She looked at me intently.


    ¡°I¡¯m more than willing to take him on.¡±


    She nodded confidently, without any pressure from the senior. The senior, noting our mutual agreement, nodded as well.


    ¡°Good. No need to drag this out.¡±


    He seemed eager to mediate, dragging Lilka Aaron and me to face each other.


    ¡°In a fight like this, there¡¯s usually something on the line, right? Reinhart, what can you promise if Aaron wins?¡±


    A promise...


    Well, what could I promise? I hade under the pretext of addressing this bullying, and if I failed or lost, what would I even have to promise?


    ¡°Well... if I lose, I don¡¯t really care what you all do to that guy. I won¡¯t report it to the teachers or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that doesn¡¯t seem particrly appealing... Aaron, has this Erhi guy ever formally apologized for his insults towards the Orbis ss?¡±


    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then how about this: You could offer a formal apology on behalf of the Royal ss for the insults directed at the Orbis ss,¡± the senior said, tilting his head.


    ¡°If I could do that, I would, but I don¡¯t exactly represent the whole Royal ss. Perhaps if I were the student council president I could, but I¡¯m just an individual, and a first-year at that.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t represent the entire Royal ss. I could apologize as a fellow student but not on behalf of the whole ss.


    ¡°Hmm, is that so? Then how about all four of you here kneel and sincerely apologize for Erhi de Raffaeli¡¯s insults towards the Orbis ss? How about that?¡±


    Kneel down...


    They wanted to crush the Royal ss¡¯s pride. The Orbis ss wanted to experience what it was like to trample over the Royal ss.


    So, even this fourth-year senior wasn¡¯t any different.


    Lilka Aaron¡¯s eyes gleamed.


    She had already trampled over Erhi, but now, a supposed avenger had appeared. She assumed that since I was confident in my skills, beating me would mean truly surpassing the Royal ss.


    If we lost, we would have to kneel.


    The fourth-year senior grinned. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s talk about our conditions.¡±


    He pointed to himself. ¡°If Lilka Aaron loses, I¡¯ll take full responsibility for poorly managing my juniors and personally kneel and apologize. And of course, Erhi won¡¯t be bullied anymore.¡±


    His words caused the air in the training hall to freeze over once again.


    <i>¡®What a crazy lunatic.¡¯</i>


    I never imagined he would go this far.


    He knew exactly how to instill the belief that losing was not an option.


    Lilka Aaron... Another emotion had now appeared in her eyes as she prepared to face me in the fight.


    It was fear.


    There was a vast difference between bearing the cost of defeat on your own and having someone else bear that cost.


    The Orbis ss was almost like a military unit.


    In this scenario, Lilka Aaron was about to enter a fight because of her actions, but the stakes were no longer her honor or pride alone; they were her senior¡¯s as well.


    If she won, there will be des for defeating a member of the Royal ss.


    But if she lost?


    If she lost, a senior would have to kneel before me, a mere first-year from the Royal ss.


    If that was all, it might end there, but the consequences could be far worse. As a duelist who tarnished the honor of her seniors, Lilka Aaron would likely face severe repercussions from them. Even if the fourth-year senior overlooked it, the second- and third-years wouldn¡¯t.


    They would handle the issue themselves and mete out the consequences ordingly.


    It might not just be Lilka Aaron¡¯s problem; it could affect the entire first-year cohort of the Orbis ss.


    There was no need for a speech about not losing.


    <i>¡°If you lose, I¡¯ll kneel.¡±</i>


    That single statement from the unnamed fourth-year senior instilled fear not just in Lilka Aaron, but in all the first-years.


    <i>¡°If you lose, prepare to die.¡±</i>


    That was what his words essentially meant.


    The strict senior-junior rtionship and the militaristic system had brought about even more appalling absurdities instead of just efficiency.


    This absurd and violent structure of the Orbis ss was probably a contributing factor in the breaking of Ender Wilton that would ultimately turn him into a monster.


    Though I¡¯d described it as a desire for strength and an inferiorityplex, it feltpletely different when seeing it firsthand.


    Ender Wilton was likely under tremendous pressure from his seniors. Being at the bottom, the atmosphere indicated that there was undoubtedly physical abuse between the senior and junior students.


    The atmosphere clinging to the Orbis ss dormitory was terribly chilling.


    Even as an outsider, I felt suffocated by the fear and pressure that these kids were under.


    The fourth-year senior, now that the fight was about to start, gently led the hopeless trio to the edge of the training hall.


    Naturally, the space around Lilka Aaron and me widened.


    This wasn¡¯t sparring practice; it was a fight. The unintentional audience that had formed wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected.


    ¡°Surrender deration or incapacity to fight,¡± the senior said. ¡°That will determine the winner. Let¡¯s see not just skill, but also each other¡¯s grit.


    ¡°Alright then, the fight between Royal ss first-year A-11 Reinhart and Orbis ss first-year A-5 Lilka Aaron now begins.¡±


    What seemed like ordinary words had a noticeable effect on the Orbis ss students, making them flinch.


    Effort, grit...


    These were the virtues most strictly enforced upon the Orbis ss students.


    Surrender deration or incapacity to fight¡ªthis implied one thing.


    If you dere surrender, something even more fearsome awaits afterward. If you think you can¡¯t win, you¡¯repelled to fight until you¡¯re incapacitated.


    Lilka Aaron¡¯s eyes shone with a strong determination, mixed with considerable fear.


    <i>¡®I must not lose.</i>


    <i>¡®I must not lose. I must not lose. I must not lose.</i>


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t lose.¡¯</i>


    These words repeated themselves in her mind, clear as day.


    So this small girl, who was trembling under the weight of her senior¡¯s words like a frightened kitten, was the one who was bullying Erhi de Raffaeli? She might have her ws out and her eyes might have been shining, but she wasn¡¯t even looking at me. She was worried only about what mighte after a loss.


    I felt nothing but pity for her. I could lose, or I could win.


    I could fight because there was a next time for me, whether I won or lost. Winning or losing didn¡¯t matter much to me. If I lost, I just had to train harder to prepare for the next fight. If I won, I just had to stay vignt.


    But when you¡¯re pushed to believe that there¡¯s no life after losing, you¡¯d end up like Lilka Aaron¡ªin a state of near-copse even before the fight began.


    She was already half-broken even before the fight began.


    It might make her desperate, but was this truly the right way to foster growth?


    Did she know anything about me? She probably did.


    Adler Belkin had been overwhelmingly defeated by me when I¡¯d used my supernatural power.


    The Orbis ss was quite different from the Royal ss. There was a distinct difference in the rtionship between seniors and juniors and within each year itself.


    A system did not always have to lead to strictly positive or negative oues.


    These students went through harsh training and lived under strict rules, but because of such conditions, the camaraderie among ssmates of the same year became very strong.


    These students shared a strong sense of solidarity. Strict rules and tough conditions naturally forged such bonds.


    Any information about us Royal ss students, who were designated rivals or enemies, would certainly be shared internally among them.


    Hence, she would already know about me. That¡¯s probably why Lilka Aaron, who was ranked A-5 in the Orbis ss, was so tense while facing off against me, ranked A-11 in the Royal ss, even though Erhi was ranked A-9.


    ¡°How strong are you, really?¡° she asked.


    She wanted to know my exact skill level within the Royal ss.


    I had told Adler Belkin that I was the weakest. Of course, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. In terms of rawbat ability within the Royal ss, among those withbat talents, there were four who are definitely stronger than me:


    Ellen, Cliffman, Vertus, and Scarlett.


    While I hadn¡¯t directly crossed swords with Vertus, I could intuitively sense this.


    Then there was Ludwig, who was closely matched with, although I held a slight advantage over him.


    Facing me now was A-5, Lilka Aaron.


    ¡°I¡¯m simr to you.¡°


    Among the two elite sses, both Lilka Aaron and I ranked fifth.


    <i>¡®I guess we¡¯ll see who among the fifth-ranked students of each ss is stronger here and now.¡¯</i>


    There were a total of seven who hadbat talents, including me, Delphine, and Erhi. Delphine, with her talent in archery, was excluded from thisparison, leaving Erhi and Ludwig below me.


    In the end, I was third from the bottom, so the statement that I was the weakest wasn¡¯tpletely off the mark.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I won or lost, but there was no reason to deliberately lose either.


    Lilka Aaron slowly settled into her stance then dashed towards me as light and quick as a swift breeze.


    <i>Bam!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    With incredible speed, shended a spinning kick directly on my upper arm.


    It was impressive that she had managed to execute a swift high kick aimed at my head despite her small stature.


    But even more surprising was the destructive force behind that kick, which I could sense the moment I got hit.


    <i>¡®This girl...¡¯</i>


    She was definitely not a weaponry major. She specialized in martial arts.


    My arm tingled from the impact of blocking her kick.


    I wondered how such power coulde from her small body, but after seeing Ellen, who practically defied physicalws, this wasn¡¯t as shocking.


    She quickly distanced herself after delivering her spinning kick, moving with rapid steps. Her small size made her movements appear even swifter.


    It seemed she used that first kick to gauge me.


    Physical enhancement didn¡¯t just improve my physical abilities. I was now able to make my body ¡°harder¡±, to a certain extent.


    It must have felt like kicking a rock, but she appeared to be able to handle it. She paused, carefully observing my movements.


    She was definitely more skilled in martial arts than in swordsmanship. Her footwork, movements, and that swift spinning kick proved it.


    <i>¡®So, Erhi met her in a Swordsmanship ss and got beaten with a sword, huh?¡¯</i>


    Once again, Lilka Aaron approached me, light on her feet.


    She was small but quick.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    And quite powerful as well.


    I let her low kick connect with my thigh while I reached out to grab her, but she deftly spun away, avoiding my grasp and creating distance.


    Closebat was not my forte, but it was toote to ask for a practice sword now. Besides, this wasn¡¯t a sparring session. With a practice sword, the sparring would end when onebatant pointed the de at the opponent¡¯s neck, but that wasn¡¯t the case now.


    We were fighting until one of us dered surrender or was rendered unable to fight. If I had a practice sword, I¡¯d still have to bash it against her head or whatever.


    Given my current level, such actions could be lethal.


    Although closebat wasn¡¯t my strength, I had supernatural powers.


    In contrast, her specialty was hand-to-handbat.


    Lilka Aaron seemed to be using a hit-and-run strategy, approaching cautiously and striking once before retreating. Given the difference in size, one hit from me could potentially take her down.


    She knew I was a superhuman, so she wasn¡¯t underestimating me.


    Her focus was on kicking, not because she¡¯s particrly a specialist in kicking, but because it was the only way she could establish reach.


    If this tiny girl tried to punch me, she would have to get within my range.


    Inevitably, she had to rely on hit-and-run tactics with a focus on kicking.


    ¡°Huup!¡±


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    She lunged at me with a front kick, hitting my thigh and forcing me back several steps.


    She didn¡¯t stop there. As I was pushed back, she followed up with abination of low kicks and high kicks while I remained calm, slowly retreating.


    I couldn¡¯t let myself think that kicking was her only strength. This wasn¡¯t a regted fight. If I reached out to grab her while she pretended to rely solely on kicking, this agile girl might suddenly switch to grappling. If that happened, it would be over for me, regardless of my strength.


    If hand-to-handbat was her specialty, she wouldn¡¯t rely solely on kicks.


    Given her small build, she must have practiced ways to effectively overpower physicallyrger opponents.


    It was only natural to assume she was proficient in joint locks and grappling techniques.


    She pressed me backwards steadily but with great speed. Combining high kicks, low kicks, and front kicks to push me back. As I slowly moved back, she finallynded a kick to my abdomen.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The push kick had a lot of weight behind it since she had rushed in while kicking. My stance faltered slightly and her eyes lit up.


    <i>An opening.</i>


    Seeing me unable to react while moving backward, she swiftly dashed in, pivoted on her left foot, and leaped.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by what I saw.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? It feels like I¡¯m getting hit by abo in a fighting game!</i>¡¯


    Regardless, the girl who had me in a pinch spun her body in mid-air, throwing a spinning kick with full power behind it.


    ¡°Huup!¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Her airborne spinning kick connected with my right arm.

 Chapter 210

    <h4>Chapter 210</h4>


    The overwhelming impact of the blow left me momentarily dizzy, and my vision briefly went dark.


    If my guard had been just a little lower, that powerful kick would have smashed into my jaw and sent me to the infirmary. My opponent quickly retreated, avoiding the possibility of any counterattacks I mightunch.


    Though the atmosphere was tense, it was evident that Lilka Aaron was pushing me back. Despite some lingering anxiety, the Orbis ss students were visibly excited.


    However, Lilka Aaron was gritting her teeth and looked none too pleased.


    A conversation I had with Ellen in the past came to mind...


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°My fists hurt.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°... They really hurt.¡±


    While Ellen and I mainly practiced swordsmanship, we also often trained in hand-to-handbat.


    The reason was simple. Given how I tended to get into fights, Ellen believed I would end up fighting with my fists more than with a sword.


    I had mixed feelings about that¡ªI was grateful for the consideration, yet slightly uneasy¡ªbut there was no reason to decline the training.


    Ellen pretended not to care, but she actually worried about me a lot.


    Ellen oftenined that her limbs hurt when she sparred with me, especially after I enhanced my physical strength. She would beat me up and thenin that she was the one hurting and needed a break.


    It was infuriating to hear the person who beat you upin about their own pain, but she was telling the truth.


    If even Ellen Artorius was saying such a thing, then it had to be true.


    It was clear that, in a fight, most opponents would end up hurting themselves as the fight wore on even if I was the one taking hits.


    That was partly why I avoided going on the offensive.


    ¡°When you¡¯re up against martial artists, avoid attacking if you can.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you. Try it.¡±


    Ellen dropped into a stance in front of me.


    Clearly, she believed she could execute some martial arts moves just as well as those who specialized in it. That wasn¡¯t surprising.


    As Ellen pressured me with jabs and straights, I found an opening to throw a punch.


    As soon as I did, though, Ellen pulled my arm in and locked me in a flying armbar.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! Ow! I¡¯m going to die! My arm is breaking!¡±


    ¡°Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I get it! I understand!¡±


    Though her method of teaching involved a lot of physical suffering, Ellen gave me sound advice. She demonstrated numerousplicated moves, including locking my leg mid-kick and flipping me into an armbar with incredible grace.


    She repeatedly showed me through many examples that reaching out or trying to grab a skilled opponent would lead to disaster.


    ... What could I say?


    As a result of excessive physical contact, I felt more embarrassment¡ªno, just kidding.


    It just hurt like hell.


    ¡°Grappling can be applied in many more situations than you might think. There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know. You can¡¯t counter everything.¡±


    ¡°... Right. So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drop your guard. Don¡¯t get grabbed. Don¡¯t grab them either.¡±


    <i>¡®If I get caught, I will be forced into grappling. If I try to grab them, I will also be forced into grappling.¡¯</i>


    Any opening could be a trap that could lead to a fatal move if I acted recklessly. After this long, I was still not great at swordsmanship, and I couldn¡¯t expect to master closebat quickly either. That was why Ellen was trying to teach me how to deal with martial arts specialists.


    The main point was to avoid messing around when squaring off against such people. Relying clumsily on my own strength would merely leave me open to getting destroyed by their techniques.


    She didn¡¯t actually teach me any hand-to-handbat techniques. She probably showed me some only because it looked like I¡¯d get into more fistfights than sword fights.


    It was ironic that I would end up using that knowledge in this situation.


    ¡°You know the importance of guarding, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°But do you know why it¡¯s important?¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t get hit in the head and face?¡±


    Ellen pointed to her jaw. ¡°The jaw as well. Getting hit in the jaw will be the end of it. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t drop your guard. If you get hit in the jaw, the impact will travel to your brain and you can pass out immediately. Your guard should not only protect your head and face, but your jaw as well.¡±


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t get grabbed, and don¡¯t grab either. Don¡¯t get hit in the jaw. In other words, don¡¯t drop your guard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to just take hits?¡±


    ¡°... Ideally, don¡¯t fight at all.¡±


    ¡°Come on! Who knows how things will unfold?¡±


    After such a statement, Ellen would always look at me with such disappointment, so I just let it go.


    Anyway, Ellen could teach hand-to-handbat, but that wasn¡¯t our main focus. She only gave me some basic knowledge to handle a situation if I ever got into trouble with a martial arts specialist.


    ¡°With your physical enhancement ability, you can take the hits without getting too hurt. The attacker will eventually tire out unless they catch you with a joint lock.¡±


    ¡°Winning is good, but isn¡¯t winning by taking hits worse than losing?¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want to win by just enduring hits! I¡¯d rather just lose! ¡°Oh, you¡¯re tired of hitting me? Well, looks like I¡¯ve won then.¡± That¡¯s so sad! It feels like a pyrrhic victory!¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Got any other ideas?¡±


    Ellen sighed deeply at my whining and looked at me.


    ¡®You¡¯re particrly durable in hand-to-handbatpared to others, because of your supernatural ability.¡¯


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    If I strengthened and toughened my body I could even make someone like Ellen admit to feeling pain while engaging in hand-to-handbat.


    ¡°So take hits strategically, and hit back harder.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Ellen furrowed her brow. ¡°Deliberately allow your opponent to hit you over and over, so that you cannd an even more powerful one in return.


    ¡°Think of it simply. All hand-to-handbat requires your opponent to get in close. Without any weapons, they have to close the distance, creating openings as they do. Every attack inherently creates an opening.


    ¡°Use deceit. Take the hits and endure. Don¡¯t show any signs of struggle. Act like it doesn¡¯t bother you and just take each hit. Don¡¯t try to counterattack clumsily; just get hit like an idiot. That way, your opponent will let their guard down. They¡¯ll think you¡¯re easy to deal with.


    ¡°As a result, they¡¯ll start making bigger moves to try and take you down. Since you only get hit and never counterattack, they¡¯ll try to finish you off with bigger, more telegraphed moves. Make them underestimate you.


    ¡°The more they want to knock you out, the more they¡¯ll resort to big, telegraphed techniques or attacks. Big moves create big openings. That¡¯s when you strike. Don¡¯t block any further; just hit back.


    ¡°That¡¯s the key. Trick your opponent. Pretend you¡¯re clumsy and just get hit. Make them impatient, or make them see you as an easy target. Then, you counterattack and take them down in one blow.¡±


    Given that I could take hits better than others, her advice was to endure a significant amount of damage and then hit back even harder. By allowing myself to take hits that I could suffer through, my opponent would slowly tire and give me an opportunity to take them down.


    I basically had to put my faith in my unnaturally strong durability.


    Every attack presented an opening, so relying only on pure defense was a losing strategy in the long run.


    Answer the openings that an opponent¡¯s attack offered by counterattacking, even if that left me open as well.


    Counterattack...


    My opponent would be focused on attacking and wouldn¡¯t be prepared to defend. The strategy was not to get into a rhythm of defense and attack, but merely exchange blows. Since I could rely on my supernatural power to enhance my physical toughness, Ellen was suggesting I simply let my opponent hit me and then retaliate with overwhelming strength.


    Since I couldn¡¯t defeat a martial arts specialist on technique, I had to trust in my supernatural durability to take manageable damage, then counter with a decisive blow.


    Victory ultimately belonged to thest one standing. No matter how dominant one appears during the fight, the one who fallsst loses, and I had the advantage in a war of attrition.


    Although I would umte damage, it was something I could handle.


    .


    .


    .


    Lilka Aaron kept her distance, seeking an opening toe in.


    As Ellen had said, reaching out or telegraphing an attack could easily lead to a grappling move. Although I had received some martial arts training, it wasn¡¯tprehensive.


    Although I now understood some things about handling a sword, I didn¡¯t fullyprehend the various martial arts techniques a specialist might use.


    My opponent¡¯s primarily relied on kicks. Given her small stature, kicks were probably the only way she could extend her range.


    ¡°Huup!¡±


    <i>Whack! Whack! Whack!</i>


    Her kicks were impressive, but that was it¡ªshe wasn¡¯t on Ellen¡¯s level.


    It wasn¡¯t just my supernatural power at y; my baseline durability might have improved from getting hit so frequently, which certainly yed a big role.


    It hurt, but it was bearable.


    Although I was the one taking the hits, she was the one getting increasingly exhausted.


    ¡°...¡±


    My body had be tougher than a normal person¡¯s. As a result, though she hadn¡¯t taken a single hit from me, my opponent was clearly in pain.


    It might not have been as bad as kicking a rock, but kicking such a hardened body multiple times would surely exin why she had her expression.


    Winning by enduring hits¡ªwhile not a pleasant method¡ªwas gradually bing a reality.


    Emotions flickered across Lilka Aaron¡¯s face.


    <i>¡®Why won¡¯t he go down? He should have copsed by now.¡¯</i>


    My guard was solid, and I showed no signs of fatigue or damage.


    She had to finish it quickly.


    Otherwise, she would fall first.


    Her urgency and impatience were clear.


    Just as Ellen had said, Lilka Aaron was clearly worried that, at this rate, she would be the one to copse first.


    She was nning something.


    Rushing at me, she aimed a front kick at my abdomen.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As my stance faltered and I was pushed back, she leaped into the air once more.


    An airborne spinning kick, a more powerful one this time.


    As a result, it created an evenrger opening.


    The blow wouldnd on my left side.


    Keeping my left arm up to maintain my guard, I advanced instead of retreating.


    I pulled my right arm back, nning to absorb the blow and counter it.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    A heavy blownded on my left arm.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Ughh...!¡±


    And a powerful sensation in my right fist...


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The moment her spinning kick connected, Lilka Aaron was sent flying backward. Shended heavily and rolled across the floor of the training hall.


    Absorbing the impact of such a powerful kick caused my vision to momentarily go dark, but I didn¡¯t copse.


    ¡°Huff...¡±


    ¡°Heuk! Ugh! Gag! Gagh!¡±


    Unlike me, however, Lilka Aaron was lying on the floor of the training ground, gagging and trying to catch her breath.


    It was inevitable. She had been hit by a perfectly-timed counter at a moment when she hadn¡¯t been expecting it. Everyone was stunned to see me take her down with that one critical counterattack.


    The fight was over. Despite sessfullynding many attacks, a single counterblow had floored her.


    ¡°Argh... Ugh...¡±


    However, Lilka Aaron, trembling and gasping for air, forced herself to stand and take a stance.


    ¡°...¡±


    Her eyes were filled with fear.


    Though she knew she had lost, she forced herself to get up, her eyes reflecting the desperation of having to continue even after an obvious defeat.


    The fight was already over. It was clear from how her legs wobbled that even standing was difficult. The unexpected counterblow to her abdomen exined it all.


    Even now, my body was enhanced by my supernatural power.


    Just standing alone was beyond reason, yet, despite the fact that her legs were about to give out under her, she grit her teeth and faced me again.


    To her, I must have seemed like an unyielding fortress, impossible to bring down no matter how many times she struck me.


    She had hit me dozens of times, while I hadnded just one punch. But that one punch had reduced her to this state, and she could not wrap her mind around that.


    Though her will to fight was broken, she couldn¡¯t afford to give up.


    She wasn¡¯t the one who¡¯d have to kneel before me; it was her senior. Fearing the humiliation that awaited her senior and the subsequent punishment she would face, Lilka Aaron couldn¡¯t allow herself to copse.


    ¡°Huup!¡±


    With her focus and physique already pushed to their limits, Lilka Aaron charged at me again. Her movements weren¡¯t as swift and hard to follow as they had been initially, but she was still quick.


    She approached with a kick, which I dodged as I aimed a punch to her face.


    As if she¡¯d anticipated it, she shifted her head slightly, causing my punch to miss.


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it. She grabbed my wrist and used the momentum to fling her whole body upward, locking her legs around my neck in a flying armbar.


    Of course, I had expected this move.


    I had deliberately given her my arm. If I let her lock it, it would be over.


    <i>¡®Physical enhancement.¡¯</i>


    I maximized my muscle strength.


    Even in a situation this disadvantageous, I could forcibly break free from the hold, since her body was already at its limit.


    ¡°Hrgh!¡±


    <i>Wham!</i>


    I forcefully mmed Lilka Aaron, who was still clinging to my arm, into the ground.


    ¡°Guh!¡±


    She gasped for breath as her back was mmed against the floor. While technique could ovee strength, there was no way she could surpass the difference in our physical strength with her body at its limit.


    Even if she tried to lock my joints now, I could break free with raw power.


    ¡°Ugh... Argh...¡±


    Trembling, she struggled to rise, while I stood back and watched.


    The fight was over.


    It had ended when Inded that counter punch to her abdomen. Now, after her armbar had been broken by my sheer strength, it was definitely over.


    Her body was past its limits, and I could break free from any of her joint locks with sheer power. There was no way for her to win a hand-to-hand struggle.


    Everyone knew Lilka Aaron had lost. They all understood she couldn¡¯t win now.


    It was a decisive victory for me.


    Even the unnamed fourth-year senior watching us knew it.


    Yet, Lilka Aaron staggered to her feet.


    ¡°...¡±


    There were no other oues allowed besides surrender or incapacitation.


    There was no such thing as a loss by decision. That senior wasn¡¯t a referee. This wasn¡¯t a duel, but a fight.


    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say the word ¡°surrender¡±. Her eyes showed that she¡¯d rather die than dere defeat.


    She was clearly going to face something horrible.


    The senior had said this was about demonstrating grit.


    In a situation where her defeat was certain, Lilka Aaron had to prove her mettle.


    She had to show that she had done everything she could to preserve her senior¡¯s honor.


    She had to fight until she waspletely incapacitated to mitigate, even slightly, the consequences she would face for herck of strength.


    And so, despite barely being able to stand, she gritted her teeth and rose again.


    The Orbis ss...


    One of the special sses of the Temple, alongside the Royal ss.


    A ce where effort, not talent, was what mattered. It ran on a military discipline, strict training, and an irond senior-junior hierarchy.


    Seeing firsthand how my creation operated and discovering these unforeseen details often made me feel a mix of astonishment and unease.


    In this case, it was definitely unease.


    A world formed by the sentences I wrote, and the people who had to live within the absurdities of that world.


    Now that I saw them, I felt a sense of responsibility, guilt, and difort.


    Though Lilka Aaron had lost, she still approached me, staggering, to prove she had given her all.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A light kick to her thigh made her copse.


    The thought of attacking someone on the verge of copse with full force seemed harsh and unjust.


    Trembling, she tried to get up again. Staggering towards me tond another hit with her best effort. By now, even without my physical enhancement, her attacks didn¡¯t hurt at all.


    It all felt like a futile struggle.


    Telling her to give up wouldn¡¯t work.


    Me surrendering wouldn¡¯t have any meaning either. Everyone watching knew she wasn¡¯t going to win.


    In silence, everyone watched as the already-settled fight continued.


    The faces of the Orbis ss first-years were grim.


    Someone probably wanted to step in, but no one could due to the presence of their senior. The senior, arms crossed, continued to watch.


    It felt like I was being forced to participate in this almost one-sided abuse. Lilka Aaron, having lost her will to fight, could only continue taking hits until she was incapacitated, her eyes were lifeless as she kept getting up again and again.


    ¡°...¡±


    She was looking at me... Her eyes seemed to be pleading with me.


    Though I couldn¡¯t fully understand the depth of her gaze, I could read one desperate wish.


    <i>¡®Please knock me out. Make it so that I can¡¯t get up.¡¯</i>


    That wish was clear.


    The fight had already concluded, yet she was forced to keep going.


    The best way I could help my opponent, who waspelled to continue fighting, wasn¡¯t to surrender or to suggest stopping the fight because it was over.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Here. Sweet dreams.¡±


    Moving in close, I drove my fist into her abdomen once more.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡°Gugh...¡±


    With a powerful blow to her midsection, Lilka Aaron copsed forward onto the training ground, clutching her stomach.


    She couldn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡° the fourth-year senior said briefly. ¡°Take her to the priest on duty.¡°


    At his words, a few first-year students hurried over, lifting the copsed form of Lilka Aaron and carrying her out. I had hit her hard¡ªif I hadn¡¯t, she might not have stayed down.


    It was possible that I might have caused some internal damage, but that was for the priest to handle.


    In the end, she wouldn¡¯t die.


    [Challenge Complete - Face off with the Orbis ss]


    [You have received 500 achievement points.]


    I received confirmation that my main goal ofpleting the challenge had been achieved.


    ¡°You won, Reinhart.¡° The unnamed fourth-year senior approached me, throwing an arm over my shoulder. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to have won?¡°


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wow, for her to lose so decisively, even though she¡¯s ranked 5th. I didn¡¯t expect that. So, this means everyone ranked below her loses to you as well...¡±


    He smirked and nced at the remaining Orbis ss students in the training ground.


    ¡°Does this mean this year¡¯s batch isn¡¯t up to par...?¡°


    I knew exactly what his words implied. The expressions of the other students, already rigid, morphed to one of sheer fear.


    Though Lilka Aaron had lost, the implication was that everyone ranked below her had also failed to defeat me.


    In other words, everyone had to pay the price for that defeat.


    ¡°Anyway, a promise is a promise, so I¡¯ll apologize on behalf of us all...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about apologies.¡°


    I shrugged off the senior¡¯s arm and stared directly into hisposed face.


    Now that I had seen it up close, I understood everything.


    This ce would continue to produce monsters like Ender Wilton. The extreme case of Ender Wilton was a unique but symptomatic oue.


    It was inevitable that one would be broken within such a system.


    A system that fostered and demanded hatred, jealousy, animosity, and inferiority.


    No one could be free from it.


    Who could maintain their sanity under such constant pressure and expectations of improvement?


    In the end, despite everything, I couldn¡¯t help but be offended by it and confront it head-on.


    ¡°How about you and I have a fight, you son of a bitch?¡°


    ¡°... What?¡±

 Chapter 211

    <h4>Chapter 211</h4>


    My sudden deration of another face-off took the Hopeless Trio and the Orbis ss guys aback. <i>¡®Why¡¯s he acting like this after winning?¡¯</i> their expressions seemed to say.


    The fourth-year senior was just as startled.


    ¡°Ha-Haha... What did I just hear? You and me? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a piece of shit.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Looking at you, it seems like you¡¯re the shittiest of the shitty.¡±


    I clenched my fists and stared him down. He might have been a victim of this system, and suffering through it had turned him into an oppressor. He could very well still be a victim. But...


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand pieces of shit like you.¡±


    He was a fourth year student of the Orbis ss... I was going to lose.


    ¡°So I don¡¯t care about winning or losing. I just want you to understand that you¡¯re a piece of shit. Got it?¡±


    My aggressive words caused everyone¡¯s expressions to be increasingly strange, and the fourth-year senior, who had been grinning, started to grow tense.


    ¡°Have some shame, you worm. Just how rotten are you to need to hear this from a seventeen-year-old junior from another ss? Do you find this fun? Screwing around with juniors who are way younger than you? Is your brain still not fully developed?¡±


    ¡°... The problems in the Orbis ss are Orbis ss¡¯s problems. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your ce to interfere,¡± the senior replied.


    ¡°When it turns perfectly fine kids into idiots, it¡¯s not just a ss problem, it¡¯s a societal problem. You¡¯re a social menace.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I stared at the fourth-year senior, who seemed to be getting increasingly pissed off.


    ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that the Orbis ss is different. It¡¯s different, but it¡¯s people like you that make it worse.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Being in a shitty ce doesn¡¯t make a person shitty. A ce bes shitty because of shitty people like you. You¡¯re the perfect example¡ªalways stirring up trouble and destroying the atmosphere. Even as a senior, instead of trying to fix the shitty atmosphere, you just inherit it and make it worse. Because of people like you, the culture never changes.¡±


    A bastard is a bastard, no matter where they go.


    This guy was the worst of the worst. He wasn¡¯t bullying anyone directly, but he made his point through implications and undertones. He did not directly threaten to kill anyone. Even in the Lilka Aaron situation, he probably would not do anything personally, but push the responsibility onto the juniors to handle it themselves.


    He did not directly harass or hit someone. He only made hints and insinuations, and thus avoided beingbeled a bad guy. If a problem arose, he would act all innocent and protest that he did not do anything. Even before this fight, he never said anything like, ¡°Prepare to die if you surrender.¡±


    He just said, ¡°If you lose, I¡¯ll kneel.¡±


    That single statement had caused the kids to imagine all sorts of terrible things. He wasn¡¯t just a bad guy; he was also a coward. The systemic issues aside, this guy was, by himself, aplete piece of shit.


    My direct insults caused the Orbis ss guys to look increasingly perplexed. <i>¡®What¡¯s up with this guy? Did he go insane or something?¡¯</i>


    The Hopeless Trio had slightly different expressions.


    <i>¡®This guy is causing trouble again.¡¯</i>


    Although their expressions said so, it also looked as if they had been secretly anticipating this.


    <i>¡®Taste Reinhart¡¯s spiciness, you bastards!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Even if I beat a first-year, it won¡¯t look good. Why should I bother?¡±


    As expected, the senior didn¡¯t want to fight. Winning was a given, but even if he won, he wouldn¡¯t be looked upon favorably. Losing wasn¡¯t even an option, and I didn¡¯t think I could beat him either. However, he kept pressuring the juniors even while pretending as though he wasn¡¯t.


    It was clear that his actions did not endear him to his juniors, but he was the type who never wanted to get his hands dirty. Therefore, there was no reason for him to engage in a fight in which he had nothing to gain.


    The root cause of the Ender Wilton incident was the abuse meted out by his seniors. In this vicious cycle where the victim became the perpetrator, a case like Ender Wilton was inevitable. I didn¡¯t know if I could break it, but I could send a message.


    If it¡¯s shitty, stand up to your seniors. So what if it gets you killed?


    ¡°Are you scared, you bastard? If you¡¯re scared, piss off. Stop spouting bullshit. Why is an old bastard like you butting into first-year¡¯s problems? Aren¡¯t you ashamed? Don¡¯t you have anything better to do? Or are you so utterly useless that picking on juniors is all you¡¯ve got?¡±


    An old bastard with nothing better to do, intruding on lower-ss problems. My words seemed to push him to his limit.


    ¡°... Hah.¡±


    He red at me and brushed his hair back. It was my first time meeting this narrow-eyed character.


    ¡°Impertinent brat.¡±


    His eyes widened right away. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    A fight that he had nothing to gain from... It seemed he¡¯d decided to give an insolent junior a lesson.


    ¡°Oh, I guess you don¡¯t know my name yet? Fine, I¡¯ll tell you since it¡¯se to this.¡±


    Heughed as he looked at me. ¡°Orbis ss, 4th-year, A-1¡ªOscar de Gradias.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait a minute. Are you royalty?¡¯</i>


    Only then did I get a good look at his appearance.


    Blonde hair and golden eyes.


    Those were the characteristics of the Gradias family.


    <i>¡®Is being narrow-eyed a family trait?¡¯</i>


    Now that I thought about it, even Vertus and Charlotte had that narrow-eyed look.


    Oscar de Gradias... Although he pretended to be kind, I could sense his savage aura after he revealed his true colors.


    <i>¡®Is this guy special? Of all people, I had to call him a shitty bastard, and he turns out to be royalty...</i>


    <i>¡®Not all blondes with golden eyes are Gradias family members, right? I should be careful around narrow-eyed characters from now on.¡¯</i>


    But the die had been cast.


    It was hard to take back words I¡¯d already said, and besides, I didn¡¯t want to take them back either.


    It was a wall I had to face.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve changed your mind after learning who I am, I¡¯d be a bit disappointed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen, so let¡¯s do this.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how skilled this guy was, or what position he held among the imperial family.


    But I wasn¡¯t nning to say, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know you were royalty, I¡¯m sorry.¡± There was no way to take back the milk I¡¯d already spilled.


    Royalty or not, if he was shitty, I had to confront him. Although I had not thought like that initially, since it hade to this, I had to move forward.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there are two of royal blood in the Royal ss first year. Are you saying you¡¯re not the type to be scared by something like that?¡±


    Oscar de Gradias picked up a practice sword from the stand. He was trained in the use of weapons.


    I picked up a practice sword as well.


    It wasn¡¯t just that he was royal, he was A-1 in his fourth year. He wasn¡¯t just someone who found confidence by bullying juniors¡ªhe was actually highly-skilled.


    Royal or not, I had to admit the odds weren¡¯t in my favor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the same rules as before. Incapacitation or deration of defeat.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Oscar gave me a sly smile after his self-introduction as a royal and his rank of A-1. The Hopeless Trio seemed to believe I had stepped firmly on andmine, and the Orbis first-years were already predicting a bleak future for me, believing I had picked a fight with someone untouchable.


    The rules were the same as before.


    Deration of defeat or incapacitation.


    However, Oscar de Gradias seemed determined not to give me the time to dere defeat, intending to end it in one go.


    <i>Kwaakang!</i>


    In a sh, he rushed at me and struck my practice sword. My palms stung, but I didn¡¯t let go of the sword.


    I enhanced my body with the Swordsmanship preset. Oscar attacked with a thrust, and I matched it, pushing back.


    <i>Kakak! Kak!</i>


    In this swordfight, the objective was to point our de at our opponent¡¯s neck. If the bnce of power shifted even a little, an attack wouldnd immediately. He moved his left hand onto the de of the sword.


    <i>¡®Half-swording...¡¯</i>


    I grabbed the de of my sword as well, matching his movements so as not to lose in this contest of strength.


    -<i>Kakakakak!</i>


    ¡°Your basics... seem solid.¡±


    He smiled wickedly as he stared at me. He seemed honestly surprised that I had been able to respond when he tried to overwhelm me instantly.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve studied under a pretty good teacher.¡±


    Was he trying to demonstrate hisposure by making casual conversation?


    ¡°Yeah... Someone you can¡¯t evenpare to.¡±


    Having studied under Ellen, my advantage in swordsmanship went beyond just technique. I knew how to respond in any situation, when to strike and when to retreat, since I¡¯d spent every day getting beaten and learning from someone who had the ultimatebat instincts.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Oscar kicked my ankle while our swords were entangled, making me lose my bnce, and jabbed his sword at me.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The blunt tip of the practice sword jabbed into my sr plexus, and I stepped back quickly, catching my breath.


    ¡°If this were real, you¡¯d already be dead, you know that?¡± He red at me with a rxed expression. ¡°But this is a fight, so it¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    One of his attacks hadnded.


    If it had been real, I¡¯d have been killed by Oscar de Gradias. But this was a fight, so it wasn¡¯t over yet. He¡¯d keep hitting me until I dered defeat.


    There was no room for shame.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ll say ¡®I surrender¡¯ easily.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how long it takes.¡±


    <i>Kang! Ka-Kang! Kang!</i>


    Havingnded one sessful attack, Oscar pressed forward even more fiercely. The probing phase was over, and his assault grew relentless.


    shes to the side, up high, down low, and thrusts to the center.


    He wasn¡¯t simply trying to sh swords. He bombarded me with attacks, and whenever he saw an opening in my defenses, he¡¯d punch, kick, or thrust with the training sword itself.


    <i>Thud! Thwack! Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re full of openings, kid.¡±


    This was iparable to the fight with Lilka Aaron. Oscar¡¯s physical abilities and swordsmanship were far superior to mine.


    I wasn¡¯t a match for him. If we were having a practice duel, I would have already lost more than five times. But since this was an all-out fight, he kept shing, thrusting, and striking, trying to knock me down.


    The damage I¡¯d umted from the fight with Lilka Aaron was also significant.


    <i>Bam!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A front kick to my abdomen sent me stumbling back several steps. Oscar showed no signs of holding back, charging at me immediately and shing downward with his sword.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m going to have to use ¡°that¡±.¡¯</i>


    <i>Kaang!</i>


    I deflected his downward strike from below, lifting his arm and exposing his chest.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    <i>Bam!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Oscar grunted.


    A powerful right kick to his side sent him tumbling sideways.


    ¡°What the?¡±


    He quickly got up, panting to catch his breath. He adjusted his stance, and a look of confusion crossed his face. ¡°What was that just now?¡±


    He seemed slightly bewildered, as if something that shouldn¡¯t have happened just had.


    <i>¡®Yeah, you must be confused.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? I¡¯m a superhuman.¡±


    Supernatural powers...


    Lilka Aaron seemed aware of this, but Oscar de Gradias didn¡¯t seem to know I was a superhuman. However, I hadn¡¯t used ¡°that¡± in my fight with Aaron earlier on.


    ¡°... Supernatural powers.¡±


    Oscar intensified his focus with the mention of my supernatural powers.


    He was taken by surprise because I¡¯d suddenly swept away his sword with an explosive strength that I hadn¡¯t shown before.


    Oscar had gauged my strength, so a sudden burst of such abnormal strength was bound to throw him off.


    I wasfortable with using Self-Deception as a way of enhancing my physical abilities.


    However, I¡¯d recently discovered a more advanced way to use Self-Deception.


    I¡¯d created another category called Skills.


    I began a new, borderline cringeworthy self-insert act where I visualized my concept and attached a skill name to it before using it.


    As always, using such an ability filled me with a self-loathing strong enough to feel suicidal, but its effectiveness was undeniable.


    What I¡¯d just used was a skill that I called Single Strike.


    It focused all my supernatural powers into strengthening a single attack.


    ¡°Here Ie.¡±


    This time, I employed Haste (ѸËÙ).


    Before Oscar could even react, I¡¯d reached him and thrust with my sword.


    <i>Kadududuk!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    He turned the de aside, and I leaned in further and headbutted him.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Thud, Thud, Thud!</i>


    I watched with a smile as he stumbled back a few steps, grabbing his ringing head.


    ¡°What? Feeling uneasy?¡±


    It had been embarrassing as hell to set up these skills, but their effectiveness was unmatched.

 Chapter 212

    <h4>Chapter 212</h4>


    I had discovered this new application of Self-Deception purely by chance.


    While sparring with Ellen as usual, I¡¯d grown genuinely irritated after taking hit after hit (not that this was a rare urrence).


    In any case, I truly wanted to pierce through Ellen¡¯s imprable guard. Just once.


    Just this one time, I wanted to knock her sword away and create an opening with a single blow.


    And so, I swung.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    But nothing happened.


    I still failed to knock her sword away, and her counterattack left me with her de against my neck.


    Ellen tilted her head in puzzlement. ¡°That felt strange just now.¡±


    ¡°... What did?¡±


    Though my attack failed, it had surprised Ellen.


    ¡°It was different from usual.¡±


    Having sparred with me for such a long time, Ellen knew exactly how my blows usually felt, with or without my supernatural powers.


    She said that my attack at that moment had felt oddly more powerful than usual.


    Although I didn¡¯t manage to pierce through her guard, that single blow had indeed been much stronger than usual.


    ¡°Try it again.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t know exactly what I had done, but asked me to do it again. After several trials, I realized a new way to use Self-Deception.


    Instead of overall physical enhancement, I could focus my supernatural power in one specific direction for a very short time¡ªwhether in attack, defensive reinforcement, or movement.


    It was simr to setting and selecting a preset for reinforcement types and calling it up as needed.


    By naming and remembering a specific application method, simply recalling it would activate the corresponding pattern of enhancementter on.


    Even so, having to mentally use these skill names that I concocted in my head filled me with immense self-loathing...


    At least I didn¡¯t have to shout them out loud. That was a relief.


    Just thinking about them in my head dealt enough mental damage to me.


    One day, I¡¯d probably end up shouting something like ¡°Asura Attack!¡± or something simrly ridiculous. I definitely had the potential to do that...


    Lately, therefore, I had been trying to get used to using these skills, the products of my imagination, by employing them during my sparring sessions with Ellen.


    Of course, Ellen was the only one who knew about the imaginary nonsense I was having to do in my head.


    ¡°... No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s a weird ability.¡±


    ¡°... I think so too.¡±


    Ellen seemed to think my ability, which could be this or that depending on the situation, was strange, regardless of its effectiveness.


    Being capable of doing almost anything was amazing, but the overall impact was still low, which made it more peculiar than awe-inspiring.


    Nevertheless...


    This was my first time using the new method of Self-Deception on someone other than Ellen.


    Oscar was keeping his distance, analyzing me. He hadnded a few attacks, but hadn¡¯t dealt enough damage to knock me down.


    ¡°... That¡¯s annoying.¡±


    Using these Skills gave me a significant advantage. By suddenly focusing my supernatural power in one direction, my opponent couldn¡¯t predict my movements, speed, or destructive force.


    Even Ellen had struggled the first time I used my ability in this manner; it was too unpredictable to counter. Of course, it didn¡¯t take long before she got used to it and started beating me again.


    Eventually, Ellen grew so ustomed to how I used these new skills that she began to read my patterns, predicting exactly when I¡¯d use what move. She could predict me impably, which made it impossible for me to score a victory against her.


    However, Oscar de Gradias wasn¡¯t like Ellen.


    He was undoubtedly stronger than me, but he didn¡¯t even know what my supernatural powers were. He could only guess that it involved some sort of physical enhancement.


    He hadn¡¯t urately grasped my abilities, which gave me a clear advantage.


    I currently had three skills set up:


    Single Strike enhanced the sheer destructive power of an attack;


    Haste amplified my reactions and speed for both approaching and evading; and


    Harden maximized my body¡¯s defensive capabilities when I had no choice but to take a hit.


    I had other skills in mind, but I wasn¡¯t proficient with them yet. These three were the only ones with practical use in actualbat.


    <i>Kang! Ka-Kang! Kang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, the gap in skill was too wide.


    I had been training hard, but only for a little over half a year.


    This level of effort was something ingrained in the daily life of Orbis ss students.


    Their culture was absurd, but it forced effort out of those within it.


    Despite its ws, it remained because it was effective, which proved to show that every system has its upsides.


    Fourth-year Oscar de Gradias had been consistently working hard in the Orbis ss.


    My talents were in Mana Attunement, Mana Maniption, and Self-Deception, but the two talents rted to mana were of no use to me at this point.


    Additionally, I had no talent for weapons, including swordsmanship.


    Aside from my supernatural powers, I held no advantage as a Royal ss student. The only difference between the Orbis ss and me was that single supernatural power.


    My opponent had more than three years of training over me, at least at the high-school level. Taking into ount any other training he might have undergone before that, and the mere difference in time put into training would be even greater.


    I could not bridge that difference in the umted time and effort using just my supernatural power.


    I had half a year of training with a supernatural power, while he had an advantage of at least three years of intense training.


    It was simple. I couldn¡¯t beat him.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I was struck in the abdomen and staggered back a few steps, clutching my stomach.


    Had I not used Harden, I would have fallen right then. Even with a practice sword, such a thrust to the abdomen could be fatal.


    Oscar wasn¡¯t holding back at all.


    ¡°Seems like a first-year couldn¡¯t have been a match for you. You¡¯re quite a monster, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Oscar de Gradias sneered, recognizing my resilience despite the powerful blow.


    A monster...


    So, he had ultimately acknowledged me, but his smile felt unpleasant rather than joyful.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel unfair?¡± he asked.


    ¡°... What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training with the sword since I was a child.¡±


    He still aimed his sword at me while maintaining his smile, twisted by various emotions.


    ¡°Yet it seems unreasonable that someone like you, who looks like you haven¡¯t even held a sword for long, can stand against me. You¡¯ve endured several of my attacks, and though you may not be my equal, you can still engage in a duel with me. All just because you have supernatural powers... Does that make any sense to you?¡±


    His smile radiated hatred.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly he hated, but a twisted sense of acrimony was evident in that smile.


    Given the difference in the length of training, this guy should have taken me down in just one exchange. However, despite suffering hits, I didn¡¯t copse, and he had been on the receiving end of several of my unexpected attacks.


    <i>¡®Doesn¡¯t that seem unreasonable? Unfair?¡¯</i>


    Just because I was superhuman, I could disregard all the years and effort he¡¯d spent training and face off against him.


    Oscar de Gradias was quietly fuming, and I had nothing to say to him.


    I might not have been born with anytent talents, but I¡¯d obtained this power through a cheat beyond mere talent. It wasn¡¯t to say that I hadn¡¯t worked hard, but I couldn¡¯t im that I¡¯d achieved everything through effort alone.


    I had no words for Oscar, who was expressing his disgust and rage at how futile time and effort were when faced with talent.


    I didn¡¯t even feel like mocking him.


    Someone born with natural talent could not say anything to those who did not have it without it sounding like pandering.


    ¡°I hate effort more than anything else in this world. There¡¯s just too much that can¡¯t be achieved with effort alone,¡± he said.


    Oscar de Gradias...


    A member of the royal family.


    I had a vague understanding of what he was saying.


    He harbored hatred not only for talent, but for everything born with it, and was filled with resentment toward things unachievable by effort alone.


    <i>¡®A royal who can never be the emperor...¡¯</i>


    No matter what he achieved, he could never obtain what he truly desired. Therefore, he had to resent everything innate¡ªall talent, and all birthrights.


    Saying that he was blessed because he was born royal was meaningless.


    A person who lived a life filled with such deprivation would never be able to see what they had.


    Oscar despised effort.


    He didn¡¯t enter the Royal ss, but became the number one fourth-year in the Orbis ss.


    If the Royal ss were excluded, he would stand at the pinnacle among all fourth-years in the Temple.


    Those who devoted everything to effort end up in one of two ways: they either worshiped effort or despised it.


    Oscar de Gradias was thetter.


    Those who achieved nothing despite their desperate efforts often ended up that way.


    It was absurd.


    ¡°A guy who hates effort is forcing that very thing on his juniors?¡± I said.


    Despite iming to hate effort the most, he was forcing it on his juniors.


    Why make them do what he himself despised?


    The expressions of the Orbis ss students were starting to twist a little.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all one can do, then that¡¯s what has to be done. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± he replied. ¡°If you¡¯re not born with anything, you must at least put in effort and time.¡±


    Even if one hates it, even if nothing can change it, if effort is all you can aspire to, then you have to do it.


    His words sounded like a self-pityingment.


    He seemed to believe that not being born with talent was a sin. Not having innate gifts was a crime, and that crime had to be paid for with effort.


    ¡°Does ming the world change anything? If there¡¯s nothing else you can do, you have to do that much at least,¡± he continued.


    It was a twisted, miserable mindset, close to self-hatred.


    Just like the students of Orbis ss who had been broken by this culture, Oscar de Gradias was also a broken human being.


    No¡ªhe had probably entered the Orbis ss as a broken person.


    He had to have fit into the Orbis ss more than anyone else.


    I didn¡¯t know if Oscar de Gradias¡¯s way of thinking was wrong.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you believe, then live that way yourself, you bastard. Don¡¯t drag innocent kids into the same way of living as you.¡±


    Making others who weren¡¯t born with talent into criminals andpel them to put in effort was in no way justified.


    He knew full well that effort was not always enough to get everything that one desired, yet he was trying to force that false belief on others, trying to drag them into the same hell.


    That was who Oscar was.


    ¡°You might be right.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    He suddenly tossed his practice sword to the ground.


    ¡°But hearing those words from someone like you makes me feel twisted inside,¡± he said, his eyes burning with anger.


    He looked disgusted by the sight of someone born with talent, spouting words as if they understood those who weren¡¯t.


    It seemed he was now ready to get serious.


    Discarding the sword wasn¡¯t a sign of surrender.


    <i>Srrrr...</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I watched in silence as his body underwent a transformation. His golden eyes began to shimmer with a blue aura, and a blue energy enveloped his entire body.


    He was using Mana Reinforcement.


    A fourth-year who was ranked first in his Orbis ss meant that he was the strongest among the approximately ten thousand fourth-year students, excluding the students of the Royal ss. Thus, it wasn¡¯t surprising that he could use Mana Reinforcement. In fact, it might have been expected.


    Achieving Mana Reinforcement meant that talent was already a given. Simply having the capacity for it was a blessing of talent. He was already in his fourth year, so his acquisition of Mana Reinforcement couldn¡¯t even be consideredte.


    This guy hadn¡¯t gained nothing from effort. He had certainly obtained something.


    Yet he despised effort.


    Did he think Mana Reinforcement was too insufficient a rewardpared to what he truly desired?


    ¡°You bastard. You were a born genius too,¡± I said.


    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t see it that way.¡±


    ¡°What is a genius if not this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe my standards are just too high.¡±


    Everyone stared nkly at Oscar, wielding Mana Reinforcement.


    He discarded the practice sword because he didn¡¯t need it. Using a practice sword while employing Mana Reinforcement in a nonbat situation was just cumbersome.


    Oscar revealed his Mana Reinforcement to end this fight quickly, thinking that prolonging it would only foul his mood even further.


    Even if he hadn¡¯t used Mana Reinforcement, my chances of winning had been non-existent.


    His Mana-Reinforced fists underscored my impending defeat, but did not fundamentally change anything.


    I wondered how much it would hurt to take a Mana-Reinforced punch.


    ¡°Here Ie.¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>¡®Harden.¡¯</i>


    <i>-m!</i>


    Oscar¡¯s fist struck me in the abdomen, surpassing the speed of my reaction.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The impact was so overwhelming that I couldn¡¯t even scream.

 Chapter 213

    <h4>Chapter 213</h4>


    <i>Crash!</i>


    That single hit sent me rolling across the training ground floor several times before I came to a stop. The practice sword had already slipped from my hand.


    It had been enough to make me lose my grip.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Just like Lilka Aaron, I retched several times before getting up.


    Even though I¡¯d used Harden to minimize the impact, my insides felt like they had been scrambled.


    It seemed he wanted to finish the fight quickly.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Once again, Oscar appeared in front of me and threw a punch towards my face.


    <i>¡®Haste.¡¯</i>


    But I couldn¡¯t avoid it.


    <i>m!</i>


    Fortunately, I managed to get my hand up into guard position in time. His fistnded on my wrist, sending a shock of pain so intense it felt like my wrist might break. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t.


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A kick to my thigh sent me tumbling back to the ground. Oscar had decided to finish me off, and was showing no mercy.


    Before I could regain my stance, I was kicked, punched, and sent flying.


    Before I could fully register one unfamiliar pain, another was added.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    .


    <i>m!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Whack!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    Oscar¡¯s Mana-Reinforced attacks were relentless. In less than a minute, I had been thoroughly beaten up and pushed to the edge of the training ground, where Iy in a crumpled heap.


    It felt like my entire body was shattered.


    No¡ªit was probably already shattered.


    I thought I had gotten used to pain, but this was pain that made my whole body tremble. If I hadn¡¯t already been ustomed to pushing my body to extreme limits, I wouldn¡¯t have even considered getting up.


    It had been the same when I¡¯d faced Mayaton.


    Back then, most of my ssmates disliked me, but when I kept getting up even after repeatedly being beaten to the brink of defeat, they ended up cheering me on a little.


    It had been encouragement born out of pity, and right now, I was getting something simr from the crowd.


    The Orbis ss students¡¯ expressions¡ªthe same ones who had watched me easily overpower Lilka Aaron¡ªwere growing increasingly strange as they watched me being absolutely crushed by a senior that I had challenged.


    <i>¡®Why don¡¯t you just stop? Why go this far?¡¯</i> their faces said.


    It had been the same with Mayaton, but this was far worse.


    My opponent was superior to me even in an ordinary state, and with Mana Reinforcement, I stood no chance.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t really think you could beat me, did you?¡± said Oscar.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. I already know it, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oscar looked at me incredulously as I continued to curse at him even in the state I was in.


    I couldn¡¯t win, and I hadn¡¯t entered this fight thinking I would.


    Oscar couldn¡¯t understand my intentions. ¡°I don¡¯t get why you¡¯d fight a battle you know you can¡¯t win.¡±


    I staggered slowly to my feet, ring at him all the way. ¡°I¡¯ve you already. You¡¯re such a shitty person that even a much weaker junior had to stand up and call you out on it. A junior from a different ss had tobel you pathetic.¡±


    <i>¡®Despite it being a fight I couldn¡¯t win, I stepped up so you¡¯d understand how shitty you are. Because no one else would say it. Because there¡¯s no one in Orbis ss who would or could say it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°If no one tells you, you¡¯ll never know. So I¡¯m doing it for them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I knew I¡¯d lose. I¡¯d most definitely lose. But you need to understand that no matter what excuse youe up with, you¡¯re just a sadist who enjoys tormenting juniors. You¡¯re a coward who never gets his hands dirty.¡±


    ¡°Coward?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You always leave something unsaid underneath your words. That¡¯s a real scumbag move.¡±


    It was a wed system... But this guy was a perpetrator who refused to fully y the role of a perpetrator within that system.


    ¡°... Being ssmates with the First Prince and First Princess seems to make you pretty confident, huh?¡±


    He finally said it. He thought I was acting like this because I believed I had the support of the prince and princess.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve always been like this. I¡¯ve never had any backing. What, you can¡¯t even call things out as shitty when they are, unless you have some form of insurance? So you got beaten up in Orbis ss, and now you¡¯re enjoying your role as the bully?¡±


    Even with my fingers trembling, I grinned at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s just who you are. Right, it¡¯s not just the environment, but what you¡¯re born with that matters. Just like how certain things are determined from birth, you were born this way too,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You were born a shitty bastard. Cowardly, sneaky, with no will to do anything by yourself. You just ept the problems around you rather than solving them, and put the me on your environment.


    ¡°You say you couldn¡¯t do anything because you weren¡¯t born with talent. Now, bored of tormenting yourself, you¡¯ve turned to tormenting others for satisfaction. You enjoy making others miserable because you see your own misery in them, you shitty asshole.¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯ve got a talent too. A talent for being a piece of shit.¡¯</i>


    That was ament sure to hit him where it hurt.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret making me angry.¡±


    He charged at me, eyes zing. His movements, enhanced with Mana Reinforcement, were faster and more unpredictable than before.


    However, he had lost hisposure.


    As he lunged, he pivoted on his left foot and swung his right leg in a kick.


    <i>¡®Haste.¡¯</i>


    Sidestepping, I drove my elbow into his temple.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Mana Reinforcement also enhanced defenses as well.


    I felt the impact reverberated through my elbow, but he was clearly knocked sideways.


    By provoking him, I¡¯d forced him into a straightforward movement and seeded innding a blow, sending him tumbling over.


    I watched as he slowly rose, clutching his temple, his eyes filled with both confusion and rage.


    He couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯dnded a clean hit while he was using Mana Reinforcement.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hah. To think I¡¯d make such a mistake...¡±


    <i>¡®I should surrender now and end this fight. If I throw onest punch and then surrender, he won¡¯t be able to hit me back. It¡¯s a fight I can¡¯t win anyway, so let¡¯s just im a moral victory. I¡¯ll congratte him on his win, and then go get healed by the on-duty priest.</i>


    <i>¡®I cannot win this fight.¡¯</i>


    I knew full well that this was a battle I couldn¡¯t win, and it was time to end it now. Besides, my life wasn¡¯t on the line here, so it was okay to lose.


    If defeat here meant death, I¡¯d push harder, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    I was only trying to make a statement, not do anything grand.


    Even when being beaten to a pulp, even when knowing you don¡¯t stand a chance, you should still be able to say something is shitty if it is.


    The juniors all feared and cowered before their seniors, but not one of them said that they hated it.


    Not even one of them voiced out their fear.


    I would keep speaking out even as I took a beating in a fight I couldn¡¯t win.


    Shitty things are shitty. Even the weak can say that.


    In this wretched system, I was showing them that calling out a bastard who toyed with others without willing to bebeled a perpetrator would not result in anything more than just getting beaten up.


    It was okay to lose.


    As long as the message got across.


    <i>Kwaang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, even as I narrowly dodged his punch and tried to knee him in the face, only to get hit and sent rolling across the ground in return, I didn¡¯t dere my surrender.


    I could call it quits. I believed I¡¯d done enough. Yet I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop.


    The thought relentlessly circled around in my mind. <i>¡®I can¡¯t win.¡¯</i>


    Then, I realized something.


    In the Dark Land, I¡¯d fought battles where my life was on the line.


    However, after returning to the Temple, I became somewhat detached from training, sparring matches, conflicts, and disputes within the Temple.


    I adopted a more liberal way of thinking, looking at issues with a broader perspective and letting most things slide. After all, things happened. There was no need to get involved.


    Even when Heinrich provoked me, I tried to avoid engaging with him, although I¡¯d been forced to take action in the end.


    I didn¡¯t offer much reaction to the Hopeless Trio¡¯s provocations early in the semester either.


    Things happened. What was the big deal?


    I hadn¡¯t be stronger after my trip to the Dark Land.


    I¡¯d be weaker.


    Brushing everything off with the excuse that my life wasn¡¯t on the line wasn¡¯t growth.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a fight I¡¯m bound to lose, so I¡¯ll just lose and just im a moral victory. It¡¯s not like losing this means I¡¯ll die.¡¯</i>


    How is that different from resignation?


    I had achieved some degree of strength through persistent training, and had becent because of it. I was procrastinating subconsciously, thinking that I¡¯d just be strongerter on.


    I wasn¡¯t feeling desperation in the present moment. I trained and put in effort, but I did not have that same desperation I used to have in immediate situations.


    I was satisfied with losing just so that I could call out a shitty person for being shitty.


    I was satisfied with the fact that Ender Wilton and the other Orbis ss first-year students, who felt the same fear of being harassed by their seniors, would simply hear me call him out.


    To think I was satisfied with that...


    To say that it was okay to lose just because my life wasn¡¯t at stake...


    My mindset was utterly wed.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t continue like this.¡¯</i>


    After returning from the Dark Land, I had be weak.


    My power was not supposed to be used in this way. This wasn¡¯t how it was meant to be used.


    I had forgotten the fundamental basis of my power. Even though I kept using my supernatural power, I had forgotten its essence.


    You can¡¯t win a fight if you go into it thinking you¡¯ll lose.


    You have to believe you can win. Even if you might not be able to win, you have to believe in it.


    This was nothing but stagnation.


    I had been stagnant since returning from the Dark Land. It didn''t matter that I had mastered Tiamata. My mentality was stagnant.


    I could not rely solely on training and the belief in incremental improvement.


    I had to rise again. I had to believe that I could win in every fight.


    ¡°You¡¯re all talk, yet you can¡¯t even stand properly,¡± Oscar said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about being a coward, but you¡¯re pathetic. Your determination ismendable, but at this point, aren¡¯t you just being stubborn? You need to know when to quit, and now is that time, isn¡¯t it?¡± Oscar smirked sardonically at me while I trembled. ¡°If that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got, even with supernatural powers, you won¡¯t be much of anything even when you¡¯re a fourth-year.¡±


    The stubbornness of the weak...


    Oscar mocked me while the others looked on in shock.


    I could feel a sense of hope from the others that I would just stay down.


    Lilka Aaron had wished to fall during our fight, so I had granted her request and felled her.


    But I wasn¡¯t going to fall now.


    I wouldn¡¯t stay down. I had to let go of the thought of losing.


    I couldn¡¯t be stagnant. I couldn¡¯t hide behind the excuse that my life wasn¡¯t on the line.


    I had to give my best in every moment, even when being a defiant bastard.


    I had forgotten this while basking in what little strength I had gained.


    Belief was my spear and my shield. I had forgotten my most powerful weapon, lost in my superficial strength, holding onto other weapons while my most powerful oney forgotten.


    Skills didn¡¯t matter.


    I could not forget the foundation.


    I had to reim my strongest weapon. I had to fight with it.


    <i>¡®I will forget the pain. Pain will vanish, and I will return my body to its peak condition.¡¯</i>


    The trembling in my limbs ceased.


    ¡°... What are you?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Words I hadn¡¯t remembered in a long time came up in my mind.


    I looked into Oscar de Gradias¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I am going to beat you.¡±


    The words that defined who I was, in that moment.


    I red at him as I repeated those words in my mind.


    Ultimately, Ender Wilton and all the other things were secondary.


    Systems, revolution, uing incidents¡ªthey were all irrelevant.


    I just wanted to crush this bastard.


    In the end, I was just a crazed dog, driven by my emotions rather than altruism.


    <i>¡®I want to win. Therefore, I will win.¡¯</i>


    Ellen¡¯s words suddenly echoed through my mind.


    <i>¡ª¡°Why can¡¯t you do it? I can do it easily.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Because I¡¯m not like you.¡±</i>


    I had given up. I never believed that I could do it, and thought that it was natural that I couldn¡¯t. After all, Ellen was a genius, and I was just ordinary.


    <i>¡ª¡°Believe that you can achieve Mana Reinforcement.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I¡¯ve been trying that already!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Then why isn¡¯t it working?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°How should I know?¡±</i>


    No.


    I hadn¡¯t genuinely believed. I¡¯d believed I could achieve Mana Reinforcement, but not sincerely.


    I thought Ellen could do it because she was Ellen, and that I would never be able to do it.


    Deep down, I had not believed in myself.


    I¡¯d known Ellen for too long, and seen how ridiculously talented she was, so I subconsciously dismissed the idea that I could do what she could.


    This was the time to eliminate that subconscious disbelief.


    The final belief needed for victory:


    <i>¡®I can sense mana. I can manipte mana.¡¯</i>


    <i>Kururung!</i>


    ¡°What...the...?¡±


    I seeded in using Mana Reinforcement.


    Adding to that, I used Haste to enhance my agility, Single Strike to amplify my attack power, and Harden to bolster my defense.


    I employed three supernaturally-enhanced skills,bined with Mana Reinforcement.


    <i>Kwack!</i>


    With a force strong enough to fracture the training ground floor, I charged at Oscar.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    An attack thatbined all three supernatural Skills...


    I didn¡¯t yet know what to call this mixture of abilities.


    Leaping forward with a single powerful step, I channeled all my strength into a side kick, aiming for Oscar de Gradias¡¯s abdomen.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Argh...Ugh!¡±


    The thunderous noise of our bodies colliding was unlike anything I¡¯d ever heard. Oscar was sent flying to the opposite end of the training hall.


    <i>Kaboom!</i>


    I watched him crash into the far wall and crumble to the ground, motionless.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Everyone stared in wide-eyed shock at Oscar¡¯s unmoving form, slumped against the wall of the training ground.


    [Achievement Unlocked - Path of the Superhuman]


    [You have received 500 Achievement Points]


    ¡°...¡±


    An astonished silence filled the training hall. Even A-1 den Amorel looked stunned.


    B-10 Ender Wilton stood with his mouth agape.


    But my body was in tatters as well. It wasn¡¯t just the pain from the blows I had taken.


    My whole body felt like it was being torn apart, an unfamiliar agony pulling me toward unconsciousness.


    Clinging onto thest shreds of awareness as my consciousness slowly slipped away, I staggered forward.


    ¡°You guys... saw that... right? You... bastards,¡± I said to the frozen Orbis ss students.


    I forced a sternness into my gaze as I spoke. ¡°So just stand up to your seniors... The worst that can happen is you getting a beating... There¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    Their eyes trembled violently, stricken by the sudden, terrifying speech from aplete stranger.


    ¡°So just... stand up. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to... die from it,¡± I said.


    <i>Even if you take a severe beating, you won¡¯t die. In fact, you might even pull off a miracle and take down your senior.</i>


    That was what I wanted to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! If something is shitty, say it¡¯s shitty! You won¡¯t die! At worst, you¡¯ll just... Guh!¡±


    ¡ªUh, uh oh!


    ¡ªWhat¡¯s happening to him?!


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I coughed up blood and was unable to finish my sentence.


    <i>¡®No! This invalidates everything I just said!¡¯</i>


    ¡ªGet a priest! Call the priests!


    ¡ªI-I¡¯ll go get them!


    The frantic voices of the Orbis ss students faded into the distance.


    That was myst memory.

 Chapter 214 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 214 [Illustration]</h4>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been a while... Seeing this unfamiliar... No wait. It looks like a very familiar ceiling, actually.¡¯</i>


    It was the ceiling of the dormitory recovery room. A sense of familiarity washed over me, which was unsurprising, given how often I ended up there.


    My visits were not just from passing out. I¡¯d had toe to this recovery room many times previously to rest after getting treated by the on-duty priest.


    ¡°... Ugh.¡±


    And then, the pain came. A pain that felt like my blood vessels were tearing apart.


    It was so intense that I couldn¡¯t even speak properly. I didn¡¯t know what blood vessels ripping themselves apart actually felt like, but it surely felt like my entire body was being seared in fire.


    <i>Startle!</i>


    Someone next to me jerked awake at my groan, leaping up with a start. Judging by the red marks on their cheek, they had been sleeping by my bedside.


    ¡°He¡¯s... he¡¯s... he¡¯s awake! He¡¯s awake!¡±


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen screamed, half in surprise and half in joy, as she threw herself onto me.


    ¡°Ouch! Hey, hey! That hurts, damn it!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were dead, you horrible, horrible guy! You idiot! You jerk!¡± Harriet started sobbing and clung to me, and the more she did, the more it felt like my entire body was on fire, making me feel like I might die.


    Harriet sobbed. ¡°Aghh, you¡¯re such a horrible guy!¡±


    ¡°H-Hey... it... hurts. It hurts...!¡±


    It felt like I was about to pass out again.


    Still, I somehow managed to pat her back.


    <i> </i> *


    When Ellen first forced herself to use Mana Reinforcement, she¡¯d coughed up blood as well. It was the side effect of using a power she didn¡¯t know how to control yet.


    I had done the same thing.


    I¡¯d seeded, and for a brief moment, had wielded explosive power, but the price I had to pay was greater than Ellen¡¯s.


    Ellen had coughed up blood but didn¡¯t pass out, while I had coughed up blood and passed out.


    I had been unconscious for four days.


    They took me to the Orbis ss recovery room after I¡¯d passed out, andter, they transferred me to the Royal ss recovery room.


    Both the students and the faculty were in an uproar. Not only had I stormed into the Orbis ss dormitory to start a fight, but I had also suddenly used Mana Reinforcement, coughed up blood, and passed out.


    As for the oue of the fight itself, it might have been a victory for me, or a draw.


    Oscar de Gradias had briefly passed out but regained consciousness after a while, whereas I¡¯d ended uppletely unconscious.


    It seemed like a win, but also a loss. It was ambiguous.


    While I didn¡¯t care much about winning or losing, the fact of the matter was that I hadnded thest blow before passing out. While that might be enough for me to im a moral victory, it certainly wasn¡¯t a real one.


    The Grand Yoga Master who had treated Ellen had been called in to check on me as well.


    His assessment was that my life wasn¡¯t in danger. but I would need time to regain consciousness. While that put everyone at ease, they still came to check on me from time to time.


    Harriet fell asleep by my bedside while watching over me, and that was when I regained consciousness.


    Once everyone realized I had awakened, they came rushing in.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stood there, looking furious.


    When I came to, Harriet had been so surprised that she¡¯d hugged me, and then, realizing what she had done, she blushed and couldn¡¯t even look at me.


    ¡°Junior... Do you have any idea how worried we were?¡± Adriana was happy I was awake, but also baffled by my actions, leaving her with mixed emotions.


    Olivia Lanche was there as well, spouting her usual nonsense.¡°You nearly left me behind! I was worried sick! How could you!¡±


    ¡°... Unbelievable. You always end up like this whenever you try something new, don¡¯t you?¡± said Riana de Granz as she shook her head. She seemed exasperated by how I had awakened my Mana Reinforcement in a fight, the same way I¡¯d activated my supernatural power in the previous duel.


    Adelia, standing behind her, cautiously asked if I was okay.


    ¡°... I¡¯m getting tired of being shocked by your antics. Are you alright?¡± Charlotte said as she clicked her tongue, looking at me with her arms crossed.


    Surprisingly, even Cliffman and the Hopeless Trio hade to see me and each of them had something to say.


    <i>¡®What is this? I feel like I¡¯m the best friend everyone¡¯s worried about.¡¯</i>


    In reality, all I did was get knocked out fighting in another ss¡¯s territory.


    Aside from expressing their worry, most of theirments seemed to revolve around the same theme: ¡°What trouble did you get into this time?¡±


    That was especially true with Ellen, who seemed particrly angry. She might have been worried about me while I¡¯d been unconscious, but now that I was awake, she was clearly livid.


    <i>¡®Hey, calm down... remember I¡¯m still a patient, so don¡¯t hit me...¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you can talk, start exining,¡± Ellen demanded, her voice harsh and her expression stern.


    There really wasn¡¯t much to say. I¡¯d just decided to storm into the Orbis ss toplete a challenge, and then promptly passed out for four days. There wasn¡¯t much to argue about there.


    ¡°It...¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It hurts like hell...¡±


    <i>¡®All I can say for sure is that it literally feels like I might die!¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t actually know what it felt like for blood vessels to tear themselves apart.


    People died from high blood pressure, but they lost consciousness because of it. They didn¡¯t feel this kind of pain!


    To be precise, it felt like all my tendons had been meticulously shredded. Except I didn¡¯t actually know what that felt like either.


    It was like I was both burned and bruised at the same time, like being burned alive while simultaneously being stabbed.


    However, this pain wasn¡¯t external; I felt it throughout my entire body.


    My reckless actions had inly been insane, and the on-duty priests sent everyone out when they saw how much I was struggling just to speak.


    The Grand Yoga Master was informed that I was awake as well, and he soon entered the recovery room. On any other day, he seemed like just another hypnotist, but in this situation, he appeared almost god-like.


    He was the very teacher who had treated Ellen.


    ¡°Teacher... it hurts like hell...¡±


    The pain was so intense that I forgot all etiquette.


    <i>¡®Please, do something about it! I feel like I¡¯m going to die!¡¯ </i>


    When I bluntly conveyed to him my pain, the Yoga Master gave me a gentle smile, like he usually did during ss.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, Mr. Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°The extent of this pain... it doesn¡¯t feel normal... I feel like I¡¯m losing my mind...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that pain is all you¡¯re suffering from. Ellen had an innate talent that protected her, but you don¡¯t have the same capability. You almost destroyed your internal mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You could have lost the ability to ever use Mana Reinforcement again. If Ellen was a carriage being driven along a well-paved forest path, you were a carriage in the middle of the forest, creating your own path.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t really get it...¡±


    ¡°You ran forward where there wasn¡¯t a path, and the forest was destroyed in the process.¡±


    That exnation, I could somewhat understand.


    Ellen¡¯s path to Mana Reinforcement had already been pre-established, but she¡¯d injected too much power, exceeding the limits of the prepared path.


    Ellen¡¯s mana rank was A+.


    Faced with a desperate situation, she had likely put in all her power, causing the path to suffer some damage.


    But I, with my mana at a lower rank, had forced my mana into an unprepared path.


    That undoubtedly caused greater damage to my body.


    I had recklessly driven a carriage in an unmarked forest, where the forest was a metaphor for my body.


    Ellen had driven a massive carriage along a forest trail, while I had driven a carriage through the forest without a road, smashing through the trees along the way.


    I had done something even more dangerous than I¡¯d realized. I could have ended up unable to use Mana Reinforcement for life.


    In martial arts terms, it was like experiencing qi deviation. In a more severe case, I could have ended up crippled.


    It was a terrible relief that I only ended up suffering this pain.


    ¡°Fortunately, Reinhart, your newfound talent in Mana Maniption saved you. That¡¯s why the damage was limited to this extent.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Mana Maniption...


    Thanks to that talent, I did not end up in an even more serious condition.


    Without the talent for Mana Maniption, the price for forcibly using Mana Reinforcement through Self-Deception would have been much greater.


    The achievement points I¡¯d spent on gaining the Mana Maniption talent saved me. Had I not spent the points, I wouldn¡¯t have thought of challenging Orbis ss anyway, so it all bnced out, in a way.


    Mana Maniption had saved me. Without it, I might have lost all ability to use Mana Reinforcement.


    Ellen, with the higher-ranking talent in mana, Mana Domination, was left coughing up blood and feeling dizzy.


    Because I only possessed the lower-ranking mana talent, I passed out entirely and was now suffering intense pain.


    I had taken a risk and clumsily broken through a barrier.


    ¡°So... does that mean I¡¯ll be learning Mana Reinforcement now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. For now, though, you¡¯ll observe Ellen¡¯s private lessons. I must be honest, your talent, Reinhart, is much lower than Ellen¡¯s. There¡¯s no need to feel discouraged by this. Ellen is exceptionally gifted. Learning Mana Reinforcement improperly could be dangerous. We¡¯ll take a more cautious approach.¡±


    The Grand Yoga Master gently patted my head.


    I¡¯d awakened my Mana Reinforcement just as Ellen had, but the level of power was different.


    Ellen could maintain Mana Reinforcement for a substantial duration from the start, but the amount of time I¡¯d maintained mine was transient. Not even five seconds.


    Even calling it an achievement was questionable, since I didn¡¯t fully understand what I¡¯d done myself.


    Rather than learning how to perform Mana Reinforcement, I¡¯d be more of an observer. Compared to Ellen, my talentgged far behind.


    ¡°You should rest for now. Moving around will be challenging.¡±


    The Yoga Master led me through a series of healing techniques. It seemed like a form of qi therapy. It genuinely felt like the pain was subsiding a bit.


    The aftereffects of Mana Reinforcement could not be healed with Divine Power. This Grand Yoga Master was both the best teacher and the best healer when it came to this field.


    Without him, I might have stayed unconscious longer, or been permanently disabled.


    ¡°How long will it take to recover?¡±


    ¡°It will take quite some time to fully recover.¡±


    It seemed the cost of forcing myself to use Mana Reinforcement was that I would be bedridden for quite a while.


    <i> </i> *


    After the Yoga Master teacher left, Iy in bed, staring nkly at the ceiling.


    The priest on duty said there wasn¡¯t much he could do since Divine Power was not helpful in my case, but told me to call him if I needed anything.


    There was always someone on duty in the priest¡¯s room near the recovery room, so I wouldn¡¯t be alone.


    The pain had lessened somewhat, but it was still excruciating. Every time I moved, my muscles and tendons screamed, warning of impending death.


    Even eating was a challenge; the on-duty priest had to prop me up and feed me porridge.


    <i>¡®Forget the pain.¡¯</i>


    Even Self-Deception didn¡¯t work in easing the pain.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Why isn¡¯t it working! It worked when I was fighting Oscar!¡¯</i>


    It seems that my Self-Deception was amplified in real situations, and worked more effectively. Though my fight with Oscar hadn¡¯t been a real life-or-death battle, it was close enough.


    It seems like my powers were more impactful when I was in more emotionally charged situations. I had seeded in achieving Mana Reinforcement during the fight with Oscar, whereas I couldn¡¯t during training with Ellen due to my underlying doubts.


    This was absolutely the kind of supernatural power I wanted.


    A dramatic, emotionally charged ability that was activated in extreme situations.


    Getting stronger when I got angry... that kind of thing.


    While writing it, it was cool, but as someone using it, it was a pain.


    Couldn¡¯t it just give maximum output at any time?


    I might have been the second person in history to achieve Mana Reinforcement on my own, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it would be a huge issue.


    I¡¯d achieved it, but almost died in the process. Ellen¡¯s overwhelming example overshadowed mine.


    It was like a sparrow trying to walk like a stork, only to tear its legs apart.


    Others who learned of this would probably dismiss me, saying, ¡°He hangs around with Ellen and thinks he¡¯s on her level.¡±


    Anyway, I¡¯d stirred up such a big mess just to earn 500 achievement points.


    [Achievement Points: 3430]


    More urately, I earned 500 more points than I¡¯d expected.


    I got 500 points frompleting the challenge, plus 500 points from achieving Mana Reinforcement.


    Of course, whether this was ultimately a good or bad thing remained to be seen. After all, I would be bedridden for a while and unable to attend sses.


    And that¡¯s not the end of it.


    Since this had begun as a fight among students and then escted, this incident would probably cause more of a stir than I wanted it to.


    When I thought about it, it definitely seemed like something I might get disciplined for.


    <i>¡®Maybe there¡¯s something I can buy from the shop to help. But that¡¯s a problem forter. Right now, the pain is driving me crazy!¡¯</i>


    In the end, I called for the priest on duty.


    ¡°Teacher...¡±


    ¡°Ah, Reinhart. Is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but... could you call Harriet de Saint-Ouen from our ss...?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Do you have something to discuss with her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have... an important request...¡±


    In the end, I resorted to using a cheat.


    <i> </i> *


    Since I couldn¡¯t move on my own, I asked the priest on duty for help. It was already evening, so Harriet swiftly came to the recovery room.


    She looked slightly puzzled that I had called for her.


    ¡°Hey... Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Thick-Skull... Seriously. Just this once, I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±


    She seemed like she wanted to get angry but when she saw my face, looking like I was about to die, she swallowed her anger. Was she willing to overlook this because of the state I was in?


    And why did she look cuter than usual?


    <i>¡®Do I have to be sick all the time just to see this?¡¯</i>


    No, I definitely did not want to be in this much pain all the time. But if that meant that Harriet would look at me like this every day, would I be willing to suffer this level of pain...?


    <i>¡®Hmm... No, the pain is so severe, I¡¯d prefer death over this.¡¯</i>


    Honestly, I might have considered it under different circumstances, but the pain was so intense that I couldn¡¯t focus on anything.


    ¡°Does it hurt a lot?¡±


    My miserable state made her reconsider her anger, and she turned teary-eyed.


    If I hadn¡¯t been in so much pain, I might have had other thoughts, but at that moment, I felt like I was going to die from the pain.


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m going to die...¡±


    ¡°What should we do... Seriously, why¡¯d you do something so unnecessary and strange? What kind of revenge did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s... a reason for everything...¡±


    Harriet moderated her scolding because of the state I was in. She sat down in a chair next to the bed and just stared at me.


    ¡°But you said you had a favor to ask. Do you need me to bring you something? Is there anything you need?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. I hate the pain, but this is unexpectedly nice. Someone who¡¯s usually so prickly around me, looking at me with such worried eyes. It feels like she¡¯d do anything I ask now.</i>


    <i>¡®It makes it seem like everything¡¯s okay, yet the pain makes me know it isn¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    My mental confusion was the best proof that I was in serious pain.


    I had a different reason for summoning Harriet. It wasn¡¯t just to inquire about something.


    ¡°Put me to sleep...¡± I said.


    Harriet looked bewildered by my sudden request.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I want to sleep, but it hurts too much... I need to be made to sleep...¡±


    Being kept awake by the pain was pure torture. I just wanted to sleep no matter what, whether it was by sleep magic, a sedative, or a narcotic painkiller. If I slept, I wouldn¡¯t feel the pain.


    ¡°I-Is it really that bad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you... it is.¡±


    I wished I could sleep until I recoveredpletely and woke up fully healed.


    In a fantasy world, sleep magic might have been intended to be used on enemies, but there was no reason that it couldn¡¯t be used on me.


    Sleep is good.


    Sleep was the best thing when in pain, but pain made it hard to sleep.


    ¡°Oh, um... I haven¡¯t done it before, but... okay, I¡¯ll try...¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned bright red as if she was embarrassed, and she hesitated a bit before suddenly cing her hand on my chest.


    ¡°Sleep... well...¡±


    Harriet began to sing a luby.


    ¡°...?¡±


    <i>Pat, Pat.</i>


    I was stunned, staring at Harriet as she gently patted my chest. Her face was bright red with embarrassment, and she couldn¡¯t even look at me.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. She was so embarrassed she couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with me.


    <i>¡®What in the world...? That¡¯s not what I meant, you thick-skull!¡¯</i>


    I waspletely taken aback by her sudden foolishness.


    Under normal circumstances, I would have teased her, saying, ¡°Oh, you clueless dummy! That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± but I was so bbergasted that I felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    I never imagined she¡¯d do something like this.


    I mean, misunderstandings were one thing, but seriously, singing a luby and patting me to sleep?


    ¡°Uh, um... I meant sleep magic...¡± I said.


    At my words, Harriet flinched in surprise and froze, as immobile as a mannequin.

 Chapter 215

    <h4>Chapter 215</h4>


    It was night time...


    Ellen finished her training in the training hall and washed up before heading to the dining room.


    She thought the whole situation was absurd.


    Reinhart had gone to the Orbis ss dormitory, faced-off with two of their students, and while fighting a senior in the second round, had forced himself to use Mana Reinforcement and then passed out for four days.


    When Reinhart regained consciousness, though, all the emotions that had built up in her over those four days vanished.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s alive and safe now. No need to worry.¡¯</i>


    Once that thought washed away her pent-up worry, she got angry.


    She was so angry that it was hard to bear. Both she and now Reinhart had paid the price for clumsily achieving sess.


    However, she had been in a life-threatening situation, while Reinhart had merely been in a quarrel with a senior.


    Ellen found it hard to understand why he had to engage in such reckless behavior in such a trivial situation.


    She wanted to tell him, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry, and why do you always choose the dangerous path? Never do that again. Watching you doing this feels like it¡¯s killing me. While you were unconscious, it felt like I was the one dying, not you.¡±


    Would he stop doing such things if she said that?


    She wasn¡¯t sure, but she wanted to say it. Maybe he would refrain from such dangerous actions, even a little.


    <i>¡®What is he so desperate for? Why is he overexerting himself like this?¡¯</i>


    In Ellen¡¯s mind, there was only one reason she could think of.


    After their return from the Dark Land, the gap between their skill level had widened even more. She had learned to use Mana Reinforcement, and although Reinhart had also gotten much stronger, the absolute gap had widened.


    That was why he had asked her to teach him Mana Reinforcement. The lessons weren¡¯t going so well, though, but he tried to force it to happen. Ellen was frustrated because she couldn¡¯t teach him properly, and Reinhart was frustrated that it wasn¡¯t working, but kept trying anyway.


    Was that why he¡¯d gone and done something so reckless again? Could he have believed that, after awakening a supernatural power through reckless actions thest time, it might work again?


    The way Ellen saw it, Reinhart¡¯s urgency stemmed from wanting to somehow catch up to someone who had be too strong.


    But there was no need for him to think like that.


    Did Reinhart hate drifting away from her?


    When she thought about it that way, she could somewhat understand Reinhart¡¯s urgency. It made her angry, but perhaps she could ept it if he was being driven by such a feeling.


    Ellen headed to the kitchen in the dining hall and grabbed a knife.


    Although she was always scolded for eating too much, she knew Reinhart ate just as much. The porridge he had been eating in the recovery room wouldn¡¯t be enough. She intended to make something for him.


    <i>Thump, thump, thump, thump...</i>


    Ellen chopped the ingredients silently. She prepared the vegetables and sliced the chicken.


    Since it would be hard for him to move his jaw, she chose tender thigh meat. She made the pieces smaller than usual, small enough to swallow without chewing.


    She never knew how to cook before.


    She never had a reason to learn.


    At home, her parents prepared the meals, and at the Temple, the chefs served the dishes. The snacks avable between meals were sufficient.


    There were various breads, jerky, sausages, biscuits... Those used to be enough for her.


    However, they no longer satisfied her. On the asions when Reinhart didn¡¯t cook for some reason, Ellen found herself not wanting to eat the same snacks as before.


    She got tired of them.


    During those times, Ellen either made something for herself or didn¡¯t eat at all. More often than not, she wouldn¡¯t eat if Reinhart wasn¡¯t around.


    Although she used to sit alone and eat various things, now it felt... well... a little lonely.


    <i>¡®No, not lonely, just boring,¡¯</i> she corrected herself.


    Ellen was now less inclined to eat alone.


    She never knew how to cook before, and had no reason to learn.


    But now, she could.


    Thanks to Reinhart constantly nagging her to stop letting herself be fed and start learning to cook on her own, she had spent a lot of time observing him over his shoulder.


    Ellen had good dexterity and a good memory, so she had learned how to make most of the dishes she¡¯d seen Reinhart make herself.


    Sometimes, she even made them on her own for herself .


    Thanks to her extraordinarily keen senses Ellen could often foresee an oue without actually having to see it. She could know how things would turn out without actually trying it out first.


    This talent of Ellen¡¯s extended to cooking as well.


    Truly.


    Ellen now thought she was better at cooking than Reinhart.


    She couldn¡¯t make what she hadn¡¯t seen before, but after watching Reinhart make something and then trying it herself, she could mentally map out how to make it better.


    She knew it without trying.


    While Reinhart used rough measurements when he cooked, she could predict the exact amount of each seasoning required to achieve the desired vor.


    After watching Reinhart cook something, she could make it better on her own.


    But Ellen rarely took up the knife.


    When Reinhart would annoyingly force her to cook, she would make it imperfectly on purpose. She¡¯d make it a bit nd, or a bit too salty, or she¡¯d intentionally leave out a key ingredient.


    She did it all on purpose.


    Reinhart would then scold her for getting it wrong, and eventually take over.


    She knew it was a bit mean-spirited, but she wasn¡¯t doing it out of petty malice.


    It was because if she made it better than his... if Reinhart found out she was better at it than he was...


    She feared he might never cook for her again.


    Although she knew it was childish and somewhat mean behavior, Ellen had some understanding of how Reinhart was.


    If she outperformed him, it would hurt his pride. She often saw Reinhart smiling to himself in the kitchen while cooking something for her, despite pretending to be annoyed or bothered.


    Although he always said it was a hassle and pretended to be frustrated, she knew that Reinhart was smiling while cooking for her.


    Ellen knew he enjoyed the act of doing something for her.


    If he found out she was better at cooking, Ellen knew it would take away that enjoyment from him. That, at least, she understood.


    She thought of it as the price of her teaching him swordsmanship. She knew that if she showed that she also excelled at cooking, Reinhart might feel hurt.


    She wanted Reinhart to have at least one thing he thought he did better than her.


    She wanted it to remain a source of joy for Reinhart.


    That¡¯s why Ellen rarely took up the knife in the kitchen.


    She still didn¡¯t quite know how to deal with other people, but when it came to Reinhart.... At least with Reinhart, she felt that she understood a little.


    No. Actually, the reasons didn¡¯t really matter.


    Simply put, she liked it when Reinhart did something for her.


    Reinhart always grumbled, but would always end up making something for her. Even when he called her a glutton when she asked for more, he would go back into the kitchen.


    If she said she wanted to eat something, he¡¯d mutter that she should make it herself, but still went on to make it.


    If they didn¡¯t have the ingredients, he would ask the staff to restock them and make it the next day.


    She just liked that.


    Even though she could make it taste better on her own, she enjoyed seeing him grumble yet still make the things she wanted to eat.


    If she didn¡¯t say anything, he would make food she¡¯d never seen before and nonchntly ask her how it was, while all his attention was secretly focused on her reaction.


    When she said it was good, he¡¯d tell her to be thankful and brag about it.


    If she said it wasn¡¯t good, he¡¯d grab the te and tell her to stop eating.


    All those moments, that interaction, was what she liked.


    That was the kind of person Reinhart was.


    He spoke harshly, acted rough, and always chose words that seemed mean.


    But in the end, he did everything she asked. Although he pretended not to care, he paid a lot of attention to people.


    Still, his annoyingly foul personality often meant got into needless fights or found himself in trouble.


    She couldn¡¯t fully understand Reinhart yet.


    But Ellen still felt that it was okay.


    She had been angry, but that anger had somehow disappeared. Ellen didn¡¯t even realize that she had been angry, and that she had somehow forgotten about it.


    Ellen continued to prepare the ingredients to make the soup, unaware that she was smiling.


    Like Reinhart, she smiled unknowingly while making chicken and vegetable soup.


    She boiled the vegetables and meat until they were so tender they could be swallowed without much chewing, and seasoned mildly so it wouldn¡¯t be too salty or difficult to eat.


    Reinhart ate a lot and needed to eat a lot to recover quickly, so Ellen made quite a substantial portion.


    She poured the finished soup into a pot and headed towards the recovery room. It was night, and everyone had likely gone to bed, so the hallway and lobby were empty.


    The priest on duty was outside the recovery room, dozing. He was sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, and didn¡¯t even notice Ellening in.


    Though it wasn¡¯t good for him to sleep on the job, Ellen didn¡¯t bother waking him up.


    She entered the recovery room and saw Reinhart sleeping.


    It waste, so that made sense.


    ¡°E-Ellen?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey.¡±


    Her eyes met those of Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who had been gently stroking the sleeping Reinhart¡¯s hair.


    Startled, Harriet quickly pulled her hand back from Reinhart¡¯s head. Her face turned bright red, as though she had been caught doing something she wasn¡¯t supposed to be seen doing.


    ¡°Th-Th-That... That was because, uh... It¡¯s because he asked me to put him to sleep. No! It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking! With a s-s-sleeping spell...¡±


    Harriet stammered out excuses that hardly made sense, while Ellen just stared at her quietly.


    What could be so embarrassing?


    Ellen didn¡¯t understand.


    However, she had seen Harriet clearly for a brief moment upon entering; she had seen Harriet¡¯s face as she gently stroked Reinhart¡¯s hair.


    Ellen had noticed Harriet¡¯s warm and gentle smile.


    It was a smile that Harriet never showed in front of Reinhart; one she only showed while watching him sleep.


    A smile that she seemed unwilling to show when he was awake, but one she could show endlessly when he was asleep.


    If affection were a tangible thing, her eyes and expression would be overflowing with it.


    Was it really so embarrassing for someone else to see such an expression?


    Ellen found herself feeling envious that Harriet could make such a face.


    Though she didn¡¯t know why, she thought it would be nice if she could smile like that.


    Ellen felt a sense of unwarranted jealousy.


    In an attempt to change the subject, Harriet pointed at the pot Ellen had brought. ¡°S-So... What¡¯s that? It smells good...¡±


    ¡°I made soup.¡±


    ¡°Soup? Ah, I see...¡±


    Harriet seemed slightly flustered when she realized that Ellen had made it for Reinhart, but she still nodded absentmindedly.


    Though the soup was meant for Reinhart, he was in a deep sleep induced by a sleeping spell, necessitated by the pain he was experiencing.


    ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Since she¡¯d made a lot of soup, Ellen offered Harriet some.


    ¡°Huh? Oh... Is it okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Even though she had made it for Reinhart, there was no reason not to share it with Harriet. The two of them poured the soup into bowls and ate it in front of the sleeping Reinhart.


    Harriet¡¯s eyes widened after taking her first spoonful.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±


    ¡°Ellen, you¡¯re really good at cooking too...¡±


    The use of the word ¡°too¡± indicated Harriet thought Reinhart was good at cooking as well. Harriet knew that Reinhart and Ellen often cooked something together at night, with Reinhart mostly doing the cooking.


    From Reinhart¡¯s grumbling, Harriet assumed that Ellen rarely cooked.


    However, Ellen was good at cooking too.


    And now that Reinhart was ill, Ellen had made soup herself.


    The taste could satisfy even Harriet¡¯s pte, which was ustomed to refined foods.


    <i>¡®What can¡¯t she do?¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Harriet ate the soup gradually, feeling a strange sense of defeat.


    Reinhart learned swordsmanship from Ellen. On days when there wasn¡¯t much to do, he would hole up in the training hall all day. Harriet had watched them a few times.


    She had been curious about how physical training differed from magical research.


    No¡ªit hadn¡¯t been a curiosity about swordsmanship training. She just wanted to see what those two, who had naturally grown closer through their training, did all day.


    Since the start of the first semester, Reinhart, who had begun with no talents, had certainly grown stronger. Honestly, in the first semester, Reinhart was just a strange guy who was weak, knew nothing about swordsmanship, and tried to do everything despite all those ws.


    But now, he could wield a sword quite well. That was thanks to Ellen, no doubt.


    Harriet knew Ellen had iparable talent in swordsmanship and closebat.


    Considering Reinhart was learning swordsmanship from such a person, his growth was only natural.


    That¡¯s why he continued to practice swordsmanship with Ellen.


    However, Harriet often had another thought.


    Reinhart was intelligent, so he could have learned magic too.


    <i>¡®What if Reinhart had learned magic instead of swordsmanship?¡¯</i>


    Ellen¡¯s skill in swordsmanship was unparalleled.


    Reinhart had reached his current skill level because he stuck with Ellen all day.


    However, Harriet didn¡¯t underestimate herself.


    If Ellen was the pinnacle when it came to talent in closebat, Harriet was the pinnacle when it came to magical talent.


    If he had learned magic from her instead of learning swordsmanship from Ellen, he could have spent all day with her in the dormitory¡¯s magicb instead.


    <i>¡ª¡°This is how you do it. That¡¯s how you do it. Think of this spell form this way, and it bes easier to cast.¡±</i>


    She would have taught him constantly.


    He might not reach her level, but he could have be apetent enough mage by now, and be able to use magic in real situations. They could have spent all day together, even past curfew.


    But all this was already in the past.


    Reinhart had made his choice.


    Reinhart was learning swordsmanship from Ellen, and they had so little time together.


    Once, Harriet had even considered learning swordsmanship during her spare time. She had plenty of excuses to do so, and it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to say that fencing was a basic noble art.


    Perhaps she could have asked to join them under some pretext or another, perhaps even for physical training. Pretending that it was not just an excuse to be with them.


    These thoughts, and her own curiosity about what those two did in the training hall all day, led Harriet to observe Reinhart and Ellen training a few times.


    The actual training she¡¯d witnessed was very different from what she¡¯d imagined.


    She had thought they might have grown closer by sweating together, bickering, and chatting frequently. But no.


    Just watching it made her legs go weak.


    Ellen was relentlessly tough on him, and Reinhart was barely keeping up, constantly being knocked down and thrown about. Each time, he would get up again.


    Harriet flinched just from watching Reinhart suffer the hits.


    <i>¡®Is that really okay? Doesn¡¯t it hurt? I mean, is it normal to train this hard? So this is how intense it had to be...¡¯</i>


    These thoughts often crossed her mind.


    There was hardly any conversation between them.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re dead.


    ¡ªHey, take it easy... I¡¯m gonna die...


    Those were the brief words they exchanged, and they were almost always engaged in something close to hand-to-handbat every day.


    Of course, Harriet was mostly concerned about the intimate physical contact between the two of them.


    However, whatever contact they had were from fistfights, cor grabs, and ground-and-pound moves in closebat and submission holds more than anything else. Harriet thought that if their hearts raced from that, it would be because of fear, and not anything else.


    She thought they grew closer by training together, but seeing them like that, it was strange Reinhart didn¡¯t hold a grudge against Ellen because of it.


    It wasn¡¯t that Harriet felt ufortable watching Ellen and Reinhart¡¯s training. She just couldn¡¯t watch because it felt like she was running out of breath just observing them.


    Her desire to learn swordsmanshippletely disappeared.


    Reinhart, who kept getting up no matter how many times he was thrown to the ground or knocked down, and Ellen, who continued to overpower him with the same attitude and posture, without any emotional fluctuation...


    They both possessed a mental fortitude iparable to her own.


    <i>¡®If it were me, I¡¯d probably just sit down and cry after one fall or hit.¡¯</i>


    Harriet realized how naive she had been to consider learning swordsmanship as a cultured hobby.


    She realized anew how blessed her magical talent was, how it let her sit at a table and study spellbooks all day.


    And so, Ellen continued to teach Reinhart swordsmanship alone.


    ¡°Did you originally know how to cook?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ellen responded.


    So, although it might not have been a reciprocal exchange, Ellen must have learned cooking from Reinhart.


    ¡°Was it... from Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... You could say that,¡± Ellen replied ambiguously.


    When she heard this, Harriet silently imagined Reinhart teaching Ellen how to cook.


    Peeling potatoes, chopping vegetables, Reinhart guiding Ellen, kindly and gently, to prevent her from cutting herself...


    ¡°...¡±


    As she thought about it, Harriet felt an unwarranted sense of jealousy rising within her. She didn¡¯t even know why she felt jealous.


    In reality, it was more likely that Reinhart would constantly nag Ellen.


    ¡ªCome on, you don¡¯t put that in there. Ugh, never mind. I guess this is edible.


    ¡ªEllen, this is so nd! Are you trying to go on a low-sodium diet after all this sweating?


    ¡ªIf it¡¯s nd, you add salt, not sugar! Geez!


    ¡ªHey, don¡¯t re at people like that while holding a knife! I¡¯ve told you that before.


    The reality differed greatly from what Harriet was imagining, but Harriet still felt emotional while imagining Ellen and Reinhart cooking together affectionately.


    She knew Reinhart wasn¡¯t the type to teach anything gently, but her mind still ran that way.


    Even so, Harriet was better off than before.


    The guy who used to hole up in the training hall all day had now been forced to be the president of the Magic Research Club, thanks to her efforts.


    Every week, on scheduled days, Reinhart would show up, grumbling the entire time, but he would stille.


    That was just how Reinhart was.


    Though he spoke harshly and said strange, irritating things, he was always willing to help when it mattered.


    Harriet quietly watched Ellen eating the chicken soup.


    <i>¡®Does Ellen like Reinhart?¡¯ </i>she thought.


    If she didn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t have gone to the trouble of making and bringing soup in the middle of the night.


    But Ellen¡¯s expression was always unreadable, which made it hard to know what she was thinking. She rarely showed any reaction. Which was why Ellen¡¯s asional gestures, like bringing soup, seemed very out of the blue.


    Ellen was such a different person from her. Steady, unppable, seemingly able to endure anything with her strong mental fortitude.


    Harriet envied Ellen because of that.


    Just as Ellen found certain aspects of Harriet enviable, Harriet also found aspects of Ellen to envy.


    <i>¡®What does Ellen really think of Reinhart?¡¯</i>


    Harriet couldn¡¯t know Ellen¡¯s true feelings, but she had a wish.


    She hoped they were just friends.


    That they were just very close friends, and that was it. Although she knew that wasn¡¯t true.


    She knew it could never be just that.


    But Harriet could see, too, her own cowardly longing to believe it to be so.

 Chapter 216

    <h4>Chapter 216</h4>


    Being sick had its perks.


    Of course, that was assuming there were many people who genuinely cared for you.


    The fact that Harriet had swallowed her pride and sat by my side andforted me because I had asked her to put me to sleep out of the blue said it all.


    The next day, things got even more interesting.


    It was a school day, but Ellen showed up at the recovery room at the crack of dawn with some chicken soup, telling me to eat.


    ¡°... When did you make this?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday? Ah... I must have been asleep then.¡±


    She must have brought it while the sleeping spell had been in effect. Somehow, I had expected to get a thorough scolding or even a beating, but instead, she brought food for me at the crack of dawn.


    Knowing that she had cooked food for me when I was bedridden inevitably made my heart feel warm.


    I tried to take a spoonful of the soup that she¡¯d scooped out into a bowl, but as expected, it didn¡¯t go well.


    My hands were trembling so much that everything spilled. My whole body was in bad shape.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, Ellen kept staring at me for a long time, as if she was contemting something.


    In the end, Ellen silently took the spoon and began to feed me herself. Somehow, the way she did it without saying anything stirred something inside me.


    <i>¡®What? Why does it taste so good? There¡¯s no way she made this,¡¯ </i>I thought the moment I tried the first spoonful of soup.


    ¡°... Did you really make this?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stared at me intensely in response to my question, which carried both suspicion but was also a strongpliment.


    <i>¡®Well, would you look at that. She¡¯s actually feeling proud of herself, huh.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m good at cooking,¡± Ellen snapped back, as if her feelings were hurt.


    <i>¡®Since when did she be so good at cooking? She rarely even cooks!¡¯</i>


    Despite her tone, Ellen continued to feed me spoonful after spoonful of the soup. Once she managed to make me finish an entire bowl, Ellendled out another bowl of soup from the pot.


    ¡°Eat more.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    <i>¡®Not ¡°Would you like more?¡± but ¡°Eat more?¡±¡¯</i>


    ¡°You need to eat a lot to get better quickly.¡±


    Ellen force-fed me the soup.


    It felt a bit like food torture, but in the end, I didn¡¯t really mind.


    <i> </i> *


    Being sick had its perks. Harriet told me to call her whenever I needed anything, and Ellen not only made soup for me, but also personally fed me.


    Still, I didn¡¯t want any of these perks that came from being sick¡ªI just wanted to get better.


    I was in some serious pain.


    I had missed four days of sses, and even after those four days of unconsciousness, just getting out of bed was a struggle.


    The hardest part was going to the bathroom. I vehemently refused the help of the female priestess on duty who wanted to assist me, and insisted on using crutches instead.


    I made it to the bathroom just fine, but I passed out on the way back.


    Thank goodness I passed out on the way back, and not on the way there.


    That would have made for a horrendous memory.


    ¡°Reinhart, it¡¯s not embarrassing for patients to not be able to get out of bed.¡±


    ¡°Teacher...¡±


    ¡°Come on. Wear it. If you keep trying to move about on your own and copsing, it¡¯ll just slow down your recovery.¡±


    ¡°Please, just... please, no.¡±


    I continued to refuse, and the priestess gave me a stern look.


    ¡°Hmm. You were unconscious for four days. Do you really think you made it through without one of these?¡±


    Her remark caused me to flinch in shock.


    It seemed like something bad had happened while I¡¯d been unaware.


    That¡¯s right. I had already worn one of those things.


    Although, for some reason, I hadn¡¯t been wearing one when I¡¯d woken up.


    ¡°W-Well, I don¡¯t need it now! I don¡¯t remember it, so it¡¯s like it never happened!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Just take it off! Or stay still, and I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°Nooooo!¡±


    We ended up having a lengthy scuffle over whether or not I should wear the thing.


    Someone cleared their throat loudly. ¡°Ahem.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Effenhauser.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser walked in through the recovery room door.


    ¡°S-Save me, Mr. Effenhauser! I¡¯m too young to wear diapers!¡±


    The priestess let go of the trousers of my patient¡¯s gown as soon as Mr. Effenhauser entered.


    Saying ¡°too young¡± instead of ¡°never¡± implied I¡¯d wear them someday, which was a bit unsettling, but the words were already out of my mouth.


    <i>¡®I suppose I¡¯d have to wear them in the future¡ªwho knows?¡¯</i>


    The on-duty priest shot me a look that promised she¡¯d make me wear itter on and then left for her office.


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not too serious, Number 11; you sound quite energetic.¡±


    ¡°Oh... no. I feel like I¡¯m dying...¡±


    ¡°If you have enough energy to say such things, it can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    Well, I really was in immense pain, but Mr. Effenhauser was right¡ªif I was truly in a worse condition, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to speak. So I had to shut up.


    Mr. Effenhauser was his usual cold self, with a face almostpletely devoid of emotion.


    Mr. Effenhauser might have a cold demeanor and a cold attitude, but he wasn¡¯t a bad teacher. He didn¡¯t particrly scold his students nor pick on them for no reason.


    Effenhauser wasn¡¯t a bad teacher... But was he a good teacher?


    That, too, was unclear.


    He was sparing in both criticism and praise¡ªalthough he <i>had</i> given me a merit point in mys endeavor.


    Effenhauser performed the duties of a teacher in a very mechanical manner.


    Did he have any affection for his students?


    That was also unclear.


    He did not do anything special when it came to discipline. If you crossed the line, you got a demerit; if you did well, you got a merit.


    If something was permitted, you could do it; if it wasn¡¯t, you couldn¡¯t.


    He didn¡¯t let emotions interfere with his work.


    Whether he was a good or bad teacher, I didn¡¯t know.


    Overall, though, I liked teachers like Effenhauser, since they did not offer any unnecessary interference.


    He did not say things like ¡°Are you alright?¡± or ¡°I¡¯m d you regained consciousness.¡±


    As usual, he merely said what needed to be said and did what had to be done.


    ¡°There will be a disciplinarymittee meeting soon,¡± he said.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°You will be summoned to the disciplinarymittee once you have recovered sufficiently that you can move around on your own. Be prepared.¡±


    This time, I had crossed the line. Significantly, that is.


    Mr. Effenhauser only conveyed what message needed to be conveyed, like a machine. He did not mention that it was wrong, or ask why I had done it.


    In return, I did not try to argue that I wasn¡¯t at fault, because I wasn¡¯t innocent.


    ¡°What aspects are subject to disciplinary action?¡±


    ¡°Two unauthorized fights with members of another ss, and using supernatural powers during those fights.¡±


    Even though duels were permitted and could be arranged, unauthorized fights weren¡¯t. And plus, I used my supernatural powers in that fight.


    My ability was not inherently dangerous like Pyrokinesis or Electrokinesis, but it was still a supernatural power.


    Using a supernatural power to attack was indeed a significant vition of school rules.


    ¡°Is there a possibility of expulsion?¡±


    At my question, Mr. Effenhauser shook his head.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡±


    He seemed certain about that.


    Perhaps the Temple would not expel a Royal ss student so easily.


    ¡°However, this isn¡¯t an internal matter to be handled within the Royal ss. Orbis ss is involved, too. Besides you, two Orbis ss students are also subject to disciplinary action.¡±


    I was at fault for initiating the fight, but those who retaliated were also at fault. Therefore, both Lilka Aaron and Oscar de Gradias were also subject to disciplinary action.


    ¡°If it were an internal matter, the disciplinarymittee would beposed purely of faculty members from the Royal ss. Because it involves both sses, though, themittee will include faculty from both Royal and Orbis sses.¡±


    This incident was different from the previous ones as it couldn¡¯t be handled as an internal matter of the Royal ss.


    The disciplinarymittee would be a jointmittee made up of faculty from both Royal and Orbis sses to deal with me, Lilka Aaron, and Oscar de Gradias.


    I had a bad feeling about how this would go.


    It was likely that the tension between the Orbis and Royal sses was not only present among its students; it was very likely that the teachers looked at each other with disdain as well.


    Still, the teachers would probably be required to follow the Temple rules to the letter.


    No one has mentioned any consequences for me crossing a line when it came to royalty, so I didn¡¯t know what the disciplinarymittee¡¯s decision would ultimately be.


    What I did know was that, if I got suspended, whether for a fixed term or for an indefinite period, I would not be allowed to stay in the dormitory during that period of time.


    I knew this because I¡¯d written a scene in the original story in which Ludwig got into trouble and was disciplined. He and his friends got involved in a brawl outside the Temple, and got suspended when it escted into a gang fight.


    It wouldter be revealed that this was actually Vertus¡¯s machination.


    Anyway, during the suspension, Ludwig, Scarlett, Lanian Sesor, and Delphine Izadra would decide to take a short trip via warp gate, since they weren¡¯t allowed to stay in the dormitory.


    In other words, the suspension was merely an excuse to move the story out of the Temple because the internal storyline had stalled, and it was a forced plot point created for narrative convenience.


    In any case, whether or not the events involving Ludwig would ultimately ur, I would still be subject to a disciplinarymittee.


    I wasn¡¯t going to be expelled, but I still didn¡¯t know what sort of punishment I¡¯d receive.


    Perhaps being suspended wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing. I had my own ways to utilize any spare time I got.


    <i> </i> *


    Despite spending all my time lying in bed, I had quite a few visitors. Even when I had hardly any energy to speak, they would sit beside my bed and chat amongst themselves.


    Ludwig, who I did not consider a close friend, came by with a bunch of his friends.


    <i>¡®You think of me as a friend, but I don¡¯t see you that way. I¡¯m actually pretty shy, you know?¡¯</i>


    Regardless, Ludwig came, along with Lanian Sesor, and thetter even yed some music on his instrument in an attempt tofort me.


    It was loud, but also quite pleasant to listen to.


    Since I was the only patient in the recovery room, no one could tell the ss B guys to leave even when they caused a ruckus.


    The priest on duty didn¡¯t seem to care much either.


    ¡°Um... are you in a lot of pain?¡± Scarlett asked hesitantly in a formal tone.


    ¡°... Yes,¡± I replied, since I couldn¡¯t exactly lie about it, and she simply stared at me with pursed lips.


    I didn¡¯t have much of a connection with Scarlett. We only shared Swordsmanship sses together in this second semester, and we sparred a bit asionally, but we never really talked.


    Still, she seemed to have a positive regard for me, despite her apparent unease.


    <i>¡®Why is that? I sort of get it, but also don¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    Scarlett said a few words and wished me a quick recovery before leaving.


    The ss B students each had something to say to me as well. Although the Magic Research Club hadn¡¯t begun official meetings, Anna de Gerna, Cristina, and Louis Ankton seemed morefortable around me, and we shared some conversation.


    They seemed to be exceptionally friendly, especially since I was someone who had been reduced to this state by brawling with an Orbis ss senior.


    Getting into trouble and then receivingfort¡ªmy stuck-up life had taken quite an unexpected turn.


    <i> </i> *


    Time passed while Iy in bed.


    Harriet offered to use a sleeping spell on me if I was in pain and needed to rest, and told me to call her whenever I needed help.


    Olivia and Adriana asionally dropped by, and surprisingly, even the little senior Rudina visited me and gave me an earful about causing trouble, acting like an adult despite being younger than me.


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. since I was older than her but kept causing trouble... so I didn¡¯t have much to say.


    <i>¡®Actually, I¡¯m not just a year older than you. I¡¯m a whole lot older. That¡¯s even more embarrassing...¡¯</i>


    Rudina stood there, hands on her hips, nagging at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re even more of a problem now that you¡¯ve somehow managed to seed in utilizing Mana Reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it a good thing? Well, I feel like I¡¯m dying, but still.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to cause even bigger trouble now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°You fought a third-year, and then, just because you got a bit stronger, you picked a fight with a fourth-year. Are you nning to fight a fifth-year student next?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not my intention at all!¡±


    Of course, I was the one who had instigated the fight, but I had no ns to fight a fifth-year student.


    Rudina continued to nag at me from the foot of the sickbed, shaking her head and wondering aloud how she¡¯d ended up with someone like me as a junior.


    While I hadn¡¯t expected Rudina to visit, there was something I wanted to talk to her about.


    ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s talk about something,¡± I said.


    ¡°About what? What¡¯s there to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you still running that Exodium club or whatever it¡¯s called¡ªmmph!¡±


    Rudina covered my mouth, her face turning red with anger. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Apparently, she still believed that revealing the existence of her middle-school syndrome club, of which she was the president, was highly detrimental.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it anymore! I quit! So don¡¯t bring it up!¡±


    Apparently, being discovered by Charlotte and I had pushed her to step down as president of Exodium.


    She removed her hand from my mouth, and I wondered aloud, ¡°What happened to those other emotionally scarred friends of yours then?¡±


    Rudina puffed up defensively, feeling that her friends were being insulted. ¡°I-I passed the presidency on to someone else... a-and they¡¯re not ¡®emotionally scarred¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that you quit.¡±


    Rudina has an unusual supernatural ability called No Casting, and because of that, she had entertained the notion that she could be a dragon.


    I was nning to suggest this to herter on, but since she¡¯de by to visit, it seemed the right time to speak about it.


    ¡°We¡¯re forming a Magic Research Club, primarily among the first-years. Join us.¡±


    ¡°... A Magic Research Club?¡±


    Rudina tilted her head in response to my sudden offer to join a club.


    No Casting.


    Though her mana pool was small, it was undeniable that Rudina had immense talent. There was no harm in making her even stronger than she already was.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s going to be way better than that Exodi¡ªOkay, okay! I¡¯ll stop mentioning it. Anyway, this Magic Research Club will actually be beneficial.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why are you telling me to join, rather than asking if I want to? Isn¡¯t that disrespectful to a senior?¡± Rudina said with a deep frown, clearly annoyed by my tone.


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Ask Harriet for the details. I¡¯m honestly too exhausted to exin... Also, do you know sleep magic?¡±


    ¡°Sleep magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I stated my request clearly to avoid any misunderstandings, like the one with Harriet.


    When Harriet had suddenly begun to pat me gently, I thought I was going to lose my mind.


    I hadn¡¯t even felt like teasing her about it, because she looked like she might strangle herself right on the spot if I had.


    It had been a really... a weird, ticklish feeling that was hard to describe. Not a bad feeling, but so oddly pleasant it almost felt weird.


    ¡°Can you cast a Sleep spell on me? I need to sleep...¡±


    ¡°... Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that bad...¡±


    Rudina studied me for a moment, then seemed to acknowledge the extent of my pain.


    Of course, Sleep wasn¡¯t a high-level magic spell.


    And it wasn¡¯t something that could force someone to fall asleep against their will.


    If it could instantly and unterally put someone to sleep, it would be an incredible cheat magic.


    For the magic to truly work, I had to give up my own internal resistance to the spell and let it draw me into sleep.


    I understood that this involved giving up resistance, which was probably what Magic Resistance was about.


    Everyone had some level of Magic Resistance¡ªand in extreme cases like Scarlett¡¯s, Magic Immunity¡ªand that included me.


    So, for the Sleep spell to work, I had to fully give in to it.


    If the spell was too weak, it wouldn¡¯t work no matter how much I tried to give in.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll put you to sleep.¡±


    I prepared to sleep and closed my eyes.


    <i>Click!</i>


    And just like that, I slowly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 217

    <h4>Chapter 217</h4>


    ¡°Hmm. Is he asleep?¡±


    <i>Tap, tap.</i>


    ¡°Urgh...¡±


    ¡°Reinhart. Wake up.¡±


    Someone was waking me from the Sleep spell.


    Since I had been forced into sleep, I was able to regain consciousness quickly.


    ¡°Uh... Oh. Vertus?¡±


    It was Vertus who had woken me. Charlotte had visited me immediately after the incident, checking up on me and then leaving after she was satisfied that I was okay, but Vertus hadn¡¯t shown up until now.


    ¡°Sorry for waking you, but I don¡¯t have much free time.¡±


    It was still night outside, which implied that it was still the same day. Although Vertus said he was sorry, his face didn¡¯t show it at all.


    He sat down in the chair opposite me, folding his arms.


    ¡°Do you have some kind of illness that requires you to regrly get into trouble like this?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly...¡±


    I¡¯d only picked the fight with the Orbis ss because of the achievement points on offer.


    Of course, I was the one who had acted, so I couldn¡¯t exactly me anyone else. It seemed Vertus had meant toe check on me earlier but had been tied up with other matters.


    ¡°This is about that business matter,¡± he said. ¡°The approval hase through.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    ¡°I was going to leave it in your hands, but seeing your current state, you don¡¯t seem fit to handle it. And with the disciplinarymitteeing up, you won¡¯t have time either, will you?¡±


    ¡°... Probably not.¡±


    ¡°So, should I assign it to the club, then?¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    My role was just to bring the project this far; the Rotary Club would handle the specifics from here on out. Even if I were in good shape, I didn¡¯t have the skills required to manage the project on a daily basis. Securing the necessary investments and managing the other various details were never supposed to be my responsibilities.


    Vertus¡¯s help should be enough to ensure that the new Rotary Club business would proceed smoothly. Although we had to give up ten percent of the profits, it was manageable.


    In fact, giving Vertus ten percent wasn¡¯t a loss; it was actually a good thing.


    Vertus having a ten percent stake in the business allowed us to give the impression that the imperial prince had a hand in it.


    This would deter any random opportunists from trying to interfere in the business or jack up costs. If anyone messed with a business that Vertus was involved in, they risked ruining themselves.


    Whether or not Vertus had known this when he¡¯d asked for the ten percent cut, it was still a smart move.


    Was Vertus only here to talk about the new business, though?


    It didn¡¯t seem like it; he hadn¡¯t left yet.


    ¡°Did you have something else to discuss?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Vertus said with a shrug, but he still didn¡¯t leave.


    <i>¡®I doubt he¡¯s here to nurse me. That would be creepy.¡¯ </i>


    Vertus gave me an eerie smile. ¡°You should be the one speaking.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Vertus didn¡¯t have anything to say to me; he was waiting for me to bring something up.


    I knew what he was thinking about.


    ¡°Are you referring to that senior I confronted?¡± I asked.


    He was asking if I wanted to know who the royal I had messed with¡ªOscar de Gradias¡ªwas.


    ¡°Are you not curious?¡± Vertus asked.


    ¡°Well, I feel like I should be... but not really.¡±


    I was pretty sure I hadn¡¯t seriously misstepped by ticking Oscar de Gradias off, a conclusion I came to after piecing together what he had said during the fight.


    He did not have any influence on the battle for session. The only ones who were vying for the throne were Vertus and Charlotte.


    Other members of the royal family, while still royalty, were very far down the line of session.


    Those who were way down the line of session still enjoyed great privilege, but lived lives of insecurity, since they could be made sacrificial pawns in any sudden coup or purge.


    Of course, given the stability that the empire enjoyed at this moment, such things were highly unlikely.


    Royals lived privileged lives, yet had fragile existences.


    Oscar seemed to despise and detest this precarious breed of royalty, which meant that he was part of them.


    I hadn¡¯t asked Vertus about this because I already had a rough gauge of Oscar de Gradias¡¯s position.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Vertus remarked. ¡°There are those who would rather have been born beggars.¡±


    Some royals envied the freedom of being born a street beggar.


    Oscar de Gradias seemed to be one of those. Where did Oscar stand in the royal hierarchy? Both Vertus and Charlotte clicked their tongues at the mess I¡¯d made, but neither had scolded me for messing with royalty.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with things, just as long as you understand that this could be made into a big issue¡ªbut it won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I¡¯m not going to do anything.¡±


    If Vertus or Charlotte had decided to make an issue of me fighting a royal, something could happen. But they had no intention of doing so.


    Doing nothing was already helping me.


    Vertus might not know much about Oscar.


    That guy was clearly coveting something beyond his reach. More urately, he seemed to be both furious and despairing about being so far away from the throne.


    Did Vertus and Charlotte not know that he harbored such ambitions?


    If they found out, would he be killed?


    In the end, there was nothing Oscar could do. Vertus could always act behind the scenes, where I wouldn¡¯t be able to notice. I wouldn¡¯t even know if Oscar eventually died.


    Then again, Oscar was a troublesome guy, but I didn¡¯t think he deserved to die.


    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t voice my thoughts about Oscar.


    But then, Vertus opened his mouth. ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Is there really nothing more you have to say?¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    Vertus seemed to expect me to tell him more, even though he didn¡¯t have any more business with me.


    ¡°About my brother,¡± he said. ¡°Do you have nothing more to say?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oscar, Vertus, and Charlotte¡ªall of them...


    The enigmatic types.


    Vertus, the epitome of enigmatic types, kept smiling amicably as he spoke about Oscar.


    He was asking if I had more to say after meeting with Oscar.


    Essentially, he was implying that I had a duty to report to him anything I might have noticed.


    However, just by not saying anything, I had already said a lot.


    Oscar de Gradias seemed to harbor ambitions for the throne, which was beyond his standing. Was I supposed to tell Vertus that?


    ¡°You seem reckless, but oddly enough, you always avoid the most extreme oues. While you appear extreme, you really aren¡¯t when ites down to it,¡± Vertus said, standing with his arms crossed as he stared out the window. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to care about the consequences, but, in the end, you do.¡±


    Whether Vertus was disappointed in me or not I couldn¡¯t tell. He was probably surprised at my reluctance to divulge any thoughts I had that could endanger Oscar¡¯s life, despite the beef I had with him that led to our fight.


    ¡°He just seems like he¡¯s envious of things that other people are born with,¡± I said.


    Since Vertus clearly knew about it, I could only tell him my impression of things. That Oscar seemed to want to be the emperor.


    Vertus chuckled.


    ¡°Did you think that, if I knew, I¡¯d do something to him?¡±


    ¡°... I just didn¡¯t want to create unnecessary trouble. Well... sorry for keeping it from you,¡± I said, offering my sincere apology.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something you need to apologize for...¡±


    Vertus still had the same smile on his face.


    ¡°Reinhart, do you want to be emperor?¡± he asked.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®What kind of nonsense is that?¡¯</i>


    I froze, and Vertus repeated himself, as if it were nothing special.


    ¡°Do you want to be emperor?¡±


    ¡°... No? Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°... Well, it seems difficult. I think there¡¯d be more headaches than good times, and I¡¯m not good with that. I hate that kind of thing.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just saying this because he was a prince¡ªit was a genuine sentiment of mine. If given a choice between bing a nouveau riche or an emperor, I¡¯d choose to be a nouveau riche. Great power came with great responsibility, and I hated responsibility.


    Since my arrival in this world, I¡¯d had to take on so many responsibilities that my head constantly felt like it was about to explode. Emperor? I would never do it even if they¡¯d offered it to me.


    Vertus seemed to acknowledge my sincerity.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s understandable,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡± I asked.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not like you¡¯d make me emperor even if I said I wanted to be, so why scare me like that?''</i>


    Vertus answered with a question of his own. ¡°But what if you, hypothetically, said you wanted to be emperor?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°More specifically, if you stood before me and dered that you wanted to be emperor, what do you think I¡¯d think?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯d think I¡¯m crazy.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Vertus chuckled. There it was, that slight hint of him trying to look serious. Just seeing it gave me chills. ¡°You can¡¯t be emperor.¡±


    It was an obvious statement, but there was a depth to it that I could sense.


    I understood what Vertus was trying to say.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what Oscar might be thinking; I don¡¯t really care. I just think, ¡®Why¡¯s he being like that?¡¯ And that¡¯s it,¡± he said.


    I couldn¡¯t be emperor, and even the mere fact that I might want it would not make Vertus angry.


    Oscar de Gradias couldn¡¯t be emperor, and so the mere fact that he might have been coveting the throne did not make Vertus feel at all ufortable.


    I remembered something that Vertus had said before.


    Of all the ants he allowed to worship him, what difference did it make if that ant was a duke or an earl, amoner or a beggar?


    To him, everyone below him was the same.


    Oscar de Gradias was an ant.


    An ant dreaming of bing emperor was just delusional.


    Even if I had told him the truth, it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference.


    In hindsight, it seemed keeping my realizations to myself had only served to make things tense.


    ¡°It could be dangerous, though,¡± Vertus said, gazing out the window and paying no real attention to my concerns. ¡°Some people, when they can¡¯t have something, just want to destroy it.¡±


    His words seemed very enigmatic.


    In any case, it seemed I wouldn¡¯t suffer any punishment for crossing someone with royal blood.


    Of course, I still had to face consequences for breaking the Temple¡¯s rules.


    <i> </i> *


    Had I known that forcing myself to perform Mana Reinforcement would result in this kind of aftermath, I would never have done it. The pain was one thing, but losing so much time was terrifying.


    Was this the dread a gym rat felt, losing gains from not being able to go to the gym?


    Not being able to exercise was driving me crazy, and the sheer amount of wasted time evaporating into thin air made me increasingly anxious. I needed to train. Time was passing, and the Gate Incident was drawing closer. Sitting around idly wasn¡¯t an option.


    Fortunately, I felt my body gradually recovering, and since my legs themselves weren¡¯t injured, I could move around with crutches to some extent.


    The pain had subsided enough that it was mostly bearable, so while I couldn¡¯t train or exercise, I could at least attend sses.


    ¡°The disciplinarymittee regarding the unauthorized duels between Orbis and Royal sses is now in session.¡±


    Of course, the first ce I had to go wasn¡¯t ss, but the disciplinarymittee hearing.


    <i> </i> *


    The events that the system gave were seriously messed up.


    You could never tell when they would be triggered.


    I mean, an event triggered when I fought Ard de Gritis, but I had now had two fights that did not trigger anything. At least I did manage to earn a thousand achievement points.


    [New Event Update - Disciplinary Committee]


    But why would an event trigger for something like this?


    [Description: After numerous incidents, you have finally been brought before the disciplinarymittee. The reward varies based on the severity of your discipline.]


    [No Punishment - 0 points]


    [Community Service - 10 points per day]


    [Temporary Suspension - 20 points per day]


    [Indefinite Suspension - 40 points per day]


    [Expulsion - 5000 points]


    What did I ever do to deserve this?


    Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be the other way around? Why did I get more rewards for harsher punishments?


    Was the system telling me to get expelled by causing a ruckus? Even setting aside the cross-dressing and the beauty pageant, it seemed to want to turn me into a weirdo.


    <i>¡®It might have made sense at the beginning of the semester, but I¡¯vee too far to get expelled now!¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> *


    The disciplinarymittee wasn¡¯t held in the Royal or Orbis ss buildings, but in the main headquarters of the Temple.


    Every school within the Temple had a principal and executive-level faculty, and thispound housed those who oversaw the Temple as a whole. Their authority far surpassed that of regr teachers, and most of them were not involved in the actual provision of education.


    In the original story, Ludwig had reason toe here just once.


    After he became the master of Alsbringer, there was an extensive debate as to whether such a thing could be allowed.


    A lengthy discussion about whether Ludwig was fit to be acknowledged as the rightful master of Alsbringer ensued, and eventually, the authorities had no choice but to recognize Ludwig as its master.


    He was not summoned for disciplinary reasons, like me.


    In other words, while they may not be key characters, these faculty members were crucial to the operation of the Temple as a whole. This was where important decisions about the institution were made.


    On either side of me sat Lilka Aaron and Oscar de Gradias.


    Oscar had suffered what could be interpreted as a defeat at my hands.


    As such, his expression was far from pleasant.


    Lilka Aaron, whose demeanor was generally cold, was not looking at me either.


    She appeared ufortable and frowned frequently.


    <i>¡®Is she in pain? She should have recovered from what I¡¯d done to her by now. Or maybe she¡¯s just in a bad mood.¡¯</i>


    On the right side of the long round table were the Royal ss teachers, and on the left were presumably the Orbis ss teachers. Opposite us were three faculty members from the main headquarters.


    The animosity between Orbis and Royal sses was not just confined to the students; it was immediately evident in the teachers¡¯ demeanors as well.


    None of the Royal ss teachers, including Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang from ss B, did not disy any overt emotions. Ms. Mustang, the ss B homeroom teacher, merely nced at me to see if I was alright.


    However, there was clear hostility emanating from the Orbis ss teachers.


    <i>¡®Even the teachers had inferiorityplexes... This is nuts.¡¯</i>


    Then there were the faculty who were from the main headquarters.


    In front of one elderly-looking person was a namete reading ¡°Vice-Chancellor of the Temple, Assyria Wolken.¡±


    The Vice-Chancellor was essentially the second-highest ranking person among all the Temple staff.


    Given that the subject of this hearing was a violent incident between Orbis and Royal sses, which were the most specially-managed sses in the Temple, it made sense that the Vice-Chancellor would preside over it.


    The Vice-Chancellor was the number two in one of the empire¡¯s most critical institutions, and was likely more powerful even than a great noble.


    If this were an internal issue, it would have been resolved within the ss, but this involved a sh between sses.


    Even the disciplinary procedures were grand when it came to these two special sses.


    The elderly Vice-Chancellor, Assyria Wolken, began to speak.


    ¡°The details of the incident have been reported, so I will summarize.¡±


    Since the teachers had already investigated each of our positions and reasons regarding the incidents, she didn¡¯t intend to drag this out.


    She read from the documents in front of her.


    ¡°First, Orbis ss Year 1 A-5, Lilka Aaron.


    ¡°This student has repeatedly subjected Royal ss Year 1 A-9, Erhi de Raffaeli, to continuous violence during and outside the Swordsmanship ss. In retaliation, Royal ss Year 1 A-11, Reinhart, sought out the Orbis ss and engaged in an unauthorized duel with Lilka Aaron, resulting in her defeat. The duel resulted in injuries akin to internal organ rupture.¡±


    Internal organ rupture...


    Though she survived thanks to the timely intervention of the priest who had been on duty, I had hit her with enough force to knock her out cold.


    I had assumed she would survive without major issues, but hearing the term ¡°internal organ rupture¡± sent a chill down my spine.


    ¡°Next, Royal ss Year 1 A-11, Reinhart.


    ¡°This student decided to personally intervene in order to address the continuous violence against Erhi de Raffaeli instead of reporting it to a teacher. He visited the Orbis ss dormitory to administer private retribution. In the process, he received cooperation from Orbis ss Year 4 A-1, Oscar de Gradias, to engage in unauthorized duels.


    ¡°After injuring Lilka Aaron, he then challenged Oscar de Gradias to a duel. Despite copsing due to the overuse of Mana Reinforcement, he used supernatural powers on all his opponents, and that is the primary focus of this entire incident.¡±


    The primary focus of the entire incident.


    <i>¡®Am I really not going to get expelled?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Next, Orbis ss Year 4 A-1, Oscar de Gradias.


    ¡°This student allowed private duels among students and acted as the organizer without informing any teachers. Though he promptly allowed Lilka Aaron¡¯s injuries to be treated, he also engaged in a duel with a student several years below his own grade. His role as a senior was to ensure safety during the duels, yet he recklessly participated in one himself and even used Mana Reinforcement.¡±


    Oscar de Gradias had stirred up significant issues as well.


    Using supernatural powers in duels was a serious problem, but using Mana Reinforcement could be an even bigger one.


    The Vice-Chancellor paused, examining all of us before continuing.


    ¡°This disciplinarymittee will address each of these vitions and determine appropriate consequences based on the severity of the actions and the impact on the inter-ss rtions between Orbis and Royal sses.¡±


    We could all feel the weight of the situation. The teachers from both sses watched us intently, waiting for the decisions that would follow.


    The entire atmosphere was heavy and filled with tension.


    The fact that a senior had given in to the provocation of a junior and escted the fight added to the seriousness of the offense.


    Lilka Aaron''s offenses were the least significant even though she was the root cause of the incident, and had epted the challenge and lost.


    The most severe offense had probably beenmitted by Oscar de Gradias, or myself for directly confronting the Orbis ss, but it wasn¡¯t clear who hadmitted the greater offense between us.


    ¡°Does anyone object to this summary?¡±


    ¡°No, we do not.¡±


    None of us had anything to add or subtract from that summary. It was a factual ount.


    I had been told that I wouldn¡¯t be expelled, so I just wanted the disciplinary process to end as quickly as possible.


    My body still ached all over, and I wanted to lie down and sleep.


    I nned not to say anything during the proceedings.


    Before this, Mr. Effenhauser had advised me and said, ¡°Knowing your personality, staying silent would help.¡± Clearly, given my temper, I¡¯d undoubtedly make things worse if I spoke.


    I had no argument against that.


    Any gibbering from the culprit would indeed only serve to dig a deeper hole, and given my nature, there was no way I¡¯d say anything helpful.


    My n was to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡°Let¡¯s now discuss the appropriate level of punishment for each case.¡±


    Almost immediately, an Orbis ss teacher raised his hand.


    ¡°I am Jaiden, the homeroom teacher for Orbis ss 1-A. I believe the most serious offender, Reinhart of the Royal ss, should be expelled.¡±


    <i>¡®Well, isn¡¯t this turning out to be lovely from the start?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 218

    <h4>Chapter 218</h4>


    The suggestion of expulsion made the already tense atmosphere even heavier.


    ¡°On what grounds do you believe Reinhart¡¯s actions warrant the highest severity?¡± said the Vice-Chancellor, addressing the suddenment.


    In a calm tone, the teacher continued to exin.


    ¡°Rather than reporting the violence to a teacher, he chose to settle the incident privately. In the process, he inflicted severe injuries on Lilka Aaron, including internal organ rupture. This could be interpreted as indirect attempted murder. Additionally, he challenged Oscar de Gradias, the fight organizer, to another duel.


    ¡°In all these incidents, he used supernatural powers, which are categorically forbidden to be used to inflict harm on other students. Moreover, he employed another hazardous ability, Mana Reinforcement.


    ¡°A broad range of disciplinary actions can be taken in the case of student disputes or privately-sanctioned duels, frommunity service to temporary suspension, to indefinite suspension, and up to expulsion, depending on the severity of the assault.


    ¡°Reinhart¡¯s actions carry the utmost severity. Therefore, I advocate for the expulsion of Royal ss A-11, Reinhart.¡±


    Depending on how you looked at it, my actions could be twisted and interpreted in the worst manner possible.


    The punch I threw with the intent to knock Lilka Aaron out was described as indirect attempted murder.


    My supernatural powers, which served merely to enhance my physical attributes, were perceived as abilities to kill.


    Even my half-baked attempt at Mana Reinforcement was twisted to fit that narrative.


    I had almost killed another student. Moreover, I was the cause of all these fights.


    That was deserving of expulsion. The expressions of the Royal ss teachers, except for Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s, soured considerably.


    The Vice-Chancellor did not express any immediate opinion.


    ¡°Royal ss teachers, please speak to the usual conduct of Reinhart.¡±


    It seemed the Vice-Chancellor wanted to evaluate my usual behavior.


    ¡°U-Um... My name is Mustang, and I am the homeroom teacher for Royal ss 1-B. Reinhart is an exemry student who is kind, values his peers greatly and gets along well with everyone. He couldn¡¯t stand seeing his ssmate being bullied this time; he didn¡¯t act out of malice.¡±


    <i>¡®Teacher. I appreciate you standing up for me, but isn¡¯t that just a lie?¡¯</i>


    I almost feltpelled to interject as I listened to her; the defense was so over the top.


    ¡°In this case, Reinhart was simply careless. He¡¯s normally someone who wouldn¡¯t hurt a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Even Mr. Effenhauser, who had been silent thus far, cut off Mustang¡¯s excessive defense.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t lie, Ms. Mustang,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said as he looked at Ms. Mustang.


    ¡°Oh. Uh...¡±


    <i>¡®Sure, the defense was extreme, but you¡¯re supposed to be on my side; what are you doing calling it a lie out loud?¡¯</i>


    By this point, the Orbis ss teachers were openly smirking, bemused by the sudden infighting within the Royal ss teachers.


    ¡°I am Effenhauser, homeroom teacher for Royal ss 1-A. As Reinhart¡¯s closest instructor, I probably know the most about his behavior.


    ¡°His conduct? I cannot say it¡¯s been good.¡±


    <i>¡®Hey! You said I wouldn¡¯t get expelled!¡¯</i>


    He continued, ¡°Reinhart has consistently created minor and major issues since the beginning of the first semester. From minor quarrels among peers to challenging seniors and even engaging in a duel with a third-year student.¡±


    When they heard this, the faculty from the Orbis ss and the main headquarters, as well as Lilka Aaron and Oscar de Gradias, seemed taken aback.


    They were just now realizing what a troublemaker I truly was.


    ¡°While I cannot deny that he has continued to cause issues, the most significant problem is his tendency to respond actively to every slight provocation, which led to him developing a poor reputation among his peers,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said.


    ¡°I see,¡± teacher Jaiden interjected. ¡°So it¡¯s not just this incident; he has consistently been problematic and should indeed¡ª¡±


    ¡°Teacher Jaiden, I am not finished speaking,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said, cutting off the Orbis ss teacher who was so eager to tear me apart.


    ¡°While his reputation was indeed very poor in the first semester, this is the report from the priest who was on duty in the recovery room,¡± Mr. Effenhauser continued.


    <i>¡®The priest on duty? What could they possibly have to report?¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser handed prepared documents to the faculty members representing the main headquarters.


    ¡°Every student from both ss A and B has visited the recovery room at least once. Additionally, a significant number of students, including seniors, have visited frequently to take care of Reinhart.¡±


    The priests on duty... Not only did they monitor the recovery room, but they also recorded the names of the students who hade to visit me.


    It was surprising to know that even students I wasn¡¯t close with hade to see me. Perhaps they had visited while I was unconscious or asleep.


    ¡°While Reinhart¡¯s conduct has not improved since the first semester, it¡¯s evident that his reputation among his peers has improved significantly.¡±


    <i>¡®In essence, his conduct is still bad, but all his peers, including senior students, like him.¡¯</i>


    That was the message Mr. Effenhauser intended to convey. Even though my behavior was poor and my personality wasn¡¯t great, I was still navigating Temple life well enough.


    <i>¡®Damn. I almost thought Mr. Effenhauser was going to sink me.¡¯</i>


    Poor conduct, but good reputation...


    The Vice-Chancellor read through the report and nodded.


    ¡°Regardless of his conduct, he does seem to have very amicable rtionships with his peers,¡± the Vice-Chancellor remarked.


    ¡°C-Conduct and rtionships aside, the fact remains that Reinhart seriously vited many school rules! the Temple¡¯s rules! These are thews of the Temple! This student has excessively broken many of them!¡±


    Teacher Jaiden from Orbis ss was practically foaming at the mouth, desperate to get me expelled.


    However, Mr. Effenhauser maintained a stoic expression.


    ¡°I am well aware of the importance of school rules, as are all the other faculty and students,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Teacher Jaiden, are you aware of this particr rule within the Temple? The Temple, Rule 1, Article 1. All students of the Temple shall be treated equally regardless of status and given the same educational opportunities.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room grew colder.


    ¡°The mere existence of Orbis and Royal sses is a contradiction of this first rule of the Temple.¡±


    It was clear what Mr Effenhauser was saying: <i>¡®How can you be so obsessed with school rules that aren¡¯t even upheld from the very first article?¡¯</i>


    Effenhauser had made this point nonchntly while in the headquarters of the Temple.


    This statement left the faculty of the Orbis ss, the main headquarters, and even the Royal ss momentarily speechless. Yet, Mr. Effenhauser remained calm.


    ¡°Purpose precedes rules.


    ¡°The Temple¡¯s purpose is to nurture outstanding talents. The aim is for these talents to contribute to Imperial society, thereby increasing the collective value of humanity. That is the founding purpose of the Temple.


    ¡°The rules are there to support that purpose. The rules are secondary as long as the purpose is upheld. That is my belief.


    ¡°Thus, irrespective of rules or social status, the Temple selects and admits exceptional students into Royal and Orbis sses, where they receive special treatment.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser was speaking about the purpose of the Temple rather than focusing on the rules. This statement made teacher Jaiden, who had been simmering, explode.


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with this case?¡± Jaiden demanded.


    ¡°When Reinhart was admitted, he was not a superhuman,¡± Mr. Effenhauser responded.


    ¡°Reinhart had no inherent talents and no physical abilities to speak of. He was admitted to the Royal ss purely on potential¡ªan exception to the rule.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story with many details, so I¡¯ll keep it brief.


    ¡°At the start, Reinhart was a below-average student with no talents.


    ¡°In his first year, during a duel with third-year Mayaton, he awakened his supernatural powers. Not long after, he discovered a talent for Mana Attunement.


    ¡°Reinhart actively participates in numerous training sessions and sses, and trains rigorously every day with A-2, Ellen, who is an exemry student.


    ¡°During the recent summer break, Reinhart and Ellen ventured into the Dark Land. There, theypleted a mission with a danger rating of S-rank, and their adventurer ranks rose from F to B as a result. They also retrieved a very significant magical artifact, although the details of which are difficult to disclose.


    ¡°Now, in this second semester, despite ultimately failing to control it, Reinhart managed to use Mana Reinforcement by himself during a duel with fourth-year Oscar de Gradias. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that he has developed a new talent for Mana Maniption.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser then fixed his gaze on teacher Jaiden.


    ¡°Let me put it more simply.


    ¡°Reinhart, who was powerless when he first enrolled, defeated a third-year student during his first semester.


    ¡°During the break, he risked his life exploring dangerous areas, saved the lives of at least fifty people, uncovered the truth behind the destruction of several outposts, repelled over a hundred zombies, and recovered a magic artifact.


    ¡°And now, in the second semester, he fought against a fourth-year Orbis ss student, and though he did not win, he did not lose either.


    ¡°Let me reiterate the purpose of the Temple. It is to nurture outstanding talents.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser then looked directly at Vice-Chancellor Assyria Wolken.


    ¡°Reinhart is the best talent the Temple has.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser was rating me even higher than Ellen.


    The way an incident is portrayed can change everything.


    The Orbis ss teacher wanted to paint my actions as an indirect attempted murder.


    But Mr. Effenhauser applied a different spin to my history at the Temple.


    I started off as a powerless student, but defeated a third-year student in my first semester, and now in the second semester, I could hold my ground against a fourth-year student.


    Would they really expel such an outstanding talent just because of some school rules?


    Had they forgotten the Temple¡¯s true purpose?


    When I asked Mr. Effenhauser about my chances of expulsion, he said that such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen because I was in the Royal ss.


    However, depending on how things were presented during the disciplinarymittee, there was certainly a possibility that I could be expelled.


    Mr. Effenhauser was ensuring that such an oue would not ur.


    ¡°Reinhart¡¯s rapid progress serves as evidence that the Temple¡¯s education is advanced and effective. He recognizes his shorings and frequently seeks guidance from more capable students. This can also be seen as a positive effect of having these special sses.¡±


    Ellen had been rtively aplished upon entry, but I had started from zero. My progress highlighted the effectiveness of the Temple¡¯s education system.


    And if my improvement was due to Ellen¡¯s influence, even that synergy, brought about by collecting outstanding talents into the same ss, was also the Temple¡¯s achievement.


    He bnced his critiques of the school rules with praise for the Temple¡¯s overall sess.


    Vice-Chancellor Wolken looked contemtively at me.


    It seemed the focus was shifting towards reducing the severity of my punishment rather than expelling me outright.


    Expulsion was clearly no longer on the table.


    Still, teacher Jaiden¡¯s steely re showed he was determined to bring me down.


    ¡°While Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s points confirm that Reinhart is indeed talented, skill alone is not everything. Character is equally important. A student, even in their first year, who continually causes trouble, is not an outstanding talent but a dangerous one. Continuing to support and educate such a student is risky! Lilka Aaron could have died if Reinhart¡¯s actions had been even slightly more severe!¡±


    Attempted murder...


    Teacher Jaiden still aimed to drive home that narrative. The Vice-Chancellor¡¯s expression shifted, suggesting that she could not overlook this point.


    Suddenly, Lilka Aaron, who had been silent until now, spoke up.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    All eyes turned to her. Everyone was startled by her unexpected statement.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is she suddenly speaking up now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I wanted him to do it. I wanted him to hit me hard enough to knock me out.¡±


    The expressions of the teachers around the room froze, including that of teacher Jaiden, and even Oscar¡¯s.


    Lilka looked directly at me.


    ¡°I did not want to be able to get up again. We didn¡¯t speak, but I believe Reinhart did it because he understood my feelings. Because he knew what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°What... What did you say?¡±


    Teacher Jaiden¡¯s face turned ashen, along with those of the other teachers.


    Lilka Aaron looked at me with calm eyes. ¡°Am I correct?¡±


    <i>¡®Of course I knew.¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Lilka Aaron had not wanted to continue the fight, and had pleaded with me with her eyes to be knocked down and left unconscious. So I did just that. But I never expected her to admit it here.


    The Vice-Chancellor quietly observed Lilka Aaron. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You wished to be knocked out, and you believe that Reinhart was merely responding to that wish?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you had lost, why didn¡¯t you just admit it and stop fighting?¡±


    Oscar¡¯s eyes were wide with anger. Lilka suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡±


    She began to do something none of us expected.


    <i>Click, Click...</i>


    Lilka started unbuttoning her blouse.


    ¡°What the... What are you doing, Lilka?!¡±


    ¡°I need to show you something.¡±


    While all the teachers were stunned and unsure of what to do, Lilka continued undressing.


    No one could stop her.


    Before she waspletely done, everyone understood what she meant to show.


    Determined, she took off all her clothes, and stood there d only in her undergarments.


    Everyone was shocked.


    Not because she had undressed herself, but for another reason altogether.


    Her shoulders, arms, abdomen, and sides¡ªher entire body was covered in bruises and welts.


    ¡°Reinhart! You mean to tell me that he inflicted such severe injuries¡ª¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Reinhart,¡± she interrupted.


    Lilka stared directly at her homeroom teacher, Teacher Jaiden.


    ¡°It was my seniors who did this. They asked me why I had lost. They said that because of this loss, our senior had suffered disgrace. I feared that if I openly admitted defeat, my seniors would kill me.


    ¡°Even though I lost because I passed out, they still beat me like this. If I was not knocked out, there was no way I could surrender and call a stop to the fight. If I had openly acknowledged my loss, they would have beaten me even more severely. That was why I wanted to be knocked out. Reinhart did it because I wished for it.¡±


    Finally, Lilka Aaron¡¯s shoulders began heaving, and she burst into tears.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying what Reinhart did to me amounts to attempted murder? That he should be expelled for it? Then... then...¡±


    Through her tears, she red fiercely at Oscar de Gradias.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t all the Orbis ss seniors be expelled too? Why is it that you all get so angry over such minor incidents? But... You all know. All the teachers know what the seniors are doing. You even encourage it. You say that we students aren¡¯t trying hard enough, that we¡¯ve becent, and you let the seniors beat us. Knowing all this... even orchestrating it...¡±


    Lilka Aaron, in tears and trembling, called her own faculty out as the Orbis ss teachers looked on, stone-faced.


    ¡°If Reinhart should be expelled for this, then all the Orbis ss seniors should be expelled, and the teachers should all be made to resign. If something like this warrants expulsion for him, then the Orbis ss should have been abolished long ago. Getting beaten up by my seniors, and knowing that the teachers ignore it... that¡¯s far scarier and more horrific than what happened in the fight.


    ¡°I heard that this was the reason why Reinhart challenged this senior to a fight.


    ¡°All of us are so scared, but no one dares to speak. Everyone hates this, but we are afraid that if wein, we¡¯ll suffer even more severe beatings, and we know that telling the teachers won¡¯t solve anything.


    ¡°Reinhart told us to call out this bullshit for what it is. So, I¡¯m saying it here and now.


    ¡°Orbis ss is a terrible, disgusting ce. It breeds monsters who are driven by inferiorityplexes, and the victims of their actions eventually turn into the same kind of monsters who hurt their juniors.¡±


    Lilka Aaron hade to this disciplinary hearing with an entirely different purpose; she hade to expose the true nature of the Orbis ss.


    The difort she had shown earlier was because hertest injuries were yet to properly heal, as she hadn¡¯t received treatment from the priest on duty.

 Chapter 219

    <h4>Chapter 219</h4>


    Lilka Aaron, after showing off her ravaged body, dressed herself again. Her fingers trembled as she did so, a vivid reminder that she was in considerable pain.


    She had endured the pain and did not go to the priest on duty for healing, just so that she could prove her point at this moment. Some of the bruises were still fresh, suggesting that she had been subject to such punishment repeatedly, and not just once.


    This multi-faculty disciplinarymittee had been convened because of the students involved, and the Temple¡¯s Vice-Chancellor was present. If this had been an internal disciplinarymittee made up of faculty from the Orbis ss, Lilka Aaron¡¯s words would have been futile, since the Orbis ss teachers did not want to break this structure. They were not keen to intervene directly, but let seniors use their own methods to ensure that the junior students worked hard. They did not want to abolish this structure, and even subtly encouraged it.


    Oscar de Gradias wore a peculiar expression. His face seemed rigid but he wore a strange smile, as if he found the situation amusing. Vice-Chancellor Assyria Wolken looked at the teachers of the Orbis ss, whose faces had turned white. New culprits had now been discovered.


    ¡°Is what Lilka Aaron said true?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It appears to be true.¡±


    The silence that met her question seemed to be all that Assyria Wolken needed. Excessive violence among students, encouraged by their own teachers, had be a new issue.


    ¡°I knew the atmosphere in the Orbis ss was oppressive and rigid, but I didn¡¯t realize it was this bad.¡±


    Assyria Wolken was the Vice-Chancellor of the Temple and had some inkling of the culture of the Orbis ss, but she hadn¡¯t anticipated the severity of the violence inflicted by the seniors on their juniors. Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t look particrly surprised, but Mustang looked shocked and worried, and was almost on the verge of tears.


    <i>¡®No way, is she actually sniffling?¡¯</i>


    One of the Orbis ss teachers spoke into the tense silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the appropriate ce for this discussion. Let¡¯s stick to the agenda of this disciplinarymittee and discuss this matter elsewhere...¡±


    Assyria Wolken nodded. ¡°Yes, that would usually be the correct decision. This isn¡¯t the ce to discuss this. However, it¡¯s clear what will bemunicated to that student, Lilka Aaron, and the Orbis ss students before the next disciplinary or adjustmentmittee meeting. Or rather, no words will be exchanged.¡±


    The only thing that would ur would be violence. Lilka Aaron, if she returned to the Orbis ss dormitory like this, might face a fate worse than death.


    ¡°Immediate measures concerning the Orbis ss seem necessary.¡± Assyria Wolken neatly organized the reports and ced them to the side. ¡°The current disciplinarymittee is on hold.¡±


    <i>¡®How decisive of her.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Urgent measures need to be taken regarding the Orbis ss.¡±


    Assyria Wolken had decided to focus on an immediate issue at hand, rather than the original hearing.


    ¡°All first-year students of the Orbis ss are to be summoned to the main hall immediately.¡±


    She clearly believed that any dy might allow the Orbis ss faculty to manipte the situation internally.


    The crazy war I was waging with the Orbis ss seemed to be snowballing into an unforeseen catastrophe that might bring the entire Orbis ss into ruin. With matters going in this direction, it was obvious what would happen.


    [Special Achievement Unlocked - Turning Point In History (Orbis ss)]


    [Your actions have significantly altered history.]


    [You have received 1,000 achievement points.]


    The number of achievement points I had, which had fallen to around 2,000, were now back up in the 4,000 range.


    <i>¡®This is exactly why I can¡¯t stop causing trouble.¡¯</i>


    <i> </i> *


    The result of the disciplinarymittee hearing was inconclusive, and the hearing itself was now postponed.


    Even though I knew a little about the future¡ªor perhaps because I knew about the future¡ªseeing this sort of butterfly effect always felt quite peculiar. At the time I first saw Erhi de Raffaeli in the dormitory after being beaten up by Lilka Aaron, I never imagined it woulde to this.


    I went to pick a fight with Lilka Aaron partly to earn achievement points and partly to have a look at the notable figures in the Orbis ss. That led to my fight with Oscar de Gradias, that arrogant prick.


    I had demonstrated in that encounter that standing up to seniors would not result in them beating you to death. Lilka Aaron had lost by passing out, but in the end, she was still beaten mercilessly.


    <i>¡®Since you¡¯ll get hit either way, why aren¡¯t you screaming?¡¯</i>


    It had been a needless interference, but it had resonated with them. They had endured so much pent-up suffering and had just been waiting for someone to break the dam. The irony was that the dam-breaker was someone from the Royal ss, not the Orbis ss.


    Anyway, since the disciplinarymittee was postponed, all of us, including the teachers, left the main hall.


    The Orbis ss teachers looked at Lilka Aaron as if she were a traitor, not a student.


    I hadn¡¯t had a proper conversation with Lilka Aaron. Honestly, there was no reason for things between us to be amicable, but something had been exchanged in the midst of those flying fists.


    She had wanted to be knocked unconscious, and I had granted her wish.


    It wasughable to think that such an incident would earn me something resembling goodwill. The world really was unpredictable.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to be okay?¡± I asked, facing the back of Lilka Aaron, who was standing rigidly in front of the main hall.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone in your state.¡±


    Lilka Aaron was battered, but I was the one hobbling around on crutches. She seemed to think it incredulous that I would ask if she was okay.


    ¡°If nothing changes even after this, I¡¯ll have to drop out. Or maybe transfer to the General ss,¡± she said.


    She seemed to havee to several conclusions in her own mind. As an Orbis student, she seemed to have recognized that she was being forced to bear too many obligations and sacrifices for the privileges she received, and hade to the realization that it was better to give up than to carry such burdens any longer.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me who¡¯s thinking about dropping out. Everyone thinks the same.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Lilka Aaron. All of them had been enduring the suffering because they didn¡¯t want to bebeled as failures or expelled from a special ss. Now, though, they had decided not to endure it any longer.


    Lilka Aaron wasn¡¯t acting as a lone wolf; she had decided to take the lead. I was starting to understand why this event marked a turning point in history. This incident had the potential to escte into a mass dropout of first-year students from the Orbis ss.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not really my ce to say this after being thoroughly beaten up, but...¡± The small-framed Lilka Aaron looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you.¡±


    A lot would change because of the fight with me.


    All of them had decided to band together to change things, and I hoped that this would also resolve the future issue with Ender Wilton. If this incident was settled properly, the possibility of him resorting to dark magic or bing a monster due to his hunger for power, fueled by the constant violence and coercion of his seniors, would vanish.


    However, if Ender Wilton¡¯s inclination towards dark magic was driven by personal ambition and sense of inferiority, the issue might still exist.


    For now, decisive measures had to be taken. Whether it involved meeting him directly or dealing with the dark magic he might get involved with, it had to be addressed somehow.


    And then...


    ¡°...¡±


    Oscar de Gradias, who had left the main hall slightlyter than us, nced at the two of us. He passed us without saying a word, but with a strange smile on his face.


    At that moment, the Orbis ss teachers and seniors were, quite literally, in deep trouble.


    So why was he smiling?


    A chill ran down my spine.


    <i> </i> *


    After parting ways with Lilka Aaron, I rode the tram back to the Royal ss dormitory with the Royal ss teachers who had attended the disciplinarymittee.


    ¡°Really, how could that happen? It¡¯s one thing for the seniors to take part, but the teachers condoning such behavior...¡± Ms. Mustang said with a deep sigh, clearly both angry and saddened by the harsh and violent environment that the Orbis ss students were facing.


    ¡°Reinhart, even though the disciplinarymittee has been postponed withouting to a proper conclusion, don¡¯t get into any more trouble, okay?¡± she warned me sternly.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    She was a kind and considerate teacher, who deeply cares for her students and is the ss B advisor. She truly fit the atmosphere of the ss B well.


    Most of the ss A students and their teacher were arrogant and cold, which reflected their ss atmosphere.


    However, I had just seen another side of Mr. Effenhauser that I did not know of before. Despite his cold and strict tone, he had thoroughly defended me.


    My behavior had certainly been bad, but I had good interpersonal rtionships.


    <i>¡°The Temple¡¯s goal is to nurture excellent talents, and Reinhart is the best talent in the Temple. There is no reason to abandon him.¡±</i>


    It was a very Effenhauser-like form of support.


    Mr. Effenhauser was quietly staring out of the tram window while Ms. Mustang murmured something next to him as if nothing had happened.


    Still, I had to give credit where it was due.


    ¡°Mr. Effenhauser, thank you for today.¡±


    I never expected that Mr. Effenhauser would defend me to such an extent, and some parts of his defense had been excessive. Saying that I was the best talent in the Temple while leaving Ellen Artorius out of the picture wasn¡¯t exactly keeping to the truth.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You have no reason to thank me,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said simply, still quietly looking out the window.


    He didn¡¯t seem to think there was any reason for him to be thanked.


    No self-praise, no words of encouragement, nothing.


    It was as if protecting one¡¯s student is simply the job of a teacher, and that was all he¡¯d done.


    Effenhauser didn¡¯t even want gratitude.


    The more I saw of him, the more peculiar he seemed. Was he perhaps embarrassed?


    ¡°B-But still, calling me the best talent in the Temple, isn¡¯t that an exaggeration?¡± I asked, wanting to know why he¡¯d given me such undue praise, since even I didn¡¯t believe it.


    Effenhauser finally looked me in the eye.


    ¡°Opinions may vary, but I genuinely believe that.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    So... He was serious?


    Seeing my confusion, Mr. Effenhauser said quietly, ¡°Number 2 was alreadyplete when she enrolled, but you are beingpleted here.¡±


    Unlike Ellen, who had been able to do many things right from the start, I had enrolled while unable to do anything, but was growing at an astounding rate. Mr. Effenhauser was assessing the speed of my progress rather than the actual level I had attained so far.


    All this was genuinely a bit overwhelming, though.


    What was I supposed to say? It felt really weird to receive such praise from someone with that expression.


    ¡°Ellen knows how to use Mana Reinforcement, though.¡±


    ¡°You did that this time too.¡±


    <i>¡®But still, the side effects we experienced were onpletely different levels, weren¡¯t they?¡¯</i>


    It was clear that this man genuinely considered me the best genius in the Temple.


    But hearing him say it so earnestly...


    It felt a bit strange...


    <i> </i> *


    Even though my dealings with the Orbis ss had been wrapped up, it was just the beginning for them.


    The Temple headquarters had now realized that the chain of violence that was being spread within the ss would never be resolved internally, and seemed genuine in their desire to take appropriate and immediate actions concerning it.


    If left alone, an internal cover-up was inevitable, and so they decided to keep all the first-year students, who were still primarily the victims, at the Temple Headquarters for their own protection.


    Following that, an emergency announcement was made that the Orbis ss would be suspended.


    The suspension might not be lifted until the internal issues within the ss werepletely resolved. Many students might get expelled, and several teachers could even be dismissed.


    The special sses were offered special status both within the Temple and the imperial capital.


    However, given the severity of the internal issues, some of the perpetrators might face actual imprisonment.


    Honestly, the bruises that marked Lilka Aaron¡¯s body had seemed horrendous, even to me.


    Did they really beat someone like that just because they lost a fight? It was shocking.


    Now that I could move around with crutches, I could attend sses again.


    On Friday, after the Demonic Ecology ss ended, we were on our way back.


    Those attending the Demonic Ecology ss included Ellen, Riana, Harriet and myself.


    ¡°You managed to shake up the entire Orbis ss with just one fight,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°That was because of the disciplinarymittee. I didn¡¯t even say anything in there,¡± I muttered irritably in response to Harriet¡¯s teasing.


    Honestly, I never expected things to escte this much. I hadn¡¯t said a word at the disciplinarymittee hearing. It was Lilka Aaron who had orchestrated the whole n with the others in her ss to bring down the seniors. Of course, my actions had some influence, though...


    Ultimately, it was true that my slight push had triggered the first domino to fall. If left alone, the Orbis ss would have continued operating in its usual way.


    Harriet seemed amused by my slightly annoyed state and asked with a grin, ¡°Your troublemaking is getting more and more grand. Seriously, what¡¯s next? Are you going to destroy the entire Temple?¡±


    Harriet, having grown ustomed to teasing me, was trying not to lose in this exchange.


    She¡¯d developed a thicker skin from all the banter she¡¯d gotten from me.


    Her thick skull had evolved...


    ¡°Harriet! Now I¡¯m actually worried he might really do that,¡± said Riana, looking a bit apprehensive. ¡°I knew he was aplete lunatic, but I didn¡¯t expect him to charge solo into the Orbis ss, pick a fight, and even go after a senior in his fourth year...¡±


    Even Riana, who was usually quiteid-back, seemed genuinely shocked this time. Her internal assessment of my lunacy seemed to have gone up a few notches.


    Ellen, who was walking with us, remained quiet, walking beside me regardless of what we were talking about.


    Suddenly, Ellen spoke up. ¡°Slower.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk slower.¡±


    Ellen pointed to me. It was only then that everyone else seemed to realize they were walking too fast for someone on crutches, and they slowed their pace.


    Harriet¡¯s face turned slightly red, while Riana scratched her cheek awkwardly.


    ¡°Did you only just realize that you¡¯reining in front of a patient, you spawns of Satan?¡± I remarked.


    Well, technically, the demons were the real spawns of Satan. That was me.


    Both of them fell silent, seemingly feeling a little bad.


    <i>¡®Ellen is the only one on my side!¡¯</i>


    I looked at Ellen.


    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, could you carry me?¡±


    <i>¡®Carry me! You even fed mest time! Take care of me, Ellen!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... That¡¯s too much, I¡¯m not doing that.¡±


    Ellen seemed slightly put off by my tant whining and stepped away from me. Riana and Harriet both looked at me in shock.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯vepletely regressed into a child.¡±


    Riana¡¯s sharp remark left me at a loss for words.


    <i>¡®Hey, it¡¯s normal for people to regress a bit when they¡¯re in pain!¡¯</i>


    Of course, in my case, I seemed to have suffered full-on dementia-level regression.


    Crutches... They were such a pain. My body hadn¡¯t fully healed yet and was still aching all over.


    <i>Slip!</i>


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    While I was walking well enough, my crutch caught on something, and I almost fell. Ellen appeared swiftly like a sh of lightning and supported me .


    As she held me up she asked worriedly, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡¯</i>


    She had caught me with such lightning-fast reflexes that I¡¯d nearly had a heart attack.


    <i>¡®Is this what they call heart-fluttering? I¡¯m so nervous. What do I do?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you want me to carry you on my back?¡±


    That <i>really</i> caught me off guard.


    Ellen really seemed to believe that I was struggling and was ready to carry me.


    Both Harriet, Riana, and I looked startled by Ellen¡¯s earnest offer.


    ¡°J-Jeez, I-I was just kidding... I can walk fine...¡± I replied, stunned.


    What Riana had said at the mansion in Edina Archipgo was so true...


    I talked a big game, but if someone got serious, I got scared and ran away.


    In the end, I was just like Olivia Lanche.

 Chapter 220

    <h4>Chapter 220</h4>


    Turning points in the history of this world...


    So far, there have been three.


    The first was the survival of Charlotte de Gradias.


    That not only drastically altered the main story, but the survival of such a significant figure inevitably changed how things would y out.


    The second was the survival of Olivia Lanche.


    Olivia Lanche possessed powerful Divine Power and could even use something that could almost be described as the Divine Power of darkness. She was destined to achieve something extraordinary no matter what she did in the future.


    In the end, this special achievement, ¡°Turning Point in History¡±, seems to focus more on significant changes in the world¡¯s history rather than just altering the main story.


    Of course, the story of this world would shift continuously, in big or small ways, as long as I existed. Even the demon attack on the imperial capital had been a major event, but it did not qualify for the ¡°Turning Point in History¡± achievement.


    In any case, given the whimsical nature of this world, whether I got the achievement or not seemedpletely arbitrary.


    There were times when I received the achievement and times when I didn¡¯t, but given that I got one this time, this incident was sure to significantly change history.


    This was the third turning point in history...


    The Orbis ss incident.


    An emergency was dered and the Orbis ss was suspended.


    The Orbis ss would undoubtedly go through a significant change, and one other direct change was likely to ur because of this sudden suspension.


    ¡°It seems they might not hold thepetition during the festival,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°They probably won¡¯t. Even if things in the Orbis ss get resolved, they won¡¯t be allowed to participate in any official events for a while.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± I replied.


    Over time, news of the internal issues within the Orbis ss spread through the Temple like wildfire.


    This incident aside, there was no way the Orbis ss students would be in any position to leisurely enjoy the festival.


    The main event of the second semester...


    It was going to vanish entirely because of one fight I had.


    This was indeed a turning point in history, as significant events that were a major part of the main story wouldpletely evaporate. The tournament and everything around it was going to go up in smoke.


    In trying to prevent Ender Wilton¡¯s descent into darkness, I had ended up wiping out the main event of the semester.


    Did I do the right thing?


    Anyway, this wasn¡¯t the most important thing right this moment.


    Harriet and I were standing in front of a building.


    I was still on crutches and since I couldn¡¯t proceed with personal training, I decided to push ahead with other tasks while recuperating. Once fully recovered, I¡¯d focus on my personal projects.


    Even as a patient, here I was, hobbling around with crutches, getting things done.


    <i>¡®Just how diligent am I? I can¡¯t help but be amazed at myself.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is this our club room?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d call this a room.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Harriet and I. Everyone else was here too, including Louis Ankton, Adelia, Cristina, Anna, and even the little senior, Rudina.


    Rudina had epted my offer, so they were all members of the Magic Research Club.


    <i>[Royal ss Magic Research Club]</i>


    That was the sign on disy, but whaty before us was not just a room; it was a ratherrge building.


    Calling it a club room felt like an understatement. It was more like a club estate or a researchb.


    The Magic Research Club required numerous pieces of equipment, so it had taken some time for the Temple to approve and prepare everything after granting permission to establish the club.


    Royal ss magic majors did not usually join clubs, choosing instead to focus on individual research. We were the first to form such a club.


    The Royal ss administration had pondered about what to prepare for us and had ultimatelye up with an extraordinary solution.


    ¡°... They just vacated an entire researchb for us.¡±


    Rather than preparing a brand new space, they just gave us an existing one. It used to be a researchb for a mage who was a professor at the Temple. When the Royal ss administration had inquired if they could take it over, the mage had happily moved out, saying that they needed argerb anyway.


    Although it wasn¡¯t arge-scale facility, it was so luxurious for a student club that it seemed almost excessive.


    Everyone was wandering around the club estate, admiring it. Since I didn¡¯t know what any of the equipment was, I just sat in the central hall, dazed.


    ¡ªWow, what¡¯s this?


    ¡ªI¡¯ve never seen this before...


    ¡ªThis is a mana stone fusion reactor...


    ¡ªHey junior, what¡¯s this?


    ¡ªAh, this is...


    It seemed like there were a lot of pieces of equipment that even the magic majors were seeing for the first time, but Harriet and Louis Ankton knew about everything.


    Harriet¡¯s knowledge probably came from her status as an heir in the magic-famous Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and Louis¡¯s from his studies.


    It took quite a while to make a full circuit around the ce, and eventually, everyone gathered in the main hall.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that face? We got such an amazing ce,¡± Harriet grumbled, annoyed by my indifferent expression.


    ¡°What exactly am I supposed to be excited about...?¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand what any of this stuff was, so my reaction could only be, ¡°Wow, this looks impressive.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t wrap my head around the fact that I was the club president.


    ¡°This ce has specialized equipment for researching all fields of magic. Even in our grand duchy, facilities like this are rare.¡±


    It seemed on another levelpared to the dormitory¡¯s magicb. The others all seemed in awe of the ce.


    ¡°Well, if you say it¡¯s good, it must be good.¡±


    ¡°Be genuinely excited!¡±


    ¡°W-Wow, this is such a good facility. Yes, it¡¯s truly impressive!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being sarcastic!¡±


    Harriet seemed really happy, but grew deted at myck of enthusiasm. Seriously, what was the point of forcing excitement out of me in this situation?


    It was like watching a terrible movie filled with jump scares that wasn¡¯t my sort of show at all, with someone beside me constantly saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t this fun? Isn¡¯t it exciting?¡±


    Everyone gathered around the round table in the hall after exploring the building.


    No matter how you looked at it, it was bizarre to think that I was the president of the club.


    I was the least qualified to be president, yet everyone was staring at me. It was like being surrounded by social demons in an abysspletely devoid of sociability.


    The other students were going to handle the research, but I would have to manage the human rtionships between them, despite being awful at it.


    They asionally spoke to each other, but since the different factions weren¡¯t that close, they all just looked at me since I was the only one who had connections with everyone.


    The little senior, Rudina, looked at me with an especially eager expression.


    She often asked me questions and called me ¡°junior¡±, but ultimately, she found it mostfortable to interact with me.


    ¡°Forget the pointless opening ceremony or any formalities; I don¡¯t know how to do that and don¡¯t want to.¡±


    That day marked the beginning of the Magic Research Club, and our first meeting.


    ¡°Anyway, we have a club estate, not just a room, and once we get the dorm supervisor¡¯s permission, we can even stay here on weekdays, not just weekends.¡±


    Although I had only stayed in the dormitory so far, Mr. Effenhauser had briefed me on the details of this club estate.


    There were individualboratories and equipment for researching almost all fields of magic, and the estate even had bedrooms.


    The existence of bedrooms made me shiver with cold terror.


    This used to be a professor¡¯s researchb, so it was probably graduate students who stayed here, not professors...


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we don¡¯t have to stick to the dorm curfew?¡±


    ¡°... No dorm supervisor will being here, so probably yes.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces brightened even more at the idea of being able to research all night.


    They were thrilled at the notion of pulling all-nighters. Harriet and Adelia seemed particrly happy.


    I was going to say something like, ¡°If you pretend to sleep here and sneak off to party somewhere else, you¡¯ll be in big trouble,¡± but that didn¡¯t seem necessary.


    These were just kids who loved magic to the point of it being nauseating.


    ¡°Our supervising teacher will be Ms. Mustang. If you don¡¯t know how to handle the magical research facilities or are conducting dangerous experiments, you¡¯ll need the teacher¡¯s supervision or approval.¡±


    Since the Magic Research Club wasn¡¯t an ordinary club, the supervising teacher had to be a mage themselves, and Ms. Mustang was a mage. Hence, she had volunteered to be the supervising teacher of the Magic Research Club, despite it not existing in the original story.


    It was quitemendable that the magic majors of both ss A and B wereing together to conduct magic research, and Ms. Mustang enthusiastically supported it.


    Honestly, though, I didn¡¯t particrly like Ms. Mustang.


    I know. I¡¯m a twisted person.


    Even though I described Ms. Mustang and Ludwig positively in my novel, when I saw them in real life, I found myself feeling uneasy around them.


    I didn¡¯t like overly enthusiastic people and preferred someone like Mr. Effenhauser.


    <i>¡°Sure, do what you want, it¡¯s your life. You deal with the consequences.¡±</i>


    I liked people with that type of mindset.


    Ms. Mustang was full of affection and cared too much about her students, and likely meddled in various matters.


    Usually, the club¡¯s supervising teacher did not need to show up much.


    Given Mustang¡¯s personality, though, it was very likely that she¡¯d be dropping by frequently.


    Unfortunately, Mr. Effenhauser wasn¡¯t a mage, so he couldn¡¯t be the supervising teacher. Thus, with some reluctance, I had to ept Ms. Mustang as our supervising teacher.


    Still, since she was a genuinely good person, she at least wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance.


    We weren¡¯t having an official meeting, but it was more of a tour of the club estate. Ms. Mustang would likely join us once in a while when our formal meetings began.


    ¡°The official meetings are once a week, but since the facilities here are so good, feel free toe anytime. There¡¯s a magical lock, so only registered members can enter. There¡¯s no need to worry about theft. However, don¡¯t bring valuable items here unnecessarily.¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm... I feel like I¡¯m speaking more like a teacher than a president.¡¯ </i>


    Everyone was nodding, looking at me as if I was indeed a teacher.


    <i>¡®Ah. These kids are all so adorable that I want to just mess with them... Why am I even doing this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s roughly all the teacher asked me to convey....¡±


    Of course, since I was ying the role of president, I had my own ideas.


    I didn¡¯t know much about magic, so the research and lectures would be up to the others.


    ¡°Louis, how¡¯s the lecture preparation going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will turn out well, but I¡¯m working on it.¡±


    As president, my role was to coordinate.


    Louis Ankton had been studying tirelessly to find ways to improve the other¡¯s skills even before our club was officially established. He was putting tremendous effort into bing a magic schr to teach mages about things aside from the usual stuff tested in exams.


    ¡°Great. Start whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Now that I held the title of president, they treated me a little differently. In the past, they obeyed out of fear, but now they listened because I was the president.


    <i>¡®This is quite nice.¡¯</i>


    Louis was preparing his lectures. He might have been ready to begin that day, but it seemed a little early for it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help with your research, but there¡¯s something I want you all to work on. Can I say it?¡±


    Though my sudden statement puzzled them, they all nodded.


    <i>¡®Hmm. ying the role of president isn¡¯t bad at all.¡¯</i>


    Though I couldn¡¯t partake in the research, I could suggest research topics or activity goals. Our club had six first-year members including me, but with senior Rudina, it became seven.


    The Gate Incident...


    The best scenario was to prevent the incident from ever urring.


    The root of the Gate Incident was the warp gates connecting to another world. If we couldn¡¯t stop this, then we would have to fight, and everyone had to be stronger.


    In the end, what I wanted was for everyone to improve their skills. Specifically, their skills inbat.


    With that in mind, I nned to give each of them an individual research topic for enhancing practicalbat abilities.


    ¡°First, Rudina.¡±


    The first target was Rudina.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Rudina tilted her head in confusion as I called on her.


    ¡°Rudina, you have a tiny amount of mana, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a harsh way to put it!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! I really hate you! You¡¯re the worst!¡±


    Rudina huffed and puffed at my words and looked like she might cry because it was indeed true.


    She had the talent for No Casting.


    It was an insanely overpowered ability, but it came with a significant problem: very low mana capacity. ording to the physical data, her mana capacity was extremely low.


    <i>Mana Capacity: 4.2</i>


    It was only at F+ rank. Compared to others of her level, it was extremely, extremely low. It was less than half of my mana capacity, which was 13 (C+ rank).


    The talent necessary for mana growth was Mana Attunement, and her talent in Mana Attunement seemed to be very low. Still, it was better than Kaier, who had no way of attaining Mana Maniption.


    If one had to give up either Mana Attunement or Mana Maniption, it was better to give up Mana Attunement. Although Kaier had massive mana reserves, his inability to manipte mana made it useless.


    Anyway, Rudina¡¯s issue was simr yet somewhat different from Kaier¡¯s.


    Natura. mana growth beyond this point would yield little results for her.


    I had ns in ce to enhance everyone¡¯s mana capacity, but for Rudina, that alone might not solve the issue.


    Thus, another alternative was needed.


    ¡°Rudina, let¡¯s consider not using your own mana from now on.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Everyone tilted their heads in confusion at my remark.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t aw stating that magic must be activated using your own mana, right? If you extract mana stored in something like a mana stone to activate magic, that¡¯s still magic, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Everyone seemed baffled by my radical idea. Was such a novel thought possible because I was ignorantly blissful about magic? From the look on their faces, that seemed to be the case.


    However, one person caught on.


    ¡°Are you talking about Stonemagic?¡±


    It was Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    <i>¡®I always believed in you, Thick-Skull. You¡¯re the best!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 221

    <h4>Chapter 221</h4>


    Stonemagic...


    It was a method of activating magic using mana extracted from mana stones. Though I didn¡¯t know the specifics of how it worked, since I was the one who created this world, I knew the broad strokes of how it worked.


    Of course, Stonemagic can¡¯t be used if you can¡¯t manipte mana at all, so Louis Ankton could not suddenly be a mage overnight.


    Most people looked like they were hearing the term ¡°Stonemagic¡± for the first time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Stonemagic is specifically, but I figured such a thing might exist. It looks like it does.¡±


    I was hoping for some confirmation, and Harriet hit the nail on the head.


    Harriet seemed perplexed.


    ¡°But that¡¯s incredibly difficult... You¡¯d essentially have to relearn magic from scratch. It¡¯s soplex that no one bothers using that branch of magic.¡±


    <i>¡®Right. I know that because I wrote it that way.¡¯</i>


    Stonemagic involved manipting external mana, which waspletely different from the maniption of internal mana that was used in traditional magic.


    So, while there was a theoretical foundation for it, it has beenrgely neglected.


    However, I wasn¡¯t advising Rudina to learn the obscure branch of Stonemagic.


    ¡°Then we just need a magic stone that can store external mana as if it were internal mana.¡±


    ¡°... You make it sound as if it¡¯s easy.¡±


    Yeah, my theory sounded imusible and seemed tock any grounding in reality. But what could I do, given that I had foreknowledge that such a thing would actually emerge in the future?


    Harriet thought I was just babbling ignorantly, and Rudina seemed sulky at the suggestion that she should learn a new type of magic just because she was a mana dud.


    <i>¡®Ohe on, listening to an adult for once wouldn¡¯t hurt! Also, I¡¯m not just an adult; I¡¯m the Creator! So I¡¯m always right!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Adelia?¡±


    Adelia looked startled at being suddenly addressed.


    ¡°... Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If it¡¯s not possible, then make it possible.¡±


    Adelia... This was the girl whoter created such a magic stone¡ªan artifact, to be precise.


    An artifact that stored mana and allowed it to be used as if it were internal mana for casting spells.


    I knew that she created something called a Power Cartridge.


    The Gate Incident began in the first semester of the third year, and the kids would get caught up in an unavoidable conflict. Of course, after the initial chaotic sweep of battles, the Temple students officially joined to support thebat.


    However, even within the Royal ss, there werebatants and nonbatants, and there were definitely some who couldn¡¯t fight.


    Those whose talents were unsuitable forbat couldn¡¯t be dragged in to fight battles, so they inevitably had different roles and tasks.


    A prime example was Louis teaching magic to magic majors during his spare time.


    Adelia, with her talent for Summoning Magic, fell into thebatant category, but she also has a talent for Magic Crafting.


    Since nearly every battle became a prolonged fight, magic majors constantly suffered from mana depletion. At the age of neen, aside from certain exceptional cases, every student inevitably faced the limitations of absolute mana capacity, since their talents had yet to fully develop.


    This wasn¡¯t just a Royal ss problem, but an issue faced by all mages involved in battles.


    Magic was powerful, but it couldn¡¯t be used frivolously. Yet, avoiding battle wasn¡¯t an option.


    Adelia would find a way to address this problem while being deployed on the battlefield.


    An artifact that allows mana contained in external mana stones to be used as internal mana: the Power Cartridge.


    The Stonemagic that Harriet spoke of was simr in form, but applied differently.


    Adelia would eventually create a cheat-like mana amplification device, and I was telling her to make it in advance.


    <i>¡°If it¡¯s not possible, make it possible.¡±</i>


    Adelia looked dumbfounded.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Is that even possible...?¡±


    She, the one who would end up creating it, was basically that saying such an outrageous thing was impossible. Harriet, eyes zing with irritation, red at me as well.


    ¡°If something like that could be made just because you said so, Adelia would be a legend in the magic world. Do you think it¡¯s that simple?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. She </i>will <i>be a legend.¡¯</i>


    But no matter how I exined it, I just sounded like an ignoramus with big dreams giving unrealistic orders. The others¡¯ reactions were no different, their lukewarm expressions suggesting I was woefully uninformed.


    ¡°Yeah. Do you think my mana is going to stay like this forever? You¡¯re being really, really ridiculous right now!¡± Rudina shouted at me, her eyes brimming with tears.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m doing this for your own good! I am the god of this world! Everything I say is right! But how can I convince you of that...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah, screw it.¡± In the end, I frowned at everyone¡¯s uncertain expressions. ¡°You think I¡¯m easy to mess with, huh?¡±


    Ultimately, I had no choice but to resort to the most convenient solution.


    Regressing to the basics...


    <i>¡®Have you forgotten that I¡¯m </i>the<i> Reinhart?! Do I seem like a joke to you, just because I¡¯m hobbling around with crutches after going head-to-head with a senior?</i>


    <i>¡®Should I show you?¡¯</i>


    Everyone seemed startled when I suddenly flipped out.


    ¡°You guys made me the president by force, so do as I say, damn it. Arguing with me about whether something is possible or not¡ªhey! Adelia!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Yes!?¡± Adelia responded, her face turning pale.


    ¡°If I tell you to make it, then make it. Don¡¯t make me flip out.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, okay...¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t seem that enthusiastic about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll make it, for sure!¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I want to hear.¡±


    I gave Adelia, who answered me energetically but with her face pale, with satisfaction.


    <i>¡®Since you made me the president, then it¡¯s all your fault that this club is run this way.¡¯</i>


    Adelia nodded furiously at my coercion as Harriet, along with the others, watched in shock.


    However, no one dared to speak up when confronted by my furious demeanor. Because that was who I was.


    ¡°Who said it¡¯s impossible? You guys keep saying it can¡¯t be done without even trying. Youngsters these days have no fighting spirit,¡± I muttered with my arms crossed.


    I didn¡¯t forget to throw in a bit of tant nonsense.


    There was no need to worry about whether they could even grasp such an unconventional task.


    Giving the order in such a way made it so that Adelia was so scared that she¡¯d likely approach the development with the mindset that failure wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°And Rudina, help Adelia with her research. This is being made for your benefit, after all.¡±


    ¡°M-Me too...?¡± Rudina said cautiously, watching my mood.


    ¡°Of course. Did you think you¡¯d get a free pass? You have to do <i>something</i>.¡±


    ¡°You really think it can be made?¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing and start helping.¡±


    Rudina was assigned to assist Adelia with her research. No objections epted.


    ¡°Next, Cristina.¡±


    ¡°M-Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you.¡±


    All of them had begun to getfortable around me, and had suddenly realized again who I actually was. My sudden fierceness seemed to leave them with slightly bewildered expressions.


    Cristina, with her talents in Alchemy and Enchantment, was a nonbatant.


    ¡°For you, I have something specific in mind. You¡¯ll need to help me directly.¡±


    ¡°Help you directly...?¡±


    I had assigned Adelia her task with the excuse of solving Rudina¡¯s mana deficiency, and I had a good excuse here as well.


    ¡°As you can see, I messed up real bad using Mana Reinforcement and ended up like this.¡± The side effects of Mana Reinforcement were significant. ¡°I want you to make a potion that can make one more sensitive to internal Mana Maniption and response.¡±


    This bombshell request drew a plethora of priceless reactions.


    <i>¡®Ugh... These kids! You guys don¡¯t get it! These things will actually all be made in the future! It might sound impossible now, but you¡¯re really going to make them one day!¡¯</i>


    During the time of the Gate Incident in the first semester of the third year, many couldn¡¯t even master Mana Reinforcement by graduation.


    I had been forced to stir things up with the Gate Incident because I had run out of things to write about by the end of the second year.


    Given the size of that particr disaster, even Temple students were drafted into the fight, but despite their potential, they were still not the strongest in the empire.


    At that point, only Ellen, Vertus, and Ludwig had mastered Mana Reinforcement, while the rest of thebat major students hadn¡¯t. So, in between the constant battles, they had to quickly master Mana Reinforcement.


    Cristina would eventually end up creating a special potion that helped everyone adapt to Mana Reinforcement. Its name was Moonshine.


    I named it Moonshine, in reference to the light of the moon, butter found out fromments that Moonshine actually referred to illegally-made liquor¡ªembarrassing!


    Anyway, the name can always be changed. What I was asking Cristina to create was a potion that helped someone master Mana Reinforcement and be even more adept at it, while aiding in raising the user¡¯s mana capacity.


    Harriet finally exploded.


    ¡°This is ridiculous! Just one of these things would be enough to make history in the magic world. Why are you asking us to make such groundbreaking items here? If you want such amazing things made, you should go to the Temple¡¯s Graduate Comprehensive Research Center or the Magic Tower!¡±


    Harriet was right. I was ordering them to create two things that would leave a mark in history at the same time.


    It was absurd to ask a high school club to create such things. But if it were possible for the universitybs to create such things, I wouldn¡¯t need this club at all and could have just ced an order with them.


    However, these items could only be made by the people in this club. I wasn¡¯t sure the universitybs would even listen to me, and even if they did, that wouldn¡¯t mean they could actually create these items.


    I couldn¡¯t convince them that they were the only ones in the world who could make these.


    So, coercion was the only answer.


    ¡°Thick-Skull. Do you want me to repeat myself? If I say so, then just do it. Here, I¡¯m the king.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t call me Thick-Skull!¡± Harriet yelled, frustrated and flushed with anger as ss B students watched on.


    ¡°Just give it a try, okay?¡±


    Cristina nodded reluctantly, not wanting to anger me further. ¡°I will give it a try, but I can¡¯t guarantee sess...¡±


    There was something else I had to tell Cristina.


    ¡°Also, I have another question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why is Enchantment only applied to objects?¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll give her one super practicalbat tip right now.¡¯</i>


    It wasmon knowledge that Enchantment was only applied to objects.


    ¡°Why not enchant something like a potion?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Everyone seemed surprised by my entirely different approach.


    ¡°Well... I guess it might be possible. But would that really be... useful?¡±


    There was amon preconceived notion that enchantments were only reserved for objects, one that would be shatteredter on.


    Moonshine, the potion, would ultimately be created bybining Alchemy and Enchantment.


    An enchanted potion.


    Everyone seemed to mull over this new concept with puzzled expressions.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll think about it some more.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    We were embarking on developing two powerful items: the Power Cartridge for the magic majors and Moonshine for thebat majors.


    Oncepleted, these items would significantly strengthen the magic majors.


    Louis was already preparing his lecture, so there was no need to interfere there.


    The only remaining challenge was for our versatile grand duchess, Harriet, and also Anna de Gerna with her dark magic talents.


    For Anna, she wouldn¡¯t end up creating anything particrly special. She would be utilizing her dark magic inbat.


    I would assign her the tasks when needed.


    I turned my gaze to Harriet.


    ¡°Come to think of it, aren¡¯t you the ace here?¡±


    ¡°... A-Ace?¡±


    ¡°In terms of talent, you¡¯re top ss.¡±


    Even among these prodigies, she stood above them all with just the simple and straightforward talent of Magic.


    In the original story, Harriet de Saint-Ouen was insufferably arrogant, but her skills were unmatched.


    Now, though, she had changed so much that she looked utterly adorable. Seeing her like this filled me with a strange sense of pride.


    Who knew she could be so cute?


    Harriet blushed at myment about her being the top magic major.


    ¡°W-What are you saying... You call me a thick skull one moment, then praise me the next... Make up your mind already...¡±


    She fidgeted, evidently embarrassed.


    <i>¡®Why is she blushing? This isn¡¯t the time to be happy about praise, is it?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So, you can do anything, right?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned ashen when she realized the weight of my expectations.


    I had tasked the two students with talents in Alchemy and Magic Crafting to create unprecedented magical items.


    She couldn¡¯t even fathom what kind of impossible task I might ask of her, with her all-epassing talent for magic.


    She seemed sure that I would ask her to do something ridiculously outrageous.


    Unfortunately for Harriet, in the original story, she didn¡¯t create or invent anything revolutionary and mostly engaged inbat as a battlemage, decimating foes with overwhelming magic.


    In the original story, wielding a Power Cartridge basically turned Harriet de Saint-Ouen into a walking death machine, and this power made her even more arrogant and entitled.


    For now, it was enough that she was adorable.


    I was going to ask Harriet to do something that wasn¡¯t in the original story.


    So far, everything I have tasked them with, and the things I nned to do, were preparations for when the Gate Incident urred.


    But for Harriet, I had apletely different assignment.


    ¡°Hey, have you ever thought about researching dimensional magic?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    The task of preventing the Gate Incident entirely.


    That¡¯s what I was assigning Harriet.

 Chapter 222

    <h4>Chapter 222</h4>


    ¡°... Dimensional magic?¡±


    Harriet seemed more baffled than outright dismissive. While the other tasks, though immense in scope, had a clear end product, dimensional magic seemed very unspecific.


    She didn¡¯t understand the purpose or reason behind it.


    ¡°Why that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Well, from what I know, isn¡¯t dimensional magic considered the highest form of magic?¡±


    ¡°More urately, dimensional concepts are involved in several specific fields of magic. For instance, a lot of spatial magic and Summoning magic deals with dimensions,¡± Louis Ankton said, jumping into the conversation.


    Harriet nodded in agreement with him.


    ¡°And you know that such spells are typically among the highest-tier incantations, right? Think about Teleportation, warp gate systems, and summoning spells that open dimensional portals,¡± Louis continued. Magic rted to dimensions generally belongs to the highest tier of spells. So there isn¡¯t a field solely dedicated to dimensional magic itself.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    While there were spells that use dimensional concepts, there was no field of magic dedicated solely to dimensions.


    ¡°Well, then, we¡¯ll create it,¡± I said, staring intently at Harriet.


    <i>¡®If it doesn¡¯t exist yet, we¡¯ll make it exist.</i>


    <i>What seems impossible, we¡¯ll find a way to make it possible.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You are a genius,¡± I said.


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    ¡°You can do it, Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you seriously calling me that while giving me the hardest job?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how much faith I have in you.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face, which was starting to flush with anger, seemed to take on a different hue, one of embarrassment. Her lips quivered slightly.


    ¡°You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah... I-I¡¯ll give it a try...¡± she said with a subtle nod, sweat beading on her forehead.


    Researching dimensional magic... I honestly didn¡¯t know how this would turn out. Therefore, I didn¡¯t know what oue Harriet would reach either.


    ¡°S-So... Why dimensional magic...? Just because it seems like it would be possible if I tried?¡± Harriet asked, her face still tinged red.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t have a solid excuse.


    ¡°I want to visit another world.¡±


    So, I ended up blurting out a sincere yet nonsensical reason.


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    The room fell silent as everyone processed my unexpected deration.


    ***


    The Gate Incident...


    The warp gate that connected to another world...


    The primary countermeasure would be to destroy all warp gates across the continent. However, such an act might only be a temporary solution.


    The next approach inbating it was to develop powerful magical items in advance to enhance individualbat capabilities. If sessful, these items wouldn¡¯t just be used by the Royal ss, but could be supplied to the entire Temple and possibly the entire continent.


    Of course, this might lead toplications due to an overproliferation of power, but I had yet to figure out a solution for that.


    If it seemed problematic, these items could be used secretly within the Temple, or just among the Royal ss.


    However, if Harriet achieved tangible results in the previously non-existent field of dimensional magic, new possibilities would arise.


    As long as there was a future in which our world was connected with another, that world had to already exist.


    So, instead of waiting for an invasion, we could potentially invade the other world ourselves.


    In conclusion, my three requests were:


    Create the Power Cartridge.


    Make Moonshine.


    Research dimensional magic.


    As the price for making me president of the club, these kids had to follow my seemingly absurdmands.


    Of course, they obeyed not just because I was the president, but because they realized again how insane I could be and feared what might happen if they did notply.


    Anyway, it seemed like they were nning to use thisb not just during club meetings, but as their main research space, at least for the first-year magic majors, since this ce had far better equipment than the dorm researchbs or personal rooms.


    In that case, these magic majors would be able to do their work smoothly.


    If Moonshine was produced, progress in Mana Reinforcement would elerate significantly.


    If Ellen used it, she might even reach the rank of Swordmaster within the year.


    In any case, dragging my sore body around exhausted me.


    Those who wanted to stay in the club estate stayed, while those who wanted to leave left.


    Harriet and I headed back together first. Despite acting indifferent to it, it seemed like Harriet was worried about me limping around on crutches.


    ¡°Do you really think another world exists?¡± Harriet asked, seemingly baffled by my obsession with another world.


    Whether it existed or not, from my perspective, the world I was in at that moment <i>was</i> another world.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying we should find out if it does or not.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just because. Because I¡¯m curious, I guess.¡±


    I had no better excuse than that.


    ¡°You really are a strange one. And what I hate the most is that you dump your curiosity onto others.¡±


    ¡°Oh is that so? Well, you should have thought carefully before making me president, then.¡±


    ¡°Seriously! I regret making you president the most!¡±


    Harriet seemed deeply disappointed with her choice, as she now had to research dimensional magic, something she¡¯d never intended to do. She crossed her arms in frustration.


    ¡°Anyway, since I¡¯m working under your orders, I¡¯ll call on you whenever I need you,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°What can I even help with?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! But I¡¯ll call you whenever I can! You¡¯re doing whatever you want, so I¡¯ll do the same!¡±


    <i>¡®This kid. She thinks she now has some right to call me anytime, doesn¡¯t she? Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, it seems like she¡¯s actually starting to enjoy this dynamic even more the longer she thinks about it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh yeah! We should visit the warp gate this weekend then!¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Why the sudden interest in the warp gate?¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no such thing as dimensional magic per se, researching a permanently open dimensional portal like the warp gate would obviously help in studying dimensional magic. You shoulde along too,¡± Harriet said, giving me a mischievous grin.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t lie! You just want to go out and have fun!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you ignoring the crutches I¡¯m on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right...¡±


    Harriet looked apologetic. It had finally dawned on her that she was suggesting dragging an injured person out over the weekend.


    <i>¡®Seriously. Sometimes she has a really thick skull, which makes her even cuter.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re really sorry, how about you carry me? I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?! Wh-What kind of crazy talk is that?!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, carry me, Grand Duchess. Lift this humble beggar.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you serious?! Ugh!! Why are you the one bringing up status? Have you lost your mind?¡±


    I was amused by Harriet¡¯s flustered outburst, and she actually tried to carry me just to shut me up.


    Unlike Ellen, who didn¡¯t give in thest time, Harriet bent down and let me get on her back. The look on her face was priceless.


    However, she genuinely couldn¡¯t lift me. She struggled and eventually couldn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°How weak, Grand Duchess. You can¡¯t even carry this humble body.¡±


    Frustrated by my teasing, Harriet finally exploded with a yell of exasperation.


    ¡°Y-You! You¡¯re really...! You¡¯re really the worst! I hate you! I seriously hate you for real!¡±


    ***


    Now that the showdown between the Royal ss and Orbis ss during the festival had been canceled, all rted challenges had also been scrapped.


    Since I¡¯d had no intention of participating anyway, it was a good thing. It freed up more time for other things. The Magic Research Club could go full speed ahead.


    Still, the idea of the entire Orbis ss being shut down... I didn¡¯t wish for that.


    Although I soon managed to ditch the crutches, my body was still in terrible shape and physical training was utterly impossible.


    I couldn¡¯t participate in the early morning endurance sessions with Adriana or the usual training with Ellen.


    The phrase ¡°climbing the walls¡± took on new meaning. I knew time wasn¡¯t flying by pointlessly, but the inactivity was driving me insane.


    ¡°Still hurting?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s improved from ¡®pain so bad it feels like I¡¯ll die¡¯ to ¡®pain so bad it¡¯s making me go crazy.¡¯¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was night, and Ellen had just finished her training and washed up. She looked all fresh and clean.


    Whenever we met, Ellen asked if I was still in pain.


    Hearing me say that I was feeling crazy instead of dying this time, Ellen stared at me closely.


    For a moment, she looked slightly annoyed.


    Perhaps it was because I had been in pain for so long.


    Or perhaps because I hadn¡¯t been to the practice grounds for quite a while. Maybe it was that.


    ¡°... Are you mad?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ellen replied curtly with a shake of her head as she looked away.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like being in pain is your fault,¡± Ellen said, sitting by the window, avoiding eye contact. ¡°But if you keep getting hurt like this in the future...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll really, seriously get mad.¡±


    Ellen wasn¡¯t actually angry at me.


    It was a strange feeling¡ªterrifying yet heartwarming.


    ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t exercise, but I can still eat.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have something to eat. I¡¯ll make it.¡±


    Just because I couldn¡¯t use my body much didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t do some light cooking. Besides, I was feeling a bit better.


    ¡°No.¡± Ellen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll make it.¡±


    So, being injured had its perks after all.


    ¡°You gonna feed me too?¡±


    Ellen shot a sharp look at me, warning me not to push it. ¡°You can eat on your own now.¡±


    ***


    Ellen sat across from Reinhart, both of them eating the cream risotto she had made.


    She had considered making something subpar, but ended up giving it her best since he was injured. The taste was excellent. The Temple provided them with the best ingredients so it was hard to go wrong, and Ellen had a knack for cooking anyway.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten good enough to handle this on your own,¡± said Reinhart.


    She was afraid he would be disappointed or sulk if she demonstrated that she could cook better than him, but he seemed relieved to have one less chore.


    ¡°Only until you¡¯re fully recovered,¡± Ellen insisted.


    She made it clear this special treatment would onlyst until he was healed. Reinhart, who usually had something to say, just nodded.


    Reinhart¡¯s injuries were more severe than the ones she¡¯d sustained, and his recovery was slow. Instead of taking the time to rest properly, though, he kept wandering around, itching to do something.


    ¡°How¡¯s the Magic Research Club?¡± Ellen inquired.


    ¡°Oh, I checked out our club space today. It¡¯s pretty nice. We got an entireb instead of just a room.¡±


    The Magic Research Club...


    Ellen almost couldn¡¯t believe it when she heard Reinhart was the president of such a club.


    <i>¡®Magic, too? Is this even possible?¡¯</i> she thought.


    After learning of the details, though, it made more sense.


    Reinhart had merely suggested it because it seemed beneficial for the magic majors to do some research together. He hadn¡¯t intended to join, let alone be the president.


    Ellen figured that it was likely because of Harriet.


    Seeing Harriet¡¯s delighted expression whenever she talked about the club when she was around Reinhart made it obvious.


    Harriet liked Reinhart. Ellen was aware of this.


    However, since Harriet was a magic major while Reinhart¡¯s skills were inbat and other disciplines, their sses and daily lives did not ovep much.


    Since Reinhart spent most of his time on the training ground, Harriet didn¡¯t have many opportunities to see him. That was why Ellen suspected Harriet might have dragged Reinhart into the club.


    However, Reinhart had willingly taken on the role of Magic Research Club president, even though it didn¡¯t seem to benefit him.


    What could that mean?


    ¡°Ugh... Even eating is exhausting.¡±


    Ellen nced at Reinhart, who was struggling to eat his risotto.


    She was busy enough with her own activities, yet Reinhart was taking care of the magic majors and handling the duties of club president.


    Why would he do that? He was in pain, barely able to move around with crutches, yet he was constantly running around.


    He wasn¡¯t doing it for himself, but for someone else.


    For Harriet.


    That could only mean one thing.


    Reinhart had feelings for Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    ¡°Why the long face?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost. Is someone dying?¡±


    Ellen wasn¡¯t aware of her own expression.


    <i>¡®What kind of face was I making?¡¯</i>


    She couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it tastes bad. It¡¯s just hard to move my jaw,¡± Reinhart said, trying to reassure her as he continued to eat slowly but steadily. He seemed to believe that his slow eating was making Ellen upset.


    Reinhart hadn¡¯t been to the training groundstely. He literally couldn¡¯t go.


    And Ellen knew that.


    Once he recovered, Reinhart would return to the training grounds, swing his practice sword about, bicker all day, andin about being sore.


    But Ellen couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she was losing something she¡¯d never really had.


    It wasn¡¯t hers, so nothing was being taken away.


    There was no reason to think that way.


    However, Ellen couldn¡¯t stop those uninvited thoughts from surfacing.


    In the end, she left her risotto half-eaten.


    ***


    Though attending sses was a relief, I couldn¡¯t participate in any practical lessons.


    However, I could join Ellen in the newly-added Mana Reinforcement training.


    Instead of practicing Mana Maniption, I mostly received a chi-like treatment from the yoga master teacher. It felt refreshing, as if a certain energy was being channeled through my body.


    I could imagine that proper Mana Reinforcement would feel somewhat like that.


    At this rate, though, I was worried about failing my midterm exams. While I didn¡¯t particrly care about grades, I didn¡¯t want to flunk out either.


    Of course, I was aware that there could be people who wanted to try something on me while I was weakened.


    However, everything seemed to be resolved for the moment.


    There were four who truly disliked me: The Hopeless Trio, and Heinrich.


    Heinrich seemed to have mellowed somewhat after the Edina Archipgo incident. We weren¡¯t close, but he no longer openly scorned me or avoided me.


    As for the Hopeless Trio, despite how the fight turned out, I had fought on behalf of Erhi and had been severely injured in the process. They still seemed to fear me, but the animosity had diminished, and it was clear they no longer openly disliked me.


    In short, my rtionships with those who might be considered my antagonists had settled themselves.


    It wasn¡¯t that they disliked me, but feared me instead. That wasn¡¯t a positive rtionship, but at least that sort of rtionship wouldn¡¯t result in any more conflicts arising.


    Because of my injury, I couldn¡¯t focus on training even if I wanted to, so I directed more attention toward the Magic Research Club.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t contribute directly to the research itself.


    My role was to manage what I could as president. Things like the budget, for example.


    ¡°So, you want to triple the budget for your club?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I was, at that moment, attending a Royal ss club meeting.


    ¡°... You do know that your current budget is five thousand gold coins, which is already exceptionally high, right?¡±

 Chapter 223

    <h4>Chapter 223</h4>


    As the club president, I had to be dragged around to attend these little scheduled meetings.


    There were around a hundred and twenty Royal ss students. Because of this small number, there weren¡¯t that many clubs.


    Attending the club meeting were Ceres Van Owenne, the president of the Royal ss Student Council, apanied by the vice president.


    In addition, Olivia Lanche, the president of the Grace club and Leiter Zabri, the president of Monthly Royal ss, who had been scolded by Charlotte for causing trouble previously, were both there.


    Besides these four, there were about five other seniors who seemed to be presidents of other clubs sitting around as well.


    The Royal ss was noticeably small, but that meant there were plenty of leftover funds avable to support the various clubs. Now that a club based around the important subject of magic research had been created, the club was allocated a substantial budget, since magic research required a lot of money.


    Five thousand gold coins was about fifty billion won, which was an excessivelyrge amount of money to support the activities of a high school club. Other clubs did not need that much money, so they didn¡¯t receive such arge amount.


    Magic research was, in many ways, a money-eating activity.


    Despite this, I had suddenly asked for the support fund to be tripled. No wonder the president turned pale.


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not like the kids are fooling around in there. If the money is for studying and they need it, they should get it,¡± said my overwhelming supporter, Olivia Lanche, as she smiled gently at Ceres.


    <i>¡®Oh, this </i>noona <i>is usually a bit of a troublemaker, but in times like these, she definitely helps me out.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, her remark merely irritated those around the table who harbored significant displeasure with the fact that Olivia Lanche adored me immensely.


    <i>¡®Is it really a good thing that she¡¯s on my side...?¡¯</i>


    I looked around, noticing the looks that the others were giving me. <i>¡®Who are you? Who the heck do you think you are?¡¯</i> their faces said.


    I really didn¡¯t know what to do, since they weren¡¯t exactly saying anything directly to me.


    Of course, the student council president sighed deeply.


    ¡°Reinhart, even though we are the Royal ss, there are limits. Most of the funds avable for club activities have already been allocated to your club. Do you understand that it wasn¡¯t just a student council decision? It even required a faculty meeting to allocate so much of the budget to your club.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Providing such facilities and research funds is no simple task. Of course, if this were a graduate school club, or if your club had many achievements, it might be possible to allocate you more funds. But that¡¯s not the case,¡± Ceres exined calmly, pointing out the issues with my unreasonable request.


    She continued, ¡°I understand that there was arge amount of resistance even in the faculty meeting, but thanks to the strong arguments put forth by Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang, the support was approved.¡±


    That, I did not know.


    It seemed that the two first-year homeroom teachers had passionately advocated for us, which led to this situation. Although I doubted that Mr. Effenhauser had disyed any real passion when advocating for us.


    ¡°Of course, I understand that magic research can be infinitely expensive, but the amount of money currently allocated to you is already substantial. It¡¯s impossible to grant an additional request for three times the current amount, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why not? They¡¯re a special ss, right? A unique ss. So they should be given everything they ask for,¡± Olivia Lanche said.


    ¡°... Senior, please. Could you keep it down?¡±


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    Ceres red at Olivia Lanche, who was whining on my behalf, something she rarely did, and Olivia flinched and shrank under her gaze.


    Olivia always seemed to get scared when someone got serious.


    I hadn¡¯t actually looked up her physical data, but she seemed to have considerable prowess not just in Divine Power, but also in closebat.


    She likely did mean it when she subtly mentioned being good at fighting, but to see her so intimidated took me by surprise.


    I wasn¡¯t trying to stir things up by suddenly asking for an increase in funding while attending a club meeting in which I just needed to show my face.


    ¡ª<i>¡°Money. Get the money.¡±</i>


    That had been Harriet¡¯s sternmand, given just before I¡¯d left to attend this meeting.


    It would be impossible to achieve any results from the three research projects I¡¯d ordered them to work on just by figuratively banging our heads against the wall.


    Dimensional magic was considered ultra-high-level magic that was not an established field of magic in its own right, the Power Cartridge requires us to collect and research on all kinds of magic stones, and Moonshine also required experimenting with numerous reagents.


    At this point, sess was uncertain, but it was clear that these projects would swallow up a lot of money.


    Thus, no matter how much budget we had, we would still fall short of funds in the end. Harriet ordered me to secure plenty of funds if I was going to ask them to produce something so outrageous.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Why am I being made to feel like a husband being nagged by his wife to bring in money while knowing that I have starving kids at home?</i>


    <i>¡®Harriet isn¡¯t even my wife, and the kids in the Magic Research Club aren¡¯t my children! Why am I even in a situation like this?¡¯</i>


    Anyway, Harriet had put her hands on her hips and told me to go out and get the money, and that was why I was in this meeting, trying to do something.


    I almost asked Harriet if she could somehow cover it with her personal funds since she had some money, but even I recognized that such a request crossed a line.


    So anyway...


    <i>¡®Uh. Please give us more money!¡¯</i>


    That¡¯s what I was trying to do.


    I wasn¡¯t at the meeting just for show. This was where budget allocation was decided, and although we had already received a significant amount of funding, it was evidently not enough.


    Thinking about it, it was quite funny, actually.


    If it had been my own money, I would have felt like it was quite significant. But since this was someone else¡¯s money andbeled as a budget, it didn¡¯t feel like my money at all, and even I felt like it was insufficient.


    However, Ceres was adamant¡ªit was impossible to get additional support from them.


    ¡°Is it really impossible? Isn¡¯t there something that can be done?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to give even if we wanted to. That¡¯s just how it is, Reinhart.¡±


    Ceres appeared visibly troubled by my constant insistence, which was basically a tantrum in disguise.


    ¡°Ceres, this ce isn¡¯t the only ce to source for funds, is it?¡± Olivia Lanche said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Olivia Lanche tilted her head and pointed with her finger. I had no idea what she was pointing at.


    ¡°Oh, no way... The Head Student Council?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Olivia said with a bright smile. ¡°If we could secure more funding from them, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to increase their budget threefold?¡±


    Watching Olivia boldly suggest we take money from others since our own council had none gave me a weird feeling.


    Even though I myself was a thug, it felt as though she was just as thuggish as I was.


    ***


    The Temple¡¯s Head Student Council...


    Each ss had its own student council, and a Head Student Council oversaw all these student councils.


    The Head Student Council wielded massive power within the Temple itself.


    The Temple¡¯s secondary education began from age 17 and concluded at age 22. The Head Student Council oversaw all the student councils during this six-year period.


    Naturally, they would be allocated a substantial budget, and they also had the power to request for additional funds from the Temple¡¯s headquarters.


    The scale of funds avable to them would vastly exceed that of the Royal ss.


    While Ceres Van Owenne, the president of the Royal ss Student Council, had quite a bit of influence with the Head Student Council, the sheer scale of it overwhelmed her.


    Our club had already received the maximum level of support from the Royal ss. While we could request more, the current level of funding had been secured only after a faculty meeting, and so asking for more was likely out of the question.


    Things might be different in the future, but a newly established club suddenly asking for heaps of cash was sure to be seen as delusional.


    The only ce left that could provide us with more funds was the Head Student Council.


    After the club meeting ended, I went back to the dormitory.


    ¡°The Head Student Council?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve already reached the limit when ites to funding from the Royal ss, so the only option left is to get it from them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Harriet, seeing a less-than-enthusiastic response to hermand to bring in more money, twisted her lips slightly in thought.


    Since I was the one who had thrust a random task upon them without warning, I wanted to make sure that I could procure an adequate budget from somewhere.


    ¡°Do you think the Head Student Council will readily give us the funding we need?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    Even Ceres¡¯s reaction had been one of confusion bordering on incredulity, So I didn¡¯t expect the president of the Head Student Council to react that differently.


    Harriet seemed slightly apologetic, perhaps sensing that she had made an unreasonable request.


    ¡°Still, the usable funds that our club has isrger than the budget allocated by the student council,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to allocate all the support funds we receive individually towards the club¡¯s budget.¡±


    Magic majors received more research funds than other students did, and could be granted amounts beyond the standard allocation upon request.


    The magic students seemed to have already agreed to funnel all these additional research funds into the club budget. My coercion aside, they seemed genuinely interested in the research projects.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the total amount then?¡±


    ¡°Um... it varies slightly by field. The ones receiving the most are Adelia and me, and we each get about a thousand gold per semester. Cristina gets seven hundred, and Anna gets five hundred. In total, if we manage it flexibly... we should have over three thousand gold avable.¡±


    Adelia, given her magical talents in an expensive field, and Harriet, with her talents across all magic, each received around one billion won per semester in support funds.


    <i>¡®Those who are capable of magic really get an almost unimaginable level of support, huh.¡¯</i>


    That gave us a budget of roughly eighty billion won.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about now?¡± Riana de Granz asked, hearing our conversation as she passed by.


    She seated herself on a nearby sofa. ¡°Is it about the Magic Research Club?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Riana, who was familiar with the discussions around the Magic Research Club, nodded in understanding. ¡°What do you need so much money for?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re attempting various projects, but since it¡¯s unclear how we¡¯re supposed to go about making progress on them, we probably need a lot more funding than we currently have.¡±


    We did not know how much funding was required before the projects began to yield results. Despite the huge budget and extra funds, the oue was uncertain.


    If no tangible results were achieved, it would just mean blowing through a massive budget.


    ¡°We¡¯ve received all possible support internally from the Royal ss,¡± said Harriet. ¡°Now, we¡¯re thinking of knocking on the Head Student Council¡¯s door.¡±


    Riana tilted her head slightly. ¡°Do we really need to get that money from within the Temple?¡±


    At Riana¡¯s words, my eyes lit up.


    ¡°Why, are you going to give us some money?¡± I asked.


    <i>¡®Doesn¡¯t her family have a ton of money?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Really. I hate to say this, but sometimes you¡¯re so pathetic. Just, you know, despicable.¡±


    My blunt and thinly-veiled request for money seemed to cause Riana to lower her already low opinion of me even further.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re going to make something, but would it actually make money?¡± she asked.


    Harriet tilted her head at Riana¡¯s question, but the answer was obvious. ¡°It¡¯s not just a matter of making money; it would change history.¡±


    Moonshine, and the Power Cartridge...


    Dimensional magic aside, those two would definitely make money.


    ¡°Hmm, then why not establish a business partnership with an external entity and get research funding that way?¡±


    In other words, why try to get all the money from the Temple? Just find an investor. That was what she was saying.


    Only when Riana pointed this out did I realize that the part of my brain that had thought outside the box for the Rotary Club issue hadn¡¯t extended to this issue for some reason.


    ¡°Wow, are you a genius or something?¡± I said.


    Riana crossed her arms and shed a confident smile. ¡°Anyway, why not see if you can put together a business n or a research proposal? You never know, right? We¡ªmy family¡ªjust happen to love having more money.¡±


    A product that could change history if made...


    The House of Granz could invest in it and reap the rewards indefinitely.


    ¡°Shall I ask my dad too?¡± Harriet de Saint-Ouen asked with a tilt of her head.


    Securing funding on the basis of investment, rather than merely investing personal funds, seemed perfectly reasonable.


    The Duke of Saint-Ouen and the Duke of Granz...


    With the support of both families, out budget constraints would essentially vanish.


    ***


    A few dayster...


    ¡°I got scolded by my dad,¡± Riana said, shrugging as she returned to Temple.


    ¡°... You got scolded?¡± I asked, and Riana scratched her cheek lightly, looking somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°He told me not to talk nonsense. The research proposal was too abstract, with no concrete basis or anything.¡±


    In hindsight, that was the obvious result.


    <i>¡®We seventeen-year olds promise to make something that will change the world, so give us money!¡¯</i>


    Who would give us money for that? The Temple was our school and so they gave us funding, but no external entities would believe in us the same way.


    These ims would be dubious even when made by the Temple University Research Center or the Mage Tower, and so we kids would surely not be taken seriously.


    No matter how much money someone had, they wouldn¡¯t invest in a project that was clearly doomed to fail.


    Having a lot of money did not automatically mean spending it foolishly.


    There was absolutely no reason for them to give us the money.


    ¡°Anyway, sorry,¡± Riana apologized.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be sorry about? I¡¯m already grateful that you even tried submitting a proposal to a Duke¡¯s household,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Oh, really? Then shouldn¡¯t you show some respect to me, the youngdy of the Duke¡¯s household?¡±


    ¡°Maybe after graduation,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m the fool for even asking you in the first ce.¡±


    <i>¡®Is being na?ve part of some people¡¯s fate? You seem to do everything well until the critical moment when you slip up.¡¯</i>


    Riana de Granz, who was usually cold and slightly aloof, did have a charming side to her; she got a bit flustered when she made such slips.


    Riana¡¯s attempt had failed.


    Soon after, Harriet, whose face was flushed red with indignation, returned, and it was clear what the oue on her end was.


    ¡°I¡¯m never talking to my dad again!¡± Harriet eximed.


    It seemed she had gotten into a big fight with her father.

 Chapter 224

    <h4>Chapter 224</h4>


    Riana was rebuked by the Duke of Granz when she requested for him to invest money into the idea, and Harriet had gotten into an argument with her father.


    I had seen Harriet acting like a raving mad dog while with her father in the past. This time, the Duke of Saint-Ouen had probably responded to her request with something like, ¡°My dear, that¡¯s nonsense!¡± and Harriet likely threw a tantrum in response, insisting, ¡°I don¡¯t care! Give me the money! I can make it!¡±


    Unfortunately, it seemed the Duke of Saint-Ouen was very strict when it came to such matters.


    Just when I thought he was a doting father, he showed that he wasn¡¯t about to simply hand over tens or hundreds of billions for such a dubious cause.


    I fully understood the perspective of those who refused to give us money.


    Even the ones who were tasked with making the products doubted if they would be able to make it; it was a miracle that neither had been openly cursed at by others for asking them to part with their hard-earned money in support of this endeavor.


    Now that both Riana and Harriet had been turned away by their immediate families, it was obvious what the result would be if we asked some externalpany to invest.


    I was reminded of just how extraordinary it was that the Temple had given us a budget of five thousand gold in the first ce.


    Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang must have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes.


    In the end, I wasn¡¯t that disappointed about not getting the money.


    Approaching it as a business and trying to generate capital was less orthodox, but that method also carried inherent risks.


    The House of Granz and the Duke of Saint-Ouen.


    If we had secured capital from them, those powerful houses would hold stakes in Moonshine and the Power Cartridge. We would have to share our research results with them, and they would be able to control production and sales as they pleased.


    In essence, we would be making something that wouldn¡¯t remain ours.


    Both inventions were highly dangerous, and were power multipliers that could be used across the continent.


    We could not afford to lose control over these items.


    Even if the two great houses were open to cooperation, taking money from them would still expose us to risk.


    Not receiving any capital investment¡ªand avoiding the associated risks¡ªwas an eptable oue.


    However, the truth remained: we needed more money. More money than we had at present.


    Everyone in the club had manymitments academically and when it came to research. Because of this, we worked hard to catalog the items we already had on hand and those that needed to be purchased.


    Naturally, certain auxiliary roles arose that were necessary for the running of the club.


    The administrative workload was too much for the president alone, so Louis Ankton, the smartest among us, took on the role of treasurer.


    He was like a human calctor, quick with numbers, and had extensive knowledge of magic, which helped a lot. As such, Louis yed a critical role.


    Since I did not know much about magic myself, I would have approved any budget requests based on what the kids said they needed.


    However, Louis knew why certain items were necessary while which ones weren¡¯t. Louis Ankton was like Harriet, possessing knowledge across almost all fields of magic, which meant that he could urately assess and verify if the requested items were necessary or feasible.


    Hepiled the requested equipment, materials, and justifications from each member, evaluated their validity, discussed it with the members, and then brought thepiled list to me. I would then write up the budget proposal and request the procurement of materials from the Temple.


    When it came to liaising with external entities, I took the lead, and Louis handled the specialized areas.


    Critically, the kids were already burning through the avable money at an rming rate.


    ¡°While we don¡¯t have enough data to establish a steady trend, at this rate, we¡¯ll exhaust our budget within a week or two after our next group mission.¡±


    ¡°What, really? That soon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There are supplies we need to prepare and some new equipment to bring in. Not much, but definitely some. While expenses might decrease once things have been set up and prepared, for now, we are indeed running short.¡±


    ¡°... Oh boy.¡±


    <i>¡®No way. Is the financial strain already hitting us this hard? But we have fifty billion! Wait, when did it be forty-five billion? This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡¯</i>


    ¡°You told them to use whatever they needed and not to worry about the money... should I suggest cutting back?¡± Louis asked cautiously, but I shook my head.


    ¡°No. If they need the money, they should use it. I¡¯ve given them some crazy orders, so I can¡¯t tell them to skimp on the usage of research funds too.¡±


    However, Louis clearly predicted that the research funds would quickly outstrip our avable budget. While we still had some breathing room for now, it would soon be gone.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to manage somehow.¡±


    <i>¡®Kids... Daddy will find a way to get the money for you guys! I¡¯ll make it appear out of thin air if I have to!¡¯</i>


    ***


    In the midst of these preparations and dealing with training-rted matters, I was finally able to get rid of the crutches. Of course, I still couldn¡¯t run or do strenuous exercises, but all this was only possible thanks to the Grand Yoga Master¡¯s treatment regimen.?


    The treatment sessions were considered my Mana Reinforcement lessons, though I didn¡¯t quite grasp the technique yet.


    In any case, my physical condition was slowly recovering.


    The Orbis ss issue seemed to be dragging on. It was a problem I had created, but if the internal corruption within the Orbis ss managed to be resolved, perhaps the whole thing wouldn¡¯t turn out to be a mess after all.


    However, there was also a chance that things might worsen rather than improve, so I was feeling a bit uneasy about it.


    However, the Orbis ss issue was already out of my hands. The matter at hand now was the problem guing the Magic Research Club.


    Money...


    If only I could generate money through Self-Deception.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be nice¡ªmoney magically emerging just by thinking about it?


    But of course, that was not going to work.


    It was because of this that I found myself in the Head Student Council office.


    ¡°An absurdlyrge increase in the budget...¡±


    In the Head Student Council President¡¯s office, two people were present.


    The president of the Temple¡¯s Head Student Council, Raine Carly, a 5th-year student, and the vice president, Hermann von Rogarius, a 4th-year student.


    It was rather interesting that the president was amoner while the vice president was a noble. The vice president was apparently from a rtively high-ranking noble family in Kernstadt, and Raine Carly was amoner from the territory directly governed by the empire.


    All this information had been provided to me by Ceres Van Owenne.


    Ceres was not there with me, as she believed her presence might be interpreted as the Royal ss trying to exert pressure.


    Her rmendation was that I attend this meeting alone, and if things didn¡¯t go well, we¡¯d reconsider the approach.


    President Raine Carly was a strikingly cold beauty.


    The vice president, Hermann von Rogarius, also had a calm andposed demeanor.


    Both of them had faces that seemed well-suited for student council executives.


    They shared onemon feature:


    Dark circles under their eyes.


    <i>¡ªThe Head Student Council has over a hundred members. Comparable to the full roster of the Royal ss.</i>


    <i>¡ªAnd the reason for such arge number?</i>


    <i>¡ªThey have an enormous workload.</i>


    <i>¡ªSo the president and vice president can¡¯t even attend sses due to the sheer amount of work. Performing their student council duties alone for a year counted aspleting their academic year.</i>


    The Temple¡¯s Head Student Council oversaw more than a hundred thousand students.


    The president and vice president did not attend sses because they were swamped with student council responsibilities. To be exact, they <i>couldn¡¯t </i>attend. Their council work counted towards thepletion of their academic requirements for the year.


    Despite that, they still had heavy dark circles under their eyes.


    <i>¡ªIn the second semester, they¡¯re even busier. They¡¯ll both be extremely sensitive right now.</i>


    <i>¡ªWhy?</i>


    <i>¡ªBecause of the festival.</i>


    The school festival...


    The nning and execution of the festival was the primary task of the Head Student Council for the second semester. The two of them were undoubtedly drowning in work at that moment.


    And, at that moment, I had appeared to make a rather difficult request for a significant increase in our club¡¯s budget.


    Raine Carly skimmed through the papers I handed over with a business-like expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read through your statement. You need more funds for research and development... But despite being allocated about five thousand gold in the existing budget, which is most of the Royal ss¡¯s club support budget, it¡¯s insufficient...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything dismissive like ¡°Get lost, this is too bothersome.¡±


    ¡°Of course, even Royal ss clubs can receive support from the Head Student Council. However, there¡¯s no precedent. Normally, each special ss resolves these matters using their own internal budget.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s not possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s impossible, just that it¡¯s unprecedented. If there arepelling reasons and justifiable grounds, there¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t offer additional support.¡±


    She had a very businesslike appearance and had an open and flexible mind, and did not dismiss my request out of hand.


    I stared at her silently, then something shocked me.


    <i>¡®What the...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°President, your nose is bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Out of nowhere, with her face still as impassive as a steel mask, a stream of blood flowed down from Raine Carly¡¯s nose.


    The vice president, who seemed ustomed to this, handed her a handkerchief, which the president used to wipe away the blood.


    ¡°Uh... are you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It happens often.¡±


    From theck of surprise from either of them, this indeed seemed to be amon urence.


    <i>¡®What in the...?¡¯ </i>


    The situation was both amusing and pitiful. Wasn¡¯t this a dangerous sign for her?


    Nevertheless, Raine Carly continued to speak smoothly as she stanched the blood leaking out of her nose with the handkerchief.


    ¡°Your request is for fifteen thousand gold... No other club has ever been given such arge budget. I understand thatrge-scale research funding is necessary for magic research. However, even thergest magic research club in the Temple only receives five thousand gold.


    ¡°Perhaps you think that the Royal ss should get more than that, but that club has around two hundred magic major students. It¡¯s not a small group like yours.


    ¡°Furthermore, that club receives such arge budget because they¡¯ve achieved considerable results in various magic research projects. They did not receive this level of support from the start.


    ¡°No matter how much status the Royal ss enjoys, your club has only six members. It¡¯s new, with no prior achievements. Nothing. No results. None at all. We can¡¯t provide suchrge-scale funding just because you¡¯re a Royal ss club.


    ¡°This level of budget is typically requested by specialized researchbs in graduate schools.,bs whose magical expertise has already been proven, spearheaded by professors. Suchbs might even receive more than fifteen thousand gold. But you are not in that position.¡±


    <i>¡®Of course. I knew it.¡¯</i>


    She had basically exined in great detail how it was absolutely not possible.


    In the end, we, as a new club with no notable achievements, could not receive such arge amount of support solely based on our grand vision.


    ¡°We need money for research, but we need achievements to get that research funding. Isn¡¯t that putting the cart before the horse? We need research funds to generate results in the first ce,¡± I said.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯tck research funds, you just think that you need more, despite already receiving such arge amount of support. I cannot understand why you would think of your current budget as insufficient.¡±


    ¡°If the vision for our research exceedsmon sense, wouldn¡¯t we naturally need a budget that exceedsmon sense?¡± I asked again.


    Both the president and vice president stared at me intently.


    They both seemed ready to pepper me with a string of curses.


    ¡°The Temple operates with the substantial support of the imperial royal family and the tuition paid by students, but it doesn¡¯t have unlimited capital.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t allocate money toward something on such weak grounds. The likelihood of you developing what you¡¯re aiming towards is low. That¡¯s a fact. And you alsock the credibility to make us believe that you have the capability to develop such things. That¡¯s another fact.¡±


    Raine Carly didn¡¯t seem like she was chastising me.


    She was one of the people who had protected the supposedly demonic cult suspicion-ridden middle-school syndrome club, Exodium, from further persecution.


    From her expression, she seemed like she was a genuinely good-hearted person.


    However, she was <i>not </i>a pushover.


    ¡°People bank on possibilities. The future is unknown, and the only basis on which we have to judge it is possibility. You¡¯re iming that a group with unclear experimental capabilities will create something that has a low probability of being developed, and you need arge-scale budget for this. The student council cannot allocate funds to such a cause.


    ¡°Of course, if you were a hobby club that was not based on producing results, we could provide you with a clubroom, meal funding, and necessary supplies for your activities. But such clubs usually only require small amounts of money. We¡¯ll be able to provide that level of support with ease.


    ¡°However, if your grand vision is for magic research, then the required funding goes up significantly. My point is that we cannot support such arge budget without solid grounds. Do you understand?¡±


    Her lengthy exnation had led to an expected conclusion.


    They could not provide us with the funds. They did not have any other proof of our capabilities, aside from being members of the Royal ss.


    No results meant no research funding. But we needed research funding to produce results.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we need results? Or proof or our potential, to be precise.¡±


    ¡°We can at least review that, if that much is achieved.¡±


    That meant that, as things stood, there was nothing for them to consider reviewing.


    I took something out from my pocket and ced it on the president¡¯s desk.


    ¡°... What is this?¡±


    It was a bracelet that emitted a blue light.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Protection Bracelet, made for one-time use.¡±


    The final piece of advice from Ceres Van Owenne...


    <i>¡ªOh, and there¡¯s something else you need to know about the student council president. Raine Carly majors in magic.</i>


    The Protection Bracelet...


    Ellen had used hers, but I hadn¡¯t used mine yet.


    ¡°What about it?¡± Raine Carly asked.


    ¡°It was created by a first-year student in our ss.¡±


    A hint of surprise crept into Raine Carly¡¯s expression.


    ¡°In just two days,¡± I added.


    That one sentence was enough to turn her surprise into overt shock.


    ***


    Raine Carly stared wide-eyed at the Protection Bracelet on the desk.


    ¡°... They created magic-engraved items in just two days? First-year students?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I didn¡¯t fully grasp how impressive the item was, but I had some idea of what the student council president might say.


    We were told we had no achievements. I had anticipated that much.


    So, I¡¯d asked Harriet about the bracelet beforeing.


    ¡°Hey, this thing. This Protection Bracelet.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh. Why? What about it?¡±


    ¡°Was creating this difficult?¡±.


    ¡°H-Huh? W-Well... Hmm...¡±


    Harriet was proud of her abilities but wasn¡¯t the type to boast. Instead, she hemmed and hawed and turned red.


    ¡°How long did it take you guys to make this?¡±


    ¡°About... Two days?¡±


    ¡°Normally, how long would it take? I mean, if first-year magic students were to make it?¡±


    ¡°Uh, w-well... Th-That¡¯s... hmm...¡±


    Harriet fidgeted with her fingers, looking embarrassed to say it herself.


    ¡°This is important, so spill it already. How long will it take for a student from the general sses to make it?¡±


    ¡°U-Umm, a-actually...¡±


    ¡°Come on, quick. How long would it take them?¡±


    ¡°Um, well...¡±


    ¡°Speak up already!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Why are you shouting, you idiot! They wouldn¡¯t be able to make it at all! There. Are you satisfied?¡± Harriet yelled back then stomped away, fuming.


    In any case...


    A Protection Bracelet fit for one-time use that had taken two days to create...


    Regr students would not be able to make it in two days. In fact, they wouldn¡¯t evene close to being able to make such a thing at all.


    That was what had left Raine Carly currently speechless.


    ¡°We made two, to be exact. They were a coborative effort by two magic students from ss A. One specializes in Magic Crafting, but the other is just a novice.¡±


    Harriet and Adelia...


    Adelia, who was often overshadowed by Harriet, was also a crazy genius. She had been the one to handle the basic design of the bracelet, with Harriet providing assistance.


    A first-year specialist and a novice. Together, they had created this item.


    ¡°In just two days... they created something like this...?¡± Raine Carly murmured in disbelief.


    ¡°President, your nose is bleeding again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    She was in such a daze that she hadn¡¯t noticed her nose had started bleeding again. She wiped it with her handkerchief.


    <i>¡®Goodness. Doesn¡¯t she need to rest? She¡¯s going to copse at this rate.¡¯</i>


    ¡°An item that can only be used once, so we can¡¯t activate it to verify its functionality. We can¡¯t be certain if the Protection magic it¡¯s supposed to have is fully intact. After all, two days is an exceptionally short manufacturing period.¡±


    The president¡¯s skepticism about the functionality of the magic etched into the bracelet was reasonable.


    ¡°You mentioned that they made two of them, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± I replied, grinning widely. ¡°We¡¯ve already used one. In the Dark Land.¡±


    This item had already been tested in a real-world scenario.

 Chapter 225

    <h4>Chapter 225</h4>


    I briefly exined the circumstances under which and how the Protection Bracelet had been used.


    I mentioned that detailed verification could be cross-referenced with records at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and that the Temple had already been informed about this, so they could thoroughly verify the credibility of my story. I also said that if they wanted added confirmation, they could activate the Protection Bracelet in front of them.


    ¡°The Royal ss...¡± the president muttered, seeming to realize anew the overwhelming capabilities of the Royal ss students.


    ¡°It only took two first-year students to create such an item. This Magic Research Club isprised of such first-years.¡±


    What I was presenting wasn¡¯t entirely baseless.


    While it wasn¡¯t overwhelming evidence, it was certainly something.


    ¡°If these students defymon sense, I¡¯m confident they can produce extraordinary results.¡±


    The Royal ss wasn¡¯t a ce formon sense. It was home to individuals who were not supposed to be judged by ordinary standards.


    It was a ce where individuals with talents¡ªoften impossibilities personified¡ªworked miracles naturally.


    At the peak of this unreasonableness sat someone like Ellen Artorius. Or someone like Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    I understood that all this was perhaps still not thoroughly convincing.


    ¡°If theck of results is the issue, then we¡¯ll bring forth something simr, or even more impressive.¡±


    The issue wasn¡¯t theck of funding, but rather the need for tangible achievements to secure additional funds. If we needed to produce some reasonable results before we could increase our allocated budget, then we could fast-track some usible aplishments.


    Cristina¡¯s Alchemy and Adelia¡¯s Magic Crafting...


    With the two of them, we could produce things that warranted notice.


    Of course, the key issue was time.


    ¡°However, setting subsidiary goals detracts from our main objectives, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here,¡± I said.


    Both the president and vice president remained silent for a while.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be reviewing it,¡± they finally said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Even though mere consideration had seemed impossible initially, it had now been achieved.


    ¡°On a personal note, Reinhart. You¡¯re not a magic major, are you?¡± The Head Student Council president asked as she scrutinized me.


    ¡°... Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    That was strange. I had introduced myself, but hadn¡¯t mentioned my major.


    ¡°Why are you the president of the Magic Research Club then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... They¡¯re all bookworms focused on their studies, so someone needed to step in and handle such responsibilities. I took on the role reluctantly.¡±


    ¡°... You have a wide range of interests. Just as expected.¡±


    <i>¡®A wide range of interests, huh. And ¡°Just as expected¡±¡ªwhat did that mean?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± I asked.


    The implication that she already knew about me made me tilt my head in confusion.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the president who answered, but the vice president.


    ¡°Because of what you did, we¡¯ve all been pulling all-nighters.¡±


    ¡°... What did I do?¡±


    ¡°Orbis ss.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    It was the Orbis ss incident.


    That the Head Student Council knew about this was one thing, but why were they pulling all-nighters because of it?


    The vice president, Hermann von Rogarius, handed another handkerchief to Raine Carly, who had started bleeding from her nose again, and exined with a calm expression, ¡°With Orbis ss going into emergency suspension, the festivalpetition has been canceled.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re all staying up to prepare something else to rece thatpetition.¡±


    The Orbis ss had been suspended, and subsequently, the scheduled event had also been canceled.


    The Head Student Council members were racking their brains and working around the clock to fill that gap with something else.


    What could I say?


    Encountering the results of the butterfly effect in the most unexpected ces never stopped being jarring.


    So, the Head Student Council had known about me even before our meeting, and it was clear that their impression of me wasn¡¯t great.


    The fact that neither the president nor vice-president had cursed me out when I came asking for money was surprising.


    If I were them, I would¡¯ve kicked myself out the moment I stepped in.


    I had to admit that these two were much more generous than I had expected.


    ***


    The Head Student Council had not yet decided to provide the funding. They had simply agreed to review it. So nothing was certain yet.


    Even if we got additional funding, it still might not be enough. Regardless, the more money, the better.


    Life was unpredictable, and there were too many variables.


    At the beginning of the semester, I never would have imagined that, by the second semester, I¡¯d be running around looking for research funding.


    I had expected to engage in various extracurricr activities, but never did I think I¡¯d be going around begging for money.


    If the Head Student Council denied our request, it was possible that I would need to make the club rush out some other projects so that we could deliver some tangible results to bolster our list of achievements.


    For now, there was no other option but to wait for the student council¡¯s decision.


    Upon returning to the Royal ss dormitory, Olivia Lanche was waiting for me outside the first-year dormitory.


    ¡°Reinhart, how did it go?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°What, can¡¯t Ie see my future husband?¡±


    She pouted and pretended to be hurt, making it even more exasperating.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s maddening because her antics are surprisingly charming and cute!¡¯</i>


    The kids passing by were giving me weird looks again. I¡¯d been trying so hard to maintain my imagetely, but the moment Olivia showed up, it all went south.


    As Riana passed by, she gave me a look that said, <i>¡®Oh, this guy just loves girls doesn¡¯t he? Tsk tsk,¡¯</i> while shaking her head.


    ¡°I never agreed to any of that, and I don¡¯t want to, so stop doing this in front of everyone!¡± I said to Olivia.


    ¡°Oh my, then is it okay if it¡¯s not in front of everyone...?¡±


    <i>¡®Good grief. As if you wouldn¡¯t freak out if it actually came to that.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hah. Alright then, how about we go somewhere more private?¡±


    I lowered my voice menacingly, and Olivia Lanche flinched and her shoulders trembled.


    ¡°A-Ah, th-that was... I was joking! Just kidding, you know!¡±


    Olivia¡¯s exaggerated gestures and the cold sweat pouring out of her was enough for me to know that she feared I¡¯d actually drag her somewhere.


    Now I understood how to deal with her.


    It was a matter of being firm. She was a different kind of scaredy-catpared to Adelia.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to know how the budget negotiations went... Why do you always get mad at me when you see me...?¡±


    She looked genuinely hurt and slightly forlorn.


    <i>¡®Ah... Maybe I did go a bit overboard...¡¯</i>


    She knew that I was concerned about this matter, and hade to check on the progress. In her own way, she was on my side, so perhaps it wasn¡¯t right to be too harsh on her.


    ¡°They said they¡¯d consider our request, rather than outright denying it. The oue is still uncertain, though.¡±


    She¡¯d actually been a big help, but her obvious flirting was way over the top.


    Ellen was watching me from afar. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but it was terrifying. She was just watching, with an expression that said, <i>¡®Oh, that person¡¯s here again.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to have a panic attack! Am I going to die? I feel like I¡¯m going to die!</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know why, but I just feel like it!¡¯</i>


    Luckily, Olivia didn¡¯t say anything weirder and changed the topic.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, you know. About your funding. I think there¡¯s a way to get it.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait a minute. Funding? What idea does she have?¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but more money was always wee, and Olivia seemed to know of another way to get it.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Get donations.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve seen a lot in my life, but... to just seek donations because we¡¯re low on money? What kind of mindset is this?¡¯</i>


    ***


    No one was going to invest in us, and increasing the allocated budget was difficult.


    Thus, the answer was simple: get donations.


    <i>¡®Did I hear her correctly?¡¯</i>


    Olivia Lanche had said it with such a self-confident air, almost as if expecting me to praise her for her cleverness.


    ¡°... It seems like that mindset of yourses from your past devotion to a religious group, which makes a lot of money that way.¡±


    Given her upbringing in the Order, she had probably grown up with the notion that, whenever they were short on funds, a kind, rich and devout devotee would always be there to provide. This kind of audacious thinking was probably natural for her.


    While she might have forsaken her faith, it seemed she hadn¡¯t abandoned that mindset.


    However, Olivia looked genuinely shocked by my words.


    ¡°Y-You... really think I¡¯m an idiot, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s expression turned woeful. She looked genuinely sad. This woman¡¯s mood swings were beyond agile; if I remembered correctly, she never used to have this kind of personality.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t she borderline bipr?¡¯ </i>


    Olivia pouted and red at me. ¡°I was talking about a sponsorship gathering, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°... Sponsorship gathering?¡±


    Olivia gave a short huff, showing just how miffed she was.


    <i>¡®What exactly is this person¡¯s nature? She seems to possess a bizarre mix of practically every character trait¡ªshe¡¯s sometimes cool, sometimes incredibly kind, sometimes justice-driven, and sometimes acts like a tsundere. The crazy part is, every bit of it fits her, and it drives me nuts.¡¯</i>


    Olivia crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks slightly in a pout, then slowly started to exin.


    ¡°Even though the Royal ss runs on capital from the Temple, there are also sponsorship gatherings. Just like your club, having more funds is always better.¡±


    Sponsorship gatherings... I had never heard of such a thing before.


    ¡°Do a lot of rich people attend?¡±


    ¡°If rich people didn¡¯t attend, what would be the point? The purpose of a sponsorship gathering is for them to connect with prospective talents, the Temple faculty, or the entire Royal ss. Only students from the fourth year onwards are allowed to attend, so younger students might not know about it, but these events do exist.¡±


    These sponsorship gatherings were for students from the fourth year and up.


    In the original novel, the Gates opened in the third year, so this sort of event never showed up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just rich individuals. Various influential organizations such as the Magic Association and the prestigious knightly orders also send their representatives. They provide personal sponsorships, and sometimes sponsor the Temple or the Royal ss as a whole.¡±


    The attendees of these sponsorship gatherings were looking to support or recruit future outstanding talent, or to build connections... Now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense.


    After all, the Temple¡¯s students were the most talented people in the empire. Magic majors might attract interest from the Magic Association,bat majors from the knightly orders, and superhumans could be scouted by any organization that required people withbat skills.


    The same applied to nonbat majors.


    A smart guy like Louis Ankton might even receive better treatment from another organization.


    ¡°So, I thought I¡¯d go to this sponsorship gathering and find someone to support your club. But you just called me an idiot.<i> </i>Hmph.¡±


    She seemed deeply offended by my earlier assumption that she was making a ridiculous im because she¡¯de from a religious group that relied heavily on personal donations.


    <i>¡®Oh, you think I¡¯m just aplete moron, don¡¯t you?¡¯</i> must have been her thought.


    I might have been a bit harsh. After all, she was an angel nning to secure funds for us.


    ¡°U-Um... I a-apologize. That was my mistake.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You think just saying sorry is enough?¡± Olivia tapped her cheek lightly, clearly expecting something. ¡°You should at least give me a kiss on the cheek.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just get lost!¡±


    <i>¡®Of course, it always ends like this!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 226 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 226 [Illustration]</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know whether I¡¯d formed a club orunched a startup. I was probably supposed to be resting due to my injury, but since I couldn¡¯t train, I was channeling my energy into other things instead.


    The regr Royal ss sponsorship gathering was still some time away and would only be held after the next group mission. Despite it being intended for students in their fourth year and above, apparently, it wasn¡¯t a big deal for younger students to attend as well.


    I could leave it to Olivia Lanche, but I just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that sending her alone might result in her saying something inappropriate...


    She was undoubtedly a helpful person, but you never knew what she might do, which made me worried.


    Aside from the Magic Research Club, there was another matter that needed my attention.


    ¡°There¡¯s really not much we need to do.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    The Rotary Club Headquarters...


    I was listening to a report in Loyar¡¯s office.


    ¡°Yes. The people from the prince¡¯s side are handling everything from negotiations for investments to the application for permits. All we need to do practically is provide manpower.¡±


    Vertus was only getting ten percent of the profits, yet it seems like the people Vertus was sending were managing things so well that even if he¡¯d asked for ny percent, it wouldn¡¯t have felt unreasonable.


    ¡°Of course, we¡¯re notpletely in the dark about the overall picture. Experienced club members are apanying them.¡±


    It was good to know that club members who had past experience in business were working alongside Vertus¡¯s people to advance the project.


    Connections... The more one experienced their power, the more one realized they¡¯re iparable to any form of brute force.


    ¡°We¡¯re nning an initial setup of fifty stores, prioritizing stations with high foot traffic.¡±


    The business had to be truly impressive since Loyar, who normally hated dealing with such matters, was willing to provide a formal report to me about it. This was someone who despised anything non-physical and strongly opposed my idea of taking over the Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    Yet here she was, overseeing a business operation out of necessity.


    Thanks to the people Vertus had sent, the project of setting up stores at various stations was proceeding smoothly.


    I wondered if Loyar was feeling stressed since she hated this sort of stuff.


    ¡°Are you having any difficulties?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I only have to nod when they talk about what they will do and what they have done. As long as I remember what was discussed, I don¡¯t have to use my brain much.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, they do seem quite capable.¡±


    ¡°They even gave a presentation on the estimates of expected sales and profits. I don¡¯t have much to do, Your Highness.¡±


    What was this? Wasn¡¯t this practically Vertus¡¯s business, which I was just leeching off ny percent from?


    Vertus¡¯s people were handling this business project quickly and efficiently, so there was probably no need for me to concern myself further with it.


    However, Loyar seemed slightly uneasy.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you sure this is alright?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re getting involved in too many things. Everything, almost.¡±


    So that was her concern.


    With the Rotary Club now connected with Prince Vertus, it was clear that Loyar had already been exposed.


    Of course, Loyar was already known by the alias ¡°the Hound of Irine¡±.


    Vertus had probably identified Loyar long ago, but he wouldn¡¯t know of Loyar¡¯s true identity as a demon.


    Likewise, since I was forming various connections with the prince and princess and undertaking major ventures, I was gradually being exposed to the outside world.


    Though Loyar might not understand why I was doing it, to her, the Magic Research Club also formed part of this broader exposure.


    ¡°You might be endangering yourself,¡± Loyar said.


    This Rotary Club business aside, the situations unfolding in the Temple were unrted to the Demon Realm.


    ¡°What must be done, must be done.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My response was met with silence.


    I wasn¡¯t saying that what I was doing was necessary for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm. My efforts were solely directed toward preparing for the Gate Incident. Establishing the research club within the Temple and presenting them with challenging projects wasn¡¯t for the sake of the Demon Realm.


    It was to ensure that everyone stuck together, even if I wasn¡¯t around.


    It was impossible to know if something might happen, or when my true identity might be exposed.


    If that happened, I¡¯d not only have to leave the Temple, but the imperial capital as well.


    The n was to make sure that the kids could grow stronger even in my absence.


    I thought that would be enough. But was it really enough?


    I no longer wanted to leave the Temple.


    I¡¯d formed too many precious bonds there.


    ***


    I might sound like a broken record, but I¡¯d sustained a serious injury. Though I was off crutches now, I still had to face the inevitable consequences.


    <i>1st - Ellen</i>


    <i>2nd - Louis Ankton</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>21st - Ludwig</i>


    <i>22nd - Reinhart</i>


    Midterm results hade in, and I hadnded at the very bottom of the list, below Ludwig.


    A student cing below Ludwig was something that never happened in the original work, but it had just urred.


    It was the miraculous downfall for someone who had been the top scorer in the first semester midterms.


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone was looking at me with a mix of disbelief and pity.


    [Challenge Complete - Finish Last in Midterms]


    [You have received 500 achievement points.]


    [Special Achievement Unlocked - Finishing Below a Dunce (Ludwig)]


    [You have received 100 achievement points.]


    <i>¡®Ugh... I did it on purpose, but it¡¯s still annoying.¡¯</i>


    cingst in the second-semester midterms had been, to put it bluntly, intentional.


    I¡¯d missed many days of sses because I¡¯d been unconscious and because of my injuries. Unlike themon sses, individual instruction subjects were mainly practical. Swordsmanship, Supernatural Powers, and Comprehensive Martial Arts¡ªmost involved physical activities.


    The only non-physical sses were Mana Attunement Training and Demonic Ecology.


    Because of this, I¡¯d been given a fail grade for my practical sses for not being able to participate in the midterm exams.


    Due to the unavoidable circumstance of my injury, it was possible that my overall scores would still be adjusted based on my performance in the final practical exams, but for now, I had failed my midterms.


    A simr situation had happened in the generalmon sses. I had missed many sses, and when I did attend, I was too busy and distracted to focus.


    Yes, I could have studied if I¡¯d wanted to, but given the situation, I¡¯d decided to let it go.


    If I was going to fall down the rankings, I might as well hit rock bottom for those Achievement Points.


    I wouldn¡¯t have intentionally done so under normal circumstances, but since receiving a good score had be impossible due to my injury, I figured, ¡°Let¡¯s earn some Achievement Points,¡± and threw it all away.


    This resulted in the 500 points from the ¡°Finish Last in Midterms¡± achievement and 100 points from the bizarre ¡°Finishing Below a Dunce¡± achievement.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    No matter what, being stupider than that thick-skull Ludwig grated on my nerves.


    <i>¡®Wait, Thick-Skull is Harriet.¡¯</i>


    Being seen as dumber than Ludwig?


    Wasn¡¯t that a bit too harsh?


    Nobody made fun of me since they all knew I had been busy with various other matters and had gotten injured.


    Still. Last ce...


    The same expression of sympathetic understanding was on everyone¡¯s faces.


    But I didn¡¯t care.


    Achievement Points were more important. After all, they were also a form of achievement.


    ***


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at the midterm results.


    Reinhart, who had topped the midterms previously, was now at the bottom.


    Despite not being close, she knew that Ludwig¡ªwho always scoredst¡ªwas quite exceptional in his own idiotic way.


    They weren¡¯t very friendly, but whenever they crossed paths, he¡¯d always greet her with a bright smile.


    <i>¡®It¡¯d be nice if Reinhart could adopt even half of that attitude. Though, if he actually did, it might be a bit annoying,¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    If Reinhart greeted her cheerfully, saying, ¡°Hello,Saint-Ouen! How¡¯s it going?¡±


    It would feel very... Disgusting.


    She¡¯d probably respond immediately with, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    In any case, Harriet didn¡¯t think much of Ludwig aside from the fact that he was that kind of person.


    She had overheard Louis Ankton from ss B mention during one of their recent Magic Research Club meetings that Ludwig was incredibly, disastrously dumb.


    And Reinhart had scored lower than that disastrously dumb Ludwig.


    Normally, she would have relentlessly teased him for finishingst, fully enjoying his embarrassed reaction. This time, though, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it.


    Reinhart had topped the first-semester midterm exams. He certainly wasn¡¯t dumb. His injury had probably caused him to fail all the practical exams.


    However, if he had at least scored decently in the written exams, he wouldn¡¯t have ranked below Ludwig.


    It wasn¡¯t that he <i>didn¡¯t</i> study. He just simply couldn¡¯t.


    <i>¡°Get the money.¡±</i>


    It was because of the words she had said to him.


    Everyone in the ss was shocked by Reinhart¡¯sst-ce finish. Even Vertus looked surprised.


    The only one who remained expressionless, as usual, was Ellen, seemingly indifferent to whether Reinhart cedst or not.


    But Harriet couldn¡¯t simply ignore it. She had told him to raise arge amount of research funds.


    Truthfully, it had been just a joke. Because he was the club president, she had given him an entirely unreasonable task, thinking he¡¯d brush it off.


    But Reinhart, instead of seeing it as an absurd request, had epted it and diligently went about searching for the funds.


    She was taken aback by it all. She had expected him to say, ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t this amount already enough?¡±


    But he¡¯d epted it as if it were obvious and earnestly went out searching for research funding.


    He attended club meetings, and she heard that he even visited the Head Student Council Office¡ªsomething most students never did until graduation.


    Seeing Reinhart talking with the fifth-year student Olivia Lanche, whose presence alone was dazzling, made Harriet ufortable, but she realized that conversation had also been about securing more research funding.


    Reinhart had been very busy.


    Even though he¡¯d been injured and moving around on crutches, he couldn¡¯t even study because he¡¯d been too upied with the task she had given him.


    A wave of guilt washed over Harriet, and she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tease Reinhart.


    Harriet nced sideways at Reinhart, who was staring nkly at the ckboard.


    Was he despairing because the results were so disastrous and unexpected?


    <i>¡®It¡¯s all my fault. This is all my fault,¡¯ </i>she thought.


    Harriet felt like crying because she realized she had inadvertently been incredibly cruel.


    ***


    After themon sses ended, Harriet caught up with Reinhart, dragging her tired body from gym ss.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Upon hearing her call him, Reinhart, instead of responding, grabbed her and started talking about various things as if he had just remembered something important.


    ¡°Did I mention this already? It looks like we might be able to secure some research funding through the sponsorship gathering,¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°Huh? Oh... yeah. I wasn¡¯t sure about it, but you said things were looking good.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, it seems like I did mention it.¡±


    Reinhart seemed so scatterbrained that he couldn¡¯t even recall if he had informed her about the sponsorship gathering or not.


    <i>¡®Maybe he¡¯s still in shock from the midterm results?¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about the research funds. We have other options if the sponsorship gathering doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    <i>¡®Why? I¡¯m not sure why, but Reinhart, who isn¡¯t even a mage, followed my unreasonable request and joined the Magic Research Club.</i>


    <i>¡®I asked him for something absurd, yet he¡¯s the one running around most urgently trying to make things happen, even with his injury.¡¯</i>


    When Harriet thought about it, Reinhart was always like this.


    He¡¯d openly make snide remarks, say things no one wants to hear, intentionally pick fights, and be generally annoying.


    But when asked for help, he always provided it and he never expected anything in return. Harriet realized that over the somewhat short yet not insignificant amount of time, she had received so much from Reinhart.


    From the group mission in the first semester, to convincing her father, the artifact, and even the Magic Research Club¡ªshe realized she had mostly been on the receiving end of his help.


    And now, despite her unreasonable demand to secure a hefty sum of money from somewhere, he was still trying his best to fulfill it, and had ended up inst ce for the midterms.


    <i>¡®Who am I ? Why does he do so much for me?¡¯</i>


    Harriet looked on as Reinhart went on about the research funds issue in front of her.


    <i>Sniffle</i>.


    ¡°... What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡±


    Suddenly ovee with emotion, she started to shed tears.


    ¡°What... What¡¯s going on? Why are you crying all of a sudden? I didn¡¯t say anything this time, did I? Huh?¡±


    Seeing her sudden tears, Reinhart waved his hands about in confusion, thinking he had somehow upset her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry...¡±


    ¡°What? Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because of me... You came inst... Because of me...¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa. What?¡±


    Reinhart looked visibly flustered as he watched Harriet suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°Because of me, you ended upst... You scored lower than that dumb Ludwig guy...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the one who cedst, so why are you the one crying? And why are you insulting that innocent Ludwig all of a sudden?¡±


    Reinhart seemed baffled, as if he truly couldn¡¯t understand why she had suddenly started crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because... because I said something weird...¡± she said between sobs. ¡°That¡¯s why you overdid it... I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again...¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? You didn¡¯t seem to mind it when you were yelling at me to get money.¡±


    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t think you would actually do it...¡±


    Realizing why Harriet was crying, Reinhart gently ced a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Why the hell do grades matter so much? I don¡¯t care about that.¡±


    If grades weren¡¯t important, then what was?


    Was his promise to Harriet more important than grades? Could a mere promise be more important than the grades that remained for his entire life?


    Because Harriet didn¡¯t know Reinhart¡¯s true feelings, she could only infer everything from his words.


    It was sad. But even though it was sad, an unusual emotion, one she¡¯d never felt before, one that warmed her heart, seemed to well up inside her.


    Her sobbing only grew more intense.


    ¡°Why are you crying even more now?! I said it¡¯s okay!¡±


    Reinhart grew even more troubled as Harriet¡¯s sobs grew louder despite his attempts to console her.


    From a distance, several ssmates watched the scene unfold. They seemed to think that Reinhart the troublemaker was up to his old tricks, making another kid cry.


    Their expressions said as much.

 Chapter 227

    <h4>Chapter 227</h4>


    Last ce in the midterms...


    People had their own interpretation, believing that I hade inst because of unavoidable circumstances. Seriously, as long as my head had been correctly screwed on, I would have gotten better grades than Ludwig as long as I took the written exams properly.


    What exactly did they think of me?


    Anyway, it was a relief that, due to these circumstances, people did not see me as more of an idiot than Ludwig. I had taken the hit to earn Achievement Points, yet the penalty was rtively small.


    Of course, I was still rather taken aback when Harriet had suddenly burst into tears.


    In the end, despite all my preparations and nning, taking the midterms had been inevitable.


    The next thing to look forward to was the group mission for the second semester.


    After that were the final exams, and then the festival and the winter vacation.


    The traditional sh with the Orbis ss, usually nned for the festival, had beenpletely canceled. I wondered how the student council would fill the vacancy of one of the festival¡¯s main events, which was the face off between the Orbis ss and the Royal ss.


    It would be nice if they didn¡¯t bother the Royal ss too much.


    Mr. Effenhauser has already posted the notice about the group mission.


    The previous mission had been advantageous for those with great physical strength. Not all missions were like that, though. If so, talents like Luis Ankton with his schrly abilities, or Lanian Sesor with his musical talents, would not be able to stand out.


    The first semester¡¯s mission was one in which physically strong and quick-thinking individuals had thrived.


    In the second semester¡¯s group mission, smart individuals would have the advantage.


    The theme of the second-semester group mission was ¡°deduction.¡±


    Despite making small changes to how the game was set up and the ruleset, it still resembled the original, which I took inspiration from, just like how I wrote the deserted ind group mission after watching ¡°Law of the Jungle.¡±


    It was a bluffing game, much like the game Mafia.


    <i>¡®I think bluffing games were in trend when I first wrote this arc back then...¡¯</i>


    I realized more and more each time how half-heartedly I had written this novel.


    ***


    The group mission would run for a full week, just as before.


    Since the week before the group mission had essentially been a recovery period, I felt like my physical condition was almost back to normal. Ellen sensed this as well, and asked me several questions.


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, more or less.¡±


    ¡°Can you exercise too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should overdo it, but I should be able to start slowly.¡±


    Why did her eyes seem to sparkle so brightly? Was it just my imagination?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start trying out Mana Reinforcement bit by bit then.¡±


    Ellen and I were learning about Mana Reinforcement from the Yoga Master teacher, and she was suggesting I should try using Mana Reinforcement asionally during training moving forward.


    ¡°... Sorry. Even though I forced myself to activate it back then, I still can¡¯t get the hang of it.¡±


    ¡°... Why exactly?¡±


    <i>¡®Ugh, I really don¡¯t like you! I get that you¡¯re exceptionally talented, but I¡¯ve got my own talents now too, you know?</i>


    <i>¡®Why are you treating me like I¡¯m slow? Seriously, my progress has been insanely fast, all things considered! Even Mr. Effenhauser recognized me as the best talent in the Temple.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get it someday...?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m looking forward to that.¡±


    Ellen seemed keen to see what would happen if we added Mana Reinforcement to our sparring sessions in the training grounds.


    Having a mentor who cared so much about their student...


    The sentiment made me want to cry, even though I sometimes felt utterly depressed by being treated as insignificant.


    In any case, having such a long period of rest was sure to have resulted in a significant loss in muscle mass. If I could get a handle on how to ess Mana Reinforcement in return, that would be considered a fair trade.


    I¡¯d achieved something as crazy as Ellen had, even without the talent for it. Both Ellen and I were unprecedented existences.


    The few weeks of struggle was a small price to pay.


    Once this group mission was over, my own personal training and our sparring sessions had to resume.


    This was a group mission, but it also involved a game of Mafia.


    Of course, this game was not yed sitting in the same spot like the actual game.


    ¡°Wow... what is this ce?¡±


    ¡°This ce is creepy...¡±


    ¡°Aside from that, why is it snowing now?¡±


    ¡°No wonder they told us to dress warmly...¡±


    ¡ª<i>Whoooosh</i>...


    It was October, and although fall hade, it wasn¡¯t yet supposed to snow.


    However, we were surrounded by a snowstorm in the ancient castle, Epiacs, located in the extreme north.


    We had left the capital ande to this eerie, snow-swept castle where this semester¡¯s group mission would take ce.


    It was a silent castle that rose out of the snowyndscape. Rather than being beautiful, it exuded an old, sinister air, and the snow only made it feel even more ominous.


    As I had written it, the ss would spend the summer at the seaside and the winter at a hot spring.


    This was supposedly that hot spring. Of course, that part of the story would only take ce after the mission was over.


    For now, the main focus was the mission.


    [New Event Update - Group Mission]


    [Description: Do not get eliminated until the end of the mission.]


    [Reward: 1000 Achievement Points]


    A reward of 1000 Achievement Points was quite substantial.


    Honestly, if the group mission was just part of school life, it would have been tolerable, even if I might not have enjoyed it.


    At this point, though, it just felt like a waste of time to me. My body was just about recovered, and all I wanted to do was exercise.


    Even so, with Achievement Points on the line, it was not time to be cking off. I had to give it my best.


    ¡°Everyone agrees on eliminating Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    .


    .


    <i>¡®This wasn¡¯t what I had in mind...¡¯</i>


    Although some specific terms and rules differed slightly from the original, the underlying concept of this group mission was a game of Mafia.


    A mission to prove one¡¯s deductive reasoning, thinking, and logical abilities.


    On the first day, without reason or evidence, I ended up getting eliminated from the game.


    ***


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t argue for my defense.


    After listening to the exnation of the rules, we had a meeting inside the ancient castle on the first day.


    There was one mafia member from each ss, which made it two in total.


    Although the term had been changed to ¡°assassins¡±, it was essentially the same as Mafia.


    Out of twenty-two people, two were from the mafia.


    Before everything properly began, I found myself the center of everyone¡¯s attention.


    <i>¡®... Why are they looking at me?¡¯</i>


    Everyone seemed to be staring at me unusually seriously, for various reasons.


    ¡°This is my first time ying this, but in such situations, it seems like reducing the number of variables is the correct move, right?¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Hmm... that makes sense,¡± agreed Vertus.


    ¡°In a situation where there¡¯s no information to identify the culprit, the best course of action seems to be to eliminate someone who might cause troubleter.¡±


    Everyone nodded, agreeing with Charlotte¡¯s point.


    ¡°Indeed. Reinhart tends to be a bit unsettling, even if he¡¯s an ally.¡±


    The way Vertus agreed with her and the reactions of the rest of ss A gave it all away.


    <i>¡®You two are the mafia members, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    Thus, I was eliminated.


    [Event Failed]


    I was instantly eliminated from the group mission.


    ***


    Of course, since it was a group mission, the rules differed slightly from the Mafia game I was used to.


    One member each from ss A and ss B was designated as an assassin.


    The assassins, in a way, were the wild cards. If they won, they would receive the highest score regardless of their ss.


    During the mission, we couldn¡¯t leave the ancient castle.


    Every night, the assassins could assassinate two people. Of course, they did not actually point at people to assassinate them like in the real Mafia game.


    Whether they passed someone randomly and ¡°killed¡± them, or approached their target to dere their ¡°sentence¡±, they had to be physically present to execute the kill and escape the scene.


    The rest of the ¡°survivors¡± had to build the case based on the scene of the murders, the alibis of the other ssmates during those times, who the victim metst, who had unclear alibis, and who was where during which time.


    The ss had to deduce who the culprit was based on such reasoning.


    If a suspect was identified and the survivors were in agreement, a decision could be made on whether to execute that person in that location. ss A was allowed to single out one person, and ss B could choose another.


    The assassins had to kill two people per day, and the civilians could also execute two people per day. Of course, the civilians could choose not to execute anyone.


    Whether or not the executed person was an assassin would not be revealed. Even if only one assassin remained, they could still assassinate two people every night.


    The ss that correctly identified and executed the assassin would earn extra points. Naturally, if an innocent civilian was executed, there would be a penalty.


    However, the discussion itself also formed part of the evaluation. The more uncooperative and indecisive the participants were, the worse their evaluation.


    The mission favored those who could make rational deductions and correctly identify the culprit. Hence, the mission favored smart individuals.


    In any case, the group mission would end once victory for either the assassins or the civilians was confirmed.


    Subsequently, aprehensive evaluation would be conducted to determine the winner between ss A or ss B.


    In the original storyline, no one was eliminated on the first day, but this time, I was the only one eliminated.


    In the game Mafia, especially when yed with acquaintances, the person who died on the first day was usually someone annoying or an easy target for everyone.


    I seemed to be the former.


    Despite it being a group mission, both ss A and ss B hadbined forces to hang me without any reason or evidence on the first day, supposedly to eliminate potential variables.


    Moreover, no one defended me, and Charlotte had outright suggested eliminating me.


    Harriet, Ellen, and the rest seemed to think that eliminating me first would simply be less troublesome for them, regardless of their chances of winning or losing.


    ¡°Teacher, isn¡¯t this unfair?¡± I protested to Mr. Effenhauser.


    As soon as the execution was decided, I was summoned outside the mission area using the recall artifact like in the deserted ind mission.


    Ms. Mustang looked at me with sympathy.


    ¡°This too was a rational choice made by your ssmates,¡± Mr. Effenhauser said calmly.


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed to ept it as a natural choice.


    ¡°It is?¡±


    <i>¡®No way! I¡¯m innocent! How does hanging an innocent civilian help the civilians?¡¯</i>


    ¡°They probably thought you might resort to non-mission-rted methods, and wanted to avoid confusion early in the mission.¡±


    So, they decided to eliminate me and avoid future trouble just because I might have caused chaos with foulnguage if things didn¡¯t go my way.


    <i>¡®True enough...¡¯</i>


    If my opinions were not epted, I might have caused a ruckus and insisted I was right.


    Whether civilian or mafia members, they were right to kill me...


    Though I was indeed an innocent civilian, I wasn¡¯t an innocent ssmate.


    So, I was eliminated despite theck of evidence, since everyone realized that executing me was the right choice to eliminate the possibility of chaos.


    Ultimately, Charlotte and Vertus were right.


    So, does that mean they<i> weren¡¯t</i> the mafia members?


    ¡°Then, who are the mafia members?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mafia members? What do you mean?¡±


    I broke into a cold sweat. ¡°Oh, sorry. I mean the assassins. Yes, the assassins.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh boy.¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser, looking unperturbed, spoke as if it were no big deal to give the information to an eliminated participant.


    ¡°A-1 and B-1.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it. It really was those two.¡¯</i>


    Both maintained a good public image, had stern personalities when necessary, and had brilliant minds. A coboration between those two cunning characters.


    It seemed there was no hope for the civilians.


    ***


    In the original story, the mafia members were Vertus and Dettomorian, a duo that was hard to imagine.


    Originally, the condition for a mafia victory in the Mafia game was when the number of remaining mafia members was equal to the remaining number to the civilians, but this version wasrger in scale.


    If even one assassin was alive by the end of thest meeting on the fifth day, it would result in a mafia victory.


    The number of surviving assassins did not matter.


    At this point in the original story, Vertus even faked his own assassination to cause further confusion, leaving the rest to Dettomorian.


    Although it might have been possible for the assassins to avoid being assassinatedpletely, since they had to kill two people each day, it was ultimately impossible.


    The process was quiteplicated, but in the end, our idiot Ludwig finally identified the assassin.


    The reason Ludwig survived was quite ironic. It was the exact opposite of my situation.


    If I had been eliminated because they feared I¡¯d cause chaos, in the original story, Ludwig was seen as harmless and idiotic by both the civilians and the mafia.


    Because the assassins were clearly criminals with high intellect, Ludwig, who was an idiot, wasn¡¯t suspected as being an assassin.


    Since all his deductions were wrong, which created confusion, it was beneficial for the assassins to keep him alive.


    Thus, he survived until nearly the very end, and through sheer persistence rather than intellect, he finally uncovered the assassins¡¯ identities.


    I wondered how things would y out this time.


    The assassin pairing of Vertus and Dettomorian had been changed to Vertus and Charlotte.


    Since those two had a notoriously bad rtionship, it was possible that things would not go smoothly.


    In the original narrative, the smart ones were assassinated first.


    Therefore, Harriet and Louis Ankton were the first to die.


    Now that I had been eliminated, I had failed the system-assigned event.


    A thousand points...


    I regretted missing out on that, but even if I¡¯d survived longer in the mission, I wouldn¡¯t havested much more. Considering my past actions, executing me right at the start was probably the right decision.


    In reality, this was a battle of wits, not physical abilities. It wasn¡¯t as if I could have wielded a sword to stop the assassins.


    In any case, I now had a lot of free time until the mission ended, and it felt awkward to just sit around doing nothing.


    ¡°Can I go back to the Temple now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I thought about going back to the Temple to train alone, but that wasn¡¯t allowed. Then again, since the entirety of the Royal ss was out on their own group missions, the whole dormitory would be empty at this time.


    After the deserted ind mission, we stayed, ate and yed in well-organized bungalows.


    This time, because of the snowy surroundings, the amodations weren¡¯t as enjoyable.


    Epiacs was an ancient castle located in the pr snowfields. The mansion we were currently staying in was located nearby, and it did not have any of the spine-chilling vibe of the castle I had just left.


    The group mission felt more like a ss trip disguised as a mission, and this mansion had its own hot spring. Though not grand, it had an indoor training ground and staff to prepare meals.


    ***


    That night...


    ¡°What the...?¡±


    ¡°... I got eliminated.¡±


    Ellen had been summoned to the mansion.

 Chapter 228

    <h4>Chapter 228</h4>


    In the Mafia group mission, two individuals could be executed via the discussions each day, and another two would be assassinated each night. That was the daily maximum of eliminations allowed.


    Normally, no one would have been executed during the discussions on the first day, but I was the sole victim.


    With the assassins having to assassinate two people per night, there had to be two other casualties on the first day as well. The story had already diverged from the original.


    Instead of Harriet, Ellen was the first victim on the first night.


    ¡°Wh-What the... Vertus...¡±


    Soon after, Louis Ankton from ss B, looking utterly bewildered, also appeared.


    The first night¡¯s casualties were Ellen and Louis.


    Things were going as expected. They were picking off the smartest ones first. Ellen was undoubtedly smart.


    ¡°Won¡¯t this affect our grades negatively?¡±


    Louis was worried about his grades being affected by being eliminated on the first day.


    Ms. Mustang reassured Louis that the grading wouldn¡¯t be directly affected by the order of elimination.


    ¡°Louis, unless the assassins win, the grades for ss A and B will be integrated, so you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Whew.¡±


    Simrly, Mr. Effenhauser came to see us.


    Specifically, he came to see Ellen.


    ¡°Number 2, you¡¯ve failed. You know why.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser spoke calmly, acknowledged her response, and left.


    Failed.


    Both Louis and I were taken aback by this deration.


    <i>¡®What? Why did she fail? I thought the order of victims didn¡¯t matter?¡¯</i>


    But Ellen seemed to have expected it.


    ¡°What? Why did you fail?¡± I asked, as Ellen nonchntly picked up and ate a cookie from a bowl on the table.


    ¡°Well, I kind of asked the assassin to kill me.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    Ellen had identified the mafia members on the first day and apparently went up to them and asked them to kill her.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    If she had identified them, she should have just let the mission y out and act ordingly, instead of telling them to kill her. Why would she do such a thing?


    Ellen looked at me intently.


    ¡°You¡¯re fully recovered now,¡± she said.


    ¡°... What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s train.¡±


    <i>¡®Seriously?¡¯</i>


    This girl had a knack for catching people off guard without seeming like it.


    ***


    Ellen and I sat on one of the mansion¡¯s terraces, enjoying cookies and tea.


    Louis, who was feeling tired, had probably found an empty room to sleep in.


    Though I wasn¡¯t sure how she did it, Ellen had figured out who the assassins were. She might have gotten a hint from their eagerness to execute me.


    In any case, Ellen seemed to be more interested in getting eliminated quickly so she could use the remaining time to train with me, rather than fulfilling the mission¡¯s objective of identifying the assassins.


    That¡¯s why Mr. Effenhauser had dered that she had failed the mission, which was deserved.


    However, if you thought about it, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to expose the assassins at the meeting the next day and end the mission quickly?


    That way, we could all return to the Temple sooner.


    Sure, we could stay and enjoy this mansion, but if the mission waspletely over, those who wanted to go back could return to the Temple.


    ¡°Why did you fail on purpose? You could have ended the mission quickly, and we could have just gone back to the Temple.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Ellen fiddled with her teacup, gazing at the snowkes beyond the terrace window.


    The scenery outside was quite overwhelming, in its own way. The snowy ins glowed white under the moonlight, despite it being night.


    Ellen obviously knew that we could have gone back to the Temple sooner, and that the Temple provided a better environment for training.


    ¡°You¡¯re busy at the Temple,¡± she said without looking at me, still staring out at the snow-coveredndscape.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re busy, there¡¯s no time to train.¡±


    Ellen seemed to think that if we went back to the Temple, I¡¯d be preupied with other things instead of training. Although I hadn¡¯t been able to train due to my injury, she probably believed that even after my recovery, I wouldn¡¯t have time for training because of my othermitments.


    Therefore, she had chosen to get herself eliminated to make time for training until the mission ended.


    There was no reason for Ellen to do this.


    She had no obligation to care this much about my training. The gap between our skills was still huge, and she wouldn¡¯t gain anything from training with me. She was holding onto something without reason.


    I didn¡¯t have much to say.


    ¡°Were you sad because of that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Still refusing to look at me, Ellen silently fiddled with her teacup and took a sip of tea that she usually didn¡¯t drink.


    She continued staring out the window at the pale snowy fields.


    ¡°A little.¡±


    Despite understanding why it had been so, Ellen was still sad.


    ¡°I¡¯m strange, aren¡¯t I?¡± she said.


    She felt upset over something she had no reason to be upset about.


    Ellen seemed to find herself strange for feeling that way.


    ¡°Well, people are weird by nature,¡± I replied.


    That was the most I could say. Ellen responded with a faint smile, illuminated by the moonlight.


    ¡°True enough.¡±


    Perhaps because she wielded the sword of the moon god, Ellen looked the most beautiful in the moonlight.


    So much so, in fact, that it was hard to look at her directly.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty weird too,¡± she said.


    It sounded both like a criticism and not at the same time.


    ***


    Although it seemed pointless to practice in the middle of the night, Ellen and I headed to the indoor training grounds after our brief break.


    There wasn¡¯t really a need to, but at the same time, there was no reason not to.


    Outside the windows of the training grounds, the snow continued to fall.


    Ellen had identified the assassins so swiftly, and I was curious about how she figured it out.


    ¡°How did you manage to identify the assassins so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Ellen seemed to ponder for a moment. ¡°You have the most influence among our ssmates.¡±


    Ellen might usually be quiet, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t articte her thoughts well, as she had disyed in the Dark Land.


    <i>¡®Having the most influence...¡¯</i>


    As embarrassing as it was to admit, it was true. Although I wasn¡¯t close with everyone in ss A and B, I did have several strong connections, and thanks to the Magic Research Club, three of them from ss B were practically under my influence.


    ¡°If I were an assassin, you would be my first target, and I¡¯d get rid of you as soon as I could.¡±


    ¡°... Even though I know you¡¯re talking about the mission, hearing it like that is really unnerving, you know.¡±


    Getting rid of me... If Ellen really meant to do it, I¡¯d be helpless to counter her.


    ¡°But what does me being the primary target have to do with identifying the assassins?¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been executed during the meeting, you would have definitely been assassinated at night. Provided the assassin was someone with a brain.¡±


    ¡°...That makes sense.¡±


    In reality, unless I paired up with someone 24/7, they would eventually find a chance to assassinate me.


    Since there were sub-missions to carry out during this main mission, there would inevitably be a moment when I¡¯d be alone.


    ¡°Since you were executed during the discussion, they would move on to target the next one in line.¡±


    ¡°Ah... that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°There were four candidates I considered as potential first-night victims: Vertus, Charlotte, Louis Ankton, and Harriet.¡±


    All four were unmatched in their intellectual capacity, and two out of those four would eventually be victims.


    ¡°Considering that one of them might be an assassin, the assassin would eventually reveal themselves by being near someone who definitely wasn¡¯t an assassin,¡± she continued.


    As it turned out, Vertus and Charlotte were the chosen assassins. ¡°Harriet can¡¯t be an assassin,¡± Ellen dered.


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°... An assassin would have enjoyed the earlier situation, but she clearly didn¡¯t.¡±


    <i>¡®Is that so?¡¯</i>


    In the end, everyone had unanimously gone along with the decision to execute me, but everything had happened so quickly that I hadn¡¯t been able to see everyone¡¯s reactions.


    Why didn¡¯t Harriet even try to defend me, though?


    Then again, knowing her personality, she would have dly chosen to strangle herself rather than cry out ¡°Don¡¯t kill Reinhart!¡± in front of everyone.


    ¡°So, I hid myself near Harriet¡¯s private room and ran into Charlotte. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    Though the assassins had changed, the method of assassination was the same as in the original plot.


    The victims on the first night were supposed to be Harriet and Louis Ankton. Unlike in the original, though, Ellen had wanted to abandon the mission, so she had waited near a likely victim, found the assassin, and suggested they kill her instead.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t figured out that Charlotte was one of the assassins; she simply thought about what she would do if she were the assassin.


    Of course, she could have thought a few steps ahead and targeted idiots (like Ludwig) first.


    ¡°I think the other assassin is probably Vertus,¡± Ellen said.


    I confirmed that earlier on by asking the teachers, but Ellen seemed to have figured out that Vertus was the other assassin as soon as she identified Charlotte as one of them.


    She didn¡¯t even need to ask; she just knew.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°A reverse deduction. Charlotte was one of the assassins. She was the first to suggest executing you, and Vertus was the most enthusiastic about it.¡±


    Knowledge of one culprit revealed the reasoning behind past events.


    From the assassin¡¯s point of view, I was the primary target.


    Charlotte had jokingly suggested getting rid of me first, and Vertus had agreed.


    In the original story, Ellen went along unnoticed and was assassinatedter on.


    This time, she wasn¡¯t trying to win, but had genuinely engaged in the mission to find a way to give up quickly, and that had led her to the truth.


    Ellen was trying hard to be eliminated...


    <i>¡®She¡¯s a funny one.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Ellen and I trained together for the first time in ages in the indoor training grounds of the mansion near Epiacs.


    Though it wasn¡¯t as good as the Temple¡¯s, training was possible with just a practice sword and some space. Majoring inbat was very cost-efficient.


    I mean, was there even a major that was less cost-efficient than magic?


    <i>Kaang! Karak!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Does it still hurt?¡± Ellen asked worriedly, helping me up as Iy sprawled on the ground. ¡°... Should we stop?¡±


    Ellen seemed a bit downcast. She did not seem to want me to push myself if I wasn¡¯t yet fully recovered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the pain. My body just feels stiff from not having moved around much.¡±


    Two things became clear while we sparred.


    The first realization was that my injury wasn¡¯t hampering me. My body had just stiffened up from ack of use. I needed to focus on regaining flexibility first.


    ¡°And, I don¡¯t think I should be the one to say this... But you¡¯ve improved a lot.¡±


    ¡°... Improved?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡±


    The second realization: even though Ellen was holding back, I could feel how much her skills had advanced while my own training had been put on hold. She was pushing further ahead not just because she sparred with me, but in terms of raw ability itself, beyond just Mana Reinforcement.


    Even if I lived twice as long as her, I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up.


    The gap had grown wider. Knowing that it was a wall I would never be able to climb in my lifetime changed nothing.


    Still, it made me feel a little sad.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ellen asked with a tilt of her head, looking unsure.


    However, hearing that it wasn¡¯t my injury hindering me but my stiffness from ack of movement seemed to lift her mood.


    That was actually kind of amusing.


    Most people thought that Ellen always had a nk and somewhat stern expression, but between her seemingly identical but subtly different reactions, you could tell what she was feeling.


    It wasn¡¯t that shecked reactions. They were just very subtle.


    When she ate something delicious, she didn¡¯t show exaggerated enthusiasm like Harriet did, but would blink a few times while staring at what she¡¯s eating.


    When she was annoyed, she would pout ever so slightly.


    When she was sad, she would look down a bit and stare into space.


    When she was really angry, she could burst out shouting.


    I¡¯d learned a lot about Ellen Artorius.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again then.¡±


    ¡°Sure,e at me.¡±


    <i>Kaang!</i>


    Maybe I¡¯d learned too much.


    ***


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today.¡±


    ¡°Whew... Yeah...¡±


    After tussling about in the middle of the night, I wound up exhausted, even more than usual.


    Though it hadn¡¯t felt like a long break, my body felt significantly more tense, and I couldn¡¯tst as long as I normally did.


    Ellen sat quietly beside me on a bench in the training grounds. While I was getting tired more quickly than usual, she hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat.


    While she wasn¡¯t as over-the-top as Ludwig, her stamina was still immense.


    Given how tired I was and howte it had gotten, a bath and sleep sounded good.


    It was not yet winter, but the mansion we were in was in the pr region and had a hot spring, so there was no reason not to take advantage of it.


    The mansion had both an outdoor open-air bath and an indoor hot spring.


    The baths were naturally separated by gender, and despite the snow outside, I headed for the outdoor open-air bath.


    <i>Whoooooosh...</i>


    Though it was an open-air bath, it was not entirely exposed, and was encircled by wooden walls. The water in the hot spring was steaming, and there was snow piled up around it.


    After the Mafia game, a clich¨¦ event or two would happen here. They were more like random incidents rather than something that had a major impact on the main story.


    Anyway, since I was the first to be eliminated, I was the first to use the hot springs.


    Wooden walls separated the male and female baths.


    <i>¡®Wow, that wall is pretty low... With a bit of a jump, I could probably grab it and pull myself over. Not that I have any intention of doing so.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s freezing.¡±


    I considered going to the indoor hot spring, but how often did one get to bathe in an open-air hot spring while it was snowing? So I stepped into the hot spring.


    I didn¡¯t normally enjoy soaking in hot water that much.


    ¡°Ahh. That feels nice.¡±


    However, the hot water felt incredibly rxing, perhaps because of the beating my body had taken. My face felt like it was freezing, but honestly, I was too used to pain toin about something like that.


    I simply sat there in the hot spring, gazing at the snowy night sky.


    <i>ck.</i>


    I heard the sound of a door opening on the other side of the wall to the right.


    <i>Crunch, Crunch.</i>


    The sound of bare feet stepping on snow followed. Since it was an outdoor bath, snow had umted around it.


    Ellen must havee to the hot spring to wash up as well.


    ¡°Reinhart, are you there?¡±


    <i>¡®Seriously? Why call out in such an awkward situation? I was holding my breath! </i>


    <i>Although, I¡¯m not sure why I was holding my breath either.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m freezing.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you bathing outside? There¡¯s an indoor one too.¡±


    ¡°Why are you?¡±


    ¡°Just because.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Just because.¡±


    There was a soft bubbling as Ellen immersed herself in the hot spring.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I didn¡¯t want to think about anything, but now my mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts. Forget it. I¡¯ll just sit here for a bit and then leave.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    <i>¡®Why do you keep calling me? Talking like this with just a wall between us feels so weird!</i>


    <i>¡®Do you know how you¡¯re driving me crazy while acting like nothing¡¯s wrong? If you don¡¯t, there¡¯s definitely something wrong with you!¡¯</i>


    Despite my chaotic thoughts, I naturally responded, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you like the snow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I had feelings about liking or disliking snow. I thought I didn¡¯t particrly like it or dislike it.


    Yet here I was, sitting outside in the open-air bath under the snowy sky.


    ¡°I think I do,¡± I said.


    Enduring the difort toe to the open-air bath probably meant I wanted to see the snowy scenery.


    Didn¡¯t that mean that I liked snow, in the end? That seemed to be the right way to think about it.


    What about Ellen? Ellen once said she hated the rain because it reminded her of the day her brother left.


    ¡°I like it too,¡± Ellen said.


    Just as I had braved the cold toe to the open-air bath, Ellen hade for the same reason.


    <i>¡°I like it too.¡±</i>


    Honestly... It was tough to hear her say that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s build a snowman together tomorrow.¡±


    <i>¡®A snowman, suddenly?¡¯</i>


    Ellen¡¯s asional out-of-the-bluements really made me feel odd. After all that talk about training, now, out of nowhere, she wanted to build a snowman.


    It felt even more strangeing from Ellen. I never imagined she¡¯d suggest something like that.


    Yet, my response came naturally.


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 229 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 229 [Illustration]</h4>


    It was the next morning.


    Ellen, Louis, and I were the only ones recalled to the mansion so far.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we need additional granite and elium... Where do you even n to stash all this stuff? Do we even have enough space, let alone the means to transport it?¡±


    ¡°I found out that the Temple has arge storage facility specifically for club use. We can rent a section of it. Large clubs all do this, apparently. There¡¯s no cost. I¡¯ve already applied for the lease, so consider it done.¡±


    ¡°Really? What about transport?¡±


    ¡°The warehouse staff will handle it.¡±


    ¡°Wow... The Temple is really something.¡±


    ¡°Right? I didn¡¯t expect suchprehensive support either.¡±


    Louis Ankton and I were discussing matters rted to the Magic Research Club. This guy wasn¡¯t just smart; he was also quite meticulous.


    Since we were running a club, he wanted to know everything about the Temple¡¯s support system so as to leverage it fully.


    ¡°Smart guy. Good job, kid.¡±


    ¡°...Can¡¯t you just give a normalpliment?¡± Louis said in a slightly exasperated tone, and I couldn¡¯t help but smirk.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. This is just how I was born.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m finally starting to understand what kind of person you are...¡±


    Louis seemed to ept me as just a quirky, foul-mouthed guy, someone not to be feared outright. As a result, his naturally prickly demeanor asionally surfaced.


    He was helping me with details I¡¯d never care about if I were on my own. While I was good at starting things, I was lousy at sorting them out.


    He was more like a vice president than a treasurer, really. Even if the club only had six members.


    But a five billion won budget?


    That was pretty substantial.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen was staring silently at me from the breakfast table as I talked with Louis.


    Not a word was said by her, but I could feel a heavy, silent pressure.


    <i>¡®I got it, I got it, okay! I won¡¯t bring up this stuff when you¡¯re around! Besides, Louis started this conversation in the first ce...¡¯</i>


    Anyway...


    If the assassins weren¡¯t caught, the group mission wouldst until Friday evening.


    We¡¯d then take a break at the mansion from Friday evening until Sunday before returning to the Temple.


    Ellen¡¯s original suggestion was to use the spare time for training, but oddly enough, we ended up grabbing our coats and heading outside instead.


    The mansion was located in the pr region. A light snow was still falling, and though the snow near the mansion had been cleared away, there was a significant pile of snow around the perimeter.


    Ellen crouched and started forming a snowball with her gloved hands.


    Then she began rolling it around.


    ¡°You do it too.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I never thought she was the type to do such things.


    Well, she wasn¡¯t the type to do such things. She had stepped out of character. Wrapped in a thick coat, Ellen was making a snowball with her gloved hands while getting snowed on.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know what it is, but she looks really cute.¡¯</i>


    She was someone who would normally be far from being considered cute, yet I kept finding her adorable in recent times.


    <i>¡®A characteristic of the strongest character in this world: suggests making a snowman.¡¯</i>


    In no time at all, Ellen and I found ourselves rolling snowballs.


    Anyone seeing this might consider it damaging to the infamy of delinquent Reinhart.


    But worrying about such things was already a lost cause. I put more effort into rolling my snowball. Because of the abundance of snow, Ellen and I quickly managed to create ratherrge snowballs.


    ¡°Move aside.¡±


    Ellen lifted her substantially-sized snowball effortlessly and ced it on top of mine. It still felt strange to see someone so delicate with that kind of strength. You¡¯d think I¡¯d be used to it by now.


    She had suggested making a snowman, and we had finished surprisingly quickly.


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem to think it was over, though. She started patting the snowball with her gloved hands.


    ¡°...What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Finishing it.¡±


    ¡°What more do we need? We made a snowman.¡±


    <i>¡®Stacking two snowballs on top of each other is what constitutes a snowman, right?¡¯ </i>


    Ellen looked at me and tilted her head.


    ¡°How is this a snowman?¡±


    <i>¡®How exactly does a snowman look to her?¡¯</i>


    I stared at Ellen nkly as she began sculpting the snowballs with her hands.


    ¡°Bring me more snow.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t intend to let me idle and kept asking for more snowballs.


    ***


    If my idea of a snowman was a cottage, then Ellen¡¯s idea of a snowman seemed like a pce.


    I knew she had a high level of dexterity, but seeing her use it to make a snowman felt strange.


    ¡°Seriously, are you making an actual person?¡±


    ¡°This is a snowman.¡±


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t a snowman; it¡¯s more like... A figure of an actual person made out of snow, perhaps? Is there even such a thing as a snow person?¡¯ </i>


    Regardless of what I chose to call it, Ellen, after shaving and refining those two stacked snowballs, had sculpted it into a human shape. The other snowballs I had rolled were used to add details.


    Watching Ellen put her talents to such mundane use in real-time left me with an indescribable, eerie feeling.


    Ellen took a step back to admire her handiwork, nodding in satisfaction.


    A human sculpture made from snow...


    ¡°And don¡¯t tell me this is supposed to be me?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Despite the material¡¯s limitations, the sculpture¡¯s face closely resembled mine. Even the attire it was wearing, if it should even be called that, mimicked a Royal ss uniform.


    The figure wore a sullen expression and had a slightly tilted posture with its arms crossed, just like me. There were even details like hair and the creases in the uniform¡¯s pants.


    Eventually, though, snow would pile on the sculpture''s head and distort the shape.


    Ellen, worried, fetched arge umbre from somewhere and fixed it above the snowman to shield it from the falling snow.


    Although it wasn¡¯t what I had expected, we¡¯d ended up spending hours outside making a snowman. Ellen had to use her bare hands for the delicate work, since gloves didn¡¯t allow for such precision.


    As a result, her hands were beet red, and her face was flushed from the cold.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right. Your nose is running.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen touched her nose, realized I was lying, and then red at me. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Lies or not, let¡¯s just head inside,¡± I said as I grabbed Ellen¡¯s ice-cold hand. ¡°If you get frostbite, you¡¯ll have to cut off your hands, you know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t resist as I led her inside.


    Maybe it was the cold, but she seemed to be shivering slightly.


    ***


    Back inside the mansion, Ellen and I enjoyed some warm tea. Her cheeks were flushed as she sipped her tea.


    Ellen was watching the snowfall outside, with the snowman and his umbre standing outside.


    A few of the staff admired Ellen¡¯s creation from a distance.


    ¡°Do you make snowmen often?¡± I asked.


    It didn¡¯t seem like something she¡¯d typically do, sculpting a human figure out of snow. But it also didn¡¯t seem like it was her first time. Ellen continued gazing out the window.


    ¡°Sometimes. With my brother.¡±


    Of course this topic woulde up. She didn¡¯t do it alone, but would asionally make them with her brother. I tried to imagine Ellen and her brother making snow figures on a snowy day.


    Ellen as a child...


    What would she have looked like?


    It was hard to imagine, since she was still quite young.


    I imagined Ellen, but smaller in size.


    A younger Ellen Artorius, with a sullen expression.


    She must have been unbelievably cute. I wonder if there were any photos of her?


    ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since I made one.¡±


    Thinking about her brother had to make her sad, but Ellen did not hold back when she spoke to me about him.


    She had made a snowman with me for the first time in ages, just like she used to with her brother. It felt somewhat nostalgic for me too, considering I never thought I¡¯d be making a snowman at my age.


    Ellen said she liked the snow. She disliked the rain because it reminded her of the day her brother left. Snow, on the other hand, probably held happy memories of her brother.


    ¡°I wonder how the others are doing.¡±


    I suddenly felt curious about how the group mission was progressing. I was also curious about the dynamics between the two intellectual powerhouses.


    Given their poor rtionship, things might not go smoothly on their end, and conflicts could re up.


    ¡°What do you think will happen? How will the mission turn out?¡± I asked Ellen, who was gazing out the window.


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t end early.¡±


    I had asked about the oue, but Ellen had given an entirely unrted answer. Immediately, she seemed surprised by the words that hade out of her mouth.


    As if she hadn¡¯t expected herself to say such a thing.


    Even if the mission ended early, we could still choose to stay. There was no need to rush back to the Temple.


    But Ellen hoped it wouldn¡¯t end early.


    What could that mean?


    ***


    That evening...


    ¡°... Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I... got executed.¡±


    Harriet had been eliminated and been summoned back to the mansion.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stared silently at Harriet.


    ***


    Harriet felt uneasy.


    Not because of the eerie, sinister, and chilly atmosphere of the ancient castle of Epiacs.


    Not even because the way the mission was set up was unnerving, even if it was just a group mission.


    Nor because she feared being assassinated at any moment.


    The day before, Ellen and Louis Ankton had been assassinated, and Reinhart had been executed during the first meeting due to his ssmates¡¯ half-joking, half-malicious antics.


    Harriet knew from the previous deserted ind mission that those eliminated from the group mission were leisurely spending their time somewhere else, and that it would be the same this time as well.


    At the moment, it was Ellen, Louis, and Reinhart who were there, and that was unsettling for Harriet.


    There was no reason to feel uneasy, no need to worry about such trivial things. But Harriet felt restless and anxious, gued by an unnecessary guilty conscience.


    Adelia, who was with her, noticed Harriet¡¯s unease and expressed concern. Harriet knew that Ellen and Reinhart were close.


    The two of them being alone together wasn¡¯t something new and wasn¡¯t something to be worried about. It had always been this way, and the two had even gone on long journeys together.


    But still... She didn¡¯t want this any longer.


    They had only spent no more than just a day or two together, but the thought of one more day, of these days piling up, of them bing so close that there was no room for her to interrupt, was... terrifying.


    Ellen was Harriet¡¯s friend. A good and kind friend.


    Harriet didn¡¯t dislike or hate her. There was no reason to.


    And yet, she disliked seeing Reinhart and Ellen together.


    She didn¡¯t dislike them individually, but discovering that she might grow to dislike a dear friend caused such a strong emotional response in her that she could not control.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t dislike them,¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    But thinking about what the two of them might be doing together filled her with an unpleasant impulse that overrode her other emotions.


    The certainty with which they treasured each other made it impossible to deny their connection.


    Forcing herself between them would only make her feel so miserable and insignificant.


    Clinging to Reinhart, who wasn¡¯t even a mage, forcing him to join and even lead the Magic Research Club just to spend a bit more time with him...


    That all made her feel so...


    <i>¡®Pathetic. What difference is there between me and a whining child? Begging for attention, for Reinhart to spare some time for me. And yet he obliged.¡¯</i>


    Ellen provided Reinhart with boundless assistance. It was no exaggeration to say that the present Reinhart was Ellen¡¯s creation.


    But Harriet? She whined. Reinhart helped Harriet even though he had no reason to, but she couldn¡¯t offer him anything in return.


    She had such a strong feeling of inferiority.


    Wanting to be someone precious to the person she treasured, but knowing it was an unattainable goal.


    She couldn¡¯t stop the deepening bond between Ellen and Reinhart.


    And so, Harriet couldn¡¯t hide her anxiety knowing Ellen and Reinhart were now together in the holding area outside the mission¡¯s boundaries.


    They had already spent so much time together, and while she knew she couldn¡¯t prevent it and there was no reason to prevent it, she was still tormented by this vague anxiety.


    She didn¡¯t want to lose Ellen, but at times she felt an overwhelming desire to let go of her rtionship with her.


    <i>¡®What if we weren¡¯t friends? Then, I couldfortably like Reinhart. Liking someone shouldn¡¯t carry such a weight of guilt.¡¯</i>


    Harriet despised these thoughts of hers the most.


    Harriet had begun to be increasingly aware of just how miserable she was, recently more than ever.


    Just as Ellen was suffering, so was Harriet. And at that moment, Harriet couldn¡¯t focus at all.


    It was the group discussion time, and yet she couldn¡¯t concentrate on the conversation they were having to uncover the assassin. None of it felt important.


    She wanted to throw it all away.


    <i>¡®I, too, want to get out of here quickly.¡¯</i>


    That was Harriet¡¯s only desire.


    With a gentle smile, Vertus looked at Harriet, unable to hide her restlessness.


    ¡°Harriet, why do you look so anxious?¡±


    His smile and gentle gaze¡ªthat was all.


    But for those who could see them, the true intentions hidden beneath Vertus¡¯s gaze were evident.


    Such as Charlotte de Gradias, who gave her a simr gaze from the opposite side of the table.


    ¡°Yeah. You seem pretty anxious,¡± Charlotte added.


    Those two gazes. Gentle, yet hiding something unsettling.


    ¡°Like someone hiding a secret.¡±


    It was the gaze of predators who had found their prey.


    ¡°Oh, oh... th-that¡¯s not it! Wh-What would I be hiding!¡±


    For the first time in her life, Harriet de Saint-Ouen tried to act.


    She intentionally acted suspiciously.


    This was an opportunity for her to leave the mission early.

 Chapter 230

    <h4>Chapter 230</h4>


    Charlotte de Gradias was ovee with a peculiar feeling.


    ¡°I... I think I was asleep, but then... I don¡¯t really remember...¡±


    <i>¡®Is she an idiot?¡¯ </i>Charlotte thought.


    However, the idea that an idiot could learn magic was absurd.


    Harriet was absolutely not an idiot.


    But Vertus pounced on the opportunity, and Charlotte followed suit by suggesting a hint of intrigue, which led to Harriet¡¯s incoherent babbling.


    The night before, Louis Ankton and Ellen Artorius had been assassinated. When asked what she was doing at the time, she could have simply mentioned that she¡¯d been sleeping in her private room, but instead, she hesitated, imed not to remember, and suggested that her anxiety and confusion had caused herpse in memory.


    Her responses sounded suspicious to anyone listening.


    ¡°Is there anyone who can vouch for your alibist night?¡±


    ¡°W-Well... I don¡¯t think so...¡±


    ¡°Harriet, we had tea together untiltest night.¡±


    ¡°Did... did we?!¡±


    The usually smart girl was acting like an idiot.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on with her? She¡¯s not old enough to be experiencing dementia.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte was already feeling quite ufortable.


    Their first move had been strong. They had easily gotten rid of Reinhart, the biggest potential obstacle in this mission, by leveraging the prejudice of their ssmates.


    While it was bothersome to share victory with Vertus, her aim was to emerge victorious, and so they had to win.


    Charlotte had lived her life in this manner, much like Vertus.


    That allowed her to make cold, rational decisions in such scenarios.


    Reinhart, who was deemed the biggest nuisance, had been sessfully removed right at the start.


    The previous night, they had decided to target the smart ones first, and settled on Harriet de Saint-Ouen and Louis Ankton. Harriet was not only intelligent but also a member of the newly formed Magic Research Club, and her social influence among her peers was second only to Reinhart¡¯s.


    The suggestion hade from Vertus, and Charlotte was left to execute it.


    And then, out of nowhere...


    ¡°Please, assassinate me.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Despite moving carefully and secretly, Charlotte found herself caught from behind.


    It was Ellen Artorius.


    ¡°You¡¯re an assassin, aren¡¯t you? Just kill me.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! I was just looking for someone to stay with because it¡¯s lonely.¡±


    ¡°Just kill me. You came to kill Harriet anyway.¡±


    Ellen had read Charlotte¡¯s movements perfectly, ignored her desperate justifications, and bluntly asked for her own death.


    Charlotte had been caught. And for some reason, the person facing her simply wanted to be eliminated from the mission.


    That alone filled Charlotte with a sense of defeat and irritation.


    ¡°... Fine, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    The recall artifact activated immediately, and Ellen vanished. Charlotte felt a sting of annoyance, both from being read so easily and from not understanding Ellen¡¯s intentions.


    It seemed like she didn¡¯t care about any of this, which was infuriating.


    It felt as though she was the only one putting in effort where no one else cared.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s no fun.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte felt like she had already lost before starting, but still she couldn¡¯t give up.


    Back to the present, and the genius who had been her initial target was babbling and incriminating herself.


    She should have realized Ellen was the one to watch, not Harriet. It was a misjudgment, even though it had been Vertus¡¯s suggestion.


    Ultimately, that was the individual they needed to contain after Reinhart had given up without a fight.


    Still, Charlotte was upset about not having predicted Ellen¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°So... if you put it that way, I suppose I don¡¯t have an alibi... but I swear, it¡¯s not me! It¡¯s really not!¡±


    As she watched Harriet de Saint-Ouen dig herself deeper into the hole, Charlotte felt drained.


    A smart girl acting like a fool... There had to be a reason for her foolishness, since at the rate she was going, she was going to get herself eliminated.


    The result of her foolishness was elimination, and perhaps that was what she was aiming for.


    She wanted to be eliminated.


    It was bing clear. Neither Ellen nor Harriet cared about the mission.


    <i>¡®How much do they like Reinhart, anyway?¡¯</i>


    Frustration rose within Charlotte.


    They had gotten rid of Reinhart because of his intimidating influence, and that was turning out to be the correct decision.


    Just by eliminating Reinhart, the two most threatening opponents were giving up.


    One had sought out her own assassin and eliminated herself, while the other was making a fool of herself to hasten her own elimination.


    The choice they had believed was right had reaped even greater rewards than expected. However, the result waspletely unpredictable, and it only made Charlotte more irritated.


    Reinhart¡¯s influence was more significant than she had anticipated.


    <i>¡®Why do they care about him so much?¡¯</i>


    In any case, there was no reason to stop someone who wanted to eliminate herself. Still, seeing an opponent not putting in their best effort left a bad taste in her mouth.


    Charlotte had already lost interest in this group mission.


    ¡°Let¡¯s vote. It seems clear now, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    With a smile, Charlotte suggested executing the person who wanted to die.


    <i>¡®I mean, I do think he is worth liking after all...¡¯¡¯</i>


    Charlotte did not realize that thinking of Reinhart had made her smile slightly differently than usual.


    ***


    Hearing about how Harriet had been executed left me dumbfounded.


    ¡°You moron! You got hanged because you were bbering nonsense and making people suspicious? You thick¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me a thick-skull! And calling me a moron?! Why... why should I be called that?¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned beet-red again, and her expression was one of utter denial of reality. She looked as if she was thinking, <i>¡®Why do I have to hear this from him?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the most appropriate time to call you a thick-skull, Thick-Skull?¡±


    ¡°Eek! You...! You¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m not stupid! I¡¯m not stupid at all!¡±


    Harriet turned bright red after being hit with both the ssic insult of ¡°thick-skull¡± and the new-age term ¡°moron¡±. She clearly felt wronged.


    <i>¡®bbering nonsense until you got yourself executed... Well, what can I say? She¡¯s smart, but it seems she¡¯s not good when put on the spot.¡¯ </i>


    Helplessly floundering when struck by an usation out of nowhere...


    I hadn¡¯t been there to see it, so it was hard to gauge what had really happened just from her exnation.


    Anyway, while Harriet had avoided assassination the night before, she had still been eliminated the next day by a majority vote.


    Soon after that, the next eliminated person arrived.


    It was Connor Lint.


    Normally, ss A would target presumed assassins from ss B, and vice versa. Of course, that wasn¡¯t strictly necessary.


    Since it was a group mission, reducing the number of survivors from your own ss was not beneficial. More often, it was better to attack people from the opposing ss.


    That day, though, two people from ss A had been executed during the trial. ss A had lost me, Harriet, Ellen, and Connor Lint.


    It was just the second day, and four people from ss A had already been eliminated.


    ¡°What¡¯s your story?¡±


    Just as Harriet felt a sense of injustice about her execution, Connor Lint seemed too as well.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± he eximed. ¡°I was executed just because of my ability! Does that even make sense?¡±


    He looked like he might burst into tears from the injustice.


    Connor Lint could teleport. Perhaps the consensus was that his ability was too significant of a variable to ignore, no matter how strong his alibi, and chose to execute him for that?


    ¡°... Yeah, I guess you can¡¯t me them for suspecting you,¡± I said.


    Connor Lint¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°So what if I can teleport and keep my underwear on? Assassinating someone with my ability would make me a lunatic! Even if I were the assassin, why would I use my supernatural power for that?¡±


    If Connor Lint had been the assassin and used his supernatural power, he¡¯d probably pop into someone¡¯s private room in just his underwear, dere them dead, and disappear.


    Honestly, it was quite a criminal image.


    Connor Lint seemed genuinely upset that the others might even consider that he¡¯d really do such a thing.


    <i>¡®Yeah, you probably wouldn¡¯t. But, you know, you don¡¯t exactly have the best image. Just in a different way than mine. It¡¯s really quite damning.¡¯</i>


    He continued, ¡°I mean, my alibi was solid, but then we were just talking about how an assassin might carry out a murder....¡±


    Harriet had been executed because she had been babbling nonsense. After that, the group of survivors had discussed each person, assumed they were the assassin, and debated how that person might carry out an assassination.


    Most of the discussions about the other kids went by without much trouble.


    But when it came to Connor Lint, everyone was stuck.


    <i>¡°If he were the assassin, he¡¯d teleport into your room in just his underwear.¡±</i>


    After imagining that scenario, everyone had unanimously decided to get rid of Connor Lint.


    That scenario might nevere true, but if it did, it would be horrifying.


    He had cause to feel genuinely wronged.


    ¡°It¡¯s so unfair!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. What can you do when your ability is a bit messed up?¡±


    Feeling dejected over being despised for his ability, Connor Lint trudged off to find sce in his private room, saying he didn¡¯t even have the energy to eat.


    Harriet, though feeling rather indignant over her own unjust execution, seemed to cheer up a bit and explored the mansion.


    ¡°Wow, what¡¯s that? It¡¯s really well made.¡±


    She was wide-eyed as she looked at the human-shaped snow sculpture under its umbre outside the window. After carefully inspecting it, Harriet nced back and forth between me and the snow sculpture.


    ¡°Is that supposed to be you? Who made it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed reluctant to speak, and seeing this, Harriet began fiddling with her hair, looking a bit flustered.


    ¡°Ah, you, you two made it together... I see,¡± Harriet said as she narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°I can¡¯t really picture you making a snowman. Especially like that.¡±


    ¡°I just rolled the snow. She did all the creative work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really...?¡±


    Indeed, I had made very little significant contribution toward the making of that snowman. Harriet seemed unable to visualize me happily rolling snowballs.


    ¡°I want to make a snowman too,¡± Harriet said, pouting.


    <i>¡®What is this sudden trend of making snowmen?¡¯</i>


    Harriet insisted on making a snowmanter in the evening.


    ***


    Not wanting to leave her to do it alone, I ended up joining the second round of snowman-making. Ellen joined us as well.


    Unlike Ellen, Harriet didn¡¯t have dexterous hands, but she had the magic cheat code.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    <i>¡®One person made a life-like snowman, and now, someone else is making a humongous snowman.¡¯</i>


    Harriet was using Telekinesis magic to roll a snowball that had grown sorge it far exceeded her own height. Since it was too big to move by sheer physical effort, she had resorted to magic.


    And when the snowball became too unwieldy and started to crumble, she used her magic topact it again.


    <i>¡®A mage... I want to be a mage too!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Look at this! Have you ever seen a snowball this big?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°Do you think I have?¡±


    Her face was red, and she was full of excitement. Harriet cried out in delight, seemingly unaffected by the cold.


    <i>¡®How much fun is she having?¡¯</i>


    Unlike Ellen, her emotions were fully visible on her face.


    Seeing her so happy made me feel good as well.


    ¡°Come on, help me push this.¡±


    Harriet grabbed my arm and dragged me over to her enormous snowball, asking me to give it a push.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, it didn¡¯t budge.


    The snowball was a massive ball ofpacted snow, taller than both Harriet and me. There was no way I could roll it.


    ¡°What, you can¡¯t even move this?¡± Harriet said as she giggled, covering her mouth.


    <i>¡®Oh, so she¡¯s testing me now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Want me to show you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Show me what?¡±


    ¡°Watch this.¡±


    <i>¡®Alright then. Watch how it¡¯s done.¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t nned to use it for rolling snowballs, but...


    <i>¡®Maximum strength enhancement.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hrgh!¡±


    I tightened my arms, back, and legs, and pushed against the snowball.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Instead of starting the snowball rolling, my hands just sank into the snowball, causing it to start copsing.


    ¡°What... what is this...¡±


    ¡°Yikes!¡±


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    The snowball crumbled, and both Harriet and I ended up buried under the avnche of snow.


    We were both left in a pretty ridiculous state after getting buried by the copsing heap of snow.


    ¡°Hey! I worked hard to roll that!¡±


    Harriet wasn¡¯t upset about being buried; she was angry that her snowball had been ruined.


    ¡°How was I supposed to know that would happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Go away! I¡¯m going to start over!¡±


    Fuming, Harriet began to reassemble the copsed snow pile like a puzzle, trying to rebuild it to its original size.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    Meanwhile, Ellen was effortlessly rolling a snowballrger than Harriet¡¯s, pushing it along as if it were a giant balloon.


    Harriet had used magic, but Ellen was doing it with her bare hands. Somehow, in no time at all, it had grown even bigger than Harriet¡¯s.


    <i>¡®Seriously, no matter how strong she is, how is she doing that?¡¯</i> I wondered.


    <i>¡®Wait.¡¯</i>


    Upon closer inspection, I noticed a blue aura around Ellen¡¯s body.


    ¡°Are you seriously using Mana Reinforcement to roll a snowball?¡± I eximed in astonishment, and Ellen looked at me with her usual nk expression.


    ¡°I can¡¯t roll it without using it.¡±


    In this case, magic was clearly the lesser evil.


    Ellen was using superhuman strength to roll a snowball.


    Being able to use Mana Reinforcement for everyday tasks was unbelievable.


    Her talent was truly extraordinary.


    Anyway, having already made a lifelike snow figure, Ellen seemed interested in Harriet¡¯s idea of building a giant snowman.


    ***


    The resulting snowman¡ªor rather, snow giant¡ªhad three sections.


    Thergest snowball, rolled by Ellen, served as the first tier. The secondrgest, rolled by Harriet, became the second tier. The smallest, which I rolled with what felt like superhuman effort, formed the top third tier.


    To keep it bnced, Harriet used magic to carefully shape and level the base of each tier. The end result was a roughly five-meter-tall snow giant.


    Typically, you¡¯d use sticks to represent arms, but this snowman was far toorge for that. Instead, we found some dead trees and jammed them into the sides.


    ¡°This snow giant looks more like a snow monster.¡±


    With its creepy, wiry arms, it was more eerie than cute.


    ¡°It¡¯s called deformed art,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°This context isn¡¯t usually what that term is used for.¡±


    ¡°Whatever!¡±


    Harriet was beaming, seemingly happy just to be joking around.


    Some of the mansion staff found our antics amusing and came to watch. They even brought us hot drinks because of the cold, so the three of us just stood there, quietly appreciating ourpleted snow giant.


    The snowman Ellen had made of me stood next to it.


    ¡°Why did I even agree to do this?¡± I said.


    It wasn¡¯t training, or anything to do with the Magic Research Club, and I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d just spent the whole day making snowmen, even considering that we were just waiting for the group mission to end.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fun, right?¡± Harriet said as she gave a yful smile.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    <i>¡®If it¡¯s fun, it¡¯s worth it...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Actually, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever made a snowman in my life.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Harriet looked at the huge snow giant, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to y in the snow outside back at the pce. They said itcked elegance. And besides, I didn¡¯t have anyone to make one with.¡±


    Though Harriet was a Grand Duke¡¯s daughter, she was also a princess of a kingdom. It seemed this was her first experience doing something like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I came to the Temple,¡± Harriet said with a genuinely happy smile.


    She may have been cherished as a daughter, but for Harriet, the pce she¡¯d grown up in seemed like its own kind of prison.


    Seeing her speak her true feelings so openly, without her usual prickliness, felt a little painful.

 Chapter 231 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 231 [Illustration]</h4>


    Nothing about this group mission was going as expected.


    First, I got eliminated, then Ellen voluntarily dropped out, and Harriet was eliminated the next day.


    Then, the most unexpected event of all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe to cause confusion or something? Well, that¡¯s just an excuse for the teacher. I was simply bored,¡± said Charlotte. She had assassinated herself on the second night.


    Charlotte had just thrown away the group mission.


    But what about the importance of her Temple grades?


    ***


    At night, when the assassinations were supposed to take ce, Ellen and I had dinner and then trained, while Harriet, being bored, watched us train.


    As we headed back, thinking of getting some rest, we found Charlotte calmly drinking tea in the sitting room of the mansion.


    In the original storyline, Vertus was the one who assassinated himself. This time, Charlotte had been assigned to be an assassin instead of Dettomorian, and she was the one who assassinated herself.


    The reason? Because she was bored.


    Harriet was puzzled because she knew that Vertus and Charlotte had been designated as assassins, so it didn¡¯t make sense to her that Charlotte would assassinate herself.


    ¡°But... Is that really okay for you?¡±


    Although they would not have a decisive impact on the imperial session, the Temple grades were still important.


    ¡°Win or lose, the profit is the same, isn¡¯t it?¡± Charlotte said.


    Her justification was that she was acting in this way¡ªan assassin killing herself¡ªto cause confusion.


    Since Charlotte and Vertus had been leading the discussions so far, they were increasingly under suspicion. They were even exchanging blows, so to speak.


    In such a situation, if Charlotte was assassinated, it would suggest that she wasn¡¯t the assassin, and Vertus might also avoid suspicion.


    <i>¡®Win or lose, the profit is the same...¡¯</i>


    Both Charlotte and Vertus were on the same team this time.


    <i>¡®So, in the end, she just dumped the responsibility onto Vertus, huh?¡¯</i>


    She¡¯d lost interest in the group mission and didn¡¯t want to participate any further in it. And, by giving up, she could mess with Vertus as well.


    So Charlotte just gave up.


    Harriet seemed somewhat tense, while Ellen looked indifferent.


    Charlotte was watching the two of them with a gentle smile. She really knew how to manage her image.


    Charlotte looked like someone who was just about to reveal their true, enigmatic character.


    ¡°There¡¯s a hot spring here. How about we take a bath together?¡± she suggested softly.


    ¡°Wh-What? With me?!¡± I eximed, startled by the sudden proposal.


    ¡°What?! Not with <i>you</i>, of course!¡± Charlotte shouted, her face turning red.


    ***


    In the end, everyone who was present agreed to Charlotte¡¯s proposal since they had all been nning to wash up and rest.


    Reinhart intended to use the indoor hot spring, while Charlotte, Harriet, and Ellen headed to the open-air bath.


    ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s cold.¡±


    They wrapped long towels around their bodies and walked to the hot spring one by one. Harriet, fascinated by the open-air bath, shivered as she walked barefoot on the snowy ground before entering the bath.


    The three of them entered the bath, maintaining a slight distance from each other.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed to be lost in thought, while Harriet appeared somewhat restless. Charlotte quietly observed the two of them.


    None of them said a word.


    Whenever she was faced with a situation where she had to win, Charlotte had always tried her best to win. For the first time, though, she had chosen of her own volition to give up in such a situation.


    She was annoyed, and had lost interest in the group mission. If she gave up, Vertus would have to clean up the mess, and there was a part of her that had wanted to mess with him because of that. She thought it was more fun that way.


    However, there were two main reasons why she¡¯d ultimately gotten annoyed and lost interest in the group mission.


    Charlotte looked at those two.


    Ellen Artorius...


    The younger sister of the hero, Ragan Artorius, and predicted to be more talented than the hero himself. She had already set an example by stepping onto the path toward superhuman ability on her own. Although Reinhart had soon followed as another example, his level was notparable to Ellen¡¯s.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen...


    The heir to the prestigious magic nation, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and the greatest talent in the history of that great family. She was born with unparalleled talent in all areas of magic, which required significant financial resources. She would continue to grow endlessly with the support of her family.


    It was no exaggeration to suggest that these two would reach the pinnacle of their respective fields on the continent in the future.


    The pinnacle of superhuman ability, and the pinnacle of magic...


    <i>¡®But these two can¡¯t seem to live without Reinhart,¡¯ </i>Charlotte thought.


    It was a funny thing.


    Reinhart¡¯s individual background was quite insignificant. Yet, within less than a year, Reinhart had managed to make these two geniuses, who could be considered the future of the empire, his people.


    It didn¡¯t seem intentional, but that was how things had ended up.


    He appeared to be living recklessly, yet everything he did turned out well in the end.


    Reinhart... Would it be an exaggeration to say that the future of the continenty in Reinhart¡¯s hands?


    Reinhart imed to be her friend, and Charlotte thought so too.


    She regarded Reinhart as her friend, but she wasn¡¯t like these two, who were so fixated on Reinhart.


    She wouldn¡¯t give up on a group mission just because Reinhart wasn¡¯t there.


    However, given that she lost interest and ended up here after Reinhart¡¯s elimination, it did seem true that his absence was the reason that she¡¯d lost interest in the mission.


    <i>¡®What about me? Am I one of Reinhart¡¯s people? No... What am I saying? This is ridiculous.¡¯</i>


    Wondering whether or not Reinhart was one of her people would be the right thing to ponder instead.


    By that logic, though, regarding Harriet de Saint-Ouen as one of Reinhart¡¯s people was also absurd. The gap in status between the future Archduchess of Saint-Ouen and Reinhart, who came from a group of beggars, was basically the same as the one between herself and Reinhart.


    The same went for Ellen Artorius. Although Ellen herself might not have been aware of it, among the imperial popce, Ragan Artorius¡¯s status already surpassed that of the emperor. Heroes who became legends while still alive would see their fame decrease naturally just by remaining alive, but Ragan Artorius had exchanged his life for the greatest achievement in human history.


    Put in a slightly sphemous way, in the future, Ragan Artorius would surely be spoken of on an equal footing with the gods.


    Ellen, with her status as Ragan Artorius¡¯s sister, was no less formidable than Harriet. Both possess backgrounds too powerful to be simply linked to Reinhart.


    Yet, no matter how one looked at it, they were Reinhart¡¯s people. It didn¡¯t seem like Reinhart was one of theirs.


    Charlotte had an intuitive criteria when considering someone to be one of her people.


    Someone who was ¡°one of her people¡± should be someone who could give her something. She had to desire something from that person, and that person had to be able to fulfill it, whether it was loyalty, doing a certain task, or anything else.


    Moreover, that person should not expectpensation for it, but should be blindly loyal.


    From that perspective, these two were indeed Reinhart¡¯s people, since they seemed willing to give Reinhart what he wanted, while they themselves desired nothing from Reinhart. They helped him without expecting any reward, which had to be blind loyalty.


    As Charlotte pursued this line of thought, though, her expression hardened, and she realized a contradiction.


    <i>¡®I am no different. If Reinhart were in danger, I would help, and if he needed advice, I would always provide it. If he needed the help of the imperial family, I would give it. And I expect nothing from Reinhart in return.¡¯</i>


    What had begun as a rtionship forged through the need to send letters was now being maintained without that need. The one thing she¡¯d sought from him had disappeared, but by removing that link, Charlotte and Reinhart had redefined their rtionship as one of friendship.


    <i>¡®Harriet de Saint-Ouen and Ellen Artorius help Reinhart without seeking anything.</i>


    <i>¡®Therefore, they are Reinhart¡¯s people.¡¯</i>


    And Charlotte too, would help Reinhart without expecting anything in return.


    In the name of friendship, Charlotte was willing to do much for him, and ask for nothing in return.


    Thus, Charlotte de Gardias suddenly realized that she too, was ultimately one of Reinhart¡¯s people.


    <i>¡®Reinhart is not one of my people. I have be one of Reinhart¡¯s people.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte let out a sigh and chuckled softly at the absurdity, herughter mingling with the snowkes falling into the open-air bath.


    She shook her head and found that quite a bit of snow had amassed on her hair. She watched nkly as the snow fell into the bath melted away.


    Lost in thought, she hadn¡¯t realized that much snow had umted.


    ***


    <i>¡®I must possess what I desire. But instead of possessing it, I have be another¡¯s possession. What a strange feeling,¡¯ </i>Charlotte thought.


    And supposedly, her twopetitors in this unknown situation...


    Harriet seemed to cast a sidelong nce at her and Ellen as she calmly enjoyed the hot spring.


    ¡°Are you two close?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Very.¡±


    Ellen nodded in response to the sudden question, and offered a confession that left Harriet in a state of shock and confusion.


    Charlotte knew that the rtionship between those two was like a sandcastle that could be swept away by a single statement.


    It felt like a grotesque rtionship, in which they both desperately ignored the impending ruin.


    She could easily break it.


    <i>¡°You both like Reinhart, don¡¯t you?¡±</i>


    With just those words, they would be forced to acknowledge the truths about which they had been pretending ignorance, which would make things awkward between them.


    It would be amusing even if they tried to deny it.


    No one could predict how their rtionship would unfold, but it would undoubtedly be filled with sorrow and ugly incidents.


    However, Charlotte had no intention of throwing such a stone.


    <i>¡®Competitors, you say.¡¯</i>


    She was a princess.


    No matter how much she humbled herself to acknowledge them as friends, anything more was just impossible. Of course, no one knew what the distant future might hold, and even Charlotte acknowledged that possibility. But that was certainly not the present reality.


    However, those two...


    Just looking at their precarious state made Charlotte feel pity.


    Harriet¡¯s almost tearful expression in response to Ellen¡¯s acknowledgment of their closeness was revealing. Torn between guilt and a sense of defeat, she unnecessarily poured water over her face.


    She pretended to wash her face, the tears flowing from her guilt and sorrow mixing in with the water from the bath.


    Those two cherished each other but also resented each other. Their rtionship was one filled with nothing but guilt.


    Why hasten the copse of a rtionship that was bound to fall apart on its own?


    There was no need or reason to do so.


    Charlotte had no intention of entering that sorrow. She knew how to disrupt things if she entered, but she did not want to make them any sadder than they already were.


    A single statement could destroy their rtionship. However, she couldn¡¯t think of any way to do the opposite.


    There seemed to be no situation that could satisfy both of them.


    Charlotte coulde up with many destructive methods, but in the end, she didn¡¯t want to deliberately make them unhappy.


    To be honest, she hoped neither of them would get hurt. Because, in the end, they were both precious to Reinhart.


    However, no matter how much she thought about it, Charlotte couldn¡¯t think of a way to make thate true.


    ***


    The mission ended on the fourth day.


    Vertus was eliminated.


    It seemed there were limits to doing things alone. More than that, though, Charlotte hadn¡¯t really consulted with Vertus before abruptly going ahead with her self-assassination, which seemed to have shattered his mental state.


    Vertus had lost his cool not just because of the sudden crisis Charlotte¡¯s actions had caused, but because he was infuriated after realizing Charlotte¡¯s true intentions.


    Since they were both assassins, winning and losing had be a joint matter.


    Win or lose, the profit was the same.


    That meant neither could outdo the other in terms of their score this time.


    Therefore, Charlotte had essentially thrown in the towel and said, ¡°Oh well, good luck on your own!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s exnation to the teachers was convincing enough that she didn¡¯t fail.


    After leading the first two discussions and dominating the atmosphere, both she and Vertus would surely draw suspicion, and there might be suggestions that they were working together.


    By dropping out when she did, she could evade suspicion and reduce the questions directed at Vertus, thus causing considerable confusion.


    Anyway, thanks to that, she did not fail the mission, and Vertus struggled alone until he was eventually executed on the fourth day.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, the one who deduced this was Ludwig.


    It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d discovered something from the crime scene or found evidence.


    Already in an irritated state, Vertus had been trying hard to dominate the discussions during the meeting when Ludwig casually said, ¡°Vertus, you¡¯re talking too much. They say if you talk too much, you¡¯re the culprit.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    An overly simplistic deduction, not even worth being called a deduction.


    ¡°Wh-Whoa, wait a minute. Ludwig? What are you saying...?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m wrong, I¡¯ll definitely, definitely apologizeter. But for now...¡±


    ¡°What? No. This is not it¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eliminate Vertus for now.¡±


    ¡°Ludwig, calm down. You guys can¡¯t win this without me!¡±


    With so many from ss A already eliminated, ss B had the numerical advantage.


    So they simply overruled Vertus and eliminated him.


    Mission over...


    What was meant to be a game of meticulous deduction ended up resembling a typical game of Mafia. Just eliminating the suspect without proper reasoning. A sloppy game of Mafia...


    Since the mission was over, all the students, including those who had been eliminated, were gathered in one ce.


    ¡°Wow, Vertus really was the culprit. It was just a random guess,¡± Ludwig said,ughing cheerfully. He really had a knack for annoying people.


    Vertus¡¯s expression turned icy.


    <i>¡®Oh. He¡¯s revealing his true self. He¡¯s going to blow up.¡¯</i>


    He wasn¡¯t angry at Ludwig.


    He was ring directly at the smiling Charlotte.


    ¡°Dear sisterSibling... Shouldn¡¯t you at least warn someone before dumping a mess like this on them? Or at least say you¡¯re about to make a mess before you do it?¡±


    ¡°Does royalty speak so crudely? You¡¯re not Reinhart, you know. Ouch!<i> </i>Could you let go of me?¡±


    His mask was now off, and he grabbed Charlotte¡¯s shoulders.


    Charlotte, wearing a mocking smile to annoy Vertus further, scratched at him. Only when they dealt with each other did they show their true selves in front of others.


    Everyone knew that both of them pretending to be friendly with each other was meaningless, and they hade to ept their squabbles as a daily urrence.


    <i>¡®Wait, Charlotte. Why did you have to add, ¡°You¡¯re not Reinhart¡± in there?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wait, Charlotte was the other assassin?¡±


    ¡°Then why did she get assassinated?¡±


    Those who had been summoned back to the mansion when the mission ended were in disbelief, having never imagined that Charlotte was the other assassin.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t get a failing grade, I¡¯m going to strongly protest this group mission evaluation. Got it?¡± Vertus said to Charlotte.


    ¡°Why? I had my reasons. If you protest, I¡¯ll protest too.¡±


    ¡°Reasons? What reasons?!¡±


    This was the first time Charlotte had seen Vertus genuinely this upset. Vertus looked like he really wanted to p Charlotte, while Charlotte kept her mocking smile, as if daring him to try.


    Sometimes Vertus would get on Charlotte¡¯s nerves, and sometimes Charlotte would get on Vertus¡¯s.


    However, neither of them could cross the line, and so one of them always ended up exasperated.


    This time, it was Vertus.

 Chapter 232

    <h4>Chapter 232</h4>


    The group mission ended a day earlier than nned.


    Though situations like this had been expected, neither Ms. Mustang nor Mr. Effenhauser looked particrly pleased.


    It was probably because this group mission had taken several extremely disappointing turns.


    Ellen voluntarily dropping out, Harriet, the one with the brains, babbling incoherently until she got herself executed, students being fully yed by the assassins, Charlotte suddenlymitting suicide, and finally, Vertus losing his mental fortitude and getting executed due to Ludwig¡¯s crude deduction...


    They looked like they were questioning whether this mission was even worth grading.


    However, grades had to be given out. Instead of determining which side had performed better, they had to settle for the less embarrassing one.


    ¡°The winner of this group mission is ss B.¡±


    Rtively speaking, ss A¡¯s performance had been more embarrassing, and although Ludwig¡¯s rationale was crude, he did manage to catch the assassin.


    All in all ss B emerged victors.


    Both sses would be allowed to rest at the mansion until Friday and then return to the Temple, which would conclude this group mission.


    Although they could return to the Temple earlier, they nned to stay due to Ellen¡¯s request.


    ¡ªWow, what¡¯s with that snowman?


    ¡ªWhy is it so big?


    ¡ªThere¡¯s even something like a statue next to it.


    The returning students were marveling at the snowmen Ellen, Harriet, and I had made. One was being admired for its intricacy, the other for its size.


    They seemed curious about who made them, and when they learned that Ellen, Harriet, and I were the creators, they couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment.


    While it was something they could imagine the others doing, the notion that I, of all people, had been ying in the snow,ughing like a child, was hard for them to picture.


    ¡°... What? You jerks,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®Am I not allowed to make a snowman?¡¯</i>


    I felt unnecessarily awkward.


    ***


    The mansion was spacious enough to allow all twenty-two students to restfortably in their own individual rooms.


    Although the oue of the mission was rather disappointing, it concluded with ss B being awarded the victory. Of course, Vertus and Charlotte, who had been designated as the assassins, also received individual scores.


    Predictably, in the midst of the overallckluster results, the assassins were the only ones that performed creditably.


    They had manipted crucial targets during meetings and managed to handle them indirectly. Thus, Charlotte and Vertus ultimately received decent scores.


    Personally, although I didn¡¯t achieve anything notable, it didn¡¯t bother me much.


    Some ssmates were eager to jump into the hot spring as soon as they heard about it, while others were making their own snowmen, possibly inspired by the ones I had made.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with this sudden build-a-snowman trend?¡¯</i>


    ***


    It was Friday morning...


    ¡°We barely had to participate in that mission at all,¡± Riana said, and everyone nodded in agreement.


    The mission had deviated so much from the original that what was supposed to be a tense mission had ended rather anticlimactically.


    After breakfast, I was sitting with the four girls from ss A, including Ellen, sipping tea together.


    ¡°Does it always snow here this time of year?¡± Riana asked, shivering from the cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably because this ce is near the pr region,¡± Harriet replied. She exined that this location, at the northernmost edge of the continent, likely experienced winter year-round.


    ¡°The hot spring was nice, though. It really rxed me,¡± Rianamented, clearly having enjoyed her hot spring bath the night before.


    ¡°I usually prefer tropical resorts during the winter, but soaking in a hot spring in such a cold ce isn¡¯t bad at all,¡± Riana continued. She seemed to be reconsidering her vacation preferences thanks to this mission.


    Come to think of it, it was Riana¡¯s suggestion that had led us to our summer outing to the Edina Archipgo.


    <i>¡®Hmm. So, does that mean she might suggest buying a hot spring resort and making another trip there this winter? Well, I guess I can¡¯t say for sure right now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Since we¡¯ve brought it up, we might as well go again,¡± Riana said. She was set on heading back to the hot spring first thing in the morning.


    <i>¡®Wow, she must have really enjoyed it.¡¯</i>


    Unlike Riana, the others didn¡¯t seem particrly interested and just washed up before breakfast.


    ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡± Ellen suddenly suggested.


    <i>¡®A walk? Well, why not.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Only Harriet, Ellen, and I ended up going for the walk. Adelia hesitated and then decided against it, saying it was too cold.


    <i>Thwack! Thud!</i>


    <i>¡ª</i>Hey, hey! Throw gently!


    <i>¡ª</i>Come on, Delphine, put some muscle into it!


    ¡ªYou little...!


    The ss B students seemed to have moved onto snowball fighting after making snowmen, and were energetically throwing snow at each other.


    They were ying like kids<i>¡ª</i>making snowmen, and having snowball fights, just like I did.


    The mansion was surrounded by a forest. Steam was rising from the direction of the outdoor hot spring.


    We walked through the forest. The old Epiacs castle was faintly visible between the trees, partially obscured by the snowkes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit spooky over there?¡± Harriet mentioned, shivering. It wasn¡¯t clear if she was trembling from the cold or a sense of dread as she looked toward the castle.


    Indeed, it did give off a rather sinister air.


    ¡°It is quite eerie.¡±


    The castle had been originally designed to be eerie and ominous, but seeing an actual creepy and sinister castle was unsettling.


    The icicles hanging from the castle walls, the snow piled up high on the rooftops, and the overall dark gray color scheme¡ªthey all contributed to the atmosphere.


    It wasn¡¯t an old, decrepit castle, but a well-constructed one, which somehow enhanced the effect.


    Ellen tilted her head, curious about something else.


    ¡°What¡¯s that castle used for? I didn¡¯t see anyone living there or anything.¡± Spookiness aside, she wanted to know what its function was.


    Harriet also tilted her head as she realized this peculiar fact.¡°Now that you mention it, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Although meals had been provided at the castle since it wasn¡¯t a survival mission, they had been prepared by temporary staff, dispatched solely to support the mission.


    There were no Lords of Epiacs Castle or people who actually lived in the castle. The castle was just there to be used as the location for the group mission.


    I didn¡¯t know either.


    I had only created it thinking it would be spooky and cool to have a game of Mafia in a castle. I did not think about the castle¡¯s history, why it was abandoned, or any of those details.


    ¡°Where exactly are we in the first ce?¡± Ellen asked.


    We had arrived here via warp gate and Teleportation magic. We only vaguely knew it was somewhere in the pr region, but we hadn¡¯t been told precisely where we were.


    As Ellen pondered this, Harriet furrowed her brow in thought.


    ¡°If we¡¯re getting this much snow at this time of year... it must be near the northern extreme border or something. If there¡¯s a hot spring, that means there¡¯s geothermal activity... but I¡¯m not well-versed enough to know exactly where hot springs form...¡± Harriet responded.


    Harriet couldn¡¯t give a definitive answer, since it wasn¡¯t her specialty.


    ¡°Why bother wondering? We can just ask the teachers,¡± I suggested.


    <i>¡®Would pondering it among ourselves yield any answers? We should just ask the teachers where exactly we are and what Epiacs Castle is.¡¯</i>


    Harriet pouted slightly, a little annoyed at my suggestion.


    ¡°Geez, you really have no sense of romance.¡±


    ¡°What romance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, idiot!¡±


    Feeling deted, Harriet suggested going to ask the teachers and turned back towards the mansion.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s up with her? Why is she reacting like this at the strangest times?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Mr. Effenhauser provided a straightforward answer.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the northern pr region. It is not part of any nation. Hmm, if you head a fair distance south from here, you¡¯ll reach mos. It¡¯s a small nation, which is expected, given the harshness of the area.¡±


    The small nation of mos, located at the northernmost edge of the continent. Even that was still considered part of the northern border region. ording to the map Mr. Effenhauserid out, we were at the northern tip of the continent.


    ¡°If you go further north from here... you¡¯ll reach the region where B-8es from. It¡¯s not close, though.¡±


    Dettomorian hailed from the northern snowy ins, and lived in a tribal society which did not consider itself a nation. It was fascinating how he came to know about the Temple and how he managed to enroll.


    In any case, the area north of here wasrgely uninhabited, as was the ce we were in.


    We got an answer to where we were.


    ¡°What about the castle?¡± Harriet asked, genuinely curious about Epiacs Castle.


    What exactly was that castle? It wasn¡¯t enormous, but it wasn¡¯t exactly small either. There had to have been some significant reason for its existence.


    But Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s answer was enough to leave all three of us stunned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know.


    We hadn¡¯t expected that answer, so it left us all speechless.


    ¡°Wait. Are you saying that we were sent on a mission to a ce you know nothing about?¡±


    ¡°All I can assure you of is that it isn¡¯t dangerous. Moreover, the decision was made by the Temple, not me. I don¡¯t have the authority to decide on the activities or locations of the group missions.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser bluntly admitting he didn¡¯t have such decision-making power rendered us speechless.


    ¡°It is a strange ce, though. The climate here is harsh, making it unsuitable for people to live in. Yet, in this harsh environment, arge-scale castle had been constructed, but no records of the people who inhabited it exist. Even the castle¡¯s name, ¡®Epiacs,¡¯ was given after its discovery; no one knows its original name.¡±


    The ancient castle Epiacs...


    It was stranger than I had imagined. I¡¯d created it as a ce for a mission because of its eerie atmosphere, and it turned out to be genuinely mysterious.


    There were no safety concerns, and it had been chosen just to give the mission an ominous atmosphere. However, the true purpose and origin of this castle were unknown.


    Was this what it felt like to wander into an abandoned house without knowing its history? It was both creepy and chilling.


    But Harriet¡¯s eyes were sparkling.


    ¡°Then, can we visit it again, since it¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose that¡¯s fine. But why?¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s gotten into you? I don¡¯t want to go back there!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I just find it fascinating. We might be able to discover more about what that castle was for originally.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Though all known investigations have been conducted, if you have the time, feel free to visit.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed to believe that our free time was ours to use as we wished. However, he did leave us with a warning. ¡°But remember, even if there are no other dangers, this is a pr region. While you can use magic to keep warm, don¡¯t stay too long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, got it!¡±


    Harriet looked at Ellen and then at me, eyes shining.


    It was an expression driven by a sense of adventure.


    I understood why she was acting this way.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to apany us to the Dark Land, so she probably wanted to do something like that at least once with us. I understood her feelings, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to turn down this creepy expedition.


    [Event Triggered - Ancient Castle Epiacs]


    [Description: Uncover the secrets of Epiacs Castle]


    [Reward: 500 Achievement Points]


    Unexpectedly, an additional source of motivation was added. Perhaps the system was suggesting that I attempt something else, since I had failed the achievement rted to the group mission.


    <i>¡®I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try.¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed to consider something. ¡°Hmm, however...¡±


    Maybe he still had concerns about potential dangers?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Go ahead.¡±


    <i>¡®Why does he sound so uncertain about this? It¡¯s making me nervous!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 233

    <h4>Chapter 233</h4>


    The group mission was over, and we had no more business at Epiacs, but our curiosity brought us back to the castle.


    <i>¡®The system did mention Achievement Points, but still...¡¯</i>


    I wondered if the three of us could uncover something the Temple¡¯s own investigators couldn¡¯t.


    I considered bringing along other students who might be interested, but Harriet did not seem to like that idea much, so the three of us set out for the castle.


    We trudged through the snow-covered forest, just Ellen, Harriet and I.


    We would likely not be in any danger. If there had been any safety concerns around this suspicious, spooky location, the Temple wouldn¡¯t have allowed us to embark on a mission here.


    Harriet seemed overly excited, thrilled by the prospect of uncovering the secrets of the mysterious, unidentified castle, or perhaps just enjoying being with us.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Of course, her excitement waned as soon as we arrived.


    <i>Whoooooosh...</i>


    The eerie silhouette of the ancient Epiacs Castle loomed once more through the snow.


    At first, we had only known it as a spooky ce to go on a mission, but now, we knew it was an unknown, deserted castle built in a wastnd.


    This knowledge made Harriet¡¯s excitement turn into trepidation.


    It was one thing to know that there were no ghosts, but to feel like there would definitely be ghosts was something else entirely.


    As usual, our reliable, alwaysposed Ellen stood there calmly, merely observing the ominous castle.


    Harriet, perhaps out of nervousness, pulled something out from her belongings.


    ¡°I... I need to use this.¡±


    It was a pair of earrings imbued with Tranquility magic.


    <i>¡®She carries this around with her all the time, it seems. Well, what can I say? It¡¯s meant for situations like this.¡¯</i>


    After putting on the earrings, Harriet took a few deep breaths.


    ¡°... It¡¯s still scary, though.¡± Her mood did notpletely change, even with the tranquility aid. ¡°But... now I understand.¡±


    Harriet nodded slowly, having gained a bit ofposure with the help of the magical item. It seemed she was determined to do what needed to be done.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a castle,¡± Harriet said as she pointed to Epiacs. ¡°It¡¯s a pce.¡±


    It was not a castle, but a pce.


    That made sense.


    There were no defensive moats, no towers with arrow slits, no drawbridges.


    This wasn¡¯t a fortress built for defense. It was a ce built for living in and performing ceremonies. A pce.


    When we had first entered, we hadn¡¯t noticed these details. Now that we were looking at Epiacs from a fresh perspective, we saw that it was meant for living in, and not just for defense.


    Harriet recognized it because she was ustomed to living in such ces. She was most definitely a princess.


    ***


    Based on Harriet¡¯s observation and the knowledge that this was not a defensive structure but a residential one, we ventured further into Epiacs with a newfound understanding¡ªthis mysterious and seemingly abandoned pce held secrets waiting to be uncovered.


    There were no outer walls, and although the buildings were almost interconnected, the main area that was used was the central structure shaped like an inverted ¡°U¡±.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if there had been gardens or other such elements around it, but the grounds were quite expansive.


    The more we looked at it, the more Epiacs seemed like a truly strange ce.


    The servants who had been stationed there temporarily for the mission had already left, and the already-vast Epiacspound feltpletely empty.


    There were no locks on the doors or gates, so we walked directly into the dark and sinister castle. If anyone were to squat here, no one would notice.


    However, if trespassers actually managed to live here, they deserved an award for that alone, as there were no resources required for basic living nearby.


    ¡°Given the scale of this pce, people akin to royalty must have lived here...¡± Harriet said, and both Ellen and I couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    ording to Mr. Effenhauser, though, this ce was in uncharted territory, and only the small nation of mosy far to the south.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about mos, but could their royal pce be this big?¡± I asked.


    Harriet shook her head. ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be. I don¡¯t know much about mos, but the fact that I know so little about it is proof that it isn¡¯t some grand nation.¡±


    <i>¡®Wow. That¡¯s some serious disdain in her voice. If anyone from mos heard that, it would definitely hurt their feelings. That statement wasn¡¯t meant to disparage for the sake of disparaging.¡¯</i>


    ¡°A pce of this size could certainly serve as the royal pce of a fairly wealthy nation, even if it wasn¡¯t one as grand as my own duchy. The problem is the location.¡±


    It seemed many nations would dly ept it if the entire Epiacs castle was picked up and ced in their ownnd.


    <i>Click, ck.</i>


    The silence was so profound that the sound of our footsteps echoed loudly throughout the corridor.


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem afraid at all, and Harriet was managing, thanks to her Tranquility earrings.


    As for me...


    Forget Achievement Points or anything; I wanted to go back because I was scared.


    Of course, there was no way I would admit it out loud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about architecture, but this pce seems very well-built,¡± I said.


    ¡°It really is,¡± Harriet agreed.


    In contrast to my slightly timid demeanor, Harriet happily engaged in conversation as we walked down the corridor. To me, it looked like the ceiling, windows, and columns had not been hastily built, but were aesthetically pleasing and well-crafted.


    There were also statues in every alcove.


    ¡°What could these statues represent? They don¡¯t seem to be deities.¡±


    While there were statues, they did not offer much clue as to the original inhabitants of this ce.


    ¡°When was this built, who lived here, and where have they all disappeared to now?¡±


    We were here to investigate the castle itself, not for a mission. The interior was filled with various rooms, and Harriet took the lead because of her noble background and familiarity with pceyouts.


    ¡°Hmm, considering the structure, this should be the audience chamber,¡± Harriet said, guiding us around based on some unseen logic.


    It seemed that pceyouts were somewhat universal, at least from her understanding. The room that was supposed to be the audience chamber was spacious, with a very high ceiling.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this where we held our meetings during the group mission?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    There was a round table in the middle.


    It was here, on the first day, that I¡¯d been promptly executed. In its heyday, this ce would have served as the audience chamber of the pce, but during the game of Mafia, it had served as the meeting room where the students tried to suss out the assassins.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there was ever a throne here,¡± Harriet observed as she looked around the empty space.


    ¡°So, the residents couldn¡¯t have been royalty or other simr high-ranking nobles.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    If this was where the nation¡¯s ruling family had lived, there would have been a throne in the audience chamber.


    It was a pce, but likely not a royal pce.


    Sadly, apart from the sculptures, all other things had been cleared out from this structure and its attached buildings. Given the castle¡¯s age, most other items had probably broken down or degraded over time, and had been cleaned out.


    ¡°It seems that all beds, utensils, and other such items that we used during the mission had been brought over by the Temple. They weren¡¯t part of the original pce.¡±


    All those items had already been cleared out after our departure, and nothing remained within the castle itself.


    ¡°So it¡¯s not the royal seat of a nation, but it was constructed in this pr region by a group of people capable of constructing something grander than the royal pce of a moderately-sized nation...¡±


    Harriet kept shaking her head. It seemed the more she thought about it, the more it didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°But why build it here?¡± Ellen questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m wondering,¡± I said.


    ¡°The conditions here are just too unfavorable,¡± Ellen noted.


    The climate in the pr region was perpetually frigid. Procuring supplies would be difficult, and the living conditions were harsh.


    ¡°Constructing a pce of this scale using manualbor would be incredibly challenging. They would have had to transport building materials and work in this extremely cold environment for a prolonged period. Even under normal conditions, constructing a building of this scale would take a long time. In this environment, it would have taken considerably more time and resources,¡± Ellen remarked.


    There were nond constraints because of the remote nature of this area, but building a structure of this size in this very cold region would have required astronomical amounts of resources and effortpared to constructing a pce in a more typical location.


    Harriet nodded in response to Ellen¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Indeed. Building such a structure in this location would have been more costly and time-consuming than normal. So the fact that there¡¯s such arge pce here means¡ª¡±


    ¡°There are two possibilities,¡± I said, offering my conclusions. ¡°It <i>had </i>to be in this location, or the location didn¡¯t matter at all.¡±


    A massive pce in an uninhabited area...


    Even without a concrete clue, just understanding how peculiar this ce was brought us a step closer to grasping the truth.


    Ellen nodded slowly. ¡°It could be both.¡±


    ¡°Both?¡±


    Ellen seemed to have already reached an initial hypothesis. ¡°It had to be this location, and location didn¡¯t matter for its construction. Perhaps those who lived here were not human.¡±


    At her words, both Harriet and I turned pale.


    <i>¡®Wait. Why am I scared? I¡¯m not even human myself!¡¯</i>


    The idea that those who¡¯d lived in this pce might not have been human also suggested that those who built it might not have been human.


    Ellen¡¯s hypothesis seemed quite usible.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying... That this could have been a pce for demons or some other beings...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there could be species capable of living here regardless of the cold.¡±


    Although we had studied demon ecology, we didn¡¯t know everything about all demon species.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the Dark Land,¡± Harriet pointed out, clearly puzzled.


    Indeed, while this was the northern pr region, it wasn¡¯t part of the Dark Land.


    ¡°Demons don¡¯t necessarily only live in the Dark Land,¡± Ellen replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡±


    Demons were not exclusively confined to the Dark Land. There were instances where monsters and creatures appeared in human territories and needed to be exterminated.


    Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t yet certain that demons had built this ce.


    ¡°It could have been the headquarters of a secret magic organization. The construction could have been done with magic, and a high-level mage could procure materials fairly easily.¡±


    Harriet, who was a mage, seemed inclined to think along magic-rted lines.


    It made sense for a secret magic society to set up their base in such an uninhabited area, where people rarely ventured. With enough mages, procuring supplies and constructing the buildings through magic would have been feasible.


    ¡°That would exin why there¡¯s no throne, and why there is a round table in what should be an audience chamber,¡± Ellen said as she nodded, finding the idea usible.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    If the leader of a magic society wasn¡¯t a king or a person with simr rank, it makes sense that the audience chamber would house a round table and act as a meeting room instead.


    Non-human entities, or a magic society...


    It was clear that the original inhabitants of Epiacs were anything but ordinary.


    ***


    Who exactly lived in Epiacs remains unclear. But wandering through the gloomy castle, even in the middle of the day, was both spooky and unsettling.


    <i>Whoooosh...</i>


    A whistling could be heard throughout the corridors, whether due to the wind or something else.


    One might say the wind was wailing, and that was exactly what it felt like.


    ¡°Ugh, even the sounds here are eerie,¡± Imented.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the wind, you dummy,¡± Harriet retorted.


    After wandering around for so long, Harriet seemed more curious than scared. Or perhaps the tranquility earrings were doing their job, since she didn¡¯t seem frightened.


    <i>¡®In this scenario, shouldn¡¯t you be crying in fear? Isn¡¯t the artifact I gave you too much of a cheat?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°The fact that you guys aren¡¯t scared is what¡¯s weird!¡± I snapped back.


    <i>¡®Fear isn¡¯t age-dependent! I¡¯m especially weak against scenarios like this!¡¯</i>


    One of us was holding out thanks to an artifact, and the other would probably nonchntly acknowledge a ghost if it appeared.


    Harriet looked rather amused as she peered at me in one of the rare moments when I felt slightly afraid. She never expected this from me.


    ¡°Hah. It would be great if a ghost showed up.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop talking nonsense?¡±


    The ghost wasn¡¯t important to her. She just wanted to be entertained by the sight of me getting scared.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with her brain?¡¯</i>


    <i>Awoooo, Awoooo...</i>


    ¡°Why does the wind sound like someone crying?¡±


    The wind sounded like it was sobbing, and I wondered if I was starting to lose it.


    ¡°What crying? It¡¯s just the wind blowi¡ª¡±


    <i>Awoooo... Hoooo... Hoooo...</i>


    <i>¡®No, really, something¡¯s definitely crying!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ahhhh! What is that?!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, shit!¡±


    <i>Snuggle!</i>


    Both Harriet and I instinctively clung to Ellen, who was walking between us.


    Ellen seemed puzzled when both of us suddenlytched onto her.


    Reflexively, she hugged us back as if to protect us.


    With Ellen holding tightly to us, Harriet and I made eye contact.


    It was clear.


    Both of us instinctively knew that sticking close to Ellen was the best course of action in times of danger.

 Chapter 234

    <h4>Chapter 234</h4>


    Something was crying.


    The sound of something sobbing was entwined with the whistling wind.


    <i>Sob, Sob, Sob</i>...


    ¡°Wh-What is it? What is that? I¡¯m asking you what it is!¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. H-How would I know?¡±


    In such an extreme situation, even Tranquility magic was useless, and all Harriet and I could think of was never leaving Ellen¡¯s side.


    <i>¡®Didn¡¯t they say this ce was safe?! I thought they said this ce wasn¡¯t a problem!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Why are we hearing this sobbing echoing through the halls?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing much,¡± Ellen said as she hugged both Harriet and I tightly. It was somewhat reassuring that at least Ellen remained calm.


    <i>¡®No matter what happens, Ellen will take care of it. She has her divine sword, after all.</i>


    <i>¡®Well, so do I... but... Anyway, I trust only her!¡¯</i>


    I hugged Ellen even tighter and Harriet did the same.


    ¡°The teacher said it was safe.¡±


    But believing that all was fine solely because Mr. Effenhauser said so seemed a bit foolish.


    <i>¡®The Temple administration isn¡¯t that perfect you know... it¡¯s surprisingly sloppy. I know because I made it that way! If it were too perfect, it¡¯d be hard to create incidents, so I intentionally created some ces where they were absurdly loose too!</i>


    <i>¡®We¡¯re in such a spooky ce, hearing some unknown crying sound, and you still think it isn¡¯t dangerous¡ªwhat kind of nerves do you have?¡¯</i>


    We clung to Ellen, stopping in our tracks as if something might spring out at any moment.


    <i>Srrrk.</i>


    ¡°Ahh! Aaaah!¡±


    Something really dide through the wall just then, and Harriet screamed, while I just clung even tighter to Ellen, my eyes going wide.


    At least Harriet screamed... I felt like I was going to faint with my eyes open.


    <i>¡®I hate it. I hate stuff like this!¡¯</i>


    <i>Sob... Sob... Sob...</i>


    A ghostly figure was wandering the hallway, crying. Even though Harriet screamed, it didn¡¯t even nce our way.


    Ellen saw it clearly, yet she wasn¡¯t surprised at all.


    ¡°It looks like a ghost. A lowest-level one.¡±


    ¡°G-Ghost...?¡±


    <i>¡®You mean, a ghost?! Why is there a ghost here? And how is this ce not dangerous if there¡¯s a ghost here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°This ce must have very strong spiritual energy. That¡¯s why ghosts that we usually can¡¯t see materialize here. They probably won¡¯t be able to harm us, and they won¡¯t even be able to perceive us.¡±


    <i>Sob, sob... Sob...</i>


    ¡°So it¡¯s not a demon or a monster. It¡¯s just like a phenomenon. There¡¯s no need to be scared.¡±


    Indeed, it seemed the ghost couldn¡¯t see or sense us.


    Ellen seemed to know a great deal about this. Perhaps she learned it in Demonic Ecology ss, or somewhere else.


    A lowest-level ghost... It wasn¡¯t dangerous, and was closer to just being a phenomenon.


    It was probably not a demon, then.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t even sure where the line between demon and non-demon was drawn.


    Although Ellen told us not to be scared, her calm demeanor in the face of this situation was even more frightening.


    Come to think of it, I remembered Dettomorian saying once that ghosts were everywhere, and we just didn¡¯t notice them.


    The ancient castle of Epiacs simply had such strong spiritual energy that these ubiquitous ghosts materialized.


    Thus, what we normally couldn¡¯t see became visible, but the ghosts themselves weren¡¯t particrly dangerous.


    ¡°B-But, why didn¡¯t they appear during the group mission...?¡± Harriet asked, trembling. Her face had turned pale.


    The sobbing ghost passed through a wall and disappeared somewhere.


    ¡°They probably chased them away during the mission since we might have been startled,¡± Ellen replied.


    Now that the mission was over, and all Temple personnel had withdrawn, the ghosts they had previously banished had probably returned.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why...¡±


    I remembered Mr. Effenhauser almost stopping us just as we were about to leave. He seemed to be contemting something. But, in the end, he let us go.


    <i>¡®Shouldn¡¯t you have told us that ghosts might make an appearance? Even if they are harmless ghosts? Huh?!</i>


    <i>¡®Was this a prank by him? It sure seems like it.¡¯</i>


    Harriet and I exchanged nces.


    We didn¡¯t know what was going on, but at that moment, we just wanted to leave.


    ¡°This is fascinating. It¡¯s my first time seeing a ghost.¡±


    Instead of being afraid, Ellen seemed rather intrigued. In such a situation, a normal person would want to run away. Why did she suddenly find it interesting?


    <i>¡®Also, most people never want to see a ghost in their lifetime!¡¯</i>


    ¡°They can¡¯t harm us, and they can¡¯t even see us, so what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± asked Ellen.


    She seemed unable to understand why Harriet and I were afraid of what she saw as a harmless natural phenomenon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin criticizing that statement, but you¡¯re kind of right, and that makes me feel pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Me, me too...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s words caused both Harriet and I to feel a strange sense of defeat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    Harriet had been the one noisily in the lead, but once the ghost appeared, Ellen took the lead.


    From my perspective, both of them seemed like crazy people.


    Well, it was certain that Ellen was crazier than Harriet.


    ***


    The ce wasn¡¯t swarming with ghosts, but there were quite a few of them about.


    It was clear that the staff from the Temple had indeed chased the ghosts away. This ce was genuinely haunted, and the kids would have fainted if they¡¯d known.


    Ellen seemed to have been personally umting knowledge in this field as well, and not just about demons. She had instantly recognized this as a harmless phenomenon.


    ¡°We can¡¯t learn anything from these ghosts, can we?¡± Harriet said as she clung closely to Ellen.


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    The Temple must have discovered this area was haunted while they were trying to uncover the secrets of the ancient castle of Epiacs. They had probably also found out they could learn nothing from the ghosts.


    The ghosts did not even seem to have proper forms, and just wandered around crying or mumbling iprehensible words.


    We didn¡¯t even know if these ghosts were originally from this ce. After realizing they were harmless, I wasn¡¯t as paralyzed with fear as I¡¯d been earlier.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t scared.


    ¡°... Can¡¯t we figure anything out using Necromancy or something?¡± I asked.


    Harriet fixed me with an intense stare. ¡°Even though the Temple is somewhat lenient when ites to Dark Magic, Necromancy is forbidden. We can¡¯t use such things.¡±


    Forbidden simply meant it was considered a banned spell.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The Temple did have a Dark Magic curriculum, but it didn¡¯t cover the evil spells that were considered forbidden which meant they probably hadn¡¯t used any Necromancy spells during their investigation here.


    So, while traditional Necromancy was off-limits, we might be able to use Dettomorian¡¯s sorcery-style necromancy to investigate.


    The Temple didn¡¯t really understand the whole concept of sorcery, so they hadn¡¯t banned it. But all this was something to consider for a different day.


    We wandered the haunted castle while ghosts asionally appeared. The rooms were mostly devoid of furnishings, either rotten away or removed after this ce had been discovered.


    Therefore, we could only guess the purpose of most rooms. Some looked like banquet halls, others like storage rooms. We already knew what the bedrooms looked like.


    Epiacs was so vast that it seemed impossible to explore the entire ce in one day.


    We entered arge building that was quite far from the central structure. It was so remote that none of us would have entered it while we were still on the mission.


    It seemed like the most well-preserved area, and closest to its original form.


    ¡°It looks like a chapel.¡±


    A chapel...


    ¡°But it¡¯s slightly different. In the grand chapel at our pce, the statues of the Five Great Gods are ced at the back, with a lectern in front of them... but here...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s built as a dome,¡± Ellen said,pleting Harriet¡¯s thought.


    It wasn¡¯t set up like an ordinary church or temple.


    The building was dome-shaped, with alcoves in the circr wall, each housing arge statue. Unlike the other statues in the corridors, these were significantlyrger.


    Harriet had a specific reason why this ce wasn¡¯t a chapel.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pantheon.¡±


    A pantheon... The circr wall was lined with statues that represented deities. But we knew this wasn¡¯t a pantheon of gods.


    ¡°There are too many statues, and their appearances are different,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    A ce built differently from a typical chapel; a pantheon.


    But if this were a pantheon dedicated to the gods, there should have been five statues. But here, there were seven statues.


    ¡°What gods are they worshiping here?¡± Harriet asked, tilting her head in confusion.


    ¡°There must be significant meaning to these statues, unlike the others in the corridor,¡± Ellen said.


    The statues here would have been crucial to the original inhabitants of this ce.


    They weren¡¯t the Five Great Gods, nor were they demon gods. Otherwise, there would only be five of them.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re all human, does that mean everyone who lived here was human?¡± asked Harriet.


    Her earlier assumption was beginning to make sense.


    She had spected that this ce might have been the stronghold of a secret magic order. In that case, the seven statues here might represent important figures within that order, or highly respected mages in history.


    The faces of the seven statues were intricately carved. Although they had weathered significantly over time, they had clearly been crafted with great care.


    Since they weren¡¯t wearing robes, we couldn¡¯t be sure they were mages. Of course, one didn¡¯t have to wear a robe to be a mage.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll learn much just by looking at the statue¡¯s faces. They¡¯re just very finely carved,¡± Harriet said with a sigh. She thought it pointless to ponder the statues¡¯ identities.


    While examining each statue¡¯s face, I suddenly froze.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Harriet asked, and I rubbed my forehead, trying to ease the tension.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I replied.


    However, my heart was pounding wildly.


    One of the statue¡¯s face bore an uncanny resemnce to Eleris, and I couldn¡¯t dismiss it.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s definitely Eleris. Why is there a statue of Eleris in this ancient castle up in the northern pr region?¡¯</i>


    My mind raced to connect the dots.


    <i>¡°Yes, I am Eleris of the House of Fire (»ðê×) from the Seven Nights n.¡±</i>


    A Vampire Lord¡¯s House, and the head of the House of Fire, Eleris.


    Seven statues, seven Houses... The ancient castle, Epiacs...


    This ce was definitely rted to the seven Vampire Lord Houses.


    [Event Completed]


    [You have received 500 Achievement Points.]


    My spection was correct.


    ***


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether all seven Vampire Lord Houses had inhabited this castle of Epiacs. However, this castle had a very, very ancient history.


    Eleris had explicitly mentioned not knowing what had be of the Moon (ÔÂê×) and Sun (ÈÕê×) houses. Yet, there were seven statues around us.


    I couldn¡¯t identify which statues represented the Lords of the Sun and Moon houses.


    However, two of the statues showed the most signs of weathering. These were the two oldest statues among them; this ce had existed when the Vampire Lords of the Sun and Moon ns were around. Plus, there was a statue of Eleris.


    This confirmed that Eleris was indeed the head of the House of Fire.


    Though Ellen and Harriet hadn¡¯t discovered anything, I had, because I knew.


    <i>¡®How long had this ce been around? And why exactly is it no longer in use? What happened to the remaining five Vampire Lord Houses, excluding the Moon and Sun houses?¡¯</i>


    As I pondered these questions, Harriet was also deep in thought, examining every nook and cranny of the pantheon.


    Suddenly, Ellen tugged at my sleeve.


    ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what? Did you find something?¡±


    Ellen pointed at the statue in front of me.


    ¡°You think so too, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... Think what?¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s she talking about?¡¯</i>


    Ellen leaned closer and whispered into my ear so Harriet wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°This looks like Ms. Rellia, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    <i>¡®Wait a minute. Oh yeah, I forgot!¡¯</i>


    Though Ellen didn¡¯t know Eleris, she had spent time with Eleris while she¡¯d been in disguise and using the name Rellia. Even though Eleris had altered her appearance slightly, the statue still bore a resemnce to her overall look.


    The statue, which was a slightly weathered representation of Eleris, bore an uncanny resemnce to Realia.


    ¡°Ms. Rellia said she was a dragon, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    And Eleris had told Ellen that she was a dragon...


    ¡°Y-Yeah... Right.¡±


    When asked why she was pretending to be a weak mage, Eleris hade up with the absurd excuse that she was a dragon, who was out in the world for her own amusement.


    And now, in this mysterious and ancient castle, we had found a pantheon with seven statues, one of which resembled Rellia, who imed to be a dragon.


    This ce was centuries old, but had undoubtedly been an elegant pce.


    Ellen had never fully believed Eleris¡¯s lie, instead believing her to be a powerful mage with some secret.


    However,ing across the statue of someone who looked like her in such an unexpected ce washed away Ellen¡¯s lingering doubts.


    A mage who imed absurdly to be a dragon... An ancient castle, clearly holding some profound secret, which held a statue resembling her.


    Faced with these intersecting pieces of evidence, Ellen could no longer doubt it. She slowly nodded, epting her conclusion.


    ¡°This ce... it belonged to dragons,¡± she remarked.


    Ellen now seemed utterly convinced of the existence of the fantastic dragon species.


    <i>¡®Eleris... Your little lie has ruined Ellen... She¡¯s now going to live her life believing this ce was a dragon¡¯sir. If anyone ever says that dragons don¡¯t exist, she¡¯ll say, ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen one myself.¡±</i>


    <i>¡®You¡¯re the one who made her like this!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 235

    <h4>Chapter 235</h4>


    Although I knew the truth, I couldn¡¯t tell Ellen, and so she was left believing this ce had once been a dragon¡¯sir.


    If this manifested further to be yet another case of the butterfly effect, then it would originate with Eleris¡¯s words and not mine.


    In any case, as was determined by the Temple, the ancient castle of Epiacs was ultimately a safe ce, even though ghosts appeared now and then. Of course, if the Temple authorities ever learned about the true nature of Epiacs as I did, they would probably never stage any group missions in this ce again.


    Harriet didn¡¯t discover anything, and Ellen, rather than discovering nothing, had ended up with a misced conviction she would¡¯ve been better off without.


    Of course, Ellen kept her encounter with Rellia a secret and thus didn¡¯t tell Harriet about it.


    I was the only one who had discovered the real truth.


    Indeed, the truth about Eleris and the Seven Houses of the Vampire Lords was information that no one else could have known.


    As we made our way back, Harriet seemed somewhat disappointed that nothing significant had happened. More urately, she seemed deted that she hadn¡¯t been able to uncover anything.


    ¡°Well, nothing happened in the end,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°... Were you hoping for something dangerous to happen?¡± I replied.


    ¡°No! That¡¯s just a figure of speech!¡±


    Of course, I had discovered something, but I couldn¡¯t share it with them.


    Nothing notable happened afterward. We bathed in hot springs, had snowball fights, that kind of mundane stuff.


    Ellen¡¯s snowballs hurt like hell, and I actually got bruised. Seriously.


    Harriet threw the snowballs using Telekinesis, and it wasn¡¯t just painful, it felt like I¡¯d die if I got hit, so I dodged for all I was worth.


    ***


    It was ourst night at the mansion near Epiacs, and I was in the hot spring.


    ¡°Ow. This really hurts.¡±


    The pain wasn¡¯t just from being hit by snowballs, but also because I had trainedte into the night with Ellen.


    I felt so wrecked that I wondered if I wasing down with something.


    I left the outdoor hot spring in the middle of the night when no one else was around. Ellen seemed to be washing herself in the indoor bath.


    The mansion was silent at night.


    <i>Whoooosh...</i>


    The distant sound of wind blowing through the snow could be heard as a fierce snowstorm rattled against the window.


    This mansion felt spooky as well. Though not quite like Epiacs, it was still enough to make me ufortable.


    I was heading to my room to sleep when I saw something.


    Someone was standing near the window against which the snow was blowing.


    ¡°... Charlotte?¡±


    Charlotte, seemingly startled by my call, turned her head towards me.


    ¡°Oh, uh... Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing up?¡± I asked.


    Ellen and I were entric enough to be awake at this hour. Most others would be asleep.


    ¡°Ah, well... I just wanted to... watch the snow?¡± Charlotte replied hesitantly.


    Snow was everywhere. It could be seen from her room too.


    ¡°Really? Aren¡¯t you cold? You¡¯re not even wearing shoes,¡± I said.


    Charlotte was barefoot. The mansion was cold enough that it severely discouraged walking around barefoot, and it wasn¡¯t imperial culture to do so either.


    ¡°Oh, um. I just forgot...¡±


    Charlotte hurriedly retreated to her room, saying she was too tired to think straight.


    <i>¡®What was that about?¡¯</i>


    I stared at the door to Charlotte¡¯s room.


    <i>¡®Maybe she had trouble sleeping.¡¯</i>


    With that thought, I returned to my own room.


    ***


    After returning from the group mission, I promptly resolved the additional questions I had about the ancient castle of Epiacs.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been to the Vampire Council.¡±


    ¡°Vampire Council?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the ce where the heads of the families convene.¡±


    Upon returning from the group mission, I visited Eleris¡¯s semi-basement room to ask her some questions, and she offered the answers immediately. She didn¡¯t even seem surprised.


    <i>¡®Oh, you went there? Nice,¡¯ </i>her response seemed to suggest.


    It was nice to have a Vampire Lord around who knew such things, especially one who was the head of a House.


    ¡°Since the empire discovered it, all the permanent residents vacated it, and so it shouldn¡¯t be a particrly dangerous ce for humans.¡±


    ¡°Vacated?¡±


    <i>¡®What is she talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It was built in a location that was deemed difficult for humans to reach, but since it has existed for so long, it was bound to be discovered someday. What happened was inevitable.¡±


    The ancient castle of Epiacs had been deliberately constructed in a remote pr region to avoid detection by humans. Although the nation of mos was to the south, there was still a vast, uninhabited area between it and Epiacs.


    But what caught my attention was the term ¡°vacated¡±.


    ¡°What I mean is, if they were going about their lives normally, why did they vacate it once it was discovered by humans?¡±


    ¡°Once rumors of an ancient, unidentified castle began to spread, adventurers would flock there, and if they went missing, the military would be dispatched. Inevitably, a war would break out. We chose to vacate the castle to avoid such troubles. In any case, there weren¡¯t many permanent residents there to begin with.¡±


    To avoidplications, the vampires had simply abandoned the castle.


    <i>¡®Are all Vampire Lords pacifists, like Eleris?¡¯</i>


    Still, it was amazing to think that the Vampire Lords, who were supposed to be powerful, would abandon their home just because humans might start trickling in.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t that like fleeing your own house?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmm... Still, it¡¯s surprising that they abandoned the castle,¡± I said.


    ¡°Abandoned?¡± Eleris replied, tilting her head. ¡°It¡¯s most likely still in use.¡±


    ¡°... Huh? What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Humans can¡¯t survive very long in that sort of climate where the castle is situated, and so it¡¯s usually empty. We gather there when needed, and our visits do not ovep with those of the humans.¡±


    There were no humans living permanently in the ancient castle of Epiacs due to the extreme environment. Although the vampires had vacated it, they still gathered there whenever necessary.


    Human activity in the castle, for example the Temple¡¯s group mission, was not amon urrence.


    ¡°It seems Your Highness thinks we¡¯ve handed the castle over to humans, but there¡¯s no reason not to.


    ¡°Humans visit periodically to clean and manage the castle as if caring for an artifact. They believe it to be a pce of significant archaeological value. Since it¡¯s an ancient pce, they¡¯re not wrong. They maintain it diligently, worrying about any potential damage to the statues or decorations.


    ¡°Humans regrly maintain the pce without being paid for it, while we can use this well-maintained pce for council meetings whenever we need it.¡±


    As I listened to Eleris, I couldn¡¯t help but find the situation increasingly absurd.


    The vampires hadn¡¯t abandoned the enigmatic castle of Epiacs to the humans. Humans, captivated by the strange and beautiful architecture, had named it Epiacs and were diligently taking care of it, without even knowing its true nature.


    ¡°Humans tend to treasure what they consider to be their property,¡± Eleris said with an amused smile. It seemed she found this human trait endearing.


    To avoid trouble, the vampires had handed over the castle, but to their surprise, the humans were managing it better than they had, treating it like a cherished treasure. Although no one actually lived there or intended to use it, they appreciated the grand and elegant pce, maintaining it as if it were a valuable artifact they had discovered.


    Thus, the vampires watched in satisfaction as the humans maintained Epiacs under the illusion that it was their own.


    <i>¡®Freebor, really.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, yetplicated,¡± I said.


    The ancient castle Epiacs was, in essence, co-owned by vampires and humans.


    The Vampire Council, and the five remaining vampire houses, excluding the houses of the Moon and Sun...


    As the head of the House of Fire, Eleris was likely much stronger than typical Vampire Lords. But the heads of the other four houses, Vampire Lords themselves, would certainly be powerful as well.


    <i>¡®Could I consider their strength as my own?¡¯</i>


    Eleris seemed to read my thoughts.


    ¡°Are you seeking the power of the other Houses?¡± she asked, and I sighed.


    Other issues aside, Eleris likely wouldn¡¯t approve of my quest for more power.


    ¡°It¡¯s just in case of emergencies. Not that I need anything right now, but you never know when you might need more strength, right?¡±


    ¡°It will be difficult, Your Highness.¡± Contrary to her personal feelings, Eleris expressed doubt. ¡°No vampire house, no, not even any Vampire Lord, except for me, participated in the Great War.¡±


    Total non-participation...


    Eleris¡¯s words left me stunned.


    ¡°Wait, you, who despise war, participated, while all the others did not?¡±


    <i>¡®What is this bizarre situation?¡¯</i>


    Eleris closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed she was about to reveal something important.


    ¡°The Vampire Lords were initially an external force that was not under the Demon King¡¯s dominion.


    ¡°While I and a few other vampires pledged allegiance to the Demon King, the Vampire Council existed outside of the Dark Land, and the strongholds of the other houses were located in remote regions outside of both human territories and the Dark Land itself. So, strictly speaking, they didn¡¯t betray the Demon King; they were never his allies to begin with.¡±


    They had never sworn loyalty in the first ce, so they had no reason to join the fight.


    Some demons in remote regions also did not participate in the Great War, and for them, it was considered an act of betrayal. However, the Vampire Council could not be considered as betrayers of the cause, since they had never signed up in the first ce.


    The Vampire Council was a distinct power, outside of both the demon and human realms. In addition, Eleris despised war and was against all forms of ughter.


    Hence, it was odd that Eleris, the Vampire Lord of the House of Fire, had pledged loyalty to the Demon King and participated in the Great War. Though I didn¡¯t know what role she previously yed, hertest assignment as a spy in the human realm seemed to have yielded no significant results.


    The actual kidnapping of the princess had been executed by Sarkegar.


    <i>¡®Why did Eleris pledge loyalty to the Demon King? </i>


    <i>¡®Wait. To begin with, vampires are Undead, and being undead represents a particr state. Vampires could be considered a ¡°state¡± rather than a ¡°species¡±.</i>


    <i>¡®Obviously, it would be impossible to be born a vampire. A vampire must have existed in a different state before turning into one.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Eleris.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Before bing a vampire, were you human?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris looked at me quietly.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    I had gained some information about this new faction called the Vampire Council, and in addition, I learned that Eleris was bad at lying.


    But since I had decided to respect Eleris¡¯s secrets, I had no intention of prying further.


    ¡°Well, okay. By the way, do you still attend these Vampire Council meetings?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t attended in quite some time, but it¡¯s not because we¡¯re on bad terms.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Alright, got it.¡±


    The Vampire Council...


    I stored this information away in my mind for now.


    ***


    The Vampire Council...


    They were, to put it in other words, an extraterritorial power. I wasn¡¯t certain what Eleris¡¯s current rtionship with the Vampire Council was, but it seemed they weren¡¯t particrly friendly or hostile towards humans or demons.


    Given that they had chosen to vacate their pce rather than fight when humans discovered it, they didn¡¯t seem like an unreasonable group.


    Eleris had many secrets.


    Why did she pledge loyalty to the Demon King despite hating violence?


    What had she been before she became a vampire?


    While I could make guesses, nothing was certain. However, I had no desire to force her to reveal these truths.


    Eleris was on my side. As long as that was certain, everything else was secondary.

 Chapter 236

    <h4>Chapter 236</h4>


    The group mission had ended, and it was October.


    The weather had turned fully autumnal and it was getting cold enough that wearing school uniform jackets was necessary.


    The winter attire wasn¡¯t significantly different from before. The biggest change was that the female students¡¯ stockings were now ck.


    The activities of the Magic Research Club and my training with Ellen resumed their normal course. Despite Ellen¡¯s concerns, I wasn¡¯t too busy to keep up with my training.


    There was always free time, and I considered my training very important.


    So, this meant I could return to my early morning exercises.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    It seemed that Adriana, my usual exercise partner, was absent no matter how long I waited in the main hall of the dormitory in the early morning. She had visited me a few times during my recuperation, often nagging me as well.


    Since my recovery had taken so long, she might have assumed I wouldn¡¯t be able to join her for early morning exercises and started working out alone.


    So, I decided to go running on my own.


    <i>¡®Now that I¡¯m fully recovered, should I ask her if she wants to work out together in the mornings again? I don¡¯t know, though. Is it really necessary?¡¯</i>


    I¡¯d reached a point where I could manage on my own, and frankly, I¡¯d probably been Adriana¡¯s training up until this point.


    Morning workouts weren¡¯t amitment we¡¯d made to each other, so even if we ended up working out separately after drifting apart like this, it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    <i>¡®Still, I feel, somehow... A bit sad about it.¡¯</i>


    With these thoughts in mind, I raced through the early autumn morning of the Temple.


    ¡°Good morning, Reinhart! Let¡¯s give it our all today!¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, there goes Ludwig, always so annoyingly cheerful. Does he have some special ability to wake up like that?¡¯</i>


    Eventually, I decided that it was better to address it directly rather than stew in uncertainty. After finishing my morning workout, I went to the second-year dormitory to find Adriana.


    I spotted Rudina, whom I regrly meet due to Magic Research Club matters and approached her.


    ¡°Are you looking for Adriana?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Where is she?¡±


    To be honest, she was the easiest person to approach. However, I hadn¡¯t seen her since we had both been off on our separate group missions.


    <i>¡®But why is she making such a face?¡¯</i>


    ¡°She¡¯s dropping out.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Rudina¡¯s answer waspletely unexpected.


    ***


    Adriana was dropping out.


    It seemed she had already left the Temple.


    After the group mission ended on Friday, the second-year students had the option to rest at the mission location over the weekend and return on Sunday.


    Adriana had reportedly requested to return early, right after the mission ended. When the rest of them got back to the Temple, Adriana was already gone.


    It seemed the only thing they could confirm was that she had informed their teacher about her intention to withdraw.


    She¡¯d been consulting with this teacher about it for a long time, apparently without telling anyone else. Adriana had been preparing to leave the Temple for quite a while.


    Naturally, Rudina was even more shocked than I was since she always imed they were friends but followed Adriana around like she was her big sister.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t understand...¡±


    The second-year group mission had been an escape mission. It began with the students being scattered about in an artificially constructed maze. They then had to join up with their ssmates, ovee various traps, and escape the maze.


    Rudina¡¯s ss A had won, she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, though. She just seemed really down throughout the mission.¡±


    Though Adriana had been nning to leave for a while, something must have happened during the mission.


    Rudina looked like she was on the verge of tears.


    Adriana had left the Temple without exining anything to anyone.


    <i>¡°If someone I consider a dear friend wants to be more than friends with me... What should I do....?¡±</i>


    Not long into the second semester, Adriana had said something like that to me.


    She had seemed troubled then.


    Had this issue festered and finally exploded?


    Was this another incident born from the gaps in the original story?


    I couldn¡¯t be sure. Adriana was heavily influenced by me. But I didn¡¯t care about the butterfly effect, or the gaps in the story.


    Adriana was my friend, and now she was gone, leaving without a word.


    I couldn¡¯t just let it go. I needed to find out why.


    ¡°Never mind that. Do you know where she might have gone?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want Adriana to disappear from the Temple without me knowing why.


    ***


    It was Tuesday. Adriana had left on the Friday that we returned to the Temple after the group mission.


    She didn¡¯t have a ce to stay in the capital city. If she left the Temple, she would return to the monastery where she¡¯d grown up.


    The Art-Ouen Monastery in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen...


    She had mentioned to me before that she¡¯d been born and raised there.


    Fortunately, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen wasn¡¯t far from the capital. It was Harriet¡¯s hometown as well as Adriana¡¯s.


    After sses ended on Tuesday, I hurried out of the Temple. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could make it to the Duchy of Saint-Ouen and back in a day.


    <i>¡®If it takes longer, well... I¡¯ll find a way to manage.¡¯</i>


    The disciplinarymittee had my case on hold anyway, so missing a day or two of sses would probably only cost me some merit points.


    If the disciplinarymittee decided to impose additional penalties for this stunt during my probation, I¡¯d honestly have no defense.


    However, Mr. Effenhauser would still try his best to prevent expulsion.


    ¡°The Art-Ouen Monastery. Do you know where that is?¡± I briefly asked Harriet before leaving.


    It seemed Harriet didn¡¯t know the exact location of the Art-Ouen Monastery. After all, it was unrealistic to expect the duchess to be aware of every single building in her domain.


    Massive warp gates were located throughout the capital, and I passed through one of them to get to the capital of Saint-Ouen, Arnaka. It was fortunate that the trip would only take one jump.


    ¡°Proceed.¡±


    As I entered the massive warp gate, a thought suddenly came to me.


    While the capital had many such Warp Gates that could be used immediately, this was pretty specialpared to other cities where one would have to wait days to use a massive gate.


    In other words, traveling there would be quick, but returning could take days due to the wait time at the gate. Plus, I didn¡¯t have any imperial emblem on me or anything.


    It might not just be a day; I could be away the entire week.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, uh oh...¡±


    But my body had already passed into the warp gate. I had been too worried about Adriana¡¯s disappearance.


    I was too impulsive.


    ***


    Once, Adriana had sighed deeply, worrying that Olivia might leave the Temple. Now, she had pulled that same stunt herself.


    It was the perfect example of how unpredictable life could be. And that was why I found myself in a ce I had never thought about until the day before.


    Harriet should probably have been the reason for me to visit this ce, not Adriana.


    I was stunned by the sight that greeted me as I stepped out of the Warp Gate.


    The Duchy of Saint-Ouen was known for its highly-developed magic, and its capital, Arnaka. Though not as grand as the imperial capital, this ce was still magnificent.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    My mouth hung open at the view of the vast city and the castle towering at its center.


    The area was mostly t, but in the middle of that in, a mountain rose abruptly.


    It seemed like the mountain had been cut in half, and a pce built atop it. It was so striking and overwhelming that I wondered how it was even possible.


    A white pce carved from the mountain...


    It was a ce Harriet had often mentioned.


    The White Pce, Arnaria... It was overwhelming in scale, yet somehow gave off a delicate air¡ªa grand and beautiful pce.


    ¡°Damn, they could definitely have afforded to give me some money.¡±


    I knew the Duchy of Saint-Ouen was a powerful principality, but I didn¡¯t realize they had that much power.


    Just like the ancient castle of Epiacs, Harriet lived in a pce, not just a mansion.


    The difference between a small room and a mansion and the difference between a mansion and a pce... Thetter was far more overwhelming.


    No matter the difference in social status, it didn¡¯t truly hit you when we were all students at the Temple. We studied in the same environment, ate the same food, and shared the same ssrooms daily.


    However, seeing such a grandiose pce that towered over everything else even from afar brought it all into perspective.


    <i>¡®Thick-Skull... You really are a princess... I feel a bit, well... sorry. When I get back, I¡¯ll, well... treat you better. Living in such a ce, always looking down on everyone... It makes sense that you¡¯d be so imperious.¡¯</i>


    For someone who had grown up being treated with the utmost respect, it was only natural she¡¯d cry when I called her ¡°Thick-Skull¡± and teased her into pouting.


    The more I saw how beautiful Arnaka and Arnaria were, the more I realized how many difficult things Harriet had had to ept.


    <i>¡®Still, this ¡°Thick-Skull Harriet¡± I¡¯ve created is way cuter now. She¡¯s my masterpiece.¡¯</i>


    I shook my head. <i>¡®Enough with these sentimental thoughts.¡¯ </i>


    While I was curious about the interior of Arnaria, I had no business there, unless Harriet invited me someday.


    For now, I needed to find the Art-Ouen Monastery.


    ***


    Unfortunately, the Art-Ouen Monastery wasn¡¯t in the capital of the duchy.


    I felt like I hade without much of a n. There was no way I¡¯d be able to make it back to the Temple by the next day.


    The only saving grace was that the monastery wasn¡¯t in some remote vige without a Warp Gate, which would have cost even more time.


    I¡¯d walked into a temple in Saint-Ouen and asked straightforwardly, and found out the monastery¡¯s location.


    Traveling through a medium-sized Warp Gate in Arnaka, I arrived at another major city within the duchy, Elsion. I didn¡¯t know what kind of city Elsion was, but it was certainlyrge.


    There wasn¡¯t anything like an information center, so I had to ask my way around even after arriving there.


    Magic trains only existed in the capital, so travel in this city had to be either by carriage or on foot.


    <i>¡®Still, couldn¡¯t they at least install some trams?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt quite deted after learning where the Art-Ouen Monastery was.


    A monastery wasn¡¯t like a church. It wasn¡¯t frequented by worshipers. So, it was located on the outskirts of the city. Whether by carriage or on foot, it would take a significant amount of time to get there.


    I truly realized just how fortunate I was to live in a well-connected ce like the capital.


    <i>¡®Magic trains. Magic trains are truly wonderful...¡¯</i>


    With these thoughts in mind, I walked on diligently.


    ***


    I didn¡¯t take a carriage. I didn¡¯t know where to find one, and looking for one would probably cost me more time.


    The one thing I was confident in was my stamina, so I walked briskly through the streets of Elsion and out of the city.


    I followed the road that led out to the outskirts.


    I hadn¡¯t expected to find myself walking along the outer roads of a significant but unfamiliar city in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen until that very morning.


    The journey was quite long, and it was already dusk. I had no torches ornterns, but thanks to the enhanced night vision my abilities offered me and the moonlight, I had no trouble seeing my surroundings.


    I was a little worried about running into bandits, but I had Tiamata with me. No matter how holy it was, it would work just fine for taking down such people if necessary.


    I found it strange that such thoughts came to me so naturally now.


    Walking several kilometers at a brisk pace wasn¡¯t an issue for me. I was now fully recovered.


    I was far stronger than I had been in the first semester. Credit for that went mainly to Ellen, and then to Adriana. However, it was Adriana who had influenced me first.


    I had been the kind of person who was impossible to like. I was rude to seniors, got beaten up, and acted deceitfully and in a cowardly manner to get back at them.


    Even though I had been someone who was hard to get along with, Adriana still tried to talk to me and helped me when I was about to enter a reckless duel, though her reason was that if I¡¯d lost too pathetically, others might me her ssmates for bullying someone so weak.


    Adriana was the kind of person who would reach out to someone like me, who wasn¡¯t worth associating with.


    She had been the first person in the Temple to help me. She kept working out with me, and helped me be at least somewhat decent as a person.


    She helped me even before Ellen did.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I wanted to understand why Adriana felt the need to leave the Temple.


    From a distance, I could see a building sitting atop a hill at the end of the road. Since there were no other buildings around, I was sure it was the Art-Ouen Monastery.


    ***


    The term ¡°ancient castle¡± seemed more fitting for this ce than for Epiacs.


    Epiacs did not feel rough or rugged because it resembled a pce built in an ornate architectural style. While the snowyndscape around it lent it a harsh and gloomy air, it didn¡¯t have the austere look of this ce.


    The monastery before me was massive and imposing, and reflected the ascetic lifestyle of its inhabitants.


    Monks living in a monastery were different from priests in a typical church. Rather than focusing on the external world, they dedicated themselves to religious practice and personal cultivation, living a life separate from the secr world as a close-knit faithmunity.


    Nuns or monks living in such a ce... The Art-Ouen Monastery was where Adriana had grown up. This was essentially a convent.


    Therefore...


    ¡ªThis is a restricted area for men.


    ¡°No, wait a minute!¡±


    ¡ªThe door cannot be opened.


    Men were not allowed into the convent.

 Chapter 237 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 237 [Illustration]</h4>


    The Art-Ouen Convent was designed so that the nuns living there would have minimal exposure to the outside world. From the outside, all one could see were the high walls surrounding the monastery.


    I had no idea whaty inside, and whether the entire massive rectangr structure was the convent or if it included a garden or any other internal spaces.


    When I arrived at therge front gate and exined that I was there looking for someone, they didn¡¯t even consider opening the gate. Instead, a small side window was opened, through which I was informed that this was a restricted area for men.


    Having rushed over without proper nning, I found myself entangled in a mess. Returning to the Temple would certainly take time, and now I couldn¡¯t even enter the convent.


    <i>Bang, Bang!</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get in! Just call Adriana out here! Tell her a fellow Temple student is here and wants to talk. She¡¯lle out!¡±


    ¡ªSister Adriana has made it clear she does not wish to see anyone from the Temple. Please leave.


    <i>¡®She doesn¡¯t want to meet anyone from the Temple? What on earth happened?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Come on, just pass the message along. Don¡¯t the sisters of Ouen have any kindness in them?¡±


    There was a long silence from beyond the door.


    <i>¡®... Did I go too far, talking about the sisters of Ouen like that?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªWhat is your name?


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡ªDon¡¯t expect a favorable response.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡±


    It seemed the nun was leaving to ry the message, and so I leaned my back against the austere, towering wall of the convent, staring nkly at the moon.


    <i>¡®What should I do... Adriana¡¯s issue is one thing, but... I think I¡¯ve messed up big time again.¡¯</i>


    I¡¯d rushed over without telling anyone where I was going. What if the Temple realized I was missing and there was an uproar? Ellen might actually kill me this time... I should have at least informed someone.


    <i>¡®Maybe I lost my mind because of the news about Adriana¡¯s sudden withdrawal.¡¯</i>


    I had definitely acted without thinking it through.


    <i>¡®What should I say when I get back? Well, if I return as quickly as possible, everything should be fine, but how will I deal with the warp gate queue? Just being a Temple student isn¡¯t going to help.¡¯</i>


    After a significant amount of time had passed, the small door next to the main gate cautiously opened.


    ¡°... Junior.¡±


    Adriana stood there with a weary expression.


    ***


    Adriana looked quite fitting in the well-tailored ck and white habit of a nun.


    She also fit well in the Temple uniform.


    Back then, I thought she had a very modern beauty, but now, in the habit, she seemed... Pure, if that was the right word, or perhaps very neat.


    The habit really suited Adriana¡¯s perpetually neat and tidy image.


    Despite saying that she wouldn¡¯t see anyone from the Temple, she hade to meet me outside the convent upon hearing that I was there.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going toe out initially. But since it¡¯s you... I wasn¡¯t sure what you might do...¡±


    Who knew that my history of crazy, unpredictable actions woulde in handy?


    Adriana looked like she had been through a lot of emotional turmoil; her expression was quite grim.


    ¡°What about the Temple?¡± she asked.


    <i>¡®Even now, she¡¯s worried about me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not the main issue right now.¡±


    I was worried about how to get back to the Temple too, and what they might do to me if I couldn¡¯t get back in time, but the issue at hand took precedence. The grass around the hill surrounding the monastery had turned brown and was gently swaying in the breeze.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk,¡± Adriana suggested.


    Adriana began to walk slowly, and I followed beside her.


    The Adriana who was so dedicated to her training now looked so different in her monastery garb. Her aura was that of someone who wouldn¡¯t know anything about fighting, someone who might live a lifetime without ever encountering violence.


    ¡°Somehow I had a feeling you mighte, junior.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re always sticking your nose into things.¡±


    I had meddled in a lot of things before, and clearly, she had expected me to do the same in this situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly apliment.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it as apliment,¡± Adriana said with a faint smile.


    ¡°So, why did you leave the Temple?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the conclusion I reached after thinking for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened specifically during the group mission?¡±


    ¡°... Something did happen, but I had already been thinking about it. Though, when it actually happened, the feelings were different.¡±


    Adriana had seemed troubled before.


    Over the summer break, she¡¯d looked as though she were struggling with something, and finally made some kind of resolution.


    She had also seemed distressed because someone among her ssmates liked her, and she couldn¡¯t return those feelings.


    ¡°Ard told me he likes me,¡± Adriana said as she looked at me.


    Ard de Grittis... The second-year student who had challenged me to a duel.


    <i>¡®So he¡¯s the one who likes Adriana.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I told him I couldn¡¯t ept his feelings.¡±


    ¡°... Did he do something to you?¡±


    Adriana shook her head sadly. ¡°No, nothing like that. Ard isn¡¯t a violent person. But after that, I realized that I couldn¡¯t stay at the Temple any longer. It¡¯s just... that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t had a confrontation with Ard.


    ¡°Is it such a big deal to make you decide to leave the Temple?¡±


    Adriana looked silently at me for a moment.


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± she finally said, looking deeply troubled. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened.¡±


    Adriana had previously mentioned having a simr experience with an Orbis ss student.


    It wasn¡¯t just Ard. Adriana had been repeatedly dealing with such problems. Had she grown tired of it?


    Adriana gazed quietly back at the monastery.


    ¡°Reinhart, I¡¯ve lived my whole life in this monastery.¡±


    With that, she began telling apletely different story.


    The Art-Ouen Convent... A ce where men were forbidden.


    ¡°In this monastery, among the women who live their entire lives here, there are those who never see a man from birth to death. If orphans are brought to this convent at a very young age, it¡¯s entirely possible.¡±


    To never see a member of the opposite sex their whole lives... It was possible in this monastery, assuming they never engage in any external activities.


    Wasn¡¯t that like imprisoning oneself in a cage forever, though?


    I couldn¡¯t understand why someone would live like that. Adriana seemed to understand my confusion and shook her head.


    ¡°There are some people who find satisfaction in this kind of life. Rather than pursuing worldly desires, they dedicate their lives to faith, study, and spiritual training, and they are perfectly content with that.¡±


    It was possible to live a lifetime in such a massive but confined space, forsaking many of the basic human desires. There were people who lived that way.


    <i>¡®Why is Adriana talking about this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart, I left the monastery for the first timest year.¡±


    Adriana had not attended any lower grades in the Temple, but joined the Royal ss directly during its high school programme. That means she¡¯d lived in the convent until she was seventeen.


    ¡°Not only did I see a man for the first time, but I also entered a world where my entire life wasn¡¯t filled with religious doctrine, interpretation, and prayer. I encountered people with entirely different thoughts andpletely different values from mine.¡±


    Adriana walked gently through the brown moonlit meadow, the grass rustling softly as she passed by.


    She seemed like a seeker. She walked quietly, like someone searching for something, though I didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°I learned so many things. That there are so many different kinds of people in the world, so many foolish things, so many delicious foods, so many miraculous things. There are so many joyful feelings, and so many unhappy ones. The world is... The world is...


    ¡°The world is, so beautiful.¡±


    Adriana looked up at the sky.


    ¡°Yes. I realized that this world, filled with things I had never seen before, has its share of sadness, but even more so, it is filled with good and happy things.¡± she continued.


    Adriana seemed delighted by the beauty of the world she had experienced outside the convent.


    ¡°I wanted to be friendly with everyone, so I treated everyone warmly, trying to be kind to everyone. But some people misunderstood my intentions. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t know where the line was between treating someone as a friend and showing interest in someone romantically.¡±


    In her early days at the Temple, Adriana must have been simr to Ellen in some ways, although different in others.


    Ellen didn¡¯t interact with people because she didn¡¯t know how to, but Adriana, despite not knowing how, had tried to be kind and friendly to everyone. Perhaps she had gone a bit over the top.


    ¡°Because of this, quite often, someone would confess their feelings to me, and I would have to reject them, exin to them that I couldn¡¯t because I was destined to be a priestess of Ouen. Then they¡¯d resent me, demanding to know why I had been so nice to them, why I had made them misunderstand.¡±


    Her actions, which were simply meant to be friendly, were misunderstood by others. It seemed that, during her first year, Adriana had experienced various troubles both within and outside the Royal ss.


    Although it must have hurt, Adriana seemed to have worked hard to maintain the boundaries between herself and others.


    However, one cannot simply stop feelings from arising.


    Ard liked Adriana. He had confessed his feelings, and Adriana, growing tired of having to repeat the same series of events over and over, decided to leave the Temple.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. There are others who have feelings for the very people whose feelings I can¡¯t ept, and they resent me for it. I¡¯ve also had to deal with horrible rumors.¡±


    Adriana¡¯s eyes were filled with sorrow.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if she was talking about Ard.


    Adriana couldn¡¯t ept Ard¡¯s feelings, but someone else might have liked Ard, and that person might have grown to dislike Adriana.


    What could those terrible rumors be?


    Adriana didn¡¯t specify what kind of rumors they were, but they sounded nasty and unpleasant even to mention.


    Adriana had been struggling all along, and I had no idea about it.


    ¡°I was ignorant about a lot of things, and I still am,¡± she continued. ¡°I try to do better, but it¡¯s hard.¡±


    Adriana, who seemed to be good at everything and got along well with everyone, was actually suffering.


    Though I was actually older than her, I hadpletely misunderstood her.


    In my eyes, she was a senior student who seemedpetent in everything, so I believed she could manage anything.


    I assumed she could handle things on her own, but Adriana had been having a tough time dealing with people and was struggling, trying to figure out how to get along with everyone.


    Unfortunately, she was getting hurt in the process.


    ¡°When I was in the convent, I was satisfied just with that. It was my world. I didn¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    But once she¡¯d seen the outside world, Adriana could not remain the same.


    ¡°There are so many things in this world. There are things that require someone¡¯s help to fix, and I might be the one to provide it. If you asked me to live in the convent for the rest of my life, I probably couldn¡¯t. I¡¯ve thought about it. But there¡¯s no need for me to do that. The Mother Superior hoped I would do more in the world.¡±


    Adriana wasn¡¯t being forced to be a nun.


    ¡°Initially, I thought I could endure these problems. My goal was to join the Order of the Holy Knights. I thought enduring these struggles and graduating from the Temple to join the Order of the Holy Knights was my calling in life.¡±


    Adriana had wanted to join the Order of the Holy Knights. She¡¯d admired them enough to watch them as they returned from the Dark Land.


    ¡°But now, I¡¯m not so sure. Senior Olivia gave up her faith, and the leader of the Order of the Holy Knights tried to torture his own daughter. Learning these things made me question... is this really the right path?¡±


    This was yet another ripple, another manifestation of the butterfly effect.


    Adriana had willingly suffered these personal struggles because of her goal of joining the Order of the Holy Knights. However, learning that the Order of the Holy Knights was not the ideal organization she¡¯d thought they were had caused her to question her path.


    Though Olivia had abandoned her faith, Adriana was still wrestling with her beliefs, and she had been suffering all this time because of it.


    Now that her goal was no more, she saw no reason to endure the problematic life at the Temple.


    ¡°In the end, though, I¡¯ve decided to stay in the convent for the rest of my life.¡±


    She had grown tired of trying to bnce her rtionships with others.


    Because of the interest shown in her and the malice and rumors arising from it, Adriana had ultimately decided to return to her roots.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn any more about things I don¡¯t know. I just want to stay here, where I¡¯mfortable with the things I understand.¡±


    After all the misunderstandings andck ofprehension, and with her goal now gone, Adriana saw no reason to endure her life at the Temple.


    She had witnessed Olivia abandon her faith. She hade to know too many things she didn¡¯t want to know. And so, she had chosen to return to the convent before she could learn even more.


    Adriana looked at me.


    ¡°I told Ard that I can¡¯t reciprocate his feelings simply because I¡¯m not in a position where I¡¯m able to do so. I told him that I was really sorry, but I couldn¡¯t ept his feelings. I always say the same thing when I reject someone,¡± she said, her eyes filled with sorrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Ard¡¯s fault. It¡¯s not the fault of those who liked me. It¡¯s probably my fault¡ªfor not maintaining proper boundaries and making people misunderstand... For acting the way I did. It¡¯s my fault.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not your fault either.¡¯</i>


    I wanted to say that, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to.


    She was ming herself, retreating into self-recrimination. She wasn¡¯t hating anyone else; she was just hating herself.


    ¡°Junior,¡± she said as she looked at me quietly, ¡°you can¡¯t be friends with everyone.¡±


    It sounded like a warning from someone who had already failed. Warning me not to be like her. Not to dream such dreams. A warning filled with regret.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask Adriana, who had found only pain at the Temple, to return to the Temple.

 Chapter 238

    <h4>Chapter 238</h4>


    Adriana sat down quietly on the brown field.


    She asked me to sit next to her, and I did.


    It was a chilly day, but it wasn¡¯t too cold.


    ¡°I wish everyone was like you, junior.¡±


    Even when we were in such close proximity, she did not pay herself any more attention than she did others.


    Adriana wanted to be friends with everyone, and someone like me would have made a perfect friend.


    Not everyone could be like me, or like Adriana. Therefore, it was an impossible wish.


    Some people couldn¡¯t bear the feeling of love and confessed to her, knowing they would be rejected, and others harbored malice when they saw the person they loved loving someone else.


    <i>¡°What should one do if a friend saw them as more than just a friend?¡±</i>


    Adriana had said this casually at that time, but there was deep contemtion behind them. I hadn¡¯t really paid attention to it as I¡¯d been preupied with my own problems. But if I had, could I have prevented this issue?


    Even if I managed to, what was I supposed to do?


    ¡°You might think I¡¯m quitting the Temple over something insignificant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not insignificant.¡±


    It might seem a trivial matter, but if all it brought was pain, what reason was there to endure it? Even if she endured it all, she would still not find what she desired in the life that followed it.


    I was curious as to why Adriana had suddenly decided to leave the Temple, and if possible, I wanted to tell her to stay.


    I <i>had</i> to remain at the Temple, but Adriana didn¡¯t have a reason to.


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t persuade Adriana to reconsider her decision to stay at the monastery, nor did I find a reason to.


    Whether staying here was the best choice for Adriana, I did not know. But it seemed to be the only option left for Adriana, who found life at the Temple painful.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding,¡± Adriana said, looking at me with a sad smile.


    I wanted tofort her, but I didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Still, I had a concern.


    This ce was on the outskirts of Elsion, and I had arrived through the medium-sized warp gate.


    In the near future, monsters would pour out from that gate too.


    Almost every city outside of the imperial capital would face devastation, their poptions massacred.


    If I couldn¡¯t prevent the Gate Incident, Adriana would inevitably die here.


    Just as Adriana couldn¡¯t be friends with everyone, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone. It would be great if there was a way, but I didn¡¯t know of it yet.


    In the face of an uncertain future, was it right to leave Adriana here?


    I didn¡¯t think on this for long.


    If I couldn¡¯t stop the Gate Incident, I could at least destroy the warp gate at Elsion, or even kidnap Adriana back to the Temple. However, that was still far off.


    Adriana had made her choice, and I couldn¡¯t deny her the right to it.


    After all, this wasn¡¯t the end of everything. I could get to this ce within a day, and there was no rule stating that I couldn¡¯t visit again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll visit frequently.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That little kid, Rudina, was also very worried about you. I could bring her along.¡±


    Adriana looked at me.


    Rudina...


    At the mention of that name, Adriana looked as though she was about to cry.


    Rudina had followed Adriana around like her real sister, and Adriana seemed to harbor a deep sense of guilt and regret for leaving Rudina behind.


    ¡°Thank you, junior... no, you¡¯re not a junior anymore.¡± On that moonlit hill, Adriana looked at me and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Reinhart.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±


    She was always nothing but grateful.


    <i>¡®For now, I¡¯ll leave you here. Butter, I promised toe back for you,¡¯</i> I vowed.


    ***


    Adriana had left the Temple, and I had not been able to bring her back.


    Was it a failure?


    It felt like a failure, but also not.


    Adriana saw me off until I was far across the field.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to see Adriana at the Temple, but I could always visit her whenever I wanted. I would have to bring Rudina along sometime as well.


    With these thoughts, I left the Art-Ouen Monastery.


    ¡°Goodbye, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    As I watched Adriana wave her hand,plex emotions swirled within me.


    She was the person who hadid the foundation for my Temple life. I knew I could always see her again, yet it was still hard to step away.


    <i>¡°You can¡¯t be friends with everyone.¡±</i>


    Adriana¡¯s words continued to echo in my mind.


    ***


    I had to return to the Temple, as it was already past midnight.


    Adriana would remain at the monastery, and I tried not to dwell on whether that decision was right or wrong.


    With this matter now settled, I had to focus on my own tasks.


    So, the next issue... I had to do my best to return to the Temple by the end of the day.


    [New Event Update - Return]


    [Description: Return to the Temple before the day¡¯s sses start]


    [Reward: 200 Achievement Points]


    A minor event had been triggered.


    Although I could skip just one day, a small event that promised 200 Achievement Points forpleting it had been offered to me. However, it seemed unlikely that I would make it back in time.


    For now, I had to take the warp gate in Sentheon to Arnaka and then use the mega warp gate in Arnaka to return to the capital.


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult. But how was I supposed to cut through the enormous queue at the mega warp gate?


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    I sighed helplessly in front of Sentheon¡¯s medium-sized warp gate.


    If the others found out I¡¯d caused trouble again, they might actually beat me to death this time. That was way more important than Achievement Points.


    If Ellen found out I¡¯d disappeared, her imagination would run wild, and she might really kill me if she found out what I¡¯d been up to.


    I¡¯d have no excuse if she demanded to know why I didn¡¯t tell her.


    <i>¡®Hold on! I¡¯m on my way back now! Although I might be a bitte...¡¯</i>


    ***


    When I arrived in Arnaka, the capital of the Grand Duchy, from Sentheon, I was greeted by a splendid night view.


    The Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen, where magic had developed to the extremes.


    Though they didn¡¯t have massive magical facilities like the magic trains of the imperial capital, Arnaka was still a city of lights, and looked magnificent at night.


    The grand, white, gleaming pce of Arnaria in the distance momentarily left me speechless.


    The imperial capital had its own charm, but Arnaka exuded a unique, mysterious allure. I even saw trams moving throughout the city, which seemed to have been installed recently.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the time to get lost in the cityscape.


    The murderous queues at the mega warp gate... What was I to do about that?


    I headed towards the mega warp gate in the early morning hours. Arnaka was vast, so I took a tram that operated even at this hour.


    Arnaka had three mega warp gates, which was remarkable. Since it was a country with highly-advanced magic, it had a good number ofrge magical facilities like warp gates.


    But there was no need to visit all three. Just by looking at the queue at one of them, I was certain it would be impossible to get to use it that day.


    All the people in front of me had probably received a queue ticket in advance and arrived in time for their departure, and it was probably not even all of them yet.


    It was like this even at such an early hour.


    I would most likely be stranded in Arnaka for several days. I had money, and there were plenty of ces to sleep nearby, but the people back at the Temple might think that I had gone missing again, like thest time.


    There was a time when I could¡¯ve gotten a free pass with the imperial emblem.


    <i>¡®How can I obtain priority ess to the mega warp gate...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    My gaze inevitablynded on something.


    The White Pce, Arnaria...


    Being a student of the Temple Royal ss wouldn¡¯t do. But this was Arnaka, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen.


    Could being a friend of the princess get me somewhere?


    ***


    Charging straight to Arnaria to request priority use of the warp gate... Even I had to admit it was a crazy idea.


    No matter how close I was to his daughter, the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen was the ruler of a grand duchy, which made him essentially a king.


    The timing was also an issue. It was the middle of the night, and if I woke him up just to ask for ess to the warp gate, I couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of curses would fly out of his mouth.


    It was absurd.


    Fearing Ellen¡¯s wrath, I was considering demanding a favor from the ruler of a nation.


    What kind of person had I be?


    Nevertheless, my feet carried me in that direction.


    This was about Achievement Points and whether or not Ellen would end up killing me, so I had to return to the Temple by morning.


    If he said no, so be it, but if he said yes, it would be so much the better.


    With resolve, I made my way to Arnaria.


    The White Pce... A curious and beautiful pce that seemed as though it had reced the top half of the mountain it stood on.


    The pce walls and the five towering spires above them glowed white. Those spires had to serve some magical function, but of what nature, I did not know.


    There appeared to be four gates located at the cardinal directions, and I headed for the southern one.


    Once past the wall, a grand marble staircase would lead up to the pce.


    ¡°What is your business?¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    Two guards stopped me, their appearance human but their speech slightly unnatural.


    They spoke to me as if they were one.


    Despite their natural movements and weaponry, there was a peculiar artificiality about them.


    These were golems.


    In a ce where magic was highly developed, it made sense, but to have golems that perfectly resembled humans guarding the pce...?


    An automatic security system of sorts, I supposed. It was quite convenient. No fear of betrayal, and they wouldn¡¯t tire since they weren¡¯t human.


    ¡°My name is Reinhart, a student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss. I¡¯m also a friend of Harriet de Saint-Ouen.¡±


    The golems¡¯ expressions did not change. The machines operated mechanically, as programmed.


    ¡°To be direct, I need priority ess to the mega warp gate.¡±


    The golems remained silent.


    Perhaps thirty minutes passed, and then the guards moved aside cautiously.


    <i>Groan...</i>


    Then, the enormous gates began to open.


    ¡°The Grand Duke¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    These weren¡¯t simple golems. It seemed they had aworked system in ce.


    This was going more easily than expected, and it was quite surprising.


    <i>¡®Is this really okay?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Past the gate was a grand staircase leading to the pce, and I ascended with one of the golem guards apanying me.


    It seemed that the Grand Duke could not only receive reports from the golems, but also issuemands to them. If the warp gate ess were the only issue, he could have just authorized it, but he had specifically summoned me inside.


    I had met the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen once before. He was a doting father, bordering on the absurd.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what impression he had of me, but it probably wasn¡¯t great.


    As I ascended the marble steps, I got a closer look at the White Pce.


    It didn¡¯t share the same structure as the ancient castle of Epiacs. It was significantlyrger in scale, and while Epiacs had a dangerous, foreboding feel, this ce exuded warmth and softness.


    Despite thete hour, lights were on everywhere, allowing a good view of the well-maintained gardens.


    There were people¡ªbut more likely golems¡ªbustling about the many annexes and the central pce, even at this hour. Though I had never been to the imperial pce, Emperatos, it seemed to me that the White Pce, Arnaria, was one of the most beautiful ces on the continent.


    <i>¡®What would it be like to live here?¡¯</i> I wondered. It seemed like it would be rather lonely.


    A ce filled with nothing but golems... Their expressionless faces were both reassuring, and yet... empty.


    There were surely some human servants and attendants around, but they must have been few in number.


    <i>¡®So, Harriet grew up in a ce like this.¡¯</i>


    It suddenly urred to me that she must have had a lonely childhood, surrounded by golems and without friends. Just as Adriana had epted life in the convent because it was all she knew and was content with it, hadHarriet also epted life in this White Pce, knowing no others, and thus found no dissatisfaction in its loneliness?


    The White Pce, abuzz with golems working even in the early hours, was not a deste ce. But no one looked at me, and no one spoke to me.


    From afar, the White Pce was a beautiful and splendid structure. But once inside, it just felt lonely to be in. It was still beautiful and radiant, but silent.


    Apanied by one guard, I walked through the garden, unchallenged and unspoken to by anyone, being led further within the pce.


    It did not seem like I was being taken to an audience chamber.


    I was led to the section of the pce where the Grand Duke¡¯s private quarters were.


    There, I arrived at the main parlor, and the central lobby.


    ¡°...¡±


    I expected the Grand Duke to be there.


    Of course, he was there, sitting on an ornate sofa, a tea set prepared before him, calmly watching me.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Reinhart.¡±


    It was clear he had just been roused because of my visit at this hour. He looked a bit disheveled.


    I was aware that my actions were incredibly rude, but to think the head of a nation, a Grand Duke, had woken up in the early hours because of me?


    Well, that was something I could at least wrap my head around.


    ¡°You¡¯re Reinhart? Oh my... oh, oh my...¡± an elegant and beautifuldy blurted as she appeared.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she say he was ugly? But he looks rather handsome!¡± a young man eximed as he examined me.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± another young man chimed in.


    ¡°He¡¯s good-looking, alright, but he does look like he¡¯s got a nasty temper,¡±mented yet another young man.


    ¡°Sit,¡± the Grand Dukemanded.


    I sat on the sofa opposite the Grand Duke, sweating bullets.


    <i>¡®What on earth is going on?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like the entire Saint-Ouen family had gathered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you,¡± ady said, smiling gently and offering me tea.


    Presumably, she was Harriet¡¯s mother.


    <i>¡®Uh... I... I only came here... Because I need priority ess to the gate.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you getting along well with Harriet?¡±


    Why did this feel like... I was meeting a girlfriend¡¯s parents for the first time?


    ¡°Y-Yes, of course! We get along very well!¡±


    And why was I ying along?


    I felt like I was losing my mind!

 Chapter 239

    <h4>Chapter 239</h4>


    It felt like I was meeting a girlfriend¡¯s parents without the girlfriend present.


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not what this is, everyone!¡¯</i>


    It was clear they hadn¡¯t all been awake before my arrival. It seemed the entire family had gotten out of bed because of me.


    The Grand Duke had met me once, but the rest of the family seemed eager to meet me at least once.


    Thedy, whom I presumed to be Harriet¡¯s mother, looked at me with a gentle smile. ¡°Our dear Harriet talks so much about you. At first, it seemed like she wasn¡¯t getting along well, but now it seems you¡¯ve grown quite close.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know her name, but she resembled Harriet so much that I wondered if Harriet would look like this when she grew older.


    <i>¡®Yes, Harriet, grow up just like this. Though who knows if she would be as gentle and kind?¡¯</i>


    And then, the three young men... They seemed to be the brothers Harriet asionally mentioned.


    The first, who seemed to be the eldest, looked a bit mischievous.


    ¡°Pretending not to care about looks, but secretly judging people by how they look, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The second, who seemed to be the middle brother, had a subtly rude tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s more surprising that she doesn¡¯t care about his status. Is this face really that remarkable?¡±


    ¡°No way. But I heard he¡¯s quite a talented one.¡±


    The whole thing was suddenly beginning to feel like an appraisal.


    I¡¯de to talk about the warp gate priority ess, but the lively chatter of the Grand Duke¡¯s family drowned out any chance I had to speak.


    ¡°You should try this, Reinhart, it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    I thought the pce was a lonely ce, but the masters of Arnaria... This felt like madness.


    Not the bad sort of madness, but like... They were acting like curious dogs. Wagging their tails, sniffing around because they were interested in me.


    Adorable, friendly puppies, if you would.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this, I¡¯m from a poor background, yet these people don¡¯t seem to have any prejudices against me. What¡¯s going on? In fact, these people... They seem to fully believe that Harriet and I are not just friends, but are actually in a romantic rtionship.¡¯</i>


    There wasn¡¯t even a question of, ¡°Are you dating?¡± It had gone straight to, ¡°You are obviously dating, so are there any issues?¡±


    Since they hadn¡¯t asked me outright, I had no avenue to deny it or say it wasn¡¯t true.


    <i>¡®What is this? Shouldn¡¯t they dislike their daughter¡¯s first boyfriend by default? Why don¡¯t they dislike me? If it were me, I¡¯d at least be a bit reluctant about the whole thing.¡¯</i>


    The Grand Duke most certainly has the expression of pure disdain on his face.


    ¡°Ah, um, yes... it¡¯s delicious,¡± I said, forcing myself to eat the cookie handed to me by the Lady of Saint-Ouen and nodding with a sour expression.


    While the Saint-Ouen brothers spoke bluntly, they weren¡¯t rude. The Grand Duke remained silent, and everyone else bombarded me with questions.


    ¡°You¡¯re a superhuman, right? Can you show us something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, it¡¯s not really a visible ability...¡±


    ¡°Really? What kind of power is it?¡±


    ¡°Self-Deception... it¡¯s like physical enhancement. I can sense it when it activates, but it¡¯s not something that can really be seen.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve also learned to activate Mana Reinforcement recently on your own?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, really? Reinhart, you¡¯re a genius!¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it, Harriet... You¡¯re telling your family everything about me...¡¯</i>


    I could handle confrontational people, but I didn¡¯t know what to do when they were this friendly and curious. I realized I was weak against this kind of thing.


    They pestered me for quite a while.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    The Grand Duke cleared his throat and gestured with his chin towards the stairs.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve satisfied your curiosities, it¡¯s time for you all to return to your rooms.¡±


    It seemed the Grand Duke felt the family¡¯s curiosity had been sufficiently satisfied and was dismissing them.


    The Lady of Saint-Ouen took my hand.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to talk a little more. Can¡¯t you stay the night? It¡¯s alreadyte.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh no. The mature version of Harriet. This is so weird; it¡¯s just her, but with a totally different personality!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to return to the Temple by morning...¡±


    ¡°I see... That¡¯s too bad. Come visit us often, and bring Harriet next time.¡±


    Then, the Lady of Saint-Ouen leaned close and whispered in my ear, ¡°But remember. Don¡¯t make our darling cry. I¡¯ve heard of several incidents. Be careful from now on, okay? She¡¯s more fragile than you might think.¡±


    A chill ran down my spine. As she spoke those words, the eyes of Lady of Saint-Ouen and Harriet¡¯s three brothers shifted slightly.


    This crazy, doting family... It felt like they would kill me in the most painful way possible if I made Harriet sad.


    They already knew about the times I¡¯d made her cry. It must have been early in the first term.


    I had stumbled upon the impossibly good fortune of the White Pce opening its doors to an unexpected request from amoner at this hour, as well as receiving the warm reception of the Grand Duke¡¯s family, all due to my connection with Harriet. But there was also some misunderstanding at y.


    If I ever were to make Harriet sad, this outsized hospitality would turn into outsized vengeance.


    <i>¡®Harriet, you thick skull... Your family is... really scary... No matter if I¡¯m the Demon King or something else, I think your family might just kill me anyway...¡¯</i>


    ***


    In the end, the Grand Duke¡¯s family didn¡¯t ask why I was in Arnaka at that hour. Their curiosity toward me had roused them suddenly and led to them bombarding me with questions, then finally reluctantly returning to bed upon the Grand Duke¡¯s orders.


    Now, only the Grand Duke and I remained in the parlor.


    While everyone else had been bustling about, the Grand Duke had been watching me calmly.


    ¡°Priority ess to the mega warp gate... Yes, I can grant you that.¡±


    He immediately wrote up a document and handed it to me as if it were no big deal.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Grace.¡±


    The Grand Duke didn¡¯t ask why I was there at that hour either. Perhaps he assumed I had a good reason.


    Or, it could be that he simply wasn¡¯t interested in the affairs of those of lower status.


    Now that my business was finished, I could leave, but it would be rude to do so without being dismissed, especially after the considerable grace he had shown me.


    I had already acted rather rudely, but he had repaid my rudeness with kindness.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to show any more disrespect to the Grand Duke¡¯s family. And though I had no reason to ingratiate myself, I didn¡¯t want toe off poorly either.


    <i>¡®What am I thinking? I¡¯m not her boyfriend! But there was no point in behaving badly on purpose, was there? What should I do?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Walk with me.¡±


    The Grand Duke stood up, and I followed him. During our first encounter, he had openly asked Harriet if there was something wrong with her eyes, as if utterly incredulous that she could care for someone like me.


    He seemed more serious now than he had been back then.


    The Grand Duke and I walked through the gardens within Arnaria.


    ¡°I heard you started something called the Magic Research Club.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re nning to create some ludicrous inventions, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Grand Duke walked through the silent garden. He seemed to have something to discuss with me. He wasn¡¯t curious about why I was in Arnaka; instead, he¡¯d asked me about Temple matters.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be impossible,¡± he said.


    The Grand Duke had refused Harriet¡¯s plea for investment funding, and they seemed to have had an argument over it. The Grand Duke Sentheon was a grand mage, and if he said it was impossible, then it was impossible.


    Ordinarily, that would be true.


    However, I knew that it could be done, which meant the Grand Duke¡¯s prediction was wrong. He walked ahead of me, still not turning around, and continued to speak.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know magic. Those who don¡¯t understand magic think that it¡¯s possible to use it to create anything, and wish for all sorts of things. They don¡¯t know how magical energy is structured, how mana circuits are designed, what kinds of circuits can or cannot be embedded in the different types of mana stones, and yet they think that one word, ¡®magic¡¯, solves everything. People call them magical-omnipotence zealots.¡±


    His words were meant as a criticism, but they sounded somewhat different to me. It felt like one of those development team versus nning team conflicts in the real world.


    <i>¡ª¡°Make this.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°How are we supposed to make it?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Just make it somehow. Aren¡¯t you all good withputers? That¡¯s what you get paid for, right?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°No, you have to understand, it¡¯s not as easy as you think. This isn¡¯t like thest time.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°You said it wasn¡¯t possible thest time, but you still managed to do it. Do the same this time.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°No! This is entirely different from that!¡±</i>


    Was this a parallel to that sort of grumbling? The Grand Duke didn¡¯t seem to be whining, though.


    ¡°But, you know...¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°The inventions that changed the world often originated from the idle talk ofy people.¡±


    The Grand Duke continued walking.


    ¡°Thete emperor Le de Gradias once issued a decree to create a uniform and widespreadrge-scale magical transportation system because of the constant traffic congestion and idents caused by carriages within the imperial capital.


    ¡°Thete emperor knew nothing about magic. It was an impossible task. Everyone believed that creating such a thing was impossible. Everyone ridiculed the emperor¡¯s judgment and criticized him, calling him a magical-omnipotence zealot.¡±


    ¡°But now, we have magic trains in the capital.¡±


    ¡°And about 150 years ago, Emperor Organtia de Gradias pointed out that, despite its usefulness, teleportation magic was excessively rare. So, he suggested we create permanent dimensional gates, like those used in summoning magic, to link various regions.


    ¡°Permanent dimensional gates! How would we supply the necessary mana stones, and how were we supposed to use them to connect the entire continent together like a spider¡¯s web? The cost, the technology, the practicality¡ªeverything about it was problematic. It was considered an absurd idea. Everyone criticized it, said it was impossible, andmented that the empire was doomed.


    ¡°But now, the warp gate system has been established across the entire continent. It was thanks to the warp gates that the Demonic Conquest was possible.¡±


    Ideas deemed impossible, the idle talk ofy people. That was the origin of these world-changing inventions.


    The Grand Duke turned to face me, staring down at me with his tall frame. It was overwhelming.


    ¡°Reinhart, what do you make of all this?¡±


    The idle talk ofy people¡ªdid he mean that such idle talk could eventually lead to world-changing creations? If so, was that apliment?


    In that case, though, the Grand Duke would have invested his money in us. Instead, the Grand Duke had fought and had argued with his dearly-beloved daughter.


    The unspoken meaning behind his words was clear.


    ¡°You mean to say that, to turn the impossible ideas of thesey people into reality, one needs to be at least an emperor?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not entirely dumb,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°If you had taken this as apliment, I would have dismissed you.¡±


    The Grand Duke¡¯s previous words had not been apliment, but an expression of scorn.


    <i>¡®This is the kind of work that even emperors who wielded the power to influence all of humanity were harshly criticized for merely attempting. And you think you can do this with just a group of students?¡¯</i>


    That was why he considered my n absurd.


    ¡°They only seeded in aplishing these feats because they were emperors. And they were monumental feats, even for these emperors who ruled humanity and wielded influence over all its people. These were endeavors that had implications on the rise or fall of imperial authority.


    ¡°Of course, you aren¡¯t exactly setting out to create magic trains or warp gates. But you¡¯re trying to create tools that allow external mana to be used like innate mana, and devices that make it easier to reach the realm of the superhuman.


    ¡°One would revolutionize magic, and the other would change the trajectory of superhumans. And inevitably, they would both alter the future of warfare. I am convinced that these two inventions could be on par with, if not surpass, magic trains and warp gates.


    ¡°You are not an emperor, and your research group is not the Magic Association, nor a secret magical society, nor does it have members of the Temple¡¯s Magic Research Institute. Do you really think what you n is possible?¡± the Grand Duke asked pointedly.


    There was only one answer.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered without any hesitation.


    The Grand Duke seemed somewhat taken aback by my calm reply. ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll make it work.¡±


    The only response I could offer was this flimsy assertion.


    ¡°If weck funds, we¡¯ll raise them. If weck abilities, we¡¯ll develop them. In the end, isn¡¯t that what the emperors did?¡±


    ¡°¡®If it doesn¡¯t work, then make it work. Do whatever it takes to make it work. I¡¯ll provide unlimited support. Just keep at it until it¡¯s done.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that something that the emperors would have said?¡±


    The Grand Duke¡¯s expression grew peculiar.


    I continued, ¡°I don¡¯t understand magic. I don¡¯t know it at all. But I will make sure these things get made. I will procure, by any means necessary, all the materials needed to achieve it. That¡¯s the only thing I can do.¡±


    The past emperors didn¡¯t understand magic, and neither did I.


    The emperors had promised unlimited support, and I would promise the same. Unlimited support.


    Was I saying that I was the same as an emperor? The Grand Duke seemed to find the certainty in my words peculiar.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s assume you can manage that. In the end, the ones receiving this support are still only students.¡±


    Even if I promised supportparable to that an emperor could offer, these researchers weren¡¯t the world¡¯s greatest mages. The gap between the skills of the researchers and the things they were trying to make remained unresolved.


    However, I dared to contradict the Grand Duke.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t see it that way. I am certain that Harriet de Saint-Ouen will be the greatest mage in the history of humanity.¡±


    The Grand Duke¡¯s expression twisted slightly, as though he hadn¡¯t expected me to say such a thing.


    ¡°Is it really so surprising that a mage of such caliber could create something that could turn the world upside down in their youth?¡±


    Harriet would be the greatest mage in human history. The Grand Duke likely believed this as well. Why then would it be impossible for someone like Harriet, who was far beyond the norm, to achieve extraordinary things?


    Geniuses inherently defied logic. It was only natural for such beings that defied logic to aplish the impossible.


    ¡°Geniuses walk their own path, one that ordinary people, and most average people, can never understand. For an ordinary individual to deem something impossible from their own perspective when it might be possible for a genius is ignorant.¡±


    It was possible to be insulted by beingbeled average, but I noticed the corner of the Grand Duke¡¯s lips twitching.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. How could you not react when someone offers such extreme praise for your daughter?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡°Is that so? That our daughter will be stronger and greater than me?! That she will make me seem ordinary byparison?¡±</i>


    <i>¡®Of course! She¡¯s the best!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You¡¯re thinking all this in your head right now, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯ll be strange if it <i>doesn¡¯t</i> work out. That¡¯s what I believe.¡±


    ¡°Ahem... Hm.¡± The Grand Duke cleared his throat a couple of times, and ced his hand over his mouth to suppress his twitching smile. ¡°Indeed, it seems Icked faith.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concern, though. Even though you know that the future is bright, you still prefer that she walk a safer path.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Yes, that was my intention.¡±


    His concern was as strong as his belief in Harriet. He had not thrown his full support behind the Magic Research Club because of his worry that Harriet might struggle when faced with an impossible task.


    He could have simply given her the money instead of framing it as investment, but he hadn¡¯t.


    Money wasn¡¯t the issue¡ªit was the fear that his daughter might break while chasing the impossible. That was why he had decided to summon me when I had suddenly shown up.


    He might have been nning to tell me to abandon the projects that the Magic Research Club were pursuing. However, it seemed he was moved by my unshakeable trust in Harriet.


    He was embarrassed that he, who knew his daughter¡¯s talent best, had shown less faith in her than an outsider like me.


    The Grand Duke seemed to be feeling an unusual kind of shame.


    ¡°And, well... This is a separate matter, but...¡±


    ¡°Hmm. What is it?¡±


    ¡°By any chance, did you have a fight with Harriet?¡±


    My question caused the Grand Duke¡¯s eyes to widen.


    I¡¯d deduced that Harriet had had a big argument with her father after discussing the matter of investment funding with him, and she was the type to hold a grudge for a long time.


    It was clear that the issue did not revolve just about the money. The Grand Duke had probably told her not to pursue the Magic Research Club project at all.


    The fight had likely not been about the money at all, but about her father telling her to not waste time on such a pointless project while Harriet insisted on doing it.


    Right now, they were probably in a cold war, with Harriet sulking and saying, ¡°I hate you, Dad! I don¡¯t like you!¡±


    Her father had to be in a state of anxious distress.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try speaking with her when I return to the Temple, Your Grace. I¡¯ll tell her that you weren¡¯t worried about the money, but about her well-being, both physically and mentally.¡±


    The Grand Duke¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Hmm... Ahem. Well, you don¡¯t have to...¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll scratch that itch for you, you old man.¡¯</i>


    Her mother seemed friendly, and now that I had a good look at her father, I understood why.


    ¡°Ah, um, well, it isn¡¯t really something... you need to concern yourself with... It¡¯s just, um,mon between us...¡±


    <i>¡®Harriet got her personality from her father. Look at him, being all tsundere.¡¯</i>


    It was oddly cute when a man of his stature, the Grand Duke, and a grand mage at that, acted like this.


    ¡°A-hem. But, well... If you can clear up the misunderstanding... That would be good.¡±


    <i>¡®Anyway, your daughter is amazing. Wait. That didn¡¯te out right. Anyway, you know what I mean. She¡¯s something else.¡¯</i>


    With that, I seemed to have hit ¡°MAX¡± on the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen¡¯s favorability scale.

 Chapter 240

    <h4>Chapter 240</h4>


    My business was done, and all that was left was to leave for the Temple.


    But the Grand Duke seemed to want to continue the walk.


    Wasn¡¯t he tired?


    Though I had the means to return to the Temple, it was already veryte¡ªtoote to sleep¡ªso I saw no harm in walking a while longer.


    ¡°Reinhart, what do you think of Arnaria?¡±


    The Grand Duke was no more than a friend¡¯s father to me, but he was behaving like a father-inw of sorts, with his hands sped behind his back and a tone that implied a rtional superiority rather than a social one.


    <i>¡®What is this? We don¡¯t have any sort of actual rtionship yet. Why does it feel like there¡¯s something there?¡¯</i>


    Setting that aside, and about the Grand Duke¡¯s question... What did I think of Arnaria?


    ¡°I think it¡¯s remarkable. Not the kind of ce someone like me is ustomed to... I¡¯m unlearned, so I can¡¯t describe it well. I apologize for my underwhelming answer.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So you know words of ttery.¡±


    It was exceedingly obvious that I had said that out of formality.


    The Grand Duke looked at the gardens of Arnaria.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lonely ce.¡±


    Even the Grand Duke, who had almost fully automated the entire pce, recognized the loneliness in the stark and deste confines of Arnaria.


    Most of the gardeners, guards, and servants were golems. While some human servants existed, Arnaria seemed to run on minimal personnel.


    It was probably for security reasons, and it was indeed safer this way. As a result, though, Arnaria was beautiful and secure, but devoid of connection.


    The master of the White Pce had described it as a lonely ce, and I was unsure how to respond.


    ¡°Harriet spent a lot of time here,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Yes, I can imagine.¡±


    A rude child who looked down on those beneath her in station or skill, refusing even to acknowledge them¡ªthat was the kind of person Harriet had been.


    Harriet had been raised in such an environment, treated like royalty, and shielded from every harm by a doting family that gave in to her every whim.


    ¡°Do you know why I sent Harriet to the Temple?¡± the Grand Duke asked.


    That was a question that had lingered in my mind.


    Harriet could have learned magic in Arnaria. It was in the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and her father was a grand mage, so there was no need for her to go to the Temple to study magic.


    <i>¡°Hailing from a nation where magic was highly developed, Princess Harriet de Saint-Ouen was admitted to the Temple¡¯s Royal ss.¡±</i>


    That was a part of the setting I¡¯d created.


    But there was no need for Harriet to go to the Temple to learn magic. So there had to be another reason.


    Harriet had been raised in a lonely pce. She was an arrogant daughter who knew nothing of dealing with people, and grew up in an environment in which throwing a tantrum solved everything. A daughter who treated the asionalmoners and retainers she met as if they were bugs.


    And then, there was a father who watched his daughter grow up.


    ¡°Was it because you wanted her... to gain some experience with people?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the Temple, social status was meaningless. No one could lord it over others based on status alone.


    The Grand Duke wanted Harriet, who had grown up in a sheltered ce, to grow in a different environment. He wanted her to understand that the world she knew wasn¡¯t all there was.


    So, the Grand Duke sent Harriet to the Temple.


    In the original story, she never changed. But this time she had changed, because of me.


    The Grand Duke had probably hoped she would encounter someone like me, if not me specifically.


    ¡°Harriet seems to have made many friends. Her personality has also changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s all thanks to you, but I also can¡¯t say it¡¯s not thanks to you.¡±


    The Grand Duke wanted Harriet to change, and she had indeed changed. She seemed to be more agreeable. Although he opposed the Magic Research Club, it showed that Harriet had strong and harmonious rtionships within the Temple.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly dislike that.


    It felt odd to hear him talk about it.


    The Grand Duke and his family... They didn¡¯t seem to cling rigidly to social status.


    In reality, I was amoner from the streets, someone evenmoners might look down upon. In fact, Harriet had called me a beggar for some time.


    But the Grand Duke¡¯s family showed no prejudice against my background. Not just a mere eptance of amoner because I was their daughter¡¯s friend, but aplete indifference to it.


    The Grand Duke had said something along the lines of, ¡°My daughter wouldn¡¯t seek the opinion of someone of your lowly background¡± previously, but that was him speaking from his daughter¡¯s perspective, not his own.


    He never said he could never ept someone like me.


    ¡°What do you think of my background?¡± I asked him openly.


    The Grand Duke looked at me, pondering my question for a while, then replied with an unexpected question of his own.


    ¡°Do you know the history of the Saint-Ouen family?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The ancestor of the Saint-Ouen family was a tanner.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Executioners, tanners, and butchers... These jobs were traditionally held by the lowliest people. Back then, they couldn¡¯t even live near the vige.¡±


    Among themoners, the lowest are the ones who are despised and ignored even by the lowliest of people.


    ¡°A tanner was required to have tubs of urine on his property for curing hides. Because of the stench, they couldn¡¯t own homes within the vige. I¡¯ve smelled it myself; calling it foul doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Working as a tanner was often enough grounds for divorce. If their spouse imed they couldn¡¯t endure it any longer, that was reason enough to split up. The Saint-Ouenfamily line began with such a tanner.¡±


    The Grand Duke was speaking of a long-forgotten past, a history he still remembered, even though it could have easily been forgotten.


    ¡°And how do you think the Saint-Ouen family, which began from such humble origins, made it to where it is today?¡±


    The chasm between the urine-soaked shack of a tanner and the White Pce Arnaria was unimaginable.


    Yet the Saint-Ouen family ruled the Grand Duchy.


    Their humble origins had been forgotten by everyone but the master of the White Pce.


    ¡°... Was it through capability?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    It took nothing but capability for a lowly person to be a noble. That was how it was transcended.


    ¡°The Saint-Ouen bloodline has always possessed a strong talent for magic. For a tanner, magic was out of reach. However, as soon as that talent was awakened, from one generation to the next, we finally reached this ce.


    ¡°Birthright¡ªit is meaningless. The world needs those who are necessary. Being born noble might make someone noble for a time, but that does not guarantee their future. Likewise, being born lowly might make one lowly for a time, but it does not define their future.


    ¡°Ability, talent, power¡ªthese are the only things that transcend everything.¡±


    The Grand Duke looked at me. He believed, almost coldly, in meritocracy.


    ¡°Your humble origins are meaningless. You¡¯ve already been admitted to the Royal ss,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Status? The moment you graduate, any kingdom, any duchy, even the empire, would grant you a title to keep you. No, they wouldn¡¯t just grant it¡ªthey would bestow it upon you.¡±


    I was amoner, but there was no reason for me to remain one.


    It was because of my abilities. I was a superhuman, and if I continued to grow safely until graduation, I would be far stronger than any ordinary knight.


    My abilities, and my power... They practically made me a noble.


    The Grand Duke did not consider me amoner because he saw a future where I would be elevated by my capabilities.


    His values were based on the belief that status naturally followed talent.


    The Grand Duke¡¯s family treated me normally because they knew that one¡¯s status at birth was meaningless.


    Only my capability mattered. That was why they epted me.


    The Grand Duke and his family believed in meritocracy. Therefore, they weren¡¯t hung up on social status.


    If I were ipetent, I would be despised. Since I was capable, I was respected.


    And there I was, being shown respect.


    ¡°So don¡¯t concern yourself with social status. Don¡¯t let it burden you,¡± the Grand Duke said while looking at me, which made me feel a little odd.


    I had just asked this out of curiosity, but they seemed to believe I was troubled by my status. What kind of concern did they think I had?


    ¡°You are more than qualified to marry Harriet.¡±


    ¡°...?!¡±


    <i>¡®What is this man saying?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It means you don¡¯t need to worry about being from a humble background when ites to Harriet.¡±


    <i>¡®No. No way!¡¯</i>


    ¡°You didn¡¯te here in the middle of the night to ask about that?¡±


    It seemed like the Grand Duke¡¯s entire family had misunderstood this in a massive way, and the Grand Duke most of all.


    He thought I was already dating Harriet and had shown up at midnight to discuss the next step: marriage.


    <i>¡®No wonder they opened the door for me so readily...¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t believe that I¡¯d just happened to be in Arnaria. He thought I was so deeply in love with Harriet that I¡¯de to Arnaria at night to seek permission to marry his daughter.


    ¡°But know your boundaries.¡±


    His stern expression gave me the impression that, if I touched his daughter before marriage, I¡¯d be dead.


    Standing before this intimidating figure, I couldn¡¯t possibly exin that I hade to the duchy of Saint-Owen to meet an older female senior, and that it had nothing to do with Harriet. If I did, I¡¯d be killed on the spot.


    It was aplete misunderstanding. However, clearing up the misunderstanding might lead to unimaginable consequences.


    I hade to get priority ess to the Warp Gate but ended up, out of the blue, getting permission for marriage.


    Despite my humble origins, I had the ability to be a noble if I wanted to.


    The duke believed I was more than qualified to marry Harriet, and I could date her without having to worry, as long as I knew my boundaries.


    After hearing all that from the Grand Duke, I couldn¡¯t just tell him that I wasn¡¯t involved with his daughter at all. He might go berserk that I wasn¡¯t dating her, and without Harriet here to calm him down, it might be the worst thing to happen.


    So, I left the White Pce Arnaria with the bizarre circumstances of being an officially-recognized fianc¨¦ whilst in reality having nothing to do with Harriet.


    I felt like my soul had been sucked out.


    <i>¡®What is this? If I don¡¯t marry Harrietter on, I¡¯ll be killed. They¡¯ll definitely use me of ying with her emotions, and even if Harriet denies it, they won¡¯t believe her.</i>


    <i>¡®I... I¡¯m doomed now. Do I have to marry Harriet?¡¯</i>


    Of course, all this could only happen after the Gate Incident was resolved, so if it came to that, it would mean that I was okay. It would mean that I would survive until then.


    Anyway, this escapade that had begun with Adriana¡¯s withdrawal from the Temple was all rather eventful..


    I somehow managed to visit the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen and return within a day.


    Though I did not seed in convincing Adriana to return, it felt like I had somehow caused an even bigger mess...


    What was this feeling?


    ***


    [Event Completed - Return]


    [You have received 200 Achievement Points.]


    I returned to the imperial capital Gradium in the early morning hours.


    <i>¡®At least I won¡¯t be facing Ellen¡¯s wrath now. I just hope she doesn¡¯t beat me up and demand to know where I sneaked off to during the night!¡¯</i>


    Though,e to think of it, she¡¯d never actually beaten me up outside of sparring practice.


    Why was I so worried about getting hit? She wasn¡¯t even that sort of person.


    <i>¡®Maybe I¡¯ve just been conditioned by all the beatings I¡¯ve endured in practice...¡¯</i>


    Adriana was no longer at the Temple, and for some reason, just knowing that fact made the ce feel a little more lonely.


    Anyway...


    While some might know that I had gone on a nocturnal adventure, no one knew that I had gone all the way to the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen.


    I was exhausted, since there had been no chance at all to rest.


    It was breakfast time, and Ellen noticed my fatigue-ridden face.


    ¡°Did you stay up all night?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah... I had some work to do.¡±


    Five of us were gathered at the breakfast table¡ªthe four female students and myself.


    ¡°Where did you wander off to? Causing trouble again?¡± Harriet asked me as she wrinkled her nose.


    <i>¡®Yeah. Trouble, indeed. But this trouble doesn¡¯t involve me alone, but you as well, Harriet.¡¯</i>


    Though she looked like she was thinking of something to mock me with, I didn¡¯t say anything to her.


    Seeing Harriet like this made me feel... I felt like I had treated her too harshly. Even if she wasn¡¯t on the same level as Charlotte, seeing the White Pce Arnaria reminded me that she was indeed a princess.


    I had called her all sorts of names and bullied her relentlessly.


    Sure, she had been antagonistic at first, but I had to have caused her a lot of emotional harm merely because I found it amusing.


    Her personality had changed drastically, but thinking about her in her pce gown, being treated the way a noble would...


    A previously non-existent sense of guilt began to creep in.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°... Huh? Wh-What for?¡±


    Harriet was visibly taken aback by my sudden apology.


    ¡°You¡¯re a princess. I may not have treated you like one, but I went way overboard, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What on earth... What are you suddenly... What are you talking about? Why... Why now? And what... What do you want from me?¡±


    Harriet seemed to suspect that I had some nefarious n hidden behind my sudden apology.


    Her expression was one of confusion, as if she was trying to calcte what mischievous plot I might be hatching that made me suddenly call her a princess and apologize.


    It wasn¡¯t just her. Riana and Adelia were also shocked by my sudden behavior.


    However, all this stemmed from me genuinely reflecting on my actions the previous night. Setting the Grand Duke¡¯s words aside, I realized that I had indeed treated her too harshly.


    The grandeur and splendor of Arnaria... I had treated someone raised in such luxury too harshly.


    I couldn¡¯t treat her exactly like a princess, but I could treat her better.


    <i>¡®Harriet is a princess... I should treat her with care... I shouldn¡¯t call her Thick-Skull anymore.¡¯</i>


    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll call you princess, not Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?! What... What are you talking about? What¡¯s wrong with you?! Why are you suddenly acting like this towards me?¡±


    ¡°Eat up, princess.¡±


    Harriet looked utterly confused, her lips trembling slightly.


    <i>¡®Why is she so startled? I¡¯m just trying to be nice.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You seem out of it. Why don¡¯t you get some sleep?¡± Riana said, patting my shoulder, her face slightly pale.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with her now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... What? Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really creeping me out right now.¡±


    She must have thought I was talking nonsense because I was tired.


    To be honest, I <i>was </i>really exhausted.

 Chapter 241

    <h4>Chapter 241</h4>


    <i>¡®Reinhart is acting strange. I don¡¯t know what he did during the night, but since then, he¡¯s kept calling me princess.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Princess, we need to head to the clubroom.¡±


    <i>¡®Hearing it isn¡¯t pleasing at all. Instead, it sends a chill down my spine and makes my skin crawl. It¡¯s an intolerable, uneasy feeling. It¡¯s very unsettling.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why do you keep calling me princess?!¡±


    ¡°... You <i>are</i> a princess, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    <i>¡®Well, I am. I¡¯m the Grand Duchess of the Saint-Ouen Grand Duchy, which makes me a princess. In fact, I¡¯ve been called ¡°princess¡± more often than ¡°grand duchess¡±. So I have no particr aversion to being called a princess.</i>


    <i>¡®But... Hearing the word ¡°¡®princess¡±e out of Reinhart¡¯s mouth... It feels... It feels a bit... Disgusting.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Stop it! This is the Temple! We don¡¯t mention titles here!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s only forbidden when you¡¯re using your title to enforce something. The title itself isn¡¯t a big deal, princess.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, ugh!¡±


    <i>¡®It feels like I¡¯m being mocked. Why does the title of ¡°Princess¡± sound so insulting?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt like she was going to lose her mind.


    Princess. Your Highness.


    It was a title she often heard.


    Coming from his mouth, though, it sounded unbearable.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you; I¡¯m just trying to be nice. Aren¡¯t you a princess?¡±


    ¡°I am! But just don¡¯t call me that!¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯d rather... I¡¯d rather just...¡¯</i>


    ¡°J-Just call me Thick-Skull! It feels a lot less weird!¡± Harriet yelled, her face red with embarrassment.


    ¡°Okay, Thick-Skull.¡±


    ¡°Y-You! You! That¡¯s what you were aiming for all along!¡±


    He¡¯d kept calling her princess just to force this out of her own mouth, and she¡¯d fallen for it again.


    ¡°Not really. But you really prefer being called ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯ over ¡®princess¡¯. That¡¯s pretty legendary.¡±


    ¡°Le-Legendary?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Thick-Skull. Yeah, this term definitely suits you better.¡±


    ¡°Argh! Argh!¡±


    Thick-Skull... Harriet had to painfully ept that this had be her designated nickname. It felt more natural than being called princess.


    ¡°Ugh... Ugh... Ughhh!¡±


    ¡°Whoa... are you crying? Why are you crying again?¡±


    Harriet cried, feeling truly distressed.


    She hated being called Thick-Skull. But what she resented more was that ¡°Princess¡± now felt like a derogatory terming from Reinhart.


    ¡°You... you¡¯re a real bastard...¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Should I just call you ¡®Princess¡¯ again?¡±


    ¡°No! Please, don¡¯t!¡±


    Many people called her princess.


    Many called her grand duchess.


    Many also called her Harriet.


    But Thick-Skull... Only Reinhart called her that.


    Harriet found it strange how ustomed she had be to that term.


    With anyone else, ¡°princess¡± would have been fine, buting from this guy, she preferred ¡°Thick-Skull.¡±


    She hated herself for it.


    ***


    Despite sneaking outte at night, Reinhart didn¡¯t receive any demerits. He¡¯d managed to attend all his sses properly. He also didn¡¯t tell anyone what had happened, but Harriet soon found out.


    ¡°So, you had a fight with your father?¡±


    ¡°... Why are you bringing that up?¡±


    ¡°I mean, why fight with your parents over something like that? They do everything for us, you know.¡±


    ¡°What do you even know?¡±


    ¡°Just make up with him. Parents aren¡¯t as straightforward as children. They worry a lot when they fight with their kids, you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Reinhart knew she was in a cold war with her father, and he was suddenly urging her to make up with him.


    Normally, she would have snapped back and told him it was none of his business, and to stay out of her family matters.


    But Reinhart had no parents. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say, ¡°What do you know?¡± or ¡°Why are you interfering in my family matters?¡± to someone who never had parents.


    Anything she said might hurt him.


    ¡®... Fine.¡¯


    That was all Harriet could say.


    She connected themunicator to the White Pce Arnaria.


    After a brief dy, the call connected, and Harriet told her father that she felt she had been too harsh, and that she was sorry.


    It was a long conversation.


    After reconciling with her father, her mother came on the line.


    ¡ªOh my, our little girl knows how to apologize first now. You¡¯ve grown up so much.


    ¡°... I¡¯ve always been grown up!¡±


    While she couldn¡¯t im to be fully grown, her family treated her like a child, especially her mother, who still called her ¡°little girl¡±.


    She disliked it.


    ¡ªBut, you know, that boy.


    ¡°That boy?¡±


    ¡ªI don¡¯t know much about him, but he¡¯s handsome, and that¡¯s enough for me. I approve.


    ¡°... What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡±


    Which boy was her mother even talking about?


    ¡ªOh dear, it was supposed to be a secret... Oops, my mistake...


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡ªOh, he asked me to keep it a secret, silly me...


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about?!¡±


    Her mother often said whatever she wanted, leaving Harriet baffled by her strange remarks.


    ¡ªReinhart, of course.


    ¡°... Reinhart? What about him?¡±


    Harriet mentioned Reinhart often, but her mother¡¯s words seemed strange. She was speaking about his looks as if she had seen him in person.


    ¡ªHe came by recently. In the early morning breeze.


    ¡°What? You mean, to Arnaka?¡±


    ¡ªYes, he came to us directly and asked for the gate to be opened in the middle of the night. We were all quite surprised.


    <i>¡®No way,¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Not only had Reinhart not returned to the Temple that night, but he¡¯d kept his whereabouts a secret.


    ¡ªHe was so cute about it. How desperate he must have been to show up in the middle of the night?


    ¡°Wh-Why would he go to Arnaka?¡±


    ¡ªWhy do you think? Given his background, he must have felt insecure. Wanted to get approval, you know. He¡¯s very serious and sincere for someone his age.


    Harriet began to sense the outline of a massive misunderstanding.


    ¡°Approval? What approval?¡±


    ¡ªThe approval to see each other, of course.


    ¡°Seeing each other?¡±


    ¡ªHmm? Aren¡¯t you two dating? You do like Reinhart, don¡¯t you, my sweet girl?


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®What in the world is she talking about?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt like her brain had stopped functioning.


    She had never said anything about her feelings, yet it seemed her entire family already knew about her feelings for Reinhart.


    ¡ªSo, it seems Reinhart came to Arnaka to see if it was okay to be with you. He talked to everyone, and we all approved.


    ¡°Wh-What... what exactly...¡±


    Reinhart had supposedly gone to Arnaka to get approval to date her.


    No wonder... No wonder he had been acting differently, calling her princess and trying to treat her well since he¡¯d returned.


    It felt weird and unpleasant, but... Was it because he wanted to date her properly?


    No. It wasn¡¯t that.


    ording to her mother, Reinhart already thought they were dating.


    He hadn¡¯t gone to ask if he could date her, but to confirm that it was okay that they were already dating.


    There was no misunderstanding.


    There was no other reason for Reinhart to go to Arnaka.


    He had no affiliations or business there, except to visit Arnaria.


    ¡ªDad thinks it¡¯s a bit early, but he¡¯s even in favor of marriage. What¡¯s the rush? Dad said Reinhart also seemed to be thinking that far ahead.


    <i>¡®What? Reinhart and dad also talked about marriage beyond dating?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªStill, since you¡¯re both young and still students, don¡¯t do anything reckless. Mom will be upset if you do. Got it?


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    <i>¡®What on earth happened?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªBy the way, how long have you two been seeing each other? It seems the way you spoke about Reinhart changed after that trip to the uninhabited ind.


    Her marriage to Reinhart... A self-arranged meeting...


    Harriet¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t process the absurdity of these situations anymore, and she mentally short-circuited.


    She had be a real thick-skull.


    Why would Reinhart suddenly go to Arnaria and have conversations about dating and marriage?


    So, Reinhart believed they were already dating. The fact that he¡¯d discussed marriage confirmed it.


    <i>¡®Was I... Already dating Reinhart? Since when? How did I not realize it until now?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt her mind spiraling out of control.


    ***


    Arguments that begin with conclusions were often prone to error.


    Her family had assumed it was impossible for such a pretty and lovable youngest daughter to not be liked by someone.


    They naturally inferred that Reinhart¡¯s visit had been because of their youngest daughter. Thus, they had never even asked him why he was in Arnaka. Why? Because they believed it was obviously about Harriet.


    Because of that, Harriet de Saint-Ouen was now in a state of utter confusion.


    ¡°Why do you keep staring at me? Do you have something to say?¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°... It¡¯s nothing. You jerk.¡±


    Harriet felt her heart flutter as Reinhart snapped at her with his usual, slightly-irritable tone.


    While he was acting all tough on the surface, he had apparently told her family he wanted to marry her.


    Her mother had emphasized that this should remain a secret because Reinhart seemed to want to keep his visit confidential.


    He must have been troubled by the difference in their status and had gone on a peculiar midnight trip to Arnaka.


    Reinhart seemed to be under the misconception that they had been a couple for quite some time.


    <i>¡®Since when, though? Since the deserted ind mission? The Edina Archipgo? Or even before that?¡¯</i>


    Thinking back, Reinhart had been somewhat considerate, constantly looking after her from a certain point onward.


    <i>¡®Was it that? Like how one takes care of their partner?¡¯</i>


    No matter how she thought about it, it didn¡¯t make sense.


    Even when she lost herposure with matters involving Reinhart, imagining him going to Arnaka at night to ask her parents for permission to marry her was beyond reasonable.


    There had to be a misunderstanding somewhere.


    Harriet had been away from Arnaria for quite some time now.


    She knew her family tended to be overly protective and overly proud of her.


    <i>¡®There must be a misunderstanding. Definitely.¡¯</i>


    Harriet went through the day with these confusing,plicated thoughts swirling about in her mind.


    ***


    It was time for her Practical Magic ss.


    Concentrating, Harrietpleted all the calctions necessary to manifest her spell, and inside the protective barrier, she cast her spell.


    Roughly five meters above her head, a massive sphere of zing fire materialized. A fireball five timesrger than a regr one.


    <i>Fwoooosh!</i>


    It sped towards the target dummy at supersonic speed.


    <i>BOOOOM!</i>


    The ground shook violently as a tremendous explosion engulfed everything within a twenty-meter radius of the point of impact.


    On Harriet¡¯s ears hung the earrings that Reinhart had given her.


    ¡°Cast time: 30.2 seconds, power: A-rank or higher. Mana Maniption stability: A-rank or higher.¡±


    The assistant instructor checked the spellcasting stats and nodded.


    ¡°Harriet de Saint-Ouen, you¡¯ve sessfully cast me Strike. Impressive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Despite herplex feelings, Harriet was the only one among her peers who could sessfully cast the high-level destructive spell me Strike.


    A fireball five timesrger than a regr one, shooting out at supersonic speed and exploding upon impact, crushing everything in its path with searing heat and shockwaves.


    She had demolished an orc with a regr fireball, but with this spell, she could obliterate an ogre.


    me Strike, executed with wless precision...


    Although the others didn¡¯t know, Harriet could already cast an even higher-tier destructive spell, Explosion.


    A spell that created an immediate explosion at a specified location, as opposed to a projectile. She had already mastered me Strike during the vacation.


    Yet all her peers were looking at her as if she was some sort of monster for being able to do ¡°just¡± that.


    Magic was a form.


    Once you memorized the form for me Strike and manipted your mana ordingly, the spell would activate.


    As long as it wasn¡¯t a spell that required an overwhelming amount of mana or a high degree of Mana Maniption, Harriet could intellectually understand these spellspletely.


    These were forms created by countless schrs and great mages beforehand. Harriet was merely following these preset forms, rather than creating new ones.


    Most mages were, therefore, copycats.


    For Harriet, who had the potential to venture into the realm of creating new magic, copying existing ones was excessively easy.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why her peers couldn¡¯t do something as simple as that.


    It was so straightforward. Why couldn¡¯t they do it correctly?


    She couldn¡¯t get it, and because of that, she used to look down on them.


    Harriet was used to being above others. In status, and in her own abilities.


    At least, until she met that strange person.


    ***


    After all the day¡¯s lectures had ended, they gathered at the Magic Research Club¡¯s building.


    Students like Harriet gathered in the club building to work on their assigned research projects. Reinhart, however, seldom visited unless there was a specific meeting, as he was often busy with his own work.


    Cristina let out a sigh. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. There are too many reagents required, and I have no idea how to remove the side effects.¡±


    Cristina, who had been tasked with creating a special potion to improve mana sensitivity and maniption, was groaning from the difficulty.


    The same was true for Adelia, who had been assigned to create an artifact that would allow externally-stored mana to be used like internal mana.


    ¡°Can such a thing even be made in the first ce...?¡±


    Everyone was somewhat pessimistic. Harriet also thought it might not work. On top of that, she had been given the bizarre task of researching dimensional magic to find a way to another world.


    At least the others¡¯ projects had a clear value if they worked.


    <i>¡®Dimensional magic? Why?¡¯</i>


    Harriet didn¡¯t understand, but Reinhart believed in her. He believed she could do it. Whatever had happened in Arnaka, this was at least a fascinating challenge for Harriet.


    It was more interesting than sses focused on tweaking existing magic, a challenge where she didn¡¯t even know what to do or where to start.


    Harriet was bing increasingly intrigued by the challenge, regardless of the oue.


    It wasn¡¯t about learning something designed by others, but pioneering a field that didn¡¯t exist. Though she was stillcking in many ways, just being able to try was something.


    Of course, even the genius Harriet couldn¡¯t fully grasp it yet.


    She had gathered with the other students for a tea break after another fatiguing afternoon of research.


    ¡°Senior, are you feeling unwell?¡± Cristina asked.


    The most senior and yet the youngest of the group, second-year A-1 Rudina, mumbled with a gloomy expression, ¡°Mm... A friend of mine dropped out. Adriana...¡±


    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t she the senior who exercises with Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®Adriana...¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Harriet knew this senior often exercised with Reinhart in the early mornings. She had seen them greet each other and exchanged words while passing each other.


    <i>¡®She dropped out?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart went all the way to a monastery in the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen to try and persuade her to reconsider, but it didn¡¯t go well...¡±


    Only then did Harriet recall the conversation she had with Reinhart a few days ago.


    <i>¡ª¡°Do you know the Art-Ouen Monastery?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Art-Ouen Monastery? No, I don¡¯t know.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°It¡¯s in the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Do you think I know everything in the grand duchy? I don¡¯t know it, you jerk.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°If you don¡¯t know, just say so. Why get angry?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°You were! Why do you always get angry when you see me? It¡¯s hurtful!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I said I¡¯m not angry!¡±</i>


    That was right. Reinhart had suddenly asked her about the location of a monastery somewhere in the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen.


    That night, Reinhart had gone somewhere in the middle of the night.


    Only then did Harriet put the pieces together.


    His objective hadn¡¯t been to visit Arnaria, but to meet this senior, Adriana.


    For some reason, he had wanted to talk to her about her decision to drop out.


    Since the senior hadn¡¯t returned, it seemed the conversation didn¡¯t go well.


    Then, Reinhart had abruptly asked for priority ess to the warp gate. Whatever else happened, that part must have been true.


    Priority ess... He¡¯d gone to the White Pce Arnaria for that. If he hadn¡¯t, he would have had to spend over a day queueing for the warp gate just to return.


    It was all a misunderstanding. It seemed her family had just overreacted. At least, that seemed to be the case to Harriet.


    Marriage and rtionships¡ªReinhart wouldn¡¯t have directly mentioned those.


    They simply inferred that from his words. That was all.


    It was a relief.


    A relief that she hadn¡¯t held onto mistaken assumptions for too long, and that she¡¯d learned the truth through someone else¡¯s words, not Reinhart¡¯s.


    Harriet sat there holding her teacup, even while her tea grew cold.


    ***


    That night...


    ¡°Ugh, my whole body aches...¡±


    Harriet ran into Reinhart, who was staggering out of the training grounds, stretching and yawning.


    ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now,¡± Harriet replied.


    It was all a misunderstanding.


    She almost let her family¡¯s misunderstanding take hold of her, and almost started thinking strange thoughts.


    ¡°Oh... um... did you talk to your parents?¡± Reinhart asked hesitantly, as if something had just urred to him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Um, your father...¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re about to say,¡± Harriet said, cutting him off, feeling a peculiar sense of calm just as Reinhart was about to broach the embarrassing topic. ¡°No need to say it.¡±


    ¡°Oh... uh, okay.¡±


    Reinhart scratched his head awkwardly and looked at her. All that talk about marriage, and misunderstandings.


    Harriet knew it was a ridiculous misunderstanding, but she didn¡¯t want to hear Reinhart confirm it.


    She felt like she¡¯d get hurt if she did.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯ll be going then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Harriet didn¡¯t want to hear Reinhart¡¯s exnation.


    She watched Reinhart¡¯s retreating figure.


    <i>¡®A misunderstanding...¡¯</i>


    Maybe she wanted to hold onto that misunderstanding a bit longer.


    Harriet took off the earrings she¡¯d been wearing.


    As soon as the calming magic lifted, Harriet covered her face with her hands.


    She wanted to cry.

 Chapter 242 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 242 [Illustration]</h4>


    The early morning workouts became a solo endeavor.


    Although I could have done them with Ellen, I didn¡¯t feel the need to.


    It¡¯s said that you understand the significance of someone only when they¡¯re gone.


    After I¡¯d gained enough stamina to keep up with Adriana, we had always trained together without much conversation. But now that she was gone, the void felt quiterge.


    I realized just how important she was to me.


    I wanted to bring Rudina along to go see her sometime soon. It seemed that the people from Grace and some other second-year students had been agitated by Adriana¡¯s sudden withdrawal, but I did not care that much about them.


    Would they go to meet Adriana? Would Adriana agree to see them?


    Since it was out of my hands, I decided not to think about it.


    I considered dealing with those who spread malicious rumors about Adriana to make them pay a deserving price, but I didn¡¯t. Adriana wouldn¡¯t want something like that.


    Not taking any action when it came to this matter would be thest way I could be considerate of Adriana. Also, it seemed like the misunderstanding with the ducal family was resolved.


    In the end, my training and sses continued as usual.


    I was not sure how the issue with the Orbis ss was progressing, but it seemed clear that the emergency suspension was dragging on.


    If they were trying to tackle the source of the problem, they would need to uproot the whole thing entirely. And if they did uproot it, it would be tantamount to dismantling and restructuring the Orbis ss.


    Many students would be expelled, and many teachers would be dismissed.


    ¡°Are you ready, Reinhart? You don¡¯t have toe, you know. I can do it alone,¡± Olivia said.


    Olivia seemed a little hesitant, but I couldn¡¯t let her go alone. After all, she was going to this event because of a problem I had, so I couldn¡¯t pretend it had nothing to do with me.


    Still, she kept insisting that she could go alone, and I kept insisting that I would go with her. In the end, I won.


    I was grateful.


    Olivia seemed to have her own concerns about Adriana¡¯s withdrawal, but she still cared about my issue.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what I need to prepare, but I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you seem quite reliable.¡±


    Olivia Lanche was fully dressed up.


    ¡°Oh my, look at you. You¡¯re not even able to meet my eyes. Am I that beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. You¡¯re beautiful.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, my. I didn¡¯t expect you to say that...¡±


    This outrageous flirt always acted shy when spoken to straightforwardly, but it was true. Olivia Lanche looked even more radiant in her off-shoulder dress than usual.


    My bold-facedpliment made Olivia¡¯s face turn red, and she fanned herself with her hand.


    Olivia was in a dress, while I was just in my Royal ss uniform.


    We were going to the sponsorship gathering, and it was a good opportunity to secure funding for the Magic Research Club.


    I felt as though I was going to some party.


    ¡°Will you escort me?¡± Olivia said as she held out her hand to me.


    ¡°Just this once.¡±


    I took Olivia¡¯s outstretched hand.


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s not how you escort someone!¡±


    <i>Drag.</i>


    Olivia let out a startled exmation as I dragged her along behind me.


    ***


    The main purpose of the sponsorship gathering was to give an opportunity to interested students from the fourth-year and above to mingle with significant figures and subtly discuss sponsorships.


    The sponsorship gathering was an official Temple event, so it was held in the banquet hall of the Temple¡¯s main building.


    The hall was usually restricted to only those with Temple ess cards, but in this case, it seemed that entry was further limited to those attending the sponsorship gathering.


    I considered bringing along the other members of the Magic Research Club, especially Harriet. She was the Grand Duchess of Saint-Ouen and possessed outstanding talent, so securing sponsorship would be exceedingly easy for her.


    In the end, after much deliberation, I went to the sponsorship gathering alone.


    I could speak about the members of the Magic Research Club myself, and I didn¡¯t want to put Harriet in this kind of situation. It wasn¡¯t a terrible ce, but ultimately, I was there to grovel for money, and I didn¡¯t want Harriet to go through that experience.


    Everyone else seemed to be making their way there in their own groups. I headed to the sponsorship venue with Ceres and Olivia.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s supposed to be a sponsorship gathering for the special sses, so the Orbis ss students should be here as well. But given the current situation...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the Royal ss students, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Usually, sponsors would evaluate students from the two special sses and invest in the ones that seemed more promising, but the Orbis ss was still suspended.


    I didn¡¯t know how things would pan out, but it appeared some students might lose an entire semester.


    Ceres van Owenne was also in a dress. Though she was quite impressive, Olivia Lanche stood out even more.


    ¡°W-Will you s-stop staring...?¡±


    Instead of acting all clingy, she seemed embarrassed by my constant nces and avoided eye contact. Olivia twiddled her fingers, unable to look at me.


    <i>¡®This woman... What exactly is she? She¡¯s bold yet timid.¡¯</i>


    Ceres observed Olivia quietly. She¡¯d probably had tremendous respect for her senior before, but after the turn of events, I could sense Ceres asionally looking at Olivia with pity.


    <i>¡®Hmm. I guess I understand that somewhat.¡¯ </i>


    New n??vel chapters are published on freewebnovel.c¦Ò?.


    Sometimes, I was baffled by Olivia too. Then again, she was kind enough to go out of her way to help secure sponsorships for a junior club like the Magic Research Club, which had nothing to do with her.


    No matter how she behaved outwardly, I was still grateful to have her.


    Olivia did not need a sponsorship for herself, so she didn¡¯t attend these events, but she was making an exception this time.


    And of course, there was Ceres van Owenne, who didn¡¯t need it either but had to attend as the student council president.


    She skimmed through the list she was holding.


    ¡°The sponsors vary. Nobles, merchant magnates, and leaders of the knightly orders or those affiliated with the Magic Tower or the Magic Association,¡± Ceres said.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Among them, the organizations most likely to sponsor your Magic Research Club are probably the Magic Tower or the magic associations, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t always have to be organizations directly rted to magic, though,¡± said Olivia, giving a different perspective. ¡°Some knight orders have mages affiliated with them, don¡¯t they?¡±


    That also seemed usible. Groups not directly connected to magic could still show interest in the Magic Research Club.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll list out the four most prominent figures among the attendees for this sponsorship gathering.


    ¡°Commander Illeion Volten of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°Vice President Santriden of the Magic Association.


    ¡°Captain Sabioleen Tana of the First Imperial Knights Shanapell.


    ¡°Guildmaster Owen de Getmora of the Merchants¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°There are many others, but these four are the most significant.¡±


    The former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche, had been dismissed, and his sessor was attending. I didn¡¯t know who Illeion Volten was.


    Olivia¡¯s reluctance was evident.


    Given the problematic issues that surrounded the former Commander Leverier Lanche, Olivia probably despised the Order of the Holy Knights entirely. She would probably hate having to attend an event where they had some presence, even if it was their new leader.


    ¡°I can go alone,¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t want to drag Olivia to a ce where she would feel ufortable, but she shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I expected they¡¯de.¡±


    She seemed to have anticipated that a group like the Order of the Holy Knights would send a representative, and had prepared herself for that possibility.


    Olivia Lanche was genuinely kind-hearted, perhaps overly so.


    Commander, Vice President of the Magic Association, Captain of the First Imperial Knights, and Guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild...


    Securing a sponsorship from any one of these four would bring an enormous amount of funding.


    But I detested the concept of the Order of the Holy Knights, and even the Merchants¡¯ Guild rubbed me the wrong way.


    While I didn¡¯t know much about the Magic Association, they would likely be interested in sponsoring a magic-rted endeavor.


    The First Imperial Knights seemed unrted to magic, so I wondered if they would sponsor us.


    Despite not knowing all the details, there was one name I recognized clearly:


    Captain of the First Imperial Knights, Shanapell, Sabioleen Tana. Naturally, she was a Swordmaster. Or perhaps, even more than that.


    ***


    When the Gate Incident erupted, the Temple students were enlisted to fight battles, but naturally, thebat forces were made up of more than just students. The prominentbatants came from the knightly orders, and the continent¡¯s most prestigious order, Shanapell, achieved many des inbat.


    The knightly orders taught students who were inexperienced inbat about warfare amidst actual battles.


    Sabioleen Tana provided Ludwig with numerous lessons during this period. At that point, Ludwig already had Alsbringer, which made him an exceptionally significant individual.


    Ludwig and Ellen Artorius both joined Sabioleen Tana¡¯s unit and fought in various battles.


    It was only natural for the empire¡¯s best knight to mentor the inexperienced wielders of Alsbringer and the holy sword Lament.


    She was cold and resolute, and treated Ludwig very harshly. She oftenpared him with the everpetent Ellen and drove him hard.


    In such a perilous situation, Sabioleen Tana had no choice but to treat Ludwig harshly.


    It was better to survive than to die, and with a weak body and mind, one would only meet the worst end¡ªdeath.


    She had nothing to teach Ellen, who excelled in everything, but there was much to teach Ludwig.


    In battle, Sabioleen Tana taught Ludwig countless things, and near the final stage, she gave her life to save him.


    That ordeal was what led Ludwig to eventually be a Swordmaster.


    Sabioleen Tana was a very crucial character in the post-Gate Incident era. I hadn¡¯t expected to see that person at such an event.


    ¡°Shall we go in then?¡± Olivia suggested.


    I also did not expect to meet her in thepany of Olivia Lanche, instead of Ludwig or Ellen.


    We arrived at the banquet hall in the main Temple building.


    ***


    ¡°There sure are a lot of people here,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Though there were only about sixty Royal ss students from the fourth year and above, not all of them were attending.


    However, excluding those who looked like students, the remaining number of people easily exceeded a hundred.


    ¡°If everyone who wanted toe did, there would be over a thousand attendees,¡± said Ceres.


    Apparently, this was already the result of careful selection. The best students from the empire¡¯s prized educational institution, the Temple, were practically the future of the empire.


    There were many people seeking to invest in them or establish connections, or even scout them after graduation. Talented knights or those with promising business acumen would surely find uses somewhere.


    Some students appeared to be familiar with certain sponsors, greeting them as though it was not their first meeting.


    Then, all eyes turned towards us as we made our entrance. More precisely, towards Olivia Lanche.


    Though she had abandoned her faith, she had been famous as the Saintess of Eredian.


    Once a promising holy knight, she was now attending an event where the Commander was present. Her very presence subdued the atmosphere.


    Then again, it might just have been that Olivia Lanche looked stunning in her dress, making it hard to look away.


    Olivia, used to such attention, wore a faint smile.


    <i>¡®She can¡¯t stand me looking at her for a few seconds but is totally unfazed by something like this? What a peculiar person.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is there anything official that needs to be done or said?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm, not really. Just rx and mingle.¡±


    <i>¡®Thank goodness there wasn¡¯t any need for formal self-introductions.¡¯</i>


    I was worried I¡¯d have to get on stage and say, ¡°Ah, I am so-and-so, please give me some money.¡±


    But without that, how was one supposed to open a conversation with sponsors? Just approach a stranger and say, ¡°I have this business idea, can you fund it?¡±


    That would make mee off like a con artist. Wasn¡¯t there a proper process?


    Contrary to my worries, someone approached us first.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m not allowed here, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    I didn¡¯t recognize his face, but his ceremonial attire gave him away.


    It was Commander Illeion Volten.


    Olivia picked up a ss of champagne from a passing tray, took a light sip, and smiled.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t that alcohol? Oh right. Olivia is an adult.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is there no chance you¡¯d change your mind?¡± the Commander asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Olivia replied.


    The current Commander seemed to deeply regret Olivia Lanche¡¯s departure. Sensing her firm resolve, he refrained from pressing her further and left after a brief exchange.


    Olivia Lanche was too valuable a talent to let go. Leverier Lanche had believed Olivia met all the criteria to be considered a top talent.


    She had been carefully handpicked to eventually take charge of the Order of the Holy Knights, but now, she could no longer return.


    Ceres looked at Olivia with pity. Although she did not have the talent to be a holy knight, she lived with a strong faith in the Five Great Gods.


    It seemed Ceres felt deeply sorry that Olivia had abandoned her faith.


    ¡°Some things be more certain as time goes on,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Ceres replied, and Olivia favored her with a smile.


    It wasn¡¯t just her disappointment in the Order of the Holy Knights.


    The Tiamata incident had showed Olivia the truth about the faith and the essence of the gods. She learned that demon gods did not exist, that the great gods and the demon gods were essentially the same entities, and that the power of gods was determined by the nature of one¡¯s faith.


    Now that she knew the gods were impartial, Olivia Lanche found it impossible to rekindle her faith.


    She gave up her faith because of human failings, but then discovered that the gods themselves were not what she believed them to be.


    Olivia would never again pledge her faith and loyalty to a god. She appeared to have no interest in joining the Order of the Holy Knights.


    Many older students of the Royal ss were engaged in conversations with various sponsors.


    As a student council president, Ceres had separate duties to take care of and left, leaving only Olivia beside me.


    ¡°The seniors here are mostly those who need funding for their magic studies, right?¡±


    Olivia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but some are also here to decide on their career paths after graduation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... waiting for better offers or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sometimes evenmoners are promised titles.¡±


    It was just as the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen had said.


    In order to secure exceptional talents from the Royal ss, some ces even promised students titles. That meant that in addition to the four main groups, there could also be representatives from various fiefdoms.


    For the current students, it was a ce to form connections under the guise of securing sponsorship, and for those who were about to graduate and had no ns for further studies, it was a ce to find jobs.


    While I couldn¡¯t gauge the exact worth of a Royal ss graduate, it had to be enormous.


    I wondered what my own value might be. Though I didn¡¯t entirely agree, Mr. Effenhauser had once said I was Temple¡¯s best talent.


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    To my surprise, I saw, in the back of the banquet hall, a man with a cold demeanor engaged in a conversation with someone.


    It was Mr. Effenhauser.


    It made sense for a Royal ss professor to attend a sponsorship gathering, but seeing him at this type of party was unexpected.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t in a shy ceremonial outfit but his usual stiff, formal attire, which was very Effenhauser-like.


    I couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, but judging by his stern expression, it didn¡¯t seem pleasant. I couldn¡¯t even imagine him having a friendly chat with anyone.


    ¡°Alright. Shall we go reel in some funds?¡± Olivia said with a bright smile.


    ¡°... You shouldn¡¯t put it like that.¡±


    It sounded like we were here to extort money from gullible people. Which, in a way, was somewhat urate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too disappointed, Reinhart.¡±


    Olivia did not seem too optimistic.


    <i>¡®Wait, isn¡¯t this supposed to be the ce to easily secure funds?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 243

    <h4>Chapter 243</h4>


    It was clear thating to this event alone wouldn¡¯t have been effective.


    Everyone there knew about Olivia Lanche.


    ¡°Ah, this is Reinhart, a first-year student. He¡¯s a superhuman with a very bright future.¡±


    ¡°Superhuman?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has a serious vision for the future and has started something called the Magic Research Club.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what are you researching?¡±


    .


    ¡°Olivia, it¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello. This is Reinhart, a first-year student...¡±


    .


    People, intrigued by the new controversy surrounding Olivia Lanche, wanted to at least exchange a few words with her, and Olivia took the opportunity to introduce me. She emphasized the importance of funding for the new Magic Research Club I had established.


    The attendees from the four main organizations were noteworthy, but the others were no less significant.


    They included high-ranking nobles from various fiefdoms, imperial nobles, and prominent figures from various organizations.


    Olivia spoke with all of them and introduced me. However, as Olivia had predicted, the oue wasn¡¯t that great.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a meaningful endeavor. Good luck, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Then, might you consider sponsoring us...?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... Actually, instead of that... Olivia, what are your ns after graduation?¡±


    They were more interested in Olivia herself than in the Magic Research Club and wanted to recruit her.


    Olivia Lanche, who had once been ted to join the Order of the Holy Knights, was like a celestial being. Now that she wasn¡¯t joining the Order of the Holy Knights, she was a major free agent in the talent market.


    As someone who rarely attended such events, Olivia¡¯s mere presence noticeably altered the overall atmosphere.


    The focus always shifted from the Magic Research Club to how they might recruit Olivia.


    Once they realized that Olivia¡¯s intention was not to secure a career for herself but to seek support for a club her junior had started, though, they promptly lost interest.


    As expected, the reactions we got were simr.


    The prospect of a prominent free agent was tempting, but the fact that she wanted to help a child create impractical inventions was not appealing.


    Vice President Santriden of the Magic Association looked visibly embarrassed.


    ¡°Uh... well, it¡¯s good to have big dreams. Good luck, Reinhart.¡±


    He gave me a look of pity. It seemed meaningless to pepper him with phrases like ¡°we have an unparalleled genius in our club.¡±


    In the end, we wandered about like outcasts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not working out, as expected,¡± Olivia said as she scratched her cheek, looking slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that younger students aren¡¯t allowed here; it¡¯s just that there¡¯s no reason for them to be,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true...¡±


    Something had hit me while I¡¯d been wandering about.


    The whole purpose of this meeting was to sponsor graduates or near-graduates. Understandably, sponsors preferred shorter sponsorship periods. It was more cost-effective to support students who were close to graduation than to fund a first-year student through six years of Royal ss education.


    Hence, the optimal candidates for sponsorship were the fifth and sixth-year students. When it came to underssmen, the sponsorship period would be too lengthy and therefore inefficient.


    The sponsors aimed to create a connection under the guise of sponsorship, to scout for talent or request favors post-graduation.


    Thus, the younger the student, the more lukewarm the response from sponsors would be.


    I was a first-year student with the aim of inventing imusible things. That meant my graduation was far off, and my ns were uncertain. Therefore, there was no reason for anyone to sponsor me.


    In essence, securing sponsorship was no different from attracting investments, and so it would be difficult to obtain any from this event.


    Still, I hadn¡¯t expected to be treated so coldly; thanks to Olivia¡¯s presence, I at least managed to have a few conversations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep trying our best.¡±


    Even if most people lost interest, there was a chance that someone might take an interest, so I decided not to give up and kept moving.


    Olivia and I approached Owen de Getmora, the Guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild and the one person who hadn¡¯t shown any initial interest in us.


    Instead of the potbellied middle-aged man I expected, he was someone who had aged gracefully, exuding a dignified presence even in the midst of the party.


    He was standing in a quiet corner of the banquet hall, sipping champagne and silently observing the room.


    He wasn¡¯t talking to anyone, and he didn¡¯t seem like a typical merchant.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems you are dreaming of a truly great invention.¡±


    It was clear he didn¡¯t think my research topic was worth discussing.


    ¡°By the way, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here, Mr. Reinhart.¡±


    He seemed more interested in me than in the Magic Research Club itself, and I had a good idea why that might be. The opening of stores at each subway station¡ªthe Merchants¡¯ Guild was a key investor in that project. Since that business was already in the process of being set up, he must have known about me and the Rotary Club.


    There was already a connection between the Guildmaster and me, one that did not involve the Magic Research Club at all.


    Olivia, who wasn¡¯t aware of the details of this project, seemed puzzled as to why the Guildmaster was showing interest in me, but wisely refrained from making anyments that might spoil the mood.


    The man¡¯s eyes, somewhere between middle-aged and old, fixed on me.


    He had no interest in Olivia; he wasn¡¯t running a group that requiredbat strength.


    ¡°Reinhart, may I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    He seemed genuinely interested in me. Essentially, he was the only one interested in someone that everyone else at the event had ignored.


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°... Are you asking me to guess your reasons?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said as he looked at me.


    It was an abrupt question.


    What would be the meaning of answering it correctly?


    It felt like a test from someone I had just met.


    Guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild, Owen de Getmora... He was qualitatively different from the guildmaster of the Thieves¡¯ Guild. Although the Merchants¡¯ Guild did engage in various illegal businesses, it was ultimately a legitimate group.


    Unlike the Thieves¡¯ Guild, which was a target for extermination, he headed a group that operated in the open. Hence, he could be invited to a ce filled with VIPs.


    He probably had no shortage of money whenpared to any other group.


    ¡°To give you a hint, I have no intention of scouting anyone or sponsoring anyone.¡±


    It seemed like he was testing my insight. Passing this test didn¡¯t necessarily mean he would sponsor me.


    Maybe he just wanted to see what kind of person his key business partner was.


    However, the fact that he was engaging with me without dismissing me outright due to my age showed he was at least open to conversation.


    He had no interest in scouting or sponsorship... If his attitude were known to those who had organized this gathering, it could get him kicked out altogether.


    So why was he there in the first ce?


    If he was there just because he wanted to be there, there would be no need for such a question. It had to be something that could be deduced.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s consider the oue. The Guildmaster¡¯s role is ultimately to make money. Attending this sponsorship gathering itself must be financially beneficial in some way.¡¯</i>


    When I thought about it, the question wasn¡¯t that difficult.


    This ce was full of significant figures gathered in one spot.


    ¡°It¡¯s a prime location for gauging the geopoliticalndscape of the continent,¡± I said.


    ¡°Can you borate a bit more?¡±


    ¡°You can also identify the needs of the various powers, and consequently, determine what theyck.¡±


    Prominent groups and representatives from various fiefdoms were all gathered there, and they were seeking to recruit talented individuals, which revealed their needs and deficiencies.


    For example, the knights came to look to bolster their forces by seeking out strong recruits.


    The students that each group invested would reflect their deficiencies, and from there, one could deduce the strengths and weaknesses of each group.


    By listening in on the various conversations, it was possible to understand what the representatives of these groups wanted, making it possible to gauge the strength, needs, and financial status of these groups.


    Owen de Getmora was a merchant. He prepared goods to satisfy people¡¯s needs and desires.


    He smiled at my concise answer.


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    ¡°It was just a rough guess. I don¡¯t know how the Merchants¡¯ Guild will leverage the information gathered here.¡±


    While Owen praised me, Olivia stood with her mouth slightly agape, staring at me.


    <i>¡®Why is she so impressed by something like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then let¡¯s move on to the next topic.¡±


    ¡°By the next topic you mean...?¡±


    ¡°I had no intention of sponsoring anyone, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be here, Mr. Reinhart,¡± he said as he looked at me. ¡°I find myself obligated to sponsor you, Mr. Reinhart. And it has to be now, and not when you are an upperssman. Can you deduce why?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just about wanting to sponsor me; he felt an obligation to sponsor me. Sponsors here preferred to fund upperssmen.


    But the Merchants¡¯ Guild Master believed he needed to support me as an underssman.


    However, this, too, wasn¡¯t a difficult puzzle.


    ¡°You are looking to leverage my value, not post-graduation, but while I¡¯m still a student at the Temple.¡±


    ¡°Even more excellent,¡± Owen said with a satisfied smile, and took a sip of his champagne.


    Owen de Getmora had to be aware that the magic train shop business was proceeding with the backing of the imperial family.


    He wanted to tap into the rtionship between me and the imperial family.


    He wasn¡¯t interested in Reinhart. He wanted to have a connection with a ssmate of the First Prince and First Princess.


    Therefore, my value was not about what I could do for him post-graduation. I was valuable only while I was enrolled in the Temple, as this sponsorship would create a connection to the imperial family.


    Though he didn¡¯t know the details behind it, I had somehow managed to secure an exclusive business license from the imperial family.


    ¡°How much do you need, Mr. Reinhart?¡±


    He was making a direct offer. He was asking for the price tag on my name.


    Asking for too much would seem ludicrous, but asking for too little would make me appear weak.


    Negotiating with a middle-aged man I¡¯d just met today¡ªI wasn¡¯t skilled at this. But I had to do it.


    We were indirectly bartering for a rtionship with the imperial family. Mentioning it outright would be treasonous.


    We were dealing with something that had intangible value.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s for me to decide.¡±


    Though he¡¯d asked for a price, I deflected the question, shifting the onus back on him.


    I couldn¡¯t set a price on the rtionship with the imperial family. So, I was basically telling him to name his price¡ªthat is, what he thought a connection with the imperial family was worth.


    Owen de Getmora let out a heartyugh.


    ¡°I must say, you¡¯ve got me there.¡±


    Olivia appeared clueless about the conversation unfolding between the Guildmaster and me.


    ¡°I will ensure a suitable amount is sent to you within a reasonable time frame, through appropriate channels,¡± he said.


    He was a merchant, and thus, he never explicitly stated the amount he would offer.


    However, if the amount turned out to be insultingly low, the Merchants¡¯ Guild would lose face.


    An agreement for an intangible return... I had secured something without giving anything concrete in return.


    However, it was somewhat frightening since there would eventuallye a time when I had to repay them with something, and at the moment, I had no idea what that might be.


    While I could consider evading them when the time came, these were merchants I was dealing with, and merchants would find a way to collect what they were owed.

 Chapter 244 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 244 [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡°Reinhart, what on earth did you do?¡±


    Olivia seemedpletely clueless about how I had managed to finally secure a sponsorship from the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s guild master through various roundabout conversations.


    ¡°It seems like he knows you, and you know something too... I just don¡¯t get it,¡± Olivia said.


    Olivia was ncing back and forth, clearly confused by the situation. However, Owen and I didn¡¯t give any clear exnations.


    We had suddenly entered into a sort of cryptic dialogue, and conducted the negotiations using roundabout expressions only we understood.


    What exactly was this value that was unique to me and only present while I was enrolled in the Temple, and why was Owen interested in buying it?


    ¡°Just take it as it is. Why do you need to know everything?¡± I said brusquely, ending the discussion.


    Olivia pretended to be on the verge of tears. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mean!¡±


    We spent a significant amount of time going around the sponsorship gathering, but in the end, I had received funding not because of what the Magic Research Club was doing, or because of Olivia¡ªit was thanks to the Rotary Club¡¯s ongoing project.


    I hadn¡¯t expected the guild master of the Merchants¡¯ Guild to show any interest, so it was essentially a lucky break.


    However, there was a problem. While we did secure a promise of sponsorship, we have no idea how much it would be. No matter how much we got, it would never be enough. The more, the better, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone else willing to sponsor me apart from the somewhat exceptional case of the guild master of the Merchants¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°You obviously need more, right?¡± Olivia asked, apparently reading that sentiment from my expression.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how much we will receive, and the more the better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Alright. I knew it woulde to this too...¡±


    Olivia seemed to have some thoughts of her own.


    She must have had some n, considering she hade to the sponsorship gathering knowing it would be difficult to get sponsors.


    The situation with the Merchants¡¯ Guild was an exception¡ªwhat else was Olivia thinking of?


    Owen was sitting alone again, and we sat at an isted table to eat our food. Many covetous gazes were directed toward Olivia, but her imprable nature was well-known, and no one approached her.


    While Olivia was lost in deep thought, someone approached us.


    ¡°Number 11.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Effenhauser.¡±


    We were still in our isted spot when Mr. Effenhauser approached us.


    Olivia and I stood up because we knew who was standing next to him.


    ¡°Introduce yourselves. This is Dame Sabioleen Tana, the Head of the Imperial First Knights Division.¡±


    A knight in the ceremonial uniform of the Imperial Knights stood next to him, her posture as sharp as a de.


    I was rooted to the spot under Sabioleen Tana¡¯s calm yet keen gaze.


    She looked young even though she should be much older than Mr. Effenhauser.


    Of course, in my story, those who reached a certain level of mastery aged more slowly, or could even rejuvenate themselves.


    Sabioleen Tana had achieved such a level.


    She was close to sixty, but looked like she could enroll as a new student at the Temple right away, creating quite a bit of dissonance.


    ¡°Hello. I am a first-year student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, A-11 Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°And I am a fifth-year student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, A-0 Olivia Lanche.¡±


    <i>¡®Olivia is number 0?¡¯</i>


    I was surprised at such an odd detail.


    Come to think of it, she was originally supposed to be in her sixth year, but had been held back in her fifth year. Thus, her number must have been reassigned.


    Originally, she should have been assigned thest number, but considering her talent ranking, that wasn¡¯t possible. So, instead, she got the non-existent number 0, being above the original 5th-year A-1.


    Regardless, Sabioleen Tana simply stared at me.


    ¡°Are you the future of the empire?¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡± I responded, puzzled.


    <i>¡®What? What kind of things has Mr. Effenhauser been saying about me?!¡¯</i>


    Mr. Effenhauser always acted overly proud but without a single hint of a smile or any casual expression. With apletely serious face, he went around dering that I was the future of the empire.


    In many ways, it was enough to make me mentally exhausted.


    ***


    Sabioleen Tana, the head of Shanapell and the empire¡¯s greatest knight.


    She extended her hand to me, and I grasped it. She had a firm, rough hand.


    She was the empire¡¯s strongest knight and the protector of the imperial family. Although everyone¡¯s talent seemed insignificant whenpared to Ellen Artorius, the person in front of me was also a monster.


    At this point, she was the strongest in the continent for closebat.


    Sabioleen Tana was also Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s senior at the Temple.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your judgment, but I am not sure of it myself,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    ¡°He is still just a first-year student,¡± Mr. Effenhauser responded.


    Mr. Effenhauser kept using the cringe-inducing term ¡°future of the empire.¡±


    It was solely Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s idea. Sabioleen Tana seemed to have made aplete assessment of me from just one handshake.


    <i>¡®But hey, is it really okay to dismiss people right to their face, just because you¡¯re the continent¡¯s strongest warrior?</i>


    <i>¡®I guess it kind of is. She is the strongest, after all.¡¯</i>


    However, it felt quite strange and unsettling to see the baby-faced Sabioleen Tana speaking so informally to the older-looking Mr. Effenhauser.


    In reality, Sabioleen Tana was indeed a senior far above Mr. Effenhauser. Sometimes, what you see isn¡¯t everything.


    ¡°If there is one who is the future of the empire, I think it would be her,¡± Sabioleen Tana said as she looked towards Olivia Lanche.


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia had greeted Sabioleen, but was now eyeing her with a hint of wariness.


    It was somewhat evident that they were acquainted.


    I couldn¡¯t clearly understand the perspective that Olivia Lanche was the future of the empire. It could be true, or it might not be. In the original work, Olivia Lanche faded into the background of the story.


    Was Olivia Lanche as exceptional as Ellen, or even Ludwigter on?


    Sabioleen Tana addressed Olivia firmly, ¡°The offer still stands, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to join the Order of the Holy Knights, join Shanapell.¡±


    The future of the empire...


    Sabioleen Tana seemed to ce more weight on Olivia Lanche. Anyone would, considering she had shown much more.


    It seemed Olivia had previously received an offer to join the empire¡¯s First Knights Division. Judging by her expression, it was clear she had declined. Olivia gazed quietly at Sabioleen Tana.


    ¡°How much can you give us?¡± Olivia said, her expression firm.


    ¡°... Money?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana frowned slightly at that.


    Then she looked at me.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    Although it was our first time greeting each other, she must have known that Olivia and I were seeking sponsorship funds.


    My brain felt like it was freezing up.


    ¡°If you promise to join, I can offer up to ten thousand tinum coins.¡±


    Ten thousand tinum coins... That tranted to a million gold coins.


    In Korean terms, that was a trillion won.


    A superhuman was essentially a tactical weapon, and was already considered an asymmetric asset.


    Did that mean Olivia was already at that level, or did she believe she would reach it soon?


    ¡°For the future of the empire, that¡¯s an investment worth making.¡±


    Olivia Lanche was seen as being worth more than a modern fighter jet.


    Only then did I realize that I hadpletely underestimated Olivia Lanche¡¯s value.


    Even though a trillion won was a colossal amount, it would be considered a paltry sum if it could be traded for an irreceable tactical weapon, the future strongest warrior of the empire, wouldn¡¯t it?


    If such a superhuman didn¡¯t belong directly to the empire but instead to a vassal state, it would be a dire problem, and the empire would want to prevent that at any cost.


    I finally understood why Olivia seemed to know everything would be solved if she attended the sponsorship gathering, despite expecting it to be difficult.


    She already knew who would pay the highest price for her.


    ¡°Yes, that amount is...¡±


    ¡°Wait. Just wait a moment,¡± I interjected, grabbing Olivia Lanche by the wrist. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Olivia lowered her eyes as if she had foreseen my reaction.


    ¡°... I knew you¡¯d react like this... That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to bring you along.¡±


    No wonder she seemed reluctant to bring me; it was for this very reason.


    ***


    Without looking back, I dragged Olivia out of the sponsorship gathering hall. It didn¡¯t matter to me whether Mr. Effenhauser or the empire¡¯s greatest knight was there.


    ¡°Is this why you said you wanted toe alone?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia couldn¡¯t even meet my eyes and just looked down. She spoke without looking at me.


    ¡°Why? I... I don¡¯t have anything to do after graduation anyway, and besides, they¡¯re offering a lot of money. I have no use for that money. But you, Reinhart, you need it. So, that settles it, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you originally nning not to join?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia must have received numerous offers from various ces, all of which she had declined. But now, just because I said I needed money, she was willing to get sponsorship money by joining Shanapell, and intended to give that money to me.


    ¡°Why are you going so far for me? Just because I saved your life once? By that logic, you¡¯ve already repaid me. So why are you putting your entire life on the line for this?¡±


    ¡°Just... Because I can.¡± Olivia looked at me with difficulty, her eyes trembling. ¡°This is the only way I know how to live.¡±


    Her eyes were those of someone who had learned to live only through sacrifice, never knowing how to live for themselves.


    ¡°If I can do something for the person who saved me, then I believe I must do it. That¡¯s why. It¡¯s not a bad thing, is it?¡± she said.


    I had always thought of Olivia as a strange person, but she genuinely was a strange person. In fact, she was almost bizarre.


    She cared more about other people¡¯s needs than her own. She had always been strange, yet no one saw it that way because that was just who Olivia Lanche was. For that reason, no one ever recognized her strangeness, not even myself.


    She had been raised to be the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights and the next symbol of the Five Great Gods. It was impossible to imagine her growing up normally. I didn¡¯t know about her past environment, but it seemed Olivia Lanche had always been forced to live for the salvation of others rather than being allowed to pursue her own desires.


    That was why she¡¯d be such a person.


    The faith that was the foundation and root of her existence was gone, but the way she lived her life remained the same.


    Olivia Lanche was a person who did not know how to live for herself. In a way, she was way more simr to Ragan Artorius than Ellen was.


    If she had to die for the sake of the world, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate, for the simple reason that she was able to.


    Olivia looked at me, her eyes full of emotion. ¡°I no longer have anything I want to do. There¡¯s nothing I need to do, and I don¡¯t know what to live for. I could do anything, but if doing that could help you, I¡¯d be satisfied with that. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    As a human being, not a saintess, Olivia Lanche was a broken person.


    By being recognized as a saintess, she was everything anyone could ever want, without a single w. But now that she could no longer be that, Olivia Lanche did not know how to live an ordinary life.


    An unimaginable sum of ten thousand tinum coins... That would surely resolve all the research funding issues.


    But I didn¡¯t want the money that Olivia Lanche raised by selling her future.


    ¡°That¡¯s... just weird. Your own life shoulde first, and others shoulde afterward. Why are you trying to buy something so insignificant with your life as the price?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, if I were at risk of dying, I might understand. The research funding is important, but it¡¯s not something you should be sacrificing so much for.¡±


    That was the real issue. There was no reason for Olivia to go this far.


    It was bizarre that she was willing to sell her future for something like this.


    Olivia looked at me with a sad smile. ¡°Then, will you teach me?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°How to live for myself. Can you teach me?¡±


    Her words froze my tongue.


    ¡°Are you living for yourself, Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also doing all this for the Magic Research Club, despite not knowing a thing about magic.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s words pierced my heart.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between you and me?¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m doing this for the future. I am different from you.¡¯</i>


    That¡¯s what I wanted to say, but the words wouldn¡¯te out.


    Both Olivia and I were dedicating our time and effort to things unrted to our personal gain, the only difference being the degree.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as selfless as you, senior.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably not.¡±


    Olivia stared nkly at the night sky, which was filled with starlight. ¡°You and I, we¡¯re both peculiar.¡±


    There was no way to argue against that. Olivia continued to gaze at the night sky, then looked at me with slightly reddened eyes.


    ¡°Shall we... figure out how to live for ourselves together?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Looking into Olivia Lanche¡¯s eyes, which seemed like they could tear up at any moment, I pondered my response for quite a while.


    There was only one answer.


    ¡°Nothing indecent.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What! Seriously, what do you take me for?!¡± Olivia screamed. Her face turned bright red at my sudden and inappropriate joke.


    ¡°You reap what you sow. What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I-It was a joke! I was just joking! I-I¡¯m actually not that kind of person!¡±


    ¡°What kind of person are you then?¡±


    ¡°E-Eek! Now I understand why the kids dislike you!¡±


    Olivia was genuinely furious, and continued panting heavily for quite some time.


    ***


    Having learned about Olivia¡¯s n, there was no need to return to the sponsorship gathering. However, we still went back to the event hall.


    It would be rude of me to drag my senior out in front of the world¡¯s strongest person and our homeroom teacher without even apologizing.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was Sabioleen Tana¡¯s or Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s reaction that I was more wary of.


    ¡°My apologies... Sorry for the disturbance,¡± I apologized.


    Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t seem to care much, while Sabioleen Tana just continued to look at me with the same unsettling stare as before.


    She looked rather intimidating, and I couldn¡¯t tell if she was angry or not. Olivia peered awkwardly at the stern-eyed champion of the world.


    ¡°Thank you for the offer... but I still need some more time to think about it,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°Sure, take your time. There¡¯s plenty of it,¡± Sabioleen Tana replied.


    It was obvious that Olivia¡¯s sudden change in attitude was because of me.


    <i>¡®Scary. How painful would it be if the world¡¯s strongest person hit me?¡¯</i>


    She had her eyes set on Olivia Lanche and likely had the imperial authority to spend an unimaginable sum of money.


    Olivia Lanche... While she was valuable to me, she mostly just clung to me, which I found somewhat annoying. How strong was she really, that the world¡¯s strongest person considered her the future of the empire? That alone spoke volumes.


    Now, I was beginning to truly feel the significance of having saved Olivia, a turning point in history.


    Sabioleen Tana continued to stare at me.


    ¡°You said you needed funds for magical research.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a superhuman, aren¡¯t you? Why are you involving yourself in magic?¡±


    ¡°Think of it as me handling external affairs so that my peers can focus on their research.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked at me for about three seconds, then looked at Olivia for another three seconds, then back at me for yet another three seconds. She seemed to be considering it very deeply.


    Despite her serious expression, she reminded me of a grown-up Ellen.


    A stoic exterior, but probably a cute side deep inside.


    It felt as if, though her face was unreadable, her thoughts wereid bare.


    She seemed simr yetpletely different from the iprehensible Mr. Effenhauser.


    <i>¡®Olivia refused me before, but she suddenly offered to join as long as the funds for his research were provided. It¡¯s clear that Olivia thinks very highly of him.</i>


    <i>¡®After he dragged her out for a talk, she retracted her statement, which must mean he has some influence over Olivia.</i>


    <i>¡®Hmm... Hmmm... So, if I support Reinhart, who can influence Olivia, can it improve Shanapell¡¯s standing with Olivia?</i>


    <i>¡®Supporting Reinhart might be a way to increase our influence over Olivia. Reinhart will develop a favorable attitude toward Shanapell, which will inevitably influence Olivia. I¡¯m certain.</i>


    <i>Am I perhaps... a genius?¡¯</i>


    This was the first time I¡¯d seen anyone whose thoughts were more transparent than Adelia¡¯s.


    Maybe I was getting better at reading expressions since I¡¯d gotten used to the subtle shifts in Ellen¡¯s face and eyes.


    <i>¡®Am I stepping into the realm of mind-reading now?¡¯</i>


    After a long period of deep contemtion, Sabioleen Tana finally spoke to me.


    ¡°We shall provide sponsorship.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you very much!¡±


    Although I could not read her thoughts perfectly, I seem to have guessed them fairly urately.


    In the end, it was thanks to Olivia Lanche that I managed to secure sponsorship from the First Knight Division of the empire.


    Securing promises of support from two of the key groups at the sponsorship gathering...


    You could say it was an unprecedented achievement.

 Chapter 245 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 245 [Illustration]</h4>


    I received a statement simr to that of the Merchants¡¯ Guild. The details of Shanapell¡¯s sponsorship amount would be decided after their internal meetings.


    This implied that the amount of one trillion won, which had been offered to lure Olivia into joining, was a predetermined amount for that purpose alone.


    Given that that was the amount intended to entice Olivia, I would probably not receive as much.


    Olivia was deeply moved by Shanapell¡¯s decision to support us and expressed her gratitude profusely.


    Sabioleen Tana seemed satisfied with Olivia¡¯s reaction. It seemed that Sabioleen Tana believed she had made the right decision in supporting me to gain influence over Olivia.


    Support had been secured from tworge groups: the Merchants¡¯ Guild and Shanapell.


    This alone changed the atmosphere significantly.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem. You are Mr. Reinhart, correct?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss that sponsorship you mentioned earlier in more detail...¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Mr. Reinhart, could we have a word?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Sorry, I was too hasty before to listen properly earlier...¡±


    .


    .


    There was a strange change in the atmosphere, and there was only one reason for this.


    The Guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild, Owen de Getmora, still seated in a corner, was smiling at me.


    Everyone thought my n was absurd, even to those who did not know much about magic.


    But results were what mattered. News that both the Merchants¡¯ Guild and Shanapell promised me sponsorships spread throughout the sponsorship hall.


    Neither the Merchants¡¯ Guild nor Shanapell would pledge support for something baseless, especially not for magical research that bordered on impossible.


    That made people start to believe that there had to be something substantial in what I was nning.


    The sponsorship from the Merchants¡¯ Guild was for strengthening ties with the imperial family and Shanapell¡¯s sponsorship was to win over Olivia Lanche. However, these details were not known to the others at this sponsorship gathering.


    What mattered was the fact that two groups with little to no rtion to magic had promised to support magical research.


    As a result, I went from being ¡°the guy who¡¯s talking nonsense¡± to ¡°the guy who¡¯s up to something big¡± thanks to the two sponsorships obtained forpletely different reasons.


    Many who initially ignored me or thought I was spewing nonsense suddenly changed their attitudes and also promised sponsorships.


    Sponsorships weren¡¯t considered a form of direct investment. Even if they sponsored me, they would not be able to reap any direct rewards from our research. They were merely putting their faith in the judgment of the Merchants¡¯ Guild and Shanapell, a subsidiary of the imperial family.


    If the seemingly impossible things I spoke of did get created in the future, they would have no share in the future earnings, but the mere fact that they sponsored us could provide significant advantages.


    Moreover, there was another simple mechanism at y: people tended to flock to whatever attracted a crowd.


    Thus, I suddenly received promises of sponsorship from nearly 30% of the attendees at the sponsorship gathering.


    All of this was likely orchestrated by Owen de Getmora. He not only initiated the offers of sponsorship with the Merchants¡¯ Guild¡¯s money, but also created an environment where people couldn¡¯t help but be interested in sponsoring me.


    ¡°... What¡¯s this all about?¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit puzzled myself,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good things lead to good oues, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    Unfortunately, while the sponsorship list was growing, I doubted I could remember the names of all those who promised to support me.


    In the end, both Olivia and I were wrong, and I ended up securing an overwhelming number of sponsors.


    It was even more baffling because it stemmed from a misunderstanding, and not my own abilities.


    ***


    As the sponsorship gathering was wrapping up, Sabioleen Tana approached me once again.


    This time, it seemed she had personal business with me rather than issues about sponsorship. She took me aside before starting the conversation.


    What could this personal matter be about?


    ¡°I heard about the Orbis ss incident, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±


    I nced over at Mr. Effenhauser, standing a distance away. It seemed he had told her everything about me.


    This sponsorship gathering had originally been organized for both members of the Royal ss and the Orbis ss. However, not a single Orbis ss student could attend this time.


    She lowered her voice so only I could hear, speaking in a cautionary tone.


    ¡°You need to understand that you have made many enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that.¡±


    The Orbis ss was in turmoil because of the internal issues I¡¯d exposed thanks to my duel with Oscar de Gradias.


    The Orbis ss incident was already a historical turning point. Because of this incident, students would be expelled and teachers would be dismissed, making them all my enemies.


    Though it might be useless for them to hate me, there would still be many who harbored a desire for revenge against me.


    That was what I was referring to when I said I understood, but Sabioleen Tana shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think your only enemies are from the Orbis ss.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How many people here do you think were sponsoring students from the Orbis ss? And how many do you think chose not to attend at all because they heard the Orbis ss students wouldn¡¯t be participating?¡±


    When I heard that, my entire body froze.


    ¡°If the students who were receiving sponsorship from the Orbis ss face trials, serve prison sentences, or get expelled, you will incur the wrath of their sponsors as well,¡± she continued.


    Those sponsors who had made promises to these students and were supporting them would see their future investments rendered worthless. While the students¡¯ abilities wouldn¡¯t disappear, the gap between graduates of the Orbis ss and those who were expelled would still be significant.


    If they had to serve prison sentences, epting them would be a risky move.


    I had turned not only the Orbis ss but their sponsors into enemies as well. While not all of them would hate me, every sponsor was a significant figure.


    Even if just one of them decided to take me down, it would be catastrophic.


    Sabioleen Tana was informing me of this before leaving, to make me aware of something I hadn¡¯t considered. That I was in a much more dangerous position than I thought.


    I sighed at her cold expression.


    ¡°The cost of one fight is too high, it seems,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s an old saying: don¡¯t swing your fists recklessly.¡±


    I was a bit dumbfounded, considering I was getting such advice from the world¡¯s strongest person.


    ¡°But it¡¯s strange,¡± Sabioleen Tana said as she looked at me. ¡°Oddly enough, people like you don¡¯t seem to die early.¡±


    With a faint smile, she walked out of the sponsorship hall.


    Sabioleen Tana, the strongest person in this world at the time...


    For some reason, she left a good impression on me. Perhaps because she was so simr to Ellen.


    All in all, I managed to achieve my goal by securing a vast number of sponsors, while also realizing that I was in a situation in which it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I died at any moment.


    ***


    Late at night, after the sponsorship gathering ended, Olivia and I returned to the dormitory. I didn¡¯t mention anything to Olivia about me having too many enemies and being in a dangerous situation.


    Knowing her personality, she¡¯d probably get all scared but insist on guarding me at night, trying to protect my sleeping quarters, which was an even scarier prospect.


    ¡°Well, it all worked out somehow, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All thanks to you, senior.¡±


    Olivia was the one who brought up the sponsorship gathering, and it was also thanks to her that the connection with Sabioleen Tana was formed.


    So, ultimately, Olivia was entirely responsible for securing the budget for the Magic Research Club.


    Olivia smiled brightly at me.


    ¡°If you¡¯re grateful, saying thank you isn¡¯t enough, you know.¡±


    <i>¡®Oh no, here she goes with her nonsense again. She¡¯s probably going to ask for a kiss or something equally absurd.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you want me to actually do it?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to do it or not?¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s the big deal about a kiss? It¡¯s night, and there¡¯s no one around to see anyway. Should I just go for it?¡¯</i>


    Olivia was stammering, her face turning red even in the nighttime.


    I clicked my tongue while looking at her.


    ¡°Tsk, look at you, all talk and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?! All talk? Did you just call me a coward? I can do it! I can!¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t, you fool!¡±


    <i>¡®There may not be people around, but there could be ears listening in from somewhere!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you know that you¡¯re the only one in the entire Temple, no, in the whole world, who treats me like this, Reinhart?¡±


    That was actually true, when I thought about it.


    Everywhere she went, people called her ¡°Saintess¡± and treated her with the utmost respect. Even at the sponsorship gathering, everyone longed to secure her talents for themselves, but here I was, treating her rather harshly.


    Olivia, seemingly quite angry with my attitude, started rambling and shouting.


    <i>Smooch!</i>


    And then, suddenly, she kissed me on the cheek.


    <i>¡®Wait. What. Just out of the blue like that?¡¯</i>


    She sometimesunched these surprise attacks, but this time, the timing was so unexpected that I was left speechless.


    Was being a coward just a fa?ade?


    ¡°You don¡¯t worship me, you don¡¯t idolize me, you don¡¯t force me to be anyone, nor do you expect me to be someone I¡¯m not. You treat me as I am,¡± Olivia said as she looked at my stunned face. ¡°That¡¯s why I like you.¡±


    She smiled at me radiantly.


    Olivia, perhaps expecting me to freak out any second, quickly dashed off and disappeared from my sight.


    Seeing her run that fast in a dress and heels, I could understand why Sabioleen Tana valued her talent so much¡ª


    <i>Slip!</i>


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Only for her to stumble as one of her heels broke.


    ¡°P-Pretend you didn¡¯t see that!¡±


    I could picture the expression on Olivia¡¯s face even without seeing it.


    ***


    Ellen was sitting absentmindedly on a sofa in the dormitory lobby.


    Why wasn¡¯t she inside the dorm, and why was she just sitting in the lobby?


    It seemed she just couldn¡¯t bear to do anything else.


    Ever since she had seen Olivia Lanche in a dress, holding Reinhart¡¯s hand and being dragged off somewhere from the training hall window, she hadn¡¯t been able to focus on her training sword.


    She knew there was a sponsorship gathering today, and that was why Olivia was dressed up and wearing makeup. She was aware of that.


    But still, she felt uneasy.


    Unable to do anything, she sat there, staring nkly.


    Reinhart¡¯s senior, the one who was close to him... Dressed in a gown and wearing makeup, she looked incredibly beautiful.


    Ellen knew he was attending the meeting for the sake of the Magic Research Club.


    She told herself it was nothing personal. It was a formal event, after all. She was aware of that.


    Yet Ellen couldn¡¯t shake off her unease and sat in the lobby, not knowing why.


    Not knowing why she was sitting there, and not knowing what she was waiting for. She just couldn¡¯t bear to do anything else.


    She sat there, staring nkly for hours.


    The sun had long set and night had deepened. Few students wereing or going, and she was the only one sitting in the vast lobby.


    <i>¡ª</i>Ugh, so embarrassing... Why did it have to break like that...


    A voice she wasn¡¯t very familiar with but had heard before came from the entrance of the dormitory.


    Olivia trudged in, still an eye-catching beauty in an off-shoulder dress, holding a shoe with a broken heel in one hand.


    Reinhart wasn¡¯t with her.


    As she entered, Olivia noticed Ellen sitting there on a nearby sofa and their eyes met.


    ¡°Oh. Hi there, you¡¯re our Reinhart¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°... Hello.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?¡± Olivia asked as she tilted her head curiously as if she had seen it all now.


    Ellen didn¡¯t know why Olivia wasing in holding a shoe with a broken heel. And Reinhart, why hadn¡¯t hee back with her?


    She didn¡¯t know.


    <i>¡®What am I doing here?¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    She didn¡¯t know that either.


    But, she felt somewhat ufortable.


    ¡°Our Reinhart¡¯s friend¡±... That phrase felt a bit off to Ellen.


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t sound like she meant ¡°our¡±, but rather ¡°my¡±.</i>


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯m just overthinking it.¡¯</i>


    But Olivia looked at Ellen intently and then smiled knowingly.


    ¡°... Are you waiting for Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Ellen nodded, unable to deny it.


    ¡°Why are you waiting?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Why...? Ellen never really thought about why she was waiting. That she was waiting for Reinhart was true. But why she was doing it, she didn¡¯t know.


    Olivia quietly looked at Ellen, who couldn¡¯t find an answer.


    ¡°Do you know?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯re kind of annoying?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    Ellen was taken aback by Olivia¡¯s blunt words.


    They shared hardly any connection, and only just asionally ran into each other. Olivia was the person who saved Reinhart and helped him in various ways.


    Since Reinhart was precious to Ellen and Olivia was precious to Reinhart, Olivia should have been precious to Ellen too. But for some reason, Ellen couldn¡¯t feel that way about her.


    Olivia said that Ellen was annoying and stared at her quietly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± Ellen replied, a spike of annoyance showing in her response to Olivia¡¯s thorny remark.


    Ellen was surprised at herself for reacting this way. She was always so calm.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then just live your life not knowing. Keep acting ambiguously like this. You¡¯re doing me a favor by doing that.¡±


    As Olivia walked past Ellen, she whispered in her ear, ¡°From now on, please take good care of our Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding. Olivia was deliberately trying to provoke her.


    Ellen quietly watched as Olivia walked away barefoot, her figure slowly receding.


    <i>¡®Indeed... Reinhart¡¯s savior or not, I don¡¯t like her.¡¯</i>


    A whileter, Reinhart returned.


    ¡°Why do you look so upset? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not mad.¡±


    ¡°Did I... do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, you did nothing wrong.¡±


    Reinhart hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.


    But, for some reason, Ellen felt an unwee sense of disappointment writhing inside her. She disliked that about herself.


    Reinhart kept pestering her, asking if she was really okay, why she was upset, and if there was anything he could do for her, sticking close by her side.


    And although she didn¡¯t know why, in the end, that made Ellen happy again.

 Chapter 246

    <h4>Chapter 246</h4>


    A few dayster at the Magic Research Club meeting...


    ¡°What... what is all this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sponsorship money, what else?¡±


    I was able to show the kids the sponsorship certificates that had arrived via the Royal ss student council.


    Everyone was in shock. Even Harriet, who had no reason to envy others when it came to money, was dumbfounded.


    <i>[Shanapell, First Imperial Knight Order] - 400 tinum coins</i>


    <i>[Merchants¡¯ Guild] - 300 tinum coins</i>


    <i>[Magic Association] - 100 tinum coins</i>


    <i>[Count Kreuzin] - 50 tinum coins</i>


    <i>[Lan Knight Order] - 10 tinum coins</i>


    .


    .


    .


    Sponsorship funds had arrived from numerous groups that had managed to handle their affairs quickly.


    One tinum coin was worth a hundred gold coins. Thus, one tinum coin was equivalent to a billion won.


    Shanapell had offered 40 billion won, and the Merchants¡¯ Guild gave 30 billion.


    The amount was muchrger than anticipated.


    Support from the overall student council had not yet been determined, as it couldn¡¯t be decided by just a few people on their end.


    However, by this point, the support we would get from the overall student council didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°This is not the end; it will get evenrger. But for the most part, this is all the sponsorship we will be getting fromrge organizations.¡±


    Nearly one hundred billion won in sponsorship money had been gathered in just one attempt. Of course, without the Merchants¡¯ Guild and Shanapell, we would not have raised this amount.


    A couple of unexpected encounters had produced ripple effects, resulting in an unprecedented amount of support.


    Everyone looked at me like I was some sort of deity for collecting this much money in just one sponsorship gathering. Even I couldn¡¯t believe it, so it was unlikely for the others to wrap their heads around it.


    Louis Ankton, in charge of finances, was the most astonished.


    ¡°Is it not enough?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No... Of course it¡¯s enough.¡±


    Although he said that, it was anyone¡¯s guess as to what could happen in the future. Money, especially research budgets, could unexpectedly leak out in vast amounts.


    Harriet was left speechless as well.


    ¡°You guys probably won¡¯t use the money haphazardly, but whatever sponsorship money used must be transparently disclosed. The sponsors might be curious about what we¡¯re doing. We need to report the budget usage and bnce periodically. Do you understand?¡± Louis said.


    ¡°Yes, understood.¡±


    Our existing budget had seemed vast, but this new iing amount of funding utterly dwarfed it. Louis seemed bewildered and also frightened. Indeed, if he made errors in ounting records, it could be disastrous.


    Seeing Harriet unable to speak properly was rather amusing.


    When I¡¯d first created this club called the Magic Research Club, I never imagined it would turn out this way.


    I wanted them to manage it by themselves, but then I somehow became a member, then suddenly the president. In response to Harriet¡¯s yful order to get funds, I had gone to the sponsorship gathering where a couple of unexpected events urred, leading to us receiving an enormous amount of money.


    Who could really predict what could happen?


    In the end, it was clear that, if I had not be the president of the Magic Research Club, things would not have turned out so properly..


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Reinhart,¡± Adelia said with a genuinely grateful expression.


    As soon as Adelia had spoken, the other kids began to thank me one by one.


    However, Harriet still seemed dazed.


    ¡°You really... you really managed to bring it in...¡± Harriet muttered.


    She believed I¡¯d ended upst in the midterm exams because I¡¯d gone through hell trying to get the money she¡¯d thoughtlessly asked for.


    However, I¡¯d produced results that far exceeded anyone¡¯s wildest imaginations. Of course, without Olivia, this wouldn¡¯t have been possible, but my connection to Olivia was also one of my unique traits.


    ¡°I... really don¡¯t know what¡¯s what anymore,¡± Harriet said as she sighed and looked at me. ¡°You did well. Thank you.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s genuine expression of appreciation made me feel strange. Everyone looked at me like I was some kind of deity who didn¡¯t know magic but was the god of the Magic Research Club.


    ¡°If you understand, then get to work, you punks. No more excuses about not having money, got it?¡±


    <i>¡®Get to work now!¡¯</i>


    ¡°As expected...¡±


    Everyone sighed heavily as if they had known things would eventually turn out this way.


    ***


    The Magic Research Club had finally found its footing. Of course, no results had been produced yet, but the foundation to produce said results had been established.


    Over time, there might beints about ack of budget, but that year, at least, that was not going to be an issue.


    I told them not to worry and to spend as much as needed without hesitation. It would be ridiculous if research progress was hindered because of money problems.


    While I told them to spend freely, I was hoping they wouldn¡¯t end up exhausting the whole budget of nearly one hundred billion won within a month.


    As for the Rotary Club, the work of setting up shops at each station had already beenpleted. The space was there, the permits had been granted, and investment funding had been secured. Setting up physical shops in the stations didn¡¯t take long.


    Seeing the mini-convenience store \ at the station near the Temple made me feel oddly pleased.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe this all started from a single suggestion of mine.¡¯</i>


    I felt a sense of aplishment, and realized that business people could find subtle fulfillment in ces other than just money.


    The items sold in the stores weren¡¯t much different from those in modern convenience stores. They sold ready-to-eat meals for those who skipped breakfast or items that might be suddenly needed but not carried around, like tissues.


    Although it wasn¡¯t packed with people, the store still saw a steady stream of visitors.


    It suddenly dawned on me that people never really know what they truly want.


    The stations were just transit points; people never felt the need to buy something or grab a snack there before. Now, though, if that store disappeared from the station, people would find it inconvenient.


    Just like how people in the real world went about their lives just fine without smartphones before, butter became anxious without them, mages could practice their magic based on their own mana without Power Cartridges for now, butter on, ording to the original story, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter battle without them.


    Something that people want, but do not understand that they want or need... Value arises from that.


    ¡°So, what else could there possibly be?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡± Eleris replied.


    I asked Eleris about this in her semi-basement room. She seemed to have cleaned it thoroughly and taken various other measures, because the musty smell had dissipated somewhat


    I told her about the Magic Research Club, what we had decided to work on, and how I had secured a huge budget.


    Eleris was astonished to learn that I had such capabilities.


    Her reaction to the items we nned to make was simr to that of others.


    ¡°Something people don¡¯t even realize that theyck... hmm, what could that be...?¡±


    Eleris pondered my question but didn¡¯t seem to have any sudden inspiration. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much about business, nor do I fully understand why Your Highness is engaging in this kind of work.¡±


    She did not seem to suspect that making ssmates stronger had nothing to do with the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    ¡°However, if it¡¯s my area of expertise... it would be magic-rted, not something that¡¯s rted to money¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just asking you to bring something up, and not necessarilye up with a solution,¡± I said.


    Eleris seemed to concentrate, and after a moment, she summoned a me in her right hand.


    ¡°This is a fire-starting spell.¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡±


    It was the lowest of the lowest-grade spells, and could only be used to ignite something. I was clearly unsure why Eleris was showing me this, so she looked at the me flickering on her right hand.


    ¡°I can create this level of magic dozens of times simultaneously with just my will. It¡¯s almost at a level where no casting is needed. It¡¯s possible because I¡¯m very familiar with it.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Just now, though, I had to cast it. Casting was necessary.¡±


    Her area of expertise was magic, and since I was an outsider, I couldn¡¯t fully understand Eleris¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°You mean you took time to cast a low-grade spell that doesn¡¯t usually require casting?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why did you need to cast it?¡±


    ¡°The fire-starting spell I just performed drew on the external mana, not my internal mana.¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    In this world, mages used their internal mana. Because of this, each person had a trait that determined the amount of internal mana they possessed. But magic using external mana, like in those old rental fantasy novels, was apparently also possible in this world.


    ¡°Using external mana like internal mana is ultimately a way to ovee a deficiency of internal mana, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eleris remarked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m trying to tell you that the way magic is currently practiced was created to alleviate some kind of hardship.¡±


    ¡°A hardship...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Using external mana to cast magic is several dozen times more difficult than using internal mana. This is because one must measure and calcte the constantly-fluctuating energy levels.¡±


    It was like a car without a fuel tank, having to draw gasoline directly from an external source.


    I couldn¡¯t fully grasp it, but I got a rough idea of the concept.


    ¡°A long time ago, ancient magic operated this way. Thus, magic was an even more exclusive power granted only to a select few aspared to now. Across the entire continent, there were fewer than a hundred mages, and even those mages possessed little power. If I were to use this method to cast magic, I wouldn¡¯t be able to castrge-scale spells.¡±


    .¡±... So, modern methods of magic were developed to alleviate the hardship of controlling external mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Just as I wanted to create Power Cartridges to break through the limitations of modern magic, the current system of using magic had been established to break past certain limitations as well.


    ¡°People discovered that manipting internal mana was easier, which led to the development of various methods to increase internal mana. Over time, this form of magic became standardized, making ess to magic much easierpared to ancient times.¡±


    So, there indeed existed a method of using mana that existed in the natural world, but it was just an extremely difficult method that had been rendered obsolete long ago.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else people find inconvenient, but I mentioned this because I remember how what was once inconvenient became more convenient in such a way... though I don¡¯t know how this will help, Your Highness.¡±


    She must have just said whatever came to mind.


    I grinned widely.


    ¡°No, this is very helpful.¡±


    Difficult did not mean impossible.


    <i>¡®Imagine Harriet de Saint-Ouen mastering the use of nature¡¯s mana. She would be like a god of destruction itself.¡¯</i>


    Just thinking about it was terrifying.


    Of course...


    ¡°Y-You! Why do you always pick on me! Why do you give me the hardest tasks? Why do you only treat me like this?¡±


    Harriet burst into tears when I told her to research how to use external mana for magic.


    ***


    Performing magic by using external mana...


    It might have been too much to expect Harriet toe up with a method that even Eleris struggled with, even if her talent was extraordinary. Harriet cried when I asked her to take on something utterly unreasonable on top of the dimensional magic task.


    She seemed to think I was just trying to be mean by assigning her bizarre tasks.


    Once Harriet calmed down a bit, I looked at her and said, ¡°No, I genuinely think you can do it. I¡¯m not trying to make your life hard on purpose. Do you think I¡¯m a madman or something?¡±


    ¡°You are a madman!¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. That¡¯s true. But not in this case. Even if I say absurd things to bother people intentionally, this time is different!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why are you saying it¡¯s impossible without even trying?¡± I asked Harriet.


    ¡°Do you think people are stupid and didn¡¯t use that method for a reason? Smarter and more capable people have developed modern magic theory over time¡ª¡±


    ¡°What if those people were all stupid?¡± I interjected.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Harriet, her eyes still wet with tears, was stunned when I interrupted her.


    ¡°What if all those people were dumber than you, and that¡¯s why modern magic theory turned out the way it did?¡±


    ¡°What... What are you even saying?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible that all the mages throughout history were just not as smart as you?¡±


    <i>¡®Perhaps we¡¯re just following the path created by fools.¡¯</i>


    Of course, they were likely smarter than me, but Harriet could be smarter than them.


    She was not only the greatest talent in the Saint-Ouen family, but one of the top talents in all the history of magic. Harriet could make the impossible possible.


    Harriet seemed genuinely taken aback by my ridiculous and over-the-top praise.


    Her face didn¡¯t even turn red.


    ¡°Are you... serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Harriet looked at me. She seemed to be searching my eyes for any hint of teasing, doubt, or suspicion.


    But there was none. I genuinely believed that Harriet possessed talent and intellect far surpassing any mage in history.


    ¡°How much of a genius do you think I am? Based on what exactly...? Why do you think that highly of me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the greatest mage in history, across the entire continent and all races. You know my ability.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do...¡±


    Self-Deception... I looked at her with unwavering conviction, as if I were casting this Self-Deception not on myself, but on Harriet.


    ¡°I truly believe that.¡± Though I framed it as Self-Deception, it was the truth. ¡°So, just shut up and follow my lead.¡±


    ¡°You always end things like this!¡±


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t help but make Harriet grumble loudly.

 Chapter 247 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 247 [Illustration]</h4>


    After dimensional magic, I wanted her to study the system to make use of external mana for magic.


    Both were difficult tasks. Nheless, Harriet seemed willing to give it a try, and I really believed Harriet would seed.


    I did feel a bit sorry, though. I had serious faith in her, but even by my standards, I was pushing her too hard.


    Feeling like it was time to take a breather, I decided to reduce my visits to the Magic Research Club and focus more on my personal training.


    I was attending a Mana Reinforcement ss. Although I felt some improvementpared to before, I still couldn¡¯t grasp it fully.


    Ellen, who had used Mana Reinforcement for rolling snowballs, was already well-ustomed to the power itself.


    ¡°You¡¯re really weird,¡± I snapped at Ellen suddenly out of frustration, and Ellen red at me with a sullen face.


    ¡°What?¡± Ellen replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the word ¡®special¡¯ instead of ¡®weird,¡¯ Mr. Reinhart,¡± the Yoga Master teacher said as he tapped my shoulder as if to prevent a fight.


    He continued, ¡°Mr. Reinhart, you too are definitely not ordinary. I can see that you are gradually getting a grip on Mana Maniption itself.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t understand it at all, so on what basis was he making such statements?


    Still, if the teacher said so, it must be true, I thought. Yet, I still couldn¡¯t grasp it fully...


    Ellen was learning so quickly that she was being taught about precision and subtlety in maniption, while I was still working on the very basics.


    Clearly, I was also exceptionally talented. The problem was the being beside me, for whom the word ¡°genius¡± seemed an understatement.


    No matter what I did, I was always Ellen¡¯s lesser counterpart in Swordsmanship and in Mana Reinforcement. In fact, calling myself her lesser counterpart might be too generous.


    Perhaps the magic majors around Harriet felt this way too.


    The Yoga Master teacher frequently told us not to be discouraged and that we were both achieving significant progress throughout the entire ss.


    Hearing such words dozens of times throughout the ss felt less like constion, and made me feel more discouraged instead.


    Mana Reinforcement was some sort of special supplementary ss, so there were no exams and no grades. The sses were held after the other first-year sses had ended, and I was a student who had only joined midway through the semester.


    Therefore, while our sses usually ended around three in the afternoon, on days when we had Mana Reinforcement ss, we finished around half past five.


    Mana Reinforcement sses weren¡¯t physically demanding, so I didn¡¯t feel tired afterward/


    What was interesting, though, was that just attending these Mana Reinforcement sses increased my mana capacity to some degree, much like taking a Mana Sensitivity ss. Of course, the increase wasn¡¯t significant.


    If my mana reached Rank A, the Mana Domination attribute would awaken, but that was still far off, and was something to dream about after Moonshine was created.


    We were on the way back to the dormitory after ss. Since it was autumn, it was already getting dark.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked.


    Ellen, after exiting the ssroom building, started heading in a direction other than toward the dormitory.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to see the white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, really?¡±


    Ellen asionally visited Loyar for sparring sessions, though she hadn¡¯t been there recently.


    Now that she was more confident in her Mana Reinforcement, she probably wanted to see how she measured up against Loyar.


    ¡°Then I¡¯lle with you.¡±


    I was aware that the club business was running smoothly, but I was curious to see the two fighting.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ellen nodded and led the way, the hem of her school uniform skirt gently fluttering in the autumn breeze.


    ***


    Once one could use Mana Reinforcement, theirbat abilities surged drastically.


    No matter how skilled someone was, if they couldn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement, it would be incredibly difficult to engage inbat against multiple enemies.


    One would have to equip themselves with heavy armor like te armor for protection, but that would reduce mobility.


    However, Mana Reinforcement not only enhanced one¡¯s physical strength, but the emitted mana also afforded protections.


    There was no need for heavy protective gear; one¡¯s physical abilities were vastly improved, and one¡¯s mobility far surpassed that of an average human. Normal des became ineffective against the enhanced body.


    Essentially, one would be a human tank.


    These thoughts arose in me as I watched Ellen and Loyar attacking each other with Mana Reinforcement in the forest.


    <i>Bam! ng! Thud!</i>


    <i>¡®This is truly absurd.¡¯</i>


    Since the sun had already set, I could only see the fierce collisions between Ellen, surrounded by blue mes, and Loyar.


    There¡¯s a preconceived notion in this genre that warriors have an advantage over mages, and this became clear when seen with my own eyes.


    Even if a mage could fly and cast powerful spells, there was no way they could remain calm and cast their spells if a human tank covered in blue mes was charging at them at full speed.


    Not to mention the concept of magic resistance. Warriors underwent training to resist lower-level spells, and the Temple provided such training starting from the second year.


    Low-level spells were ineffective, and higher-level spells required casting time. However, if the tip of a sword was at your throat in a tenth of a second, it was impossible to cast any spell.


    That made Rudina¡¯s No Casting talent seem even more incredible, perhaps even surpassing Harriet¡¯s.


    After a long bout of intense fighting, Ellen, panting heavily, deactivated her Mana Reinforcement.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    Loyar also deactivated her Mana Reinforcement and casually dusted off her hands.


    Even though Ellen had be quite adept at Mana Reinforcement, Loyar still held the upper hand.


    Nevertheless, it was Loyar who seemed more unnerved.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monster,¡± Loyar remarked.


    It was likely because Ellen¡¯s growth rate far surpassed her expectations.


    Just a few months ago, Ellen hadn¡¯t even known how to use Mana Reinforcement, but now she could wield it skillfully.


    ¡°What am I doing wrong?¡± Ellen asked.


    Catching her breath, Ellen looked at Loyar, asking for some constructive criticism. Loyar seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking slowly.


    ¡°You¡¯re too rough.¡±


    ¡°Rough?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re expending too much mana. While it¡¯s astonishing that you can even do that, the problem is that you¡¯re using your strength too explosively, which exhausts you quickly. Most people who use their power like you wouldn¡¯tst ten seconds in a fight. You can manage it only because you have an absurd amount of mana to begin with.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve buttoned the first button in a very unconventional way. Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ellen had awakened her Mana Reinforcement in a realbat situation. At that time, what she¡¯d required was explosive and powerful strength. Ellen had first activated her Mana Reinforcement when employing an explosive fighting style.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s difficult to correct that,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°... It is. You didn¡¯t learn it in a traditional way, so it will require a grueling amount of effort.¡±


    Mana Reinforcement, in the end, was simr to magic. Though it wasn¡¯t broken down into different schools, methods for harnessing it were passed down like secret arts. Each knightly order might have its own methods, and the imperial family and other noble families might have their own.


    We needed to learn the Temple¡¯s secret techniques for Mana Reinforcement, which were very sophisticated.


    The usual way would be to start slowly from the first step and gradually understand each method.


    But Ellen had carved out her own path, and now that it had been established, other methods would not fit in.


    The Yoga Master teacher had already exined this to Ellen, and I too hade to understand it.


    Ellen¡¯s Mana Reinforcement technique had be something unique to her. While it was immensely powerful due to its explosive strength, itcked endurance.


    Once someone awakened their unique style of Mana Reinforcement, they could only use it in their own way.


    Like Ellen, I too would have unique features to my Mana Reinforcement, though I had yet to understand what they were. However, I already knew that they would differ drastically from the techniques taught at the Temple.


    The Mana Reinforcement sses the Yoga Master teacher was conducting were supplementary in nature, since he was unable to impart specific techniques due to our own distinct style.


    ¡°Your output isn¡¯t just sufficient, it¡¯s overflowing. So train to control your mana output to increase endurance.¡±


    Despite saying this, Loyar also said that it would be incredibly challenging.


    ¡°Yes, I will do that.¡±


    If Ellen managed to control her output, it would ultimately benefit her.


    She would be capable of not only producing ridiculous amounts of power, but also using a minimal amount for small enhancements.


    I thought about how Ellen used Mana Reinforcement while rolling snowballs. It seemed like she was already practicing how to use it moderately.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Though I¡¯m not going to answer it.¡±


    ¡°Are you a Master ss?¡±


    Master ss...


    If one wielded a spear, they were called a Lancemaster. If they used a sword, they were called a Swordmaster.


    A master of any discipline who had reached the pinnacle was referred to as Master ss.


    For instance, Sabioleen Tana, whom I recently saw, qualified as a Swordmaster. Likewise, the Yoga Master teacher was probably also Master ss, although I didn¡¯t know what exactly he was a Master in.


    Ellen seemed to have been wondering for quite some time whether Loyar was of Master ss.


    Reaching Master ss was considered the next stage of Mana Reinforcement.


    One could qualify when they could infuse their weapon with mana.


    For example, the ability to create something like a sword aura or an energy de indicated that someone had reached Master ss, and those individuals are extremely rare.


    Sabioleen Tana was recognized as the most powerful among that tiny number of Master ss warriors.


    If infusing mana into objects that someone handled was enough, then wouldn¡¯t those who used their fists qualify as Master ss the moment they could use Mana Reinforcement? Probably not; there had to be other criteria.


    Loyar grinned at Ellen¡¯s question.


    ¡°Call me ¡®<i>unnie</i>¡¯[1], and I¡¯ll answer you.¡±


    Ellen stared at Loyar with a sullen expression and shook her head.


    ¡°... Never mind, then.¡±


    ¡°You really need a good beating, don¡¯t you?!¡±


    And Ellen indeed received a thorough beating.


    ***


    On our way back to Temple, I piggybacked Ellen.


    ¡°It hurts...¡±


    Considering she wasn¡¯t one to usuallyin, she must¡¯ve been in a lot of pain.


    Loyar, who already had a nasty temper, took particr pleasure in messing with Ellen. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but she seemed to find it amusing.


    ¡°Why do you insist on saying things that get you beaten up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t want to hear that from you,¡± Ellen responded.


    ¡°... True.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the one to talk, given how often I got into trouble for saying unnecessary things.


    Ellen was hanging limply against my back, clearly in immense pain.


    ¡°Why do you only act like this with Loyar?¡± I asked, suddenly curious.


    Of course, she had been thoroughly defeated by Loyar before, and even now, despite her use of Mana Reinforcement, she couldn¡¯t match up. Yet, she insisted on saying things that would provoke Loyar, knowing it would get her beaten up.


    In the past, she had done it just to get Loyar to engage with her, but Loyar was now already willing to train with her anyway.


    Loyar had said she¡¯d answer if Ellen called her <i>unnie</i>, but Ellen had almost exploded with indignation.


    <i>¡®How much did she want to tease Loyar?¡¯</i>


    Considering Loyar¡¯s quick temper, provoking her always resulted in Ellen getting beaten to a pulp, and she was now whining from the pain.


    ¡°... Because you¡¯ll carry me on your back.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°When it happens, you carry me like this.¡±


    Whenever Ellen got badly beaten up, she was unable to move independently.


    Thus, I ended up having to support or carry her.


    <i>¡®So she provokes Loyar on purpose?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Are you a child or something?¡±


    I was a bit taken aback, since she usually didn¡¯t say things like this.


    Ellen tightened her grip around my neck. Since she was exhausted, her hold was weak enough that I could dislodge it with a gentle nudge, but I could definitely feel her strength.


    Her breath against the back of my neck made a strange sensation rise up within me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t say anything.


    I, too, had nothing to say.


    We continued walking in silence.


    Suddenly...


    [¡®Preview¡¯ has been activated.]


    ¡°...¡±


    A system message suddenly popped up in front of me, causing me to stop.


    I had only used this function once before, during the incident involving Olivia Lanche. It was a cheat that could only be used when activated.


    I didn¡¯t know the context of it suddenly popping up, but it seemed to signal that something significant was about to happen.


    Back then, it had been activated as I ran around frantically trying to resolve the situation. But for some reason, I felt an uneasy premonition this time.


    [Preview - 100 Achievement Points]


    Unlike thest time, I wasn¡¯t being offered multiple previews. It was just one, costing 100 Achievement Points.


    Ellen, sensing the sudden change in my demeanor, squirmed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I had 5730 achievement points in store, so there was no reason not to see it.


    [Using Achievement Points.]


    The world seemed to pause around me, and a scene of the future was projected in front of my eyes.


    <i>[Imperial Year 323, October 23rd, Tuesday.]</i>


    The date that was shown was the current date, which meant something was about to happen very soon.


    What I saw was myself.


    I was lying on the ground with a gaping wound in my abdomen.


    Iy in a pool of blood.


    Ellen, with a deep gash in her chest, was leaning against a wall next to me. Her eyes were unfocused.


    Both Ellen and I were about to die.


    As soon as reality returned, chills ran down my spine.


    Ellen and I were about to be killed by someone. Ellen, currently on my back, seemed uninjured, but she was in no state to even move a finger.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what was about to happen, but Ellen clearly wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back. She wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to fight.


    Who is going to kill me? For what reason, and under what circumstances?


    Ellen, oblivious to the situation, watched me closely and noted my sudden strange behavior.


    ¡°... What¡¯s wrong? Are you in pain? Am I too heavy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    <i>¡®Am I the target? Or are they targeting both Ellen and me? Would they kill me and then eliminate Ellen as a witness?¡¯</i>


    While I wasn¡¯t sure, it seemed more likely that I was the primary target.


    I couldn¡¯t be certain of anything yet.


    We were being targeted by an assassin In a situation where Ellen couldn¡¯t use her strength.


    <i>¡®Should we return to the Rotary Club? No, it¡¯s a secluded area. There was no crowd gathered around my corpse in the vision I saw.¡¯</i>


    We might be ambushed on our way back to the Rotary Club.


    In the preview, my body showed no signs of a struggle. I likely wouldn¡¯t have noticed the attack.


    In that case, it would be an ambush. We were going to be ambushed by the assassin in this deserted area.


    <i>¡®We need to get to a crowded ce.¡¯</i>


    The Rotary Club¡¯s headquarters was located in a secluded corner of the south side of the capital, and the route back was perfect for an assassin¡¯s ambush.


    Although specific details about the location of the assassination were unclear, one thing was certain. It was imminent.


    Should we return to the Rotary Club for Loyar¡¯s protection, or should we head straight to the nearest train station as fast as possible to board the magic train?


    We had to choose one or the other.


    My heart pounded fiercely. Knowing I was about to die so suddenly threw me off bnce.


    Both Ellen and I would die...


    I had to make a quick decision.


    <i>¡®Should I use ¡°The Scribe¡¯s Advice¡±?¡¯</i>


    No, the situation was about to unfold, and there was no time to listen to The Scribe¡¯s Advice and contemte. I had to trust my gut.


    Fortunately, this so-called preview feature seemed to have been activated because the system didn¡¯t want me to die meaninglessly. That was why it had given me this warning.


    ¡°Reinhart, calm down,¡± Ellen whispered with concern, noticing the cold sweat forming on my forehead, but I couldn¡¯t afford to respond.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Though the area we were in was secluded, it wasn¡¯tpletely deserted.


    <i>¡®Is it that person? Or that one over there? Or, possibly all of them?¡¯</i>


    I had to view everyone around me as potential assassins, since I was uncertain when or how the attack woulde.


    I couldn¡¯t sense any killing intent. I didn¡¯t even know what that felt like.


    The wound in my vision had clearly been a puncture, caused by a weapon like a sword.


    The chances of a long-range sniper attack were low.


    Returning to the Rotary Club seemed more dangerous. We could be ambushed along the way.


    When faced with a life-or-death situation, I had to choose between two ufortable options.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to run. Hold on tight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Tightening my grip on Ellen, I sprinted towards the train station.


    <i>¡®I won¡¯t let you die.¡¯</i>


    That was all I could think about.


    1. Korean terminology to address a female who is older than you. Kind of like the English word for ¡°Big Sister¡± ?

 Chapter 248

    <h4>Chapter 248</h4>


    Thankfully, no one appeared to attack us before we reached the station, even though I was running at full speed with Ellen on my back.


    Perhaps they¡¯d noticed I¡¯d realized the danger and decided to abort the attempt. After all, an assassination is not a fight, but a covert kill. They might have pulled back once they realized that I had caught on.


    Even as we boarded the magic train, I kept a vignt eye on our surroundings.


    I had sessfully avoided the imminent assassination attempt. However, there was still a chance it could ur in a different location.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Reinhart? What¡¯s going on?¡± Ellen asked.


    Even after we boarded the train, I continued to sweat as I scanned our surroundings. Ellen looked concerned, scrutinizing my expression.


    She had climbed off my back by then. While the train wasn¡¯t packed, and there were some empty seats, I chose to stand.


    Without a word, I pulled Ellen closer by the nape of her neck and held her tightly to my chest.


    ¡°... Why all of a sudden...¡±


    ¡°Just stay still. Just for a moment.¡±


    Ellen seemed startled by my sudden embrace.


    At that point, Ellen was weakened. She was in no state to fight.


    I had to keep her close. If anyone made a move, I would summon Tiamata immediately.


    None of the passengers seemed to pay much attention to us. Some cast annoyed nces our way, likely believing we were a couple of Temple students acting out in public.


    I kept my distance from everyone, holding Ellen close and watching all the passengers intently.


    Ellen, following my request, remained silent and still.


    Despite the cool weather, I was drenched in a cold sweat.


    ¡°You smell like sweat...¡± Ellenined softly, her face buried in my chest.


    ¡°Just stay still.¡±


    ¡°... Alright,¡± Ellen replied softly, a bit apprehensive due to my sharp tone.


    ***


    Nothing happened on the train ride to the Temple station.


    Unlike the area around the Rotary Club, the Temple station was overflowing with people. Someone could stab you in the side amidst the crowd.


    Once we disembarked, I waited until the crowd thinned out. Ellen, sensing that something serious was going on, stayed close without questioning me.


    Slowly, keeping an eye on our surroundings, we exited the Temple station. There might not be an assassin, but someone could still be tailing us.


    Although night had fallen, there were many people around the vicinity of the Temple.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t rx. Whoever was after us was insane enough to contemte killing two people in broad daylight. If they deemed an assassination was no longer feasible, they might resort to a direct assault.


    Supporting Ellen on one side, I slowly made my way to the Temple entrance.


    I couldn¡¯t be certain that the Temple itself was safe, but I had to hope. If the assassin was an outsider, they wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the Temple.


    Given the circumstances, the decision to return to Temple had been the correct one, even though we couldn¡¯t fully rx yet.


    I moved through the crowd and toward the Temple slowly but surely, ready to summon Tiamata if anything happened.


    It felt like an eternity.


    As we passed through the Temple entrance, the familiar view brought some relief.


    There were only a few staff members and students around. No one looked suspicious.


    However, no one outside had appeared suspicious either.


    <i>¡®Did the assassin give up? Maybe they realized I had caught on and decided to retreat for now.¡¯</i>


    Even on the tram ride back to the Royal ss dormitory, I sustained a final thread of vignce.


    It was only when we reached the dormitory that I could finally let my guard down.


    My heart, which felt like it was about to explode, was pounding even harder.


    We¡¯d survived. The assassin did not appear. One way or another, I had avoided the death that was supposed to ur that day.


    I felt my legs give out from under me.


    ¡°Are you... okay now?¡± Ellen asked with concern after noting the relief on my face, unaware of the full situation.


    I silently pulled Ellen into a hug.


    ¡°W-Why are you acting like this...?¡±


    Ellen quietly held me, trying tofort me.


    I couldn¡¯t say a word.


    I couldn¡¯t exin anything.


    Was I afraid of my death, or was I more scared of Ellen dying?


    Whatever the case, that fear had now subsided, and that was enough.


    ***


    After Ellen received healing from the priest on duty, she regained her usual strength.


    In the training hall that night, I exined the situation to Ellen, though I couldn¡¯t tell her everything.


    ¡°Someone tried to kill us?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but that¡¯s just the feeling I got.¡±


    ¡°... Shouldn¡¯t you see a counselor?¡±


    Ellen believed that I was being overly paranoid.


    I couldn¡¯t exin the ¡°Preview¡± function to her, so I had no choice but to ept being treated as someone with neurosis.


    If the assassin had attacked us, she would believe me, but since nothing happened, there was no way for her to understand.


    The assassin had probably been cautious.


    Even I would think someone was having a panic attack or was a paranoid schizophrenic if they suddenly started sweating and iming someone was trying to kill them while walking down the street.


    ¡°To be precise, they were probably trying to kill me, not you.¡±


    ¡°... You? Why?¡±


    ¡°Remember when I went to the sponsorship gathering to get funding for the Magic Research Club?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡±


    ¡°At that meeting, I met someone named Sabioleen Tana.¡±


    ¡°I know. Themander of Shanapell,¡± Ellen said with a nod. It was a name she recognized, which was rare for her.


    ¡°She mentioned that I¡¯d gained many enemies because of the recent Orbis ss incident.¡±


    The massive ordeal that the Orbis ss had gone through, and the subsequent harm it caused. The displeasure the sponsors felt. Sabioleen Tana had said that many people now disliked me because I was the cause of it all.


    No matter how much they disliked me, though, I hadn¡¯t expected that they would actually try to kill me. Of course, they weren¡¯t the only suspects.


    There could be other reasons, unknown to me, for why someone wanted to kill me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure though...¡±


    Ellen still seemed puzzled about why I had acted so suddenly in that situation.


    ¡°Regardless, if it¡¯s dangerous, maybe you should avoid going outside the Temple for a while,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°... Yeah, I think I should.¡±


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem convinced that there had really been an assassination attempt, but she agreed that the situation was dangerous.


    Ellen looked at me quietly.


    Thanks to various incidents, I had ultimately made many enemies, ones that I couldn¡¯t easily deal with.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll die too.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill the person who kills you, and then I¡¯ll kill myself too,¡± Ellen said so calmly. ¡°So please, don¡¯t do anything dangerous.¡±


    That seemed to be her main point, as she sped her hands around mine.


    ¡°You thought, if someone was going to kill you, they would also kill me, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you acted the way you did,¡± Ellen said. She seemed to be reflecting on how I was always trying to protect her.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m a burden, leave me behind. I¡¯ll be fine¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that kind of bullshit,¡± I interjected. I pushed Ellen away and looked directly into her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one.¡±


    Ellen had said she would die for me.


    Just as she had gained conviction in the Dark Land, I too had realized during this harrowing journey back to the Temple, even though nothing had happened.


    ¡°I would die for you too.¡±


    I could finally say those words to her.


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She looked at me for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand.


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Stop saying such ridiculous things.¡±


    Ellenughed and gave me a flick on the forehead, mirroring the response and light p I had given her before.


    ¡°Make something for me. I¡¯m hungry,¡± Ellen said.


    I couldn¡¯t look directly at Ellen¡¯s smiling face.


    ***


    Even though nothing had happened, it wasn¡¯t over.


    [New Event Update - Assassination Threat]


    [Description: Someone is trying to kill you. Crush or eliminate the source of the threat.]


    [Reward: One rted trait]


    After a long gap in time, an event had finally been triggered.


    The reward was ambiguous. However, the traits that such events offered as rewards were generally powerful one.


    However, rewards were secondary when my life was on the line. I couldn¡¯t consider this an optional event, even in the absence of a reward.


    The Preview had not only helped me avoid death, but the system had also set a task for me to resolve.


    Someone, or some group, intended to kill me and I needed to identify who they were. It could be a group of them, or an individual holding a grudge.


    But who would want me dead, and for what reason?


    The most significant thing was the Orbis ss incident. But in that case, killing me would simply be an act of revenge. It wouldn¡¯t solve anything.


    More importantly, I needed to find the assassin who had targeted me.


    Even though the assassination attempt hadn¡¯t actually been carried out, that individual had intended to kill not just me, but Ellen too.


    I had to find them.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was right to seek revenge for something that didn¡¯t happen, but someone who made a living bymitting such acts deserved to die.


    They hadn¡¯t killed me or Ellen, but they¡¯d intended to.


    <i>¡®I will find them and kill them. And I will find their backers and ensure they face consequences as well.¡¯</i>


    I had never had such a cruel thought before, but I didn¡¯t feel any inner conflict over it.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to rx. I couldn¡¯t assume my enemies were solely outside the Temple. Someone within the Temple could also be plotting against me.


    I had to stay vignt.


    I constantly wore the single-use Protection Bracelet.


    Whether attending sses or walking around the Temple, I remained on high alert.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if the Preview feature would alert me to another threat again. I couldn¡¯t rely solely on that.


    I felt like I was living a cold-blooded, emotionless life.


    The only somewhat safe ce was the Royal ss dorm as I was familiar with the faces of the staff, which made it impossible for any strangers to go unnoticed.


    Unfortunately, utilizing mywork was difficult in this situation.


    Even Ellen, who had been with me at the time, thought I was being paranoid when I mentioned an assassin.


    iming that someone wanted to kill me without any evidence would get me nowhere, and I would be regarded as someone who¡¯d lost his mind after going through various incidents.


    It was a frustrating feeling.


    The assassination threat was real, but to others, it sounded like nonsense.


    I needed evidence, but that meant I would have to actually encounter the assassin. And I was uncertain if I would survive that ordeal.


    Of course, I could firmly request protection or assistance from Vertus, Charlotte, or the Temple, but that would likely result in measures that would keep me constrained within the Temple.


    Such a situation would prevent me from ying my most important cards.


    I also had allies I could only control on my own terms.


    So, I sent a letter outside the Temple, as going out by myself was too risky.


    ***


    A few dayster...


    Someone tapped on my window.


    It was a bird. It pecked on the ss as if it had an important message.


    When I opened the window, the little bird hurried into my room, and I pulled the curtains closed.


    Last time, it had been disguised as a maid; this time, it was a bird.


    The small bird fluttered and then transformed into a neat and tidy maid.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Highness.¡±


    It was Sarkegar.


    I had sent a message to Loyar at the Rotary Club in our codednguage, summoning Sarkegar to the Temple, and he had arrived promptly.


    I didn¡¯t think of myself as a good leader. If anything, I tended to favor my subordinates based on personal fondness rather than professional reasons.


    I was the epitome of a biased superior.


    I often visited Eleris for no particr reason, just to chat about Temple life since she was a good listener, and I visited Loyar for business reasons.


    On the other hand, I almost never saw Sarkegar, who operated under the alias of Count Argon Pontius. I didn¡¯t even know where Sarkegar lived.


    Moreover, Sarkegar was always very high-strung, and I feared he might realize that I didn¡¯t particrly care about restoring the demon realm, so I kept my distance from him.


    Because of this, it had been a long time since I¡¯dst seen Sarkegar.


    Though we were in my private room, since we were at the Temple, Sarkegar didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary.


    ¡°I knew that Your Highness was doing well! You¡¯ve already taken control of the imperial city¡¯s transportationwork, and¡ª¡±


    <i>¡®I take that back.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Sarkegar began spouting nonsense as soon as he saw me, clearly overwhelmed by the joy of being summoned after not having seen me in such a long time.


    ¡°I swear, I would plunge into the fires of hell for you, Your Highness. Whatever youmand.¡±


    I wished he wouldn¡¯t say such menacing things in such a soft and refined voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sending you into the fires of hell. But it feels like I might be wading into it on my own right now.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I think someone is trying to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Which vile scum of the earth would dare to plot such a heinous act?¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s voice was very quiet, but the intensity of his words made him seem almost cute.


    ¡°If youmand it, I will tear their limbs apart and hang them in the marketce for attempting to murder the rightful heir of the Demon Realm¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why on earth would you do that in the imperial city?¡±


    I exined the situation to the excited Sarkegar, who had grown anxious upon hearing that my life was in danger. I recounted the events that had transpired and how I had made many enemies because of them.


    ¡°Hmm, so, you don¡¯t yet know who is targeting you, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but someone definitely is. I have a strong intuition.¡±


    ¡°Intuition. A great ruler is always apanied by great intuition. Your Highness¡¯s intuition must be correct. I will find this assassin and whoever is behind them.¡±


    <i>¡®Such unwavering trust... Very reassuring.¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t specifically summoned Sarkegar because of his abilities, but because he was necessary for contacting others outside the Temple.


    Count Argon Pontius could do some investigating, but other groups needed to be involved as well.


    ¡°Inform Eleris about the situation, and tell Loyar too. Also, notify the Thieves¡¯ Guild. They should know about any assassins or assassin organizations.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Everyone will work together to uproot this vile force that seeks to assassinate you.¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm.¡¯</i>


    Those who sought to assassinate an individual might be considered vile viins by human standards, but in the eyes of humanity, if that individual was the Demon Prince, they could be seen as heroes or saviors.


    Sarkegar, being on my side, naturally saw it differently.


    ***


    Nobody within the Temple would have believed me if I¡¯d said my life was in danger. Therefore, I needed to handle things on my own.


    In a twisted way, part of me wished that the assassin had attacked right then.


    If that had happened, many of my allies would have rallied to find the assassin.


    The assassin could be part of an organization or just an individual harboring a personal grudge against me. If it were thetter, that would make them extremely difficult to catch.


    I had a list of potential suspects in my mind, but it was too extensive.


    There were too many people who could hold a grudge against me.


    Therefore, I had to begin a thorough investigation, ruling out possibilities one by one.

 Chapter 249

    <h4>Chapter 249</h4>


    I kept my mouth shut within the Temple to avoid stirring up trouble.


    The only one who knew about the assassination threat was Ellen, and even she wasn¡¯t fully convinced.


    I had no choice but to continue my life at the Temple, constantly on edge.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been acting weirdtely,¡± Riana looked at me and said on the way back after our Supernatural Powers ss.


    When I had Supernatural Powers ss, I usually walked back to the dorm with Riana. Heinrich, despite being another superhuman, was apparently being shunned by Riana after the two had some sort of disagreement


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Normally, you have a foul expression, but recently, it¡¯s gotten even worse. Did you and Ellen fight or something? No, it doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    I was walking around so tense it must have made it obvious that something was up. After all, it wasn¡¯t so easy to hide one¡¯s agitation when one¡¯s life was on the line.


    I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve made too many enemiestely.¡±


    Since telling the full truth wouldn¡¯t get me anywhere, I decided to offer a half-truth as an exnation.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Because of the Orbis ss incident, a lot more people harbor ill feelings towards me than I imagined, and such people exist both inside and outside the Temple. I¡¯m afraid something might happen, so I¡¯m just being wary.¡±


    Riana¡¯s eyes widened, and she shook her head. ¡°Wow, you actually care about that? Surprising for someone prone to causing trouble.¡±


    <i>¡®Sis... I¡¯m not in the mood to handle your antics right now.¡¯</i>


    Wait, with her Electrokinesis powers, she could potentially perform near-instantaneous automatic interceptions if any threat arose.


    <i>¡®Should I stick close to Riana for a while? No, if I tried to stick to her, she¡¯d find it annoying and might intercept me instead.¡¯</i>


    Riana, smiling subtly, then poked me in my side.


    ¡°What, do you think someone¡¯s trying to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s for sure, just that it¡¯s possible. You never know.¡±


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you overthinking it too much?¡±


    Riana¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t much different from Ellen¡¯s.


    ¡°If the Orbis ss getspletely shut down because of this incident, it would affect a significant number of people. Many of them would hold a grudge against me, because they would see me as the cause of it all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±


    However, Riana then tilted her head, looking slightly puzzled.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think the Orbis ss will be shut down.¡±


    She seemed quite sure about that part.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Special sses were created to nurture exceptional talents. As long as they produce good results, that¡¯s all that matters. Even if there are internal issues festering within the ss, as long as they continue to produce top talents, everything else is just noise.¡±


    It was precisely what Mr. Effenhauser had said during the disciplinarymittee.


    Mr. Effenhauser had argued that, regardless of my character ws, I deserved to be spared because I was a top talent. After all, that was the Temple¡¯s goal.


    Likewise, despite its issues with hazing and theplicity of the faculty, the Orbis ss had always managed to produce outstanding individuals.


    Therefore, it was likely that Orbis ss wouldn¡¯t be shut down, and perhaps not even be significantly altered.


    This was in spite of Vice-Chancellor Assyria Wolken now being aware of the internal issues within Orbis ss.


    Contrary to my expectations, Orbis ss might remainrgely unaffected. Though they were currently suspended, in time the whole situation might be smoothed over as if nothing had happened.


    Of course, there could still be some disciplinary actions against students or changes in faculty members, but aplete shutdown of Orbis ss seemed unlikely, at least ording to Riana.


    Her words made sense.


    ¡°So stop worrying unnecessarily and lighten up your expresion, you punk. You¡¯re making me ufortable.¡±


    Although she was saying all this without knowing the full context, her cheeky grin had an oddly calming effect.


    Riana was trustworthy, though in a different way from Ellen.


    And as soon as I returned to the Royal ss dormitory, I began to question how much of a jinx her apparent ditziness had be.


    ¡°Orbis ss is getting shut down!¡±


    It was Harriet that brought both of us the news.


    Riana and I stared nkly at each other.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Uh, is that really happening?¡±


    Riana scratched her cheek , looking perplexed.


    At that moment, it was hard not to think she might be under some sort of inverted curse¡ªwhatever she said, the opposite seemed to happen.


    ***


    The Temple had decided to shut down Orbis ss.


    Despite being one of the Temple¡¯s gship special sses, intended as a counterpart to the Royal ss, and designed specifically to motivate them¡ªeven though it had always been known as the ¡°Number Two¡± ss¡ªOrbis ss had also consistently produced top talents.


    Just like Riana had said, despite its internal issues, its overall goals were being met.


    Even though there had been severe internal violence within the ss, after hearing Riana¡¯s logic, I had felt somewhat assured that Orbis ss wouldn¡¯t be shut down.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s getting shut down?¡±


    Harriet nodded enthusiastically at Riana¡¯s question, her expression showing just how taken aback she was as well.


    ¡°Yes, the decision was made in a meeting presided over by the Chancellor. I don¡¯t know all the details, but the shutdown has been confirmed.¡±


    Although it seemed unlikely, looking back at all that had happened, it was inevitable.


    A historical turning point had urred. In some ways, it wasn¡¯t surprising that a measure as drastic as shutting down Orbis ss had to be taken. Were there so many deeply rooted issues that it had to be closed?


    Were the injustices so prevalent that they negated the ultimate goal of nurturing and producing top talent?


    Speaking harshly, the Orbis ss was essentially an essory to the Royal ss.


    The dissolution of the Orbis ss was bound to impact the Royal ss as well.


    ¡°What will happen to the students who were attending the Orbis ss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but they¡¯ll likely be reallocated to other sses.¡±


    The specifics of what would happen next were still unknown.


    The Orbis ss¡¯s shutdown... The situation I had caused had reached an extreme.


    ¡°Hey... this is really serious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Riana remarked.


    Just moments ago, Riana had been saying that there was no way the Orbis ss would be shut down, but she finally seemed to fully grasp the severity of the situation.


    Given how things had escted, there were sure to be people who harbored deep resentment towards me.


    ¡°If you need to go anywhere, let me know,¡± Riana said as she looked at me with a serious expression.


    Now that it hade to this, she was taking the threat to my life seriously.


    <i>Crackle!</i>


    Sparks flew from the tip of Riana¡¯s index finger.


    ¡°With this, I can take down most people in one hit.¡±


    Riana seemed ready to act as my bodyguard at any moment.


    The offer of protection from the daughter of a high-ranking noble felt oddly reassuring.


    ***


    Confirmation of the closure of the Orbis ss meant that I undoubtedly had enemies. These could be seniors from the Orbis ss, or even the teachers.


    By destroying the beehive, I had drawn the wrath of the disced bees.


    As a result, I became more cautious.


    I didn¡¯t go anywhere alone. After sses, I rarely left the dormitory. I was always with Ellen or had Riana by my side, as both of them were fully aware of the danger I was in.


    While Ellen¡¯s skills were reliable, Riana¡¯s protection offered more assurance.


    Riana could instantly react to sudden attacks within her range with her electrical abilities.


    The unexpected decision to shut down the Orbis ss still felt like a surprising development.


    Out of the blue, Vertus summoned me.


    ¡°Reinhart, we need to talk for a moment.¡±


    ***


    ¡°For the time being, don¡¯t attract any attention,¡± said Vertus, calmly sipping his tea.


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s statement that I had made too many enemies was spot on. Vertus had opened the discussion with that line even without me saying anything.


    ¡°The closure of the Orbis ss has negatively impacted a lot of people, both individuals and groups, and this was all because of you. Even if they know you aren¡¯t the true root cause, they see you as the catalyst. If you cause a stir now, it¡¯s not just a matter of tripping over a stone; it¡¯s like tripping over a stone and falling off a cliff.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    By trying to resolve the issue with Ender Wilton and handling the Orbis ss matter, the situation had grown too overwhelming.


    ¡°If you stay put in the Royal ss dormitory and don¡¯t cause any trouble, you should be fine.¡±


    In other words, I wasn¡¯t to stir up any trouble. Naturally, given the situation, I had no desire to wander around aimlessly.


    But Vertus¡¯s words sounded strange.


    ¡°You should be fine,¡± he¡¯d said.


    That statement alone felt off.


    Did that mean there were others in danger besides me? Vertus must have noticed my sudden realization from my expression and smiled.


    ¡°You see, people tend to despise the enemies within, more so than those without.¡±


    An internal whistleblower...


    ¡°Lilka Aaron...?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s unlikely to live to a ripe old age, you know?¡±


    I was the catalyst, but Lilka Aaron blowing the whistle had been the decisive blow that caused the Orbis ss to copse.


    While I could count on protection from various authorities, including royalty and many others, Lilka Aaron couldn¡¯t.


    She was in more danger than I was.


    She had risked her life to do the right thing.


    As a result, countless issues within Orbis ss were revealed, leading not to reform, but to total copse.


    Someone had to bear the brunt of the resulting anger and fallout. While people would undoubtedly target me, they wouldn¡¯t leave Lilka Aaron, a member of the club who had effectively betrayed Orbis ss, unscathed.


    ¡°What will happen to her...?¡±


    ¡°For now, she¡¯s under the Temple¡¯s protection, but that can¡¯tst forever. She¡¯ll likely be reassigned to another ss, and the whole Orbis ss will be scattered. However, gaps in protection will inevitably ur, and no one can be safe forever.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Remember, even Princess Charlotte was kidnapped right in the middle of the capital, Emperatos.¡±


    There was no such thing as absolute safety.


    Sarkegar had kidnapped the princess once before.


    Lilka Aaron, who was far less protected, could easily be killed if someone wished her harm.


    Vertus¡¯s expression was exceptionally cold that day.


    ***


    Worrying about my own life was already overwhelming; I couldn¡¯t afford to worry about Lilka Aaron¡¯s life too. Besides, I didn¡¯t even know who was targeting me.


    The first-year students of Orbis ss may have seen Lilka Aaron as a whistleblower, but ultimately, they had all decided to take collective action.


    In a broader sense, all of their lives were hanging by a thread.


    The decision to shut down Orbis ss caused irreversible damage, and the members of the ss would be scattered. The Temple¡¯s protection could notst forever.


    While I could perhaps count on Vertus¡¯s help, he has no reason to help Lilka Aaron.


    Back in my private room, I sat at my desk.


    It was past time to sleep, but I couldn¡¯t.


    <i>¡®Not everything goes as nned.¡¯</i>


    I had aimed to at least point out the injustices within the Orbis ss, even if I couldn¡¯t eradicate them.


    The cry was heard, and the widespread corruption of the Orbis ss had been revealed.


    Thus, the ss was shut down.


    However, I had not anticipated the ensuing anger and the threats to my own life and the lives of others that would result. I had underestimated how deeply rotten the Orbis ss was.


    If I kept still, if I remained hidden within the Royal ss dormitory, I would be safe. But for how long?


    I couldn¡¯t trust that those targeting me would lose interest after just a few days.


    Lilka Aaron was likely to be in danger as well.


    If she died, it wouldn¡¯t be directly by my hand, but it would be a consequence of my actions.


    I thought identifying the person behind the assassination attempts would solve the problem. Although it was a serious issue, it didn¡¯t seem beyond my capabilities to resolve.


    However, the situation presented too many potential suspects.


    I didn¡¯t know who or where the one targeting me was, and it was likely that even more people would develop a grudge against me.


    <i>¡®What should I do? I have no idea; my mind feels blocked.¡¯</i>


    [The Scribe¡¯s Advice - 150 points]


    An ability that had been forgotten for quite some time...


    The Preview had saved me from my predicted death just as it had alerted me to it, and the Scribe¡¯s Advice had drastically changed my life.


    The Scribe¡¯s Advice had guided me to my meeting with Eleris, setting everything into motion.


    When unsure of what to do, The Scribe¡¯s Advice, while unpredictable in its results, offered clear guidance for action.


    Clear advice, or ambiguous advice...


    Clear advice directed specific actions, while ambiguous advice offered abstract thoughts.


    Ambiguous advice was hard to understand, but if interpreted correctly, it often offered safer courses of action, whereas clear advice was likely to involve significant risks.


    Both could lead to very good oues or very bad ones, and usually, good initial results came with bad consequences.


    Previously, I hadn¡¯t been able to make sense of the ambiguous advice until after the situation had unfolded. Nheless, The Scribe¡¯s Advice was still avable at 150 points.


    Since I had sufficient Achievement Points, there was no harm in looking at both the ambiguous and the clear advice.


    [Ambiguous Scribe¡¯s Advice]


    [Why did Orbis ss get shut down?]


    Once again... I didn¡¯t fullyprehend the answer.


    The shutdown of Orbis ss had been decided at a meeting presided over by the Chancellor. The imperial family might also have influenced this decision.


    The issues within Orbis ss had overshadowed the Temple¡¯s objective of nurturing top talents. There had to be something more significant beyond that.


    What that was, I didn¡¯t know, though Vertus or Charlotte might know the detailed circumstances.


    In any case, I intended to check the clear advice as well.


    [Clear Scribe¡¯s Advice]


    [Meet Oscar de Gradias alone.]


    Oscar de Gradias...


    I had a hunch this name woulde up.

 Chapter 250

    <h4>Chapter 250</h4>


    <i>¡®Meet Oscar de Gradias alone...</i>


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s think about the conclusion first.¡¯</i>


    If this advice led to both good and bad results, then meeting Oscar was both the right answer and a risk I had to take.


    It seemed inevitable that he would have some connection to the assassin.


    During the disciplinarymittee hearing, that guy had looked more amused than startled by Lilka Aaron¡¯s whistleblowing. He had noted that both me and Lilka might face assassination threats or even actually die.


    Was Oscar the one who had directly orchestrated the assassination?


    I didn¡¯t think so.


    Was he a character connected to the mastermind behind the assassination?


    There was a high probability that he was.


    Did Oscar know at the time of the disciplinarymittee hearing that the Orbis ss would be shut down?


    That was unknown.


    However, it seemed clear that to resolve this situation, I had to meet Oscar.


    We had never been on good terms, and if we were to meet again, it would not be for a pleasant conversation. Yet, to resolve this assassination threat somehow, I had to meet him.


    Objectively, he was much stronger than I was. If he came at me with all he had, he could kill me with his bare hands.


    Even without experiencing it firsthand, I could see the risks inherent in following this advice.


    The Clear Scribe¡¯s Advice had even added the condition that I had to meet him alone.


    It meant that if I brought Ellen, Riana, or anyone else, I wouldn¡¯t be able to have a proper conversation with Oscar.


    If this advice only resulted in a bad oue, it meant I would die the moment I faced Oscar.


    This advice from the scribe was more a test of courage than anything else.


    It was telling me to walk into what could possibly be my doom because I couldn¡¯t tell how Oscar would respond.


    I had no choice but to consider the ambiguous advice.


    The closure of the Orbis ss...


    I had to find out the real reason behind it.


    ***


    It was the next day, and since I had gotten advice from Vertus once already, I sought out Charlotte this time.


    Charlotte would be exercising with Scarlett in the early morning.


    There would be some spare time after that, so I went looking for Scarlett in a park in the Temple.


    ¡°Oh, hello Reinhart,¡± Scarlett said formally as she saw me and bowed her head slightly.


    ¡°Oh, hey. Where¡¯s Charlotte?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t particrly close to Scarlett even though we went to the same Swordsmanship sses, but I had gotten somewhat used to her politenguage.


    Strangely, though, Charlotte wasn¡¯t by Scarlett¡¯s side.


    <i>¡®Didn¡¯t they always exercise together in the early morning? I thought I saw them asionally, if not always.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh. Her Highness... She isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Really? Did she give up?¡±


    Even though her stamina was poor, she seemed to be trying hard. Then again, it didn¡¯t seem like she was improving at all. It was clear Charlotte had an intrinsic weakness concerning her stamina, and not dealing with anything rted to the aftermath of her imprisonment within the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    ¡°No. She¡¯s been staying at the imperial castle andmuting over for sses, so she can¡¯t join me for early morning workouts anymore.¡±


    Commuting from the imperial castle? This was news to me. It had been a while since I¡¯dst seen Charlotte at the dormitory, though it was rare for us to run into each other in the dorms because we were in different sses.


    ¡°Why this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. She has a lot of matters to handle...¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I see. That makes sense.¡±


    Both Vertus and Charlotte oftenmuted from the imperial castle instead of staying at the dorm when royal matters arose. Given the massive implications of the Orbis ss closure, this wasn¡¯t particrly strange.


    Charlotte was still at the imperial castle, but thankfully, we hadmon sses that day, so I could still speak with her after ss.


    It was Thursday, the day reserved formon sses, and Charlotte was attending a ss next to mine.


    After ss, I caught Charlotte as she was about to head out of the Temple instead of back to the dormitory.


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Oh hey, Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte stopped as I called out her name.


    However, she looked like she was in a hurry.


    Was she very busy? Even so, when I asked if she could spare a moment, Charlotte nodded and said it was no problem at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to sit for tea, but we can talk briefly.¡±


    Charlotte and I sat side by side on a nearby park bench.


    When I asked about the Orbis ss, Charlotte tilted her head.


    ¡°You want to know the reason for the Orbis ss shutdown?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think it woulde to a shutdown. I was wondering if there was another reason besides this recent incident.¡±


    Charlotte stared at me intently.


    ¡°No. I see that look in your eyes. You¡¯re trying to dig up something again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The sorrow of the boy who cried wolf...


    Even though I was connected to this issue, she seemed adamant that she wasn¡¯t going to tell me anything.


    ¡°Just stay quietly in the dormitory. You know it¡¯s a dangerous time to go about causing trouble, right?¡±


    Charlotte was saying the same thing as Vertus.


    Those two, if you looked closely, were incredibly simr, despite pretending otherwise. Sometimes I even wondered if they might be twins.


    Of course, they were actually half-siblings.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. I¡¯m just really curious. After all, I¡¯m involved in this, too.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Charlotte looked at me quietly and then crossed her arms as if conceding that maybe I had a point.


    ¡°It¡¯s notplicated. It¡¯s because they overstepped their bounds.¡±


    ¡°Overstepped their bounds?¡±


    ¡°Arge number of the teachers submitted resignations. Many senior students also submitted withdrawal letters. They ran away from the Temple before any punishments could be handed down. More than half of the teachers and students are gone.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a protest.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Charlotte said with a faint smile. ¡°It was a collective action to demonstrate that, if meddled with, the Orbis ss mightpletely copse. It was as if they wanted the Temple to say, ¡®We¡¯ll pretend it didn¡¯t happen, so pleasee back.¡¯¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The senior students and teachers of the Orbis ss, driven to the extreme, had acted collectively, threatening to cause the whole Orbis ss to copse beyond repair if further action was taken. It had to have been a bluff.


    Charlotte¡¯s gaze was icy cold. ¡°It was basically a challenge to the imperial family.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How dare they demonstrate such insolence against the empire, after receiving support, food, lodging, and education from the empire?¡±


    Apparently, the collective action of the Orbis ss staff and seniors had offended not just the Temple authorities but the imperial family as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the decision was made to shut them down entirely. Because they were insolent. The Orbis ss is now gone. It won¡¯t exist in the future either.¡±


    A cornered rat had bitten the cat, but the cat tore the rat apart.


    They had gambled the existence of the entire Orbis ss to try to make a deal, and the imperial family had taken it as a challenge.


    Thus, the Orbis ss had been obliterated by imperial decree.


    Had their desperation led them to act irrationally? The Orbis ss had messed with the wrong entity.


    ¡°However, they won¡¯t be punished for the act itself because it didn¡¯t constitute a crime. But there will be no leniency for the many acts of coercion or violence that urred within the Orbis ss that coulde to light in the future.¡±


    Indeed, if you don¡¯t want to work, quit, and if you don¡¯t want to learn, leave.


    The eradication of the Orbis ss was ultimately a result of them fighting an unwinnable battle.


    Originally, the Temple hadn¡¯t considered shutting them down, but they had crossed the line with the imperial family, which triggered this extreme measure.


    I now knew why the Orbis ss was shut down.


    But, so what? How did this rte to uncovering the mastermind behind the assassination?


    <i>p!</i>


    Just then, Charlotte suddenly pped me on the back.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°You, you¡¯re making that face again. You¡¯re thinking of stirring up some trouble, huh?¡±


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t even say anything.¡±


    ¡°When I see you thinking so hard, it means you¡¯re nning something. It¡¯s obvious. I told you to stay quietly in the Temple. Better yet, don¡¯t even leave the dormitory.¡±


    ¡°B-But, I still need to attend sses!¡±


    ¡°Who asked you not to go to ss? I mean don¡¯t wander around weird ces outside of ss! You understand me perfectly, but you¡¯re just nitpicking! Ugh<i>.</i>¡±


    Despite saying she was short on time, Charlotte held onto me andunched into what was nearly a full-fledged nagging speech.


    Getting nagged at by a princess... In its own way, wasn¡¯t that a unique position to be in?


    I stared at her with that thought in my head, which could possibly earn me another p if she knew about it, as she continued her tirade.


    After firing off a long string of words, Charlotte sighed deeply.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... I feel like I¡¯ve already been scolded enough. Is there more?¡±


    Her expression was subtly different from the one she¡¯d shown while nagging at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because I genuinely care. Now, and always.¡±


    Charlotte somehow looked sad.


    Did she have some other issue, aside from whatever was keeping her so busy?


    ¡°Got it?¡± Charlotte asked, pressing for an answer.


    ¡°... Got it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Sorry, I¡¯d like to talk more, but I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°... When will youe back to the dormitory?¡±


    In this life-and-death situation, my question was rather pathetic.


    ¡°Hmm... If you don¡¯t cause any trouble, I mighte back soon,¡± Charlotte said, narrowing her eyes.


    For some reason, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Charlotte¡¯s retreating figure for a long while as she delicately exited the campus.


    ***


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the ambiguous advice from the scribe. What kind of conclusion could I deduce from knowing that the Orbis ss had been dismantled because they had challenged the imperial family?


    This wasn¡¯t a democracy; the imperial family was the ruler of everything under the empire. It was impossible for anyone to seed after throwing a tantrum at the imperial family, especially within the Temple, which operated under royal patronage.


    That left me with only the clear advice to follow.


    I had to meet Oscar alone.


    No matter how I thought about it, though, that course of action was too dangerous. Meeting Oscar could offer me a clue, but it could just as likely lead to disaster.


    The risk was too high. Even if I used the Protection Bracelet and the me of Fire to counter him, could I truly win in a real fight against Oscar, who could use Mana Reinforcement?


    Lilka Aaron¡¯s issue was urgent. I couldn¡¯t remain hidden any longer.


    I couldn¡¯t stay cooped up in the Temple forever, but for the moment,I decided to wait for more information. There were still things I didn¡¯t know.


    ***


    A few dayster, Sarkegar visited.


    ¡°I¡¯ve obtained a list of organizations involved in the assassination business, Your Highness.¡±


    To get information about the underworld, going through the Thieves¡¯ Guild was the only way. Sarkegar wrote down the names of several organizations in my notebook. They were all names I had never heard of before.


    ¡°Of course, this list isn¡¯t exhaustive, and there are other hidden organizations as well. However, we¡¯ve infiltrated all the organizations within the capital and confirmed that there are no orders targeting you, Your Highness.¡±


    I was dumbfounded by his words.


    There were five organizations within the capital that offered assassins-for-hire, and in that short time, Sarkegar had already infiltrated all of them and gathered the information.


    I hadn¡¯t realized it until that moment, but just how capable was this guy?


    Well, he <i>had</i> managed to kidnap a princess from the imperial castle. Loyar and Eleris were exceptionally skilled, and so Sarkegar had to be outstanding in his field too.


    Still, the fact that there were five assassin organizations within the capital was chilling.


    ¡°So that means none of these groups are involved in an assassination attempt against me. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    It seemed that the ones targeting me were not going through any organization, or some individual with a grudge was trying to strike me.


    I would have been grateful if the Preview had shown me a glimpse of the assassin¡¯s face, but I was already very thankful to the candy vendor for saving me on the brink of death.


    The next step had to be mine to take.


    The contract killers and assassin organizations were clean.


    Ultimately, it seemed increasingly like I had no choice but to meet Oscar...


    It was dangerous to go alone, but what could I do...?


    ¡°Your Highness, I shall take my leave now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. Good job.¡±


    Sarkegar transformed from his maid appearance into a sparrow, just as he had when entering.


    ¡°Hey, wait, wait!¡± I shouted as I motioned toward Sarkegar, who was about to flutter away.


    <i>Cheep, cheep?</i>


    Sarkegar, in sparrow form, tilted his head as if to ask what was going on.


    ¡°Come with me somewhere for a bit.¡±


    <i>Cheep!</i>


    Sarkegar could transform into non-human forms at will. So, it was possible to meet Oscar alone, but notpletely alone.


    The little sparrow expressed its joy, hopping about in tiny leaps. Was he that thrilled just because I needed him?


    No one couldpare to him in terms of loyalty. The mission didn¡¯t matter at all.


    <i>¡®Why¡¯s he so loyal? I haven¡¯t even done anything for him.¡¯</i>


    I suddenly felt a bit sorry.

 Chapter 251

    <h4>Chapter 251</h4>


    Although the decision to shut down the Orbis ss had been taken, it obviously required time to take effect, and certain procedures had to be followed.


    The students who had submitted withdrawal letters as part of the collective action were expelled by the Temple out of spite, but those who hadn¡¯t would still remain in the Temple and had to be reassigned to other sses.


    I understood that the first-year students had been taken to the main headquarters for protection against any reprisals from their seniors and were living there temporarily.


    Both seniors and juniors were likely being investigated, so the seniors would still be living in the Orbis ss dormitory building.


    If Oscar had submitted his withdrawal letter, I might have to go into the imperial pce, Emperatos, to find him. Whether I would be allowed to enter or not was another matter, but I was confident that Oscar hadn¡¯t withdrawn, and that he wouldn¡¯t be punished either.


    Judging by what I had seen of his behavior, he wasn¡¯t the type to have directlyid a hand on any of his juniors.


    Instead of direct bullying, he intimidated them indirectly and spoke in a roundabout way, so the idea that he would participate in active rebellion was unlikely. That was especially true for someone living in disfavor with the imperial family.


    I left the Royal ss dormitory as stealthily as if on a secret mission.


    There were plenty who would stop me if they knew what I was up to. Still, I had to clean up my own mess.


    In reality, however, I wasn¡¯t going alone.


    As I moved, Sarkegar, in sparrow form, fluttered about and perched nearby to keep an eye on me.


    If things got critical, Sarkegar would intervene. I didn¡¯t know how I¡¯d exin it if that happened, but for the moment, he was my insurance policy.


    No matter the situation, it was better than dying.


    Oscar killing me in the middle of the Temple would cost his own head as well, so he wouldn¡¯t try anything extreme.


    Even though I had visited the Orbis ss just once, the ss was now shut down.


    I might as well have been some kind of harbinger of disaster. Honestly, being the Demon King, it kind of fit.


    There wasn¡¯t a single person in the Orbis ss who would view me favorably.


    Was it even right to go there? I might end up getting stabbed by someone other than Oscar.


    I needed to stay on high alert.


    ***


    The Orbis ss dormitory was designated as a restricted area. Just like the Royal ss dormitory, it wasn¡¯t a ce anyone could wander into.


    Because of the additional restrictions, though, it meant that guards were stationed at the entrance 24/7, and I couldn¡¯t easily gain ess.


    I asionally saw people leaving the dormitory with their packed bags. These were probably the seniors who had submitted their withdrawal letters and had been asked to leave the Temple.


    None of them looked particrly happy.


    However, their expressions were strangely resolute. Instead of simply being upset, it seemed as if they had braced themselves for something.


    The grim faces of the upper-year Orbis ss students felt somewhat eerie.


    Sarkegar, in sparrow form, kept watch over me from nearby.


    ¡°This area is restricted,¡± said the guard at the entrance, indicating for me to step back.


    I pointed toward the dormitory.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to enter; I just want to meet someone. I have something to discuss.¡±


    Fortunately, the guard wasn¡¯t entirely inflexible. He asked me whom I wanted to meet.


    When I mentioned Oscar de Gradias, he nodded and sent another guard into the dormitory.


    After a long wait, I finally saw a blond youth walking through the hall toward the entrance.


    ¡°What business do you have with me?¡±


    As expected, he hadn¡¯t withdrawn.


    ***


    Oscar de Gradias seemed more surprised than upset that I hade to see him.


    Did that mean he wasn¡¯t connected to the assassination attempt?


    I asked if we could talk, and he and I sat on a bench in a quiet area near the dormitory. It seemed the Orbis ss students weren¡¯t forbidden from going out of the dorms altogether.


    Sarkegar perched on a nearby tree branch, watching over me.


    Though he appeared to be a cute little sparrow, he could turn into a dragon when angry. It was reassuring indeed.


    Contrary to my worries, Oscar didn¡¯t seem hostile toward me, but given his sly nature, I couldn¡¯t let my guard down.


    ¡°Amusing, isn¡¯t it? Just because of one fight you had, the venerable Orbis ss was shut down.¡±


    I paused for a moment. ¡°I find it hard to find it amusing.¡±


    ¡°Really? I find it quite entertaining,¡± Oscar said with a chuckle.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking, but he seemed outwardly amused.


    His attitude during the disciplinarymittee had been odd as well. He hadn¡¯t tried to defend himself, nor had he med me. Though he had been momentarily taken aback by Lilka Aaron¡¯s bombshell revtion, he seemed to find the situation amusing.


    Even now, he didn¡¯t seem to bear any particr ill will towards me. Was he just good at hiding his emotions? There was no personal reason for him to like me.


    ¡°Are you afraid of retaliation?¡±


    Even though I hadn¡¯t said anything, he had urately guessed why I hade.


    ¡°To be honest, yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a foolish concern. Sure, after thest incident, most of the Orbis ss students dislike you, and countless others probably do as well, but what good would it do them to harm you? They¡¯d only get in trouble for harming a ssmate of the prince and princess.¡±


    Why was he being so kind and exining all this?


    I hade with the mindset that we might end up in another fight, but my feelings were getting increasingly confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t assume everyone in the world is as emotional as you.¡±


    That was true, and I couldn¡¯t deny it, nor did I want to.


    Messing with me carried too much risk, so no one was willing to make trouble with me directly...


    <i>¡®But there are definitely some emotional people out there! Someone tried not only to harm me, but Ellen as well!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t particrly care, but as long as people have any sense, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mess with you. What could they possibly gain from bothering a student from a special ss? Sure, there might be some individuals who¡¯d have a go at you personally, so just be careful if you meet any Orbis ss seniors on Main Street. That¡¯s all, I guess?¡±


    Oscar grinned, patting my shoulder. ¡°So just rx and focus on your sses.¡±


    Why did he seem so pleased? Did he have no residual emotions towards me?


    He stared at me intently for a moment. ¡°Hmm. Never mind. You can go.¡±


    What was he trying to gauge? But Oscar said nothing more.


    He stood up first, indicating that the conversation was over.


    My initial fears had note to pass, and I hadn¡¯t learned anything substantial from our conversation.


    It felt like I had been seeing ghosts. If my eyes hadn¡¯t deceived me, Oscar truly seemed to have no ill feelings toward me. In fact, he even seemed grateful.


    After Oscar left, a sparrow perched on my shoulder.


    ¡°This feels off.¡±


    <i>Cheep!</i>


    The sparrow chirped loudly in agreement.


    ¡°Oscar, the Orbis ss students, all of it. This is seriously weird.¡±


    Something felt wrong.


    Something was off, but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was.


    It was clear that people wanted to kill me because of the Orbis ss incident, but Oscar was trying to reassure me that such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen.


    Of course, there was always a possibility he was lying, perhaps trying to make me let my guard down before striking.


    The idea that an assassination attempt on me wouldn¡¯t happen, that it was purely a risk with no reward...


    That was a valid point. The logic made sense.


    But Oscar¡¯s jovial attitude struck me as incredibly odd.


    The termination of the Orbis ss was not the only thing afoot. Something else suspicious and unsettling seemed to be happening in real-time.


    What was behind the assassination attempt on me? Was it just a grudge borne by an individual?


    It felt like, instead of being resolved, the matter had grown moreplex.


    One thing was clear: Oscar was hiding something.


    That much was evident.


    ¡°Find out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡ªYes, Your Highness.


    ¡°Ah! You startled me!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked when the sparrow suddenly spoke.


    ***


    There exists a demon race known as the doppelgangers. They were widely known through countless horror stories and legends, and many humans were familiar with the tales about them.


    Doppelgangers were inherently few in number and did not originate from the Dark Land, which was why they are often found in the human world.


    They were demons that could transform into someone else and masquerade as that person.


    Doppelgangers were portrayed as either malevolent or mischievous beings in various stories.


    A doppelganger was a being who could transform into another person, while a dreadfiend had the ability to freely alter their physical form.


    Hence, dreadfiends were a superior version of doppelgangers.


    For someone like Sarkegar, a member of the dreadfiend race, eavesdropping on someone¡¯s conversation was the easiest of tasks.


    Although transforming into something the size of a mosquito was impossible, he could change into something as small as a cockroach. And cockroaches could hide just about anywhere.


    Sarkegar didn¡¯t usually prefer transforming into something so small because of the issue of survivability¡ªif he were to die in that form, he would actually die.


    Sarkegar¡¯s two best skills were eavesdropping and uncovering secrets.


    Secrets were never truly kept¡ªthey were always shared with a confidant.


    By disguising himself as one of those confidants, he can easily extract information. However, such a method was quite risky, because it created the memory of having a conversation with someone.


    For the time being, Sarkegar chose the easiest option.


    Sarkegar had already managed to infiltrate the Temple, which was surrounded by numerous barriers. Sneaking into the Orbis ss dormitory, with only guards stationed at the entrance, was simple.


    Slipping through door cracks, squirming inside closets, hiding under furniture... There were many hiding ces and methods of entry.


    Sarkegar entered the dormitory in bird form and trailed Oscar de Gradias. When Oscar opened the door to his private room, Sarkegar transformed into a small cockroach and slipped in, hiding behind the closet.


    Even if he were discovered, it would likely only raise hygiene concerns; no one would suspect a cockroach of being a spy.


    While there were many ways to counter and prevent magical eavesdropping or being spied on by familiars, Sarkegar was a living being.


    When he became a cockroach, he truly was a cockroach, albeit one with the soul and intellect of a dreadfiend.


    Such transformation abilities were simr to extreme-level polymorphing magic.


    In this form, the only thing that could stop Sarkegar was insecticide.


    The only ces Sarkegar couldn¡¯t infiltrate were a few pces within the imperialpound, Emperatos, where security had been maximized and powerful barriers put in ce since the kidnapping incident. Those ces were so secure that not even a single bug could enter.


    One such ce was the Princess¡¯s Pce, where Charlotte de Gradias resided.


    Fortunately, the Orbis ss dormitory, despite being well-maintained, was not liberally sprayed with insecticide because a bug problem was non-existent.


    Sarkegar patiently waited in Oscar de Gradias¡¯s private room.


    He had canceled all his appointments as Count Argon Pontius, as serving his master was his top priority.


    Sarkegar, in cockroach form, scurried up the wall and perched atop the wardrobe to survey the entire room.


    Several suitcases seemed to be already packed. Although Oscar hadn¡¯t submitted a withdrawal letter, he had probably prepared his belongings in case he was reassigned to another ss.


    The room had no special items, since its inhabitant was already prepared for imminent departure. All of Oscar¡¯s books and belongings seemed to have been packed away already.


    Oscar sat at his desk. From Sarkegar¡¯s vantage point, he couldn¡¯t see Oscar¡¯s expression.


    He wasn¡¯t writing or doing anything. He was just sitting there, arms crossed, appearing deep in thought.


    He sat there quietly for quite a while, since there was no reason for him to talk to himself.


    Sarkegar adjusted his position to get a view of Oscar¡¯s expression. If a cockroach suddenly appeared, it was bound to be swatted, so he moved carefully to avoid detection.


    Oscar was wearing a smile.


    What could be so amusing that he would be smiling all the while while thinking about it?


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    There was a sudden knock on the door, and Oscar stood up to answer it.


    ¡°Oscar, a letter has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    A single letter, delivered by a servant.


    Oscar opened the letter and began reading. Sarkegar repositioned himself yet again, enhancing his vision to read the contents of the letter from a distance.


    <i>[This is a response to your previous inquiry regarding the theory of magical algebra.]</i>


    <i>[We have reviewed the theory in question and found it to be effective. However, we anticipate that several prerequisite conditions need to be met to properly formalize it into theory...]</i>


    The letter was filled with technical details that Sarkegar couldn¡¯t understand. Was it a response from some research institution to a question, or a new theory proposed by Oscar?


    Sarkegar scanned the contents of the letter.


    Although it was filled with iprehensible jargon, Sarkegar realized the content itself wasn¡¯t the important part.


    What would cause someone to smile over an academic letter filled with technical terminology?


    The contents of the letter could not ount for Oscar¡¯s near-euphoric expression.


    He was practically beaming with delight, which did not align at all with what the letter was saying.


    This led Sarkegar to an undeniable conclusion.


    The letter had to be coded. Although he did not know the specifics, he was sure that Oscar was exchanging coded letters with someone.


    Indeed, he could see that Oscar was reacting to something entirely different than what the letter was saying on the surface.


    This was already a significant discovery.


    Next, Sarkegar examined the envelope.


    <i>[Sender - The Empire¡¯s Second Magical Theory Research Center]</i>


    He now knew where to go next.


    Infiltration and information gathering...


    Sarkegar excelled in this area more than anyone.


    ***


    Sarkegar came to me with what he had discovered first.


    ¡°So, it seems he¡¯s exchanging coded letters with someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Then it wasn¡¯t just a feeling I had¡ªOscar had genuinely been in high spirits.


    Encrypted letters, students¡¯ withdrawals, the dissolution of the Orbis ss... These opened the door to so many possibilities. At this stage, though, everything was conjecture; there were no firm conclusions to be drawn.


    Could it really be that Oscar had no connection to the plot to assassinate me?


    I was bing increasingly certain that there was no far-reaching plot to assassinate me.


    It seemed that Oscar¡¯s dealings were entirely unrted to my situation.


    I needed to look into this further, but the immediate priority was to find out who was trying to kill me.


    The most likely suspects were the patrons or seniors of the Orbis ss, the power brokers among them, and of course, Oscar de Gradias. But everything about him, from the sense I got to his attitude, suggested he might not be involved.


    All these actors were somehow very well organized. They had banded together and nned the collective boycott.


    The Orbis ss was undoubtedly organized, but their primary concern wasn¡¯t me.


    So what was the scribe trying to convey with its advice?


    I had taken the risk to meet Oscar, and while I didn¡¯t get any concrete information, I did find out that Oscar wasn¡¯t concerned with me at all.


    After mentally eliminating numerous potential suspects, I moved on to the next candidate.


    There was one particr person that kepting to mind.


    If the Orbis ss was organized, then this person, who could absolutely not belong to any organization, stood out. Even if they belonged, it would be a disguise.


    Among those who had personal grudges against me, this was one who might actually attempt to kill me. But I still didn¡¯t know for certain if it was this person.


    The potential suspect I had already identified forter action was known to me.


    A named character, but one I had forgotten. I had to make a frustrating search through the faculty roster until I finally remembered this name.


    ¡°There¡¯s an alchemist named Aaron Mede among the Temple¡¯s instructors.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    He was one of the dedicated alchemy instructors at the Temple, and an alchemist, but he wasn¡¯t part of the Orbis ss.


    ¡°Investigate him. Report back immediately if you find anything.¡±


    He was also the one who had utilized dark magic to enhance Ender Wilton.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    In actuality, he was a mage affiliated with a Magic Society known as the ck Order, and would be furious about the closure of the Orbis ss, which was where he conducted his experiments.


    It was highly possible that it wasn¡¯t him. If it wasn¡¯t, I¡¯d just move on to the next suspect.


    After all, I had Sarkegar.


    Sarkegar didn¡¯t ask why I had singled out that particr person. He just did as he was told.


    A true loyalist...


    How wonderful.


    ***


    That night, inside the Spring Pce, within the Princess¡¯s bedchamber in the imperialpound, Emperatos...


    The imperial family had been in a state of emergency for some time.


    Few knew the exact circumstances, but many could feel the tension within the royal household, and it wasn¡¯t because of the Orbis ss issue.


    While the Temple was one of the empire¡¯s most critical undertakings, it was still just an enterprise.


    The imperial family was gued by internal issues.


    There were those who took pleasure in these troubles, but ultimately, the imperial family had no bandwidth to concern itself with external affairs.


    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s time for bed now.¡±


    At Dyrus¡¯s words, Charlotte, seated in her rocking chair, shed a bitter smile.


    ¡°... I know it¡¯s pointless, but I just can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    Dyrus was not the only one present. Sabioleen Tana, the leader of the First Imperial Knight Order, Shanapell, was there as well.


    ¡°Your condition might improve if you conserve your strength,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    Despite Sabioleen Tana¡¯s words, Charlotte remained in her rocking chair, silently rocking back and forth.


    In the dead of night, the pce that housed the princess¡¯s bedroom was empty except for the two of them. Within the deserted Spring Pce, Charlotte sat vacantly in her chair.


    ¡°What about thepensation? How has that been handled?¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t worry about that...¡±


    Charlotte looked at Sabioleen Tana. ¡°Thepensation. I asked how it was handled.¡±


    ¡°... We made sure it¡¯s sufficient, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Sufficient, you say...¡± Charlotte muttered weakly, covering her face with both hands. ¡°How much money is considered sufficient topensate for the life of someone irreceable? Can money trulypensate for such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    At Dyrus¡¯s words, Charlotte uncovered her face.


    The princess¡¯s right pupil waspletely ckened.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous that I¡¯m saying this even though I was the one who killed her.¡±


    Dyrus shook his head firmly at Charlotte¡¯s somber tone.


    ¡°It was not you who killed her, Your Highness,¡± Dyrus said.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t me, then who was it? With my hands, my power, I killed a maidservant who had served in my pce for such a long time. If it wasn¡¯t me, then who?¡±


    This time, Sabioleen Tana spoke up.


    ¡°Your Highness, you lost consciousness, and something evil temporarily took over. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t remember what happened. It couldn¡¯t have been you who did it. This will get better soon.¡±


    Despite Sabioleen Tana¡¯s concern and her hopeful assurances, Charlotte¡¯s somber expression showed no signs of lifting.


    <i>¡®It will get better.¡¯</i>


    In the face of a situation that only seemed to worsen, how could anyone believe it would get better?


    Things had gotten so bad that there were even times when something unknown would take over her consciousness.


    ¡°By imperial decree, I am here to guard against any possible scenario, Your Highness. Nothing will happen anymore.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana was in the Spring Pce by the emperor¡¯smand.


    Charlotte focused her mind, slowly pushing back the power that had invaded her right eye. But even this was bing difficult.


    Charlotte looked at Tana, her voice soft.


    ¡°Captain Tana, you don¡¯t need to tell such obvious lies.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here to deal with me if necessary, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! Such a thing would never happen. I would take my own life before that!¡±


    Seeing Sabioleen Tana¡¯s face turn pale, Charlotte gave a sorrowful smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not using you of anything, Captain Tana,¡± Charlotte murmured softly as she closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to promise me that when the timees, you won¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can you promise me that you won¡¯t hesitate?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Sabioleen Tana replied, ¡°I cannot promise that. Never.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With a sorrowful smile, Charlotte let herself be cradled by the rocking chair.


    The sudden bouts of sleepwalking had begun after the end of the second semester¡¯s group mission.


    When she¡¯d found herself standing barefoot in the mansion¡¯s hallway in the middle of the night, Charlotte had initially thought she was dreaming.


    It was only after seeing Reinhart¡¯s face that she realized it wasn¡¯t a dream, and that she had been moving in her sleep.


    Charlotte had hoped it was just sleepwalking, but by the time she decided not to stay at the dormitory anymore, she knew it was more than just simple sleepwalking.


    Even after knowing it wasn¡¯t that, she still wanted to believe it was.


    Now, though, she knew it was something far more serious.


    The events that had urred and the things that had happened to her made it clear that this was not just a simple ailment.


    Still, as long as she didn¡¯t sleep, it was okay.


    Being possessed by whatever this thing was used to happen only when she slept, but now, it was happening at random moments even when she was awake.


    Every time she felt that the end was near, someone¡¯s face would sh before her eyes.


    Sometimes it was one person¡¯s face, and other times it was another¡¯s.


    Those two people...


    Charlotte was saddened by the fact that she couldn¡¯t talk about this situation with either of them.


    ¡°The night scares me,¡± Charlotte murmured weakly to herself.

 Chapter 252

    <h4>Chapter 252</h4>


    Someone was trying to kill Reinhart.


    Ellen still didn¡¯t entirely believe this statement, but she didn¡¯t dismiss it as mere paranoia either. Reinhart had certainly made many enemies here and there, and the Orbis ss incident had undoubtedly amplified that animosity.


    Thinking back, Reinhart had definitely acted strangely. Suddenly breaking into a cold sweat, he had begun to cautiously survey his surroundings, then clung tightly to her as they returned to the Temple, tense and wary.


    Ellen knew that she had advanced perception, as she had even sensed Loyar¡¯s intent to kill, yet she had felt nothing.


    Reinhart had felt a murderous aura that she herself hadn¡¯t.


    No matter how she thought about it, she believed it to be unlikely, but Reinhart was convinced.


    He seemed deeply troubledtely, always on edge. He only exerted minimal effort during training, trying to conserve his own energy.


    Ellen felt confident in her own ability to protect herself. She wanted to help Reinhart.


    Although it wasn¡¯t apparent, she knew she was already helping.


    Reinhart was in danger, and she wanted to do something, anything to help him. To reassure him that there was no assassin, to bring back the old Reinhart.


    If there was indeed an assassin, she wanted to deal with them herself.


    It was the weekend, and while she had told Reinhart to avoid dangerous situations, Ellen found herself outside the Temple.


    What was dangerous for Reinhart did not pose a significant risk to her.


    Ellen¡¯s capabilities had already far surpassed that of an ordinary human. At her current level of skill, she could easily cut down dozens of mediocre assassins.


    However, she didn¡¯t know what to do or where to start.


    Ellen wanted to alleviate Reinhart¡¯s anxiety somehow. She wanted to assure him that there were no assassins and make him feel safe, and so she had ventured outside the Temple without a clear n.


    Ellen believed there were no assassins. It would be better if there weren¡¯t. It was better if Reinhart was being overly cautious rather than being truly in danger.


    However, Ellen had left the temple to make sure of it.


    She had moved with the conviction that there might indeed be an assassin or a group nning an assassination, although she didn¡¯t exactly have a clear n yet.


    Someone was trying to kill Reinhart.


    That thought was unsettling, but it was unavoidable.


    How would someone go about killing Reinhart?


    There were two things to consider.


    Was it someone from within the Temple, or someone from the outside?


    Logically, it was more likely an outsider.


    Reinhart hadn¡¯t behaved strangely inside the Temple.


    If there was indeed a threat, it was more likely from the outside.


    Reinhart had sensed a murderous intent at that time, even though Ellen had not. If the assassin had indeed been present back then, why didn¡¯t they strike?


    They would have wanted to carry out the assassination under optimal conditions, and the timing back then would have been perfect. Ellen had been exhausted, and Reinhart had been carrying her.


    But Reinhart had noticed it somehow, which might have made the assassin cautious.


    It would have been best to conduct the assassination in a secluded location without witnesses around. Once they were surrounded by people, the assassin did not make a move.


    Now that Reinhart no longer left the Temple, there were no optimal conditions for assassination.


    <i>¡®Is it impossible to carry out an assassination within the Temple, though?¡¯</i>


    Standing at the entrance to the Temple, Ellen surveyed her surroundings.


    ¡°...¡±


    Without an entry pass, one couldn¡¯t get past the Temple¡¯s security gate. It was a simr setup to entering a magic train station, though much stricter.


    Ellen tried to believe that an assassin existed, and tried to trace their steps.


    She entered the Temple admission control office without hesitation.


    She presented her student ID as she entered the control office. Although she was in uniform, she didn¡¯t want to arouse undue suspicion.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ellen, Royal ss, first year, number A-2.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible for someone without an entry pass to get into the Temple?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    The staff member at the control office tilted their head at the unexpected question from the Royal ss student.


    ¡°Of course not. Why...?¡±


    ¡°Is it absolutely impossible?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you worried about the Temple¡¯s security?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    Ordinarily, there¡¯d be no reason to answer a student¡¯s queries about security, but this was a Royal ss student.


    The staff, though a bit taken aback, kindly pointed to the Temple¡¯s gate.


    ¡°You seem worried about people climbing over the wall, but that won¡¯t happen. The wall is too high for a normal person to climb, and it¡¯s surrounded by a barrier. If someone tries to cross it, rms go off, and they¡¯ll be paralyzed by automatic defensive spells until the guards arrive. The barrier forms a dome around the Temple, so aerial intrusion is also impossible. To be precise, any flying object that is detected is dealt with.¡±


    ¡°What about forging entry passes?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Each pass is magically unique.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t someone use another person¡¯s pass?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I see where you¡¯reing from.¡±


    A student suddenly inquiring about the Temple¡¯s security issues...


    The staff member didn¡¯t know why, but Ellen appeared very serious.


    ¡°If someone uses a stolen entry pass and is disguised or using illusion magic, it would be hard to detect, but we conduct a dispel check at the entrance gate. Any illusions would be dispelled. We also continuously monitor the ce with biological signal analyzers, so even if the person is disguised, they would be caught eventually.¡±


    ¡°The Temple isn¡¯t just made up of teachers and students, is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, not everyone within the Temple is perfect. But the Temple adheres to the same standards that the imperial pce uses to hire royal staff when ites to hiring employees or inviting in those who run shops and businesses within the Temple itself. Although, problems can still arise asionally, the Temple prioritizes student safety above all else when ites to these matters.¡±


    <i>¡®Clearly, Temple security has almost no loopholes.¡¯</i>


    Ellen understood that.


    However, <i>almost </i>no loopholes meant that some might exist. Checking for illusion spells using a dispel spell means someone with a physical disguise could pass through unnoticed.


    While biological signal analyzers could identify individuals, magical devices were never perfect. Ellen knew that someone well-versed in magic could easily disrupt such detectors.


    Someone could potentially bribe a staff member or student. There were many people in the Temple; bribing one of them was definitely feasible.


    It wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for an outside organization to assassinate Reinhart within the Temple.


    In a ce like the Temple, which was filled with people, absolute safety was never a given.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of the Temple¡¯sxity, but of the inherent issues with securing such arge and popted ce.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With that, Ellen left the security office.


    Ellen had learned that, while the Temple might be safer than other ces, it wasn¡¯t absolutely secure.


    Unlike some of her ssmates, Ellen didn¡¯t possess immense power or influence; she only had her physical abilities and her intelligence.


    Thoughts and actions¡ªthose were her only tools.


    If she were the head of an assassin organization and had received a contract to kill a Temple student, she would have missed the first chance because the target had noticed and the attempt failed.


    Now, the target was staying within the Temple.


    There were two options left: either assassinate the target within the Temple, or wait until the target leaves.


    To assassinate Reinhart within the Temple, they would need someone with an entry pass. Bribing or stealing an entry pass, then disguising themselves as that person to enter the Temple was a possibility. The challenge would be bypassing the biological signal analyzer, but while difficult, it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    However, gaining entry into the Temple wouldn¡¯t solve everything. The infiltrator would also have to breach the Royal ss dormitory.


    While the Royal ss dormitory didn¡¯t have a dedicated security detail, it did have teachers on duty at all times. Though it wasn¡¯t impossible to gain ess, any stranger appearing suddenly would undoubtedly raise rms.


    The Royal ss was full of elites. Trying to infiltrate and assassinate someone there was overly risky, and the likelihood of remaining unnoticed was very slim.


    Infiltrating the Temple wasn¡¯t out of the question, but assassinating Reinhart and escaping unnoticed seemed extremely difficult.


    They would want to assassinate him without detection.


    If assassination within the Temple was impractical, they had only one choice left.


    To wait until Reinhart left the Temple.


    ¡°...¡±


    By thinking along the lines that the assassin was real, Ellen realized an obvious truth.


    The Temple entrance had to be under constant surveince by the assassin.


    They wouldn¡¯t know when Reinhart might leave, so they¡¯d remain vignt, waiting for an opportunity to arise. For these people, patience would be second nature.


    Standing quietly at the Temple¡¯s entrance and watching the flow of teachers and students, Ellen surveyed her surroundings.


    Somewhere in the vicinity, the assassin¡¯s eyes would be searching for Reinhart.


    If it was true that an assassination had been attempted thest time, the assassin would have surely noticed that Reinhart had been carrying her on his back.


    The information about her would have already been shared among the assassins.


    They would all know that she was Reinhart¡¯s friend.


    At that moment, if any assassins were around, they would certainly be watching her too.


    Ellen had sensed Loyar¡¯s killing intent the previous time she had tried to kill her. It hadn¡¯te from any observation of her expression or demeanor, but from something more primal.


    She had just instinctively known it. It was instinct, as if she¡¯d been born with the ability to sense that kind of thing.


    She tried to sense hostility towards her, in order to sense any murderous intent directed at Reinhart.


    This was a different realm from Mana Attunement.


    Ellen reached out with her senses, trying to feel it.


    <i>¡®Who¡¯s watching me? Is there truly an assassin here?</i>


    <i>¡®Is this how Reinhart feels when he tries to use Mana Reinforcement?¡¯</i>


    However, she felt nothing. Sensing killing intent had always been instinctive; she didn¡¯t know how to consciously tune into it.


    Quickly, she began to understand how Reinhart might have felt, and started to feel a bit guilty.


    ¡°...¡±


    Then, Ellen sensed it.


    Not a gaze exactly, but the sense of being watched.


    It was the first time she had been astonished by her own senses.


    To be able to do even something like this... It wasn¡¯t killing intent precisely, but the distinct feeling of being observed.


    <i>¡®What am I truly capable of? Why can I sense even this?¡¯</i>


    Both terrified and amazed at her own senses, Ellen began to walk, feeling the watchful eyes on her without actually looking around.


    She only felt this sense of being watcheding from a single source.


    Ellen continued to walk.


    The observer wasn¡¯t on the main road but in a nearby cafeteria, watching her without visibly staring.


    Without directly looking in the observer¡¯s direction, Ellen ¡°observed¡± them back and moved away from the Temple entrance.


    As expected, when Ellen moved, the watcher followed.


    <i>¡®Reinhart,¡¯ </i>Ellen thought, <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry for not believing you.¡¯</i>


    Though terrified by this uncanny ability that went beyond human norms, she would do anything for Reinhart.


    <i>¡®Still, I will protect you.¡¯</i>


    She would be whatever was necessary, even a monstrous being beyond imagination.


    That was Ellen¡¯s resolve.


    She would endure bing a monster if she could feel that world-conquering joy when Reinhart had said he would die for her again.


    Ellen trusted in her instincts.


    She did not have to wait long.


    In an alley in the Eredian district...


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Ellen, who had been hiding, immediately tackled the stalker from behind as soon as he entered the alley.


    Her eyes, usually as serene as the surface of a calmke, gleamed, but her actions were anything but serene.


    ¡°Argh! Agh!¡±


    Ellen pried open the mouth of the fallen stalker, stuffing a piece of cloth she found on the ground inside to prevent him from making any noise.


    ¡°Uck! Urgh!<i>¡±</i>


    Ellen¡¯s calm eyes bore down on the stalker.


    ¡°Who are you? Who sent you? Why did you follow me?¡± Ellen looked at him with a chilling expression. ¡°If you answer these three questions, I¡¯ll let you live.¡±


    ¡°Urk!¡±


    ¡°If you understand, nod your head.¡±


    Ellen remained expressionless, but killing intent surged within her.


    However, she was taken aback by the sudden bizarre phenomena urring right in front of her eyes.


    <i>Squish! Crackle!</i>


    Thick blood vessels began to bulge grotesquely from the man¡¯s face.


    <i>St! St!</i>


    The blood vessels burst, spraying blood. Ellen quickly used Mana Reinforcement to shield herself from the sttering blood, but the situation was unfolding rapidly.


    ¡°U-Ugh! U-Uuh! Uungyaaah!¡±


    She stared, dumbfounded. ¡°What... is this?¡±


    <i>Crack! Thud!</i>


    As suddenly as the man¡¯s blood vessels had swelled, his eyes rolled backwards and he died right in front of her.


    Ellen stared nkly at the corpse.


    <i>Swish! Splurt!</i>


    Then, from the swollen veins of the corpse, something began to emerge.


    <i>¡®Worms...?¡¯</i>


    Hideous ck worm-like creatures crawled out through his veins, only to disintegrate into dust and disappear.


    She didn¡¯t understand.


    She couldn¡¯tprehend it.


    The swollen blood vessels of the dead man closed up again..


    Even the wounds from which the worm-like creatures had burst out healed. The man looked as though he had died without any visible cause.


    Though Ellen couldn¡¯t make sense of what had just happened, she understood what it meant for her.


    At this rate, she would be med for killing him.


    Staring down at the corpse of the man who had suddenly died, Ellen pondered her next move.


    <i>¡®Should I go to the guards? Given my status as a Temple student, exining the situation might lead to a quick investigation and release.¡¯</i>


    But... It was bound to take time.


    Ellen, though not proficient in magic, was certain that this had involved magic.


    With the corpse in front of her, she coldly analyzed the situation.


    The dead man appeared to have been controlled by some kind of parasite..


    <i>¡®Is this some kind of spell? Would the security measures at the Temple¡¯s gates be able to dispel this kind of magic? Could someone controlled by this parasite get into the Temple?</i>


    <i>¡®Probably not. If that were the case, someone controlled by the parasite would have already tried to kill Reinhart inside the Temple.¡¯</i>


    Someone who could use a parasite to control people was behind the assassination attempt. But the ones being controlled by the parasite couldn¡¯t get into the Temple.


    The Temple was still safe.


    Ellen had proof that there was indeed an assassin, and had acquired a significant clue.


    She had to make a choice. Should she notify the guards and report this incident? That would mean spending a lot of time proving her innocence regarding the man¡¯s death.


    Days... She would need to be prepared for days of interrogation because of the suspicion of murder.


    She couldn¡¯t afford to waste precious time.


    Ellen looked down at the dead man.


    There were no witnesses in the alley.


    She hadn¡¯t killed him.


    He had been controlled, and had likely been an innocent person originally.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    Feeling guilty about leaving his unjust death unresolved for now, Ellen resolved to find the person responsible for this.


    She stood up.


    First, she needed to check on Reinhart.


    She had to ensure he was safe.


    As Ellen ran back to the Temple, leaving the corpse behind, guilt gnawed at her heart.


    ***


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°Huh, yeah?¡±


    Reinhart was sparring with Cliffman in the Royal ss dormitory¡¯s training grounds.


    He seemed a bit on edge, but otherwise, nothing had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Why are you sweating so much? Where did you go?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°Oh? Ah... Nowhere, just.¡±


    <i>¡®There really is someone trying to kill you. I don¡¯t know what happened, but that person died on their own. I left the corpse behind and rushed here because I was worried about you.¡¯</i>


    Ellen almost said all of this, but stopped herself.


    If she told him about it, Reinhart would once again try to handle things on his own. If he found any leads, he would certainly take dangerous actions alone.


    He was that kind of person. He would put himself in danger again.


    ¡°Want to train?¡±


    Reinhart offered her a practice sword.


    Normally, she would have epted, but not this time. Not that day.


    Reinhart knew nothing, but he was aware of the danger he was in. That¡¯s why he did not go outside the Temple.


    ¡°No, I have something to do today.¡±


    It was better for him to stay in a safe ce, oblivious to all of this. Ellen walked out of the training grounds and down the corridor.


    She had to find out what was going on.


    She had to find them.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m going to find them and...¡¯</i>


    Her mind was boiling over.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll kill them.¡¯</i>


    Ellen surrendered to her quiet fury.

 Chapter 253

    <h4>Chapter 253</h4>


    When it came to magic, Ellen¡¯s knowledge didn¡¯t go beyond the basics.


    However, she was certain that the worm that had been controlling the man was a magical creation.


    If it were an ordinary organism, there would be no reason why someone infected with it couldn¡¯t enter the Temple.


    The clue was magic. Thus, Ellen sought out Harriet.


    It was the weekend, and Harriet was deeply engrossed in her research in a new club called the Magic Research Club.


    Ellen found her at the club¡¯s residence.


    Harriet, surprised to see Ellen, followed her outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Harriet found it odd that Ellen would seek her out there, but her question was even more odd.


    ¡°A worm that uses a person as a host and controls them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Is there such a thing?¡±


    ¡°... Does that really exist?¡± Harriet said as she tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°Why are you asking about something like that?¡±


    Ellen hesitated to exin it to Harriet.


    Not enlisting the help of a magic major would be foolish. But she couldn¡¯t tell her the truth.


    If she did, it would mean admitting she was trying to handle something dangerous in Reinhart¡¯s stead, and Harriet would surely try to stop her.


    Even if she understood why it was necessary, the oue would be the same. Harriet would join her in something dangerous. Ellen was willing to put her own life on the line, but she could not risk a friend¡¯s life.


    Ellen opted for honesty over a clumsy lie. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details, sorry. But it¡¯s really important. Can you look into it for me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet looked at Ellen quietly.


    <i>An important matter.</i>


    Harriet could guess it was something involving Reinhart. What else besides that could cause Ellen to have such an expression?


    <i>¡®A matter involving Reinhart that I¡¯m unaware of? He¡¯s been looking troubledtely; could it be rted to that?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt a pang of defeat as she looked at Ellen. Nevertheless, Harriet nodded.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll look into it.¡±


    ***


    Ellen didn¡¯t enter the Magic Research Club¡¯s residence.


    Although Harriet had invited her inside, Ellen preferred to wait outside.


    Though Harriet knew little about magic that involved controlling parasites, she had a broad knowledge of other forms of magic. Such knowledge, however, didn¡¯t include this dark kind of magic.


    A parasite that could control and even kill a person would likely fall under the category of dark magic, and a proper mage was ideally supposed to steer clear of such things.


    However, Anna de Gerna, the dark magic specialist, didn¡¯t automatically fall into the category of an improper mage.


    The purpose of magic always mattered most.


    A spell from the Pain domain of curses, which inflicted intense suffering, was forbidden, but a Fireball falling into a crowded square could lead to even more horrific consequences.


    Since Harriet knew nothing about this presumed dark magic, she headed back to the Magic Research Club to find Anna.


    Harriet often felt uneasy around Anna.


    It wasn¡¯t the eeriness of her tone or the way she spoke. Every time Anna looked at Reinhart, she had an oddly peculiar expression. It felt sticky and ufortable.


    Though Harriet couldn¡¯t pinpoint why, it struck her as strange, and she often felt that Anna was a little dangerous.


    This wasn¡¯t about being a dark magic specialist; there was just something inherently unsettling about that person. Even Reinhart seemed uneasy when under Anna¡¯s gaze.


    Thus, Harriet felt a sense of apprehension towards Anna.


    However, because Ellen was the one who had approached her with a request, Harriet sought out Anna.


    Anna had no specific instructions from Reinhart, so she often helped her ssmate Cristina with her research or learned how to improve Mana Expression and Mana Maniption from Louis Ankton.


    ¡°A parasite that controls people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do such things exist? I think it might fall under the Parasite school of magic.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Anna tilted her head, pondering with her ssy eyes.


    Left, right. Left again, then right again.


    After a considerable pause, Anna¡¯s red lips, which contrasted strongly with her pale face, twitched.


    ¡°As with most dark magic... Parasites were once forbidden spells,¡± she said.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t anymore?¡±


    ¡°Only for certain cases.¡±


    ¡°What sorts of cases?¡±


    ¡°Parasites can cause disease or spread infections through parasitic infection.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    Suddenly, Anna pointed at Harriet. Specifically, at her chest.


    ¡°Wh-What...? Why...?¡±


    <i>¡®What is this? Why is she doing this? Is she bragging about her chest?¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Even as Harriet tried to suppress her sudden bout of misunderstanding, Anna continued with her exnation.


    ¡°A parasite that is used to spread disease could likewise be used to eliminate diseases... For example, if you had parasites inside you, they could be consumed and then excreted ordingly...¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    <i>¡®So, that was what she meant,¡¯ </i>Harriet thought, though she found the exnation a bit unsettling.


    ¡°Is it possible to use them to control people?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... Magic is extremely varied... But, it¡¯s hard to say... In mental magic, things like Mind Control are exceedingly advanced spells... For a worm to be capable of that is...¡±


    ¡°... Right, it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Control spells were inherentlyplex, ranging from simple illusions all the way to direct maniption of the mind itself.


    A high-level form of mental magic like Mind Control wasparable to Mass Teleport from the school of spatial magic or Fire Storm from the school of destructive magic. Since these belonged to different schools, being able to cast one did not mean a mage could automatically cast the others.


    A single worm achieving such high-level functionality? That was absolutely absurd.


    <i>¡®Why would Ellene to me asking such an important question?¡¯</i>


    Cristina, busy with various projects in theb, approached with her goggles still on.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    She was probably taking a break from synthesizing reagents and materials for Moonshine, which was enough to make her head burst.


    ¡°Harriet was asking if there¡¯s any dark magic that allows the caster to use worms to control people...¡±


    ¡°Worms that control people?¡± Cristina, always curious and lively, seemed particrly intrigued. ¡°Why is she asking about that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard about something like that. Just wondering what kind of magic it might be if it were magic at all. Turns out it¡¯s not likely to be dark magic.¡±


    Cristina shivered. ¡°Eew... worms that control people. That sounds creepy.¡±


    Then, as if something had just urred to her, she suddenly raised her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Do you know something?¡±


    ¡°Are they like gordian worms?¡±


    ¡°Gordian worms...? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Harriet had never heard the term before. Having been raised in luxury, there was no reason she would have encountered something like gordian worms, and while the Temple wasn¡¯t devoid of insects, Harriet, who would scream when encountering mere grasshoppers, would never have gone looking for such horrors.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Even Anna, from the renowned Gerna family of exceptional wizards, didn¡¯t know about the gordian worms.


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s a parasite that lives inside other insects. Thervae enter the host, grow inside it, and when they¡¯re mature, they make the insect go into water, causing it to drown, and then they burst out of the host¡¯s abdomen. They look like threads. Really long ones.¡±


    Harriet and Anna both were shocked by the grotesque description and by Cristina, who was smiling while exining it so vividly. They were horrified at the existence of such malevolent life forms.


    ¡°Is it hard to understand? Should I draw a picture?¡±


    ¡°No, no! I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°... I feel like throwing up...¡±


    Immediate shock aside, they were both amazed that such a malevolent life form could even exist.


    ¡°So, could it be like a gordian worm that controls people?¡±


    ¡°Are there really such parasites?!¡±


    ¡°... Where would you even find something like that...? Does something like that even exist?¡±


    Harriet was shocked, but Anna, who had just said she felt like vomiting, was now staring intently at Cristina with interest.


    If such a thing existed, Anna would definitely use it for something.


    Harriet became increasingly worried about Reinhart.


    <i>¡®Whatever is happening now, it will surely grow into something seriouster on.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well, not to my knowledge, fortunately.¡±


    ¡°Whew<i>.</i> That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    Harriet tried to ignore the barely-audible whisper.


    Cristina looked at Harriet. ¡°But we don¡¯t know everything. There might be things we¡¯re unaware of.¡±


    ¡°Do you think such a thing really exists?¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t exist, it can be made.¡±


    Cristina¡¯s dangerousment triggered a thought in Harriet¡¯s mind.


    <i>¡®If it doesn¡¯t exist, then make it...¡¯</i>


    Harriet didn¡¯t have a specific major in magic, but Cristina majored in alchemy.


    Alchemy students thought alchemically.


    If it didn¡¯t exist, then make it.


    This concept was inherent in alchemy.


    ¡°Are you talking about chimeras or homunculi? You do know that both are forbidden forms of magic that warrant capital punishment, right?¡±


    Cristina smiled brightly. ¡°The percentage of mad alchemists is higher than that of dark mages.¡±


    Harriet knew this. Dark mages were socially shunned, but that was the perspective of the uninformed.


    In the world of mages, it was more often the mad alchemists who ended up being hunted or purged for their madness.


    In fact, publicly known dark mages who are also alchemists did not exist because those who practiced both were all dead after having done something mad.


    ¡°A parasite enhanced with the function of a gordian worm to control humans could be a chimera, or it could be a homunculus, originally created from nothing, to possess those functionalities.¡±


    Chimeras were synthesized from existing creatures, and homunculi were created from inanimate matter and not stitched together using different parts of other living creatures.


    They were both different from golems.


    Just as the magic trains weren¡¯t lifeforms, golems were just machines.


    Homunculus was a life form...


    Taking either path could result in a worm capable of controlling humans.


    ¡°Is it possible to create something like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible. But we can specte whether it¡¯s possible.¡±


    Alchemists were explorers of possibilities. They differed slightly from most other mages.


    ¡°And with alchemy, there are recipes to follow. If not for the mana cost, even amon person could create it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... no way...!¡±


    As she listened to Cristina, Harriet realized a potential scenario, and her eyes widened.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not a grand wizard, you can easily churn out such homunculi or chimeras as long as you have the right recipe that was crafted by one. Of course, that assumes you are able to handle the details required for such crafting,¡± Cristina continued.


    Though Cristina was all smiles, her words were chilling.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know if those truly exist, but their existence cannot be definitively denied either. It¡¯s impossible to say that anything in the world doesn¡¯t exist with absolute certainty.¡±


    Harriet found herself agreeing with Cristina.


    If a non-magical, natural creature that controlled other living beings already existed in the insect kingdom, then a magical creature that possessed the same powers was not impossible.


    Magic could make the impossible possible. In fact, it was easier to apply magic to enhance what was already possible.


    ¡°Hmm... Come to think of it, even me... with the recipe...? I might be able to make it,¡± Cristina suggested.


    Harriet was certain now.


    Anna was openly problematic, but Cristina, who didn¡¯t seem that way, was just as dangerous.


    ¡°Should we... try making one?¡±


    ¡°Please, girls...¡±


    Harriet genuinely began to worry about her ss Bpanions.


    <i>¡®Reinhart... be careful.¡¯</i>


    Although she didn¡¯t know what had happened, Harriet kept reiterating to herself that she had to protect Reinhart from the madness of these Magic Research Club members.


    ***


    After leaving the mansion, Harriet approached Ellen, who had been leaning against a tree in the garden, waiting.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if something like that actually exists, but it seems more likely to be alchemy-rted, rather than dark magic.¡±


    After listening to Harriet¡¯s detailed exnation, Ellen nodded quietly.


    ¡°Thank you, Harriet.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Ellen lowered her gaze at Harriet¡¯s question.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Reinhart, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen couldn¡¯t answer her. But that silence was an answer in itself.


    Harriet quietly observed Ellen, who couldn¡¯t even look her in the eye, and said with great difficulty, ¡°Y-You know, sometimes... I really, really... I really think you¡¯re unfair...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s head hung down, and Harriet couldn¡¯t see her expression, but she could just imagine her pitiful face. A look of helplessness.


    <i>¡®Is this all I can say to my friend?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ellen said in apology.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. For saying something so unnecessary.¡± Harriet wiped her eyes. Even though no tears had fallen, she did it out of reflex.


    ¡°Tell me something else, then,¡± she said to Ellen. ¡°Since you can¡¯t tell me about this, tell me something else.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Harriet asked.


    Ellen lifted her head at those words.


    Harriet¡¯s eyes were red as she voiced out the question she had been holding back out of consideration, but had always held in her heart.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Harriet asked again.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen could tell from Harriet¡¯s expression just how long she had been wondering about this.


    Ellen was no ordinary person. Harriet knew that Ellen couldn¡¯t be ordinary. Yet she had refrained from asking it all this time, thinking that she wouldn¡¯t get an answer.


    ¡°Ellen.¡±


    ¡°No, not tha¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ellen Artorius.¡±


    Harriet froze.


    Ellen did not borate any further. The name Artorius spoke for itself.


    Having the same family name was no coincidence.


    A multitude of Harriet¡¯s questions were instantly resolved.


    Why she was so strong, why she carried a soul-bonded sword, and why she was always soposed...


    Why she had no hesitation in performing dangerous tasks...


    Harriet understood everything now.


    ¡°Does Reinhart... know?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®I see. The secret she just revealed to me, the secret that no one in the Temple knows, is a secret that they¡¯ve shared for a long time.¡¯</i>


    Harrietughed quietly, filled with a sense of futility and self-deprecation.


    ¡°I thought that there might be at least one way in which I was better than you.¡±


    Background... She didn¡¯t want to cling to something as trivial as that.


    In reality, though, shegged behind even in that respect. And so Harriet mocked herself.


    She didn¡¯t hate Ellen; she despised herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Ellen apologized to Harriet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize.¡±


    Harriet watched Ellen bow her head again and felt her lips twist into a bitter smile.


    She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn¡¯te.


    She couldn¡¯t even cry.


    ¡°You have no idea... how much that makes me feel like a pathetic person...¡±


    When the person who was always walking a few steps ahead apologized for being ahead, could they even imagine how painful it was for the one hearing it?


    Only then did Ellen understand how Harriet felt when she heard Ellen¡¯s apology.


    ¡°Sor¡ª¡±


    Ellen swallowed her apology.


    Sorry.


    In the end, was that sentiment rooted in a sense of superiority?


    Ellen recognized her own ws in that apology. She wanted to believe that it wasn¡¯t the case, but had it really been absent?


    Hadn¡¯t there been moments she¡¯d felt superior to Harriet de Saint-Ouen?


    Even now, though she told herself she was acting to keep Harriet safe, was it also an excuse to monopolize Reinhart¡¯s problems for herself, thereby hurting Harriet?


    Was it right to decide Harriet¡¯s choices for her?


    She didn¡¯t want to say anything, but ultimately, Harriet¡¯s words made Ellen open up.


    If her actions stemmed from a petty sense of superiority, she had to let go of it.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to kill Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Noting Harriet¡¯s stunned expression, Ellen spoke calmly, looking her friend directly in the eyes. Having decided not to hide things anymore, Ellen didn¡¯t bother to choose her words carefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill that person. Do you want toe with me?¡±


    Harriet was left momentarily speechless by Ellen¡¯s abrupt proposition.


    Yet Ellen¡¯s words, while direct, were filled with undeniable truth.


    She could feel the immense weight behind those words.


    However, Harriet¡¯s hesitation was brief.


    There was a small moment of doubt, but the decision was anything but light.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

 Chapter 254

    <h4>Chapter 254</h4>


    Ellen shared everything that had happened so far with Harriet. From Reinhart¡¯s strange behavior, the assassination attempt that followed, and her confirmation of the existence of the assassin that day.


    Harriet was shocked that Ellen had seen the bug that controlled people with her own eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe a gordian worm that controls humans actually exists...¡±


    ¡°A gordian worm?¡±


    Ellen tilted her head as if she was hearing about it for the first time.


    ¡°Well, so, inside the insect¡¯s intestines... Ugh...¡±


    Harriet turned pale as she tried to exin to Ellen what Cristina had told her. Her sharp mind vividly recalled the image of thread-like worms filling the insides of a grasshopper or a mantis.


    Just speaking about it caused her to suffer damage herself.


    ¡°Anyway, there are worms that can mind-control insects...¡±


    ¡°Is that also magic?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re just naturally like that...¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Although it was a bizarre logic to assume that if there were worms that could control insects, there could surely be worms that could control humans through magic, the argument wasn¡¯tpletely devoid of persuasion since such things actually existed.


    However, the clues pointed towards alchemy, not dark magic.


    That did not mean that dark magic waspletely uninvolved in it, since an alchemical creation that used techniques simr to dark magic would fall into the category of dark magic-rted alchemy. Therefore, they could notpletely dismiss the connection.


    If they could identify what magic was really involved, beginning with the parasite, it might lead to some answers.


    Nothing was certain, but that was the only lead they had for now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see Ms. Mustang.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Since such knowledge was likely beyond the student¡¯s level, Ellen and Harriet decided to meet with their teacher first.


    ***


    Royal ss teachers typically didn¡¯t take on dedicated lectures. They focused on the protection and management of the ss members. They wereposed ofpetent individuals capable of providing immediate response in times of emergency.


    Although they could give lectures if required, they devoted their efforts to managing the Royal ss.


    Therefore, while the dormitory supervisors resided within the Temple premises, the homeroom teachers did as well. When incidents urred, they were often called to the dormitory, even on weekends.


    ¡°She¡¯s an interesting person,¡± Harriet remarked as they made their way to the staff residential area.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Although Ms. Mustang wasn¡¯t an alchemist, she was an advisor to the Magic Research Club. She would asionally visit to check up on the children¡¯s research projects and give one or twoments.


    However, because the research topics were so enormously challenging, even when she tried to exin things, she¡¯d end up scratching her head for hours on end together with the kids.


    And then, with a defeated expression, she¡¯d leave, muttering in a self-deprecating manner, ¡°I¡¯m an impotent teacher...¡±


    Ms. Mustang¡¯s self-esteem had been in freefalltely. Tracking down Ms. Mustang to her address in the staff residence area within the Temple, Harriet asked for her and exined the specific matter to her.


    A bug that controlled people... Could that be created through alchemy?


    ¡°Kids! You shouldn¡¯t think about making things like that!¡± Ms. Mustang eximed.


    The ever-worried Ms. Mustang clung to Harriet, utterly horrified.


    Ellen thought she understood why Harriet found Ms. Mustang interesting.


    Although Ms. Mustang didn¡¯t know the full details, she calmed down once she heard they were just curious. After ordering drinks at a nearby caf¨¦, the three of them sat down.


    ¡°A homunculus or chimera that controls people... Why are you curious about such things?¡± Ms. Mustang asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°Just because. I came across a mention that something like that existed somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Are there really such things?¡±


    ¡°Well... if there were, creating them would be ssified as forbidden magic, regardless of what kind of magic it was. Forbidden, by definition, means that there¡¯s very little information about it. We can¡¯t even confirm if it exists or not.¡±


    Even the teachers were in the dark about it.


    ¡°Still... a bug that can control people... There must have been someone who tried to create something like that.¡±


    Ms. Mustang was more aware of the madness of some mages than her students were. The pursuit of knowledge could always turn into madness, leading some individuals to dabble in forbidden spells. There were more unknowns than knowns when it came to such people.


    ¡°I believe you¡¯re not trying to create such a thing, but I must warn you out of caution never to touch it. Understood? We wouldn¡¯t be able to protect you, ¡° warned Ms. Mustang.


    ¡°Of course not. Ellen here doesn¡¯t even major in magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, but...¡±


    Ms. Mustang, always full of worries, seemed extremely concerned that the students might be getting strange ideas. Seeing the expressions on Ellen and Harriet¡¯s faces, she smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Whatever it is you¡¯re worried about, if such a person exists, the Forbidden Spell Hunters wouldn¡¯t leave them alone.¡±


    Forbidden Spell Hunters.


    Ellen and Harriet both tilted their heads.


    It was a term they had never heard before.


    ¡°Forbidden Spell Hunters?¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I guess it makes sense you wouldn¡¯t know about them. It¡¯s not something one needs to know about...¡±


    Ms. Mustang lowered her voice. ¡°Have you heard of magic societies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we know they exist,¡± Harriet and Ellen both answered. Though they didn¡¯t know the specifics, they were aware such groups existed.


    ¡°One of the magic societies consists of hunters who hunt down mages who use forbidden spells.¡±


    ¡°... Ms. Mustang. Do not ry uncertain information to the students.¡±


    Ellen and Harriet turned around at the familiar voiceing from behind them.


    ¡°M-Mr. Effenhauser?!¡±


    Looking down at the three of them was Effenhauser, with his usual stern expression. It seemed he had just stopped by, since he wasn¡¯t wearing his usual formal attire but was dressed in casual clothing. Ellen and Harriet stared at the casually-dressed Effenhauser as if he were some rare animal.


    His attitude, however, was the same as always.


    Ms. Mustang¡¯s face turned red as though she¡¯d been caught ying a mischievous prank.


    ¡°Th-The Forbidden Spell Hunters do exist!¡±


    Ms. Mustang looked utterly like a child who believed in urban legends.


    In truth, stories about Forbidden Spell Hunters were almost like legends, and Ms. Mustang simply enjoyed telling such tales.


    She was theplete opposite of Effenhauser.


    ¡°... Sure, they do exist,¡± Mr. Effenhauser remarked.


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t go about spreading such things. It¡¯s an unverified group.¡±


    Mr. Effenhauser seemed to have juste to buy a drink and left quickly after purchasing one.


    ¡°... I¡¯ve never seen him start a conversation like that.¡±


    Harriet found it remarkable that they had run into Mr. Effenhauser and that he¡¯d acknowledged them.


    ¡°Ha, haha... Actually, aside from work, he doesn¡¯t speak at all after work hours. It might be the first time this year...¡±


    It seemed Mr. Effenhauser didn¡¯t engage in any personal conversations unrted to work. Clearly, calling him unfeeling would be an understatement.


    It was almost the end of the year. Harriet looked stunned by the fact that it was the first time he¡¯d spoken about something other than work matters.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t it a bit too extreme to be that devoted to separating work and personal life?¡¯</i>


    Harriet clearly thought so.


    ¡°Are those Forbidden Spell Hunters really that remarkable?¡± asked Ellen.


    Ms. Mustang started sweating. ¡°Well, you see... I¡¯m not sure myself... Of course, they¡¯re not infamous like the ck Order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± Harriet said, nodding. ¡°They¡¯re known formitting bad deeds with magic.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re like a scourge upon society,¡± Ms. Mustang added.


    Ms. Mustang rarely used such rough terms. She continued to exin what she knew.


    While all magic societies were secretive, what was known about some, such as the ck Order, often turned out to be exaggerated, or just rumors. However, stories about the ck Order had amon theme.


    Every story about them was full of examples of them causing harm to the world. From minor incidents like assassinations to using entire viges as testing grounds, or a regional lord¡¯s mage secretly being a ck Order member nning to take over the entire estate.


    Although their objectives were unknown, they were acknowledged to be harmful entities.


    However, just like other magic societies, the true nature of the Forbidden Spell Hunters and the ck Order were unknown.


    ¡°Anyhow, if you want to learn more around here, you should meet someone who specializes in alchemy rather than me.¡±


    She took out a notepad and wrote down an office address and name.


    <i>[Aaron Mede]</i>


    ¡°He conducts alchemy sses at the Temple. He coaches high-level students, so if he doesn¡¯t know about this, then such magic likely doesn¡¯t exist. Since he focuses on giving lectures, he probably isn¡¯t at the Temple on weekends.¡±


    Aaron Mede, an alchemist rmended by Ms. Mustang... He had to have ample knowledge. Normally, they would wait for a weekday, but Ellen and Harriet were in a hurry since the information was urgent.


    ¡°Will we be able to meet him if we visit his home directly?¡± Harriet asked anxiously.


    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯ll be willing to meet you or not... But remember to behave properly. He¡¯s a good-natured person, but again, it¡¯s not polite to visit on the weekend. Understood?¡±


    Under the worried gaze of Ms. Mustang, Ellen and Harriet nodded.


    ***


    ¡°So, you¡¯re sure about it?¡± I asked Sarkegar.


    ¡°They¡¯re definitely dabbling in forbidden spells, even if it¡¯s unclear whether they¡¯re specifically aiming to harm Your Highness. If this information gets out, they will surely be subject to severe punishment.¡±


    I nodded as I listened to Sarkegar¡¯s report. He ryed all the information he had gathered to me in my private room in the Temple¡¯s dormitory.


    ¡°Those mages are capable of doing many things in a short time. Escaping would be the least of their concerns,¡± I said.


    Although the estate of Aaron Mede, the alchemy teacher at the Temple, was not particrlyrge, it still epassed a vast area.


    The mansion itself wasn¡¯t exactly modest, but it paled inparison to several other grand estates. However, beneath ity extensive underground facilities. These were facilities for researching numerous forbidden dark spells.


    At that moment, I was looking at something that resembled a worm wriggling in front of me.


    <i>¡®Disgusting.¡¯</i>


    It looked like some kind of ck gordian worm.


    I had briefly wondered if a sparrow had brought in an earthworm before realizing it was Sarkegar.


    ¡°So, they attempted to imnt this into people to kill me indirectly...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a homunculus, a magical life form. Fortunately, it seems unable to pass through the Temple¡¯s entrance... but it can get in through the air.¡±


    A dispel spell would be cast on anything passing through the ground entrance of the Temple. Since it was a magical entity, the best counter to a homunculus wasn¡¯t a sword, but dispel magic.


    However, Sarkegar had entered the Temple through the air. Since this homunculus had not been subjected to dispel magic, it was still alive.


    Setting aside Aaron Mede¡¯s attempts to kill me, killing him would benefit the world. It was likely that the assassin from that day had been controlled by this bug.


    They had probably decided on caution once they realized I was onto them.


    Aaron Mede was not a teacher affiliated with the Orbis ss, and was therefore still employed by the Temple. However, attempting to kill me directly while I was inside the Temple carried significant risks.


    That was why he was trying to have me killed outside the Temple, using someone else¡¯s hands.


    ¡°What will you do, Your Highness? I can take care of this myself.¡±


    Sarkegar had merelye to offer a report, as I had ordered him not to act directly until there was more information. Had it not been for that, Sarkegar would have already dealt with Aaron Mede on the spot.


    ¡°I have to go personally.¡±


    ¡°Must you? You could use my hands, Eleris¡¯s, or Loyar¡¯s.¡±


    The viin has been identified, so there was no longer any need to be scared.


    ¡°No. There are some questions I need to ask him directly.¡±


    I had found the one who had tried to kill me.


    While killing him was an obvious course of action, there were a few things I needed to ask him first.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sparrow,¡± I said as I stood up.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sarkegar seemed slightly peeved but obediently transformed into a sparrow.

 Chapter 255

    <h4>Chapter 255</h4>


    As the dedicated alchemy teacher of the Temple, Aaron Mede was in a foul mood.


    Teachers were ranked ording to tiers as well, and Aaron Mede was a teacher who only taught elite students, which meant that the students attending his lectures were either from the Orbis ss or from the top-tier sses within the standard cohort.


    He personally disliked the Royal ss, as he had seen too many arrogant individuals relying solely on their innate talent.


    Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t that he disliked the Royal ss. Rather, he favored the Orbis ss.


    He appreciated the desperation of the Orbis ss students and liked their determination to do anything in order to secure greater achievements.


    Such desperation clouded their judgment, causing their instincts to dull and leading them to sumb to subtle temptation.


    The brightest minds of the empire gathered in one ce, where he could experiment on them and their untapped potential in real-time... The Temple was the only ce on the continent where he could have a constant stream of such experimental subjects.


    However, that cradle had disappeared in an instant, all thanks to Reinhart, that lunatic from the Royal ss, who had started the sequence of chaotic events that led to this climax.


    Strictly speaking, things had turned out this way because the students and teachers of the Orbis ss had conspired to do something strange. Regardless, the root cause was still Reinhart¡¯s meddling.


    The source from which he secured his test subjects, especially the most capable ones, had suddenly disappeared.


    Someone had disrupted his experiments.


    There was nothing he could do about the chaos caused by the actions of the Orbis ss. Therefore, he felt somewhat relieved.


    He had intended to kill Reinhart outside the Temple to avoid the situation being blown out of proportion, which would certainly happen if someone died within the Temple grounds.


    He was confident that his use of the Order¡¯s forbidden spells would not be detected.


    People died surprisingly easily. A knight, no matter how strong, could die from a simple stab while asleep.


    Therefore, killing a student, no matter how talented they were¡ªjust one¡ªshould have been easy.


    If that kid died, suspicion would fall on the Orbis ss, not him, so the situation seemed perfect, and he wouldn¡¯t be implicated.


    However, for some reason, the kid had noticed the existence of the assassin imnted with his insect. When he saw the target making a hasty escape, Aaron Mede felt the need to stay hidden.


    However, because of the danger that he had sensed, his target had not stepped foot out of the Temple ever since.


    Since Aaron Mede had not been terminated from the Temple like the Orbis ss teachers, he could have killed Reinhart while inside the Temple. Yet he was extremely wary of exposing himself to danger.


    There was no need to take unnecessary risks.


    As long as Reinhart remained in the Temple, he was within his reach.


    Reinhart couldn¡¯t stay inside the Temple forever. He believed that the moment Reinhart stepped outside the Temple would be his death.


    However, the situation took a peculiar turn.


    When another student, who had been with Reinhart at the time of the attempted assassination, stepped outside the Temple, he saw an opportunity.


    He had intended to secretly tail her, capture her, and use her as a hostage to lure Reinhart out of the Temple.


    Although she was in the Royal ss, she was still in her first year. Kidnapping her should have been beyond easy.


    He would use his hosts, so his presence wouldn¡¯t be revealed.


    However, who would have expected things to turn out the way they did?


    The target had knowledge of her pursuer, and it seemed that she had lured him in intentionally.


    Upon investigation, it became clear that the girl was the greatest monster in Temple¡¯s history, although details of her were still unknown.


    It was a mistake to disregard information about students majoring in close-quartersbat just because he was a mage.


    Fortunately, the forbidden spell Insector, which was used by the Order, was unknown to the public, so that alone couldn¡¯t lead back to him. The evidence had already been erased.


    It was a forbidden spell that the Order used secretly to carry out assassinations.


    His anger and annoyance made him lose his cool.


    Who could have predicted that a first-year student from the Royal ss would possess senses as sharp as if she had eyes in the back of her head?


    He had to find a more certain and meticulous way to kill Reinhart.


    And then...


    ¡°A bug that controls people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Can such a thing be created through alchemy?¡±


    The student who had captured his host hade to his mansion, bringing another student with her.


    ¡®<i>What luck,¡¯ </i>Aaron Mede thought.


    He couldn¡¯t believe how smoothly things were going for him.


    ***


    Though Aaron Mede wasn¡¯t familiar with Ellen, he knew about Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    He was more interested in Harriet than in Ellen.


    The renowned child of the Saint-Ouen family, possibly the most brilliant one in their entire line... No, perhaps the most brilliant child in the entire continent.


    A child endowed with the unprecedented talent of pure magic.


    Though she may have not realized it herself, Harriet de Saint-Ouen was the subject of utmost interest among those who knew her.


    Of course, Aaron Mede did not harbor feelings of affection towards her.


    Those born with talent were often arrogant.


    He preferred the desperate struggle of those in the Orbis ss who weren¡¯t born with talent. He believed that the ruthlessness and determination to use any means necessary to be stronger was what ultimately ced a person at the top.


    To him, Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who had been born with everything and knew nock, was someone whocked desperation for improvement.


    He didn¡¯t conduct experiments on students under the guise of offering them power because he was evil. He genuinely believed that his experiments were a gift.


    He wasn¡¯t willing to gift anything to those who weren¡¯t desperate. Therefore, although Harriet wsas an outstanding talent, he had little interest in her.


    She was just a curiosity.


    How could such a coincidence ur?


    Two perfect lures to reel Reinhart in had just walked up to him on their own.


    They hade via a rmendation from Ms. Mustang, and imed to be curious about certain matters.


    Ellen, the student standing before him, had wandered around gathering information about the worm that crawled out from his host, which eventually led her to that very spot¡ªall the while having no idea that it was thest ce that she should ever be.


    The two students stood before him, unaware of the hundreds of those worms swarming beneath the mansion, innocently believing that they were just there to ask some innocent questions.


    The two students actively investigating the assassination attempt on Reinhart seemed to be very close friends of his.


    They would serve as excellent bait, and the pleasure of crushing the arrogance of the Royal ss¡¯s budding talents was an added bonus.


    For now, though, acting hastily was unwise.


    If students introduced by Ms. Mustang went missing, suspicion would fall squarely on him.


    ¡°Hmm... It seems you do have a sense of what it could be. I hate to admit it, but alchemists are the kind of people who have to experiment if they see any possibility. I might have heard of those who use such things, though...¡±


    ¡°Oh, r-really? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The prospect of uncovering a meaningful clue caused Harriet¡¯s expression to change instantly, and Ellen looked slightly more alert.


    ¡°It might take some time to investigate. I¡¯ll send word to the Royal ss if I uncover anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much! Thank you, sir!¡±


    He would send them away for now. Taking action so swiftly would be foolish.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, have a cup of tea before you leave.¡±


    He warmly served a cup of tea to each of the unsuspecting students.


    He would send them away, but he would take out some insurance.


    Alchemy could include elements of magic, or not.


    In this case, his concoction did not have magical elements, which meant that a dispel spell wouldn¡¯t work.


    Aaron Mede was poisoning the two of them.


    It was a slow-acting poison. Symptoms would appear over a month, leading to eventual heart failure and death.


    Without an antidote, they would undoubtedly die.


    It was a poison that couldn¡¯t be cured even with Divine Power.


    If things did not y out in his favor, he could lure Reinhart in using the antidote.


    This was his insurance n.


    ¡°Ah, yes... Thank you.¡±


    Harriet cautiously reached for the cup.


    <i>¡®Drink it,¡¯ </i>Aaron Mede thought.


    He wore a faint smile as he thought about seeing the corpse of that arrogant madman who ruined all his experiments in just about a month¡¯s time.


    He had the antidote. Thus, he calmly savored the poisoned tea he had served himself.


    The tasteless and odorless poison could not be detected by taste alone.


    Ellen didn¡¯t touch the tea. She appeared indifferent.


    Harriet was about to drink, but she paused, tilted her head slightly, and set the cup down.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    Aaron Mede noticed the green earrings hanging from Harriet¡¯s ears.


    They did not appear overly fancy, and seemed an odd choice for the Grand Duchess of Saint-Ouen.


    Harriet, who had set the cup aside, continued, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask why we¡¯re curious about such things?¡±


    Harriet sensed something incongruous.


    Everyone had asked that question.


    She herself had been curious.


    When Ellen had first asked her about it, she¡¯d wondered why Ellen was interested in something so dangerous and grotesque.


    Likewise, the students in the Magic Research Club and Ms. Mustang had asked the same question as well.


    <i>¡°Why are you curious about a bug that controls people?¡±</i>


    They had all asked the same question, but Aaron Mede had not.


    That small incongruity... It probably wasn¡¯t something to be suspicious of.


    Aaron Mede responded with a gentle smile. ¡°Mages, especially students, are curious about all sorts of things. If you knew how many bizarre questions I get, you¡¯d be surprised. I¡¯ve gotten used to it and don¡¯t think much of any question anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s answer seemed usible. Yet he noticed that the two kids hadn¡¯t touched their tea. They were being cautious.


    Not just talented, but perceptive too, it seemed.


    Aaron Mede knew forcing them to drink would just backfire. Harriet examined the study. Her gaze was not on Aaron, but wandered around the room itself.


    ¡°And, this ce... It feels strange,¡± she observed with a calm expression.


    She wasn¡¯t just looking around¡ªshe seemed to be sensing the space itself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any ley line mana.¡±


    ¡°Ley line? What do you mean?¡±


    Reinhart often tasked Harriet with seemingly impossible tasks.


    <i>Study dimensional magic. Try activating magic using natural external mana instead of internal mana...</i>


    Though she hadn¡¯t seeded at all of them, she was making progress.


    Using natural mana for magic was still a far-off concept, but she¡¯d grown ustomed to sensing and analyzing atmospheric mana.


    Other mages could do this too, but Harriet, who had been focused on it, had be more sensitive.


    Mana exists everywhere, just in varying densities. Even within a single space, its density fluctuates. Harriet doubted whether controlling such irregrly-distributed mana in a uniform manner to fuel magic was even feasible.


    Though she hadn¡¯t achieved the ultimate goal, she could recognize the peculiarities in this ce.


    There was no detectable ley line mana under the mansion.


    It was as if a massive hollow had been carved out of the vast blue sea. She couldn¡¯t sense whaty beneath at all.


    However, the nature of this barrier, which was designed to block detection, already suggested much.


    ¡°I understand that barriers created to block detection often look like this.¡±


    For security or for other reasons, a ce that could not be scrutinized through magic from the outside existed beneath the mansion.


    ¡°Mages, especially alchemists, are sensitive to such issues. It¡¯s not unusual to have such a setup. And I¡¯m an alchemist after all,¡± Aaron Mede exined.


    Aaron Mede was indeed an alchemist.


    It was a fact that alchemists were particrly vignt about security. They did not allow anyone to casually peek into theirboratories. Realistically, this in itself wasn¡¯t suspicious. Harriet knew this too.


    What Harriet found suspicious was the scale of it. The barrier was excessivelyrge.


    Though he was a renowned alchemist, having aboratory that extended six floors deep beneath the mansion was unusual.


    ¡°This feels somewhat ufortable. You seem to havee here out of curiosity, but it feels more like you¡¯re interrogating me. Am I mistaken?¡± Aaron said.


    Aaron Mede didn¡¯t bother to hide his displeasure.


    He thought a golden opportunity hadnded in hisp, but they seemed to have caught on to something and had begun to suspect him.


    He couldn¡¯t allow this to go on. He had to get them to leave.


    He could act immediately, but doing so would obliterate the foundation he¡¯d built within the Temple.


    A minor misstep with these brats couldplicate matters severely.


    Harriet seemed to hesitate at Aaron Mede¡¯s overt displeasure.


    But Ellen, who had been silent until now, spoke up.


    ¡°Do homunculi disappear when dispelled?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re both rather rude children, but I¡¯ll answer that question. A homunculus is a magical being. Yes, it would disappear if dispelled.¡±


    ¡°Then what would happen if dispel was cast on someone being controlled by a homunculus?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Aaron Mede felt his mind go nk.


    <i>¡®What is this kid saying right now?¡¯ </i>he thought.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯m not entirely sure, but the parasitic homunculus would either perish, or... the host might die.¡±


    Aaron Mede knew it was thetter. Being controlled by a homunculus was irreversible. If the homunculus died, the host would die too.


    No¡ªbeing controlled was akin to being as good as dead.


    ¡°Why do you ask such a question?¡± Aaron asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re about to cast an Anti-Magic Field over this entire mansion,¡± Ellen replied calmly.


    ¡°... What?!¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone in this mansion under a homunculus¡¯s control, they¡¯ll all drop dead. If nothing happens, we¡¯ll apologize. We¡¯ll ept disciplinary action andpensate you for any property damage if necessary.¡±


    Anti-Magic Field... Arge-scale spell that suppressed the use of magic, much stronger than a wide-area dispel.


    <i>¡®Can a student cast such high-level magic?¡¯ </i>Aaron Mede thought, his eyes widening.


    <i>¡®Harriet de Saint-Ouen is reputed to be the greatest magical prodigy ever, so it might indeed be possible.</i>


    <i>¡®This is bad. These kids, driven by wild conjectures, are about to do something insane.</i>


    <i>¡®If they deploy the Anti-Magic Field, the countless ves within the mansion would instantly be corpses.¡¯</i>


    His expression calmed.


    ¡°The Royal ss surely is full of annoying pests like you guys,¡± Aaron said.


    He disliked all of them. He would have to resort to drastic measures to avoid losing everything if he kept his mask on.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The Fireball shot from Aaron Mede¡¯s wand was thwarted by the barrier Harriet had erected.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s actually you.¡±


    ¡°I told you, Harriet,¡± Ellen said.


    Aaron Mede looked in shock as a silver sword suddenly materialized in Ellen¡¯s right hand.


    ¡°Intimidation works better than asking questions,¡± Ellen added.


    ¡°Indeed...¡± Harriet responded.


    These two had suspected Aaron Mede from the start.

 Chapter 256

    <h4>Chapter 256</h4>


    Aaron Mede was initially astonished that his surprise attack had been so easily blocked by Harriet.


    But the real shock came when Ellen suddenly summoned a sword.


    ¡°... Lament?¡±


    <i>¡®A student wielding a Holy Relic?¡¯</i>


    Aaron Mede watched in disbelief as more impossible events unfolded.


    Harriet looked at him while maintaining the barrier. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could already use something like an Anti-Magic Field.¡±


    He felt as if he¡¯d been struck by a hammer.


    He had fallen for a rookie¡¯s trivial bluff. There¡¯s no way a student could use such high-level magic.


    Anxious from the absurd threat and overestimating Harriet¡¯s abilities, he had acted first.


    The situation had already been set into motion. Aaron Mede removed his mask.


    ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t know what led you to find me, but you still seem unaware of your blunder.¡±


    Among the magical arts, alchemical secrets were the easiest to steal. Even those who couldn¡¯t use magic sometimes managed to steal and use them.


    For this reason, most alchemist¡¯s personal workshops were highly secure. High-risk facilities known as dungeons were the creations of paranoid archmages.


    To protect items that could be easily stolen, the security had to be tight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what happens when you recklessly enter an alchemist¡¯s house.¡±


    An alchemist¡¯s workshop was the most fortified among mages¡¯ workspaces.


    <i>Click!</i>


    ¡°What...!¡±


    In an instant, Aaron Mede¡¯s body retreated behind a wall, and the door they¡¯d entered through vanished.


    All the windows were blocked by opaque protective barriers.


    <i>nk! nk!</i>


    Numerous magical crossbows appeared in the air, pointing toward them, and violet smoke began seeping out from blue mana stones embedded in various ces around the room.


    Physical attacks, poison gas, and the transformation of the space itself...


    An alchemist¡¯s home was no different from a dungeon, and stepping into one voluntarily was nothing short of suicide.


    Harrietughed.


    The assassin had revealed his identity, so there was no need for further hesitation.


    ¡°Sure, I said I couldn¡¯t cast it myself, but who said I didn¡¯t have something that can?¡±


    Harriet pulled a scroll book from her belongings. With a wave of her hand, the pages automatically flipped to the right spot, and a scroll started to glow.


    Harriet was a mage. And on top of that, she was immensely wealthy.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The high-level spell, Anti-Magic Field, activated.


    ***


    Before Harriet and Ellen entered Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion, they had a conversation.


    ¡°That should be the ce,¡± Ellen indicated, pointing at a mansion visible in the distance.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Harriet replied.


    Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion was located on the outskirts of the capital. The area wasn¡¯t entirely deserted, but it was secluded enough that few people passed by it.


    The mansion wasn¡¯t ostentatious, but neither did it appear modest.


    Ms. Mustang had rmended Aaron Mede as an expert with considerable skill in alchemy, though she did not say he had knowledge on the particr subject they were interested in. She had mentioned Aaron Mede in response to a simple academic curiosity, unaware that a homunculus that could control people already existed.


    In such uncertain circumstances, Harriet and Ellen were worried they might uncover some ufortable truths.


    It was unusual to suspect a Temple teacher outright, but there was no reason not to proceed with caution. They weren¡¯t ying a child¡¯s detective game; they were hunting an assassin who had tried to kill Reinhart.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Ellen asked, and Harriet shrugged.


    ¡°It seems suspicious, but not overly so. There¡¯s no such thing as a mage without secrets. Come to think of it, mages often set up workshops orbs in their basements. Then again, the scale of his workshop is ratherrge,¡± Harriet replied, assessing the massive mana-shielded space underground.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you look through it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to forcefully dispel a barrier of that magnitude, and any attempt to even try to peer through it would be detected. If it turns out to be innocuous, we¡¯ll face significant issues. We¡¯ll be disabling the barrier around a private property without permission, after all.¡±


    The person they were about to meet was probably just an ordinary teacher.


    Nevertheless, caution was necessary. Ellen had suggested they prepare for any eventuality, which had prompted Harriet to bring the scroll book her father had given her for emergencies.


    The spells contained within the scroll book, essible only with her biometric data, were powerful beyond imagination. It was entirely possible that the scroll book alone held the destructive power of a magical battalion.


    Its value was beyond estimation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him some questions. If everything seems fine, we¡¯ll apologize.¡±


    Harriet, feeling reassured after putting on the earrings Reinhart had gifted her, nodded as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.


    ¡°Will an apology be enough...?¡±


    ¡°So what if it isn¡¯t?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s nonchnt tone was enough to convince Harriet.


    Since some time ago, Ellen had started to resemble Reinhart more and more.


    ***


    <i>¡®She¡¯s a monster.¡¯</i>


    Aaron Mede couldn¡¯t shake off the thought.


    Thanks to the Anti-Magic Field, all magic-operated traps and facilities were rendered useless.


    Anti-Magic Field was not an omnipotent magical spell and couldn¡¯t neutralize all magical devices indiscriminately. However, the level of magic that had been triggered was excessively high. The scroll used by the Grand Duchess of the magic-renowned state of Saint-Ouen was of extraordinary power.


    Sure, that was understandable.


    But Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion also had mechanical traps, and those should still be functioning.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Bang!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Bang! Boom!</i>


    .


    .


    The ¡°monster¡± continued advancing, bursting through his traps with sheer bodily strength and breaking down the barriers of rooms without doors.


    He found himself in the peculiar situation of fleeing inside his own mansion.


    A single student enveloped in the blue me of Mana Reinforcement was walking through walls, advancing steadily.


    Walls copsed just bying into contact with her body. If they didn¡¯t break, she shed them apart with her sword.


    The sacred sword, Lament...


    Known for its de, cold and sharp like moonlight. It was the Holy Relic of Mensis, the god of the moon.


    Aaron Mede was being shown the power of a Holy Relic in the most unwee manner.


    How was this different from facing a Swordmaster? Attacks couldn¡¯t prate her mana-reinforced body, and the relic that replicated the Swordmaster¡¯s signature move, the Aura de, was formidable.


    <i>Thud! Thud! Crash!</i>


    Aaron found himself fleeing from Ellen, who burst through walls in the absence of visible doors.


    Even without seeing him as he fled, she seemed to be able to sense his exact path and continued to follow him.


    He could have used a teleportation scroll, but the damned Anti-Magic Field deployed by the Grand Duchess barred the use of magic.


    Of course, the Grand Duchess couldn¡¯t use magic either, but the monster chasing him did not care for magic.


    The mansion¡¯s staff might not have been at the Swordmaster level, but they could have at least bought some time. However, they had all copsed once the Anti-Magic Field activated.


    Soon enough, Aaron Mede found himself retreating to his underground workshop.


    The situation was the same there. The homunculi he had been experimenting on were either scattered or inactive.


    Aaron Mede entered his undergroundb, where not only homunculi were housed.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen bulldozed her way through the fortified, locked door of the undergroundb, quietly observing the scene before her, lit up by the blue me emanating from her body.


    Numerous grotesque experimental specimens were contained in vats.


    Creatures that looked like chimeras were still alive. They were grotesque amalgamations created by fusing different beings together, evoking horror just by looking at them. Some appeared to be partially human.


    There were chimeras that were created bybining humans with non-human parts¡ªsome even resembling demons.


    ¡°You,¡± Ellen said as she gazed at Aaron Mede through the mes of mana. ¡°You deserve to die.¡±


    Present issue aside, Ellen resolved that Aaron Mede had to be killed, no matter what.


    ¡°Heh, heh heh...¡±


    Aaron Mede¡¯s undergroundb was expansive, situated beneath the vast property of the mansion.


    It was broad and filled with numerous experimental subjects.


    Those that were unaffected by the Anti-Magic Field... Chimeras.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Aaron pulled a lever, opening the vats and releasing the chimeras.


    <i>Creak... Crack!</i>


    Some were formidable, others less so.


    But buying time was enough for Aaron Mede.


    Ellen watched as the pitiable beings in front of her writhed and screamed.


    She looked at those despairing creatures with sympathy.


    Aaron Mede ran through the undergroundb. If he could just get out of the Anti-Magic Field, he could teleport away.


    He sprinted toward the secret exit of the undergroundb.


    ¡°Kyahhh!¡±


    Ellen observed the dozens of chimeras rushing toward her.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    It was only a brief moment before Ellen began slicing through the chimeras.


    ***


    Sarkegar was beside in sparrow form, as was Eleris, who was concealed by an invisibility spell.


    Not knowing what might happen, I had brought along all avable forces except for Loyar. Aaron Mede was an alchemist, after all, and unpredictable in his actions.


    We did not enter through the front door.


    ¡°This is the secret passage?¡±


    ¡ªYes, Your Highness.


    It was the sparrow on my shoulder, Sarkegar, that replied.


    Its cute chirping contrasted bizarrely with the gloomy and ominous voice I heard when it spoke¡ªan eerie feeling.


    A tremendous being of darkness, yet in the form of a sparrow... It felt odd to have such a thing tagging along.


    The mansion was built on a secluded piece ofnd on the outskirts of the capital, and the secret passage was even further away, deep within the forest.


    Hidden among the thick vines of a leafy hill, one could see what looked like an iron door if one looked closely enough.


    We would enter through this passage and capture Aaron Mede from within the mansion before he could realize it.


    ¡ªThe atmosphere seems strange. It feels like something¡¯s happening right now...


    Eleris, concealed by an invisibility spell, was just about to exin further when suddenly, an explosion reverberated from within the mansion.


    <i>Grrrr...</i>


    A metal door that shouldn¡¯t have moved opened, and someone with a panicked expression burst out.


    ¡°...?¡±


    The moment that person saw me standing casually outside, their face turned pale as if their heart had stopped.


    ¡°... How did you...?!¡±


    ¡°... What the?¡±


    I didn¡¯t actually know what Aaron Mede looked like, since I¡¯d never seen him before.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s Aaron Mede.


    Sarkegar¡¯s exnation helped me identify him.


    The flustered middle-aged man looked stunned to see me.


    ¡°... Why is heing out through here?¡±


    ¡ªI do not know, Your Highness.


    For whatever reason, Aaron Mede was standing right in front of me. He had the same expression on his face as I did, clearly wondering what I was doing there.


    He looked at the talking sparrow and back at me, waiting by his secret exit, pondering for a moment before seemingly giving up on figuring it out.


    His hand moved towards his coat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    I drove my fist into his gut as he tried to reach for something.


    ¡°Guuhhh!¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, don¡¯t even think about it, you bastard.¡±


    I grabbed his hair, pulling his head up from where hey pitifully on the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take responsibility for what you¡¯ve done, starting now.¡±


    ¡°Gugh... Argh!¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Suddenly, the metal door, which had closed itself, was violently kicked open, and someone else came rushing out.


    ¡°Huff... Huff... Huff...¡±


    Withbored breaths, Ellen appeared, sttered with bits of flesh and streaks of blood. She looked panicked as her gaze alternated between Aaron Mede, whom I was holding by his hair, and me.


    ¡°... Reinhart?¡± Ellen uttered.


    ¡°... Why the hell are youing out of there?¡±


    <i>¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ </i>I thought.


    Ellen, Aaron Mede and I¡ªand even though they weren¡¯t speaking, Sarkegar and Eleris¡ªall appeared equally clueless about what was going on.

 Chapter 257

    <h4>Chapter 257</h4>


    We didn¡¯t know why or how this situation hade to be.


    But we could tell what was going on. Ellen had attacked Aaron Mede, and he¡¯d tried to escape through the secret exit, only to encounter me just as I was about to go in.


    But that wasn¡¯t all.


    Eleris knew Ellen, but Sarkegar did not.


    Ellen wielded Lament in her right hand. Sarkegar wasn¡¯t as brutish as Loyar, and was capable of understanding the implications.


    I needed to get Ellen out of here quickly, before Sarkegar figured something out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Right now, dealing with Aaron Mede was the top priority.


    I stripped him of his robe, taking away every scroll he had hidden away.


    He couldn¡¯t teleport on his own. I didn¡¯t know all the details, but I had heard enough.


    ¡°You came with Harriet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Bring her here.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s dangerous to leave you. I should stay here and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bring her here,¡± I repeated, cutting her off in amanding tone.


    Ellen looked at me quietly.


    Bringing Harriet over wasn¡¯t the issue. I didn¡¯t want Ellen to hear what I was about to say.


    ¡°Okay. Be careful.¡±


    Ellen re-entered the secret passage, leaving me alone with Aaron Mede. Though he couldn¡¯t see them, Eleris and Sarkegar were nearby.


    ¡°H-Hey... no, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but this is all a mistake.¡±


    Aaron Mede seemed to realize he was screwed and tried to cover it all up with nonsense that he knew I wouldn¡¯t believe.


    I grabbed his cor and smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a misunderstanding. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that you deserve to die, whether you tried to kill me or not.¡±


    Aaron Mede was certainly the culprit; and even if he wasn¡¯t, he was a mad scientist who deserved death regardless.


    I made sure Ellen was far enough away. I had to keep her away to prevent him from blurting out anything about a talking sparrow. That couldplicate matters.


    I had questions to ask, so Aaron Mede¡¯s desperate attempt to flee was a stroke of luck.


    Had Ellen killed him instantly, we would have missed out on crucial information.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I need to know: how do I contact the ck Order?¡±


    He stared nkly back at me. ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°Answer quickly. If you don¡¯t say anything by the time my friend returns, I¡¯ll make sure you die in the most excruciating way possible.¡±


    The ck Order...


    Since magic was likely the cause of the Gate Incident, it was crucial to understand the location and intentions of the various secret magic societies out there, as they might very well be behind the incident.


    Unknown magic societies certainly existed, and it was essential to learn whatever I could about those I was already aware of.


    I didn¡¯t know everything about the magic societies since I did not write about them extensively, but I had some knowledge.


    The ck Order was the first one of them, and thankfully, I had some information about the ck Order.


    Aaron Mede was astounded to not only find me waiting at his escape point, but also knowing about the ck Order.


    ¡°You... Who... who are you?¡±


    He began to realize I was a significant figure, one beyond his own understanding.


    He was right.


    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to know.¡±


    I tightened my grip on his cor, shing a sinister smile.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll kill you? No, I won¡¯t. If you don¡¯t talk, I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll hand you over to Cantus Magna.¡±


    One of the few things I knew about the ck Order was their connection with the magic society known as the Forbidden Spell Hunters.


    Their true name was Cantus Magna.


    Cantus Magna, the Forbidden Spell Hunters, and the ck Order, the wielders of numerous forbidden spells...


    The ck Order and Cantus Magna were eternal enemies.


    Handing this guy over to Cantus Magna would be a fate worse than death.


    His face turned deathly pale.


    An ordinary person might recognize the term ¡°Forbidden Spell Hunters¡±, but they wouldn¡¯t know about the organization Cantus Magna.


    The fact that I knew it shocked him even more.


    Knowing not only about the ck Order but also their rtionship with Cantus Magna would certainly make him see me in an even stranger light.


    ¡°L-Let me go, and I¡¯ll connect you with the ck Order! I can introduce you to a member! Anything you want! You could even be a member of the Order if you want¡ª!¡±


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    With a sudden explosion, Aaron Mede¡¯s head burst open.


    Quite literally, without any warning.


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared in a daze at the headless body, blood spurting from the neck like a fountain.


    In all my life, I thought I had seen it all.


    I could guess what had happened.


    Turning around, I saw a mage in a ck robe calmly staring at me. Nothing was visible under that ck hood.


    I had anticipated this. I knew they¡¯d be keeping an eye on this situation, even if they didn¡¯t intervene. But they had chosen to intervene.


    If I hadn¡¯t known about the Order, they would have ignored me. But I had made a mention of it.


    Eleris and Sarkegar did not act, but they would be on high alert.


    The person in the ck robe stood there, staring at me from within the deep darkness of their hood.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re suddenly going to show up like that, you could at least say something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Aaron Mede was a member of the Order, but of a lower rank.


    The person before me had executed him immediately. This meant they were of a higher rank.


    I had no idea who they were.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m asking you to say something. Don¡¯t just stare coldly at me.¡±


    After a long silence, the person suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Do you have information about Cantus Magna?¡±


    I smiled inwardly. I never expected to establish contact with the ck Order through Aaron Mede, but I knew that mentioning Cantus Magna in front of a ck Order member would inevitably draw their attention to me.


    Some of the details I did not know, but knew enough to recognize the outlines, and this was something I knew.


    The two magical societies hated each other more than anything. Above all else, one of their primary goals was to eradicate the other.


    It was only natural for them to be eager for information about each other.


    An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t even know the name of such a ndestine magic society, and so the fact that a student from the Temple had mentioned Cantus Magna alone would make them reach out to me.


    ¡°A trade requires an exchange of value, doesn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t just give you the information for free.¡±


    ¡°... What do you want, boy?¡±


    I stared at the ck-d mage within the hood.


    ¡°Your knowledge.¡±


    Forbidden spells... The countless forbidden spells held by the ck Order.


    They might have been the reason behind the Gate Incident.


    To prevent the Gate Incident, I had to walk across yet another dangerous tightrope.


    To him, executing a worthless henchman meant nothing.


    He didn¡¯t appear because I had been threatening Aaron Mede, but because I had mentioned Cantus Magna.


    ¡°It better be urate information, boy.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know enough to discern whether it is or not?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The ck Order were wrongdoers, but they were not inherently evil.


    They had their own principles, which were different from society¡¯s norms.


    Thus, he showed no reaction to my sarcastic remark.


    ¡°I wille to you in due time.¡±


    ¡°... To the Temple?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be difficult.¡±


    Their reach extended even into the Temple. It was a sobering realization. I had begun to meddle with those untouchables. The tension made my skin tingle.


    But what had to be done, had to be done.


    ¡°A boy whomands a Vampire Lord as a servant wouldn¡¯t tell simple lies.¡±


    Of course, he had already sensed Eleris, who was near to me, but under an invisibility spell. He would already know about the talking sparrow as well.


    An enigmatic presence alone could inspire strange forms of trust.


    The ck Order mage vanished like a mirage.


    The chilling feeling that I was crossing a truly dangerous river ran down my spine.


    I had to go as far as I could. Even if I copsed midway, the only way was forward.


    ***


    Ellen hurried back with Harriet, perhaps thinking I was in danger.


    The ck Order mage had departed, and I moved Aaron Mede¡¯s corpse aside.


    Harriet looked deeply troubled, likely due to what she had witnessed along the way.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°... Do I really need to say it?¡±


    I pretended to hesitate, as if I didn¡¯t want to admit that I had killed him, although I wasn¡¯t the one who had killed Aaron Mede.


    Considering the bloodstains all over me, they probably formted their own ideas of what had happened.


    Harriet hadn¡¯t seen the body, but her pained expression suggested she assumed I had nonchntly killed someone.


    Her expression was not borne out of anger or fear, but sadness.


    Sadness because I had be that kind of person.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what happenedter. We need to deal with this issue first.¡±


    We postponed any discussion of how they ended up at Aaron Mede¡¯s estate, or why I hade alone.


    We had effectively killed a Temple teacher.


    Sorting this issue out was the immediate priority.


    ***


    I sent Ellen and Harriet back first and assured them that I would handle things.


    Both Ellen and Harriet seemed anxious and looked like they had a lot to say, but my resolute demeanor prevented them from forcing me to go back with them. I was angry that they had been there in the first ce.


    As we left Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion and headed to the outskirts of the capital, Eleris dispelled her invisibility, and Sarkegar reverted from sparrow form into an ordinary-looking person, although he did not take the form of Count Argon Pontius. Instead, he appeared as an unremarkable adult woman.


    Both Eleris and Sarkegar seemed to have much to say.


    Eleris likely wanted to know why I sought to contact the ck Order. Her demeanor had grown colder, since she was understandably wary of my intentions.


    But Sarkegar¡¯s demeanor needed to be addressed.


    ¡°Your Highness, unless my eyes deceive me, it seemed one of the two children aiding you was wielding Lament.¡±


    Sarkegar naturally had questions over Ellen. His eyes, which were always full of obedience, now seemed different.


    He was staring at me with an expressionless face.


    His face might have been that of an ordinary person, but the intensity of his gaze was chilling.


    The dreadfiend... A demon of terror.


    Sarkegar didn¡¯t waste many words.


    The Moon God¡¯s Sword, Lament, was known alongside Alsbringer as one of the swords wielded by Ragan Artorius. It had vanished without a trace, and was never used in the Great War.


    Now, though, a girl had appeared wielding it. A girl with unnaturally immense power for her age.


    Sarkegar was specting, and he was likely close to the truth.


    Sarkegar stared at me.


    His nk, wide-eyed gaze, his sclera visible, was enough to send chills down my spine.


    ¡°Your Highness. Even if you choose not to tell me now, there are many ways I can find out. Please, tell me everything now.¡±


    Sarkegar, ever loyal, never sought money, praise, or any other form of reward.


    His only motivation was hismitment to the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    For that alone, Sarkegar wouldy down his life for me. But if Icked that resolve, he would do whatever it took to instill it in me.


    Ellen¡¯s life was in danger.


    If I said nothing, Sarkegar would discover on his own that Ellen was indeed Ellen Artorius.


    The one thing Sarkegar likely hated most in this world was undoubtedly the hero who slew the Demon King: Ragan Artorius.


    His sister was growing into a monster within the Temple, and Sarkegar wouldn¡¯t leave that unchecked.


    If I didn¡¯t speak now... If I couldn¡¯t persuade Sarkegar otherwise, Ellen would die.


    If Sarkegar decided to kill Ellen, there was no way I could stop him.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. She possesses Lament.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And, her name is Ellen Artorius. She is Ragan Artorius¡¯s younger sister.¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s eyes widened at my words.


    ¡°Your Highness, why on earth would you, of all people, form a bond with the blood of that ursed hero?!¡±


    Not only were Sarkegar¡¯s eyes bloodshot, but his whole skin was turning shades of blue and red.


    It seemed his anger was causing him to lose control of his body. Eleris also appeared tense, her fingers twitching with agitation.


    Eleris likely had doubts about my intentions to contact the ck Order as well.


    Sarkegar, who thirsted for war, and Eleris, who desired peace... both of them currently viewed me with suspicion.


    But the one I needed to persuade first was the enraged Sarkegar.


    He was furious that I hadn¡¯t told him about Ellen, and the fact that I was close enough to her that she was willing to risk her life to save me.


    One wrong word, one incorrect statement and it wouldn¡¯t be me who lost my life, but Ellen. I might suffer a fate worse than death.


    Just as Eleris was dangerous despite being on my side, Sarkegar was also dangerous while being on my side.


    I could feel that in my very skin.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I said.


    ¡°What is obvious?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I get close to Ragan Artorius¡¯s younger sister?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is the reconstruction of the Demon Realm merely an emotional issue for you, borne out of a desire for revenge?¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s expression didn¡¯t improve.


    ¡°Who suggested I attend the Temple to learn human methods to defeat humans with their own weapons? Wasn¡¯t that you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡°Your Highness, attend the Temple and learn their methods thoroughly! Defeating them with their own weapons is the truest form of revenge!¡±</i>


    Sarkegar had been the one most vehemently in favor of sending me to the Temple.


    Wasn¡¯t this just an extension of his logic?


    ¡°Ragan Artorius¡¯s younger sister, a weapon that humans will surely consider their most powerful one, is risking her life to save mine. Why are you angry about this?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I did not n the events of today, but I thought you¡¯d at least be pleased to know this.¡±


    Sarkegar nodded slowly.


    ¡°You are saying, Your Highness, that you are using the bloodline of that damned hero. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    Sarkegar studied me intensely.


    He moved a step closer, bringing his face right up to mine, our noses were almost touching.


    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re terrible at lying.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s unyielding gaze bore into me.


    ¡°You think I do not know that you genuinely care for that child?¡±


    When Ellen had suddenly appeared, I had lost myposure. I had been genuinely flustered. It had been such an unexpected situation, and Sarkegar had seen right through my reaction.


    <i>¡®I will use Ellen. I¡¯ll make her my ally and utilize her.¡¯</i>


    Sarkegar couldn¡¯t possibly believe such cold words. My own reactions had betrayed me, revealing Ellen¡¯s importance to me. Just as Ellen thought of me as precious, I thought the same of her.


    Sarkegar had already perceived that.


    I met Sarkegar¡¯s intense gaze head-on. I was terrified, but could not back down.


    ¡°So what if I do?¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    My bold statement left Sarkegar astonished, and even Eleris seemed taken aback by my words.


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, it was Ragan Artorius who killed my father, the former Demon King, not Ellen!¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I like a human for once? Is that such a great sin?¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s eyes widened in a different kind of shock at my sudden outburst of profanity.


    ¡°Your Highness! Ragan Artorius is the archenemy who murdered the former Demon King! You should be eradicating the entire Artorius bloodline! How can you treasure someone with such vile and filthy blood? This is uneptable!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, you bastard. Yes, I n to use her, and yes, she¡¯s important to me. So what?!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Bloody hell, you twit. Hey. Is it your ce to question what the Demon King does?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I narrowed my eyes, causing Sarkegar to take a step back. I shook my head as I watched him retreat.


    ¡°You know what, this won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Highness... Wh-What do you mean it won¡¯t work...?¡±


    ¡°You be the Demon King.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. You be the Demon King. If you¡¯re going to question everything I do, then you might as well take the role. Isn¡¯t that right? Just do it, you son of a bitch. Transform into an Archdemon and take over!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! You know that¡¯s not my intention, nor could I ever assume such a role!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡±


    I stepped closer to Sarkegar, and with each step forward that I took, he took one backwards.


    ¡°Then shut up and do as I say. Just do the tasks I entrust you with. What¡¯s it matter to you if I act like an asshole or if I do something iprehensible? So what if I¡¯m friends with the hero¡¯s sister or deeply involved with her? What will you do if you can¡¯t understand my actions?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am the only Archdemon!¡±


    I leaned my face close to Sarkegar¡¯s. ¡°Whether or not you understand or agree with my actions, you have no other choice but me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Leave Ellen alone,¡± I said, and Sarkegar¡¯s eyes wavered. ¡°Unless you want the Archdemon¡¯s corpse in your hands. Do you understand me?¡±


    <i>¡®To die for you... I never intended to prove that sentiment here, but...¡¯</i>


    Here I was, in a ce without Ellen beside me, risking my life to intimidate my subordinate. I could see clearly the fear, anger, and sorrow in Sarkegar¡¯s eyes.


    After a long moment, tears eventually flowed from Sarkegar¡¯s intense eyes. ¡°Your Highness. This cannot be. The child knows nothing, does she?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Although I do not understand... You may ept her, Your Highness, but she will never ept you.¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s tears were, in the end, tears of genuine concern for me.


    ¡°Your Highness, this is dangerous,¡± he pleaded tearfully. ¡°It is far too dangerous a rtionship, and a gamble you should not be taking.¡±


    Eleris had also said she hoped our rtionship would not end tragically.


    Just because I was able to cherish someone from the bloodline of the one who had killed my father didn¡¯t mean Ellen could ept someone from the bloodline of the one who had killed her brother.


    I wasn¡¯t merely a simple enemy. I was both a scion of the bloodline of her enemy, and the seed of a significant conflict.


    It would be impossible for Ellen to ept me.


    I understood Sarkegar¡¯s tears, his worries, his anxieties, and his words. I understood them all, but understanding them did not mean I would heed them.


    ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t care about anything else, but if you so much as touch a hair on Ellen¡¯s head, the entire Demon Realm and everything else with it will be gone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one thing you need to remember. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... please.¡±


    ¡°Answer me.¡±


    ¡°This cannot be. Please, anything but this...¡±


    ¡°Answer me, now.¡±


    Sarkegar, sobbing uncontrobly, finally nodded.


    ¡°Yes... Your Highness.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t managed to convince him, but I had seeded in making him submit.

 Chapter 258

    <h4>Chapter 258</h4>


    It hadn¡¯t persuaded Sarkegar of anything. It was merely a threat.


    Since I couldn¡¯t hide the fact that I cherished Ellen, in the end, the only thing I had left to do was to put my life on the line and threaten Sarkegar with it.


    Sarkegar wouldn¡¯t be able to touch Ellen.


    He wouldn¡¯t be the type to test whether my threat was a bluff or not.


    But the fact remained that Ellen¡¯s identity was exposed.


    Although Sarkegar wouldn¡¯t take any action, he could monitor Ellen at any time, and her movements could certainly be tracked.


    From this moment on, Sarkegar would surely keep a close watch on Ellen. If she found out my identity and tried to do something to me, it was entirely possible that Sarkegar would act first.


    Eleris, who already looked troubled, did not ask me anything for the time being.


    Sarkegar left, filled with anxiety and fear, and so did Eleris.


    This wasn¡¯t the end of it, but I had to return to the original matter. I had to resolve the issue with Aaron Mede.


    Strictly speaking, I wasn¡¯t the one who had caused trouble this time. It had been Ellen and Harriet.


    The two of them were the ones who had entered Aaron Mede¡¯s home and fought with him. Harriet had set up the Anti-Magic Field, and Ellen was the one who had physically fought.


    Since I didn¡¯t actually kill Aaron Mede, there was no need to admit to it.


    However, I was reluctant to let those two know that I had contacted a ck Order mage. Naturally, they would vehemently oppose it and see it as some sort of madness.


    Moreover, they didn¡¯t even know that Aaron Mede had been a member of the ck Order.


    After listening to the detailed reasons that had led Ellen to this point, I felt rather conflicted.


    While we could cover up Aaron Mede¡¯s death, doing so would cast suspicion on Harriet and Ellen.


    Since they had visited him after a rmendation by Ms. Mustang, they inevitably be strongly implicated in his death, which hade so soon after that.


    We couldn¡¯t hide it, and so we had to reveal it.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, there had been no living servants in Aaron Mede¡¯s house, as they had all been mind-controlled by homunculi.


    Ellen and Harriet had gone to Aaron Mede¡¯s house, saw numerous inhumane experiments being conducted. Aaron Mede had tried to kill them, but had ended up being killed instead.


    That was how the situation was going to beid out.


    ***


    Vertus crossed his arms and smirked at my request. ¡°Do you want me to make it seem like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want you to make it look like that; that¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got into trouble again, but now it¡¯s chimeras and homunculi. There¡¯s definitely something off about your life. It¡¯s clear. I¡¯m getting tired of bing involved in your messes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this time, it wasn¡¯t my fault. That guy tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of right or wrong, the fact that you¡¯re involved in such issues means there¡¯s something off.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    In the end, the only ones who could clean up such issues were Vertus or Charlotte. The facts weren¡¯t significantly different from the story I gave. Aaron Mede had indeed tried to kill Ellen and Harriet, and before that, he had tried to kill me.


    I thought about mentioning the ck Order, but decided against it. The imperial family could infer that Aaron Mede was part of the ck Order by examining his underground workshop.


    ¡°It¡¯s disgusting. A Temple teacher involved in such things. Mages...¡±


    Vertus clicked his tongue in contempt. He seemed quite annoyed that there were such people among the Temple¡¯s teachers.


    ¡°Even without your request, it would have been well handled. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°And the other kids?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t even be investigated. There¡¯s nothing to gain from revealing their involvement.¡±


    Just the fact that a Temple teacher was involved in human experimentation and numerous forbidden practices would be a fatal blow to Temple¡¯s image.


    This incident would be buried. Aaron Mede would be treated as a missing person, and the issues, including the assassination attempt, would sink below the surface.


    Powerful people were able to brush certain issues under the carpet to avoid having to deal with troublesome matters.


    It was the same in any world.


    This incident would disappear, slowly and quietly, regardless of my needs.


    With that, the threat of assassination that had been draining my energy for quite a long time came to an end.


    [Event Completed - Assassination Threat]


    [Trait - ¡®Qi Sense¡¯ acquired.]


    [Trait: Qi Sense]


    [Description: A trait that allows one to identify threats, ranging from immediate life-threatening dangers to long-term risks. It aids inbat by sensing killing intent and allows one to detect and identify dangerous factors in advance.]


    It seemed like a trait that offered not just absolute benefits, but abstract ones as well.


    Traits that were granted by events were usually significant rewards.


    This time was no different.


    ***


    The incident was concluded. It wasn¡¯tpletely resolved yet, but it had now been passed into Vertus¡¯s hands. He would take care of the rest of it.


    The incident had urred in the outskirts of the capital, and since it had happened inside the mansion, there were no witnesses. Therefore, there was nomotion.


    There were a couple of things left for me to do.


    I had heard the full story of how Ellen and Harriet found Aaron Mede, but I hadn¡¯t organized that information yet.


    I first sought out Harriet.


    She wasn¡¯t in the Magic Research Club or the magicb in the dormitory, but holed up in her room.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet looked very pale.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Harriet cautiously opened the door. ¡°Do you want toe in?¡±


    Normally, she would never have let me in, but she looked in bad shape.


    Although she hadn¡¯t actually killed anyone, she must have seen some horrific things.


    Whatever she¡¯d seen, they must have been things beyond her imagination. Seeing something in reality was different from just imagining it or hearing about it.


    We sat across from each other at the table, and Harriet stared nkly at the empty table.


    Normally, I would have been angry, and demanded why they¡¯d done something so dangerous. Just as they had a lot to say to me, I had a lot to say to them.


    ¡°Why... why did he have to go to such lengths?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to make such things. Bugs that control people, mixing humans and beasts. Why did he have to create such things?¡±


    Chimeras... Harriet seemed to have had a mental breakdown after seeing the ones Ellen had cut down.


    She was horrified by the malice of the mage.


    ¡°Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Harriet, trembling, cautiously grabbed my hand. ¡°This time, I know it wasn¡¯t like that... I know you didn¡¯t do it on purpose... but... Can you not get involved in these kinds of scary things anymore? It¡¯s too frightening... I can¡¯t understand it... I don¡¯t mind other things, like fighting with the kids... but these kinds of things... Can you stay away from them?¡±


    Harriet, trembling, finally burst into tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared that you¡¯ll go too far away,¡± she continued. ¡°No, it feels like you already have, and it¡¯s terrifying...¡±


    I had been too calm while in the middle of such an event, and Harriet seemed to be afraid of that too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either,¡± I said. Harriet¡¯s hand was mmy with cold sweat. ¡°I¡¯ll try to do that.¡±


    It was a lie. A lie that had to be told, even though Harriet could see that it was a lie.


    At that moment, it was the only thing I could say.


    ***


    Later that night, I went to find Ellen in the dormitory¡¯s training grounds.


    Our bloodstained clothes had been cleansed using Harriet¡¯s purification magic, so we had faced no suspicion when returning to the Temple.


    Ellen and I were the only ones in the training ground.


    Ellen looked at me without saying a word.


    <i>Click.</i>


    Ellen silently locked the door of the training grounds.


    I had a feeling I knew why.


    ¡°Summon it.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Tiamata.¡±


    <i>Ssss...</i>


    Lament was in Ellen¡¯s right hand.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    Ellen stared at me with her dark blue eyes. ¡°Do it.¡±


    I summoned Tiamata in my right hand.


    A blue me enveloped Ellen¡¯s body as she charged at me.


    <i>Kang!</i>


    Even though I pushed my physical enhancement to the limit, Tiamata still slipped from my grasp in a single sh, and the tip of Ellen¡¯s Lament was pointed at my throat.


    An overwhelming difference in skill... Was that what she wanted to show me?


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s eyes were filled with seething anger.


    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for Harriet, I might have died,¡± Ellen stated calmly.


    Even Ellen, with her Mana Reinforcement, might have died in the alchemist¡¯s house without Harriet¡¯s Anti-Magic Field. That was what she was saying.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gone.¡±


    Ellen, unaware that I had brought Sarkegar and Eleris with me, couldn¡¯t help but be angry.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Unable to contain her anger, Ellen threw Lament onto the floor.


    The divine relic rolled across the ground like trash.


    ¡°I told you not to do dangerous things!¡± Ellen shouted, trembling. ¡°I... I told you. So many times. So many times. Why... why do you... why do you keep...¡±


    Tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall.


    ¡°Why do you do this... Why...¡±


    She believed that if she and Harriet hadn¡¯t reached the house first, I would have died. And she was right.


    If I had gone alone, I would certainly have died.


    Since there was no way I could exin myself, Ellen was understandably frustrated.


    She could only think of me as a madman who couldn¡¯t control his need for petty vengeance.


    Ellen, crying, grabbed my hand.


    ¡°You should have at least brought that white-haired <i>ahjumma along </i>with you. Why do you always... why do you always try to do everything alone?¡±


    Not taking Loyar with me had indeed been a mistake.


    Ellen seemed to be going crazy just knowing that I was involved in dangerous matters. She couldn¡¯t bear seeing me constantly crossing lines without any regard for my own safety.


    It was too much for her to handle.


    ¡°Are you angry?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m angry.¡± Ellen looked at me with her bloodshot eyes. ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m not angry?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen was right.


    If Harriet hadn¡¯t been with her, Ellen would have been helplessly killed in the alchemist¡¯s mansion. She wouldn¡¯t have even had a chance to fight, dying to the numerous magical traps.


    Thinking that I was the one who was lucky to be alive was a misconception.


    The one who was truly lucky to be alive was Ellen.


    Sarkegar had discovered Ellen¡¯s existence, and if I hadn¡¯t risked my life to threaten him, Sarkegar would have acted immediately.


    Even now, she couldn¡¯t be considered safe.


    Ellen was in long-term danger.


    Just as Ellen was angry, so was I. But she was in danger because of the actions she had taken for my sake, so I couldn¡¯t even me her for it.


    Still... I could have handled the matter myself.


    When I saw Ellening out of the secret entrance of Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion, my heart nearly stopped.


    <i>¡®Why is she here? She¡¯s still alive, but how did she get here? What if she dies like this?</i>


    <i>¡®And on top of that, Sarkegar¡¯s seen Ellen. What should I do? How should I handle this?¡¯</i>


    I had been caught up in a whirlwind of thoughts that almost made me lose my sanity.


    But I couldn¡¯t tell Ellen any of this. I couldn¡¯t tell her that she was in danger and would continue to be in danger.


    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you,¡± Ellen said as she red at me.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re invincible.¡±


    ¡°I might not be invincible, but I can protect myself better than you can.¡±


    That was true.


    But... Even if I disregarded the fact that Sarkegar knew about Ellen, Ellen and Harriet had overextended themselves.


    No matter how strong Ellen was at that moment, she was still below Loyar¡¯s level. No matter how strong Harriet was, she was still inferior to Eleris.


    They had overextended themselves. They¡¯d fought a life-or-death battle without fully understanding their opponent¡¯s capabilities.


    I was truly a hypocrite. I believed it was okay for me to do it, but not them.


    Someday, we might all have to be thrown into the mes of battle, but there was no need to experience it prematurely.


    But a more fundamental question arose.


    If Ellen became a Swordmaster and Harriet became a Grand Mage, would I be okay with them risking their lives for me?


    Probably not.


    And so I had to say something harsh.


    ¡°While I appreciate that you¡¯re willing to risk your life for me, there¡¯s no need for you to actually do it.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to just watch you go off to die? At the very least, you could have told me what you were thinking, what you were nning to do. Then we could have talked about it. Then... we could have at least gone together...¡±


    Ellen had no intention of backing down, but this wasn¡¯t a problem I could discuss with her. I couldn¡¯t even tell Sarkegar the specific reason why I had targeted Aaron Mede, so there was no way I could convince Ellen.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Just as I hadn¡¯t told Ellen anything, Ellen hadn¡¯t told me anything either while conducting her own investigation.


    In the end, Ellen and I were the same. We hadn¡¯t told each other of our ns because we were afraid the other would act recklessly.


    We didn¡¯t tell each other anything because we knew it was dangerous and feared the other would jump into the danger.


    I could lie and say that I wouldn¡¯t do dangerous things anymore, but Ellen wouldn¡¯t believe it. In reality, I would have to step into even more dangerous situations in the future.


    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t matter what I say, does it?¡± Ellen said, looking resigned.


    She knew she couldn¡¯t persuade me otherwise. If I were the type that could be persuaded, I wouldn¡¯t be living like this.


    ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll die too,¡± Ellen said, as if it was a warning. ¡°If you treat your life as worthless, then I¡¯ll think that you see my life as worthless too.¡±


    Was it a warning or a threat?


    It was both a warning and a threat, but ultimately, it was nothing at all.


    It was just words, an exchange of feelings. But such things are the essence of life.


    I threw her words back at her. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say.¡±


    Ellen red at me. She seemed angrier than before, perhaps because I¡¯d refused to back down.


    Ellen dismissed Lament and picked up a practice sword, tossing one to me as well.


    ¡°Take it.¡±


    Ellen pointed her practice sword at me.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to overextend yourself despite being weak, you should at least practice more.¡±


    Her provocation didn¡¯t stir any feelings in me, because I was indeed weak.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    <i>Kang!</i>


    Ellen charged at me, and I parried her blow.


    I could see a whirlwind of emotions in Ellen¡¯s eyes as she tried to find an opening in my defense.


    In the end, that day¡¯s practice didn¡¯t go well.


    It wasn¡¯t practice; it was just a fight.


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    If we were to exchange words, they would likely leave indelible scars on our hearts. It felt as though something irreparable would happen.


    So, instead of hurting each other¡¯s hearts, we chose to hurt each other¡¯s bodies.


    Naturally, I was the one who got hurt more.

 Chapter 259

    <h4>Chapter 259</h4>


    I had talked with Harriet and Ellen.


    But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. I had to exin to Eleris about why I knew about the ck Order and how I knew about Cantus Magna. My actions had shown that I knew things I shouldn¡¯t have.


    Sarkegar had an issue with Ellen, but he didn¡¯t consider the ck Order a problem. He could easily find his own reason as to why I was reaching out to new power.


    However, while Sarkegar might be fine, Eleris was not.


    I had been stirring up trouble, and now I was trying to approach the ck Order.


    Given the dangerous path I was treading, it would be hard to believe that I wasn¡¯t dreaming of rebuilding the Demon Realm.


    Sarkegar seemed almost pleased with this, so there was no need to speak with him.


    However, I had to somehow resolve the situation to prevent Eleris, my greatest ally, from possibly bing my enemy.


    The next day, I left the Temple and went to Eleris¡¯s semi-basement room.


    Eleris¡¯s demeanor was very different from usual.


    Unlike her usual bright greeting, Eleris was staring at me with a stern expression.


    If Eleris intended to kill me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you seek to contact the ck Order, and then youe to see me directly in this situation, yet you say that you¡¯re afraid. That fear can¡¯t be genuine.¡±


    ¡°I really am afraid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris stared at me silently.


    ¡°I thought you might bring Loyar or Sarkegar with you. But you came alone...¡±


    In the dimly lit semi-basement, even without it being night, Eleris¡¯s powers would be at their peak. Eleris, who could kill me even under the zing midday sun, would have no trouble killing me in this environment.


    ¡°Your Highness, you are a peculiar person.¡± I could see the emotion in her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t understand why you would try to ally with a dangerous group like the ck Order and yet risk your life to protect a child like Ellen.¡±


    She seemedpletely unable to understand me.


    ¡°Your Highness, whatever you¡¯re dreaming of, you trust me too much... You shouldn¡¯t. If you¡¯re dreaming of rebuilding the Demon Realm, you should distance yourself from me. Even if that isn¡¯t your dream, your trust in me is excessive. Why... Why do you trust me so much? You don¡¯t even know me well.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s tone was pleading, and she looked on the verge of tears.


    Although there had been some friction with Sarkegar, he could never kill me. He ultimately had toply with my demands, and while he found Ellen¡¯s existence hard to tolerate, at the moment, he couldn¡¯t touch her.


    But Eleris was different.


    Eleris continually harbored suspicions and concerns that I might be dreaming of war and the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.


    Eleris was a difficult subordinate to manage. A subordinate who could kill me at any time if my intentions shed with her values.


    There was no reason to keep such a subordinate close, yet I had always favored Eleris. She couldn¡¯t understand why.


    The trust between Eleris and me had now cracked.


    Now that I had reached out to the ck Order, Eleris would never believe my ims of wanting peace.


    Just while she had to be contemting what to do with me, I had shown up alone, almost as if asking to be killed. Her confusion was understandable.


    When I had first fallen into this world, I had been stressed out, having no idea what was going on. Meeting Charlotte had reassured me, but I was still lost, even in the imperial capital.


    When all I had been worried about was surviving to see the next day, I¡¯d met Eleris.


    In a world full of humans, I met someone who had to be on my side.


    It felt like finding an oasis in the desert. Meeting Eleris back then felt like salvation.


    So, regardless of what Eleris truly was, my heart naturally leaned towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never lied,¡± I said as I looked at Eleris calmly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in rebuilding the Demon Realm, nor am I interested in war.¡±


    Eleris looked unconvinced. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t believe me. iming to be a pacifist while constantly stirring up trouble was just too much.


    I knew that bringing Eleris to Aaron Mede¡¯s house would lead to this situation.


    This moment was inevitable.


    Eleris now had a very important role to y.


    ¡°If I told you I know the future, would you believe me?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    I intended to tell Eleris about the future.


    ***


    <i>¡°I know the future.¡±</i>


    Eleris was taken aback, not knowing how to react to my sudden statement.


    I wanted to tell others as well, but I couldn¡¯t.


    It would require having to exin too many other things, some of which could never be revealed.


    Still, I wanted to tell at least one person, and that person was Eleris. To be precise, I wanted to eliminate thest bit of distrust Eleris had towards me.


    I wanted to make Eleris truly my ally. An ally who wouldn¡¯t doubt me no matter what I did.


    ¡°Your Highness... what... what exactly are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything about the future. What I know are just a few major events that will happen. And I can¡¯t predict the future, since it changes in real-time.¡±


    It was difficult to exin in detail. She wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told her I was practically the creator god of this world, and I didn¡¯t want to say that either.


    I didn¡¯t know this ce at all. It was a house built by others, on the foundation I hadid. I knew the framework, but I still did notprehend the fullypleted world.


    ¡°My knowledge of the ck Order and Cantus Magna are things I knew beforehand. You know, I have no reason or way to know about such things.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... are you saying you¡¯re someone from the future?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but it¡¯s something simr.¡±


    This was probably the kind of situation where the phrase ¡°the plot thickens¡± was most appropriate. Eleris looked at me as if she was convinced that something was seriously wrong with my head.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to believe it, and it won¡¯t make sense, but just listen,¡± I continued.


    It would take too long to answer each question Eleris might have. For the moment, Eleris remained silent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much evidence to present. The important thing is, in two years, warp gates across the entire continent will suddenly connect to another world, and because of that, a lot of people will die.


    ¡°I call this the Gate Incident. I don¡¯t know the exact cause of it, but if left unchecked, hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people will die.


    ¡°Right now, the only thing I can think of that could cause such a thing is magic. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to find clues in the magical realm. Organizations like the ck Order or Cantus Magna might be the cause of this event, or they might know how to prevent such a thing from happening, so I¡¯m trying to contact them.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to expand my influence now as well, because if things don¡¯t go wellter on, I might have to take drastic measures such as destroying all the warp gates on the continent.


    ¡°That may be one of several possibilities. Looking ahead, I need to be capable of many things.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard to believe, and I know you might be suspicious about why I know such things. Now, ask your questions.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t someone who coulde and go freely. That was why I needed Eleris to act on my behalf.


    Eleris could use Teleportation, so she was the only one around me who could execute my most important orders immediately and urately.


    Eleris had to believe that I¡¯d either lost my mind, or that I was telling the truth. She remained silent for a very long time.


    ¡°Suddenly hearing such things... I¡¯m not sure what to do...¡±


    In the end, it seemed Eleris was finding it difficult to believe me.


    ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s hard to believe. But at least understand that I don¡¯t wish for war, or the extinction of humanity.¡±


    She probably didn¡¯t believe that either.


    The Orbis ss had been dismantled, and I couldn¡¯t use the minor events happening within the Temple as evidence.


    But I did know a few certain things about the future.


    ¡°Do you remember that club I mentioned creating?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you created something called the Magic Research Club and even became its president...¡±


    ¡°Very soon, they will create something astonishing.¡±


    Eleris seemed surprised by that.


    Eleris already knew about the Magic Research Club from what I had told her. She had been surprised that I, who knew nothing about magic, was its president.


    She also knew about the things we were trying to create there, but like the others, Eleris had been skeptical.


    That¡¯s why Eleris had told me about the method of manifesting magic using ambient mana.


    ¡°Could it be...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I knew they would create such items in the future. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been pushing them to make them in advance.¡±


    Power Cartridges and Moonshine...


    If the students managed to create those two items, Eleris would start to believe that I knew the future to some extent.


    ¡°And, although the future has changed substantially, and I¡¯m not quite sure how things will ultimately turn out, Alsbringer will choose its master. That master will be my ssmate, Ludwig.¡±


    Another certain future... The next master of Alsbringer after Ragan Artorius was going to be Ludwig.


    Eleris was hearing the name Ludwig for the first time in her life.


    ¡°Ellen... Are you saying it won¡¯t be her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now that she knew Ellen¡¯s true identity, Eleris found it hard to believe that the next master of Alsbringer wouldn¡¯t be her.


    ¡°In time, you¡¯ll see. Whether I truly know the future or not.¡±


    She might not believe it now, but as my words graduallye true, Eleris will have no choice but to acknowledge it.


    Eleris seemed to sense something in my strange certainty.


    That my words were true, perhaps, or at least that I wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°Whether Your Highness received a divine revtion or something, I can¡¯t say... but it¡¯s something I find hard to believe...¡±


    ¡°I expected that reaction. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t said anything until now. I¡¯d just be treated like a madman.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when the future I spoke of woulde to pass. But Eleris seemed willing to wait until she could confirm that my words were true.


    Until then, at least, she would still be my ally.


    ¡°Telling me this... That means I have a role to y, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Eleris seemed resolute, and gave me a look of determination. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    It seemed Eleris had decided not to turn away from me, at least for now.


    ¡°Listen carefully, and don¡¯t misunderstand me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    This was where things got important.


    ¡°We need to rebuild the Demon Realm.¡±


    Eleris let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched sound.


    ¡°... Excuse me?!¡±


    Her shock was understandable. Having just said that I wasn¡¯t dreaming of rebuilding the Demon Realm, I was suddenly talking about rebuilding it. It was aplete one-eighty.


    Eleris, after a moment of surprise, regarded me with a serious expression. She seemed to think that all my strange talk had been leading up to this.


    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s not about actually rebuilding the Demon Realm, but making humans believe that it has been rebuilt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean...¡±


    ¡°With Ragan Artorius dead, if rumors begin to spread that the Demon Realm has been rebuilt, humans will be thrown into a state of fear. Right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    The little senior, Rudina, had reacted like that previously.


    If the Demon King was resurrected after Artorius¡¯s death, who would kill the Demon King then?


    The fear of the Demon King... If Ragan Artorius, the only one who was considered a match for the Demon King, was not around, the reappearance of the Demon King would terrify humanity.


    Humans would be plunged into fear.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Only two years, or rather, not even two years.¡±


    The Gate Incident would ur at the start of the first semester of the third year, so it wasn¡¯t two years; there was just a little over a year left.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t eliminate the cause of the Gate Incident within that time, our fallback n will be to destroy all the warp gates across the continent. That might lead to other issues, but it¡¯s something we might have to do.¡±


    ¡°... That would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Destroying all the warp gates on the continent simultaneously would be impossible unless I controlled the whole empire itself.


    But while I couldn¡¯t control the empire, I could be its adversary.


    Bing someone¡¯s enemy meant having influence over them.


    ¡°If we make them believe that the forces of the Demon Realm are invading humannds through the warp gates, what do you think will happen?¡±


    Eleris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°They will... seal off the warp gates themselves... Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t destroy them, they will certainly fortify them.¡±


    That wouldn¡¯t solve everything, but it would significantly reduce the initial damage.


    ¡°So it¡¯s an insurance policy. Just in case. We don¡¯t actually need to rebuild the Demon Realm. It will be enough if we cause tension among the humans by insinuating that certain things are about to happen. And at the decisive moment, either me or someone else will im that the forces of the Demon Realm are attacking through the warp gates,¡± I borated.


    In reality, it wouldn¡¯t be demons but otherworldly monstersing through, but that didn¡¯t matter. The humans would be prepared.


    This was the contingency n in case I failed to aplish anything. For it to work, humanity needed to believe that the Demon Realm was being reconstituted and fear it.


    Eleris looked at me with a stern expression.


    ¡°And you want me to take on that role?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sarkegar and Loyar had other tasks to carry out, but Eleris hadn¡¯t been assigned anything. Moreover, as a mage, she could travel across the continent in an instant, giving her unparalleled mobility.


    I needed to entrust the task of ¡°rebuilding the Demon Realm¡± to the one who least desired it. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an actual rebuilding effort, but a pretense, with a different intention behind it.


    I had an inkling that Eleris would end up taking on this task.


    Eleris, too, seemed to ept this inescapable fate. ¡°Yes, Your Highness. But if all of this... is a lie...¡±


    If all of this was just a lie, would she consider killing me?


    ¡°I would be... very sad,¡± she continued.


    Even in a situation where she couldn¡¯t be sure whether to trust me, Eleris seemed unable to choose to hate me or harm me.


    When Eleris firstid eyes on me in the imperial capital, it seemed like she wanted to kill me.


    Was that just my imagination?


    Now, Eleris seemed like someone who couldn¡¯t harm a hair on my head.


    Now that the main topic of discussion had been settled, there were still important matters left to address.


    ¡°But... when you say rebuilding the Demon Realm, where do we even start?¡± Eleris asked.


    To begin spreading rumors of the Demon Realm¡¯s reconstruction in the human world, we had to take some action, but Eleris seemed unsure where to begin.


    ¡°The core of the Demon Realm was annihted, remember? But there were some who didn¡¯t heed the Demon King¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    These were the demon factions on the outskirts of the Dark Land who did not respond to the Demon King¡¯s summons.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start by subjugating them.¡±


    To take action, we needed actual power. Even if the reconstruction was just a facade, we needed some real strength to back it up.


    We had to subjugate the remaining demon factions and bring them under our control.


    The first target...


    ¡°The Vampire Council.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    They had never been part of the Demon Realm¡¯s forces to begin with.


    ¡°Gather them.¡±


    That was the first thing we needed to do.


    ¡°If we lock the doors, and put a holy sword to their necks, they¡¯ll swear a blood oath or whatever.¡±


    Eleris looked startled.


    I didn¡¯t know if we could break the pride of those long-lived vampires, but a holy sword might be enough to force open their closed hearts.


    After all, even Eleris had been intimidated when she first saw Tiamata, the ultimate weapon against the undead.


    History had proven it. There was nothing like violence to open closed doors.

 Chapter 260 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 260 [Illustration]</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know if Eleris believed that I knew the future.


    But since I had to entrust Eleris with the most important task ahead, I had to share the most crucial secret with her.


    She would realize over time that my words were true.


    She seemed to somewhat understand why I was trying to contact the magic societies and why there was so much that was strange about me. Thus, discussing the details of these matters with Eleris became a bit easier.


    I was trying to prevent a massive future crisis.


    With that overarching premise, there was no need to hold back in our discussions.


    But there was a problem.


    ¡°... You don¡¯t know?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say you know the future?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said I don¡¯t know everything. There¡¯s more I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°But still, you can¡¯t lie about something like the ck Order!¡± Eleris shouted in exasperation.


    <i>¡®Uh, this feels... It¡¯s like I¡¯m getting scolded by my mom for causing trouble...¡¯</i>


    ¡°What do you mean? I only knew that Aaron Mede was a member of the ck Order, not where to find them. So, I threw it out there, believing that if I missed this chance, I¡¯d never find a way to get in touch with them.¡±


    Eleris sighed. ¡°Your Highness... What should we do...? So, you don¡¯t know much about Cantus Magna either?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Another long sigh.


    When writing a long story, the length of it causes certain problems.


    When a story goes into long-term serialization, limits to human memory lead to inevitable issues.


    You might forget the plot threads you introduced, or you might find it too difficult to tie up those loose ends, so you just leave them hanging.


    In my case, the magic societies were one of these unresolved plot points. I didn¡¯t forget them, but the scope of the story became sorge that I just... couldn¡¯t deal with it.


    The way they were now was a product of my irresponsibility.


    The ck Order appeared once in the Aaron Mede incident and was mentioned in rtion to the Forbidden Spell Hunters, but that was it.


    I described them as something impressive, and I had certain ideas about them in my head, but they never appeared again. When the Gate Incident exploded, all the minor plot threads were either sucked in or forgotten.


    I never even mentioned what those guys did during the Gate Incident, and all I had leftover were the thoughts I had when I¡¯d initially set up the idea of magic societies.


    Magic societies acted ording to their own standards, regardless of societal morals. Just like the ck Order, the Forbidden Spell Hunters¡ªCantus Magna¡ªwould follow their own beliefs.


    The ck Order made a singr appearance in the novel, and Cantus Magna was only ever mentioned and never appeared.


    In the end, this was a mess I¡¯d created, so I had to figure it out myself.


    If the magic societies caused the Gate Incident, I needed to know more about them.


    The issue at hand was that I¡¯d pretended to have information that would interest the ck Order when I actually had nothing.


    That was why Eleris was looking at me with such disdain.


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t know much about Cantus Magna. But I do know how to set up a meeting with them.¡±


    ¡°Do you really know of such a way?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. But if I say this... I might get scolded really badly...¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯tplicated at all; the strategy was very simple, and it was probably even the best option.


    ¡°They¡¯re Forbidden Spell Hunters, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then if we use a forbidden spell, they¡¯lle, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris¡¯s expression turned icy. It felt simr to the asions when Ellen would give me a chilling look.


    However, Ellen¡¯s face was usually expressionless, and so it wasn¡¯t that bad. Seeing the ever-smiling Eleris offer up such an expression... It truly felt like a crisis.


    All you had to do to summon the Forbidden Spell Hunters was to use a forbidden spell...


    The logic itself was sound.


    ¡°What am I going to do with you?!¡± Eleris finally yelled, and smacked me on the head.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Wh-What have I done...!¡±


    Eleris, shocked by her own actions, started patting my head and apologizing profusely.


    The idea of using a forbidden spell to summon Cantus Magna was, of course, rejected.


    ¡°Eleris, think through this rationally. If the ck Order finds out I lied, we¡¯ll end up fighting them anyway. Either way, we¡¯ll end up in conflict with one of them, right?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡±


    Eleris sighed heavily, still fuming. ¡°Someone on the Council might know something. Let¡¯s start by looking for clues there. Some of their families are deeply intertwined with the human world.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Old vampires inevitably be mages. There¡¯s nothing like difficult studies to pass the time.¡±


    We would leave the most dangerous strategies on hold for the moment, and try to obtain some information from the Vampire Council.


    What happened next wouldrgely depend on whether we could bring them into the fold or not.


    ***


    While life at Temple continued on, I gave Eleris instructions for what had to be done outside.


    We had not yet gathered any information on Cantus Magna to offer to the ck Order, but the likelihood that we would have to fight them was very low. If push came to shove, I could always threaten to use a forbidden spell to summon them. The ck Order must have had their reasons for not using that method themselves, though.


    For the time being, the matter with Aaron Mede had been settled, and Eleris was the only one with whom I shared this secret.


    However, a problem arose...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You know, you two are pretty easy to read.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    We were quietly having breakfast. Riana was biting the end of her fork and looking back and forth between Ellen and me.


    ¡°Did you two fight again?¡±


    ¡°No. And what¡¯s with the ¡®again¡¯?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t fight.¡±


    <i>¡®They fought,¡¯ </i>was the prevailing sentiment on everyone else¡¯s faces.


    ¡°These two don¡¯t usually talk much, but you can tell when they¡¯ve fought.¡±


    At Riana¡¯s words, Adeliaughed awkwardly and scratched her head. She probably thought I might throw a fit if she said anything.


    Since thest incident, both Ellen and I had grown strangely silent, as if we had fought but also hadn¡¯t.


    Ellen was angry at me, and I was angry at Ellen.


    We were both worried about each other, but all that worrying only resulted in an increase in negativity.


    <i>¡®What should I say?¡¯</i>


    Both externally and internally, there were so many things to consider that made my head feel like it was going to explode.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t the only problem.


    Riana looked at the person sitting next to her and asked, ¡°And what¡¯s up with youtely?¡±


    Harriet, who had been picking at her breakfast with a gloomy expression, shook her head. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Harriet was suffering from something like PTSD because of the shocking scenes she¡¯d witnessed at Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion.


    Harriet hadn¡¯t participated directly in the fight. After setting up the Anti-Magic Field, Ellen had taken care of everything, but Harriet had still seen humans controlled by homunculi copse when she triggered her anti-magic spell.


    It wasn¡¯t murder, but Harriet seemed to think of it as such.


    And the horrific chimeras she¡¯d seen in the underground workshop... That alone was enough to be the direct cause of her trauma. I hadn¡¯t gone into theboratory myself, so I didn¡¯t see them, but Ellen seemed to never want to think about it again either.


    Something like that was unavoidable. I too suffered from nightmares for a while after seeing the horde of zombies.


    Considering how delicately Harriet had been raised, it was somewhat fortunate that she was only suffering from nightmares and trauma after witnessing such sights. In fact, it was a relief that she could still manage to carry on with her daily life.


    What had happened there was a secret, so very few people knew about it.


    Aside from Vertus, no one else understood why we were in such a state.


    As expected, Riana, who couldn¡¯t stand seeing us like this, suggested something to lift the mood.


    ¡°How about a change of scenery? I heard a lot of autumn flowers are blooming by the Irine River. Let¡¯s go see them after ss.¡±


    No one seemed particrly enthusiastic, but everyone nodded, likely thinking that refusing her would result in them getting an electric massage from a smiling Riana.


    ***


    After ss, Ellen, Harriet, Riana, Adelia, and I left Temple.


    Ellen walked a slight distance away from me, and Harriet was with Adelia.


    Because of this, Riana and I ended up walking in front.


    ¡°So, did you manage to resolve thatst issue?¡±


    ¡°... More or less.¡±


    If it hadn¡¯t been resolved, I wouldn¡¯t be out here like this. Riana was strangely perceptive yet oblivious at the same time.


    ¡°It seems like that incident left you all in this state...¡±


    She could guess that another incident that she didn¡¯t know about had urred somewhere, but didn¡¯t inquire further.


    That aside, why suggest a flower-viewing trip all of a sudden?


    I had no interest in such things. Come to think of it, Adelia, who was deeply into magic, wouldn¡¯t care much for flowers, and neither would Ellen. Of course, Harriet had grown up in a pce with gardens, and might actually enjoy it.


    ¡°Do you like flowers?¡± I asked.


    At my question, Riana tilted her head.


    ¡°Not really? Unless it¡¯s about clothes.¡±


    So, it was clear that this was just for a change of scenery, and she had no real interest in flowers.


    <i>¡®Who exactly are we doing this for?¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Irine River... In other words, the Han River of the imperial capital, Gradium.


    It was a ce I went to often while the Rotary Club still had its headquarters nearby, but I hadn¡¯t had much reason to visit since the headquarters was relocated.


    Autumn flowers were blooming everywhere, and many people were out for a stroll.


    The world was at peace after the Demon King¡¯s death.


    We watched people enjoying the flowers without a care in the world.


    We were just like them.


    Everyone hade to see the flowers without much thought, and Riana was no exception.


    Since we were there, we walked along the paths, admiring the flowers in full bloom.


    Riana grabbed my arm and pointed to a type of flower that was most abundant.


    It was the mostmon flower in bloom.


    ¡°What kind of flower is that?¡± Riana asked.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a cosmos,¡± I replied.


    ¡°... Huh. How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Um... Because it¡¯smon knowledge.¡±


    <i>¡®How can you suggest a flower viewing trip without even knowing what a cosmos is?¡¯</i>


    However, it seemed like Riana wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t know; everyone else looked puzzled too. They were all looking at me slightly differently.


    <i>¡®Why does this feel like an isekai plot twist out of nowhere?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wait, you all didn¡¯t know either?¡± I asked, bewildered.


    Adelia scratched her cheek. ¡°Oh... It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t know it was a cosmos...¡±


    ¡°... Is it just surprising that I know anything about flowers?¡± I asked.


    Ellen, Harriet, Adelia, and Riana all nodded.


    Of course. It was shocking that someone like me, who they probably saw as a delinquent, even knew the name of amon flower.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t have a deep interest in flowers, but I knew a bit.


    Of course, there was a time when I¡¯d tried to expand my vocabry by memorizing the names of all the flowers and their meanings, a pointless endeavor that didn¡¯t help my writing at all.


    Still, I ended up memorizing the names and meanings of severalmon flowers. The kind of flowers everyone knew.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that one?¡±


    ¡°A chrysanthemum.¡±


    ¡°And that one?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s also a chrysanthemum.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re different colors. The first one was white, and that one¡¯s yellow.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t you know that both red roses and white roses are still roses? Are you really that ignorant?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. They do look the same now that I think about it.¡±


    Even though it was nothing special, everyone looked at me as if I was some kind of marvel.


    <i>¡®What exactly do they think of me?¡¯ </i>


    I probably didn¡¯t need to ask.


    Riana seemed to find it amusing and kept asking me about the names of various flowers whenever she saw one she didn¡¯t recognize.


    While I rattled off the names of various flowers, there were still many I didn¡¯t know.


    There were flowers that only existed in this world, ones that might only exist in my original world, and also ones I just didn¡¯t know the names of.


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t recognize all of them. More often than not, I didn¡¯t know them.


    As the sun began to set, though, everyone was looking at me strangely.


    It was as though they were seeing apletely different side of me.


    ¡°Seriously, why are you all acting like this? Is it that surprising that I know a few flowers?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Riana said on behalf of everyone. ¡°The more I see you, the less I understand you.¡±


    At least they didn¡¯t see this side of me in a negative light.


    For some reason, Harriet¡¯s face was flushed.


    <i>¡®These punks... It seems like there¡¯s a big misunderstanding about me. I need to break this atmosphere.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But you know, I find flower viewing a bit strange.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Everyone seemed curious about what I would say next.


    ¡°Flowers are basically the reproductive organs of nts, right?¡±


    To be precise, I was talking about the pistil and stamen.


    I looked at the wildflowers scattered around.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny that all these people have gathered here to look at reproductive organs?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really a crazy lunatic.¡±


    I had sessfully ruined the mood.


    ***


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the flower viewing had really lifted anyone¡¯s spirits. As we were about to head back, Ellen grabbed my arm.


    ¡°A little longer.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Ellen gave me a look.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stay a little longer.¡±


    She wanted to be alone with me. Everyone else seemed to understand and left us alone without much fuss.


    They probably thought we needed time to talk, given their mistaken belief that we had fought.


    Without saying much, they left us behind.


    It was an autumn evening, and with the sun setting, we sat on the steps near the Irine River.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We had both been angry at each other.


    I would continue to get involved in dangerous matters, most of which I couldn¡¯t tell Ellen about. I didn¡¯t want to ask for her help. These matters were too dangerous.


    There was no way Ellen could know even a little about what I was going to do. If she did, the problem wouldn¡¯t just be that I was doing something dangerous; she would learn my secrets.


    If that happened, I didn¡¯t know what woulde after.


    I didn¡¯t want to imagine it.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± Ellen said softly.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°When someone is precious to you, you should say nice things to them, do nice things for them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But when someone is too precious, you end up saying hurtful things and causing them pain.¡±


    Ellen looked out quietly at the calm surface of the river, tinged with the red hues of the setting sun. ¡°It¡¯s foolish.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, it is.¡±


    I picked up a stone and threw it into the river, watching the small ripples it created as it sank beneath the surface under the burning autumn sunset.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    We apologized to each other.


    Ellen leaned her head on my shoulder.


    It was something she hadn¡¯t done in a long time.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Aaron Mede. You didn¡¯t kill him, did you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen already knew.


    She had to know.


    It was a lie I had concocted. Aaron Mede had died because his head had exploded. There was no way I could have inflicted such a wound.


    Even though I had hidden the body, Ellen might have seen it.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded.


    Ellen didn¡¯t press further.


    ¡°When I be a Swordmaster, will you tell me your secret?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even if she became more than a Swordmaster, there was no way I could tell her.


    I couldn¡¯t give her an answer.


    The moment when Ellen would inevitably learn my secret seemed to be approaching.


    It felt like an unavoidable fate, even if we could avoid the Gate Incident.

 Chapter 261 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 261 [Illustration]</h4>


    We didn¡¯t exactly reconcile because we hadn¡¯t really fought in the first ce.


    We had hurt each other in ways we couldn¡¯t fully understand, and we had ended it by apologizing to each other.


    However, Harriet¡¯s issue still remained.


    That night, I called Harriet to the tea terrace where I asionally talked with Vertus.


    When I asked if she was alright, Harriet forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m getting better.¡±


    She had no choice but to ovee it. It was a different kind of horror from seeing a corpse.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t understand it. I don¡¯t see why people have to do such horrific things,¡± she continued.


    Magic was supposed to make the impossible possible, but she couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would need to do something as grotesque as mixing different species together or creating such unnatural life.


    Harriet¡¯splexion was still poor, but she was gradually improving. She seemed to be find some measure ofposure as she sipped her tea.


    ¡°And how about things with Ellen?¡±


    ¡°We had a reasonable talk.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Harriet said with a sad smile. ¡°You said you fought a horde of zombies in the Dark Land, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m struggling just after seeing something like that back there. I can¡¯t imagine how hard it must have been for you and Ellen.¡±


    We had fought horrific monsters face-to-face, and Ellen had dealt with the chimeras herself.


    Harriet was struggling just after seeing the aftermath of that fight.


    I wanted to tell her that her struggles were no different from ours, but Harriet seemed to believe that her own struggle was a sign of her own weakness.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, Ellen would have died.¡±


    ¡°... All I did was use a scroll. That was it.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make what I said any less true.¡±


    Harriet looked at me quietly.


    If Harriet hadn¡¯t been there, Ellen might not have decided to fight. But once the fight began, Harriet¡¯s role was crucial.


    No matter how insignificant she thought her actions were, they were decisive.


    ¡°I want to try harder,¡± Harriet said as she looked out into the autumn night.


    ¡°You¡¯re already trying very hard.¡±


    Harriet looked at me.


    ¡°But I can try even harder, can¡¯t I?¡± she said.


    I didn¡¯t know when it started, buttely, there was a hint of sadness in all of Harriet¡¯s smiles.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here during the break.¡±


    Harriet seemed determined to stay and focus on her research with the Magic Research Club instead of going home after the semester ended.


    There was a glimpse of a desire for strength in her expression. Perhaps seeing Ellen fight so fearlessly had sparked something in her.


    I was the only one who felt like time was running out, but both Ellen and Harriet seemed anxious. Was it because of my influence?


    ***


    I needed to extract information from the magic societies. If push came to shove, I might have to resort to using my status as thest Demon King.


    I had to walk the path of the next Demon King, even if it was a pretense. A sessor to the Demon Realm who wielded no power would be nothing more than a good target, instead of someone to be wary of.


    People needed to know that the next Demon King existed. For that, I needed to at least have a minimum amount of power.


    The Vampire Council... I intended to bring them under my control, regardless of their will.


    However, I didn¡¯t know if the old vampires would fear either the holy sword or me.


    The Vampire Lords were almost all mages, and it was possible I could glean some information about the magic societies from them.


    The ck Order was willing to engage with me, and I was supposed to give them information about Cantus Magna, but I didn¡¯t expect them to approach me anytime soon.


    And while they had blown Aaron Mede¡¯s head off, they probably wouldn¡¯t try to kill me even if I fed them a little false information.


    They already knew I was a formidable person with a Vampire Lord as a subordinate.


    They wouldn¡¯t report me to the imperial authorities, as that would be like one criminal reporting on another.


    I still had some time before the Vampire Council convened.


    The final exams were approaching. After the finals, there would be a festival, and after the festival was the winter break.


    The busier I got, the harder it was for me to feel the changing of the seasons.


    The short autumn was alreadying to an end.


    It felt short not just because I was busy, but because that was the nature of both autumn and spring.


    Just when you think they¡¯ve arrived, they¡¯re already slipping away.


    <i>Crunch, Crunch.</i>


    The sound of fallen leaves being trampled on could be heard all around the campus.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    I brushed a fallen elm leaf off Ellen¡¯s head. She was standing there quietly, leaning against one of the columns at the dormitory entrance.


    Therge leaf sat on her head like a hat, and she didn¡¯t seem to care. Ellen was staring at me intently. Or rather, she was staring at the person next to me.


    ¡°Why do you always make that face when you see me?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Ellen was ring at Olivia Lanche.


    ¡°Do you have a problem with me?¡± Olivia Lanche asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ellen responded.


    ¡°Do you hate that I¡¯m close to Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on! If you¡¯re going to spout nonsense, just go!¡± Ellen eximed.


    I had run into Ellen in front of the dormitory while returning from a meeting with Olivia Lanche. Olivia red at Ellen, who red back at her with a sullen expression.


    I had some business with Oliviately, so we ran into each other a few times.


    Ellen and Olivia didn¡¯t get along at all.


    Then again... Not getting along often means there¡¯s some sort of rtionship there.


    Did they even have that kind of rtionship to begin with? I wasn¡¯t not sure.


    ¡°If I were five years younger, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand next to Reinhart. I could teach him all sorts of things too.¡±


    At Olivia¡¯s words, One corner of Ellen¡¯s mouth lifted in a smirk.


    <i>¡®What is this? I¡¯ve never seen her make that expression before.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It must be nice to be old,¡± said Ellen mockingly.


    ¡°Wh-What?! I¡¯m only twenty-two! I¡¯m still young! I¡¯m in my prime!¡±


    ¡°Still, you¡¯re older than Reinhart and me. By five years.¡±


    Olivia, clearly losing the verbal spar, looked at me in frustration. ¡°Grr! Reinhart! Can I hit her?¡±


    ¡°... Why are you asking for my permission?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and try,¡± Ellen said with a confident tilt of her head.


    <i>¡®Ellen... What¡¯s gotten into you? This isn¡¯t like you!¡¯</i>


    Olivia huffed and turned away.


    ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m only holding back because I hate violence! Remember that!¡±


    Olivia stuck out her tongue and stormed into the dormitory.


    <i>¡®That woman. She¡¯s great, really great. But sometimes, she does things that make me want to smack her.¡¯</i>


    Ellen watched Olivia leave and then turned her gaze to me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop acting so close with her?¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her.¡±


    Ellen was visibly upset.


    ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t like her. She annoys me.¡±


    It was the first time Ellen had expressed her feelings so bluntly.


    ¡°Well... she¡¯s helped me a lot with various things... and I need her for something important right now...¡±


    ¡°Is it really important?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, very.¡±


    I knew it wasn¡¯t a good look for Olivia to be so close to me, but I really needed her help this time.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t about to argue with me about the necessity of it, but she still looked very displeased.


    ¡°Make it clear,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not being clear, which is why she keeps acting like that.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s anger was now directed at me. Her cold gaze was enough to freeze me in ce. ¡°Or do you like it when she acts like that?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You seem to like it while pretending you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t! I really don¡¯t!¡±


    <i>¡®What is this? Why does this feel like I¡¯m being scolded by a girlfriend for not managing my female friends properly?</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a strange situation, but I can¡¯t find the words to respond.¡¯</i>


    However, if I said something remotely close to ¡°Who are you to say this?¡± to her, I was sure I would lose my tongue or my head in an instant.


    <i>¡®This is really terrifying.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then make her stop.¡±


    ¡°Uhm... Yeah, okay...¡± I replied.


    In the end, I responded like a boyfriend who couldn¡¯t manage his female friends.


    ***


    I had too much to do.


    If everything rted to the Gate Incident was considered work, then I had an overwhelming amount of work.


    Dealing with all the issues my rtionships were throwing up was also making my head feel like it was about to explode.


    Therefore, my studies, which were supposed to be the main focus for me as a student, had been neglected.


    It would be dangerous if I ended up at the bottom of the ss again. Therefore, I wasn¡¯t going to deliberately aim forst ce, although being in the lower ranks was a given.


    ¡°So, please tone it down a bit,¡± I said.


    When I finally approached Olivia to ask her to stop being so forward as Ellen had instructed, Olivia pouted and huffed, throwing a fit.


    ¡°Hmph, is expressing affection a crime?¡± Olivia replied.


    ¡°... This really makes it seem like I have some sort of agreement with you! I have no intention of marrying you!¡±


    The seriousness of my tone made Olivia¡¯s face turn pale, and her mouth fell open.


    ¡°... R-Really...?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so shocked?!¡±


    I had always made it clear to her that while I genuinely liked her as a senior, I had no interest in her in that way.


    ¡°I thought... you were just ying hard to get...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this is giving me a headache...¡±


    ¡°Well, if not now, maybe you¡¯ll like me in the future?¡±


    Seeing Olivia¡¯s dazzling smile made my head spin.


    <i>¡®She just doesn¡¯t get it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Tch, you use me as you please, but you can¡¯t overlook this one thing? You have no idea how scary it would be if I got really upset, do you?¡±


    Olivia had a point.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I was indeed using her because I needed her, and so not being able to overlook this quirk of hers was rather uncharitable.


    ¡°Do you like that girl so much? Enough to be so serious with me?¡± Olivia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not about that, then what?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s expression suddenly hardened, and she seemed about to say something before stopping herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just say one thing,¡± she said instead. She was being serious. ¡°That girl hasn¡¯t done anything wrong to me. Nothing at all. But I still don¡¯t like her. That¡¯s just how it is. Don¡¯t tell me not to hate her, not to bother her, or not to pick fights with her. Alright?¡±


    Olivia bit her lip slightly and looked at me.


    ¡°The more you say things like that, the more I¡¯ll dislike her for no reason.¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    With that, Olivia mmed the door shut.


    <i>¡®Why do I have to go through all this cringy situations? I mean, it¡¯s cringeworthy, but when you think about it, all of this is for the sake of saving the world.</i>


    <i>¡®Still, why do I have to go through all this...¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her either,¡± Harriet said, nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Still... they say she was really nice before all this happened...¡±


    Riana met Adelia¡¯sment with a shake of her head.


    ¡°She¡¯s kind of a bitch, that <i>unnie</i>.¡±


    ¡°A... a bitch...?¡±


    Adelia seemed taken aback by Riana¡¯s harshnguage.


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    The one who had brought up the topic after suggesting they go out for dinner, Ellen, was busy devouring five different dishes.


    She seemed slightly different from her usual self. It felt as though she was eating voraciously to relieve stress because she was angry.


    When Riana had asked why she looked so upset, Ellen exined that she didn¡¯t like Olivia Lanche, who was hanging around with Reinhart.


    At that moment, Ellen was engaging in gossip for the first time in her life.


    Harriet agreed with her, Adelia was unsure, and Riana had called her a bitch.


    ¡°Then again, considering how Reinhart is a jerk, maybe they¡¯re suited for each other,¡± said Riana innocently.


    Ellen and Harriet stared at her.


    ¡°What? Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°R-Riana...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Riana de Granz had a peculiarck of awareness when it came to certain areas.


    She imed she wasn¡¯t very hungry, and was nibbling on a cheese sd.


    ¡°That senior does cling to him in a weird way. Reinhart says he doesn¡¯t like it, but the fact that he can¡¯t push her away might mean he¡¯s interested... Why do I feel a chill? Has it gotten that cold?¡±


    Riana went on nonchntly, shivering from a sudden chill. Of course, she didn¡¯t realize it was because of Ellen¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about anything else, but she¡¯s kind of annoying. She knows she¡¯s pretty and unts it. It¡¯s irritating,¡± she continued.


    None of the others present had anything to say to that.


    Olivia Lanche... The title of the Saintess of Eredian had long since faded, but her striking appearance still made her stand out wherever she went. Even though Reinhart showed signs of disliking her, hadn¡¯t they seen him at times genuinely flustered or even blushing?


    Watching Olivia clinging excessively to Reinhart was enough to make even someone who didn¡¯t care feel a bit annoyed.


    The way she relied on her looks and acted so overly forward only invited certain thoughts.


    ¡°So, what do you want to do about it?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not about wanting to do something. I just don¡¯t like her. She picks fights with me for no reason,¡± Ellen said, still focused on her food.


    Ellen always ate a lot, but she really seemed to be stress-eating.


    ¡°She picks fights with you? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It would have been okay if Olivia didn¡¯t say anything, but she would always make a snidement whenever she saw Ellen.


    It wasn¡¯t a recent development either, and had been going on for quite some time.


    Ever since the sponsorship gathering, Olivia wouldunch subtle jabs at Ellen whenever they crossed paths.


    Since they lived in the same dorm, they inevitably ran into each other asionally.


    <i>¡°Oh, hi there, Reinhart¡¯s friend!¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°Take good care of our Reinhart!¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°You shouldn¡¯t get too close to Reinhart. You know why, right?¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite pretty now that I look at you. Not as pretty as me, though.¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°I heard you¡¯re good at fighting? Just don¡¯t bully our Reinhart too much.¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m yourpetition. Tough luck.¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡°Oh, are you mad? Are you angry? If you hit me, I¡¯ll tell Reinhart. Is that okay?¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>.</i>


    Ellen gripped her fork tightly as she ate.


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.


    <i>Creakkkk...</i>


    Everyone watched in astonishment as the fork crumpled in Ellen¡¯s hand. <i>¡®Is that even humanly possible?¡¯</i>


    In the end, though, Ellen wasn¡¯t the type to harm someone just because she disliked them.


    Harriet, who also didn¡¯t like Olivia, wasn¡¯t so different.


    Harriet used to be like that, but not anymore.


    ¡°Hmm... but that <i>unnie¡¯s </i>situation is a bit tricky,¡± Riana said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    At Adelia¡¯s question, Riana shrugged.


    ¡°She came in as a Divine Power major, right? But now that she¡¯s given up her faith, how is she going to graduate? Graduating as a Divine Power major would be weird, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions turned curious.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    There¡¯s no reason to worry about how a rather-disliked senior was going to graduate, but everyone was curious.


    How did Olivia Lanche n to graduate?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ellen said.


    Ellen, having wolfed down five dishes, took a sip of water. Her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°If she keeps doing that, I won¡¯t hold back,¡± she concluded.


    ¡°U-Umm... please hold back, Ellen...¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet, while secretly hoping Ellen would do something about it, also feared something terrible might happen, so she tried to calm Ellen down.

 Chapter 262

    <h4>Chapter 262</h4>


    The fact that Ellen and Olivia had a bad rtionship was a problem, but I was dealing with even more dangerous matters, so I didn¡¯t have the luxury to worry about that as well.


    Just the things I had set into motion were enough to make my head feel like it was going to explode, and even if I wasn¡¯t able to take action on the issues that had arisen from my actions, I still needed to be aware of them.


    I had entrusted Sarkegar with investigating matters rted to the Orbis ss, which were not directly rted to me.


    The advice I had gotten from the scribe had not led me to a trap. Rather, it had been a clue.


    The advice had clued me into the fact that the attempted assassination on me had not been carried out by the person I was suspecting, and that something else was going on.


    It was night, and I was in my room facing Sarkegar, who hade to see mete at night.


    Since the Aaron Mede incident, there had been no signs that Sarkegar was not following orders properly or plotting something else.


    He just looked very sad when he saw me.


    He seemed terribly distressed that the person I cared about enough to risk my life for was the sibling of my supposed arch-enemy.


    He seemed to be suffering because he wanted to do something about it but couldn¡¯t.


    In spite of that, he did not neglect his duties. Also, he did not bring up Ellen unnecessarily, as he knew that doing so would only irritate me.


    Anyway, Sarkegar was investigating the events that had urred after the Orbis ss¡¯s closure. Specifically, those rted to Oscar de Gradias.


    ¡°It¡¯s a revolution,¡± Sarkegar stated.


    Hearing that simple line made my brain freeze up.


    The Orbis ss was a ce where ability was everything, regardless of status. A ce that instilled the ideology that effort could ovee everything.


    It wasn¡¯t strange that such people dreamt of revolution.


    ¡°So, the sudden wave of withdrawals and resignations that led to the ss being disbanded was a smokescreen to prevent any further investigation, which could reveal unexpected truths,¡± I responded.


    ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    They hadn¡¯t foolishly provoked the imperial family; they had done it on purpose, to hide the secrets still lurking beneath the surface.


    [Event Completed - Revolutionary Force]


    [You have received 300 Achievement Points.]


    On top of that, an event from long ago that I had forgotten about waspleted.


    Charlotte had believed that it would be strange if there were no revolutionary forces in the Temple. Although she hadn¡¯t been able to investigate it properly, I had learned the truth of the existence of these revolutionary forces from apletely unexpected source.


    The Orbis ss was probably arge part of these revolutionary forces.


    The reason they hadn¡¯t carried out any assassination attempts or retaliated against me was because it was too risky for them to make such moves at a time when they needed to remain as discreet as possible.


    ¡°It seems that the Revolutionary Forces infiltrated the Orbis ss quite a long time ago.¡±


    The Orbis ss was the cradle of the Revolutionary Forces.


    It would have been the perfect ce to secretly recruit those who seemed likely to sympathize with their cause.


    But what happened when they graduated?


    Even if the Orbis ss wasn¡¯t as prestigious as the Royal ss, they were still important talents.


    These graduates would still end up in significant organizations or key positions because of their abilities, whether it was within the governance structure of the empire, the principalities, or autonomous territories.


    ¡°What is their scale?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I haven¡¯t witnessed their gatherings myself; I¡¯ve only inferred this information from conversations I¡¯ve had with confirmed members of the organization,¡± Sarkegar said.


    Given how fresh the investigation was, it was inevitable that he did not yet have all the details.


    ¡°However, now that the Orbis ss, a key institution for nurturing Republican talent, has disappeared, it¡¯s clear that they will be moving their timetable forward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Oscar wasn¡¯t just happy for no reason...¡±


    Oscar de Gradias was definitely a member of the Revolutionary Forces. He would continue to pass information about the imperial family to the organization.


    He knew what would happen if a thorough investigation into the Orbis ss took ce.


    In the original story, the Revolutionary Forces did not appear. This meant that they existed but werepletely consumed by the chaos of the Gate Incident.


    The Revolutionary Forces had taken over the Orbis ss and had been nurturing Republicans for a very long time.


    It was highly likely that many of those who supported the Orbis ss students at the sponsorship gatherings were Republicans.


    How far and wide had this spread?


    ¡°Your Highness, use them,¡± Sarkegar said, looking at me.


    I knew Sarkegar would say something like this.


    ¡°Use them to create chaos in the empire. Then annihte both the Revolutionary Forces and the empire.¡±


    Right. If I wanted to be the Demon King, there wouldn¡¯t be a better opportunity than this.


    However, I had no interest in such things.


    A fight between the Revolutionary Forces and the empire would throw the empire into great chaos.


    And then the Gate Incident would ur. It would be the perfect scenario for the world to end.


    It might seem like a simple confrontation, but it was no different from pressing the button that initiated worldwide destruction.


    <i>¡®How did I even cause something like this?¡¯</i>


    The butterfly effect.


    That phrase now made me shudder.


    There was only one thing I had to do. I couldn¡¯t consider the pros and cons of the revolution.


    I had to stop the revolution. Wasn¡¯t that originally supposed to be my stance? It was almostughable now.


    Sarkegar judged this to be a golden opportunity for us.


    ¡°Investigate further. Find out the exact scale of their operations, the locations of their forces, and who their leader is. Find out everything. If necessary, you may even join their ranks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    I needed to know their exact scale to take any measures. Unfortunately, my intentions did not align with Sarkegar¡¯s.


    Sarkegar smiled with joy, unaware of my true thoughts.


    The Revolutionary Forces definitely existed, and they were certainly widespread.


    However, I could not take reckless action. If I began to carelessly cut off the branches, they would feel cornered, and begin to stir.


    Such hasty interference could lead to great chaos.


    I hadn¡¯t known that a single fight would lead to such a turn of events, but from this point on, whatever I did would have tremendous repercussions.


    I had to be extremely cautious.


    At the moment, I had no choice but to leave the information gathering to Sarkegar.


    It felt like I was devising how to handle a nuclear bomb that would explode if mishandled.


    Killing them all¡ªwhether that was possible or not¡ªwas the worst option.


    The best option was to dy them from taking action until at least the year after next. By then, the Gate Incident would have either urred or not.


    If I managed to prevent the Gate Incident, would I then have to watch the Revolutionary Forces stir up trouble with my own eyes?


    Even if I sessfully prevented the Gate Incident, it seemed inevitable that a second round of conflict awaited, this time an internal conflict within the empire. Where would I stand in that situation?


    I felt like I was going crazy. The world was a minefield, no matter where I turned.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sarkegar seemed pleased to have found a way to achieve his goals without lifting a finger, while my brain was racked with worries.


    This was the perfect example of having different dreams in the same bed.


    ¡°Alright. You may go now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and made to leave.


    As I watched the sparrow heading out the open window, a sudden thought crossed my mind.


    I was only using Sarkegar for my own ends. In the end, he was destined to be used by someone like me, who had no intention of rebuilding the Demon Realm. Among the many mistakes I was making, the biggest one was that I was merely using this blind loyalist.


    ¡°Sarkegar.¡±


    <i>Chirp?</i>


    Sarkegar turned to look at me, his head tilting in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst time.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do anything for him, and in the end, I would be an even greater arch-enemy to him than Ragan Artorius.


    In response to my selfish apology, Sarkegar, in his sparrow form, looked at me quietly.


    ¡ªYour Highness.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ªI serve not the Archdemon, but you, Your Highness.


    Thest time I brought it up, I pointed out that I was the only Archdemon, and so he had no choice but to serve me.


    I had implied that he served me only because there was no other Archdemon, but Sarkegar was saying that he served me because I was who I was.


    I wanted to bite my tongue for having said such things back then.


    ¡ªPlease remember that.


    He was not loyal to the Archdemon. Did that mean he would serve me even if I were not an Archdemon? Why? Did he value me so much?


    ¡ªFrom the moment Your Highness decided to rescue the demon prisoners held by humans, every strand of my hair and everyst piece of my soul belonged to you.


    It was not because I was an Archdemon.


    From the moment I had rescued the demon prisoners, Sarkegar had acknowledged me as his sovereign.


    Seeing my guilt-ridden expression, Sarkegar, still in his sparrow form, tilted his head back and forth a few times, as if he had just remembered something he hadn¡¯t mentioned.


    ¡ªYour Highness, now that I think about it, there is something additional I need to tell you.


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s about a different matter. But isn¡¯t it strange that the imperial family hasn¡¯t noticed this issue?


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    It was indeed puzzling that the imperial family hadn¡¯t noticed this issue. Both Vertus and Charlotte, as well as the emperor.


    Sarkegar¡¯s intelligence-gathering abilities were exceptional, but it was still surprising that the imperial family would bepletely unaware of this matter.


    ¡ªI was wondering if they were deliberately ignoring it, so I did some investigating on that front as well.


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡ªI can¡¯t be certain, but it seems there are problems within the imperial family.


    ¡°What kind of problems?¡±


    ¡ªThere are rumors that someone died in the princess¡¯s pce.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    There was indeed something brewing within the imperial family.


    If it had been something else, I might not have been as concerned, but this incident concerned the princess¡¯s pce.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it...¡¯</i>


    I had been too preupied with the assassination attempt on me to pay any attention, but Charlotte had beenmuting from the Imperial Pce to the Temple rather than staying at the dormitory for some time now.


    I had assumed it was because of internal imperial affairs, but Vertus was still staying in the dormitory.


    <i>¡®Charlotte¡¯s pce... The fact that someone died there... Does this mean the emperor has lost control of the struggle for session?</i>


    <i>¡®What other situation is unfolding, or rather, has been unfolding?¡¯</i>


    Anotherplex problem was thrown into an alreadyplicated situation.


    The sparrow flew away, and I stood by the window, lost in thought about this new issue for a long time.

 Chapter 263 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 263 [Illustration]</h4>


    The Revolutionary Forces were already a problem, but now an entirely different issue had been thrown at me, and I didn¡¯t know which problem to prioritize.


    Charlotte had recently been staying at the Imperial Pce instead of the Royal ss dormitory.


    While that had been happening, someone had died in the princess¡¯s pce.


    Since Sarkegar had learned this during his intelligence-gathering activities, he spected that most people within the Imperial Pce and among the nobility were likely unaware of this fact.


    <i>¡®Does Vertus know about this?¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t have any sses with Vertus except for themon subjects, but I did have superpower sses with Charlotte.


    However, even though we were in the same ss, Charlotte waspletely isted, so I didn¡¯t know what she did during the lesson.


    <i>¡®What is this issue all about? Was it an assassination attempt on Charlotte? Or is it an entirely different problem?¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on during the lessons, but I did see Charlotte before ss began and when it ended.


    I couldn¡¯t read anything from Charlotte¡¯s expression.


    If I hadn¡¯t heard the news from Sarkegar, I would have thought there was no problem with Charlotte at all.


    Maintaining aposed expression was as natural as breathing for both Vertus and Charlotte. I couldn¡¯t sense any worry, concern, or anxiety from Charlotte¡¯s calm demeanor.


    It was Wednesday, and the Supernatural Power ss had just ended.


    I stopped Charlotte as she was about to return to the Imperial Pce.


    If I¡¯d known nothing, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered, but having learned something, I couldn¡¯t just let Charlotte go off like this.


    ¡°Yes, Reinhart. What is it?¡±


    When I sidled up to her naturally, Charlotte tilted her head in curiosity.


    <i>¡®Is something going on with you? Are you in danger? Do you have anything to say to me?¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know how to broach the subject. If she knew she was in danger, she¡¯d ask how I knew, and I wouldn¡¯t have an answer.


    Looking at Charlotte¡¯s ordinary expression, which showed no signs of anything, I didn¡¯t know how to start the conversation.


    So, I ended up just staring nkly at Charlotte¡¯s face, unable to say anything.


    Eventually...


    ¡°Are you busy?¡±


    Somehow, I ended up saying something that made me sound like I was up to no good. Charlotte, who had been staring at me for a while, looked puzzled by my sudden question.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you¡¯re busy.¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t even know at this point. I¡¯m just gonna go for it! Let¡¯s just pretend I¡¯m hitting on her!¡¯</i>


    Charlotte smiled faintly at mypletely random question.


    ¡°What if I¡¯m not busy?¡±


    ¡°Hang out with me.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    As if my random question wasn¡¯t enough, my even more random request left Charlotte looking bewildered, her lips twitching in disbelief.


    ¡°Uh... Um...¡±


    Charlotte, flustered, rolled her eyes and sighed briefly.


    Then, she gave a gentle smile.


    ¡°... I can spare a little time. Anytime,¡± she said.


    It was a smile that seemed even more fragile than usual.


    ***


    I could share the information about the Revolutionary Forces with her, but while that was urgent, Charlotte¡¯s safety was more pressing.


    I didn¡¯t know the details, but it seemed highly likely that Charlotte¡¯s life was in danger. Although I knew that, I didn¡¯t know what I could do, but I didn¡¯t want to remain as though I was totally ignorant about it.


    At the very least, I could talk to her.


    Charlotte might think of me as a friend, but to me, Charlotte¡¯s existence was a bit more special than that.


    She was the person who had made me realize that I could risk my life for something, and her survival was the result of that.


    So, I wanted to protect her.


    The imperial family was in turmoil due to internal issues, and Charlotte was at the center of it.


    Because of this, they hadn¡¯t noticed that the issues surrounding the Orbis ss were actually rted to something else very dangerous, something that could potentially overthrow the imperial family.


    Of course, this could all be a misjudgment, and whatever internal situation might still be under control.


    The story Sarkegar heard about someone dying in the princess¡¯s pce might ultimately turn out to be just a rumor. Yet, somehow, I felt a strange certainty about it. Something was indeed happening.


    The determined look on Charlotte¡¯s face, as if she had made a significant decision in response to my odd request to hang out, gave me that certainty.


    I couldn¡¯t bring up the main issue that was troubling me, even if I desperately wanted to.


    Charlotte led me out of the Temple. I had asked her to hang out, and she was leading me somewhere. But where exactly was she nning to go?


    I didn¡¯t know about Vertus, but Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to have any fear of leaving the Temple without an escort.


    I wondered if having the First Princess walking along the main streets would cause any sort of trouble. Unlike our previous trip outside, where she wore a hood, Charlotte didn¡¯t do so this time.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried people will recognize you?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as if nobody knew what Charlotte looked like.


    She shrugged and showed me a bracelet.


    ¡°I recently got a new artifact.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It has a ¡®Cognitive Dissonance¡¯ spell on it. It doesn¡¯t make me invisible, but it makes my presence less noticeable. Something like that. Unless someone is deliberately trying to approach me, I won¡¯t stand out.¡±


    If too many people recognized her, she could activate the spell on the bracelet. Of course, since I was apanying her, I wouldn¡¯t be affected by the Cognitive Dissonance.


    It seemed like a magical item only a celebrity would need.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s go,¡± she said.


    After activating the Cognitive Dissonance, Charlotte took the lead again. Perhaps she felt she could spare some time for a walk with a ssmate before returning to the Imperial Pce.


    When we arrived at our destination, I was at a loss for words.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing!¡±


    Charlotte had brought me to the banks of the Irine River.


    <i>¡®I was just here a few days ago with the others!¡¯</i>


    But I didn¡¯t say that, fearing it would disappoint Charlotte. She had taken precious time to be with me, despite whatever was going on with her, and I didn¡¯t want to dampen her mood.


    I couldn¡¯t just trample on the consideration that the princess was showing me.


    Charlotte tilted her head and looked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t you like flowers?¡±


    ¡°I do! Yes! I love them!¡±


    Charlotte chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re lying. You, liking flowers? Even a passing dog wouldugh.¡±


    ¡°What, I can like them too! Come on!¡±


    <i>¡®Why did she have to point that out?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte, seeing my forced enthusiasm, tapped me lightly on my arm.


    ¡°Why are you trying so hard to please me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends, right? Just befortable,¡± Charlotte said as she walked on ahead.


    I didn¡¯t know what situation she was in, but I knew it was serious.


    Charlotte¡¯s ability to maintain herposure was astonishingly thorough.


    ***


    I was troubled in my own way, and Charlotte, hers.


    But neither of us showed any signs of being troubled.


    We acted as if we were just out for a normal flower-viewing trip, and in reality, it wasn¡¯t much different from just that.


    Charlotte¡¯s reactions weren¡¯t much different from the others. She was astonished when I recognized and named a few flowers.


    ¡°What do you guys think of me, really...¡±


    ¡°You guys?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡±


    It was amusing that she was so shocked that I knew something that wasmon knowledge to most people.


    However, in some ways, Charlotte was different from the others.


    Charlotte knew the names of all the flowers blooming around us. I was slightly taken aback as she rattled off the names of flowers I had never heard of before.


    ¡°That¡¯s a dahlia.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°That one¡¯s a geranium.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°That¡¯s a petunia. Isn¡¯t it pretty? I like perennial flowers.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°That¡¯s a heliotrope.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a grand name.¡±


    ¡°It has a wonderful scent. Want to smell it?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no.¡±


    I suddenly remembered that flowers were the reproductive organs of nts and stepped back, feeling a bit awkward.


    <i>¡®Am I crazy? Why am I thinking about that at a time like this? Charlotte was just smelling the flowers!¡¯</i>


    Thest time I was at the Irine River, no one had really paid attention to the flowers. But Charlotte would stop to admire a pretty flower, take in its scent, and then walk on slowly.


    ¡°How do you know all these?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because I like them,¡± Charlotte said as she smiled at me. ¡°When you like something, you naturally get to know it better. You want to learn more.¡±


    ¡°So, did you study them?¡±


    Charlotte tilted her head. ¡°Well, no. You just naturally get to know them.¡±


    Because she liked flowers, she naturally came to know many varieties without having to study them. It felt a little unfamiliar to hear Charlotte say that.


    Even seeing her smile like that... I could tell that Charlotte was genuinely enjoying herself. Even if she hadn¡¯te with a joyful heart, she was certainly enjoying this moment.


    Although Charlotte wore a perfect mask, I couldn¡¯t tell what expression was hidden beneath it.


    However, I could tell that the bright smile she had on at that moment was not a mask.


    Charlotte liked flowers. I could understand why she liked them, but watching her enjoying them left me feeling strange.


    It was a side of her I had never seen before.


    ¡°Uh... this one is really pretty. What¡¯s it called...? Oh, it¡¯s notbeled.¡±


    Of course, there were some flowers she didn¡¯t know.


    I suddenly wondered what the garden within the pce where Charlotte lived looked like.


    It had to be a well-maintained garden, with countless flowers blooming in every season.


    Where one goes is important, but who one goes with is just as important.


    Even though I had been in this exact ce just a few days ago, watching Charlotte asionally pause to look at the flowers quietly made it feel like I had never been there before.


    I found myself looking at the flowers Charlotte was observing.


    I began to closely examine the scenery that I had just passed by on my previous visit while naming the flowers I knew.


    <i>¡®So, this is what this ce is like.¡¯</i>


    As I walked next to Charlotte while she enjoyed the flowers, I could only make a fewments, since I didn¡¯t know how to appreciate them.


    Just not being a nuisance was enough.


    ¡°Hmm... the pansies are already blooming.¡±


    Charlotte squatted down quietly in front of a flower I also recognized.


    Charlotte knew a lot about flowers, and I wondered if she knew other things as well.


    This was a flower I recognized as well.


    Judging by what Charlotte had said, the meanings of flowers didn¡¯t seem to differ much from my original world.


    ¡°Do you know thenguage of flowers?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Thenguage of flowers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like the meanings assigned to each flower.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes, I do.¡±


    But, despite her answer, Charlotte shook her head. ¡°But I don¡¯t really like it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s abel someone else put on them.¡±


    Charlotte gently tapped the broad petals of the pansy with her fingertips.


    ¡°Even though the rose is supposed to represent love, for someone else, it could mean sorrow.¡±


    Flowers should have personal meanings for everyone.


    That seemed to be Charlotte¡¯s belief, and why she didn¡¯t like thenguage of flowers.


    She stared at the pansy for a while, seemingly lost in thought, then picked up a fallen flower. It looked like someone had plucked it and then discarded it.


    ¡°Do you know what the pansy represents?¡± Charlotte asked me.


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve already impressed me enough with what you do know. If you knew this too, I¡¯d be really surprised.¡±


    Charlotte looked up at me, holding the flower. ¡°Do you want it? Or do you think it¡¯s just trash?¡±


    ¡°Even trash bes a gift if it¡¯s from you.¡±


    ¡°You have a talent for saying such sentimental things in a way that doesn¡¯t touch the listener at all. That¡¯s a skill too,¡± Charlotte said as she handed me the pansy.


    I didn¡¯t know whatbel Charlotte had put on the pansy in her heart.


    If I had known what the pansy represented in thenguage of flowers, she wouldn¡¯t have given it to me.


    I had lied to Charlotte.


    Once, there was a time when I had memorized flowers and their meanings for no particr reason. I didn¡¯t remember all of them, but there were some that stuck.


    Pansy...


    In thenguage of flowers, it meant, ¡°Please think of me.¡±

 Chapter 264

    <h4>Chapter 264</h4>


    Flowers were actually quite an inconvenient gift.


    Since I couldn¡¯t put it in my pocket, I carried the single flower around. Charlotte, seeing me like that, told me to just throw it away. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was because it looked awkward, or for some other reason.


    So, I really <i>did</i> throw the pansy she gave me away, into the other flowers.


    Charlotte seemed a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Wow... you really threw it away.¡±


    ¡°... You told me to.¡±


    ¡°Still, you said even trash from me would be a gift.¡±


    ¡°I was just prioritizing the princess¡¯smand to throw it away!¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re really something. Why are you like this?¡±


    ¡°Are you upset? If you are, I can pick it up and carry it around again.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Reinhart. The moment you threw it away after being told to, it was already over.¡±


    ¡°I guess I made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°At times like this, can you just learn to say nothing? Now I hate myself more for telling you to throw it away and thenining when you actually do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can at least say ¡®yes¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Charlotte shook her head as if she were tired.


    In reality, there was a different reason for why I had thrown the flower away, but I didn¡¯t mention it, just as Charlotte couldn¡¯t tell me why she had given me the pansy.


    Thanks to the Cognitive Dissonance spell, no passersby recognized Charlotte.


    I had only met Charlotte at the beginning of the year, yet it felt like a distant memory.


    The girl who was dying in a prison cell...


    I hadn¡¯t known who Charlotte was, and it turned out she was a princess, which was troublesome, but it ultimately allowed me to reach the capital.


    <i>¡®If I hadn¡¯t met Charlotte, would I have been able to escape the Demon King¡¯s Castle safely?</i>


    <i>¡®If I hadn¡¯te to the capital, what would have happened to me?¡¯</i>


    Hypotheticals were meaningless, but thinking about what might have happened if things had gone differently left me feeling lost.


    I had a vague feeling that I would have either lived as a nobody, or wandered the wilderness until I died.


    All of this had begun when I met Charlotte in that prison cell.


    Charlotte was my beginning.


    ¡°... You look like an old man. What are you thinking about while you¡¯re staring at me?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Wh-When did I ever stare at you!¡±


    Charlotte seemed startled, as if my gaze made her ufortable. As we walked on, still admiring the flowers, Charlotte spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been strange, but you seem even strangertely.¡±


    ¡°... How so?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a precariousness about you, as if I can sense anxiety and restlessnessing from you.¡±


    I was different from Charlotte. I wasn¡¯t good at hiding my emotions. So, if something happened between me and Ellen, people noticed, and if I was worried, they would try to cheer me up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s making you so anxious, but how about rxing a bit?¡±


    Charlotte was worried about me. She was probably struggling with her own issues, yet she was thinking about me.


    <i>¡®Is this really the time for her to be worrying about me? There¡¯s something going on with you too, isn¡¯t there?¡¯</i>


    I was torn between the urge to ask her that and the feeling that I shouldn¡¯t.


    Charlotte sighed deeply. ¡°Why are you tensing up more just when I tell you to rx?¡±


    She walked a little ahead of me, quietly. Since ss had just ended, it wasn¡¯t quite sunset yet.


    Charlotte¡¯s tinum blonde hair shone brilliantly in the autumn sunlight.


    The once-haggard Charlotte seemed to have regained her health. Naturally, she looked much better this way.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    While admiring the flowers, Charlotte was suddenly startled and grabbed my arm instinctively.


    ¡°What, what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It was a bee! Phew...¡±


    <i>Buzz...</i>


    Charlotte had been startled by a bee. It wasn¡¯t even a ho, just a regr honeybee. The honeybee buzzed its way among the flowers and then disappeared.


    ¡°Ugh. I thought it was something serious...¡±


    Charlotte red at me after seeing my reaction. ¡°What¡¯s that? Ugh, you¡¯re really... Sometimes I think you forget that I was raised delicately, you know?¡±


    Raised delicately.


    For her to say that was an understatement. For a princess to say, ¡°I was raised delicately,¡± was in itself already cute.


    She had indeed been raised delicately. Despite that, she¡¯d had to go through some rough experiences.


    ¡°You like flowers, but you¡¯re scared of bees?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t someone who liked flowers run into bees often?


    ¡°... There aren¡¯t any in my garden.¡±


    <i>¡®Does that mean they¡¯re able to micromanage the ecosystem in the Imperial Pce¡¯s gardens to such an extent? Is that even possible?</i>


    <i>¡®Still, isn¡¯t seeing a bee nothingpared to the rough experiences she¡¯s gone through?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte clicked her tongue.


    ¡°You¡¯re so transparent. Bees are an unknown fear to me. I¡¯ve never been stung in my life, so no matter what I¡¯ve been through, it¡¯s natural to be scared of something I don¡¯t know. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can see you have a lot to say.¡±


    ¡°You really speak your mind without any filter, don¡¯t you?¡± Charlotte said as she burst intoughter as if she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Despite her words, she seemed to be in a good mood.


    Charlotte liked flowers, but she was afraid of bees... That was something I learned. Although there were many beautiful flowers along the Irine River, as soon as she saw the bees, Charlotte kept a slight distance from the flowers.


    Charlotte must have grown up in a garden with only butterflies.


    I sometimes forgot how delicately she was raised, but such moments reminded me of it.


    Charlotte seemed to find it amusing that she couldn¡¯t approach the flowers she liked because of a mere bee, and sheughed weakly.


    ¡°Reinhart, have you ever been stung by a bee?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have.¡±


    ¡°How painful is it?¡±


    ¡°It hurts like hell.¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡± Charlotte asked, looking at me wide-eyed.


    ¡°Well, you know, it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll kill you. It just hurts for a bit and that¡¯s it.¡±


    There were cases where anaphctic shock could ur, which would be dangerous, but generally, it just hurt and that was all.


    ¡°Should I try getting stung?¡± Charlotte said as she moved closer to the flowers.


    ¡°Why would you do that on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Oh, should I not?¡±


    Charlotte scratched her cheek andughed a bit foolishly. She watched the honeybees buzzing among the flowers from a distance.


    ¡°Ignorance sure is scary, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    There are things that are scary because you know them, but sometimes not knowing is just as frightening.


    Because she was afraid of the unknown, Charlotte kept her distance from the bees. She didn¡¯t want to get too close.


    Charlotte was afraid of something.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for hanging out with me today.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s words were strange.


    I was the one who had asked her to hang out. Charlotte had said she would make time, not that she needed me to make time for her. I was the one who had approached her first.


    Maybe it was Charlotte who actually wanted to spend this time together.


    Charlotte smiled at me as if she found it amusing.


    ¡°I should get going now. If I get back toote, there¡¯ll be chaos in the pce. The pce I live in has surprisingly strict time standards. And I¡¯ve been busytely,¡± Charlotte said as she waved her hand.


    ¡°The route to the pce is over there. I¡¯ll head that way.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Okay.¡±


    To get to the pce, she needed to go that way, and I had no reason to go with her since I was returning to the Temple.


    It was a sudden farewell, but there was nothing strange about it. If Charlotte¡¯s return was dyed, it would indeed cause amotion.


    In the end, I hadn¡¯t been able to say anything. I hadn¡¯t been able to ask her anything.


    All I got from Charlotte was a flower with an ominous meaning that I couldn¡¯t ept.


    ¡°Goodbye, Reinhart.¡±


    For some reason, Charlotte¡¯s words felt like a farewell.


    I didn¡¯t know anything. But I had a strong feeling that if I let Charlotte go at that moment, I would never see her again.


    My ¡°Qi Sense¡± told me that if I let her go, that would be thest time I saw Charlotte.


    So, I grabbed Charlotte¡¯s arm as she was heading back to the pce.


    ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes? Why?¡±


    ¡°Can you show me around your home?¡±


    ¡°... H-Huh?¡±


    First, I¡¯d asked her to hang out, and now I was asking to see her home.


    <i>¡®Why am I like this? Why do my serious intentions always lead to such bizarre actions?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Naturally, there was a bit of a scuffle.


    Visiting a friend¡¯s house was within the realm of normal activities. But when that friend was the daughter of the emperor and I was amoner, it was totally different.


    ¡°No, absolutely not. Why now, all of a sudden?¡±


    Charlotte wasn¡¯t angry at my sudden insistence, but she kept rejecting me firmly.


    ¡°I just want to see how amazing the ce you live in is.¡±


    Charlotte seemed taken aback by how bluntly I responded.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this all of a sudden...? I¡¯ll invite you over some other time, maybe on a weekend when it¡¯s convenient.¡±


    ¡°Today! It has to be today! I¡¯m the kind of person who has to do things as soon as I think of them! Remember when I picked a fight with the Orbis ss? I thought of it that day and took care of it that day! You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I know, but why now...?¡±


    As anyone would expect, I threw a tantrum.


    Charlotte looked at me as if she was losing her mind.


    Maybe she thought that no matter what she said, I wouldn¡¯t listen because I was the kind of person who acted crazy regardless of who was around.


    After repeatedly saying no and realizing it wouldn¡¯t work, she sighed deeply and reluctantly agreed to take me with her.


    I had been utterly insistent, but it was still surprising that she gave in.


    <i>¡®Has themotion around the death in the pce been settled already?¡¯</i>


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t an easy decision for her.


    Charlotte red at me in frustration, then sighed. ¡°Why am I even doing this... Why the pce all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I told you. I just want to see how great a pce my friend lives in.¡±


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t really want to be this rude to a princess, even if she was my friend.


    But I couldn¡¯t let Charlotte go without learning anything, and she wasn¡¯t going to tell me anything.


    Moreover, Qi Sense, my new trait, gave me a powerful feeling that I couldn¡¯t let Charlotte go back alone, or it would be thest time I was going to see her.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly divine revtion, but it felt simr.


    Not only had I failed to discuss the Revolutionary Forces with her, but I also knew Charlotte was entangled in another issue of her own. To add to that, I was heading back to the pce with her out of the blue.


    <i>¡®Am I causing trouble? Or am I heading towards trouble?¡¯</i>


    I hoped it wasn¡¯t the wrong choice.


    Charlotte looked anxious, but she was still taking me to the pce.


    ***


    The Imperial Pce was muchrger in scale than the Temple.


    In other words, it was muchrger than a district in a city like Seoul. Charlotte led me through the entrance of the Imperial Pce. Her face served as her identification, and as a Temple student, I was allowed to enter the pce with her approval and guarantee.


    The security measures around the Temple and the Imperial Pce were simr, so there was no chance of my true identity being discovered. If the disguise Sarkegar¡¯s ring provided me were seen through here, it would have been detected by the Temple¡¯s security systems long ago.


    Eventually, Charlotte stopped trying to dissuade me from tagging along.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say I brought you here against your will. So, just throw tantrums around me. If anyone else finds out the truth, they¡¯ll probably kill you.¡±


    Charlotte red at me, and I grinned and nodded.


    ¡°Of course. I only act that way around people I know.¡±


    ¡°... Please, Reinhart. There are times when I genuinely, sincerely dislike you, and this is one of those times. Shouldn¡¯t you at least not say that you¡¯re throwing tantrums because you think I¡¯m easy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Admitting that you¡¯re a friend might be one of the biggest mistakes of my life...¡±


    I chuckled as I watched Charlotte sigh.


    ¡°But that also means it¡¯s not the only mistake, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m really starting to feel bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Seeing that Charlotte was about to get genuinely upset, I quickly shut up. As soon as we passed through the main gate of the Imperial Pce, Charlotte and I boarded a tram waiting at the tform.


    ¡°There¡¯s a tram system here too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a big ce.¡±


    The tram had been prepared as soon as the princess¡¯s arrival was announced, and we were the only passengers.


    I pretended not to know about this, but I was aware of its existence since, in my original work, Ludwig had made a trip to the Imperial Pce.


    There were three tram lines within the Imperial Pce: a line for the imperial family, a line for nobles and officials, and a line for everyone else.


    The one we boarded was likely the line reserved for the imperial family.


    Unlike the trams that serviced the Temple, there were no handles for standing passengers, and the interior was luxurious, with only a few seats.


    Anyway, Charlotte and I rode the tram without anyone bothering us, and I was taken around a tour of the Imperial Pce.


    That morning, I hadn¡¯t imagined that by evening I¡¯d be inside the Imperial Pce for the first time.


    The Imperial Pce felt different from the Temple. While the Temple had a lively atmosphere, thanks to the presence of many students, the Imperial Pce was solemn and quiet.


    The people passing by all had serious expressions, and were clearly all important figures, whether nobles or officials.


    Charlotte, having initially said no, seemed to have decided to give me a tour since she had brought me along.


    ¡°See that? That¡¯s the Tetra Pce, where His Majesty the Emperor resides.¡±


    Charlotte pointed to a pce beyond a vast garden and fountain: the Tetra Pce.


    Instead of feeling luxurious, the pce gave off a more solemn and rigid air. In terms of splendor, the Royal ss dormitory was more extravagant.


    However, therge, solemn, and dignified pce seemed a good representation of the authority of the empire.


    It seemed to say, ¡°I don¡¯t need to be shy.¡±


    As the residence of the supreme ruler of the continent, it exuded a sense of prestige that did not require self-adornment. The description in my mind was even more vividly realized.


    The tram circled around the central Tetra Pce.


    ¡°Do you know much about the Imperial Pce?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®How could I not?¡¯</i>


    The imperial city, Emperatos... The Gradias empire had poured all its efforts into the construction of the imperial city.


    Numerous magical barriers wereid out, embedded into the ley lines, and the walls were designed to repel not only external invasions but also infiltration by hostile forces. Both the walls and the ley lines were covered with hundreds ofyers ofplex magical barriers.


    ¡°There are four main pces centered around the Tetra Pce, one for each cardinal direction: north, south, east, and west. There are other pces as well, but those four are thergest ones, aside from the Tetra Pce. They are called the Spring Pce, the Summer Pce, the Autumn Pce, and the Winter Pce,¡± Charlotte exined.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about that.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why they are named that way?¡±


    ¡°No. Is there a reason for it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Of course I knew, but Charlotte seemed to enjoy exining it herself, so I shook my head.


    ¡°In the early days of the empire, they were very concerned about the safety of the imperial city. So, theyid hundreds ofyers of magical barriers over the entire area.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because of that, the ley lines were disrupted somehow, and the mana around here became unbnced, causing strange phenomena.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°The imperial city ended up having all four seasons simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡±


    It was a side effect of the immense magical power applied to the area.


    Except for the central area where the Tetra Pce was located, the areas around it experienced either spring, summer, autumn, or winter, at the same time.


    ¡°Of course, a lot of time has passed since then, and quite some maintenance has been done, so those strange phenomena have disappeared. For a long time, though, they struggled to rectify it. So, instead of their original names, the pces were called the Spring Pce, the Summer Pce, the Autumn Pce, and the Winter Pce, based on the seasons that those areas were experiencing. Eventually, even the imperial city officially adopted those names.¡±


    The strange phenomena had disappeared, but the habit of calling them by those names remained, and had reced the original names.


    The tram continued to move, and as one of the pces came into view, Charlotte pointed to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Winter Pce, where Vertus lives.¡±


    It was a pce with a dignified appearance. It gave off a rather cold and deste air, perhaps because it was called the Winter Pce.


    Of course, it was much more elegantpared to the ancient castle of Epiacs.


    The pce seemed like a bastion of strength, but still gave off a lonely air, perhaps because of the person living there.


    Vertus, plotting schemes in the Winter Pce... It seemed somewhat fitting.


    Although the strange seasonal phenomena had disappeared, Charlotte looked at the Winter Pce and then back at me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit of a shame?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been amusing if Vertus had to live in the Winter Pce, shivering all the time?¡±


    <i>¡®Well... How am I supposed to respond to that?¡¯</i>


    Seeing my bewildered expression, Charlotte covered her mouth and giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. If that were the case, Vertus probably wouldn¡¯t have chosen to live in the Winter Pce in the first ce.¡±


    Although it was called the Winter Pce, it was in the midst of autumn, just like the rest of the city.


    However, despite it being autumn, it still felt like winter. It wasn¡¯t because of the pce itself, but the garden.


    <i>¡®Didn¡¯t I describe these details?¡¯</i>


    The vast garden in front of the Winter Pce... There wasn¡¯t a single flower in sight. The grasses and shrubs were turning brown, but there wasn¡¯t a single flower.


    <i>¡®Strange. It¡¯s been a while since I described it, so I don¡¯t remember it clearly, but was Vertus¡¯s Winter Pce garden always this deste? I don¡¯t think I ever described it like this.</i>


    <i>¡®I vaguely remember mumbling something about it having flowers and flower beds. But why is it like this now?¡¯</i>


    Noticing my expression, Charlotte spoke.


    ¡°Deste, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, kind of.¡±


    In a way, though, it suited Vertus. It felt neat and orderly without being shy.


    ¡°Still,¡± I continued, ¡°it¡¯s supposed to be a garden, so it seems odd that there isn¡¯t a single flower bed.¡±


    Charlotte crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.


    ¡°It¡¯s childish, isn¡¯t it? Because I like flowers, he had all the flowers in his garden removed. When I heard that, I wasn¡¯t even angry, just dumbfounded.¡±


    Apparently, Vertus had a childish side to him that I did not expect.


    Charlotte liked flowers, and for Vertus, that was reason enough to hate them.


    So, my memory wasn¡¯t wrong. The reason there were no flowers in Vertus¡¯s garden was because Charlotte, who loved flowers, was still alive.


    In the original story, the Winter Pce garden had flowers because Charlotte, who loved flowers, was already dead.


    Once he had no reason to hate flowers anymore, he was okay with them being in his garden.


    Was that it?


    If Charlotte died, flowers would bloom in Vertus¡¯s garden.


    It was childish, yet it ultimately spoke to the deep-seated hatred and animosity between the two, making it a chilling detail. This must have been another backstory that I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    Charlotte smiled grimly. ¡°You should have seen his face when I rented all the flowers he had removed into my own pce garden.¡±


    Vertus wasn¡¯t the only one who was childish. Charlotte was quite childish too.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    The tram had arrived at the northern part of the Imperial Pce. Charlotte pointed out the window.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Spring Pce, where I live.¡±


    The Spring Pce...


    Even from a distance, even without knowing its name, it was obvious.


    It was more appropriate to call it the Pce of Flowers rather than the Spring Pce, since the garden was so filled with blooming flowers that it seemed like a festival was in full swing.


    Not long ago, someone had died there, in the imperial city of Emperatos, where everyone should have been safe. Someone had lost their life in the most secure ce in the capital.


    I was more curious about what was hidden behind the blooming flowers in the garden.

 Chapter 265

    <h4>Chapter 265</h4>


    The well-maintained flower beds of the pce were filled with flowers whose names I didn¡¯t know, but it did not look chaotic. If the garden outside the Winter Pce felt like a quiet, orderly park, the gardens of the Spring Pce felt full of life, where a festival was in full swing.


    Vertus¡¯s garden was slightly bleak, but not unkempt.


    Charlotte¡¯s garden was rowdy, but not chaotic.


    A garden full of flowers, and a garden with not a single flower. Their gardens seemed to represent the dichotomy between both Charlotte and Vertus.


    Charlotte loved flowers, so Vertus hated them.


    Vertus hated flowers, so Charlotte must have nted even more of them, even renting the flowers Vertus had discarded.


    Both were obsessed with each other¡¯s likes and dislikes.


    If Vertus were to die, what would happen to Charlotte¡¯s garden?


    With no reason to be obsessed with flowers, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be asvish as it was at present, even if the flowers didn¡¯t disappear entirely.


    In many ways, they were quite simr.


    At least, that was what I thought.


    Charlotte walked ahead through the flower-filled garden. The gardeners tending the flower beds bowed silently to the princess.


    There were no special conversations. There were no questions about the unexpected guest.


    If the Winter Pce gave off a cold impression, the Spring Pce, perhaps due to its name or design, felt cozy and inviting.


    The pce felt warm and inviting rather than luxurious, and seemed wellplemented by thevish flowers surrounding it.


    The gardens were part of the pce. That seemed true for both the Winter Pce and the Spring Pce.


    The same applied to the Tetra Pce.


    ¡°... There really aren¡¯t any bees?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wow. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to say the flowers are pretty, it smells nice, or the garden is well-maintained, but you¡¯re somehow still thinking about that?¡±


    <i>¡®Well, obviously! With so many flowers around, it¡¯s only natural that they will attract bees, but as you said, there really aren¡¯t any bees, which is surprising!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Charlotte continued. ¡°If I get stung by a bee, the gardener¡¯s head will roll.¡±


    Charlotte punctuated her statement with augh, which made me break out in a cold sweat.


    In this garden, there were either no bees at all, or they weren¡¯t allowed in. Pest control had to be thorough, whether by magic or other means.


    ¡°Well, then, what about... you know.¡±


    ¡°Pollination?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t it be difficult to pollinate the flowers without bees?


    ¡°... You really worry about strange things. They¡¯ll handle it somehow.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°... Reinhart, you know, I don¡¯t know anything about matters like that.¡±


    There was no need for the princess to know about matters that were taken care of by others. Charlotte liked flowers, and that was enough reason for such a grand flower garden to exist. She didn¡¯t need to know or care about the specifics of what the gardeners did to maintain it. That was true power.


    Charlotte lived a life in which such things were taken for granted. In many ways, it reminded me that Charlotte was still far removed from me.


    <i>¡°I don¡¯t need to know such things. My subordinates will handle it.¡±</i>


    To be able to say such things so confidently...


    I followed Charlotte through the garden and arrived at the entrance to the pce. We entered the grand hall, with its spiral staircase, statues, and columns.


    It seemed like an excessivelyrge pce for one person to live in.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t living alone. There would be maids, attendants, other servants handling various tasks, and security.


    Somehow, though, there seemed to be no servants or attendants visible anywhere in the grand hall.


    Well, there were a few, but... Someone should have been there to greet Charlotte, whether a servant or a maid.


    But no one came out to greet Charlotte, and there seemed to be very few people around.


    Something had happened in this pce. The quietness was evidence of that.


    Even though I had stubbornly insisted oning, Charlotte was the one who had eventually relented and brought me along. Did that mean there was nothing suspicious for me to see?


    In that eerily quiet pce hall, Charlotte spoke first. ¡°As I said earlier, don¡¯t say anything unnecessary. I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I remembered her advice to be careful about who I messed with. She had essentially acknowledged that I was someone she could tolerate.


    That felt good.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Someone stood up from their seat in the hall and came to greet Charlotte.


    My eyes couldn¡¯t help but widen when I saw who it was.


    He was alive. The cavalry lieutenant who had provided crucial help during my escape from the Demon King¡¯s Castle...


    ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Dyrus. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Reinhart. Reinhart, this is Sir Dyrus, my bodyguard.¡±


    Dyrus, who had now be Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard, stood before me.


    ***


    I had vaguely assumed that Dyrus might be dead and hadn¡¯t asked Charlotte about him, especially since there was no reason for me to know Dyrus.


    So, he had be Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard. Charlotte had managed to protect the person who had saved her.


    However, to be realistic, Dyrus did not possess skills that reached the realms of being superhuman, though I didn¡¯t know what kind of progress he had made since thest time I saw him.


    Despite my inner joy, I couldn¡¯t show any of it, as I wasn¡¯t supposed to know Dyrus.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re safe. That¡¯s enough.¡¯</i>


    Instead of showing the same relief I felt, Dyrus looked at me with a wary expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, bringing an outsider here is...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°Even so...¡±


    Despite Charlotte¡¯s words, Dyrus looked troubled.


    The rumors that something had happened inside this pce were likely true, which was why outsiders were probably prohibited from entering.


    Charlotte was stubbornly pushing her way through to cover my insistence with her own, and it was troubling Dyrus.


    The princess, who had been unable to refuse her friend¡¯s stubbornness, had brought her friend home, and it was her turn to be stubborn.


    Another voice came from elsewhere, cutting through Dyrus¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a familiar voice, but it wasn¡¯t entirely unfamiliar either.


    ¡°You should refrain from bringing outsiders here.¡±


    There stood Sabioleen Tana, the captain of the First Imperial Knights Order, Shanapell, whom I had seen before.


    <i>¡®Why is she here?¡¯</i>


    She walked towards Charlotte and me, dressed in her knightly uniform.


    She obviously recognized me. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, Reinhart. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ll have to leave, even if you were invited.¡±


    She spoke as if Charlotte¡¯s opinion didn¡¯t matter.


    <i>¡®Is Shanapell responsible for the security of the Spring Pce?¡¯</i>


    The impact of the rumors Sarkegar had ryed to me was unfolding right before my eyes.


    <i>¡®What exactly had happened here? Is Charlotte safe?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Dame Tana. That decision is mine to make.¡±


    ¡°Temporarily, the responsibility for the pce¡¯s security falls to me.¡±


    Out of nowhere, the current strongest person in the world and the First Princess were having a standoff.


    ¡°Are you saying Reinhart is a dangerous person?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°I believe you know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    I had decided to act based on my Qi Sense, but had my stubborn insistence caused Charlotte to engage in a fight she wasn¡¯t supposed to be having?


    Instead of looking at Charlotte, Sabioleen Tana looked at me, as if to say it would be better for me to leave on my own rather than let this confrontation with the princess continue.


    However, even with the strongest person in the world in front of me, I couldn¡¯t back down.


    I needed to know what had happened here, and what was happening to Charlotte.


    I had no intention of leaving.


    Seeing my determined gaze, she turned back to Charlotte.


    ¡°Your Highness. We need to talk.¡±


    It was almost amand.


    Was Sabioleen Tana¡¯s authority and power that significant?


    ¡°Yes, Dame Tana.¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t back down either.


    ***


    It was strange for Dyrus and Sabioleen Tana to oppose my visit.


    The owner of the pce had made a decision, yet the secretary and head of security were vehemently opposing it.


    This situation was likely specific to the Spring Pce.


    Sabioleen Tana, Charlotte, and Dyrus went off somewhere to talk.


    They went far enough that I couldn¡¯t hear their conversation.


    It seemed like Shanapell was in charge of security, but I didn¡¯t see any other knights except for the captain.


    It felt like she was the only one here.


    I didn¡¯t know if the other personnel were hidden somewhere, handling security.


    <i>¡®If a murder had urred, shouldn¡¯t security be tighter? Why was it so deserted?¡¯</i>


    I had a bad feeling.


    How much time had passed? When they returned, Sabioleen Tana looked very displeased.


    I felt sorry for Charlotte.


    I had insisted oning, triggering an unnecessary confrontation.


    ¡°Stay for dinner. It¡¯s fine,¡± Charlotte said with a bright smile. The others didn¡¯t say much.


    In the end, my stubborn insistence had allowed me to enter the Spring Pce, where Charlotte lived.


    I was very surprised that my stubbornness had worked out. My request would probably not have been granted, even under normal circumstances, but in these unusual circumstances, Charlotte had eventually given in to my insistence.


    ¡°Shall we take a walk?¡±


    Charlotte led me around the empty and quiet Spring Pce, as if she intended to give me a tour.


    Neither Dyrus nor Tana followed us.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on all of a sudden...? I didn¡¯t want to fight with Dame Tana,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Did you fight?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not exactly... but know that I had to damage my reputation to protect your image.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s unsettling gaze sent a chill down my spine. I wondered if I had made a mistake by trusting my intuition and causing unnecessary trouble.


    A princess sacrificing her reputation to protect the reputation of amoner...<i> ¡®What a great friend she is...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t be rude to Dame Tana or Sir Dyrus. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not crazy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. In fact, you¡¯ve gotten even crazier now.¡±


    <i>¡®Hmm, she¡¯s right. I do have a conscience, so I should admit what¡¯s true.¡¯</i>


    ¡°True. I might be crazy, but I¡¯m not crazy enough to mess with the captain of Shanapell. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you mess with me?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re friends¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Charlotte covered her ears, as if she didn¡¯t want to hear the word ¡°friend¡± anymore.


    ¡ªShut up!


    Charlotte¡¯s brief shout echoed through the hallway, emphasizing the eerie silence of the Spring Pce.


    The silence was so unsettling that both Charlotte and I stopped our bickering and fell silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡±


    ¡°... It wasn¡¯t always like this. We¡¯ve only recently reduced the number of staff.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Despite everything, Charlotte seemed determined not to treat me poorly and diligently led the way.


    There were no signs of a murder. Even if there were, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize them, and there would be no reason for such traces to be left behind.


    The first ce Charlotte took me to was a gallery.


    ¡°Do you like paintings?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t lie about this one. No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Can I assume you have no interest in art in general?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m the same.¡±


    Charlotte walked past the numerous paintings and sculptures adorning therge gallery without much interest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Paintings are just inferior imitations of reality. They¡¯re just deteriorated versions of reality, and their only function is preservation, like taxidermy. However, with the development of memory-rted magic, they¡¯ve be meaningless. Yet, these painters still strut around as if they¡¯re important. It¡¯s strange,¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte could be much more cynical than Vertus at times.


    With the development of magic simr to photography, the value of painting as a mimicry of reality had plummeted.


    It seemed the concept of abstract art hadn¡¯t yet emerged in this world. That was an unexpected thing to learn. Charlotte walked through the gallery filled with portraits, all the while denying the potential of painting.


    ¡°These are portraits of people who lived in the Spring Pce. Some are royalty, and some are not.¡±


    ¡°Really? So non-royals can live in the Four Great Pces?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Charlotte exined everything diligently, even though she was just confirming what I already knew.


    I pretended to be curious because she truly seemed to enjoy exining it to me.


    ¡°The Summer Pce is thergest pce, with many annexes, and has been home to royal rtives for a long time. The Autumn Pce to the south is not reserved for royalty, and is the ce where officials carry out their work.¡±


    <i>¡®Who lived in the Spring Pce in the original story?¡¯</i>


    In this timeline, it was Charlotte¡¯s residence, but she did not survive in the original story, and someone else would have taken over. I didn¡¯t know who that was.


    Vertus lived in the Winter Pce, both in the original story and at present.


    There was no way to find out what I didn¡¯t know. Perhaps they would have expanded the royal rtives¡¯ residences.


    Since there were two candidates to seed the throne, two of the Four Great Pces each housed a royal with a strong im to session.


    Charlotte and Vertus, each the master of one of the Four Great Pces, and Oscar de Gradias, living in the Summer Pce, the residence of the royal rtives...


    I understood what Vertus had said: that even among royalty, they could never be the same.


    After walking through the gallery, Charlotte took me to the chapel next.


    Though it wasn¡¯t dusty, it felt like a space that hadn¡¯t been used in a long time.


    As we stood in the grand chapel with the statues of the five gods, Charlotte looked at me.


    ¡°Do you follow any god?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°I figured.¡±


    Though I was the master of Tiamata, I didn¡¯t follow any god.


    The religion of this world was peculiar. Or rather, it had to be different.


    The belief in gods was not in question.


    Gods existed. The question was whether one followed them or not.


    Followers were considered religious, but no one could deny the existence of gods. Divine Power existed, and there were Holy Relics, bestowed by the gods.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Charlotte.


    ¡°Not really...¡± Charlotte said as she shook her head. ¡°Of course, if Artorius hadn¡¯t won, I would have died. So, I thought perhaps I would worship Alse, the god of war...¡±


    Ragan Artorius wasn¡¯t a priest of Alse, but he had wielded Alse¡¯s Holy Relic, Alsbringer, to defeat the Demon King.


    ¡°Even though I think it was Artorius who saved me... it doesn¡¯t feel quite right...¡±


    Charlotte smiled wistfully. She had to be thinking of Baalier.


    Did Charlotte truly view me as such a huge reason for her salvation? Of course, I did save her life, but if it hadn¡¯t been for Artorius, the war wouldn¡¯t have ended.


    ¡°How strong was the Demon King? Even if Artorius had been defeated, couldn¡¯t the allied forces, with theirbined strength, killthe Demon King?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Well...¡±


    In truth, I actually knew the answer.


    The previous Demon King, Baalier...


    The novel began with the death of the Demon King, but what was the extent of the Demon King¡¯s power?


    Without Ragan Artorius, the Demon King would not have been defeated, and the allied forces would have suffered a crushing defeat.


    People knew that Ragan Artorius was the one who defeated the Demon King, but they did not know how he did it.


    The fight took ce inside the Demon King¡¯s castle, with no witnesses... That was something only I knew.


    Without Alsbringer, even Ragan Artorius wouldn¡¯t have been able to subdue the Demon King.


    If Ragan Artorius hadn¡¯t been there, the Demon King would have won. I wouldn¡¯t have needed to escape, and Charlotte would have died.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, thinking about these things,¡± Charlotte remarked.


    Charlotte and I continued walking through the pce after leaving the chapel. There was a music hall in which an orchestra could perform, but there were no musicians. The adjacent instrument storage room was also empty.


    Charlotte showed me various areas of the pce: the servants¡¯ quarters, the kitchen, the dining room, the dressing room, the storage rooms, and the guest bedrooms.


    And even...


    ¡°I-Is this... okay?¡±


    ¡°... Every time I realize you do have a limit to your crudeness, I¡¯m surprised. Why wouldn¡¯t it be okay? You¡¯ve already been quite rude to me.¡±


    Charlotte even showed me her bedroom.

 Chapter 266

    <h4>Chapter 266</h4>


    Charlotte¡¯s bedroom wasn¡¯trge enough to y football inside or anything like that. There was no reason for it to be excessively spacious. It was furnished with a grand canopy bed that had elegant silk curtains, a table for meetings, armchairs, and a sofa.


    The furniture, including several bookshelves, was neatly arranged. There was also a walk-in wardrobe with a dressing area inside the bedroom, and it seemed to have arge bathroom attached to it. The rooms in the Royal ss dormitory were quite impressive, but they couldn¡¯tpare to the princess¡¯s bedroom.


    I suddenly became curious. Did Charlotte dress herself, or did her maids help her? She would have to manage everything on her own in the dormitory.


    Well, perhaps there were some items of clothing that she could not wear on her own. In such cases, did she borrow someone else¡¯s hands? Of course, I didn¡¯t ask that.


    As I looked around the bedroom, I finally voiced out what I was thinking. ¡°The bed... it¡¯s way too big.¡±


    ¡°... Honestly, the more I listen to you, I want tomend your perspective.¡±


    Charlotte pointed to the enormous bed, far exceeding the size of a king-size bed, as if she had expected me to say something strange again. It was not just wide, but also very long.


    ¡°Shockingly enough, though, you¡¯re right. This bed is way too massive. But I only realized that it was ufortable after using the bed in the dormitory,¡± she continued.


    The dormitory bed wasrge as well, but not to such an extent. It was a small exaggeration to say that one could probably have a small party on that bed. I¡¯d seen people living in a smaller space than what that single bed took up. It seemed just slightly smaller than a decent studio apartment.


    The princess¡¯s bedroom wasn¡¯t big enough to y ser in, but the bed was almostrger than a small apartment.


    ¡°I used to think I had to crawl just to get off the bed. But with the dormitory bed, I only need to roll over once to get off.¡±


    It was amusing to hear Charlotte describing how she¡¯d finally realized she had been sleeping in an ufortable bed her whole life only after having to sleep in a smaller one.


    She had such a cute expression, and hearing that she was happy that she could get off the bed by rolling over once was just great. Imagining Charlotte doing that made me want tough, despite the seriousness of the situation we were in.


    ¡°Do you want to lie down?¡±


    ¡°... I know you think I¡¯m crazy, but I¡¯m not <i>that</i> crazy, okay?¡±


    <i>¡®I do have boundaries, you know! It¡¯s just that others don¡¯t agree with them. I¡¯m not the kind of lunatic who would roll around on a princess¡¯s bed,ughing maniacally!¡¯</i>


    Charlotte covered her mouth andughed at my reaction.


    ¡°Why? Honestly, if we sleep on either end of that bed, no matter how bad your sleeping habits are, we wouldn¡¯t touch each other all night.¡±


    ¡°Why are you like this?¡±


    It seemed my stubbornness and my nonsense had finally gotten to Charlotte. She didn¡¯t show me around the rest of the vast bedroom, perhaps because there were sensitive items there.


    There were a few portraits hung on the walls, but I didn¡¯t ask who the people in them were. An adult woman who resembled Charlotte... There was no need to ask, since it would be a painful name for Charlotte.


    At that moment, something that was hard to describe as human... That something made me stop thinking.


    ¡°Do you want to see something interesting?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Charlotte, with a meaningful smile, grabbed my arm and led me towards the wall where the bookshelves were.


    ¡°Things like this often appear in novels. Royals or nobles living in ces like this... When chaos erupts, they always escape through secret passages.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charlotte took off her ne and fitted it into a groove on a part of the wall between the bookshelves, which looked like a pir.


    <i>Click.</i>


    With that, the wall rotated, and Charlotte and I found ourselves on the other side. As soon as the rotation stopped, I was left speechless.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I finally managed to croak out.


    ¡°Amazing, right?¡±


    In front of us was a staircase leading down. The bedroom was on the second floor, but this staircase seemed to descend all the way into the basement.


    ¡°This is the secret passage of the Spring Pce.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this... an important secret?¡±


    Charlotte nodded nonchntly.


    ¡°Yes. Aside from me, probably only His Majesty the emperor knows about this. Not even Dyrus or Dame Tana know.¡±


    Charlotte touched her ne, the item she¡¯d used to operate the secret door. ¡°This is the key.¡±


    It had to be an item that had been passed down from one owner of the Spring Pce to another for generations.


    ¡°... Should you even be showing me this?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte asked as she tilted her head. ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡±


    Caught off guard, I had nothing to say.


    <i>¡®But still, telling me something like this... It¡¯s starting to get a bit scary...¡¯</i>


    ¡°So, where does this lead?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This is the heart of the empire. Don¡¯t underestimate a secret passage.¡±


    Charlotte took me down the stairs to a room at the end of the basement. The secret passage ended there. There was only one room, but it was definitely a path leading somewhere.


    Or, more urately, a door.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s an escape route, it should allow me to go anywhere.¡±


    There was a warp gate here.


    ***


    A miniature warp gate... Of course, at that moment, it was deactivated.


    I didn¡¯t know where it could lead, but if it connected to another warp gate within range, it would be a perfect means of escape.


    ¡°You can use spatial magic within the pce?¡±


    ¡°It can be disabled, but what¡¯s stopping us from enabling it in certain areas?¡± Charlotte said as if it were nothing special.


    Why would Charlotte tell me something like that? She had just shared a very important secret with me for fun. It didn¡¯t seem like she had any other reason to.


    This wasn¡¯t the sort of thing you would boast about lightly. It was like a child showing off, saying, ¡°Look what we have at our house!¡±


    <i>¡®I should keep this in mind when the Gate Incident happens.¡¯ </i>


    Since it was always deactivated, I couldn¡¯t be sure if the monsters would emerge from it, but I definitely had to keep this ce in mind.


    After leaving the bedroom, Charlotte continued to show me around the pce. There were many spaces, but we hardly ran into anyone else. Overall, it felt empty.


    ¡°It¡¯s big, but not much of it is actually in use. Nowadays, it feels even more deserted because there are fewer people around.¡±


    The Spring Pce felt like a lonely ce, though not as much as the White Pce in Arnaka did. It was a different kind of loneliness. The White Pce in Arnaka seemed like it was always meant to be that way, but this loneliness seemed very out of ce for the Spring Pce. It felt like a ce that was never intended to be so deste, but was slowly bing so. Somehow, it felt like it was dying.


    The tour around the pce took a substantial amount of time, and by the end of it, the orange rays of sunset were pouring in through the windows.


    ¡°Not much to see, right?¡±


    I chuckled at Charlotte¡¯s blunt remark. Saying that there wasn¡¯t much to a pce with a miniature warp gate in the basement was a bit of an understatement.


    ¡°I want to say ¡®what are you talking about¡¯... but honestly, you¡¯re right,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®So what?¡¯ </i>


    That was all I felt in the end.


    Charlotte seemed pleased with my answer. ¡°You¡¯re honest.¡±


    In the end, a pce was just a huge building. Much of it was empty, and Charlotte wasn¡¯t so much the owner of this pce as someone merely living in one of its rooms. The warm sunset light bathed the corridor red, making it feel even lonelier because there were so few around to enjoy it.


    In the lonely light of sunset, Charlotte gazed at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought about doing this at least once.¡±


    Her smile was lonely, reflecting the mood of the sunset. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to bring a friend over, show them where I live, and tell them that living in a ce like this isn¡¯t that great. Just once, at least.¡±


    Her expression seemed to suggest that a long-held wish had finally been fulfilled. Although she had been reluctant to bring me along, it seemed that this was what she had wanted. I had to y along with her reluctance, but the whole experience had been far from unpleasant. Moreover, she had brought me here despite knowing that the leader of Shanapell would oppose it.


    ¡°You seem to understand me so well, Reinhart. It¡¯s really strange... Why do you understand me so well? Why... are you always there when I need someone?¡±


    I could sense what Charlotte needed right then. Just someone to be by her side. That seemed to be what she needed.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to withdraw from the Temple soon,¡± Charlotte confessed.


    My mind froze at those words. I hadn¡¯t yet figured out what my Qi Sense had been warning me about. Was this it?


    If I had spent my time preupied with other matters, Charlotte would have suddenly disappeared.


    It would have been absolutely frustrating for me, not knowing the reason behind her disappearance. On top of that, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to ask Vertus about Charlotte¡¯s well-being.


    Vertus and Charlotte...


    <i>¡®Did she lose to Vertus in the end?</i>


    <i>¡®What was the murder incident in the Spring Pce all about, then? Did Vertus try to kill Charlotte and fail? If he failed, then he would be in deep trouble, so why...?</i>


    <i>¡®Is the Spring Pce so empty because of this power struggle, and is Sabioleen Tana guarding Charlotte to prevent any unforeseen mishaps?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is it because of Vertus?¡± I asked.


    Charlotte¡¯s reaction to my question was peculiar.


    ¡°If I say it is, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°If I ultimately lost the fight for the throne, if this is what happened to me, if that¡¯s why I¡¯m quitting the Temple...¡± Charlotte looked at me. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what would you do? What happens then?¡±


    I already knew the answer.


    ¡°The fate of a royal who loses the battle of session for the throne is obvious. It¡¯s a matter of facing death immediately, or a littleter,¡± I replied.


    Charlotte gazed at the scenery outside the pce.


    ¡°I could be killed immediately, or, to avoid anymotion, I could be exiled far away and ced under guard. Eventually, the ministers¡¯ pleas for the elimination of any loose ends would grow, and I would die a quiet death in exile. Or, I could be attacked by bandits or ambushed on my way into exile... Either way, I wouldn¡¯t survive,¡± Charlotte exined.


    Charlotte looked straight at me. ¡°If that happens to me, what will you do?¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to think for long.


    Rather, there was no thinking to be done.


    ¡°I¡¯ll save you.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Somehow.¡±


    ¡°Anyone can say that.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ignoring Charlotte¡¯s words, I took a step closer to her. ¡°Have you forgotten about my supernatural power?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If I believe it, it happens.¡±


    Charlotte silently watched me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll save you. I believe it, so it will happen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    <i>¡®It is absurd.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, I know it¡¯s absurd,¡± I said, looking at Charlotte.


    <i>¡®Yes, this is just absurd, I know.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But this absurdity was what helped me be a superhuman, seed in activating Mana Reinforcement, and enter the Spring Pce despite being a street urchin,¡± I continued.


    <i>¡®Everything in my life has been achieved through absurdity, so I will once again use absurdity to my advantage. This absurdity has always be reality, and it will be the same this time.¡¯</i>


    That was what I believed in.


    ¡°I will save you no matter what, and if I fail to save you, I will kill Vertus.¡±


    Charlotte was startled by that.


    Anyone could say that they¡¯d try to save someone else no matter what. But dering that I would kill the next emperor if I failed to save her was not something to be said lightly.


    Charlotte was too shocked by the insanity in my words to speak. But I meant it. For the moment, I saw Vertus as a friend, but if he killed Charlotte, he would no longer be my friend.


    Charlotte tried to wrap her head around my words, but eventually let out a hollowugh.


    ¡°Why... Why would you go to such lengths for me? No matter how much I think about it... I can¡¯t understand why you would say something like that for my sake...¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re friends.¡±


    My reply surprised her.


    <i>¡°Because we¡¯re friends.¡± </i>It was a phrase I had repeated several times that day...


    Charlotte was left speechless by the finality with which those words resonated. After a long silence, she swallowed hard and looked at me with a forced smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Charlotte said.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s a shame?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been worried about me all day. But this is enough.¡±


    Charlotte obviously knew the reason behind my strange behavior.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of Vertus. So...¡±


    Charlotte lightly pinched my cheek. ¡°This time, you won¡¯t have the chance to cause trouble.¡±


    She looked as if she had received a death sentence, a sentence that was unchangeable, not even by the absurdity within me.


    Tears welled up in Charlotte¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thank you, Reinhart. In the end, I still wanted to hear you say you¡¯d cause trouble for me.¡±


    It seemed that just hearing the words was enough for her, even if she believed I wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to carry it out.


    Charlotte stood there,ughing and crying at the same time.

 Chapter 267

    <h4>Chapter 267</h4>


    Dinner at the Pce of Spring was an extravagant affair. We ate at a grandly set table, assisted by attending maids. It seemed that, while the number of staff in the Spring Pce had been cut, not everyone had been dismissed.


    Although I found it ufortable to have someone assisting me while I ate, it wasn¡¯t too awkward. I ended up eating a lot, and Charlotte watched me stuff myself with a satisfied look. In the end, I ate so much that even Dyrus and Sabioleen Tana, who were dining with us, seemed taken aback.


    ¡°... Do you always eat that much?¡± Charlotte asked in amazement.


    ¡°When else would I get to eat like this?¡±


    Charlotte was withdrawing from the Temple, and Vertus had nothing to do with it...


    In the end, I hadn¡¯t managed to find out what had happened in this pce, and Charlotte didn¡¯t tell me the reason why she was leaving the Temple either.


    She was essentially offering me a warning. She was letting me know that, if something happens to her, Vertus would have nothing to do with it, and therefore I wasn¡¯t to do anything rash and put myself in danger. Then again, that could also be a lie.


    It was clear that something strange was going on around Charlotte, but I was not going to get a straight answer. After dinner, we had tea together and talked about various things.


    When things be too serious, people tend to talk about lighter topics. Any discussion about heavier topics would eventually drag down the entire atmosphere, and the whole conversation would copse under the weight of it.


    That was the situation that we found ourselves in.


    I had to leave soon, since it had been agreed that I would leave after dinner. I didn¡¯t want to leave yet, but while throwing a tantrum about wanting to stay the night might work on Charlotte, it would not work on Sabioleen Tana.


    Charlotte said her goodbyes, and announced that she was going to get ready for bed.


    ¡°Goodbye, Reinhart. Dame Tana will see you off.¡±


    After that casual farewell, Sabioleen Tana approached to see me off. It was more about making sure that I left properly, rather than a courtesy.


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± Sabioleen Tana called out to me.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Dame Sabioleen Tana?¡±


    ¡°Just Tana is fine.¡±


    I nodded at her stern words.


    ¡°Yes, Tana.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t mean to drop the honorific.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dame Tana.¡±


    The situation was serious, but somehow, she seemed oddly cute, just like Ellen.


    ¡°Follow me. There¡¯s something I need to know.¡±


    She seemed to have some business with me before she was going to let me leave the pce. She wanted to know something from me, which was why she, and not Dyrus, was seeing me off.


    She led me to a part of the pce which appeared to be a training ground. The lights were on, but there was no one around.


    Suddenly, she drew her sword.


    It was a bit unsettling, but she held the sword by the de and handed it to me. ¡°Take it. It¡¯s nothing serious. I just want to see your skills.¡±


    I was confused. ¡°Why now, all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about the future of the empire that my junior spoke of back at the banquet. Since the opportunity has arisen, I want to see it for myself.¡±


    The strongest person in the world wanted to spar with me...


    It was clear she had no particr ill intentions, but she was unarmed after handing me her sword.


    There were no other weapons in the training ground. Charlotte wasn¡¯t one to practice swordsmanship.


    As I stared at her, she seemed to realize her mistake and looked at her empty hands.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    <i>Wooong...</i>


    Blue mana began to condense in her hands, taking the shape of a sword.


    It wasn¡¯t an aura de, which involved projecting mana onto a sword and oveying it with power.


    She had reached the level where she could create a sword purely out of mana.


    A superhuman beyond superhumans, a Swordmaster beyond Swordmasters... Sabioleen Tana.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t she crossing the line a little, though?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wait. What are you doing, summoning something like that?¡±


    She pointed the mana sword at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can control it. Right now, it¡¯s about as strong as a sturdy wooden sword.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s a different story, then.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    Believing that nothing I did would matter, I approached Tana, wielding the sword she had handed me.


    As I moved, she adjusted her shoulders and her stance even though I hadn¡¯t reached her yet. It was as if she could read all my movements and intentions, and was adjusting her bnce before I even made a move.


    I could sense that my attack would be blocked the moment our swords shed, so I stepped back, creating some distance as I reassessed the position.


    I had never been able to do this before, but after awakening my Qi Sense, it became possible.


    Among the many traits I had received, Qi Sense was the most broken one. Of course, the Hero¡¯s Lineage and Divine Spirit traits were also incredible, but the versatility of Qi Sense was unparalleled. It felt like it was always active, and was not just useful in specific situations.


    In this scenario, I could see my opponent¡¯s movements more clearly. While I couldn¡¯t fully read them, I could see them more finely.


    By observing her preemptive movements in response to my own, I could predict, to a certain degree, the flow of our exchanges.


    This wasn¡¯t a supernatural power.


    I could now see what Ellen saw. What could only be seen after a long period of training, I could now see with the help of my trait.


    I adjusted my stance and the angle of my sword, and Sabioleen Tana mirrored my movements. Even though our swords hadn¡¯t shed, it felt as though we had already exchanged more than five blows.


    If I went in one way, my attack would be blocked. So, I angled for a different approach, and she responded, prompting me to adjust again. As this cycle repeated itself, I observed her shoulders, her steps, and the direction at which she held her sword. From this, I could sense how our exchanges would go.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re not a novice,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    She had to have seen what I had as well, but at a much more detailed level. That¡¯s why this sort of exchange was possible.


    She nodded as she observed me. For some reason, I could read her thoughts. Ellen¡¯s had been hard to read at first, but this person¡¯s thoughts were almost transparent.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s not a mere novice. I heard he¡¯s been learning the sword for less than a year. But even if he¡¯s learning from a genius, is this sort of progress possible? What kind of talent is this?</i>


    <i>¡®He said he¡¯s also managed to activate Mana Reinforcement, right? And he has supernatural powers? What is this? He¡¯s scary.</i>


    <i>¡®Should I invite him to Shanapell? I want him. But it would take too long for him to graduate.¡¯</i>


    Her thoughts flowed along those lines.


    Why did it feel like I had mind-reading abilities, specifically when it came to her?


    <i>Srrrk...</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t need to see more.¡±


    In the end, she dismissed her mana sword without even crossing des with me.


    I respectfully returned the sword to her, and she looked at me with aplex expression. She seemed to have a lot on her mind. I suddenly wished Ellen could grow to be like this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the future of the empire, but I don¡¯t think Effenhauser¡¯s judgment was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Is that apliment?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a statement of fact.¡±


    This person... She resembled not only Ellen, but Effenhauser as well. Given their respective ages, it was probably more correct to say that Efffenhauser took after her instead.


    She sheathed her sword and looked at me.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Without another word, she left the training ground and headed outside the Spring Pce.


    It was night, and the garden was full of flowers.


    All the gardeners seemed to be gone. Perhaps they had gone home.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to rain.¡±


    The sky, which had grown gloomy without me realizing it, rumbled with ominous thunder.


    How long had it been since the sun had finally set, and when did it suddenly be so cloudy?


    She handed me arge umbre, but didn¡¯t take one herself.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take one for yourself?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even though it looked like it was about to rain, she walked through the pce garden as if it didn¡¯t matter.


    The garden was so vast that it took quite a while just to cross it.


    There were no guards anywhere in the pce or in the garden. Perhaps Sabioleen Tana¡¯s presence was enough.


    It seemed that even the few remaining pce staff had left the pce.


    Charlotte had shown me the vast quarters reserved for servants and maids within the pce, but although I hadn¡¯t gone inside any of them, it had been clear that they were unupied.


    How long had we walked?


    <i>Plop. Plop.</i>


    It started to rain.


    I opened my umbre, but Sabioleen Tana continued to walk on in the rain. I tried to cover her with the umbre, but she rejected my offer and kept her distance, continuing to walk in the rain.


    It was clear from that alone that she wasn¡¯t in a good mood.


    We walked through the garden of the Spring Pce in the midst of the falling rain. The tram stop was still far away.


    Suddenly, she spoke.


    ¡°Her Highness said that you were someone that would take her secrets to the grave.¡±


    ¡°... Did she say that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She also said that you are a benefactor, and friend who has helped her immensely. That was why she said it was okay to share some of her secrets with you.¡±


    So, that was part of the private conversation they¡¯d had earlier.


    Her secrets...


    I never wished for this to happen.


    In the end, Vertus was not involved in this. The issue was Charlotte¡¯s own.


    ¡°This is a very unusual situation. For you, an outsider, to learn the imperial family¡¯s secrets, solely because Her Highness willed it. I could not decide on my own whether or not to allow it. If this gets out, not only will your life be at risk, but mine as well. So, what you¡¯re about to hear, keep it to yourself.¡±


    Having given sufficient warning, Sabioleen Tana went on, ¡°Currently, the Spring Pce is closed to all outsiders, and not just external visitors. Most of the pce staff have not been allowed back in as well, aside from those who can be fully trusted.¡±


    I had to listen first, without adding in any unnecessaryments. Charlotte hadn¡¯t said anything to me directly, perhaps because she wanted me to hear it from Sabioleen Tana.


    Charlotte had allowed me to know part of her secret.


    ¡°Because of this, when Her Highness brought you here, Sir Dyrus and I were taken aback. It should not have been allowed to happen, given the situation. Therefore, remember that the conversation between Her Highness and me was in no way political. I am not involved in any matters arising from politics.¡±


    I took a moment to let her words sink in. ¡°I see.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana... Her strength belonged to the emperor, yet despite her prominent title as the leader of Shanapell, she did not involve herself in politics at all, as she believed it was not her path.


    ¡°You have supernatural powers, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you must know more about the dangers of such powers than the average person.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Her Highness¡¯s supernatural power is a dangerous ability. She has a form of power that is difficult to control. That¡¯s why its nature could not be revealed to the public. Her Highness has been focusing on controlling her ability.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s supernatural power...


    I had only guessed that it was an offensive ability, and one that couldn¡¯t be revealed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go into the details. However, both the imperial family and Her Highness herself are having difficulty controlling that power. Therefore, Her Highness can no longer continue her life at the Temple.¡±


    I paused for a moment. ¡°I see.¡±


    Dangerous and uncontroble superhumans were eliminated. Charlotte¡¯s power was of that nature, and it could endanger other students at the Temple.


    That was why Charlotte could no longer attend lessons at the Temple.


    Charlotte would soon withdraw from the Temple. It could be in a month, in a week, or even that very day.


    If that was true, then Charlotte¡¯s statement that Vertus was not involved in this was likely true.


    That meant the rumor of someone dying in the Spring Pce... Could it be that someone had lost their life because Charlotte¡¯s power had gone out of control?


    Murder... That was the reason why Charlotte had been returning to the imperial pce instead of staying at the dormitory.


    ¡°This day has been unusual in many ways. Don¡¯t expect to be able to visit the Spring Pce again in the future.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t because of the power struggle; Charlotte was being taken out of the Temple because she¡¯d failed to control her power.


    <i>¡®But before all of that, what exactly is Charlotte¡¯s power? Why is Sabioleen Tana here? Why did my Qi Sense give me a warning today?¡¯</i>


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    The sh of lightning illuminated Sabioleen Tana¡¯s face. As she walked through the rain, the raindrops running down her cheeks looked like tears.


    ¡°If Charlottepletely fails to control her power... what will happen?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to tell you that,¡± Sabioleen Tana said without looking at me.


    Both of our expressions were grim. She seemed to be preparing herself for something she didn¡¯t want to face.


    <i>¡®Sabioleen Tana... Why is the strongest person in this world guarding this pce alone?</i>


    <i>¡®Why is she alone?¡¯</i>


    No matter how I looked at it, the only other guard besides her was Dyrus.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here to handle the situation if Charlotte loses control?¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s eyes widened.


    My Qi Sense had given me a strong warning that day. I could still feel that warning reverberating within me.


    It was likely that Charlotte would die that day, at the hands of Sabioleen Tana.

 Chapter 268

    <h4>Chapter 268</h4>


    Sabioleen Tana was stationed in the Spring Pce to deal with Charlotte in case of an emergency.


    It wasn¡¯t for Charlotte¡¯s safety, but for the safety of the Imperial Pce. That much was clear.


    ¡°Watch your words, Reinhart. I don¡¯t have much patience,¡± Sabioleen Tana said as she strode through the rain.


    Even though I was a friend of the princess, it was presumptuous of me to suggest that she had been assigned the task of killing the princess. The reason she was standing in the rain, struggling with herself, might have been because she wanted to torment herself in some way.


    I didn¡¯t know the rtionship between Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana. However,ying hands on someone as noble as the princess, second only to the emperor, was no small matter.


    It had to have been a direct order from the emperor, and Charlotte had to have epted it.


    For the person who had to carry out that order, though, it would feel like hell.


    Something was about to happen that day. But that was just a warning from my Qi Sense, not a certainty.


    Before I knew it, the Spring Pce was far behind us.


    I couldn¡¯t go back to the Temple.


    But I couldn¡¯t leave Charlotte behind.


    How, though?


    Neither Charlotte nor Sabioleen Tana would allow me to remain in the Spring Pce any longer. I had already crossed too many lines. Too much had been permitted just because I was Charlotte¡¯s friend.


    I didn¡¯t know if Vertus was aware of my sojourn into the pce, but even if he was, he would likely be indifferent to Charlotte¡¯s fate. There was no reason to make a move against a rival who was going to disappear on their own.


    We were already nearing the tram stop.


    ¡°You know how to get to the entrance to the Imperial Pce, right? I would take you there myself, but I can¡¯t leave my post for long.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you, Dame Tana.¡±


    She usually had to ensure that I left the pce properly, but the situation we were in was unique.


    After escorting me to the tram stop, she headed back to the Spring Pce.


    I couldn¡¯t get permission to stay.


    There was no one at the tram stop, as everyone who needed to leave had already left. It was to ensure no one saw Charlotte¡¯s condition.


    The Spring Pce was operating with the minimum number of people, and at thiste hour, even that skeleton staff, except for Dyrus, had been sent away for the night.


    This was to ensure that no one saw the leader of Shanapell killing Charlotte. Security around the Spring Pce at this hour was extremelyx.


    Would it be possible to secretly observe the situation? After all, this was Sabioleen Tana, someone at the Grandmaster level.


    The Spring Pce would be her domain. Could I hide my presence from her senses and infiltrate the pce to observe the situation?


    Whether it was possible or not, I had to do it.


    The area surrounding the Spring Pce waspletely devoid of people.


    It was time to cause trouble again.


    Not for myself, but for Charlotte.


    Just like when I first fell into this world. Just as I had risked my life in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, I now had to gamble my life within the walls of the Imperial Pce.


    I couldn¡¯t stand by and watch while the first life I¡¯d saved was snuffed out like this.


    It was dark, on a rainy autumn night.


    Sabioleen Tana would be on high alert, but she would not be focused on her surroundings.


    She would be solely focused on Charlotte, and her own feelings of sadness and confusion seemed to go quite deep as well.


    I didn¡¯t know ifpletely erasing my presence would be possible with my Self-Deception talent, but I would give it a try.


    On top of that, I had one more thing; I could use the Revise function.


    <i>¡®Sabioleen Tana won¡¯t sense my presence as I infiltrate the Spring Pce,¡¯ </i>I thought.


    [To trigger this, you need 2,000 Achievement Points.]


    It wasn¡¯t an impossibility, but it certainly wasn¡¯t cheap.


    2,000 points would have been enough to purchase a talent in the past. My supernatural talent, Self-Deception, had cost me 2,000 points.


    Thankfully, the circumstances around that night made it possible¡ªalthough it was still difficult¡ªto deceive a Grandmaster¡¯s senses.


    I had 5,930 Achievement Points on hand.


    I was willing to use all those points to save Charlotte, and if it wasn¡¯t enough, I would borrow more.


    [Using 2,000 Achievement Points.]


    When Sabioleen Tana disappeared behind the flowers in the garden, I left the tram stop and headed back to the Spring Pce.


    I ced the umbre among the flowers in the garden and used Self-Deception.


    <i>¡®No one can sense my presence.¡¯</i>


    I made that belief as strong as possible.


    My Self-Deception trait grew more powerful in real-life situations, as it reacted to my tension and urgency.


    I couldn¡¯t let Charlotte die. The sense that a crisis was on the verge of urring that day was looming, urging me to do what was usually impossible.


    I had a confident belief that I would sessfully infiltrate the Spring Pce.


    I didn¡¯t know if my presence would truly disappear or not, but I moved very cautiously, and the rain did cover whatever noises I made.


    While the Revise function helped to make sure that my presence was masked, if I suddenly rushed out and grabbed Sabioleen Tana by the neck, she would obviously notice it.


    <i>¡®Only my presence is hidden. I cannot becent.¡¯</i>


    I was soon approaching the Spring Pce again, which had seemed far away.


    In the cold rain, flower petals began to fall as raindrops pattered down on them.


    <i>Shhhhh...</i>


    I tailed Sabioleen Tana¡¯s silhouette as she walked through the autumn rain.


    ***


    Sabioleen Tana wasn¡¯t aware of her surroundings.


    As I had expected, she seemed mentally burdened by the weight of her assigned task.


    She would asionally stop and stare nkly at the Spring Pce.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking, but as I watched her from behind, I could sense a deep sorrow emanating from her that she hadn¡¯t shown in front of me or Charlotte.


    I hadn¡¯t expected to meet Sabioleen Tana before the Gate Incident, and in the novel, I had only roughly outlined her backstory without delving into the details.


    Sabioleen Tana had not participated in the Great War. More urately, she hadn¡¯t been allowed to participate.


    The emperor had kept her in the capital under the pretext that the strongest force needed to stay behind to protect the Imperial Pce.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to use her strength where it had been most needed, and that contributed significantly to her sense of guilt, and the feeling that she owed humanity a debt.


    She trained Ludwig harshly, not because she was inherently cruel, but because the survival of the world hung in the bnce.


    Later on, Sabioleen Tana would die saving Ludwig, and when doing so, she would apologize for all the harsh treatment she subjected him to.


    I didn¡¯t know how she was in her day to day life, but while she was cold and stern on the outside, she was not the same on the inside.


    She was quite ordinary, actually. A person who was too strong and therefore had to bear many burdens, but still just an ordinary person.


    Sabioleen Tana was Effenhauser¡¯s distant senior. She joined Shanapell after graduating from the Temple, and was a knight of the empire for decades. She was even given the nickname ¡°Guardian of the Imperial Family¡±.


    She had to have had many interactions with the imperial family.


    What kind of rtionship did she have with Charlotte?


    I didn¡¯t know for sure, but the hesitation in her steps showed that she cherished Charlotte.


    I watched as Sabioleen Tana returned to the Spring Pce, then entered the pce as well.


    I did not sense any magical barriers as I stepped through the entrance. If there had been any, my Qi Sense would have warned me, but I felt nothing.


    I did not know if the magical barriers had been deactivated, or if the personnel responsible for maintaining them had been dismissed for the day, I couldn¡¯t tell. It was felt as though it was a house without any valuables inside, and therefore did not need a lock.


    The Spring Pce, which even Sarkeagar had not been able to infiltrate previously, was now an easy target, thanks to the shadow of death that loomed over it.


    Thanks to Charlotte¡¯s earlier tour, I had a rough idea of theyout of the pce.


    Had I waited a few days, I might have forgotten, but I had just seen it a few moments ago, so the memory was fresh in my mind.


    The only people in this vast and empty pce were Sabioleen Tana, Dyrus, and Charlotte.


    The lights were on, but with no one around, there was no one to see me.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The ominous thunder was unsettling, but the thunder and the constant pattering of rain would mask my footsteps.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    I still didn¡¯t know.


    A vague certainty... That inexplicable feeling had refused to let me leave, and had pushed me to infiltrate the princess¡¯s pce.


    If I got caught in such a bad situation, Sabioleen Tana would not let me off easily, even if Charlotte showed leniency.


    If I got caught, I could lose my life for real.


    I moved through the pce, hiding in the shadows and dimly lit corners, staying out of the light.


    <i>¡®Enhance my hearing.¡¯</i>


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    With my hearing enhanced, the roar of thunder almost tore my ears apart, and the sound of the falling rain became even more detailed.


    My Self-Deception was at Rank B. After sessfully activating my Mana Reinforcement, further continuous training had increased its rank.


    As a result, its utility was increasing. Not only had the range of its applications expanded, but the effectiveness of the methods I had been using was also growing stronger.


    At this point, I could easily iste and distinguish the various sounds I was picking up. While this had been possible before, I could now manipte it even more finely.


    I could hear not just the pitter-patter of the rain, but also make out the slightly different sound of water dripping down from the roof and ceilings of the pce.


    Within this sea of sounds, it was easy to pick out the sound of Sabioleen Tana¡¯s footsteps. From the sound of those footsteps, I could roughly estimate the distance between us.


    I did not know the entireyout of the pce, but I had a rough idea of where the main rooms were located.


    The left-side corridor on the second floor led to Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, and Sabioleen Tana was heading in that direction.


    I could hear all this while hiding in the shadows of the first-floor hall.


    It was possible because the pce was so silent.


    The only other sounds were the thunder and rain.


    ¡ªWhere is Her Highness?


    ¡ªShe¡¯s inside.


    ¡ªOkay.


    That was Dyrus¡¯s voice.


    I heard the sound of a door opening.


    ¡ªYour Highness. Are you alright?


    ¡ªYes, for now.


    Charlotte¡¯s voice came through, trying to sound calm.


    Charlotte¡¯s supernatural power...


    How dangerous was it, for the emperor to feel the need to kill the princess? And why was Charlotte so epting of such a fate for herself?


    Was it because she had lost control of her power and killed someone?


    <i>Click.</i>


    I heard the sound of the door closing, and no more sounds came out from within.


    It had to be due to soundproofing. I needed to get closer.


    As I moved up to the second floor, I kept my eyes open for any signs of movement. Even Dyrus had entered Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, which left the corridor empty.


    Just in case, I ttened myself into a recess in the corridor wall and approached Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    I couldn¡¯t make any unnecessary noise. Even though the Revise function prevented Sabioleen Tana from sensing my presence, I couldn¡¯t rely on it too much.


    I was trying to deceive someone who would, under normal circumstances, be impossible to deceive.


    The closer I got, the more I imagined Sabioleen Tana suddenly appearing and grabbing me by my neck.


    The tension burning within me pushed away the chill of the rain. Cold sweat ran down my back.


    Fortunately, neither Dyrus nor Sabioleen Tana could use magic.


    If they had been using noise-canceling magic, I wouldn¡¯t have heard anything at all. As I got closer to Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, though, I could hear faint voicesing from inside.


    ¡ªSo, you still... don¡¯t remember?


    ¡ªNo...


    I heard Tana¡¯s worried question, and Charlotte¡¯s mncholic response.


    <i>¡®What doesn¡¯t she remember?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªIt seems the time is drawing near. When it happens, please don¡¯t hesitate, Dame Tana.


    ¡ªThat won¡¯t happen. There has to be a way to resolve Your Highness¡¯s condition... The imperial family is doing everything they can to find it.


    The imperial family was trying to find a solution, but I could sense from Sabioleen Tana¡¯s tone that there was little hope.


    ¡ªWe won¡¯t find a solution before my condition worsens.


    Charlotte was pessimistic, and neither Dyrus nor Tana could deny it.


    ¡ªYour Highness, we must find that child...


    ¡ªStop it, please. I¡¯ve told you countless times. Don¡¯t talk about that child.


    Charlotte muttered irritably in response to Dyrus¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°That child¡± they were speaking of undoubtedly referred to me.


    Did Dyrus think that finding me might improve Charlotte¡¯s condition? Why?


    If Charlotte¡¯s power was dangerous, what does that have to do with me?


    The ominous premonitions and numerous hints were leading me inexorably to an unpleasant conclusion.

 Chapter 269 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 269 [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡ªYour Highness, I¡¯ve heard about that child as well... If there¡¯s even a slight chance that finding the child can improve Your Highness¡¯s condition, you must meet him at least once. I promise you, even if the child knows nothing, I will protect him with my honor. Where is the child?


    ¡ªI don¡¯t know. I said I don¡¯t know. The sealing sorcerer and the child are both missing, so it¡¯s all meaningless.


    Charlotte had said that only she and I knew the clues about Baalier, and she hadn¡¯t told her retainers about my whereabouts for some reason.


    Was it rted to what Charlotte was going through? And did Charlotte stop contacting Baalier because she feared I might be in danger?


    The picture was bing clearer.


    Charlotte¡¯s power was likely not a supernatural power.


    If it were just a dangerous supernatural power, there would be no reason to suggest finding me.


    ¡ªI¡¯m prepared, Dame Tana. If I get blood on my hands again, please kill me.


    There it was. The person who had died in the Spring Pce had indeed been killed by Charlotte.


    Her power had gone out of control, and she had killed someone. And she didn¡¯t even remember it.


    ¡ªYour Highness...


    ¡ªPromise me.


    A pause.


    ¡ªI cannot promise that.


    ¡ªPromise me. Please.


    Sabioleen Tana did not respond to Charlotte, who was begging for death.


    The conversation ended.


    I quickly hid in the instrument storage room that was connected to the music hall at the end of the right-side corridor. The door was open, and there were no instruments inside. I knew it was an instrument storage room because of all the empty music stands. The musicians had probably taken all the instruments away.


    I considered closing the door but decided against it, fearing the sound might be detected. Instead, I hid within the darkness of the room.


    Neither Charlotte, Dyrus nor Sabioleen Tana would ever enter this room. They had no business being in the music room, let alone this storage room.


    The storage room was dark, but darkness was perfect for me. All I needed was sound.


    <i>¡®This situation might actually be advantageous.¡¯</i>


    <i>Click.</i>


    The door to Charlotte¡¯s bedroom opened, and I could hear Dyrus¡¯s and Tana¡¯s footsteps.


    ¡ªWouldn¡¯t it be better to watch over her while she sleeps?


    ¡ªIt was useless. She even tried tying herself up while she slept. But it was all meaningless.


    A short pause.


    ¡ªI see. But she hasn¡¯t left the pce yet, has she?


    ¡ªFor now, yes... but it might only be a matter of time.


    ¡ªDo you mean she might appear in the Tetra Pce, or the Winter Pce?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s just a guess. I can only hope that¡¯s not possible...


    They were clearly discussing a past incident that had already urred, but without knowing what the incident was, I couldn¡¯t make sense of their conversation.


    Charlotte¡¯s movements could not be restricted or restrained.


    All I could figure out was that it was rted to Charlotte¡¯s ability somehow.


    ¡ªBy the way, is your shoulder alright?


    Pause.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not a serious injury. And it happened because I was careless. I¡¯ll manage.


    ¡ªAren¡¯t you going to see a priest?


    Another pause.


    ¡ªIt¡¯ll be dangerous just leaving a record of me receiving treatment from a priest. The fact that Her Highness can injure me... You understand the implications of that.


    ¡ªYes.


    ¡ªHer Highness might hear us. Let¡¯s refrain from discussing this further.


    ¡ªUnderstood... I was careless.


    Charlotte¡¯s ability had gone out of control, and Sabioleen Tana had been injured.


    For her to suffer such an injury... <i>¡®Is Charlotte¡¯s power strong enough to harm the leader of Shanapell?¡¯</i>


    They seemed to be keeping the fact that Charlotte had attacked Sabioleen Tana a secret.


    Would Charlotte¡¯s ability go out of control, causing her to lose her sanity, and would Sabioleen Tana, after doing all she can to defend herself, end up having to kill Charlotte?


    ¡ªHmm...


    As they approached the pce stairs leading to the first floor, Sabioleen Tana¡¯s steps halted.


    ¡ªIs something the matter?


    I could feel it.


    She was on alert.


    ¡ªSomething...


    I held my breath and erased my presence.


    Sabioleen Tana sensed nothing. How much time had passed?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s nothing. It must be because I haven¡¯t been sleeping well.


    ¡ªHow many days has it been?


    ¡ªSix days... no. A week, maybe. I¡¯m not sure.


    ¡ªShouldn¡¯t you rest during the day?


    ¡ªI have my orders here, but also my duties as the leader of Shanapell. There¡¯s no time for rest.


    ¡ªI see...


    Carrying out her duties in the day, and guarding Charlotte at night... Sabioleen Tana hadn¡¯t been able to rest at all for quite some time.


    The two of them started moving again, descending the stairs.


    I didn¡¯t let out the breath I had been holding.


    <i>¡®Just a bit more. Move a bit further away!¡¯</i>


    ¡ªYou¡¯ve done well, Dyrus. You can go now.


    ¡ªYes, Commander... But are you alright? You look exhausted.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not like you can stay.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s true...


    ¡ªI¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to be sarcastic. I guess I¡¯m a bit on edge myself.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t take it that way at all.


    ¡ªIs that so? That¡¯s good, then. Rest well. You¡¯ve been through a lot too.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s hope for an uneventful night, then.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s hope so.


    Dyrus left the Spring Pce.


    My initial thought was that reducing the number of people in the pce would ensure no one witnessed Charlotte being killed by Sabioleen Tana, but there was another reason for it.


    It was also to prevent anyone from bing a victim of Charlotte¡¯s rampage.


    Now, only three people remained in the pce. Sabioleen Tana, Charlotte, and me. Which meant my life could be in danger as well.


    <i>¡®Should I leave the pce?¡¯</i>


    I was clearly already in danger.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if the danger signals from my Qi Sense were warning me about a danger to Charlotte, or warning me about my own safety.


    There was a soft sigh, and I heard the sound of Sabioleen Tana copsing into a chair in the hall.


    Leaving was the right thing to do. Charlotte¡¯s power was strong, and while Tana could handle it, I certainly couldn¡¯t.


    I was more likely to be the one in danger. That was what my Qi Sense was warning me about.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    I couldn¡¯t leave even if I wanted to.


    Sabioleen Tana was now sitting in the grand hall, which served as the entrance to the pce. It was as if she was trying to monitor everything.


    <i>sh! sh!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana seemed to be manipting something, and the corridor was gradually getting brighter. Even the magical lights in the instrument storage room where I was hiding suddenly lit up.


    Sabioleen Tana had suddenly illuminated the entire pce.


    The possibility of escaping under the cover of darkness had now vanished. If I wanted to leave, I would have to do it when she left.


    As expected, Sabioleen Tana didn¡¯t move, and so I couldn¡¯t move either.


    The dice had already been thrown.


    I held my breath, hoping for nothing to happen while being certain that something would.


    ***


    Staying hidden was absolutely boring, but it was also a period of excruciating tension.


    I was constantly focused on using Self-Deception to erase my presence, so as not to get caught by Sabioleen Tana¡¯s senses.


    Sabioleen Tana didn¡¯t move from her spot.


    My absence from the Temple might be an issue.


    <i>¡®If nothing happens, what excuse will I have for leaving the Imperial Pce sote?¡¯</i>


    Secondary problems started toe to mind, but all of that would have to wait until both Charlotte and I got through the night safely.


    It was already deep into the night¡ªdefinitely past midnight.


    For some reason, Sabioleen Tana had illuminated the entire empty pce as if trying to banish the darkness.


    The instrument storage room I was in was also lit, but it was still out of her line of sight, so she hadn¡¯t noticed me.


    How much time had passed in this tedious waiting?


    <i>Click.</i>


    The light in the instrument storage room went out.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Shortly after, the lightsing from the corridor also went out.


    I didn¡¯t know how the pce¡¯s lighting was controlled.


    Sabioleen Tana hadn¡¯t moved.


    Had she turned off the lights?


    <i>¡®She was the one who turned on all the lights earlier, so why would she suddenly turn them off?¡¯</i>


    No. This wasn¡¯t her doing.


    I peeked out cautiously into the corridor and was greeted by an unexpected scene.


    One by one, the magical lights throughout the pce were flickering and then going out.


    ¡ªNow... Even this...


    I heard Sabioleen Tana¡¯s quiet mutter. Her voice was filled with shock and a hint of genuine fear.


    It had to be Charlotte turning off the lights.


    <i>¡®Why is this happening? Why is she doing this?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t understand.


    Sabioleen Tana got up and started moving. She was heading towards Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    I held my breath and tensed my entire body to avoid detection.


    I could not let her find me.


    The Revise function would take into ount countless coincidences and possibilities to ensure that I wouldn¡¯t be discovered. This had to include the condition that I was doing everything in my power to hide my presence.


    Not being discovered was the future I was aiming for, but if I suddenly made a noise, she would undoubtedly notice.


    I had no intention of testing whether the predetermined future could be changed.


    I couldn¡¯t make this life-threatening gamble any more dangerous.


    ¡ªYour Highness! If you are awake, please respond!


    Sabioleen Tana called out as she walked down the corridor.


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    She called Charlotte as she headed towards her bedroom.


    The Spring Pce was inplete darkness.


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    It was even darker because of the rain, and without the asional shes of lightning, it would be hard to distinguish anything.


    The shes of lightning actually hindered my eyes from adjusting to the darkness.


    ¡ªYour Highness!


    I heard Sabioleen Tana¡¯s voice, close to desperation.


    <i>Click.</i>


    I heard the sound of Charlotte¡¯s bedroom door opening.


    Silence.


    Sabioleen Tana said nothing. There had not been any other sound of a door opening before this.


    <i>¡®So, Charlotte is missing again.¡¯</i>


    ¡ªOnce again... She¡¯s disappeared...


    I heard that despondent, despairing mutter.


    At that moment,


    <i>sh!</i>


    I almost screamed in surprise.


    In the instant the lightning shed, I saw something.


    Something was in front of me.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    A split secondter, a boom of thunder rattled the windows.


    <i>¡®What was that? What was that in front of me just now?¡¯</i>


    I stared ahead, opening my eyes wide, but I couldn¡¯t see the figure that had been watching me from the darkness.


    It wasn¡¯t a hallucination. Something had definitely been watching me.


    Something that hadn¡¯t been there before had suddenly appeared.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Once again, the lightning momentarily banished the darkness.


    A shape appeared in front of me, only to vanish in an instant.


    I definitely saw it.


    A figure... It was watching me and smiling, and it resembled Charlotte.


    But it was definitely not Charlotte.


    Something was watching me from the pitch-ck darkness.


    I couldn¡¯t see anything, but I could feel the presence of that something in front of me.


    ¡ªHeh.


    ¡ªHeh heh.


    ¡ªHeh heh heh heh....


    ¡ªHeh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh....


    The creature¡¯s eerieughter sent chills down my spine.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The next sh of lightning illuminated it clearly: jet-ck hair like the deepest abyss, deep ck eyes like the void, and vertical, slit-like red pupils.


    It was closer in appearance to a demon.

 Chapter 270

    <h4>Chapter 270</h4>


    The only reason I didn¡¯t scream was because I clenched my jaw so hard that my mrs were nearly crushed.


    If the Divine Spirit trait hadn¡¯t been supporting me, I would have fainted long ago or bitten my tongue.


    And then, it came.


    Something from the darkness reached out to grab me, and I rolled to the side.


    <i>Srrrk!</i>


    I couldn¡¯t tell what had passed by.


    I only felt an intense threat and instinctively rolled my body aside.


    Something brushed past the spot where I had been. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was definitely something dangerous, and I would have been in serious trouble if it had hit me.


    One thing was clear: Charlotte was attacking me.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    In response to theughter, Sabioleen Tana had instantly arrived at the instrument storage room.


    ¡°... Why are you here?¡±


    As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I began to see Sabioleen Tana and the presence staring at me from the shadows more clearly. She was surprised by my presence for a moment, but her attention was drawn to what was in front of her, and she stared at it with a nk expression.


    ¡°How, how did ite to this...¡±


    ¡°It¡± just stared at me with a creepy smile. Had Charlotte¡¯s condition worsened further?


    Sabioleen Tana pulled me behind her protectively. ¡°Step back. I¡¯ll ask questionster. Don¡¯t stray far from me. You¡¯ll die.¡±


    Clearly, interrogating me about this situation was of secondary importance.


    Only then did I see what had attacked me.


    The darkness, refined into something resembling a de, shot towards us as if it were alive.


    <i>Kwabang! Kang!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana instantly drew her sword and activated her aura de, deflecting the sliver of darkness that flew toward us.


    With a loud crash, the shadows shattered into pieces in mid-air.


    ¡°Your Highness! You must regain your senses!¡±


    ¡°Hehe... Hehehehe...¡±


    ¡°It¡± did not respond to Tana¡¯s words.


    <i>Kurrrk... Kurrrrk...</i>


    The darkness seethed, and once again, solidified des of darkness flew toward us.


    Sabioleen Tana stood in front of me, deflecting the shadowy des with her aura de.


    The des came in from four or five different directions with ghostly speed, yet she managed to deflect them all. The air pressure I felt on my skin whenever her sword shed with the shadows showed just how much force there was behind each blow.


    Charlotte controlled the darkness¡ªor rather, the shadows. That was her ability.


    Charlotte¡¯s ability was as eerie as it was powerful.


    But Tana had the upper hand. Every attack had been blocked without too much effort.


    However, she couldn¡¯t hurt Charlotte. Unable to attack, she had to focus on defense, but also find a way to subdue her.


    Step by step, she advanced towards Charlotte through the hail of shadowy des.


    Just as Sabioleen Tana was about tomit the sphemy of grabbing Charlotte by her neck¡ª


    <i>sh!</i>


    Lightning illuminated the scenery outside the window, and Charlotte¡¯s figure vanished without a trace.


    Sabioleen Tana gritted her teeth, staring at the spot where Charlotte had disappeared. ¡°Damn it...¡±


    The fight had been brief, but an ordinary person would have died hundreds of times over. If I had been on the receiving end of those attacks, I wouldn¡¯t havested even three seconds.


    The knightmander turned to look at me.


    Her eyes zed with a fury as clear as her sorrow.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    She grabbed me by the cor and mmed me against the wall.


    ¡°You idiot! Why didn¡¯t you leave? Did you think you could be of any help to Her Highness? Fool! If I hadn¡¯te, you¡¯d already be dead! Don¡¯t you value your life?¡±


    She was spewing righteous anger and seemed as if she would slit my throat at any moment. She raised her sword and pointed the tip of the de at my neck.


    ¡°There are things in this world you shouldn¡¯t know and shouldn¡¯t see. You ignored Her Highness¡¯s consideration, and mine. For that crime, you will pay with your life.¡±


    She looked ready to end my life with a single thrust of her sword.


    Charlotte clearly looked like a demon to anyone who saw her in that state.


    If the world knew that a royal, especially an heir to the throne, could enter such a state, it would be a huge scandal. Rumors would spread that she had been kidnapped and cursed by the Demon King. And the truth wouldn¡¯t be far off.


    <i>¡®That can¡¯t be a mere superpower.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte had clearly been subjected to something by the Demon King. That was certain, whether she knew it or not.


    That was why the imperial family had kept it a secret. There was no reason to let someone who had seen it with their own eyes live.


    Death was imminent, but strangely, I wasn¡¯t afraid.


    More terrifying than Sabioleen Tana¡¯s fierce demeanor was the sight of Charlotte just moments ago.


    ¡°Of course I value my life.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    My life was not insignificant, and I didn¡¯t want to die.


    But I was more afraid that Charlotte would not be able toe back from that state.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, as much as I value my life, I value Charlotte¡¯s life too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, hoping I can do something.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant fool. You overestimate your abilities.¡±


    Her cold, zing eyes seemed to pierce through me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?! If not arrogance, then what do you call this presumptuous act of yours?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s desperation.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s life... That alone was enough of a reason for me.


    That was why, driven by a strange sense of unease, I had disobeyed the orders of the princess and the leader of the Shanapell Knights and infiltrated the Spring Pce.


    For the first time, I had risked my life for something. I couldn¡¯t stand to see the fruits of that effort, Charlotte¡¯s life, vanish just like that.


    Sabioleen Tana looked into my eyes as if trying to discern whether there was any doubt, arrogance, or childishness in my gaze.


    The tip of her sword, still pointed at my neck, trembled.


    How much time had passed?


    Slowly, she lowered the tip of her sword.


    Releasing her grip on my cor, she continued to re at me.


    ¡°Your fate will be decided by Her Highness when dawn breaks.¡±


    However, her eyes conveyed a certainty that I wouldn¡¯t face severe punishment.


    ¡°May I ask what is happening?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No one knows.¡±


    I was dumbfounded by her response. ¡°What do you mean, no one knows?¡±


    ¡°No one knows what this situation is. Why Her Highness has such power, why she is increasingly being consumed by it, and why, at night, that power takes over her body.¡±


    Tana¡¯s despairing expression mirrored the sentiments of the entire imperial family.


    ¡°No one knows anything. We can only specte that it has something to do with what happened to Her Highness during her captivity in the Demon King¡¯s castle,¡± she continued.


    She grabbed my shoulder, her eyes scanning the darkness.


    ¡°What¡¯s clear is that the situation has worsened. Don¡¯t stray from me. Her Highness, or rather the thing that takes over her body, can move through the darkness. It can appear in front of you, behind you, or even from the ceiling.¡±


    Realizing that she could no longer hide what I had already seen, she began to reveal what she knew.


    Indeed, it had moved through the darkness and appeared before my eyes in an instant.


    Even if Charlotte were physically bound, it would be useless, and even if she was under watch, she could suddenly disappear.


    That was why Sabioleen Tana had lit up the entire pce. Without any darkness, there would be no shadows to move through.


    That method had worked so far, and so Sabioleen Tana had continued to flood the pce with light during the night.


    However, that method had been thwarted.


    Now, ¡°it¡± could even extinguish magicalmps at will. At night, ¡°it¡± could even affect the light.


    The night belonged to ¡°it¡±.


    ¡°Does this happen every night?¡±


    ¡°Not every night. But the frequency is increasing. And this is the first time it has extinguished all themps. Also, Her Highness¡¯s eyes... thest time I saw them, only one of them was affected...¡±


    Tana¡¯s eyes were filled with frustration and helplessness. ¡°It¡¯s aggression is also increasing. Initially, it was said that she wandered the pce at night like a sleepwalker... but recently...¡±


    She trailed off. It seemed she couldn¡¯t bring herself to mention the murder.


    ¡°In any case, you must leave the pce. This ce is dangerous. Whether or not you face punishment, that can only happen while you¡¯re alive. If you act recklessly again, I will truly take your head.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana moved cautiously, heightening her senses with each step.


    In the darkness, I enhanced my vision to pierce through the shadows. I could see more clearly in the dark than ordinary humans. The lightning that had been hindering my sight had also subsided.


    <i>Ssshhh...</i>


    Only the cold sound of rain echoed through the corridors of the Spring Pce as Tana moved forwards carefully. We needed to descend to the first-floor hall and exit the pce.


    She intended to get me safely out first.


    ¡°What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to subdue her. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve done so far.¡±


    She had been forced to use violent means to subdue Charlotte.


    She probably knocked her unconscious before she could melt into the shadows and escape. It had worked until now.


    Given her reaction and the warning from my Qi Sense, there was only one conclusion.


    Things had reached a turning point.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes, which had once only been partially corrupted, had now been fully taken over. The power that was devouring Charlotte had grown even stronger.


    Would Tana ultimately fail to subdue Charlotte, and end up killing her?


    If so, how could I possibly prevent that?


    The Demon King was involved with this, and Charlotte¡¯s power was a byproduct of that.


    That was all I knew.


    <i>¡®Some scheme involving the Demon King...¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t the time to ponder over that.


    Tana moved cautiously, paying attention to every direction¡ªfront, back, left, right, up, and down.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t far to the entrance of the pce, she was extremely vignt.


    <i>Kang! Kwakang!</i>


    The shadowy des that suddenly flew at us like daggers from the darkness were the reason why Tana couldn¡¯t let her guard down.


    Those ck des targeted both me and Tana, and she deflected all of them by herself.


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    In the darkness, I saw her clenching and unclenching her right hand.


    She stood in front of the stairs leading to the first floor, gritting her teeth as she surveyed the entrance beyond the grand hall.


    The grand entrance of the pce was obstructed by a ck barrier and was shrouded in pitch-ck darkness.


    In front of that living darkness, Charlotte, still wearing that eerie smile, was watching us.


    ¡°It seems she has no intention of letting either of us leave,¡± Tana said.


    ¡°It appears so,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡± stood there, blocking the entrance, as if daring us toe closer.


    A being that could move through the darkness and attack us with it... In this ce, consumed by darkness, ¡°it¡± probably saw us as mere toys.


    Though ¡°it¡± was far away, it could move through the shadows and appear right in front of us in an instant.


    ¡°Previously, I managed to subdue her without much difficulty, though I sustained a minor injury due to my carelessness.¡±


    If it were truly just a minor injury, she wouldn¡¯t even have mentioned it. Hence, it wasn¡¯t a minor injury.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what that thing truly is, and therefore, I can¡¯t be certain I can subdue it safely this time.¡±


    The continent¡¯s strongest warrior was calmly acknowledging the possibility of defeat.


    This unknown opponent had the perfect battlefield, the perfect environment, and as of that day, its power had grown even stronger.


    However, Sabioleen Tana, who had to face it, hadn¡¯t rested for over six days, and hadn¡¯t received proper treatment for her injuries.


    Tana¡¯s condition was terrible, but a defeat while in a poor condition was still a defeat.


    If she died, it would be all over. There was no point in saying that she could have subdued it easily if she were in top condition.


    Could it be that the one who was about to die was not Charlotte, but Sabioleen Tana?


    Was my Qi Sense warning me that Tana¡¯s life was in danger, and not Charlotte¡¯s?


    Sabioleen Tana was one of the key figures in theter part of the story. If she died, that would also be a turning point in history. A very negative turn.


    However, even if Sabioleen Tana died, it did not mean that Charlotte would survive.


    If Charlotte did not die, and ended up killing Sabioleen Tana, she would still be killed the next day.


    If her power was dangerous enough to kill Tana and couldn¡¯t be controlled, it would have to be dealt with immediately, even if the one who carried that power was a princess.


    Both Sabioleen Tana and Charlotte would die... And then, I too would die.


    I was the only variable in this situation, and so I had to do something about it.


    In these two battles, though, I was too small a variable.


    ¡°Reinhart. You said you used Mana Reinforcement on your own, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell her that my Mana Reinforcement wasn¡¯t practical for realbat yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight while trying to protect you, but I can¡¯t guarantee your safety. My priorities are firstly, Her Highness, then myself, and youst. Keep that in mind,¡± she said as she handed me her sword. ¡°Those shadows can only be countered with something imbued with magic. You may not be able to infuse magic into a sword, but with this sword, you should be able to fend them off.¡±


    She seemed to intend to fight using her mana sword.


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s sword was not a Holy Relic, but one of the empire¡¯s national treasures.


    It was the Tempest Sword, Tempesta.


    In front of me was the sword that Ludwig, the future master of Alsbringer, would take as his second sword, iming it was Tana¡¯s keepsake.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    Summoning a mana sword would consume a lot of energy, and I wasn¡¯t going to do anything that would worsen Tana¡¯s condition.


    ¡°I told you, it might be difficult to protect you¡ª¡±


    <i>Srrrk.</i>


    I summoned it.


    ¡°I have my own sword.¡±


    ¡°Soul-bound...?¡±


    Her eyes widened as she saw the sword, with its milky-white de, in my hand.


    ¡°How... How do you have this?!¡± Tana asked.


    She stared in shock at Tiamata, the Holy Relic of Ouen, in my hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter,¡± I responded.


    I hadn¡¯t expected to use it in a ce like this, but this time, I was about to face my first real battle while wielding Tiamata.


    It was not against a bandit, a monster, or a viin deserving death, but against my first friend.


    I had to fight Charlotte.


    Sabioleen Tana pushed her questions aside for the moment.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Both she and I knew the gravity of the situation.

 Chapter 271 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 271 [Illustration]</h4>


    The expression on the entity¡¯s face twisted for a moment. The unsettling smile it had worn all along was now tinged with displeasure.


    <i>¡®Did ¡°it¡± recognize Tiamata?¡¯</i>


    <i>Kurung!</i>


    A mass surged forth from the wall of darkness blocking the entrance. Not des, but a wave.


    Only then did we realize that it had been toying with us so far.


    At that moment, it became clear to me that the one who was going to die that day was Sabioleen Tana.


    I let out an audible gasp.


    A wave couldn¡¯t be blocked with a sword.


    <i>Kukwakwang!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana didn¡¯t use her sword. Instead, she unleashed a massive amount of mana from the protective barrier surrounding her body, neutralizing the encroaching darkness.


    <i>Kurung!</i>


    The impact was strong enough to crack the pce floor. I was astounded by what I had just witnessed.


    She had swept away the wave of darkness with a burst of pure mana.


    So that was what a Grandmaster-level monster with S+ rank mana was capable of. It was beyond superhuman.


    It was hard to believe she could still wield such power while in such a terrible condition.


    The darkness surged towards us from all directions. Though Charlotte was in front of us, I turned away because of the intense sense of unease that I felting from behind me.


    The darkness lunged at me, and I maximized my physical enhancement.


    I believed. There was no way I was on Sabioleen Tana¡¯s level, but I believed I was.


    No. It wasn¡¯t even about belief. I had already seeded once, so doing it again would be easier.


    With an extreme sense of exhration coursing through my body, I raised Tiamata to intercept the iing de of darkness.


    <i>Kwaang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    There was no time to marvel at myself for blocking the blow without coughing up blood.


    The force behind it was so immense that it almost tore Tiamata from my grip.


    <i>Bang! Kwabang! Bang!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana was descending the stairs, inching closer to Charlotte.


    <i>¡®Is there any point to this fight? If she gets close, Charlotte will just melt into the darkness and disappear. Can she subdue Charlotte before that happens?¡¯</i>


    Just because she had done it before was no guarantee that she would be able to do it this time. Charlotte¡¯s attacks were focusing more on Sabioleen Tana than on me.


    I just needed to stay alive.


    As long as I didn¡¯t hinder Tana, I was doing my job. The moment I made her worry about me, everything would be over.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Thankfully, Tiamata was effective against this darkness. An ordinary sword would have been cut through or brushed aside by the dark des.


    There was no swordsmanship to this. I had never learned to fight something like this. However, one didn¡¯t always get to choose one''s opponent.


    Even if I didn¡¯t know how to handle the situation, I had to manage somehow.


    I focused on the attacksing at me and did my best to counter them.


    <i>Kwarung! Kwarurung!</i>


    It was hard to believe this was a battle between humans.


    Sabioleen Tana charged at Charlotte like a monster. When the wave of darkness surged forward, she repelled it with a burst of mana, and she scattered the desing at her with a single swing of her sword.


    It was impossible to imagine what she was capable of in top condition.


    In an instant, Sabioleen Tana rushed at Charlotte and tried to grab her.


    <i>Srrrk.</i>


    But the entity simply melted into the darkness and disappeared.


    ¡°Damn it...!¡±


    It reappeared twenty steps to Tana¡¯s right.


    Spear-like shadows formed around it and shot forward.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    Once again, Tana charged in.


    And once again, just as she pierced through the storm of des to try to subdue it, the entity vanished into the darkness just before she could reach it.


    Sabioleen Tana was a spear that could pierce through anything, but the entity that was Charlotte would not allow itself to be hit.


    She had to be faster. She had to grab ¡°it¡± before it melted away.


    However, there was no way for her to close the distance any faster. To do so, she would have to extend her sword, not her hand.


    Inevitably, she would have to kill Charlotte.


    As long as subduing Charlotte was the only option, Sabioleen Tana would only be worn down and killed by the entity that controlled the darkness.


    I was already on the brink of my limits, just fending off the shadowy des rushing at me.


    I couldn¡¯t help Sabioleen Tana, and even if I tried, I would only put her in more danger.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t in the best state mentally, but that wasn¡¯t the only problem.


    I could see that her right shoulder was stained with blood.


    When I thought about it, I realized she had been wielding Tempesta with her left hand all the while.


    She hadn¡¯t been using her right hand at all, but as the situation grew more dire, she had been forced to wield the sword with both hands.


    <i>¡®Is she right-handed?¡¯</i>


    If so, that meant she had been using her off-hand alone to wield the sword.


    Of course, it wasmon to hold a sword in both hands, but if one arm was rendered unusable, that would result in a drop inbat effectiveness by half, if not more.


    Sabioleen Tana, while using her injured right arm, had clearly reopened a wound that hadn¡¯t been properly treated.


    She gritted her teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot.


    ¡°Keke... Hehe... Hehe...¡±


    Charlotte wasughing.


    She was enjoying the sight of Tana at her limit.


    Three more times, Tana, with her injured right arm, managed to get close to Charlotte.


    Each time, after enduring such agony, she reached out with her hand instead of her sword.


    She could have killed Charlotte three times, but each time, she tried to subdue her instead.


    <i>Kwaang!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As a result, her right arm waspletely ruined, and she was struck by a de of darkness and thrown against a wall.


    <i>Kwung!</i>


    A spiderweb of cracks radiated out from the point of impact. It sounded as if she had collided with a rock.


    ¡°Ugh... Argh!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana coughed up blood and crumpled to the floor.


    <i>¡®Is she dead?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t tell.


    Even if she wasn¡¯t, she would lose her life soon if this continued.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The dark creatureunched a final dark spear at Sabioleen Tana.


    I had to stop it. No, I would stop it.


    <i>ng!</i>


    My body, responding to my desperate will, momentarily surpassed its limits and deflected the dark spear that was hurtling toward Sabioleen Tana.


    I stood in front of her fallen form.


    ¡°It¡± looked at me with that eerie smile, as if amused by my defiance.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if ¡°it¡± understood words or not.


    Was it a being created solely from malice?


    ¡°It¡± had no intention other than to kill, and did not seem to possess the capacity for conversation ormunication.


    Sabioleen Tana had lost consciousness.


    Charlotte had said that when her powers went berserk, she lost her memories.


    There was no reason to hesitate anymore.


    I had anticipated this possible turn of events. There was only one being capable of pushing the world¡¯s strongest human, despite being in an awful condition, to this extent.


    The previous Demon King, Baalier...


    I activated the Ring of Sarkegar, returning to my true form.


    In Baalier¡¯s form, I stared at the creature. ¡°As the rightful heir of the Demon Realm and the legitimate ruler of the Dark Land, I ask you. Who are you?¡±


    Unfortunately, I did not receive the response I¡¯d hoped for.


    ¡°Hehehehehehe...¡±


    The entity merely let out a low, deepugh, just as it had from the beginning.


    <i>¡®Is it not the Demon King?¡¯</i>


    Or perhaps, it was merely a remnant, a fragment of the Demon King¡¯s madness. I gripped Tiamata tightly, staring at what was ultimately just a shard of the Demon King¡¯s insanity.


    I hadn¡¯t expected much, but even my ability to control demons didn¡¯t work. Whether it was because the level of my ability was too low or because it was a fragment of an Archdemon and therefore immune to such influence, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    The result was the same. Whether I revealed myself as Baalier or not, there was no way to avoid this fight.


    I returned to Reinhart¡¯s form as I didn¡¯t want to fight in Baalier¡¯s form.


    I continued to look at the entity, gripping Tiamata firmly. ¡°If you¡¯re not the Demon King and you don¡¯t recognize your king, that¡¯s your sin. And if you <i>are</i> the Demon King, then not recognizing your own child is also a sin.¡±


    ¡°Heh, heh. Hehe. Keke. Ke.¡±


    The entity, increasingly consumed by madness, prepare tounch another wave of darkness.


    ¡°But what pisses me off the most is that you¡¯re wreaking havoc inside Charlotte¡¯s body.¡±


    <i>Woooong...</i>


    Tiamata hummed.


    It was a bizarre sensation, as if the sword itself was crying out.


    ¡°So, whatever you are, if you¡¯ve pissed me off, you deserve a beating.¡±


    A barrage of dark spears rushed towards me.


    Tiamata was in an unusual state, but I felt as if I was still more than able to fight.


    I extended Tiamata towards the iing dark spears.


    <i>sh!</i>


    A burst of light emanated from Tiamata, filling the Spring Pce in an instant.


    Divine Magic, ¡°Sanctuary¡±...


    ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡±


    I seeded in manifesting the Divine Magic that Olivia Lanche had embedded within it.


    ***


    I had been working on this for some time now.


    I shared ownership of Tiamata with Olivia Lanche, and so I had a conversation with her about it. About Tiamata.


    ¡°You know, Tiamata...¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. What about it?¡± Olivia responded.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s useless, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Olivia stared at me. ¡°It¡¯s a Holy Relic... Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh?¡±


    ¡°Come on. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a god itself, just something made by a god. And I didn¡¯t say the Holy Relic was useless.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s useless?¡±


    ¡°Both Tiamata and I, the one using Tiamata, are useless. It¡¯s like we¡¯re notpatible.¡±


    Olivia understood what I meant.


    ¡°Hmm... That¡¯s true. Among the Holy Relics, Tiamata and Alixion have always been wielded by priests. Reinhart, you¡¯re the first to be Ouen¡¯s champion without being a priest of Ouen, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I can¡¯t use Divine Power, but this thing is an amplified or Divine Power. What am I supposed to do with it?¡±


    ¡°Well, the sword itself is pretty sharp, isn¡¯t it? Although, there¡¯s a saying that if you harm an innocent life with Tiamata, you¡¯ll face Ouen¡¯s judgment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just superstition.¡±


    Considering that it had been transformed into a dark relic before, all this talk about innocent blood was pointless.


    ¡°Well, I know that too... But calling the official doctrine of the Church of Ouen a superstition... Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh?¡±


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t true, then it¡¯s superstition. What else would it be? You know that much by now, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really ruthless, Reinhart...¡±


    Anyway, that was the basic problem.


    Tiamata was a very powerful Holy Relic, but it was fundamentally designed to be wielded by priests or holy knights. In my hands, it was nothing but a very sharp sword.


    It wasn¡¯t like Ellen¡¯s Lament or Alsbringer, which were useful even without ess to Divine Power.


    Olivia stared at me nkly, as if asking what I wanted to do about it.


    ¡°So, you and I co-own this thing, right?¡± she asked. ¡°Heh, it feels like we¡¯re co-owning a property... I like that...¡±


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. ¡°Why are you bringing that up now?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not as if we co-own a property. Since it¡¯s soul-bound to both of us, you and I are technically soulmates, right? Which means W-We¡¯ve... already... gone all the way...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, please, control yourself!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always so angry! I hate you! Even though you always treat me poorly, I alwayse whenever you call. Don¡¯t you find that charming?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and listen to me,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Fine. What is it?¡±


    What I wanted from Olivia Lanche, who seemed to be developing more and more personality, was this.


    ¡°Tiamata is essentially a Divine Power amplifier, right? And it contains immense Divine Power, whether in the form of Ouen or Kier, right? Can¡¯t I somehow tap into that power?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Olivia tilted her head in curiosity. ¡°So, you¡¯re asking if you can utilize the Divine Power embedded in the sword itself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a creative idea. But wouldn¡¯t you need to join the Church of Ouen first? The people would be thrilled. ¡®The Champion has revealed himself!¡¯ they¡¯d cry.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t use Divine Power, but the relic I possessed was designed to amplify the power of those who could. In my hands, Tiamata was just a very sharp sword, especially effective against the undead.


    But in the hands of a holy knight, it would turn an already formidable warrior into a human killing machine.


    I wanted to harness Tiamata¡¯s power more effectively, and I needed Olivia Lanche¡¯s help.


    ¡°Could you imbue Tiamata with power, so that I can activate and use it when needed?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Such a concept isn¡¯t entirely unheard of. There are magical tools and artifacts imbued with Divine Magic that non-believers can use.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not sure if it would work with a Holy Relic. And those are usually small-scale magics, notrge-scale or powerful Divine Magic.¡±


    ¡°But our situation is unique. We have one item owned by two people, so there are essentially two soul-bonds.¡±


    As much as I hated to admit it, Olivia Lanche and I weren¡¯t soul-bound, but we were connected through the same item.


    I wanted to know if it was possible for me to wield the influence Olivia had imbued in Tiamata.


    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know. We¡¯d have to try. But why do you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Knowing how to make better use of a Holy Relic can¡¯t be a bad thing, right? You never know when something might happen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... You¡¯re nning some trouble again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No! Who said that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. Even if you don¡¯t have any ns now, you¡¯ll definitely use it for something badter.¡±


    She was right. I did have an ulterior motive.


    But I never thought I¡¯d have to use it in such a manner. I merely thought that having ess to powerful Divine Magic would be useful if I ran into trouble with the Vampire Council.


    I was concocting a n to intimidate vampires, and so I couldn¡¯t even tell Olivia my true intentions.


    With that in mind, I had been training with Olivia Lanche. She would imprint Divine Magic on Tiamata, and I would see if I could draw on it.


    Naturally, it hadn¡¯t been going well. It was impossible unless I acquired a new talent for Divine Power, but Divine Power, built on faith and prayer, was fundamentally ipatible with me. I was satisfied with believing in myself, but this required believing in something else.


    However, as I faced down the dark entity, rage boiling within me, I had a strange certainty that it would work.


    Tiamata was crying out. The sensation, as if the sword itself had awakened, gave me confidence.


    I could do it.


    ¡°Kyaaaah! Kyah!¡±


    <i>Kurururung!</i>


    The dark wave surged towards me, but I stood firm, holding Tiamata tightly. The sword, resonating with newfound power, seemed to glow with an inner light.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to regret ever messing with Charlotte,¡± I muttered, feeling the Divine Power coursing through the de.


    The dark spears shed against the light emanating from Tiamata, and for a moment, it seemed as though the entire pce was bathed in a radiant glow. The darkness recoiled, unable to withstand the Divine Power.


    I had seeded in manifesting the Divine Magic, Sanctuary, through Tiamata.


    The entity, now visibly agitated, let out a guttural scream, its form flickering as if struggling to maintain itself against the overwhelming light.


    This was my chance. I had to press the advantage and end this once and for all.


    Sanctuary¡¯s light shed against the darkness spewed forth by the remnants of the Demon King as I tightened my grip on Tiamata.


    The Holy Sword Tiamata was responding to my will, emitting Divine Power.


    Glowing white words appeared along Tiamata¡¯s milky-white de.


    <i>[Purify the world with rage.]</i>


    Seeing those words, it suddenly dawned on me.


    <i>¡®Rage... Tiamata responds to rage.¡¯</i>


    My anger at this wretched remnant trying to consume Charlotte¡¯s soul was drawing out Tiamata¡¯s power.


    <i>Kurung! Kurung! Kurung!</i>


    It writhed in agony, spreading its hands towards me, trying to push me back.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    <i>Kuwung!</i>


    The intangible force of light shed against the intangible force of darkness.


    It felt like a physical struggle, as if we were pushing against each other, wrestling to achieve the upper hand.


    It pushed against me, and I was forced to take a step back, forced back by the recoil.


    <i>Kurururung!</i>


    Light shed against darkness with a chorus of thunder, repelling each other each time they met.


    Tiamata was the ultimate weapon against the undead, but the light emanating from Tiamata was also a definitive countermeasure against this entity that moved through and attacked using darkness.


    The light shed against the iing waves of darkness and scattered in all directions, effectively immobilizing the entity. I had to push it back and overwhelm it.


    I had to surround it with light and subdue it. I hadn¡¯t intended to use this power, but it seemed I had no choice.


    Drawing on the light from the sword, I tried to force myself forward towards the dark entity that was desperately trying to push me back.


    With every step I took, it retreated a step.


    I had to corner it against the wall, bind it with light, and knock it out.


    <i>Kurung! Kurung! Kwarung!</i>


    The fierce flickering created by the constant sh of light and darkness looked like mes, or perhaps lightning.


    The darkness retreated as I advanced.


    The being could swallow the light from magicalmps, but it couldn¡¯t consume this light that had its source in Divine Power.


    <i>Kwarururung!</i>


    ¡°Give me back Charlotte!¡± I yelled through the roar of noise around me.


    ¡°<i>Kyaaaaaah</i>!¡±


    With every step I took, the entity screamed in agony.


    It was clearly suffering, either because of the Divine Power or because of the intensity of the light.


    ¡°Kyaaaah! Kyak!¡±


    It let out inhuman shrieks, trying to engulf the domain of light around me with darkness.


    <i>Kukung! Kukukukung!</i>


    Tiamata further amplified Olivia Lanche¡¯s power.


    Not only was it protecting me from the dark attacks of this unknown entity, but it was also steadily driving away the darkness that had enveloped the area.


    I had to keep pressing forward, had to keep pushing it back. The light from Tiamata was my only hope of saving Charlotte and subduing this malevolent force. With every ounce of strength and rage I could muster, I advanced, determined to end this once and for all.


    The light flickered constantly. The light of Sanctuary emitted from the sword intertwined with the serpentine darkness, burning it away while being diminished in return.


    The ze of ck and white mes was truly a bizarre sight.


    It was a chaotic, unbelievable scene, two beasts of light and darkness entangled with each other.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    But the darkness wasn¡¯t so easily driven away.


    Both light and darkness had form and matter, and the darkness was pushing me, the wielder of light, backwards.


    It almost felt like Tiamata was facing some strange, immense force of maic repulsion.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡±


    The being screamed, trying to push me back with all its might, stretching out its hands towards me, while I pushed forward with all my strength.


    But I was running out of strength.


    <i>Kurururururung!</i>


    There was still a long way to go.


    <i>Kuwung!</i>


    And its strength was greater than mine.


    I was being pushed back. Instead of advancing, I had to focus all my energy on not retreating.


    ¡°Damn it... I don¡¯t want to end up in crutches again...!¡±


    I tightened my grip on Tiamata and poured all my remaining strength into it.


    I had already reached my limit, but I had to squeeze out more.


    I was surely on the verge of coughing up blood.


    I had to reach it, and bring Charlotte back.


    <i>¡®I will do it. I will use Mana Reinforcement!¡¯</i>


    I had to harness both maximum physical enhancement and Mana Reinforcement in order to push back the darkness.


    <i>¡®I have to move forward!¡¯</i>


    <i>Kurung!</i>


    A rush of intense exhration shot through me. It felt like every cell in my body was awakening from the extremities.


    <i>Woooong!</i>


    The blessing embedded in Tiamata by Olivia Lanche strengthened my body, while it continued to emit the light of Sanctuary.


    <i>Crack. Crackle!</i>


    It felt as if every fiber of muscle was enhanced beyond its limits. Every bit of my body was crying out.


    I believed... That I would take a step forward.


    <i>Kung!</i>


    Even though it was just one step, a thunderous noise reverberated around the pce.


    Even though Olivia Lanche¡¯s Divine Power was strengthening my body to prevent it from copsing, I could feel my muscle fibers breaking down and regenerating in real-time, and my mana circuits burned with intensity.


    I had over thirty steps to take.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult, I just had to walk forward. That was all.


    With each step, the pce seemed to shake, and the battle between light and darkness grew more intense. The Divine Power coursing through my veins, amplified by Tiamata, gave me the strength to push forward despite the overwhelming power of the darkness.


    ¡°Give Charlotte back!¡± I shouted, my voice echoing through the pce.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± it screamed in agony, clearly affected by the Divine Power.


    I took another step, and then another, each one a monumental effort. The light from Tiamata burned brighter, pushing back the darkness inch by inch. The entity¡¯s screams grew louder, more desperate, as it struggled against the Divine Power.


    I had to keep going. I had to reach it. For Charlotte.


    With every ounce of strength and rage I could muster, I advanced, determined to end this once and for all.


    There was nothing simpler than this.


    Each step was just a little bit harder.


    <i>Kung!</i>


    <i>¡®Twenty-nine steps left!¡¯</i>


    <i>Kururururu!</i>


    In this fierce battle between light and darkness, the strength that truly came from me was minimal.


    Aside from Mana Reinforcement and my supernatural power, all other power was borrowed.


    No, even those weren¡¯t truly mine. They were borrowed as well.


    There was only one thing I could do.


    Endure the pain, even though it felt like my body was being ripped apart, and take a single step forward.


    <i>¡®Ovee the pain. Stay conscious. Take one step. Keep taking those steps.¡¯</i>


    That was all.


    <i>¡®I have borrowed everything. Nothing is truly mine. All of these are borrowed assets.¡¯</i>


    Wielding this unfair power, fueled by borrowed strength, the least I could do was be relentless.


    ¡°Ugh...! Ughhh!¡±


    ¡°Heh, hehehe! Eek! Eeeeek!¡±


    The dark entity screamed, but whether in madness or fear, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    I kept believing that I wouldn¡¯t fall. That I would be able to take just one more step.


    If I could turn this one step into twenty-eight steps, I would survive the night.


    Even though I didn¡¯t know what would happenter on, I could still save Charlotte.


    If the next day brought danger, then I would save her then as well. And the day after, and the day after that.


    All I had to do was to keep surviving each day. That would be enough.


    I wanted to give to Charlotte, the child whose life I¡¯d once saved, something beyond mere survival... Something more.


    <i>¡®I will let her live a real life.¡¯</i>


    Beyond the boundary of deception, beyond the boundary of belief.


    <i>¡®I will sweep away the darkness that has fallen where spring should be, and restore what rightfully belongs here.</i>


    <i>¡®I will bring back the one who loves flowers. </i>


    <i>¡®Just as I once saved you, I will this time too. And the next time, and the time after that... Continuously.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ugh, ah. Ahh!¡± I screamed.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    One step.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Two steps.


    <i>Thud!!!</i>


    <i>Crack!</i>


    ¡°Kyaak! Kyak! Kkyaak!¡±


    Taking three steps in one go, I ignored the pain of my bones breaking and knitting themselves back together.


    The power of Self-Deception... If I believed I felt pain, I would feel it all of it. But if I believed I didn¡¯t feel anything, I would feel nothing.


    I aimed to surpass even that power.


    Blood ran down my eyes and blurred my vision. Yet, I did not close my eyes.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    I pushed forward through my blood-red vision, taking one more step towards the thing whose expression was slowly turning to horror. Towards the remnant of the Demon King, but also towards Charlotte, who was that ¡°thing.¡±


    I walked.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>Kururururung!</i>


    With each step I took, the entity slowly came within my grasp.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡±


    Its jet-ck hair fluttered wildly in the light, and its slitted red pupils were filled with shock and fear.


    ¡°It¡± was right in front of me, and ¡°it¡± couldn¡¯t escape. Just as ¡°it¡± was struggling to endure, so was I.


    I reached out and grabbed it by the neck, feeling as though my entire body was being ripped apart by fierce winds.


    My fingernails broke and my knuckles twisted as I wrapped my right hand around Charlotte¡¯s neck.


    <i>Kurururur!</i>


    ¡°Ugh...! Ugh...!¡±


    Self-Deception was a power that only affected me.


    If I believed in something, it only happened to me.


    However, I had to surpass that.


    It wasn¡¯t enough that it only affected me. I had to make it affect others as well.


    ¡°Dis... Disappear...!¡±


    ¡°Heeek! Hek! Eeeeek! Eeeeeek!¡±


    To make my power affect others, I didn¡¯t need to believe.


    I needed to dere it.


    It wasn¡¯t a power that manifested because I believed something. It was a power that manifested through a statement of will.


    I wanted it to happen. And because I wanted it, I was sure to have it.


    ¡°Disappear from Charlotte¡¯s body!¡± I dered.


    [The rank of ¡®Self-Deception¡¯ has increased.]


    [¡®Self-Deception¡¯ has reached A-rank.]


    [A derivative ability has emerged.]


    [¡®Incantation¡¯ has been awakened]


    <i>sh!</i>


    My words had moved the world.


    ***


    The world was in darkness. It was a rainy night.


    <i>Kurururung...</i>


    Charlotte realized she was being held by someone.


    ¡°Ugh. Huh...? Who, who...?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re awake.¡±


    Though she couldn¡¯t see clearly, Charlotte recognized Reinhart¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Rein...hart? Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    She could hear the strain in his voice. The situation was dire.


    Why hadn¡¯t he left? Why wasn¡¯t she in her bedroom but here, in the pce¡¯s grand hall?


    As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Charlotte saw the fallen chandelier. The pce was in shambles, as if a giant beast had rampaged through it.


    And clearest of all, Reinhart¡¯s face, battered and bruised, as though it was a miracle he was still alive.


    Despite the severity of his injuries¡ªit was surprising that he was even conscious¡ªReinhart hadid her head on hisp like a pillow.


    She couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    She didn¡¯t know why he hadn¡¯t left.


    Slowly, Charlotte began to piece together what could have happened.


    ¡°Did I... hurt you...?¡±


    Once again, she had lost control, and possessed by that strange power, she had hurt Reinhart.


    No one else could have done this.


    Despair and guilt welled up within her, and she was about to burst into tears.


    <i>Srrk...</i>


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Reinhart, his hand trembling and so injured that his bones were visible, carefully brushed her hair aside.


    Reinhart looked down at her as he stroked her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt me... I saved you...¡±


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    ¡°Just, remember it that way...¡± he said.


    Though it was clear she had hurt him, Reinhart seemed to be emphasizing something more important.


    ¡°What happened, Reinhart? What happened...? What really happened?¡±


    She wanted an exnation, but Reinhart was in no condition to give one.


    ¡°Sorry... about the flower.¡±


    Reinhart¡¯s reply waspletely unexpected.


    As if that somehow mattered.


    Despite being so badly injured, instead of demanding gratitude for saving her, he had suddenly apologized.


    ¡°When I received it... in that position, with that kind of meaning behind it... it felt like it would be thest gift I¡¯d ever get from you... and I didn¡¯t want that...¡±


    <i>Please think of me.</i>


    A flower, with that meaning behind it.


    Reinhart had known what it signified.


    He knew that that flower, given so casually, had been a farewell gift.


    ¡°So... I threw it away...¡±


    Reinhart had discarded the flower, rejecting the farewell that Charlotte had subtly offered him.


    With those words, Reinhart lost consciousness.

 Chapter 272

    <h4>Chapter 272</h4>


    I woke up to the sight of a strange ceiling.


    This time, it really was an unfamiliar ceiling.


    No¡ªit wasn¡¯t even a ceiling. It looked like some kind of silk canopy.


    <i>¡®What is this? And why is the bed so wide?¡¯</i>


    I sat up and looked around.


    The ceiling was unfamiliar, but the room was not.


    ¡°...¡±


    I was in Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    I had been inside once before, and recognized the room immediately.


    I was apparently sleeping in Charlotte¡¯s enormous canopy bed.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re awake!¡±


    Charlotte, who had noticed me wake up, practically threw herself at me and hugged me tightly.


    <i>¡®The bed sure is wide.¡¯</i>


    She had probably been watching over me from beside the bed, and to reach me, she had to climb onto the bed and throw herself at me.


    ¡°Oh, oh... uh. Yeah,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Your eyes or your hands, are they okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... yeah. I think I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.... Thank goodness...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t afraid of some pain, but I didn¡¯t expect myself to be in perfect condition either. Thankfully, unlike thest time I used Mana Reinforcement, my body still felt almost at its best. Charlotte, who was still hugging me, pulled back slightly to look at me.


    Her eyes were brimming with tears.


    ¡°Thank goodness. Thank goodness, Reinhart, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Oh... um. Yeah. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Charlotte, with clear tears streaming down her face, wrapped her arms around my neck again.


    She didn¡¯t scold me or say anything else.


    She just held me silently for a while, relieved that I was safe.


    After a moment, she began to sniffle gently. As the tears began to fall, her emotions overwhelmed her, and Charlotte began to sob uncontrobly. Not knowing what else to do, I patted her back.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay... It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time something like this has happened to me, right?¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied between sniffles.


    ¡°How long has it been since I passed out, and what¡¯s the situation now...? I¡¯d like to know.¡±


    Given my penchant for fainting after every serious confrontation I had, I always woke up curious about the state of affairs.


    However, waking up in the princess¡¯s bedroom was particrly unusual.


    ¡°J-Just a moment...¡±


    Charlotte seemed to think it was best to stop crying first. She sniffled for a while, catching her breath, and then pulled away from me.


    Covering her reddened eyes, she asked, ¡°Are my eyes swollen?¡±


    ¡°... Do you think they¡¯d swell that quickly?¡±


    Well, to be honest, they <i>were</i> slightly swollen.


    How bad a person looked with swollen eyes varied from person to person, and Charlotte could afford a little swelling.


    Charlotte lowered her hands away from her eyes.


    ¡°Not much time has passed. The incident happened the day before yesterday, and it¡¯s Friday today. The reason you¡¯re in my bedroom... is to keep others from knowing you were in my pce.¡±


    I had passed out on Wednesday night, slept all Thursday, and only woken up on Friday.


    ¡°Fortunately, the heavy thunderstorm and constant rain prevented the truth of what had happened from getting out. It not only prevented people from noticing, but also disrupted surveince magic and other such means. Only you, me, and Dame Tana know what happened. The pce suffered quite a bit of damage... but you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana had taken the me for my actions. But I knew that neither Charlotte nor Tana would fully understand what had happened.


    ¡°I thought it would be best to keep your presence a secret, so I had you sleep in my bedroom. As for treatment... It was risky, but instead of calling a priest... I used an elixir.¡±


    ¡°... An elixir?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®Was it the elixir I¡¯m thinking of?¡¯</i>


    As far as I knew, there were only a few bottles of it in the entire empire, and they were considered a national treasure. It wasn¡¯t just a simple healing potion.


    <i>¡®No wonder my body feels unusually fine.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is it okay to use something like that so casually?¡±


    ¡°... Why would you consider it casual?¡±


    I felt oddly touched by her words.


    ¡°Besides, I wasn¡¯t the one who provided it. It was Dame Tana.¡±


    <i>¡®Touching moment canceled.¡¯</i>


    As the leader of the Shanapell Knight Order, she could probably procure an elixir if needed.


    <i>¡®Anyway, I¡¯m fine, but I wonder if Sabioleen Tana is okay. From the way Charlotte is behaving, she seems to be.¡¯</i>


    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>


    ¡ªYour Highness, may Ie in?


    It was Sabioleen Tana¡¯s voice,ing from beyond the door.


    <i>¡®Speak of the devil.¡¯</i>


    Charlotte looked at me. It seemed like she was asking for my permission to let her in.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? This is her room, so why is she asking for my permission? This feels weird!¡¯</i>


    I nodded, and when Charlotte called out that it was okay to enter, Sabioleen Tana, in her uniform, walked into Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°... You¡¯re awake,¡± Sabioleen Tana said to me.


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± I responded.


    She peered at me sitting casually on Charlotte¡¯s bed, but did not offer any particr reaction.


    Both Charlotte and Tana probably had many questions for me.


    How I obtained Tiamata, what happened after Tana had fainted, and so on.


    She pulled up a chair and sat by the bedside.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s rather far away.¡¯</i>


    Though she was sitting beside the bed, it felt as though she was still quite a distance away. Charlotte, who was sitting next to me, scratched her cheek.


    ¡°You really need to change this bed,¡± I said to her.


    The bed was excessivelyrge and ufortable.


    I could understand why the bed in the dormitory had been such a profoundly eye-opening experience for Charlotte.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m not in pain, let¡¯s sit somewhere morefortable and talk.¡±


    I got off the bed and moved to the trio of sofas.


    Charlotte took the head seat, and Tana and I sat across from each other.


    ¡°First of all, I want to thank you, Reinhart. I don¡¯t know all the details, but you saved not only me but also Her Highness that night.¡±


    The pce had suffered some damage, and Sabioleen Tana had to have kept quiet about the part where she had been subdued during the fight. If she hadn¡¯t, Charlotte would probably not have been allowed to continue staying in the pce.


    She had to have filed a false report. Charlotte, havingposed herself, looked at me.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t properly thanked you either. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Reinhart,¡± Charlotte said as she smiled at me.


    It wasn¡¯t the eerie and unsettling smile she had worn while being consumed by the dark power.


    I hoped Charlotte would always be able to smile in this manner.


    Awakening the Incantation power was secondary.


    I had done all of this for Charlotte, and not for personal power.


    ¡°Before you ask me anything, I would like to understand the situation first,¡± I said.


    I looked at Charlotte. ¡°Has the issue with you been resolved?¡±


    I had awakened the Incantation power and hadmanded the entity controlling Charlotte¡¯s body to disappear.


    The question was: did it really disappear?


    Before I exined anything, I had to know that.


    Charlotte looked hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But I was fine yesterday... and there was this... indescribable feeling before that. It was hard to endure. It was like something was trying to consume me. I was overwhelmed by a mixture of anxiety and a sense of danger that tormented me every night. But suddenly, that¡¯s all gone.¡±


    ¡°And your power?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still there.¡±


    Her anxiety was gone. Perhaps it would turn out to be not enough, but for the moment, at least, Charlotte was safe.


    Her ability to control shadows still remained, which was a lingering concern. Charlotte was reluctant to use her ability, so she didn¡¯t demonstrate it.


    I finally understood why Charlotte hated her ability. Who could take a liking to a power that seemed to be slowly consuming them?


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll have to keep an eye on the situation, but it¡¯s clear that something has changed in Her Highness. If it was something Divine Power could fix... We tried everything, both magic and Divine Power, but nothing worked.¡±


    Both Tana and Charlotte looked at me.


    ¡°Reinhart. What exactly did you do?¡±


    Incantation... It had already manifested itself in me, so it would show up in a physical scan.


    ¡°It seems my supernatural power has gotten stronger.¡±


    It was undoubtedly a dangerous power, but I couldn¡¯t hide it, so I had to tell the truth.


    ***


    I exined the situation in detail.


    I brought up Tiamata first. A sword with dark power that I had acquired in the Dark Land.


    Charlotte already knew about it, so exining it was easier. I exined to them how the item, which had been presumed to be a Demon God Relic, had be imperfectly soul-bound to me, and how, after considering several courses of action, I had purified it, and it had transformed into Tiamata.


    I left out the part about there being no distinction between the gods of demons and humankind. I simply said that Tiamata had been in a corrupted state.


    While I exined this all to them, I had to bring up Olivia Lanche.


    Both Tana and Charlotte were understandably stunned.


    The fact that Tiamata could be corrupted and that I had been chosen by it seemed to be too much for them to take in.


    ¡°This is... aplicated issue, so I had to keep it a secret,¡± I said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Charlotte.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely something that could turn the religious world upside down,¡± added Sabioleen Tana.


    It took them quite a while to recover from the shock.


    In any case, given how things had eventually turned out, neither of them had any further questions. Charlotte even thanked me for telling her about it, as it seemed to alleviate the concerns she had about the missing Demon God Relic.


    Then there was the matter of my supernatural power.


    Since I couldn¡¯t really exin the concept of Incantation, I only described it in vague terms.


    I described how, during the battle with the entity that had taken over Charlotte, I hadmanded it to disappear, and that it really did. There was only one logical exnation for that.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that your Self-Deception power can now affect others?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the only exnation.¡±


    A form of Self-Deception that could now affect others besides myself.


    In essence, the concept of Incantation wasn¡¯t that much different.


    If Self-Deception was a power manifested through belief, Incantation was a power that could be manifested through giving amand or making a deration. That was how I understood it.


    ¡°So, the solution was... a supernatural power.¡±


    Supernatural powers were the equivalent of exining something by saying ¡°It just works.¡±


    They could not be exined, and they produced profound effects that were manifested through means that defied the logical reality of the world.


    Therefore, even if it wasn¡¯t something that could be easily understood, the fact that a supernatural power had resolved Charlotte¡¯s issue, an issue that other methods had been unsessful in addressing, waspletely eptable.


    Tana clearly still found it difficult to ept this absurd situation that had somehow be reality, but she still looked relieved, as if she had finally found an exit after wandering through hell.


    ¡°So that means... you¡¯re the only one who can heal Her Highness¡¯s condition,¡± Tana said.


    ¡°... Yes, that might be the case.¡±


    For the moment, Charlotte¡¯s condition, which had been gradually deteriorating, had improved, but no one knew what might happen in the future. I was the only contingency n they had.


    In a way, I was bing Charlotte¡¯s personal physician.


    Despite this, Charlotte wore a serious expression.


    ¡°Your ability is too dangerous,¡± she said. ¡°As dangerous as mine, or even more so.¡±


    The evolution of Self-Deception... The fact that it could now be made to affect others made the ability inherently more dangerous.


    Neither Self-Deception nor Incantation existed in the original story.


    Therefore, I didn¡¯t know what this power was capable of. While the Incantation power that had just awakened might not be absolute, if it continued to grow, it could very well achieve the impossible.


    Of course, Charlotte wasn¡¯t considering eliminating me because of the dangers my ability could pose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how your new ability will be assessed, but I¡¯ll instruct the Temple to keep it a secret.¡±


    To protect me, she suggested keeping my new power a strict secret. She would order the Temple authorities to keep silent, and the only one who might understand the true nature of my ability would be Mr. Effenhauser.


    Indeed, it was a dangerous ability. In the battle against the dark entity, it was me who had ultimately subdued Charlotte when Sabioleen Tana couldn¡¯t.


    Of course, there were other ways of looking at it. If Tana or another high-ranking holy knight had been wielding Tiamata, things might have turned out differently.


    In many ways, Tana had been fighting a bad matchup while being in terrible physical condition.


    Keeping my new ability a secret was undoubtedly the best course of action.


    Tana seemed to have a different thought.


    ¡°What if Reinhart stays at the Spring Pce?¡± Tana suggested.


    It was impossible to say for certain that Charlotte¡¯s condition had truly been resolved. Since we couldn¡¯t predict when something could happen, it made sense for me, the only person who could intervene, to live in the Spring Pce with Charlotte.


    It might not look good publicly, but since the princess¡¯s life was at stake, the emperor might not oppose it.


    ¡°No. Even if we keep it a secret, Reinhart is in the same ss as Vertus. If hees here to live, Vertus will find out eventually, and then Reinhart will be in danger,¡± Charlotte said.


    Tana seemed to consider this. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she conceded.


    Charlotte was prioritizing my safety above all else.


    Both that night¡¯s battle in the pce and the fact that I had saved Charlotte was being kept secret because, if such news spread, Vertus might try to eliminate me, regardless of the honors I might be bestowed for saving the princess¡¯s life.


    Vertus probably didn¡¯t even know I was in the Imperial Pce.


    ¡°Does Vertus even know about your condition?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know the details, but he knows I don¡¯t have long to live.¡±


    It would be strange if Vertus didn¡¯t know about this situation.


    There was no need to constantly keep tabs on an opponent who was going to copse on their own. That was why there hadn¡¯t been much conflict between them in the recent past.


    However, I had saved Charlotte¡¯s life. In other words, the opponent he believed would copse on their own had been revitalized.


    If Vertus found out about it, I was as good as dead. That was why Charlotte had made the bold decision to have me sleep in her bedroom. It would be dangerous for all of us if Vertus found out the truth.


    ¡°But... Right now, Reinhart is the only one who can ensure Her Highness¡¯s safety,¡± Tana said.


    Sabioleen Tana had to admit that she couldn¡¯t protect Charlotte, and neither could the imperial family.


    There was no ce in the world where Charlotte was safe. She was only truly safe while I was by her side.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to return to the Temple, after all,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t live in the Imperial Pce, so the only other option was for Charlotte to return to the Temple and live in the dormitory with me.


    Sabioleen Tana recognized that this was the best choice for both me and Charlotte, so she eventually nodded.


    ***


    It had only been a day, and neither Tana nor Charlotte believed that one uneventful day meant everything would be fine going forward.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dame Tana?¡±


    ¡°I must keep this matter a secret from everyone else, but I have to report it to His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My personal loyalty aside, it¡¯s necessary to convince His Majesty that Her Highness¡¯s condition has improved, and that no further measures are needed.¡±


    Charlotte looked at me guiltily.


    Sabioleen Tana was not in Charlotte¡¯s camp, but the emperor¡¯s. While she was for the moment responsible for the princess¡¯s safety, her true loyaltyy with the emperor.


    There were to be no secrets to be kept from the Emperor, especially when it came to Charlotte¡¯s well-being.


    The situation was slowly growing more tangled up. I, the prince of the Demon Realm, was slowly bing entangled with the emperor as well.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s alright,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I will do everything in my power to ensure you are not put in danger. I swear on my honor,¡± Tana assured me.


    It was the vow of the continent¡¯s strongest warrior. If I were to be endangered because of this, she wouldy down her own life. Such was the weight of her vow.


    She suddenly bowed her head toward me. ¡°You saved not only Her Highness¡¯s life, but mine as well. For that, I am truly grateful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well... there¡¯s no need for you to...¡±


    There was genuine gratitude in her gesture.


    Sabioleen Tana stated that she would report the detailed circumstances of that night to the emperor and took her leave.


    Only Charlotte and I remained in the bedroom. Charlotte brought over a tea set and, with practiced ease, brewed some tea and handed me a cup.


    ¡°When I brought you into the Imperial Pce, I didn¡¯t think about Vertus at all. There was no need to.¡±


    Charlotte had believed that she was about to die. Therefore, she probably hadn¡¯t cared if Vertus found out that I was in the Spring Pce. After all, it wouldn¡¯t matter who a worthless rival was friendly with.


    ¡°Reinhart, to be blunt, saving me won¡¯t be good for you,¡± Charlotte said matter-of-factly.


    She was straightforwardly stating that saving her was a mistake on my part.


    Seeing her sad smile, I frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it again if something like this happens. No matter what Vertus thinks.¡±


    Charlotte seemed taken aback by my words.


    I smirked and looked at her over the brim of my teacup. ¡°See? It turned out just as I said.¡±


    I had told Charlotte that I would save her. When she¡¯d asked how, I said I would find a way.


    She had responded pessimistically, saying that anyone could say such a thing.


    In the end, though, I <i>had</i> saved her. Charlotte stared at her own teacup for a moment, then nodded slightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right... I¡¯m sorry for not believing in you.¡±


    ¡°From now on, just take my word for it. I¡¯m never wrong. I¡¯m always right.¡±


    Charlotteughed brightly at my boastful words. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll believe in you. Always.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected such a response, so I was a bit flustered.


    Charlotte took a sip of her tea, and I followed suit, sipping the milk tea she had made.


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, but Vertus will surely try to find out how I¡¯ve survived. Even if he can¡¯t harm me directly, he¡¯ll be out for me again, so it¡¯s crucial that no one finds out that you were in the Spring Pce. Fortunately, your entry records have been erased. Hardly anyone saw you, so Vertus doesn¡¯t know who was here or what happened.¡±


    ¡°Well... That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Because of this, you can¡¯t leave the Imperial Pce.¡±


    I was puzzled by her words.


    <i>¡®Wait, didn¡¯t she say I couldn¡¯t stay in the Spring Pce? Now she¡¯s saying I shouldn¡¯t leave the Imperial Pce? Did she lie to Sabioleen Tana?¡¯</i>


    Seeing my confusion, Charlotte smiled mischievously.


    ¡°You silly thing. You know already.¡±


    Charlotte gestured towards one of the walls in her bedroom.


    The secret passage...


    ¡°You can use that to leave. It connects to a gate within the capital. You know that while the iing side of the gate is heavily monitored, the exit is less so.¡±


    There was a way to leave the Imperial Pce without anyone knowing it, and it was in Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s this.¡±


    Charlotte walked to a corner of her room and opened a magical safe. She took something out and handed it to me.


    It was a small golden brooch.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°A warp gate is a two-way thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. And so...?¡±


    ¡°Being able to leave means you can also enter through it, right?¡±


    Charlotte exined how to activate the brooch. It seemed to work by opening it and pressing a switch-like mechanism.


    ¡°If you activate this brooch and pass through any warp gate within the capital, it will connect to the warp gate in the basement of the Spring Pce.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After cing it in my hand, Charlotte held my hand.


    Her hand was trembling slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m... giving you something that lets you enter my bedroom... at any time. Without anyone knowing...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face was flushed, and her voice was shaking even more.


    This wasn¡¯t something you would give to just anyone. <i>¡®In fact, has she ever given this to anyone before...?¡¯</i>


    This was essentially a secret key that allowed someone to infiltrate the imperial pce unnoticed.


    ¡°Do you understand... what this means?¡±


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t even look me in the eye.


    ¡°It means you trust me this much, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte stared at me intently, pouting slightly. ¡°Yes. It means that, whenever I need you, you cane and help me.¡±


    Charlotte, acting a little sulky, crossed her arms and stared out the window for a while. Her face was as red as a beet.


    ¡°This time... Don¡¯t throw away this gift.¡± Her voice was trembling, probably recalling what I had said before I¡¯d fainted.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t remember exactly what I¡¯d said, since I had been on the verge of losing consciousness.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    In exchange for discarding the gift that had signified a final farewell, I had received a gift that allowed me to meet Charlotte anytime.

 Chapter 273

    <h4>Chapter 273</h4>


    It had been afternoon when I awoke.


    Returning to the Temple for sses that day was out of the question. Hence, I was absent for two consecutive days.


    Charlotte had alreadye up with an excuse for my absence, so she told me not to worry about it. She seemed to have told the others that I had gone on a special assignment, under the instructions of Mr. Effenhauser. She had taken care of this the same way she deleted my entry records for the Imperial Pce.


    Rather than just being happy that she was safe and that the power that tried to consume her had gone dormant, Charlotte had thought about what needed to be done immediately and proceeded with those tasks.


    Before that, she had given up on everything, but as soon as the situation changed, she had gone about doing what needed to be done.


    It was quite a peculiar experience.


    The people of the Spring Pce were tight-lipped, and I was reassured that news of my unexpected visit would not leak out. That said, I didn¡¯t wander around inside the pce, and stayed only in Charlotte¡¯s bedroom.


    When Charlotte told me that I could go back, and that I should resume my lessons in the Temple the following day, I shook my head.


    ¡°I should watch over you for one more day,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte stared at me intently.


    ¡°Does that mean you want to stay in my bedroom for one more day?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She seemed rather taken aback. ¡°Reinhart. I really appreciate you, and I acknowledge that you are very important to me, but isn¡¯t this a bit too shameless?¡±


    <i>¡®Just because you¡¯ve slept here for a day, do you think it¡¯s your room now?¡¯</i> her expression said.


    ¡°Well, for the safety of your precious self, there¡¯s no other choice,¡± I boldly dered.


    ¡°Why are you saying it like that?!¡±


    Even though I had an important reason, I did sound a bit like a jerk.


    Anyway, even if I returned to the Temple before nightfall, all the sses would be over. I wanted to keep an eye on Charlotte¡¯s condition for one more day.


    If nothing else happened that night, it would be safe to assume that everything would be fine for a while.


    Charlotte knew that my words made sense, so she didn¡¯t kick me out. Until that moment, she¡¯d had no choice but to let me sleep in her bedroom because of my injuries, but she now found it absurd that I was being so brazen and insistent.


    ¡°... Alright. Then I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room,¡± Charlotte said.


    I shook my head. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    <i>¡®What is she saying?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m staying here for one more day to keep an eye on your condition. What¡¯s the point of me staying if you sleep somewhere else? You should sleep here.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s lips quivered, and color gradually drained from her face. ¡°Y-You... Are you saying you want to sleep with me?¡±


    <i>¡®No! How did ite to that?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you really have to put it that way? I¡¯m just saying that I need to see if anything unusual happens while you sleep!¡±


    ¡°I-I... I understand that, but...¡±


    Charlotte was visibly trembling, unable to believe that she would receive such a request.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to you! I¡¯m just going to watch!¡±


    ¡°W-Why would you watch someone while they sleep?!¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t like it if I sleep, but you also don¡¯t like it if I stay awake? What do you want me to do? You¡¯re the funny one here!¡±


    ¡°The f-funny one...?¡±


    Charlotte seemed mentally shaken by my blunt words.


    <i>¡®Why do I have to listen to this?¡¯ </i>her reaction screamed.


    Harriet had been treated as a precious gem growing up, and Charlotte certainly had the same sort of upbringing. In fact, Charlotte had to have grown up receiving even more special and noble treatment.


    However, while Harriet had learned to adapt to the way I spoke and usually went along with it, Charlotte¡¯s immunity to such words was still weak, so her reactions were raw.


    ¡°Y-You know what, just... give it back. You¡¯re... you¡¯re scary.¡±


    Apparently, Charlotte wanted to take back the brooch she had given me.


    <i>¡®Is she worried that I might sneak in while she¡¯s sleeping to check in on her and then leave?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t take back something you gave as a gift. Don¡¯t you know that rule? And do you think I would just give it back like that?¡±


    ¡°N-No! Give it back! Give it back! I shouldn¡¯t have given it to you!¡±


    Charlotte chased me around the spacious bedroom for quite a while.


    In the end, Charlotte grew exhausted and copsed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair...¡± sheined, struggling to catch her breath. ¡°You¡¯ve trained so much and have much better stamina than me...¡±


    Charlotte,pletely worn out, sat on the bedroom floor and red at me.


    ¡°Then you should exercise too,¡± I said casually.


    ¡°You¡¯re the worst, really!¡± Charlotte screamed, as if she was genuinely annoyed.


    Aside from Vertus, I was probably the only one in this world who could tease the princess in this manner.


    ***


    In the end, I remained in Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, having made the decision to stay for one more night.


    Charlotte seemed restless.


    <i>¡®I mean, I¡¯m just going to sleep on the sofa or something... Is there a need to be so tense?¡¯</i>


    This had to be a first for her, given how sheltered she had been growing up.


    Of course, she had been subjected to something far more dreadful during her captivity in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, but this situation was different.


    The servants brought food at meal times, and I hid whenever they did so. Charlotte gave instructions that she did not require any attendants, and to bring more food.


    I thought that I¡¯d be able to eat a lot after not eating for a whole day, but because I waspletely starved, I ended up eating less.


    Charlotte looked at me, then at the amount of leftover food.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat more?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re too starved, you can¡¯t eat that much when you break your fast.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, that¡¯s true...¡±


    Charlotte would know that too.


    The luxurious feast we had at the Allied Forces¡¯ headquarters after a long period of starvation¡ªCharlotte and I had eaten together then.


    As she remembered that time, Charlotte¡¯s expression grew wistful and sad.


    ***


    We stayed in the bedroom the whole day. After dinner, night came, and there was still nothing much to do.


    Charlotte was fidgeting like a puppy who needed to go outside. She seemed to be gathering her courage for something, got up halfway but sat back down, then tried to get up again but sat back down.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with her?¡¯</i>


    Eventually, Charlotte groaned and then stood up as if she had made a decision.


    ¡°I-I... I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°... Where you going?¡±


    ¡°To another room...¡±


    ¡°I told you to sleep here. I¡¯m not going to be here all the time; I just need to keep an eye on you tonight.¡±


    Charlotte red at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it! I¡¯m going to take a bath!¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. So she wanted to wash up in the bath or shower attached to the bedroom but felt self-conscious about it?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... If you¡¯re going to wash up, just do it here. Why do you need to go to another room?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°Because you¡¯ll hear the sound...¡±


    <i>¡®What? How should I describe her hypersensitivity? So what if someone could hear the sound of her washing up? Is that not allowed? Are girls around her age all this sensitive? I don¡¯t really get it.</i>


    <i>¡®But isn¡¯t it irrelevant if she has attendants who assist her with bathing in the first ce? Is it natural to be concerned about this? I... have no idea... I have no idea what¡¯s right or wrong in this situation!¡¯</i>


    I nked out for a moment, overwhelmed by my thoughts, then said, ¡°You know what, that¡¯s not something I should dictate. Do as you please.¡±


    ¡°My actions are not supposed to be dictated by you in the first ce! Ugh!¡±


    Charlotte stormed out of the bedroom in a whirlwind of frustration.


    While Charlotte was off washing up, I took the opportunity to wash up in the bathroom attached to the bedroom.


    It was quiterge, but I didn¡¯t bother getting into the tub.


    After washing up, I realized something. I had no change of clothes.


    The school uniform I had been wearing had been covered in blood and torn in several ces, and had probably been discarded. I had woken up wearing some kind of pajamas that had been found somewhere.


    Unable to leave the bathroom, I was at a loss as to what to do until Charlotte returned a whileter.


    Hearing the sound of water, Charlotte¡¯s voice came from beyond the bathroom door.


    ¡ªAre you... Are you washing up in my bathroom right now?


    ¡°Should I not wash up then?¡±


    ¡ªUgh... Ugh!


    It sounded like Charlotte was stomping her feet, whether out of annoyance or something else.


    <i>¡®Why is she making such a fuss? It¡¯s not like I can leave her bedroom anyway.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Never mind that. I don¡¯t have any clothes to change into.¡±


    A pause.


    ¡ªHuh?


    ¡°Bring me some clothes.¡±


    Another pause.


    ¡ªWhat?


    Charlotte seemed to be in shock, as if she never expected to hear such a request. There was no sound from the other side of the door for quite a while.


    <i>¡®Was that too much? Just because I saved her life... Am I going too far bymanding the princess to bring me clothes...?</i>


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t just about her being the princess; borrowing someone¡¯s bathroom and making such a request is pretty trashy, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    Just as I was thinking that...


    ¡ªI left it in front of the door.


    Charlotte¡¯s voice was smeared with a palette ofplicated emotions.


    ***


    Of course, this was still a pce, so there were other clothes besides women¡¯s clothes.


    After I had copsed, Sabioleen Tana had apparently retrieved some clothes for me from somewhere.


    After that little bit ofmotion, both Charlotte and I were in clean pajamas.


    If anyone found out about this, it would be a huge scandal in itself. This was not the prince and the pauper, but a princess and a pauper.


    But here we were, due to our circumstances...


    I was sitting in a rocking chair in Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, and Charlotte was lying in bed.


    ¡°... Are you nning to sleep like that?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Th-Then... are you nning to sleep in the bed?¡± Charlotte asked in a clearly flustered voice.


    Somehow, it felt as if I brazenly said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s spacious, so I¡¯ll sleep in your bed!¡± she would make a fuss, but still reluctantly give up her spot.


    ¡°What?¡± I said instead, ¡°The other day, you acted like it was fine to sleep in the same bed as long as I didn¡¯t touch you.¡±


    ¡°Th-That was just a figure of speech! I didn¡¯t mean it literally!¡± Charlotte yelled in a panic.


    Was it really okay for her to be shouting like this? The soundproofing had to be pretty good. Without supernatural powers like mine, no one would be able to eavesdrop on our conversation from outside the room.


    The other day, Charlotte had given up on everything.


    She had told me various things, shared very important secrets, and made some randomments. The danger had passed, though, and she was now able to feel embarrassed again.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s probably because she can think about living again.¡¯</i>


    That made me feel oddly pleased.


    ¡°What... Why are you making that weird face...?¡± she asked.


    Charlotte blushed and pulled the nket up to cover half her face. ¡°A-Anyway! Are you really going to sleep in the bed?¡±


    That seemed like her biggest concern.


    <i>¡®Is this because of her sheltered upbringing? She really cares about these things.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to keep an eye on you and make sure you¡¯re okay, so how can I go to sleep? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t stare at your face or anything like that.¡±


    I sat in the rocking chair with my arms crossed, staring nkly at the ceiling of Charlotte¡¯s room.


    <i>¡®Do you think I have some ulterior motive for doing this? I just need to make sure you¡¯re safe. I just need to know that nothing will happen from now on.¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been given an elixir, one of the continent¡¯s greatest treasures. It would be more strange if I <i>wasn¡¯t</i> okay. Don¡¯t worry about it. Staying up for one night is nothing,¡± I said, hoping it would make her feel a bit less guilty.


    ¡°You... You can sleep at the far end if you want.¡±


    ¡°If I do go to sleep, I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte was silent for a while.


    Shey in the middle of the bed, but then slowly moved to the edge, as if to make room for me. She positioned herself so that I could lie down at the opposite side if I wanted to.


    By moving to the edge, she also moved slightly closer to the rocking chair I was sitting in, which was quite far from the bed.


    The chair was not facing Charlotte, but was oriented parallel to her.


    I was sitting, and Charlotte was lying down.


    We were side by side. I was sitting next to Charlotte.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t really understand. Why are you doing all this for me?¡±


    ¡°Someone whom I see as precious deserves to be treated preciously. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because I¡¯m a princess, is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There were plenty of people who would risk their lives for her because she was a princess.


    But I didn¡¯t seem like one of those people.


    I wasn¡¯t risking my life to save her because of her status, So why then?


    Charlotte was curious.


    ¡°Just... ept it as it is.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exin what couldn¡¯t be exined, so I had no choice but to say that.


    I wasn¡¯t looking at Charlotte¡¯s face, but I could sense Charlotte looking at me.


    As if she had made a decision, Charlotte cautiously began to speak.


    ¡°The Demon King did something to me.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    It had to have been a long-held secret.


    The moment such a thing was revealed, everything about her would disappear. This had to be a secret she¡¯d kept inside for a long time, unable to spill it to anyone else.


    Charlotte was confirming what I had only guessed at previously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what was done to me, but it hurt a lot, and it was terrifying. It felt like my soul was in pain, not just my body,¡± she continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t easily empathize with Charlotte¡¯s description, so I just listened.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what it was. Even now... I don¡¯t really know what happened to me. But... after that, I was locked up in a ce like a prison in the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Along with other kidnapped... people.¡±


    ¡° ¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s voice was starting to tremble. She was about to say something she was afraid to talk about.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Can you... hold my hand?¡±


    Without a word, I reached out my hand towards the bed, and Charlotte took it.


    Her palm was mmy with cold sweat. Just talking about it seemed to be painful for her.


    What could have happened to her?


    Holding my hand, Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke.


    ¡°We starved for so long in there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Everyone there... We survived on so little food and water for such a long time. And then, when the war intensified, they stopped giving us anything.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°People... went so long... without eating anything.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± I quietly said as I looked at Charlotte. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. ¡°If it¡¯s too hard to talk about, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t talk about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s painful for you. So stop.¡±


    Even with just that much, I could already understand what had happened.


    From the fear, terror, and guilt in Charlotte¡¯s voice, I could piece together what had transpired.


    People torn to pieces by something formless...


    I remembered that scene.


    I knew that Charlotte was trying to talk about what happened after the cannibalism began, and not the act itself.


    When I told her not to speak, Charlotte burst into tears.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me... If it weren¡¯t for me... everyone could have survived. Everyone. If it weren¡¯t for me. If I weren¡¯t there... M-Mom... Mom wouldn¡¯t have...¡±


    Clearly, Charlotte had never told anyone else this before.


    Even though everyone knew she had suffered something at the hands of the Demon King, this story she was telling me was being let out for the first time.


    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be crying so sorrowfully, confessing her guilt like this.


    I didn¡¯t offer any words offort, sympathy, or rationalization. I just held Charlotte¡¯s hand tightly as she sobbed uncontrobly.


    Charlotte gripped my hand tightly and cried for a very long time.


    ***


    After calming down, Charlotte told me what had happened.


    There were two types of people who knew about Charlotte¡¯s ability.


    There were those who believed it was a supernatural power that controlled the shadows, and there were those who knew that she had gained this ability after suffering something at the hands of the Demon King.


    Thetter group consisted of Dyrus, Sabioleen Tana, the head maid of the Spring Pce, and the emperor¡ªonly four people.


    ¡°What about Vertus?¡±


    ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t know... But I think he does. If he found out, it would have been only recently.¡±


    The power to control shadows was already a sinister and eerie ability, and could easily be framed negatively.


    Charlotte was looking for a way to control or eliminate her power. That was why she was seeking out magical sealers and such.


    But all those efforts were in vain, and Charlotte¡¯s power continued to grow, gradually consuming her.


    She had begun sleepwalking as well, and so Charlotte started finding herself in strange ces in the middle of the night.


    Only then did I recall seeing Charlotte barefoot in the mansion¡¯s hallway after the group mission, looking out at the snow.


    ¡°Wait, then could it be... That time...?¡± I hesitantly asked.


    ¡°Yeah, that was the first time,¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte¡¯s behavior back then had seemed slightly strange.


    She had probably been asleep, and then suddenly found herself in the hallway. She had seemed quite startled at the time.


    She said that, for a while after that, nothing simr happened.


    However, she then experienced the exact same situation in the Temple dormitory.


    After it happened in the Temple dormitory, Charlotte realized it was a serious issue and left the dormitory to live in the Spring Pce.


    The sleepwalking then continued and became more frequent.


    Eventually, she had been consumed by her power, wandering the pce shrouded in darkness. Up until that point, it was still manageable.


    Although she lost consciousness and couldn¡¯t remember anything during these episodes, she didn¡¯t attack anyone, and when Dyrus and the head maid guarding her bedroom door brought her back inside, she did not resist.


    At some point, though, she began appearing and disappearing throughout the pce without the door ever opening.


    Then, she had attacked and killed a maid.


    Charlotte remembered nothing, but she sensed that it was toote, and that everything was over.


    She had asked the emperor to kill her, but the emperor refused.


    Instead, he sent Sabioleen Tana to the Spring Pce and reduced the number of pce staff to a minimum until a solution could be found.


    But the imperial family could not find a solution.


    Although I couldn¡¯t say for certain, it felt as though, if I hadn¡¯t been there, Charlotte wouldn¡¯t have reverted to her own self after that night.


    That night had been the final moment.


    That night, Sabioleen Tana would have died, and Charlotte would have eventually faced death at the emperor¡¯smand.


    In the end, if it hadn¡¯t been for me, Charlotte would have died.


    ¡°I was scared to sleep.¡±


    ¡°... I can imagine.¡±


    ¡°But even if I didn¡¯t sleep, I would lose consciousness. So I knew sleep wasn¡¯t the problem... but I was still just as scared.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s hand no longer felt cold and mmy with fear. It was warm.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I think I can finally sleep properly for the first time in a while,¡± Charlotte said as she closed her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    I could only offer those words.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Tell me that nothing will happen.¡±


    I looked at Charlotte quietly.


    Borrowing the power of Incantation, I earnestly dered, ¡°Nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded with her eyes closed. ¡°I¡¯ll believe that.¡±


    With a faint smile, Charlotte gradually fell asleep.


    I quietly listened to the evenness of her breathing and watched Charlotte¡¯s peaceful, sleeping face.


    And then...


    [Special Achievement Unlocked - Turning Point in History]


    [A key figure (Charlotte de Gradias) who should not exist in the original timeline has survived.]


    [The future has changed significantly.]


    [You have received 1000 Achievement Points.]


    The exact same system message as in the prologue appeared.


    It seemed a bitte...


    <i>¡®Why is this message appearing now? Shouldn¡¯t this message have appeared after the battle the night beforest?¡¯</i>


    I quietly regarded Charlotte¡¯s sleeping face. Charlotte, holding my hand tightly, was sleeping peacefully.


    Apparently, the fact that I had stayed by her side until she¡¯d fallen asleep safely had some unknown significance.


    I didn¡¯t know what that significance was, but as long as nothing happened, I decided not to bother wondering what might have happened.


    Borrowing the power of Self-Deception, and borrowing the power of Incantation...


    <i>¡®Nothing will happen. You will be safe. I will make sure of it.¡¯</i>


    In my heart, I kept believing and dering it countless times.

 Chapter 274

    <h4>Chapter 274</h4>


    I returned to the Temple the next day.


    The official story was that I had been dispatched on a special assignment, under Mr. Effenhauser¡¯s instructions.


    Because of that, neither Ellen nor Harriet were angry with me.


    The events that had transpired had been among the most dangerous that I¡¯d had to go through. However, I couldn¡¯t talk about it with anyone else. In the end, it seemed like I was still seeking out danger on my own without regard for Ellen¡¯s worries.


    I felt sorry, and the guilt only grew heavier because it had been something I could not avoid getting involved in.


    There would be many such instances in the future.


    ¡°What was the special assignment?¡± Ellen asked, and I clicked my tongue briefly.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t really a special assignment. That was just an excuse.¡±


    <i>¡®Did you get into trouble again?¡¯ </i>said Ellen¡¯s expression. She seemed about to get angry, so I shook my head vigorously.


    ¡°It was an issue rted to Tiamata. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Did you get caught?¡±


    ¡°In a way...¡±


    That was both true and not true.


    Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana now knew that I was Tiamata¡¯s master.


    But I was lying, and I was scared that Ellen might see through my lie.


    ¡°We decided to keep it a secret. There won¡¯t be any other problems.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a relief,¡± Ellen said, still staring at me intently.


    ¡°Were you worried about me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Seeing Ellen say that so calmly made my heart ache.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as nothing happened.¡±


    That was all Ellen said.


    Since nothing happened to Charlotte that night, she said she would spend the weekend in the capital and then return to the Temple.


    If Charlotte and I returned to the Temple together, Vertus might find it suspicious, but I felt rather reassured that nothing would happen over the next few days.


    Charlotte¡¯s survival had been confirmed, and was regarded as a turning point in history. I didn¡¯t know how long that wouldst, but for the time being, nothing would happen to her.


    This new trait of mine, Qi Sense, had yed a significant role.


    It had been a stormy few days. Friday had just passed, and it was the weekend.


    In the end, we got through it safely.


    Ellen grabbed my arm.


    ¡°You have something to do.¡±


    ¡°... What? What do I have to do? Train?¡±


    Ellen shook her head. ¡°No. Study.¡±


    <i>¡®What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°The others are waiting.¡±


    Ellen grabbed my arm and dragged me along with her to the study room in the ss A dormitory.


    There, Riana, Harriet, and Adelia were sitting together.


    Riana greeted me with a somewhat sour expression. ¡°Oh, the main character has finally arrived. Busy with your special assignments, huh? What was it all about?¡±


    Harriet stood up with a determined look as soon as she saw me, and Ellen dragged me to a seat.


    ¡°W-What is this... Out of the blue, and as soon as I get back,¡± I muttered.


    Harriet ced a notebook in front of me.


    ¡°These are the key points and expected questions for the uing final exams. Ellen, Adelia, and I made them together.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait. What?¡¯</i>


    Harriet¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    It was true that the final exams were just around the corner.


    ¡°If you go through this, you won¡¯te inst.¡±


    <i>¡®Wait. Guys... Why are you making me all emotional with something like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°You can¡¯t lose to Ludwig again, got it?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really need this, but Ellen, Harriet, and Adelia all wore such expressions that I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say that I didn¡¯t care about the exam results.


    <i>¡®I¡¯mpeting with Ludwig? How far have I fallen...¡¯</i>


    Anyway, after that, I studied as though my life depended on it.


    ***


    It was Sunday at the Winter Pce.


    Vertus sat quietly in his office chair after receiving a report. His usual yful smile was gone, reced by a stiff, expressionless mask.


    Vertus read the report without any reaction.


    The content was simple.


    The protective measures for Charlotte de Gradias and the Spring Pce that had been ordered to be put in ce by the emperor had been lifted.


    ¡°... Wasn¡¯t it said that her ability couldn¡¯t be controlled?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. It was believed so... We expected that final measures would soon be taken against the First Princess...¡±


    Vertus had only recently learned about Charlotte¡¯s ability.


    A supernatural power that controlled shadows...


    But it seemed peculiar for someone who had been imprisoned in the Demon King¡¯s castle to suddenly develop the power to control shadows.


    Depending on how it was framed, Charlotte¡¯s power could be seen as a power of darkness, and thus, it could be easily manipted into ims that she had been cursed by the Demon King.


    However, there was no need to go that far. Some things could be covered up, no matter how hard one tried.


    The protective measures implemented around the Spring Pce, the reduction of staff to a minimum, and Sabioleen Tana taking up permanent residence in the Spring Pce...


    Moreover, the murder of a maid in the Spring Pce at night...


    From these circumstances and his various deductions, Vertus had sensed that Charlotte¡¯s end was near. So, Vertus left it alone.


    But the lifting of the protective measures and Charlotte¡¯s apparent safety implied that the issue had somehow been resolved, which meant that apetitor he had expected to fall was now back in the game.


    <i>¡®Have I gone a bit soft?¡¯ </i>Vertus thought.


    He should have attacked when he saw the opportunity.


    If they had seeded in sealing Charlotte¡¯s ability or discovered some simr solution, the story of the princess being cursed wouldn¡¯t hold water.


    Moreover, it would tarnish the imperial family¡¯s honor, and the emperor¡¯s wrath would turn towards him.


    Although the structure of this particrpetition didn¡¯t allow for fairpetition, the emperor desired andmanded it.


    He had a potential card to y, but he couldn¡¯t tell if it was a sound one or not.


    It was more likely to anger the emperor.


    <i>¡®What on earth could have happened...?¡¯</i>


    Leaving Charlotte alone had been a final act of mercy.


    He didn¡¯t particrly want to mess with a dying princess, and there had also been the risk of unnecessary bacsh.


    If the situation had been resolved, the fight for session would have to resume.


    <i>¡®How should I navigate this situation?¡¯</i>


    ¡°What about security around the Spring Pce?¡±


    ¡°It is expected to be reinforced again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... It will be harder to gather information now.¡±


    The already-tight security would be further strengthened, making it more difficult than before.


    ¡°Sabioleen Tana must have seen everything that happened...¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose not.¡±


    She was themander of Shanapell, and only listened to the emperor¡¯s orders. Sending her to the Spring Pce was already highly unusual, as she usually strove to remainpletely neutral regarding the issue of session.


    If Charlotte¡¯s condition had improved, she would surely be a neutral party again.


    ¡°Find out anything you can. What exactly happened, and if the First Princess¡¯s condition has truly improved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    After the attendant left, Vertus crossed his arms.


    This was supposed to be the downfall of a rival, but now that the oue had been reversed, Vertus felt like he should be upset.


    Strangely, Vertus found it curious that he wasn¡¯t feeling particrly awful. Shouldn¡¯t he be pounding the ground, throwing things, or shouting?


    Yet, Vertus was smiling.


    .


    .


    ¡°Hey, why do you always have such a grim face? It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°Your already-ugly mug looks even worse when you¡¯re scowling. Try smiling a bit. No one¡¯s going to p you for smiling.¡±


    ¡°Who would dare p me?¡±


    ¡°There you go, twisting my words again. You always take my words the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°You always talk weirdly in the first ce. Always picking fights.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, just smile a bit, will you? I already dislike you, but seeing your face like that makes it worse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Will you go away if I smile?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about going away, but I might find you a bit less annoying.¡±


    Vertus, who rarely smiled, and who hadn¡¯t smiled much since his mother¡¯s passing, offered a clumsy smile.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a bit better. Still annoying, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    That was a conversation that he and Charlotte had shared, a long time ago. He couldn¡¯t even remember how old he was.


    It was a time when he didn¡¯t dislike his half-sibling as much as he did now.


    A time when he didn¡¯t fully understand what their rtionship would be.


    A brat who was just always rude... To Vertus, Charlotte was that kind of brat, and he was that kind of brat to Charlotte.


    They were ipatible.


    If one existed, the other shouldn¡¯t.


    A fight he¡¯d thought was over had to go on, and that was exciting to him.


    That thought sat with Vertus as he sat there in his office, smiling.


    ***


    [Name: Baalier


    Age: 17


    Race: Archdemon


    Current Stats:


    [Strength 10.2(C)]


    [Agility 9.9(C-)]


    [Dexterity 11.9(C)]


    [Mana 14.2(B-)]


    [Stamina 15.2(B-)]


    Talents:


    Supernatural Power - Self-Deception


    Supernatural Power - Incantation


    Mana Sensitivity, Mana Maniption


    Traits:


    [Divine Spirit] - Increased resistance to mental magic


    [Hero¡¯s Lineage] - Greatly increased growth limit. Increased growth speed.


    [Qi Sense] - Crisis detection.


    Abilities:


    [Control Demon (B)] (Archdemon exclusive ability) (Not usable in the current state.)


    [Self-Deception (A)]


    [Incantation (F)]


    [Mana Reinforcement (D)]


    Overall Ability Rating - Intermediate Demon King


    Combat Rating - A]


    I hadn¡¯t checked my status in a while, but it now reflected significant increases in my stats.


    Thanks to the influence of the Hero¡¯s Lineage, I could feel my stats increasing much faster.


    Mybat level was now at A rank. It felt like just yesterday that I had been at F rank, but I hade a long way.


    Not only had I unlocked Mana Reinforcement, but my Self-Deception had also reached A rank, and although it was stillnguishing at the lowest grade, I had awakened the power of Incantation.


    Interestingly, Self-Deception hadn¡¯t evolved into Incantation; rather, it was as if I had gained an additional supernatural power.


    Abat level of A rank meant that I wouldn¡¯t be outssed by other strong individuals.


    Additionally, my Control Demon skill had somehow increased from C rank to B rank.


    The F-ranked power of Incantation... I had only reported it to Mr. Effenhauser, and whether he understood the full details of it or not, he decided to keep it a secret.


    Although my abilities would be revealed during a physical scan, Mr. Effenhauser would keep it confidential.


    Even when I told him that I had awakened a seemingly powerful supernatural power called Incantation, he had merely acknowledged it with a simple ¡°I see.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t know the full extent of how it could be used. I hadn¡¯t had the time to leisurely experiment with it.


    I was being forced to study for the final exams because of external pressure.


    They didn¡¯t know what had happened, and I kept Incantation a secret from them.


    I had acquired a new power, Incantation, and also found out that Tiamata responded to my anger.


    Saving Charlotte had been fortunate, but it turned out I had benefited from the whole ordeal as well.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey Charlotte.¡±


    Charlotte returned on Monday morning.


    Judging by her expression, nothing had happened while she¡¯d been alone over the weekend.


    The shadow that always seemed to linger on Charlotte¡¯s face had lifted.


    I considered telling Eleris about this, since she might know something, but I decided against it.


    If Eleris found out that her power was a remnant of the Demon King, she might try to intervene.


    Sarkegaar would try to resurrect the Demon King, while Eleris would try to eliminate him.


    Although there was a possibility that I could persuade Eleris not to act, there was no way she could handle something that even the imperial mages couldn¡¯t.


    I was the only one who could control Charlotte¡¯s power, and the fewer people who knew it, the better. Besides, it was difficult to leave the Temple at the moment, since Harriet and Ellen were pressuring me to stay put and study.


    There did not seem to be any immediate threats to Charlotte¡¯s safety, and I nned to keep an eye on the situation.


    Having navigated the crisis around Charlotte, I needed to think about the next issue: the Revolutionary Forces.


    I needed to figure out what to do about them.


    The imperial family¡ªincluding the emperor and even Vertus¡ªhad been so focused on Charlotte¡¯s life-or-death situation that they had overlooked the Revolutionary Forces.


    If left unchecked, a civil war or rebellion could break out within the empire, and if that coincided with the Gate Incident, it would be a decisive blow to the already-staggering empire.


    The Revolutionary Forces needed to be eliminated, without question.


    But how?


    Sarkegaar, who was responsible for infiltration and information gathering, believed that I intended to use them to create chaos in the empire and rebuild the Demon Realm.


    Because of that, I couldn¡¯t just order Sarkegaar to assassinate all the leaders of the Revolutionary Forces.


    If I provided the information to Charlotte or Vertus, I would have no way to exin how I obtained it.


    The only usible exnation I could think of was to say that I¡¯d gotten the information through the Thieves¡¯ Guild. However, the actual source of the information wasn¡¯t the Thieves¡¯ Guild, so if anyone actually investigated the Thieves¡¯ Guild, they would easily uncover my lie.


    Charlotte trusted me more than Vertus did, and she might ept my information even without me fully exining where I got it from.


    Time was passing, but I couldn¡¯te to a decision easily.


    I didn¡¯t want to influence the future session of the throne, whether in Charlotte¡¯s or Vertus¡¯s favor.


    More specifically, I didn¡¯t want to support Charlotte and make Vertus my enemy, nor did I want to support Vertus and cause Charlotte¡¯s downfall.


    It wasn¡¯t an easy decision to make.


    ***


    Despite the numerous issues surrounding me, my time as a student at the Temple continued, and the final exams were just around the corner.


    That Monday, aside from Charlotte¡¯s return, there was another change.


    Charlotte¡¯s ability was presumed to be safe for now, but it was only a <i>presumption</i>.


    Therefore, the imperial family¡ªspecifically, the emperor¡ªdecided to allow Charlotte to return to the Temple, but not without implementing certain safety measures.


    That Monday morning, before sses started, the first year Royal ss students were called into the lobby of the dormitory.


    There was someone else there, who Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang introduced to us.


    ¡°Starting today, Dame Sabioleen Tana will be serving as the dormitory supervisor for the first-year Royal ss.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Sabioleen Tana, and I will be responsible for your daily safety and dormitory discipline.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana had unexpectedly taken up residence in the Royal ss dormitory.

 Chapter 275 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 275 [Illustration]</h4>


    Charlotte¡¯s ability was currently stable, but it could be dangerous at any time.


    Moreover, Sabioleen Tana, while not in the best condition, had struggled to manage the situation in the Spring Pce the week before.


    To prepare for any eventuality, the imperial family had dispatched her to handle any potential outbursts of Charlotte¡¯s power.


    There was also another reason why Charlotte was staying in the dormitory instead of the Spring Pce.


    It concerned me.


    Charlotte was staying in the dormitory so that I could intervene in any emergency while keeping me from being exposed.


    Of course, being a dormitory supervisor wasn¡¯t a bad job, but it was highly unusual for the captain of the empire¡¯s First Knight Order to suddenly be a Temple supervisor.


    Both Vertus and Charlotte seemed to have anticipated this oue, and while I found it rather unexpected, it still felt like the right move.


    The captain of the First Knight Order was a significant role, but the safety of the First Princess was a more critical issue that warranted her temporarily stepping down from that position.


    ¡ªThe captain of Shanapell...?


    ¡ªWhy would she...?


    Those who knew about Sabioleen Tana were all taken aback. It seemed no one could understand the situation.


    Who could easily ept such a situation? Without knowing the circumstances, one might think it was some bizarre April Fool¡¯s joke.


    Ellen Artorius was the only one who seemed clueless about the situation.<i> ¡®I should have eaten a bit more breakfast,¡¯</i> her face said.


    Sabioleen Tana stood in between Mr. Effenhauser and Ms. Mustang, wearing a two-piece suit instead of her usual knightly armor.


    ¡°Just calling me ¡®teacher¡¯ is enough. Additionally, if needed, I can also oversee your personal training.¡±


    At the prospect of the world¡¯s strongest person overseeing their training, those interested began to sparkle with excitement.


    The most notable one was Ludwig, who looked thrilled beyond measure.


    ***


    There usually wasn¡¯t a dormitory supervisor for each grade. Dormitory supervisors were assigned without regard to grade, and patrolled all floors.


    However, Sabioleen Tana had been given the unique position of being the dormitory supervisor for only the first-year students.


    Her primary concern would naturally be ss B, where Charlotte was, so she wasn¡¯t going to pay much attention to ss A.


    In addition to the newly-introduced dormitory supervisor, the final exam period had begun.


    After the general education exams on Monday, many students spent their free time chatting.


    Of course, someone like Connor Lint seemed to have no interest in the exams, and was only thinking about enjoying the uing festival.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited about the festival?¡± he gushed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard about it. What exactly happens during the festival?¡± Erhi asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? There¡¯s a beauty pageant!¡±


    <i>¡®Of course he¡¯s interested in that.¡¯</i>


    He seemed to think that the beauty pageant alone gave the festival immense value.


    The official names of thepetition were Miss Temple and Mister Temple.


    There was also a cross-dressing contest.


    Usually, students from the Royal ss would be busy training for the showmatch as well, but now that the Orbis ss had been terminated, that event had been canceled altogether.


    I knew the student council was struggling to find an alternative.


    Because of this, there wasn¡¯t much for the Royal ss students to prepare for, and we could just enjoy the festival.


    Connor Lint was so excited that he even spoke to me. ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you entering the tournament?¡±


    ¡°The tournament?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean... with your skills, you could probably ce pretty high, right? They¡¯re opening applications today.¡±


    Although the showmatch between the Royal and Orbis sses had been canceled, the Temple-wide tournament was still taking ce.


    There were grade-specific tournaments and an unlimited ss tournament open to all grades.


    I had no ns to enter the tournament because I didn¡¯t think I had a good chance of winning.


    However, the rewards forpleting the rted challenges were substantial.


    [(Festival) Open CategoryLimitless Tournament Victory - 15,000 points]


    [(Festival) First Year Tournament Victory - 10,000 points]


    With the Orbis ss now disbanded, the chances of the ex-Orbis ss students participating were very low, and even if they did, I had awakened Mana Reinforcement, Incantation, and also had Self-Deception.


    Realistically speaking, in my current state, no one but Ellen could beat me. Of course, this was assuming that my Mana Reinforcement would work properly in a tournament setting.


    My abilities were particrly effective in realbat, but would Mana Reinforcement work in a sparring match like the tournament?


    In the Spring Pce, it had worked immediately once I tried it.


    Ellen had previously said that she wouldn¡¯t participate because her victory seemed too certain.


    Final exams aside, it seemed like entering the tournament was the right move.


    Achievement Points aside, winning the tournament also meant receiving a trophy and a prize from the emperor.


    ¡°Hmm, should I give it a shot then?¡± I said.


    The three troublemakers looked at me.


    At some point, they had begun to see me with a sense of reverence.


    Of course, there was someone else I needed to get a definite answer from first.


    I approached Ellen, who was sitting in the front row. ¡°Hey, Ellen. I¡¯m going to enter the first-year tournament.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t enter.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied as she nodded coolly.


    <i>¡®Does this mean my victory is guaranteed?¡¯</i>


    The expressions of the three troublemakers changed. <i>¡®This punk. He¡¯s fixing the match!¡¯</i>


    There was no way I would ever win the tournament if Ellen participated, even if my life was on the line.


    Second or third ce meant nothing. If I didn¡¯t win, I would get nothing except a few coins. I had to eliminate Ellen as a variable beforehand.


    And just like that, with a single short conversation, I had prevented a strong contender from entering.


    It felt a bit like cheating...


    Ellen stared at me, then said matter-of-factly, ¡°If you don¡¯t win, I¡¯ll be mad.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Last time you said just getting to the quarterfinals was enough!¡±


    ¡°The situation has changed.¡±


    It seemed that Ellen¡¯s expectations of me had grown substantially


    Sessfully mastering Mana Reinforcement had its downsides.


    Our strongest rivals, the Orbis ss, had been disbanded, and its remaining members dispersed into the other regr sses.


    I didn¡¯t know if any of them would participate or not, but without Ellen¡¯s participation, I would be a strong contender to take the win.


    Somehow, it hade to this.


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t anyone from our ss entering Miss Temple, though?


    <i>¡®Hey, moron. If you¡¯re going to talk about that kind of stuff, do it quietly so everyone doesn¡¯t hear!¡¯</i>


    Harriet and Riana shot disdainful looks at Connor Lint for his randomment.


    <i>¡®You need to realize that you¡¯re cutting your own throat in a different way than I am.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ah, n-no! I just... thought they might be good candidates...¡±


    <i>¡®Just shut your mouth already!¡¯</i>


    <i>m!</i>


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    All of a sudden, the door to the first-year ssroom burst open, and Olivia Lanche appeared.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t she studying during the exam period? Whye here in person?¡¯</i>


    She ignored the stunned reactions to her sudden entrance, hurried over to me and thrust a piece of paper in my face.


    I nced at the top of the paper and was struck dumb.


    <i>[Miss Temple Application Form]</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m entering Miss Temple!¡±


    I stared nkly back at her. ¡°W-What¡¯s that got to do with me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to vote for me, right?¡±


    <i>¡®What is this woman thinking, entering something like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Ughhh! Why are youing to me about this?!¡±


    <i>¡®What does telling me all this aplish?¡¯ </i>


    She even tried to rub her face against mine, but I pushed her away in disgust.


    <i>¡®No! The kids are looking at me weirdly again!¡¯</i>


    This woman was even causing a scene in the ssroom.


    When I finally managed to push her away, she nced around the now chilly ssroom.


    ¡°Hmph. It doesn¡¯t look like I have anypetition here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Riana, Ellen, and Harriet¡¯s expressions all turned bizarre. <i>¡®Why is she suddenly picking a fight with us?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. <i>¡®Why is she drawing attention like this?¡¯</i>


    Oliviaughed gleefully at the sour expressions of my ssmates, caused by her provocative remarks.


    Then, she suddenly strode across the room.


    She halted when she reached the front row, right next to Ellen.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you entering?¡± she asked.


    Ellen red at Olivia, dismayed by the sudden provocation.


    ¡°Why would I enter something like that?¡±


    Olivia covered her mouth and looked down at Ellen. ¡°Are you afraid you¡¯ll lose?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll lose without even trying?¡±


    <i>¡®No! Why do you always pick on the quiet ones?! Just leave her alone!¡¯</i>


    I was about to step in and say something when<i>¡ª</i>


    <i>Grasp!</i>


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ellen stood up and grabbed Olivia by the cor.


    The other kids stared at them in shock, and my reaction was no different.


    Ellen had snapped.


    Ellen held Olivia by the cor and red at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re like this to me, but get lost. I don¡¯t want to deal with you,¡± she said fiercely.


    ¡°Oh my... Now you¡¯re trying to hit your senior...?¡±


    Just as I was about to intervene and prevent Ellen from causing trouble, something unexpected happened.


    <i>Squeeze!</i>


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°Just remember that the world is a big ce.¡±


    Olivia, smiling brightly, grabbed Ellen¡¯s wrist.


    With just her grip strength, Olivia effortlessly pried Ellen¡¯s hand off her cor.


    Ellen was the strongest among the first-year students, and recognized as an extraordinary monster...


    Everyone watched in shock as Ellen, despite ranking highly in terms of stats, was overpowered in strength. Olivia, having removed Ellen¡¯s hand, smoothed out her clothes and smiled.


    <i>Poke!</i>


    She then poked Ellen¡¯s forehead with her index finger.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re confident in your skills, but there¡¯s always someone better than you. Remember that, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen was staring at Olivia with wide eyes.


    ¡°So, do you want to face me in the Beauty Pageant or the Open Tournament? I¡¯m confident I can beat you in both Miss Temple and in the tournament.¡±


    Leaving the stunned Ellen behind, Olivia looked over at me.


    <i>Wink!</i>


    Olivia winked at me and then left the ssroom.


    Ellen stared nkly at the door Olivia had exited from. The others looked back and forth between the dazed Ellen and me.


    ¡ªI used to envy that guy...


    ¡ªHe definitely won¡¯t die a natural death...


    That was Erhi and Kaier, muttering away quietly.


    Connor Lint patted my shoulder.


    ¡°Hey... hang in there.¡±


    I never thought the day woulde when I received sympathy from <i>that</i> guy.


    No matter how strong I had be, I still couldn¡¯t even think of challenging Ellen.


    And Olivia Lanche, who was clearly stronger than Ellen in terms of raw strength...


    Everyone seemed to believe that I would be crushed between these extraordinary individuals, like a shrimp caught between two whales.


    Anyway...


    <i>¡®Sis. We need to talk. You¡¯re dead.¡¯</i>


    A littleter...


    ¡°I told you to stop picking on the quiet ones!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡±


    I stormed into the fifth-year ssroom and exploded at Olivia.


    ¡°Do you want me to flip out? Should I flip out? Do you want to see it? Do you need to see it?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Reinhart! I went too far! Okay? I¡¯ll apologize! Should I apologize to her?¡±


    ¡°Forget the apology, just leave her alone! Are you going to keep acting so immaturely? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll leave her alone!¡±


    All the other fifth-year seniors stared nkly as a much younger student scolded their senior like a misbehaving child.


    In the end, I made Olivia cry and beg for forgiveness.


    I didn¡¯t expect her to actually cry, so I was a bit taken aback myself.

 Chapter 276

    <h4>Chapter 276</h4>


    After finishing all the Monday exams, the four girls from ss A gathered at a caf¨¦ near the ssroom building instead of returning to the dormitory.


    While it would have been better to go back to the dormitory and study, they were all quite upset.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s really a crazy bitch.¡±


    Surprisingly, it was Adelia who said that.


    It was shocking that Adelia, who was usually a bit timid, used such harshnguage. Riana, Harriet and even Ellen stared at her with their mouths agape.


    ¡°O-Oh... Was that too harsh...?¡± Adelia said.


    Her face turned red and she scratched her cheek, afraid that she had been too forceful.


    Riana took a sip of her lemonade through a straw and shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Well said, Adelia. I mean, if she wants to enter Miss Temple, she can just do so. Whye to the first-year ssroom and cause a scene? What¡¯s her problem? And what? Nopetition? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Riana had strong words for her as well.


    Harriet crossed her arms and frowned. ¡°I really don¡¯t like her,¡± she grumbled as she stuffed a mocha macaron into her mouth.


    Olivia had been picking fights with Ellen at every turntely, and the incident that day had been the culmination of that.


    It had led to Ellen, who was usually able to maintain her calm, openly expressing her dislike for someone.


    However, the fact that Olivia had overpowered Ellen in terms of strength was enough to shock everyone.


    Ellen was seen as someone extraordinary among her peers, regardless of her actual grade.


    There were only two people in the first year of the Royal ss who received such treatment: Ellen and Reinhart.


    Ellen was Ellen, and Reinhart was Reinhart.


    Both had something unique that made them stand out and receive special treatment in their own ways.


    Of course, for Reinhart, it was never in a good way.


    Even though her opponent was an annoying fifth-year student, Ellen was still Ellen.


    The fact that the annoying fifth-year senior had overpowered Ellen had stunned everyone.


    ¡°But that senior... Does she really like Reinhart?¡± Riana asked, tilting her head.


    Harriet and Ellen both stared at Riana.


    ¡°She likes him... doesn¡¯t she? Otherwise, why would she do that?¡± Adelia said cautiously as she nced over at Harriet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Right now, it seems like she¡¯s just having fun tormenting him. Honestly, what good does it do her?¡±


    That was true.


    Her past behavior might have seemed cute from a certain perspective, but the way she had been behaving in ss just prior to this was certainly not. She was just picking a fight for no reason.


    It wouldn¡¯t look good to Reinhart, and it wouldn¡¯t be good for her either.


    ¡°Tormenting him?¡± asked Ellen.


    ¡°I thought Reinhart might actually like her despite her behavior, but the more I see it, the more I realize he genuinely dislikes it. If she really likes Reinhart, shouldn¡¯t she stop after he says he doesn¡¯t like it a few times?¡± answered Riana.


    That made quite a bit of sense.


    Why would someone keep doing something that the person they liked found distasteful? Reinhart had indeed constantly told Olivia Lanche to stop such behavior.


    Ellen had her doubts, but Riana¡¯s words made sense to her.


    Olivia Lanche kept doing things that Reinhart disliked.


    Ellen knew something that others didn¡¯t as well. Olivia had purified the cursed Tiamata, and because of that, she was seen as a lifesaver to Reinhart.


    Ellen knew that, because of this, Reinhart couldn¡¯t be too harsh on Olivia.


    However, Olivia was using this as leverage to keep bothering Reinhart.


    Whether it was out of affection or not, Olivia was indeed tormenting Reinhart.


    ¡° ¡±


    Ellen quietly sipped her chamomile tea.


    She thought about it long and hard, but came to the same conclusion: she couldn¡¯t let Olivia Lanche continue like this.


    Even though she had been overpowered once, and might face a rough situation again, Ellen had no intention of hesitating.


    ***


    Ellen did not head to the fifth-year dormitory with a particrly serious mindset.


    What she wanted to say was simple and notplicated.


    She didn¡¯t intend to fight. Not because shecked the strength, but because she felt ashamed of her impulsive action of making the first aggressive move in the ssroom, regardless of the oue.


    She did not intend to fight, and had only one thing to say: <i>¡®Stop bothering Reinhart. He¡¯s notfortable with it, so why keep doing it?¡¯</i>


    That was what she nned to say. After returning to the dormitory, Ellen headed alone to where the fifth-year students were staying.


    Everything was fine when she called Olivia Lanche, who came out wearing her usual slightly frivolous smile.


    Even when Olivia looked at her with a teasing expression and asked her what she wanted to say, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t too bad.


    Ellen¡¯s business was simple. There was only one thing she wanted to tell Olivia. <i>¡®Stop bothering Reinhart. It¡¯s rude to keep doing something he has repeatedly said he dislikes. Please refrain from it.¡¯</i>


    That was exactly what Ellen said, and Olivia Lanche tilted her head in response.


    She offered up a weakugh. ¡°Haha... Reinhart has already given me a piece of his mind...¡±


    <i>¡®Did Reinhart already say something to her? No wonder he left the ssroom a bit earlier.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Did Reinhart ask you to tell me all this?¡± Olivia asked her.


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why are you speaking on his behalf?¡±


    Olivia, who had been smiling, now wore a cold expression.


    It was as if she¡¯d heard the one thing that could worsen her mood while in an already unpleasant situation.


    ¡°Who are you to Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    Olivia stepped closer to Ellen.


    Ellen didn¡¯t back down, but stared at Olivia with a hardened expression.


    ¡°Who are you to Reinhart?¡± Olivia demanded again. ¡°Why do you talk as if Reinhart belongs to you, saying things like ¡®Stop bothering my Reinhart¡¯?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s disgusting to hear that from a third party.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s gaze was frigid.


    <i>¡®A third party.¡¯</i>


    That phrase struck a nerve with Ellen.


    Moreover, Olivia had said simr things more often.


    <i>¡°Please take good care of our Reinhart!</i>


    <i>¡°Don¡¯t get too close to Reinhart, okay? You know why, right?</i>


    <i>¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re good at fighting. But don¡¯t bully our Reinhart too much.¡±</i>


    Olivia had always spoken as if Reinhart belonged to her.


    Ellen met Olivia¡¯s re. ¡°You¡¯ve said the same things.¡±


    Olivia smiled. ¡°Yes, I have. I said those things because I want Reinhart to be mine. What about you? Do you feel the same?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Did she want Reinhart to be hers?


    She hadn¡¯t thought deeply about such a question. She feared that if she reached an unwanted conclusion, it would trigger a chain of irreversible events. Olivia continued to look at Ellen coldly, but she still couldn¡¯t give an answer.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you say anything? Can¡¯t you even express your own feelings?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you: what is Reinhart to you?¡±


    ¡°... A friend.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen couldn¡¯t say anything more.


    It felt as if everything woulde to an end the moment she said anything else.


    She feared that this unpredictable senior in front of her would say something strange and destroy all her rtionships.


    In the end, Ellen couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°If you¡¯re nothing more than his friend, then you don¡¯t have the right to tell me what to do, do you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? You¡¯re just a friend, and you don¡¯t even want to be more than that, yet you¡¯re telling me not to get close to Reinhart.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s tone was almost usatory.


    It was as if she was forcibly opening a heart that no one had tried to open before.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit strange?¡±


    The things she was saying were simr to what Harriet had once said to her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to lose anything, but you hate the idea of someone else taking it more. So you¡¯re trying to hold onto everything halfway?¡±


    Olivia ced her hand gently on Ellen¡¯s shoulder and smiled. It wasn¡¯t her usual frivolous and kind smile, but a sneer.


    ¡°You¡¯re really selfish.¡±


    Not choosing was also a choice.


    Pushing everything into the future and doing nothing was also a choice that would inevitably lead to a certain future.


    Every road eventually led to a future in which everything fell apart.


    <i>¡®Am I selfish?¡¯</i>


    Ellen felt as if she had been struck on the head by Olivia¡¯s words.


    <i>¡®Why does this person dislike me so much? What does she want to achieve by confronting me like this?¡¯</i>


    To Ellen, the person who was once called the Saintess of Eredian was merely someone she disliked.


    <i>¡®Why does she dislike me?¡¯</i>


    She hadn¡¯t known until that moment, but after this, she thought she understood.


    She knew she was being selfish, and she knew her actions were wrong, but there was a stronger desire.


    She did not want to lose to this person.


    She sensed that, if Olivia got hold of Reinhart, she would never let him go.


    Finally, Ellen thought she understood why Olivia disliked her. It was the same reason she disliked Olivia.


    The fear of losing... That¡¯s why she disliked her.


    When she recognized her own feelings, Ellen also realized Olivia¡¯s feelings were hidden behind her cold gaze.


    Behind that gaze, there was a certain fear.


    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Just as she feared that the person in front of her might take Reinhart away, this other person was also afraid.


    That was why she picked fights, challenged her, and scratched at her.


    Ellen¡¯s sudden question caused Olivia¡¯s expression to twist.


    ¡°Afraid of you? Why would I be?¡±


    Her sudden loss ofposure at the sudden provocation said it all.


    Ellen knew she had hit the mark. Now that she realized that the person opposite her not only disliked her but was afraid of her, Ellen finally understood.


    She had been overreacting.


    ¡°You¡¯ll graduate next year, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Time was not on Olivia¡¯s side. Olivia¡¯s lips twitched as if she was flustered by Ellen¡¯s words.


    ¡°... I¡¯m going to graduate from school,¡± she said.


    ¡°Even so, you¡¯ll have to leave this dormitory.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t need to see that annoying face the year after next.


    After that, she and Reinhart would continue to stay in this dormitory together.


    Olivia didn¡¯t like that.


    There was no need to get angry. There was no need to react so seriously to this person¡¯s provocations.


    Reinhart would be by her side longer than by Olivia¡¯s, so there was no need to fight. She had already won, so why fight?


    Olivia wanted to make her look ugly. There was no need to y along with that.


    Olivia would dislike her and be envious of her. She didn¡¯t know what Olivia wanted her to acknowledge, but there was no need to do so.


    Olivia gritted her teeth, seemingly searching for words, and finally said in a trembling voice, ¡°A year is quite a long time, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I wish you luck,¡± Ellen replied.


    Ellen looked at Olivia, and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards.


    She felt like she was doing something very wrong, but it was also very satisfying.


    Having always been on the receiving end, it felt good to finallynd a blow. No, it wasn¡¯t justnding a blow; it was a realization that her opponent had been fighting from an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position from the start.


    Olivia had finally lost herposure, and her eyes turned red.


    She bit her lip and red at Ellen.


    She seemed frustrated.


    No matter how much she tried to provoke Ellen with her words, she knew there was an unbridgeable gap between them.


    <i>¡®What if Olivia Lanche had been a ssmate?¡¯</i>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t say for sure, but she probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to look at her with this mocking sense of superiority.


    Hypotheticals were meaningless.


    When all was said and done, Reinhart would eventually spend more time with her than with Olivia, no matter how much time she tried to spend with him. That truth would never change.


    ¡°D-Do you think being in the same ss as Reinhart is everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a ce you can never enter. A ce you envy the most.¡¯</i>


    Once Ellen said that, there was no other reason to be angry.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s just envious and jealous of me.¡¯</i>


    Olivia bit her lip and red at Ellen, disturbed by her blunt statement.


    Ellen smirked and walked past Olivia Lanche. ¡°It would have been better if you had been born a bitter,¡± she said in parting.


    ¡°You... you... you! Did you really just...! You... little...¡± Olivia stammered, her mouth agape, as she watched Ellen walk away.


    After Ellen disappeared, Olivia¡¯s eyes turned red, and she bit her lip.


    ¡°Damn it...¡± she muttered, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have messed with her... I didn¡¯t even get anything out of it...¡±


    Olivia was so frustrated that tears began welling up in her eyes.


    ***


    Although it felt pointless to engage in such emotional battles, Ellen felt a kind of satisfaction she had never experienced before. She wouldn¡¯t have felt this good even if she had punched someone.


    <i>¡°It would have been better if you had been born a bitter.¡±</i>


    Olivia¡¯s expression upon hearing those words had been priceless. It felt as if she had taken revenge for all the times she had been wronged in one go, and that whatever Olivia said moving forward would not matter anymore.


    Knowing why Olivia had said such unreasonable things to her made it all irrelevant.


    She was just envious that she was not in Ellen¡¯s ce, and that frustration and resentment had led her to pick those fights.


    As Ellen walked back to the dormitory, her steps light, she encountered someone in the hallway.


    ¡°Ellen. Did something good happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um... no. Just...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s buoyant mood dampened upon seeing Harriet.


    <i>Selfish.</i>


    Olivia had definitely said that about Ellen.


    She didn¡¯t want to lose Harriet, and she didn¡¯t want to lose Reinhart either.


    She was clumsily trying to hold onto both of them.


    That was what made her selfish.


    Olivia Lanche¡¯s words echoed in her mind.


    Ellen wanted to ignore it, but she wasn¡¯t foolish enough not to understand the message behind those words.


    <i>¡®Harriet likes Reinhart.¡¯</i>


    Ellen didn¡¯t want to think about it, but she knew it was entirely possible, since Reinhart always paid attention to Harriet.


    <i>¡®If Reinhart starts to like Harriet, what should I do?¡¯</i>


    Ellen didn¡¯t want to lose Reinhart to Olivia.


    Simrly, she didn¡¯t want to lose him to Harriet either.


    It was too frightening to think about.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ellen?¡± Harriet asked kindly, tilting her head as if wondering if Ellen was feeling unwell.


    ¡°... It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to study with Reinhart. Are you going to rest then?¡±


    Harriet was carrying a bunch of study materials in her arms.


    She was going to study for the exams. More precisely, she was going to help Reinhart.


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re studying for their own majors, so if you don¡¯te, it¡¯ll probably just be me and Reinhart.¡±


    That meant they would be alone together.


    ¡°I¡¯lle too.¡±


    ¡°Okay, grab your books ande.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Harriet walked briskly towards the study room, and Ellen watched her go.


    Ellen thought Olivia¡¯s words wouldn¡¯t affect her, but thinking about Reinhart being alone with a friend stirred an unpleasant emotion within her chest.


    <i>¡®I...¡¯</i>


    Ellen bit her lip, watching Harriet walk away.


    <i>¡®What should I do...?¡¯</i>


    Ellen realized she was already preparing herself to hate her friend.


    As Ellen walked back to her room to get my study materials, her steps felt heavy.

 Chapter 277

    <h4>Chapter 277</h4>


    Olivia Lanche was in the training grounds of the fifth-year dormitory.


    <i>¡ª¡°You said you don¡¯t want to learn the sword anymore?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Yes, father.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Why is that?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Because I don¡¯t want to learn a skill that can hurt someone, even if I don¡¯t intend to use it that way.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°...¡±</i>


    She knew those words were meaningless.


    She had already learned as much as she could and knew long ago that there was nothing more to learn, after having been told so back in the third year.


    Nevertheless, Olivia Lanche was afraid of bing more adept at violence. She was scared of how easy it was bing for her to hurt someone. Olivia distanced herself from violence and even the potential for violence.


    But now, Olivia was holding a sword.


    Controlling the power flowing through her body was something she hadn¡¯t done in a long time, but it was excessively easy.


    Olivia was now about to enter a tournament. An open-level ss tournament, and Miss Temple.


    Neither Miss Temple nor the open ss tournament interested Olivia in the first ce.


    She didn¡¯t care whether that annoying first-year Ellen participated or not.


    <i>¡ª¡°Miss Lanche. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t push yourself so hard anymore.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°... No, it¡¯s fine. I still have some leeway.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I know the situation. But no matter how tight our facility¡¯s budget is, Miss Lanche, you¡¯re still a student.¡±</i>


    Nothing else mattered.


    Money... Money was needed.


    There were countless war orphans caused by the Great War.


    Just as even the nation couldn¡¯t alleviate all poverty, the empire couldn¡¯t support all those war orphans.


    Everywhere, there were gaps, and childrencking clothes and food were all over the ce. Olivia had been supporting them since she went on a volunteer mission after the Great Demon War.


    Now that she was no longer seen as the daughter of the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, though, Olivia was increasingly unable to support them.


    However, she couldn¡¯t abandon them. She had abandoned her faith, but not those children.


    <i>¡®If Reinhart finds out, he will scold me terribly, and tell me to stop doing such foolish things,¡¯ </i>Olivia thought.


    She couldn¡¯t even tell Reinhart because she knew he would harshly reprimand her for it.


    The prize money on offer at the tournament and Miss Temple were substantial. With those two prizes, the facilities she supported could hold out for a while.


    She also knew that the empire would soon announce official policies that provided support for war orphans. She just needed to provide them with food and clothing for a little while longer.


    That was all.


    That was why Olivia Lanche now held a sword.


    <i>¡®Has it been about a year now...?¡¯</i>


    She had put down the sword in her third year.


    However, she¡¯d been forced to pick it up again not long after.


    She had gone to the Dark Land under the guise of volunteering, but there was no ce there for just a mere volunteer.


    There were times she felt both revulsion and gratitude for the power she possessed.


    She had put it down again ever since.


    She was confident she would win, but she didn¡¯t think it would be easy.


    She would have to put in the effort to regain her senses, to learn to calm her mind and draw upon her strength.


    <i>¡°It would have been better if you were born a bitter.¡±</i>


    <i>Crack.</i>


    ¡°Ugh, seriously!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    Olivia, suddenly overwhelmed by a rising thought, threw her sword away in frustration.


    <i>¡®What was that supposed to mean?¡¯</i>


    Her face turned bright red as she fumed alone in the training grounds.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    In the midst of this, the door to the training grounds opened, and someone walked in.


    ¡°Olivia. There you are.¡±


    The person who had apparently been looking for her approached her with a bright smile.


    ¡°Oh, hey Radia.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s odd behavior was limited to the first-year students; she was still kind and gentle to her juniors in their fifth and sixth years.


    The person who hade was not a fifth-year student but a sixth-year student, Radia Schmidt, Number 2 from ss B. She approached Olivia with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you holding a sword. Are you nning to enter the open tournament?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... yes. That¡¯s the n.¡±


    ¡°I see... That¡¯s too bad. I was hoping to aim for the championship this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you participating too, Radia?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know? Yes, this is myst chance. Windsor is entering too.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    As a sixth-year, she was practically on the verge of graduation.


    It was understandable that she would want to test the skills she had honed over six years in the open ss tournament.


    Radia Schmidt continued to smile brightly at Olivia, but Olivia felt a lump in her throat, making it hard to breathe.


    ¡°But you know, Olivia...¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use Divine Power.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I know.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if she could still do so or not. It would be absurd for someone who had renounced their faith to use Divine Power.


    Divine Power could not be used without authorization.


    In the best-case scenario, those who did so would undergo training at a temple or church and be official priests.


    If they refuse, they would be subjected to an inquisition.


    Since Olivia had rejected the path to priesthood, she couldn¡¯t use Divine Power in public.


    She had to enter the tournament with her Divine Power sealed away. When Olivia acknowledged this, Radia Schmidt tilted her head.


    ¡°Are you saying you can beat someone like me without using Divine Power?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no... that¡¯s not what I meant...¡±


    Radia Schmidt wasn¡¯t being sarcastic; she was genuinely curious. However, it was a difficult question for Olivia. Seeing Olivia¡¯s difort, Radia Schmidt shook her head.


    ¡°Of course, since it¡¯s you, Olivia, I¡¯m sure you can do it.¡±


    Her tone was light and free of any sense of inferiority. But the words that followed were enough to send chills down Olivia¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Olivia, don¡¯t reject the divinity within you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Return to the embrace of the gods. To where you belong.¡±


    Olivia couldn¡¯t properly meet Radia Schmidt¡¯s gaze.


    Her hands were mmy with sweat, and a chill ran down her spine.


    Olivia faced such obsessive requests as part of her daily life.


    Even members of the Grace Club would subtly suggest that she return to her faith, iming that what she had experienced was merely a personal w within the Commander of the Holy Knights.


    Radia Schmidt was not a member of Grace.


    She was an aspiring holy knight who served the war god Alse.


    Though they served different gods, Radia always emphasized the importance of unity under the teachings of the Five Great Gods.


    Olivia was growing increasingly weary of such matters.


    ¡°I told you, Radia. I... have given up on everything...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Olivia. Perhaps it was just a moment of poor judgment. It¡¯s possible to lose your way for a while.¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s deep, dark eyes bore into Olivia¡¯s.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll guide you back to the right path.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Radia Schmidt smiled brightly, and Olivia¡¯s lips trembled.


    What exactly was the right path she was supposed to take, and how exactly was Radia going to guide her?


    She could sense it in herself. Fear.


    At some point, Olivia had be increasingly afraid of her friends who still held onto their faith.


    Maybe that was why she kept running to Reinhart.


    At least, Olivia thought so.


    ***


    With Monday¡¯s exam over, I was once again being dragged along by Harriet and Ellen to study for the next test.


    Honestly, I needed to train for the tournament more than I needed to study, especially since I wasn¡¯t aiming for first ce.


    I had onlye inst in the previous exam because I wanted Achievement Points, not because I was dumb.


    <i>¡®I can easily beat Ludwig, even without studying! Even if I only solved half the problems, I can still manage that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°This will be on the test. Memorize it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already memorized it.¡±


    ¡°Then memorize it more.¡±


    ¡°... Alright.¡±


    However, since they didn¡¯t know my situation, they stuck close to me, going over the expected questions for themon subjects.


    It felt nice, but it also felt like my time was being siphoned away somehow... It was a strange situation.


    I had already filled out and submitted my application for the first-year tournament.


    The preliminaries were going to be held that weekend, and if I made it to the finals, my matches would start on the first day of the festival.


    After spending a long time studying, Harriet stretched with a groan and then stared at me.


    ¡°Are you really going to vote for that senior for Miss Temple?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°... Huh? Miss Temple?¡± I replied.


    Harriet said nothing, but pouted at me.


    ¡°Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me if you¡¯re going to vote or not.¡±


    ¡°Whether I vote or not doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t even n on going to watch it.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really? I see.¡±


    Harriet looked oddly satisfied.


    For starters, I was pressed for time and could not afford the leisure to watch such things. I didn¡¯t have the luxury to waste time when the ck Order could approach me at any moment and I had to tackle the Vampire Council issue soon, not to mention the issue surrounding Charlotte.


    I didn¡¯t have time to y around.


    Harriet giggled for some unknown reason and then went back to her book.


    ¡°So, if you do go and watch the contest, does that mean you¡¯ll vote?¡±


    It was Ellen¡¯s turn to ask the question, while Harriet remained silent.


    At Ellen¡¯s words, Harriet turned her gaze back to me.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not going!¡±


    ¡°So, if you go, you¡¯ll vote. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°How did you read that into my answer? I won¡¯t vote, and even if I go, I won¡¯t vote!¡±


    <i>¡®What is she going on about?¡¯</i>


    When I said I wouldn¡¯t vote even if I went, Ellen just nodded and said, ¡°Really?¡±


    There was no way I would go and watch the Miss Temple contest. If I urgently needed Achievement Points, I might have disguised myself as a girl and entered the contest instead.


    <i>¡®I have no interest in that! And since it¡¯s impossible to disguise myself as another Temple student, I can¡¯t even disguise myself as a girl to enter!¡¯</i>


    [New Event Update - Miss & Mister Temple Contest]


    [Vote in the Miss & Mister Temple Contest. If both the people you vote for win, you will receive a reward.]


    [Reward: One talent from each winner.]


    <i>¡®... Here we go again.¡¯</i>


    This universe seemed determined to make my life difficult, and was now dragging me into another mess.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    I had just said I wouldn¡¯t go in a million years, and immediately, an irresistible challenge had popped up. If I went to watch the contest without saying anything... <i>¡®It won¡¯t end well.¡¯</i>


    The most likely candidate to win Miss Temple was Olivia Lanche, which meant that I would naturally vote for her.


    I¡¯d be getting one of Olivia¡¯s talents as well, and so it was practically a no-brainer.


    It would be weird <i>not </i>to participate in this.


    Couldn¡¯t the system have announced this a little earlier? Why not show it to me before I said I wouldn¡¯t go?!


    <i>¡®Wait. Now that I think about it, this is weird.</i>


    <i>I can¡¯t enter the Miss Temple contest, but if I enter and win the Mister Temple contest, what would the reward be? If I win, I already have all my talents, so what would I get?¡¯</i>


    [If you win Miss Temple yourself, you will be granted a ¡®Talent Selection Ticket.¡¯]


    <i>¡®Oh, for crying out loud.¡¯</i>


    So, even if I won Mister Temple, there would be no reward.


    If I became Miss Temple, however, I would get a Talent Selection Ticket.


    <i>¡®... No, that¡¯s not possible.¡¯</i>


    There was no way I could beat Olivia Lanche, who already has a solid standing.


    This was no different from offering me 4,000 points for winning a cross-dressing contest.


    Since I couldn¡¯t disguise myself, I¡¯d have to do something ridiculous to enter Miss Temple.


    The conversation would look something like this...


    <i>¡°I¡¯m entering Miss Temple.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Do you mean Mister Temple?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°No, Miss Temple.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°... But you¡¯re a man...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Is there a rule that says men can¡¯t enter Miss Temple?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°I¡¯m sorry???¡±</i>


    Was I really going to do such a crazy thing?


    Anyway, I wasn¡¯t going to participate, but I did have to go to the Miss Temple contest.


    There was no way I would miss out on such an easy score.


    If I said I wouldn¡¯t go and then snuck in, I¡¯d get caught eventually. I would be utterly at Ellen¡¯s mercy then.


    If I didn¡¯t vote for Olivia, I¡¯ll just get asked why I went in the first ce.


    ¡°Well... You know, I guess I could go and check it out...¡± I muttered.


    Both Ellen¡¯s and Harriet¡¯s eyes narrowed when I suddenly changed my tune.


    ¡°No, listen! It¡¯s a festival! And that show is part of the festival! So, we should all enjoy the festival. Right?¡± I said, flustered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The atmosphere was so tense that my skin prickled.


    <i>¡®I appreciate the system offering me this event, but... why does it feel so awful?¡¯</i>


    To break the cold atmosphere, I feltpelled to say something, even if it was nonsense.


    ¡°I mean... I could be going to watch Mister Temple, not Miss Temple!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right, like you¡¯d go to watch that, you idiot!¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    Harriet smacked me on the head with her notebook, admonishing me for my nonsense.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you hit me!?¡±


    <i>¡®Both Mister Temple and Miss Temple are chosen together, so I¡¯d end up watching both anyway!¡¯</i>


    As I endured the girls¡¯ cold stares, I fell into thought.


    <i>¡®Miss Temple and Mister Temple... Wait. Does that mean I get two free talents? If I get both Miss Temple and Mister Temple correct, do I get two talents?¡¯</i>


    But that meant I had to guess both Miss Temple and Mister Temple correctly.


    Miss Temple would be Olivia Lanche... But who would be Mister Temple?


    In the original story, Olivia Lanche didn¡¯t appear. She probably wasn¡¯t even at the Temple.


    That year, the crown of Miss Temple was taken by Scarlett from ss B. The scene where Scarlett, scorned for her red eyes and red hair, won Miss Temple was as significant an episode as Ludwig¡¯s participation in the tournament.


    In the original story, the Mister Temple for this festival was Vertus.


    He was a prince, after all, and handsome to boot. But would Vertus participate this time as well?


    If Vertus participated and won, I would get one of his talents in Swordsmanship, Mana Reinforcement, or Mana Maniption. Since I already had thetter two, I would receive his Swordsmanship talent.


    I couldn¡¯t predict which of Olivia Lanche¡¯s talents I might get. It could be Divine Power, which wouldn¡¯t be bad. Since she was as much of a monster as Ellen, it would likely be something incredible.


    <i>¡®Good.¡¯</i>


    The situation wasn¡¯t just good; it was the best I could hope for.


    At the very least, if I got Vertus¡¯s Swordsmanship talent, I¡¯d be better at using the sword than I was at the moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± I said.


    When I got up from my seat, Ellen and Harriet seemed even more annoyed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going anywhere else; I¡¯m just going to see Vertus for a bit!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    However, their eyes did not reflect even the smallest amount of trust for someone who had just tantly gone back on his own words.


    <i>¡®Ah... If only the candy vendor had given me this event a bit earlier... No, they probably gave itte on purpose just to shove it in my face!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 278

    <h4>Chapter 278</h4>


    Since Vertus was in the dormitory, it wasn¡¯t hard to find him.


    ¡°... Mister Temple?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just thought you might be a good candidate.¡±


    Vertus seemed rather taken aback when I knocked on his door and asked if he was entering Mister Temple.


    <i>¡®Well, it is a little surprising, even to me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you perhaps asking me not to enter because you want to?¡±


    That was Vertus¡¯s conclusion.


    After all, I <i>had</i> asked Ellen in the ssroom that day not to enter the tournament because I was going to.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    Even if I somehow managed to win Mister Temple, I would only get Achievement Points forpleting the challenge. Voting for someone else who then became the winner would be much more beneficial for me.


    Vertus seemed baffled by my question, but he answered anyway. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re curious about that, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be entering.¡±


    In the original story, he¡¯d entered Mister Temple, so why not this time? Perhaps it was because of Charlotte¡ªthat, I could understand. At the moment, Charlotte¡¯s sudden recuperation was probably the biggest headache for Vertus.


    So, Vertus wasn¡¯t entering thepetition. I didn¡¯t know who would be Mister Temple then.


    I had to get both of them right to secure two talents, but thisplicated matters.


    I couldn¡¯t force Vertus to enter.


    If I entered and won Mister Temple, I¡¯d only get one talent from the Miss Temple side.


    <i>¡®Am I even qualified enough to win Mister Temple?¡¯</i>


    These new system events had put me in a frustrating position, and I wanted to maximize my gains.


    Being offered the opportunity to secure two talents but ending up with just one felt a bit disappointing.


    Vertus¡¯s Swordsmanship talent, and one of Olivia¡¯s talents...


    There was a way to optimize my gains, but it was still uncertain who would win Mister Temple. Guessing Miss Temple was a sure thing, but if I couldn¡¯t guess Mister Temple correctly, I¡¯d miss out on this easy event.


    I turned away from Vertus¡¯s door and headed back towards the study room.


    <i>¡®What should I do...? Bing Mister Temple myself is the worst option. What else then?</i>


    <i>¡®You know what, if there isn¡¯t another option, I¡¯ll just make one!</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll turn someone else into Mister Temple. That way, I¡¯ll get their talent for free. There are plenty of people here with rare talents that can¡¯t be bought with Achievement Points!¡¯</i>


    If I could find someone with a talent even more overwhelming than Vertus¡¯s Swordsmanship and make them Mister Temple, I could easilyplete this event.


    <i>¡®If I find the right candidate, I¡¯ll make them Mister Temple. Worst case, I¡¯ll just use Revise.¡¯</i>


    I headed to the dormitory lobby, running through various possible candidates in my mind.


    <i>¡®Ludwig¡¯s stamina... That¡¯s a ridiculously overpowered talent as well. Should I make Ludwig Mister Temple?¡¯</i>


    As I walked along, lost in these thoughts, I saw the three hopeless idiots gathered in the dormitory lobby.


    It wasn¡¯t just the three hopeless idiots¡ªHeinrich von Schwartz was there too.


    That guy, who always seemed to be on the fringes, had now joined the hopeless trio.


    <i>¡®Honestly, he¡¯s not quite as hopeless as the other three.¡¯</i>


    It looked like they were studying, gathered around a book.


    I approached them.


    ¡°Oh, uh... Reinhart.¡±


    When I suddenly approached and plopped down on an empty chair near them, their faces tensed up.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡±


    Heinrich no longer harbored animosity towards me, but he was still a bit nervous.


    ¡°Look at me for a moment.¡±


    Mymanding tone made them all tense up further, but they all looked at me.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    First, Heinrich von Schwartz.


    His talent was Pyrokinesis. I had already confirmed that I could possess multiple superpowers, but I didn¡¯t need Pyrokinesis because I had the me of Fire.


    Even without the me of Fire, I could perhaps still achieve spontaneousbustion as mymand over words improved.


    <i>¡®Pass.¡¯</i>


    Connor Lint.


    He had a supernatural talent, but it came with serious ws. I felt bad for giving him such a wed ability. If those ws were gone, he¡¯d be an insanely overpowered character, but it was toote for that.


    <i>¡®Pass.¡¯</i>


    Erhi de Raffaeli


    His talents were Divine Power, Martial Arts, and Swordsmanship.


    All three were abilities I didn¡¯t have, but it was a little disappointing that they weren¡¯tprehensive talents.


    Lastly, Kaier Vioden.


    He had only one talent: an immense mana pool.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®This guy is perfect.¡¯</i>


    Kaier¡¯s talent in immense mana meant that he possessed a vast amount of magical energy.


    Kaier not only has a huge amount of mana, but his mana growth rate was also incredibly high. However, he has a severe deficiency in Mana Maniption, making it impossible for him to use that power effectively.


    In terms of raw mana, even Ellen couldn¡¯t match him. Ellen¡¯s mana was at A+ rank, while his was at S rank. He was a step ahead of Ellen.


    That was why, despite his severe deficiency in Mana Maniption, he could still be in the Royal ss.


    <i>¡®And I don¡¯t have any such deficiencies.¡¯</i>


    So, if I acquired this immense mana, I would be able to use that power fully, and it would be a huge boost to my Mana Reinforcement.


    Moreover, I knew that once my mana reached A rank, my Mana Maniption and Mana Attunement would evolve into a new talent called Mana Domination.


    If I acquired immense mana, theprehensive talent of Mana Domination would follow.


    <i>¡®This guy is perfect. He¡¯s perfect, but...¡¯</i>


    I sighed.


    ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong...?¡±


    Kaier looked deted at my sudden sigh.


    <i>¡®If he bes Mister Temple, it would be perfect. But...¡¯</i>


    I stood up and patted Kaier on the shoulder.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    He had no chance of bing Mister Temple, no matter what.


    <i>¡®Well, some things just aren¡¯t meant to be.¡¯</i>


    Even with the Revise function... Some things just couldn¡¯t be done.


    I had to ept reality and give up altogether.


    If it were about guessing who woulde inst, then maybe. But to get him to win the whole thing... it wouldn¡¯t work.


    ***


    Practical issues meant that the one with the most desirable talent couldn¡¯t be turned into Mister Temple.


    <i>¡®Of course, I could try and dress him up and make him look nice but... well... some things just can¡¯t be fixed. Sorry, Kaier, but you¡¯re one of those cases.¡¯</i>


    The issue still remained, though.


    <i>¡®Who should I make into Mister Temple, then? Should I finally give the protagonist a proper spotlight this time? He¡¯s been too insignificant so far.¡¯</i>


    When I returned to the study room, Ellen and Harriet were looking at me sulkily.


    ¡°I told you guys I went to see Vertus.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They both seemed really angry at the thought of me going to watch the contest.


    <i>¡®Is it really worth getting this mad just because I¡¯m thinking of going to see the contest? Then again... even I felt like Olivia had crossed a line back then...¡¯</i>


    Naturally, we weren¡¯t the only ones in the study room.


    There was someone else quietly studying alone in the corner.


    Someone so unobtrusive that thest time we were chatting loudly while studying, Harriet had apologized to him and he had freaked out, saying it was fine and not to worry while sweating profusely the whole time.


    A guy who suffered from extreme social anxiety, and my swordsmanship friend.


    Cliffman.


    He had one single talent: Combat.


    It was an absurdly overpowered andprehensive talent that allowed him to instinctively find the best way to win any kind of fight.


    While immense mana was the talent I needed most, his talent was unparalleled in terms of its versatility.


    In fact, in the future, this Combat talent might be more necessary for me. I¡¯d eventually develop Mana Domination on my own anyway.


    ¡°...¡±


    Perhaps having sensed my gaze, Cliffman, who had his head buried in his studies, looked up at me with a startled expression.


    ¡°Uh... Reinhart? Do you need something...?¡±


    I walked over to Cliffman and ced my hands on his shoulders.


    ¡°Cliffman.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You should enter Mister Temple.¡±


    <i>¡®He¡¯s got potential. He¡¯s definitely got potential!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    My sudden suggestion left not only Cliffman dumbfounded, but Harriet and Ellen as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to ovee your social anxiety! What do they call it? Shock therapy? Win Mister Temple and just fix it all at once! Am I right? Yeah, I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Wh-Wh-What are you talking about?¡±


    Cliffman couldn¡¯t even process what he was hearing.


    ¡°Just do it! You¡¯re the kind of guy who can do it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just so sudden, I don¡¯t really understand...¡±


    ¡°Just do it if I say so, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly bullying an innocent guy, you crazy idiot!¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    In the end, Harriet, my usual restrainer in such situations, smacked me on the back of the head.


    ***


    I had approached a guy who was quietly studying on his own and tried to bully him into entering Mister Temple out of nowhere. Even I thought it was a bit too sudden.


    Naturally, Cliffman was flustered, and Harriet and Ellen couldn¡¯t understand why I was acting in such a way.


    Well, if they knew my situation, they¡¯d probably realize that it made a lot of sense. The problem was that it was hard to exin.


    Cliffman¡¯s talent forbat was on par with Ellen¡¯s Mana Domination and Harriet¡¯s overarching talent for all magic. It was a top-tier talent, and would cost 50,000 Achievement Points.


    The reward for winning the first-year tournament was a whopping 10,000 Achievement Points, but his talent was worth five times that.


    If I could make him Mister Temple without entering the tournament myself, it was better to go all-in on that.


    I had made a sudden and unexpected suggestion while studying for the exam, and now Harriet, Ellen, and I were sitting around Cliffman, staring at him.


    Harriet tilted her head.


    ¡°Why do you suddenly want him to enter Mister Temple?¡±


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? The festival is just around the corner. I¡¯m trying to help him ovee his social anxiety.¡±


    It was Ellen¡¯s turn to tilt her head this time.


    ¡°Will that really help?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He¡¯ll gain confidence, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Caught between us, Cliffman was stiff as a board, sweating profusely as if he were about to be lynched. Harriet clicked her tongue as she watched Cliffman practically dying under our collective gaze.


    ¡°If he gets this nervous just from us looking at him, he¡¯ll have a heart attack if he enters Mister Temple. Do you really think he can handle it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Forget Mister Temple; I think you just delivered the final blow.¡¯</i>


    Harriet has a knack for unintentionally hitting people with her words in these situations.


    Harriet¡¯s personality had changed from the original story, but she sometimes said things that reminded me of the original character I had created, and this was one of those times.


    ¡°Y-Yeah... Someone like me... How could I enter Mister Temple...? There are so many people better than me...¡±


    Cliffman managed to squeeze out a protest.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re underestimating yourself too much.¡±


    <i>¡®Unlike Kaier, you have potential! I¡¯m not just saying this for no reason! The talk about curing your social anxiety is an excuse, but honestly, seeing you like this is frustrating.</i>


    <i>¡®And while I can¡¯t make the impossible possible, I can make the possible a certainty! I can use Revise!¡¯</i>


    Cliffman stammered when talking to anyone, and just having a conversation drained his store of mental energy.


    In practice duels, he couldn¡¯t even showcase most of his skills. Even in that state, he could still beat me soundly, but he couldn¡¯t showcase his true skills when he sparred with Ellen.


    The first time, he¡¯d been so flustered that he couldn¡¯t do anything and was knocked out by a blow to the head, and things hadn¡¯t changed much since then.


    ¡°Think of it as part of improving your overall skills. You tend to get too nervous. That makes things that could go well not go well. Look at me. I had nothing but confidence, and I ended up mastering Mana Reinforcement by just charging ahead recklessly.¡±


    ¡°... The fact that you¡¯re saying that so honestly is... something.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something to brag about.¡±


    Both Harriet and Ellen seemed disgusted by my remarks.


    <i>¡®Go away, you two! You¡¯re not needed! The guy¡¯s already flustered by my weird suggestion, and you¡¯re making him even more nervous! He¡¯s about to cry and throw up!¡¯</i>


    Something else hit me then.


    <i>¡®Wait, isn¡¯t this just me bullying Cliffman? Should I stop?¡¯</i>


    However, it was an opportunity I couldn¡¯t miss.


    I looked at the frozen Cliffman.


    He was the tallest among the first-year students and, in all honesty, a handsome guy who gave off a slightly cold first impression. From a distance, he seemed unapproachable, but up close, he was a nervous wreck.


    That was more than enough, honestly.


    ¡°What do you two think?¡±


    In the end, my opinion has its limits, so I looked at Ellen and Harriet for their thoughts about the possibility of Cliffman bing Mister Temple.


    ¡°Ugh, uhh...¡±


    The two of them stared at Cliffman, and his expression grew even more painful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be eliminated in the preliminaries,¡± Harriet answered honestly.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Ellen agreed.


    Cliffman¡¯s face turned even redder at their unexpected praise. Feeling emboldened, I ced my hand on Cliffman¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°See? They both think you can do it. Do you think I¡¯d suggest this just to embarrass you?¡±


    ¡°B-But still...¡±


    <i>¡®Maybe this isn¡¯t right. Forcing someone in his state on stage might be a disaster. It would already be a massive relief if he didn¡¯t cry. If he ends up crying and bes aughingstock, his mental state could be permanently scarred, and he might even drop out of the Temple.¡¯</i>


    The potential consequences were grave.


    <i>¡®I might end uppletely ruining him.¡¯</i>


    As much as it pained me, it might be better to push someone like Ludwig instead, who would go along if nudged.


    ¡°If it¡¯s too much for you, you don¡¯t have to do it. Sorry for pushing yo¡ª¡±


    I was just about to apologize and drop the idea, since I thought that forcing him to do it would only cause more harm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why Reinhart is suddenly doing this, but... are you really okay with things as they are?¡± Ellen suddenly interjected.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was true. Things couldn¡¯t stay like this.


    It wasn¡¯t just his rtionships with people. Cliffman couldn¡¯t perform at his best against anyone. He could never show his full potential, but his overwhelming talent covered for it.


    He sparred with Ellen in practice and worked on Mana Reinforcement, but his nervousness prevented him from making any real progress.


    Ellen was pointing out that hisck of confidence and social anxiety were holding him back.


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Cliffman¡¯s head sagged, and he nodded slightly. He knew that fixing this part of himself was necessary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you have to enter Mister Temple, but if doing so can help you improve that part of yourself, it¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°D-Do you think so...?¡±


    Ellen looked at Cliffman with her usualck of emotion. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®Wow... Ellen¡¯s better at this than I am...¡¯</i>


    ¡°If it¡¯s something you want to fix, then you have to try something, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had apletely different reason for wanting Cliffman to enter Mister Temple, but Ellen was suddenly supporting the idea as well.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll think about it...¡±


    It seemed like Cliffman genuinely wanted to fix that part of himself as well.


    <i>Screech!</i>


    After saying that, Cliffman resolutely stood up. Ellen, Harriet, and I looked up at him in surprise.


    ¡°Where are you going all of a sudden?¡±


    At Harriet¡¯s question, Cliffman started to stagger, covering his mouth.


    ¡°My stomach feels a bit off...¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Is he really okay? Am I just unnecessarily causing trouble again?¡¯</i>


    Cliffman staggered out of the study room.

 Chapter 279

    <h4>Chapter 279</h4>


    Cliffman did not return to the study room, having exhausted his social skills and mental energy for the day. Perhaps it was more urate to say he couldn¡¯t return.


    Harriet was ring at me.


    ¡°What exactly are you up to?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing! It¡¯s just what it seems.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re not just causing trouble yourself, but pushing others into it as well?¡±


    ¡°Why is entering Mister Temple a problem?¡±


    ¡°If you force someone to do something they would never do on their own, that¡¯s causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°I did it with good intentions.¡±


    <i>¡®Um... it wasn¡¯t entirely good intentions...¡¯</i>


    In fact, I had begun to think that maybe I should stop Cliffman from entering. His talent forbat was great, but if things went wrong, he would gain nothing and would be scarred forever. He was a good kid despite his nervousness, and I didn¡¯t want to put him through that.


    While I didn¡¯t agree with Harriet¡¯s usation that I was making him cause trouble, suggesting that Cliffman enter the Mister Temple contest might in itself have been a mistake.


    ¡°This guy does the most unexpected things and confuses others, doesn¡¯t he? Right, Ellen?¡±


    Ellen nodded.


    Even I thought that suggesting such a thing to Cliffman out of the blue was pretty random. I would normally never do something like that. Unfortunately, the unpredictable events had been forced upon me at an unpredictable time by that meddlesome guy, and I couldn¡¯t just do nothing.


    Ellen was looking at me. ¡°I think I know why,¡± she said.


    <i>¡®How could she know why I was doing this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°You said you were going to help a friend, but you really wanted to see that senior, right?¡±


    <i>¡®What kind of ridiculous misunderstanding is this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°N-No! What kind of nonsense is that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re using this as an excuse to go see Miss Temple. Even if it¡¯s not that senior specifically.¡±


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s eyes widened as if she hadn¡¯t considered that possibility. If anyone could convey the sentiment ¡°you piece of trash¡± with just a look, it would be Harriet.


    <i>¡®No, guys... I mean, you¡¯re right, but not really. There¡¯s a reason behind this... There really is...!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, even if that¡¯s not the reason, what¡¯s wrong with going? Is it such a big deal if I go?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason you can¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Then why were they looking at me like they wanted to devour me?


    In the end, I became the guy who was actually trying to go see the Miss Temple contest under the pretense of supporting a friend in the Mister Temple contest. I ended up being the weirdo making bizarre excuses when I could have just gone openly.


    One way or another, studying fell by the wayside.


    Harriet, who seemed deep in thought, looked at me and asked, ¡°So, is that senior entering the tournament too?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    ¡°You always seem to know everything, even things you don¡¯t need to.¡±


    That was true, but I really didn¡¯t know if Olivia was entering the tournament or not.


    Come to think of it, she had provoked Ellen by saying that, when it came to Miss Temple or the open tournament, she could win them all. Since she said that, would she enter the tournament?


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen remained silent.


    ¡°Are you seriously thinking of entering?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ellen asked, looking at me intently. ¡°Do you think I would lose?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say anything like that.¡±


    I had just asked if she was going to enter, but she responded as if I had implied she would lose.


    However, considering what I¡¯d seen in the ssroom earlier that day, and the fact that Olivia was a fifth-year student... It could actually prove slightly difficult for Ellen to beat her in her current state.


    As usual, I wasn¡¯t good at hiding my expressions, and Ellen seemed to read something from my face.


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not really interested in the tournament anyway,¡± Ellen said, turning her attention back to her textbooks. However, she didn¡¯t look particrly happy.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s call it a day,¡± she said.


    Whether she was upset or just tired, Ellen sat for a moment before saying she was exhausted and left. I stared nkly at the study room door, which Ellen had quietly closed behind her.


    ¡°You made her mad with your weirdments!¡± Harriet scolded me.


    ¡°Why are you ming me?¡±


    Harriet had brought up the tournament and made the whole situation awkward. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really her fault.


    Harriet nced over at the study room door with a troubled expression.


    ¡°Do you really think... Ellen would lose?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t really imagine it.¡±


    Harriet seemed to find it hard to picture Ellen losing. Although she had seen Ellen get beaten by Loyar, Ellen was quite differentpared to back then. Harriet couldn¡¯t imagine Ellen losing.


    Anyway, Ellen had said she wasn¡¯t interested in the tournament, and it seemed to be true. It was strange. I thought Ellen, with herpetitive spirit, would want to face Olivia Lanche in the tournament. I didn¡¯t expect her to be indifferent to the whole thing, even if she didn¡¯t care that much about winning or losing.


    But then...


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Harriet asked out of the blue.


    ¡°What do you mean, what about you? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would lose to that senior too?¡±


    I was taken aback by her unexpected question.


    ¡°You? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°... Why? Am I not allowed to enter the tournament?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the tournament for closebat majors? You¡¯re a magic major.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rule saying I can¡¯t enter. I know that much.¡±


    She was right.


    The reason magic majors typically didn¡¯t enter the tournament was that it was nearly impossible for them to defeat closebat majors.


    How could they afford to take five seconds to cast an offensive spell when a closebat major could close the distance in a fraction of a second? It was a fight in a confined space, face-to-face, not an ambush. To say it was disadvantageous would be an understatement.


    If anyone were to enter, I thought it would be Ellen.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never know unless you try,¡± Harriet said.


    I didn¡¯t understand why Harriet was acting this way. However, the incident in Aaron Mede¡¯s mansion seemed to have changed something within her. She seemed willing to face an opponent in a situation in which the oue was hard to predict.


    ¡°... Just don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Harriet smiled at me. ¡°You¡¯ll cheer for me, right?¡±


    ¡°... People usually cheer for the underdog.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    Seeing Harriet tilt her head in confusion, I sighed.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll cheer for you.¡±


    <i>¡®Because it¡¯s obvious you¡¯ll lose.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡± Harriet fumed.


    In the end, Harriet, not Ellen, decided to enter the open tournament. I genuinely nned to cheer for Harriet. After all, just making it far enough to face Olivia Lanche would be an incredible achievement.


    ***


    In the end, our study session for the exams was half-hearted, but it wasn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t study at all.


    Harriet went off to submit her application for the open tournament. Even though she was a genius, I couldn¡¯t fathom how she nned to ovee the numerous closebat majors and even senior students in such a disadvantageous situation. She must have had her own ns.


    I had been forced to study by the other two, but I wasn¡¯t particrly motivated for the exams. I left the study room and practiced my swordsmanship alone in the training ground.


    Mana Reinforcement...


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    While it wasn¡¯t as effective as in realbat situations, I was starting to get the hang of it. I could now move things that were previously immovable, which awakened an entirely new sense of power within me.


    Thebination of the lessons I had unknowingly absorbed and my Self-Deception, which had risen to A rank, made me stronger.


    I might not be able to win the open tournament, but I could definitely win the first-year tournament.


    The strongest contender, Ellen, wasn¡¯t going to participate.


    ¡°Break,¡± I muttered softly towards the scarecrow, but nothing happened.


    ¡°...¡±


    This was frustrating.


    Self-Deception... Even though there was a penalty for physical enhancement or whatever, most of it was done through thought.


    However, when it came to Incantation, I had to say the words out loud. I had to shout what I wanted with conviction. The sight of me shouting ¡°Break¡± in front of a scarecrow without anything happening was several hundred times more embarrassing than using Self-Deception. It was nothing but utter humiliation!


    I had be someone with the most powerful superpower in the world, yet the effectiveness of my ability was directly proportional to my level of embarrassment when using it. Why? If I had to use Incantation in realbat, I would have to shout something, and if nothing happened, it would be incredibly humiliating!


    Why did all my abilities feel like this? Even Incantation seemed less effective than Self-Deception at rank F. In the end, it seemed I was still a typicalic book protagonist-type of ability user¡ªthe kind whose powers only worked at full output when they were serious.


    Of course, having a supernatural power that worked well in training but failed during realbat would be even more useless. I knew this was much better, but it was still tough.


    ¡°Uh, w-will you b-break...?¡±


    My voice grew quieter as I started to feel dejected. Practicing Incantations loudly in the training ground was embarrassing enough, but if someone walked in, I would want to strangle myself.


    I spent hours alone, practicing Mana Reinforcement, Incantation, Self-Deception, and swordsmanship until the sun went down.


    <i>Click.</i>


    I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh... you¡¯re here.¡±


    Ellen appeared at the training ground in casual clothes.


    Was she still upset about my earlier reaction? She took a training sword from the rack and approached me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure.¡±


    Ellen pointed her sword at me as if nothing had happened.


    I hadn¡¯t said anything wrong, and we hadn¡¯t fought. Ellen and I practiced swordsmanship as usual.


    <i>ng!</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    <i>ck!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Try to read the trajectory more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying...!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing it at all.¡±


    <i>Creak!</i>


    Despite my improved skills, I was still no match for Ellen. In the end, this was more important to me than anything else.


    Cliffman wasn¡¯t in the training ground today. Perhaps he was still contemting.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    Ellen deflected my sword and quickly brought her elbow towards my chin.


    If she had hit me properly, my neck might have snapped, but she stopped just in time. As always, it was my defeat. A defeat that had be a routine part of my life.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen and I locked eyes for a moment. Sweat was running down the side of her face, causing her hair to stick to her skin. I always lost. It had be my daily reality.


    However, Ellen, who used to spar with me for hours without breaking a sweat, was sweating as well. At some point, she stopped being able to handle me as effortlessly as before.


    I couldn¡¯t remember exactly when it happened, but I realized at some point that I had be much stronger. While I couldn¡¯t tire Ellen out, I was no longer an opponent she could easily overpower.


    Ellen remained in her stance, looking at me without moving. Because she was shorter than me, she naturally had to look up slightly to meet my gaze.


    ¡°Do you think... I¡¯ll lose?¡± Ellen asked without specifying to whom.


    <i>¡®Has she been thinking about this all along?¡¯</i>


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Ellen continued to look at me. ¡°You think I¡¯ll lose.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure of their exact skills, but the gap in sheer experience was too significant. I subconsciously believed that Olivia was stronger than Ellen.


    ¡°I know too. That I¡¯d lose. I just wanted to ask. I¡¯m not upset. I know that already.¡±


    Neither of them had shown the other their true skills, but Ellen seemed to have realized it the moment Olivia Lanche had grabbed her wrist. It was the same feeling I had¡ªthat she was no match for her.


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stared at me quietly. Eventually, she hung the training sword back on the rack and dusted off her hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I hate that even more.¡±


    Ellen sat on the ledge of the training ground window, staring nkly outside. It was winter now.


    Was Ellen thinking of entering the open tournament after all? But then she took off her training jacket, revealing a ck short-sleeved shirt that was damp with sweat. Draping the jacket over her shoulders, she looked at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly want to fight that person and win.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Ellen was looking out at the Temple. Winter was setting in. Sitting on the window ledge, she swung her feet slightly and looked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enter Miss Temple.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I want to beat her there.¡±


    Ellen had no desire to win in the tournament. She had chosen apletely different battleground.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to be Miss Temple. I might end up losing that too. She¡¯s famous and... pretty. But that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I just need one vote.¡±


    Ellen said this as she looked at me. She didn¡¯t specify whose vote she needed, but she was looking at me. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look her in the eye.


    Ellen said this, then gracefully stepped down from the ledge and walked towards me. She touched my fingertips lightly before letting go.


    Despite herposed expression, I had clearly felt Ellen¡¯s hand trembling as it touched mine. She couldn¡¯t look me in the eye either.


    ¡°... I¡¯m gonna go now.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t anticipated this. I hadn¡¯t expected Harriet to enter the open tournament, or Ellen to enter Miss Temple.


    Both werepletely unexpected.

 Chapter 280 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 280 [Illustration]</h4>


    The next day...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give it a try,¡± Cliffman told me.


    He seemed to have spent the entire day contemting before finally making up his mind.


    However, he still hesitated a long while over the Mister Temple application form. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to fill it out or not.


    Harriet and Ellen seemed to have already submitted their application forms. I wondered if they knew about each other¡¯s decisions to enter the tournament and Miss Temple respectively.


    ¡°Just close your eyes and write it down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just... When I try to write, I get nauseous...¡±


    We were in the dormitory lobby. Cliffman was frozen in front of a single sheet of paper, and I was urging him to just fill it out if he had made up his mind.


    Deciding to do it was easy, but filling out the application form was another matter. We had been stuck there for quite a while when Riana de Granz walked over to us.


    ¡°What are you guys doing? You¡¯ve been racking your brains for a while now.¡±


    Cliffman stammered as Riana suddenly spoke to him. ¡°U-Uh, w-well, it¡¯s... it¡¯s...¡±


    He was particrly weak against people who approached him directly. He was like that with Ellen too, and although her approach was different, Riana was also the straightforward type.


    Riana did not really distinguish between people she was close to and those she wasn¡¯t. She talked to everyone without reservation and treated them the same way.


    Since Cliffman was all flustered and couldn¡¯t answer her at all, I finally spoke up.


    ¡°We¡¯re just filling out the form to enter Mister Temple.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re entering?¡±


    Riana frowned deeply. She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard.


    <i>¡®Hey, what¡¯s wrong with me? And besides, it¡¯s not me who¡¯s entering, anyway!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Not me. Cliffman is going to enter.¡±


    ¡°... He¡¯s entering?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She had the same reaction.


    <i>¡®Wow, seriously? Him?¡¯ </i>


    This girl had a knack for cutting people down with just a few words. Cliffman looked like someone who had been caught dreaming above his station. Riana sat across from Cliffman and stared intently at his face.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    That contemtive murmur could have meant anything.


    Riana didn¡¯t say anything about why he was entering or whether he could do it. She just stared at him, seemingly lost in thought.


    Cliffman scratched his head. ¡°Uh, uh... Maybe it really is too much... Ha, haha...¡±


    It seemed he¡¯d decided he should give up after all, and reached for the application form.


    <i>¡®Maybe this isn¡¯t going to work after all.¡¯</i>


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Riana pped Cliffman¡¯s hand away from the application form with a loud smack.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so hard about filling out this stupid form that you have to sit here agonizing over it?¡±


    Her expression showed a clear sign of amusement. She seemed to find the situation entertaining.


    When I thought about it, Riana was technically the real cker of ss A. She relied solely on her talent, had no interest in studying, and came from a wealthy family which allowed her to spend moneyvishly. During this exam period, she had been forced to study thanks to Ellen, Adelia, and Harriet, which had caused her quite a bit of irritation.


    She clearly didn¡¯t want to miss out on this amusing situation.


    Riana began filling out the application form for Cliffman, writing down his name, affiliation, and other details.


    ¡°When¡¯s your birthday?¡±


    ¡°Uh, um... I-It¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, spit it out already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s June 18th...¡±


    ¡°Height and weight.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    Riana filled out the form, leaving only the signature line nk, and handed it to Cliffman.


    ¡°Sign it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Sign it. This part you have to do yourself.¡±


    ¡°I-I... I¡¯m not ready for this...¡± Cliffman stammered, and Riana¡¯s brow furrowed.


    ¡°Do it. Or do you want to get zapped? Want to get crispy?¡±


    <i>Spark! Crackle!</i>


    Seeing the blue sparks crackling at Riana¡¯s fingertips, Cliffman hastily scribbled his signature on the form.


    Riana knew exactly how to handle Cliffman.


    Did she intuitively understand that the only way to deal with someone indecisive and nervous was to grab them by the cor and drag them along?


    No, this was just how she naturally was. Riana took the signed application form from him and tilted her head.


    ¡°Does he have to submit this himself?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well... I¡¯m not really sure...¡± responded Cliffman.


    ¡°He probably has to go in person, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± I said.


    Signatures could be forged, after all.


    Riana nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no rule against someone going with him, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess not...?¡±


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Riana promptly stood up and patted the trembling Cliffman on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, follow me.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand words? Do you want to get shocked for real?¡±


    ¡°O-Okay, okay!¡±


    Cliffman jumped up from his seat, and Riana led the way, the application form in hand.


    ¡°Can¡¯t even handle something this simple. What a hassle.¡±


    Riana walked on ahead, and Cliffman looked back at me with a pleading expression.


    <i>¡®Help me!¡¯ </i>His eyes seemed to say.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry... but I can¡¯t... there¡¯s nothing I can do about her.¡¯</i>


    Cliffman reluctantly followed Riana like amb being led to the ughter. After a while, Riana returned with Cliffman, who looked like he had just been through an ordeal. It seemed they had submitted the application form.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Riana murmured.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong now...?¡± Cliffman asked.


    ¡°First of all, you look too pathetic. Your hair, your expression, your posture¡ªeverything.¡±


    Cliffman¡¯s face fell at her harsh critique, but only for a moment. Riana sat him down and started messing with his hair, trying different styles by slicking it back or tousling it.


    <i>¡®Right, she likes ying dress-up.¡¯</i>


    It seemed she was now nning to do with Cliffman what she had done with Ellen. As long as the person had a decent appearance, it didn¡¯t matter if they were male or female.


    Of course, Cliffman was visibly flustered, his heart practically leaping out of his chest every time Riana¡¯s hands touched him.


    ¡°Hmm... something¡¯s still missing...¡±


    It felt like the operation to make Cliffman Mister Temple had slipped out of my hands.


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry, just trust this big sister.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh, o-okay... but why are you calling yourself my sister...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get shocked again?¡±


    ¡°O-Okay, got it!¡±


    <i>¡®Is this really how it¡¯s supposed to go?¡¯</i>


    It felt like Cliffman had been handed over from the male Reinhart¡¯s grasp to the female Riana de Granz¡¯s control. Riana had taken Cliffman under her wing and started molding him without any need for persuasion.


    Even when I tried to add something, Riana would just dismiss me. She had taken full control of the situation. Despite the guilt slowly rising up inside me from Cliffman¡¯s resentful nces, I had to admit that between the notorious Reinhart and Riana de Granz, thetter seemed more likely to seed in turning Cliffman into Mister Temple.


    Riana was indeed more meticulous about appearance and grooming than I was. So, in the end, I decided to leave it to the more capable person and not worry about it.


    It didn¡¯t end there. While Cliffman and Riana were bickering, Ellen spotted Riana from a distance and quickly approached.


    It had been a while since I had seen her move so urgently.


    ¡°Riana.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey Ellen. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I want to buy a dress. Can you help me pick one?¡±


    ¡°A dress? All of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ellen said as she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m entering Miss Temple.¡±


    ¡°... W-What?¡±


    Riana was momentarily stunned.


    <i>¡®Why would she do that?¡¯ </i>Riana thought, shocked and confused.


    And then came excitement.


    ¡°Oh. Ohhh! Nice!¡±


    She now had the chance to dress up two of her favorite mannequins.


    ¡°Great! Both of you,e to my room! No,e to my estate this weekend! I¡¯ll call all the boutiques in the capital!¡±


    Riana de Granz, with Cliffman in her left hand and Ellen in her right, was on the verge of dying from happiness.


    ***


    Riana didn¡¯t ask any questions about Cliffman and Ellen¡¯s sudden decision to enter the beauty pageants. She seemed too excited about the prospect of dressing them up to care about their reasons.


    I decided to let her handle that on her own. I wasn¡¯t well-versed in fashion, and my job was to ensure the winner by using the Revise function. If Riana dressed them up well, it would reduce the points needed to activate it.


    However, Ellen¡¯s participation introduced a new variable.


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad if Ellen became Miss Temple. Both Olivia and Ellen were incredibly talented. Honestly, I was happy to gain the talents of either one of them, but the most important thing was to gain Cliffman¡¯s talent forbat.


    Still, there was something else about the Ellen and Olivia situation. I had to vote for one of them, and the person I voted for had to win. If I voted for Ellen and Olivia won, I would end up with nothing.


    Honestly, Olivia had a much higher chance of winning. Other considerations aside, she was just much more recognized.


    But Ellen said she only needed one vote.


    Ellen was entering despite knowing she had little chance of bing Miss Temple.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I already had so many headaches, and they just kept increasing. Fromrge-scale issues to personal rtionships, the problems only multiplied.


    ***


    Although it was the exam period, the atmosphere surrounding the first-year cohort of the Royal ss had changed significantly. It wasn¡¯t just because of the exams.


    It was because of the newly appointed dormitory supervisor, Sabioleen Tana.


    ¡°Reinhart! Captain Tana wants to gather students who are interested in swordsmanship lessons!¡±


    Ludwig, brimming with excitement, had run all the way to the ss A dormitory. It seemed an opportunity had arisen for those who were interested to have special swordsmanship lessons, even though it was the exam period.


    ¡°You¡¯re going, right?¡± Ludwig asked.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you realize it¡¯s exam period right now?¡±


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t be the one to talk, but I have a lot on my te, and you really need to study, you blockhead!¡¯</i>


    Ludwig justughed and scratched his head.


    ¡°Hey, how many chances like this do you think we¡¯ll get? We don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll stop teaching.¡±


    He had a point. I didn¡¯t care much about my exam scores, and Ludwig was more interested in improving his skills than studying, which he had neither talent nor interest in.


    ¡°Anyway, make sure to tell ss A! The lessons will be at the ss B dormitory training ground!¡±


    Ludwig left the task to me and dashed back to the ss B dormitory.


    <i>¡®... Why do I always find that guy so irritating?¡¯</i>


    I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that he was the protagonist I had created. It was my own fault. I went around the ss A dormitory rooms, rying Sabioleen Tana¡¯s message.


    In the end, I was no different from Ludwig. Attending Sabioleen Tana¡¯s swordsmanship lessons was much better than studying.


    ***


    It was the exam period, but a group of students had gathered at the ss B dormitory training grounds.


    It was just Erhi and me from ss A. Erhi seemed to be working hardtely, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much he was achieving.


    Cliffman had really wanted toe, but Riana had grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away. Ellen also seemed like she wanted toe, but she had something to discuss with Riana about the Miss Temple contest, so she couldn¡¯t make it.


    From ss B, there were Scarlett, Ludwig, and Delphine Izadra.


    Delphine¡¯s primary focus wasn¡¯t swordsmanship, but she was curious about what the famous leader of Shanapell, Sabioleen Tana, would teach.


    Sabioleen Tana hadn¡¯t particrly acknowledged me since arriving at the dormitory. She had been assigned to this ce to protect Charlotte, and I needed to remain inconspicuous. If something happened, she woulde looking for me, but otherwise, she just acknowledged my greetings with a brief nod and moved on.


    It was a bit disappointing, even though I understood it was for my protection.


    <i>¡®Ah, sorry for ignoring you. But what can I do? If I openly acknowledge you, it could cause problems. Sorry Reinhart...¡¯</i>


    I could read all that from her stern expression.


    ¡°Thank you for gathering despite your busy schedules.¡±


    She kept the pleasantries brief, then took a training sword from the rack. It was slightly disappointing that the real ace, Ellen, wasn¡¯t here. I was curious about how Sabioleen Tana would evaluate Ellen¡¯s skills. But this wouldn¡¯t be the only opportunity.


    Sabioleen Tana seemed a bit puzzled by Ellen¡¯s absence, though she didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°I am not good with words, nor am I ustomed to teaching. So, if you want to learn something from me, you will have to learn with your body. Those who realize much will learn much, and those who do not understand what they are doing wrong will learn little.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana scanned the five of us who had gathered.


    ¡°Step forward one by one, starting with a volunteer,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡±


    Ludwig stepped forward confidently.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°B-11, Ludwig, Captain!¡±


    Sabioleen Tana and Ludwig...


    In the original timeline, after the Gate Incident, these two would be teacher and student. In the relentless battles that followed, Sabioleen Tana was a harsh and brutal teacher, and Ludwig, despite finding them dreadful, had to get used to her rough yet rigorous teaching methods.


    She taught Ellen as well, but Ludwig required more attention. She did not neglect Ellen, but Ludwig simply needed more guidance.


    Ludwig and Sabioleen Tana...


    My actions had unintentionally led to them meeting more than a year earlier than they would have in the original timeline. After the Gate incident, Sabioleen Tana had no choice but to be tough on Ludwig due to the circumstances.


    Now, though, in a time of peace, could they build a more gentle and moderate teacher-student rtionship?


    ¡°Here Ie!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to shout.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°I said you don¡¯t need to shout.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°... Fine. Do whatever you want.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    Sabioleen Tana effortlessly deflected Ludwig¡¯s full-force attack with just her right hand, and in a single move, the tip of her sword was pointed at Ludwig¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana tilted her head as she looked at Ludwig.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. It¡¯s just the truth.¡±


    ¡°I will work harder, Captain!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana stared intently at the enthusiastic Ludwig.


    Once again, Sabioleen Tana¡¯s thoughts were clear as day.


    <i>¡®Hmm... Hmm... I don¡¯t know why... But I don¡¯t like him.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 281

    <h4>Chapter 281</h4>


    Ludwig had nevercked skill, and his skills had grown even more aspared to the first semester, surpassing the original work.


    Sabioleen Tana crossed swords with Ludwig five times in a row. As expected, she subdued him in just one move each time. Since the gap in skill was so great, she didn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement and relied solely on her technique to overpower him.


    She was very different from Ellen. She did not let Ludwig get an inch closer to her than necessary, and used the minimum necessary movements to deflect his sword without exerting much force. Holding the training sword in her right hand, a light tap was enough to disrupt the trajectory of Ludwig¡¯s sword and push it away.


    At that time, Sabioleen Tana had no equal in closebat. She was far, far better than Ellen was, and even Olivia Lanche.


    It was a truism of life: there was always someone better.


    If Ludwig and Reinhart were crawling on the ground, Ellen was in the stratosphere, and Sabioleen Tana was on the moon. No¡ªshe might be in a different star system altogether, considering how she could summon a sword of pure mana without relying on a physical de.


    An insurmountable wall...


    Ludwig scratched his head, showing no signs of self-deprecation or loss of confidence from being so easily subdued.


    ¡°I¡¯ve practiced a lot, but it seems I¡¯m stillcking, Dame Tana.¡±


    ¡°Call me teacher. I¡¯m not here in my capacity as a knight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, teacher!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana told Ludwig to hold his sword and take a stance.


    ¡°Ludwig, your understanding of the sword is very shallow. You¡¯ve learned mechanically. You know what paths the sword should take, but you don¡¯t understand why they are necessary. Therefore, without this understanding, you apply excessive force. Swordsmanship fundamentally doesn¡¯t require excessive force. All universal swordsmanship theories are based on the premise of not using Mana Reinforcement. You need a deeper understanding of the techniques.¡±


    ¡°Yes, teacher!¡±


    ¡°If you have detailed questions, approach me separately to ask them. That¡¯s all. Next.¡±


    As the overly enthusiastic Ludwig stepped back, Delphine came forward this time.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Delphine Izadra... Thank you for doing this.¡±


    Delphine Izadra was usually always cheerful, though not as much as Ludwig, but she was extremely nervous as she stepped forward. It was only natural when facing someone of Tana¡¯s caliber.


    No matter how elite the ss was, it was like having Feynman or Einstein paying a visit to a ss of gifted science students to personally observe and give advice on their studies.


    Ludwig, who hadn¡¯t been nervous at all, was the strange one.


    Delphine thrust her training sword towards Tana. As before, Tana tilted her sword to deflect Delphine¡¯s thrust, altering the sword¡¯s trajectory.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Delphine¡¯s wrist twisted and she lost control of her sword, eventually dropping it.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Tana tilted her head and looked at Delphine, whose face turned bright red as she hurriedly picked up the training sword.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a swordsmanship major, are you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no... I am not.¡±


    ¡°Archery?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. How... How did you...¡±


    ¡°The calluses between your thumb and index finger. That can be the only exnation.¡±


    Delphine stared at her nkly. Somehow, Tana had noticed the natural calluses that had formed from her frequent handling of a bowstring.


    ¡°I have nothing to teach you. Next.¡±


    Tana dismissed Delphine without offering any advice on archery. Delphine, embarrassed, retreated, her face red.


    Couldn¡¯t she have said a few words at least? She was quite merciless.


    Next up was Scarlett.


    Scarlett, visibly nervous, parted her lips slightly. ¡°I¡¯m Scarlett... It is my honor to train with you.¡±


    ¡°Come.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Scarlett probed slowly rather than thrusting her training sword directly at Tana. She was looking for an opening to strike.


    In terms of pure skill, Scarlett was the best among those present. Unlike me, she did not rely on anything other than pure swordsmanship.


    ¡°If you don¡¯te, I¡¯lle to you.¡±


    As Tana took a step forward, Scarlett, whose sword was pointing forward, took a step back. She seemed to think that she would bepletely overpowered the moment their swords touched.


    Tana¡¯s steps weren¡¯t hurried. When she took a step forward, Scarlett took a step back. But she couldn¡¯t keep retreating forever.


    Tana¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t particrly fast. It was so slow that it seemed deliberate, as if she was posing a question: <i>¡®If I approach with this sword path, how will you respond?¡¯</i>


    Her sword swung down towards Scarlett from above.


    Scarlett recognized that the moment her sword touched Tana¡¯s, it would be deflected or knocked away.


    Scarlett chose to evade instead.


    As she stepped slightly to the side to avoid the trajectory of the sword, Tana pulled her descending sword in towards her body and transformed her motion into a thrust.


    The two motions were almost simultaneous, as if she had anticipated Scarlett¡¯s evasive move. Tana¡¯s strike had changed from an arc to a thrust the moment Scarlett moved.


    However, it wasn¡¯t impossible to counter.


    Scarlett pushed her training sword towards Tana¡¯s changing sword path.


    Scarlett¡¯s sword was positioned more inside.


    If she pushed outward, Tana¡¯s sword would be deflected outward, away from Scarlett¡¯s body.


    That would give Scarlett a chance to thrust at Tana while Tana¡¯s sword went wide.


    However, as Scarlett¡¯s thrust and push met Tana¡¯s sword...


    <i>Whip!</i>


    Tana rotated her wrist, reversing the direction her sword was going.


    In an instant, she took up the inside position, easily pushing Scarlett¡¯s training sword away and pointing her de at Scarlett¡¯s neck.


    That whole sequence was one move. By including the previous action, the bout had ended in two moves.


    Tana nodded. ¡°Hmm. Not bad.¡±


    She seemed to appreciate Scarlett¡¯s judgment and quick reflexes instead of being focused on the number of moves.


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Scarlett seemed puzzled as to why she was being praised despite losing in just two moves.


    After that, Tana sparred with Scarlett four more times.


    Of course, things did not go too differently. The only notable thing was that Scarlett, unlike Ludwig, who relied solely on brute strength, engaged in psychological warfare and tried to find the best move in urgent situations by utilizing her quick reflexes. Sabioleen Tana seemed to take notice of this side of Scarlett.


    ¡°You¡¯re an excellent student. Keep up the good work.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you...¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana moved on without giving Scarlett any feedback.


    Shouldn¡¯t she have taught her something properly? Although, purely in terms of swordsmanship, Scarlett was far beyond my reach.


    However, judging by Scarlett¡¯s expression, it seemed that feedback wasn¡¯t necessary. Her face was flushed, and she looked excited and pleased. Ludwig and Delphine were naturally envious, while Erhi couldn¡¯t even bring himself to look at Scarlett properly.


    Being praised by the continent¡¯s greatest swordsman¡ªwhat better motivation could there be for a swordsmanship trainee?


    Those with great power and authority could change others¡¯ lives with just a few words. Sabioleen Tana was such a person. Scarlett would now use these words as motivation to work even harder.


    Perhaps, at her level, there was no need to go over anything in detail. It was just me and Erhi de Raffaeli left. Erhi hesitated.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Go ahead,¡± I said.


    ¡°H-Huh? Me?¡± Erhi responded.


    Scarlett had gone just before. Erhi knew well enough that he was far inferior to Scarlett. He didn¡¯t want to go after her and make a fool of himself.


    It was a wonder that Erhi had evene. But the name Sabioleen Tana was enough to excite even him. The look on his face said he didn¡¯t want to go out and embarrass himself.


    ¡°... Do you want to go after me then?¡±


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    He stepped forward.


    If he didn¡¯t go now, he would be thest one. Even though my swordsmanship was inferior to Scarlett¡¯s, my overall abilities were certainly stronger.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m Royal ss first year, A-9, Erhi de Raffaeli.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in ss A?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Tana nted the tip of her training sword into the ground and quietly observed Erhi. Countless thoughts seemed to swirl in Sabioleen Tana¡¯s expressionless face.


    <i>¡®Hmm... This kid is scared. He looks clumsy at a nce... Is this kid really from the Royal ss? Has the Royal ss fallen this far?</i>


    <i>But that other kid did fine earlier on. What¡¯s going on? Hmm... I feel like I¡¯ll only end up saying harsh things to this kid...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be tested,¡± she eventually said.


    ¡°S-Sorry?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to embarrass you unnecessarily. Don¡¯t do it.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana seemed to have decided not to even bother with Erhi after assessing him with a nce.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t hearing something like that even more embarrassing...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked at me this time. I was thest one left.


    ¡°I¡¯m Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I picked up the training sword. Sabioleen Tana and I were officially acquainted. We had met at the Royal ss sponsorship gathering event, and our club had received sponsorship from her, but there was no official rtionship beyond that. What happened at the Spring Pce was top secret. So, while Sabioleen Tana knew me, everyone knew we weren¡¯t particrly close.


    So... this was a bit of a strange situation.


    .


    .


    ¡°Well done. Yes, good. You¡¯re trying to infer the sword path from the opponent¡¯s shoulders and stride. It¡¯s not easy to grasp, and your reading is not quite precise enough. Don¡¯t worry, though. It¡¯s due to ack of experience. With continued training and study, you¡¯ll naturally get better.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Good. But a bit more, like this. Grip the sword tighter... a bit more. A bit stronger. Ah, maybe you aren¡¯t that strong yet. Hmm. I see. Yes, that makes sense. You¡¯re still young.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°It¡¯s excellent that you¡¯re able to do this much already. But it would have been better to do it like this. Look. Like this. Do you understand?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°No, no. Not like that. Like this. Yes. Yes, that¡¯s it. You¡¯re learning quickly.¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°A bit more, a bit more, no, one more time. Hmm. You¡¯re getting better. Try it once more.¡±


    .


    .


    <i>¡®She¡¯s been working with me for thirty minutes. Why is she showing such tant favoritism?¡¯</i>


    I finally understood why Sabioleen Tana had offered to teach swordsmanship to the students in the middle of the night during the exam period. I also understood why she had only offered a few words to the others before moving on quickly.


    This person wanted to teach me something.


    ¡°Good. Good, Reinhart. Excellent.¡±


    All the other students were staring nkly at the overwhelming disy of favoritism.

 Chapter 282 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 282 [Illustration]</h4>


    How many times could the person known as the continent¡¯s strongest knight have had their life saved by someone else? Once an individual¡¯s martial prowess reached a certain level, such urrences, if they happened at all, would be a distant memory.


    She had spent more of her life as a savior rather than someone who needed saving. However, despite the series of unfortunate events, I had ultimately saved Sabioleen Tana¡¯s life. Perhaps that had stirred some forgotten emotion within her. Although she had bowed her head in gratitude, it seemed she felt that such a gesture wasn¡¯t enough.


    So, she wanted to do something for me. Since she was already staying at the Royal ss dormitory under the guise of a dorm supervisor, she seemed to believe that overseeing my training would be beneficial for me. However, it would be odd to teach only me, which was why she had allowed the others toe as well, pretending to teach them while focusing on me.


    All of that was fine. It was good, actually.


    However, in the end, it just made me look like the odd one out again.


    ¡°Um, you should also look after the other students as well...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Tana, who had been focused on me for a substantial amount of time, finally seemed toe to her senses and turned her gaze to the other students who were staring at us.


    <i>¡®Ah. Ipletely forgot!¡¯</i>


    I hoped I was the only one in the world who could read the subtle thoughts behind her cold and nk expression.


    ¡°Hmm, yes. It seems you¡¯re good for now. Alright, let¡¯s take another look at everyone.¡±


    At my request, Tana went around and observed everyone¡¯s swordsmanship once more. Although she didn¡¯t put in as much effort as she did with me, it was still sufficient for our level.


    In the end, even Erhi and Delphine also received some advice. Sabioleen Tana¡¯s teaching was certainly helpful, but her praise had felt excessively ttering. It was embarrassing to be called excellent when I was clearly not as good as Scarlett. She clearly didn¡¯t understand that excessive praise could actually be more humiliating.


    ¡°Hmm, I believe that¡¯s enough for everyone.¡±


    After going one more round and teaching me a few more things, Sabioleen Tana announced the end of thete-night extra lesson. Everyone seemed satisfied, perhaps more amazed that they had seen a legendary figure up close rather than by the lesson itself.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t actually a legendary figure.


    ¡°Winter break is approaching, but I n to hold such lessons asionally. If you¡¯re interested, I¡¯ll notify you in advance, so you cane to the training grounds at the designated time. That¡¯s all.¡±


    The lesson ended, and I left the training grounds to rest.


    ¡°Reinhart, that was amazing. You were the only one who received such high praise from Dame Tana!¡± Ludwig eximed as he patted my shoulder enthusiastically, as excited as if he had been praised himself. He was genuinely happy for others¡¯ achievements, which made me realize how wed I was for feeling envious.


    ¡°She was just being nice.¡±


    ¡°No, Reinhart. You were really impressive,¡± Scarlett said with sparkling eyes, which was a rare sight to see.


    <i>¡®No, you know objectively that you¡¯re better than me, so how can you say that? Maybe she thinks Dame Tana knows something she doesn¡¯t... Or something like that.¡¯</i>


    Erhi looked utterly dejected. He hadn¡¯t been harshly criticized or scolded for being ipetent. Sabioleen Tana had simply said that she wouldn¡¯t assess him. It was a form of consideration on her part, to avoid embarrassing him in front of the other students.


    She couldn¡¯t have said he did well when he didn¡¯t. Erhi trudged back towards the ss A dormitory, looking dejected. Scarlett watched him quietly. The excellent student who had once beenbeled a witch, and Erhi, who hadn¡¯t even been assessed. It had to have made him feel miserable.


    There was no sense of satisfaction in Scarlett¡¯s gaze as she watched Erhi go. It was a perfectly neutral look, neither positive nor negative. She was simply observing another person. That look in Scarlett¡¯s eyes was enough to make me certain. Scarlett hadpletely moved past the dark emotions that had once weighed her down, emotions that stemmed from Erhi and his actions.


    It was better to move on from such things rather than wallow in them. Scarlett had undergone a positive change.


    ¡°When will the next lesson be? I can¡¯t wait to have another one.¡±


    ¡°... You should really take into consideration that it¡¯s exam period right now,¡± I said, and Ludwig scratched his head.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m really not cut out for studying. I prefer physical activities like this.¡±


    This guy seemed like a musclehead through and through. I slowed my pace, feeling that staying around him any longer might make me catch his strange energy. As I watched Ludwig, Scarlett, and Delphine headed back to the dormitory, I felt a tap on my shoulder.


    ¡°Ah... Hello, Dame Tana.¡±


    ¡°Call me teacher.¡± Sabioleen Tana corrected me. She seemed very particr about how she was addressed. Previously, she had insisted on being called Dame Tana, and now, as a teacher, she wanted to be addressed as ¡°teacher¡±.


    ¡°Yes, teacher.¡±


    She nced around to make sure no one was watching.


    ¡°I have some additional things to discuss about today¡¯s lesson.¡±


    It was clearly an excuse.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    She led the way, and I followed.


    ***


    Sabioleen Tana and I exited the dormitory and continued walking. It was night, and the weather was getting colder, which was why the already quiet area around the Royal ss dormitory had be even more deserted.


    ¡°The Royal ss is still an interesting ce.¡±


    ¡°... Still?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She walked with her hands in her coat pockets, her breath visible in the cold air. She was Effenhauser¡¯s senior at the Temple¡ªa very distant senior, in fact. Naturally, she was also a graduate of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss.


    ¡°It was no different in my time. There were those who relied solely on their talent and did nothing, those who had less talent but worked hard, those who were in a hurry and struggled forward with gritted teeth...¡±


    She exhaled, her breath misting in front of her. ¡°And then, there were those who were born with everything.¡±


    Ellen hadn¡¯t been at the training session. Was she referring to me as the one born with everything? Had I reached a point where I could be described in such terms?


    A lot had changed, and I was no longer the ipetent Reinhart of the past, so I couldn¡¯t really deny that I was someone who had been born with everything. Not someone born with everything, but someone who kept acquiring more. That would be a more urate description.


    ¡°Which side were you on, teacher?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana smiled at me. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell just by looking?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t defined everything about her. I didn¡¯t know what her time at the Temple was like, or her past.


    What had Sabioleen Tana been like during her Temple days, her Royal ss days? It was easy to guess. She must have been like Ellen.


    ¡°Ellen Artorius. She didn¡¯te today,¡± Tana said.


    ¡°Yes, she has some matters to attend to...¡±


    She knew Ellen¡¯s true identity as well. If she knew Ellen was focusing on the Miss Templepetition instead of her training, what would she think? Would she find it pathetic?


    We walked through the dimly lit park around the dormitory.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t remember much about my time at the Temple.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I spent six years here, but I lived only in the training grounds. From the training grounds to the practice rooms. I spent all my time there. I had friends, but I don¡¯t even remember what I did with them.¡±


    Tana¡¯s eyes looked empty.


    She had spent countless hours here, but she had no memories of any particr ce. She must have been a fool who knew nothing but the sword. Those hours had tranted into her skill, but she had made no meaningful memories.


    The ces that should have been filled with memories were empty for her.


    ¡°After graduation, I joined Shanapell and stayed there. As time passed, people started calling me the continent¡¯s greatest swordsman. Then, more time passed, and some guy named Ragan Artorius took that title. Now, it¡¯se back to me again,¡± she said as she walked aimlessly. ¡°You can¡¯t fill your life with just titles.¡±


    She looked at me. ¡°Reinhart, don¡¯t live too hard of a life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Someone born with everything... Or rather, someone living as if he was being chased by something. Was that how she saw me? She ced her hand on one of the park¡¯s trees, stroking its bark.


    ¡°If you live too hard of a life, you¡¯ll end up missing out on too many things.¡±


    What was she thinking?


    For once, I couldn¡¯t discern her thoughts from her expression.


    ¡°What did you miss out on, teacher?¡±


    At my question, she opened her coat and pointed to the scabbard on her left hip.


    The Tempest Sword, Tempesta. No¡ªshe was referring to just the ¡°sword¡± itself.


    ¡°Everything except this.¡±


    She had lived for the sword and had nothing else. Her life was empty except for the sword. Sabioleen Tana was that kind of person. Seeing her wistful and sad expression, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you start filling it up now?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking like an olddy who¡¯s about to kick the bucket? Honestly, you look like you could enroll as my junior and no one would bat an eye.¡±


    She looked at me with the same puzzled expression.


    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s not much point to you getting stronger from here on out. So, isn¡¯t it okay to have some fun now? Don¡¯t you have any vacation time?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I do... have some.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not like you have no time at all. Go on a date, eat some good food, and travel a bit. What¡¯s the point of earning all this if not to spend it?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked startled.


    Here I was, giving life advice to someone much older than me. In reality, she was much older than my original self.


    <i>¡®So what? I¡¯ve already gone through a lot myself.¡¯</i>


    I clicked my tongue. ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve never had fun, you won¡¯t know how to start.¡±


    Tana seemed utterly baffled, as if she¡¯d never heard anything like this before.


    ¡°What kind of answer am I supposed to give you...?¡±


    Telling the strongest person in the world to go on a date if life was boring¡ªyeah, I was definitely a strange one.


    She seemed too stunned to even get angry. Hearing something this oundish was enough to leave one so baffled and bewildered that there was no way to get mad.


    ¡°You told me not to live too hard of a life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m saying that you should take your own advice.¡±


    Superhumans not only aged more slowly, but once they reached a certain level, they stopped aging altogether and even began to look younger. No matter her actual age, if she wore the Temple uniform, people would believe she was in our grade.


    <i>¡®Why act like you¡¯ve lived your whole life already?¡¯</i> I thought.


    Sabioleen Tana finally let out a chuckle, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing.


    ¡°Good grief. Honestly, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the future of the empire, Reinhart,¡± she said as she patted my shoulder, ¡°But you¡¯re definitely the strangest person in the empire.¡±


    A strange person... That was one of the things I heard most often.


    But she hadn¡¯t asked me to follow her just to chat.


    ¡°Soon, His Majesty the Emperor will want to meet you.¡±


    The emperor... So it was finally happening.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this in advance so you won¡¯t be surprised when it suddenly happens.¡±


    Was it to thank me for saving Charlotte, to reward me, or to give me a task?


    I didn¡¯t know.


    But this was another thing I would have to face eventually.

 Chapter 283

    <h4>Chapter 283</h4>


    It was obvious that the emperor could not offer an audience to just anyone, and he would not meet with just anyone either.


    The reason for this audience could easily be inferred. For a person who was neither a noble nor had any connection to the Imperial Pce to have an audience with the emperor, they would have to do something as significant as saving the life of the First Princess. Technically, this would be my second time doing it, but still.


    Meeting the emperor was already a lifetime honor in itself. Even having the emperor¡¯s autograph and keeping it as a family heirloom would be widely epted as a reasonable thing to do.


    However, for me, the idea of meeting the emperor did not fill me with pride. Instead, I felt a sense of unease.


    <i>¡®What if I get embroiled in another strange affair?¡¯</i>


    The emperor likely knew many secrets that most people did not, secrets that even Vertus and Charlotte might not know. I could discuss matters rted to the Revolutionary Forces with him without taking sides, or I could ask him about the affairs of magic societies, including the ck Order. Alternatively, I could gain information on numerous ssified spells and forbidden arts.


    Whether the emperor would trust the information I provided or whether he would give me the information I desired was another matter. The point was that there were possibilities.


    What kind of connection would I forge with the emperor? It could be a one-time encounter, or one that was more long-term. As long as my abilities could help to keep Charlotte¡¯s condition stable, it would likely be thetter.


    The emperor would want to meet me soon. I did not know exactly when, but it was likely to be after the festival, during the winter break.


    ***


    It was Friday, and the final exams had ended.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s over!¡±


    As expected, Connor Lint, who never failed to meet everyone¡¯s expectations, cheered loudly at the end of the grueling second semester.


    The festival would be held the following week, and after that, winter break would begin. Although the final exam results had not been released yet, I expected myself to be ced somewhere in the middle, and closer to the top. However, because I had missed many sses, I would not be in the top ranks.


    I didn¡¯t worry too much about it since I didn¡¯t really care much.


    Of course, while the exams had ended, for some, the real challenge was just beginning.


    I was participating in the first-year tournament, Ellen was participating in Miss Temple, Cliffman was participating in Mister Temple, and Harriet was participating in the open-level tournament.


    ¡°Harriet, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m fine. I have my reasons.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s participation in Miss Temple was surprising, but Harriet¡¯s participation in the Open Tournament was the greater shock. In such tournaments, magic majors were already at a disadvantage, and she was not participating in the tournament for first-year students, but in the open category.


    The preliminaries were beginning the next day and would be held over the weekend to filter out the finalists, with the finals taking ce from Monday to Wednesday. The Open Tournament would then begin on Thursday.


    The winners of each grade-level tournament would earn a spot in the Open Tournament finals, but whether they chose to participate was up to them.


    I had not yet decided whether to participate, but it did not seem like a bad idea. Even if winning the Open Tournament was impossible, the challenge itself would be worthwhile. However, it was a bit ridiculous to behave as if I had already secured the victory before evenpeting.


    The first-year tournament preliminaries were set to begin on Saturday.


    And then there were the Miss and Mister Templepetitions. These were the major events of the festival. After the festival, once the winter break began, I would need to sort out the remaining matters one by one.


    Just as Connor Lint was excited, Riana was equally thrilled. She grabbed both Ellen and Cliffman by their hands and dragged them along with her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Do we really have to... Ahh, ah, alright! I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go!¡±


    Cliffman tried to say something, but when Riana red at him as if she would kill him, hisplexion turned pale, and he nodded repeatedly.


    Riana had a slightly different energy from Harriet, but she was clearly very excited. It seemed she was nning to conduct some sort of makeover session with Ellen and Cliffman at the Granz ducal mansion starting that day. It was surprising to see her so enthusiastic about something.


    I hoped her usual clumsiness would not result in any unexpected cmities this time.


    <i>¡®But seriously... What about Miss Temple? Who should I vote for?¡¯ </i>


    I was torn between the benefits I could obtain and the reality I was facing, which made the decision a difficult one.


    With Cliffman and Ellen absent, the training grounds would be empty today. They would probably stay at the ducal mansion all weekend and return only for the preliminaries. It seemed they had already informed the dormitory supervisor about it.


    Harriet had run off to the Magic Research Club¡¯s estate, so the dormitory was unusually empty.


    That day marked the end of the second semester for the first-year students at the Temple. The festival was, after all, just a festival.


    It was winter, and although there was no one around the Royal ss dormitory, there was a festive atmosphere about it. Perhaps it was just my perception, but despite the cold, I felt a strange excitement in the air.


    The head student council had filled the gap left by the cancetion of the main event, the Royal ss vs. Orbis sspetition, with numerous performances, concerts, and friendly sports matches.


    They had even enlisted the cooperation of various clubs and graduate students in the Temple. While those who had been eagerly anticipating thepetition might be left disappointed, there was nothing to be done about it.


    This was no time for cking. With no one using the training grounds, I received special training from Sabioleen Tana. Of course, I wasn¡¯t alone; Ludwig and Scarlett were also there.


    Delphine and Erhi did note, each for their own reasons.


    Erhi, that guy, seemed to be trying really hardtely, but he was clearly struggling. He had talent, but had wasted too much time. Despite his Swordsmanship talent, he was not progressing well.


    I had an aptitude for Swordsmanship, but no talent for it. However, I was much better than Erhi, who had actual talent. This was the clearest example of how Ellen¡¯s presence had helped me.


    In a way, it was as if I had a Swordsmanship talent myself since an exceptionally talented person was teaching me. I was bound to progress faster than someone who only had talent but did not apply themselves as much.


    Ellen was like my doping potion. A year was a long time, but it was still too short for a novice to surpass someone with talent, at least without external help.


    I reevaluated everything I had gone through up to this point. I remembered Ellen, who had started teaching me swordsmanship with the words, ¡°That¡¯s not how you do it.¡±


    My efforts at improving myself, which had begun with meeting Adriana, became more serious once Ellen got involved. If I had been alone, I would have aplished nothing. It was possible that I would still be inferior to a guy like Erhi.


    With a grinding sound, Tana deflected my training sword and mmed it into the ground.


    ¡°Good. But you have a problem with precision when you go all out,¡± she said as she looked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, Reinhart. That¡¯s your biggest... shoring.¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯d be upset if I called it a w, right?¡¯ </i>Her expression said.


    <i>¡®Please, stop favoring me so much...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Your Mana Reinforcement is still very unstable. Of course, the fact that you can even utilize it at this stage is impressive. Don¡¯t take that criticism too harshly.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana was not only watching over my training, but Scarlett¡¯s and Ludwig¡¯s as well.


    Initially, Tana seemed rather lukewarm over Ludwig¡¯s excessive enthusiasm. To be precise, she seemed to find it more burdensome than annoying. She clearly favored me and personally took a liking to Scarlett.


    But over the next few days...


    <i>ng.</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll try again!¡±


    .


    .


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine! I¡¯ll try again!¡±


    .


    .


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°... Maybe you should...¡±


    ¡°No, just one more time!¡±


    .


    .


    Despite Tana¡¯s rough treatment, Ludwig kept getting back up, and I could sense her attitude towards him changing.


    <i>¡®What is this guy? A troll? They say his talent is stamina, but this is strange... What is he...? It¡¯s scary...¡¯¡¯</i>


    Ludwig never lost his initial vigor and kept earnestly asking Tana to go another round. Ludwig was excessively honest, not in terms of personality, but in the sincerity of his beliefs.


    He believed that he might becking, but that he could improve. He believed that he might be weak, but had the conviction that he could be strong.


    He could waver, but he would grow stronger because of it.


    Ludwig was like a character straight out of an old shonen manga. Clich¨¦d and predictable, yet when faced with such a person in reality, one couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of fear.


    A human being with an unbreakable spirit... Someone who, despite losing and falling dozens of times, would rise again to challenge once more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try again!¡±


    I thought I had be quite tenacious. But watching Ludwig, who didn¡¯t grind his teeth, who got up every time he fell, twisted his wrist, or got hit, and who constantly smiled and thanked Sabioleen Tana for the opportunity to face her, I realized that the truly tenacious ones were people like him.


    They say that no matter how much you try, you cannot beat those who enjoy it.


    ¡°Scarlett, let¡¯s practice while he¡¯s at it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Reinhart.¡±


    I was someone who tried.


    ¡°Heup!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    But Ludwig was someone who enjoyed it¡ªa true protagonist.


    <i>-Kang!</i>


    I swung my sword diligently, standing beside someone who would save the world with just that unbreakable mentality.


    ***


    After the special training ended, Ludwig called out to me as we left the ss B training grounds.


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re entering the first-year tournament, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Scarlett and I are entering too. Did you know that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    I had expected as much when it came to Ludwig, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise. What was unexpected was that Scarlett, who would typically have entered Miss Temple, was participating in the tournament instead.


    Ludwig pointed towards the training grounds. ¡°I¡¯m going to practice a bit more. I don¡¯t know if Dame Tana will agree to help, though.¡±


    He smiled sheepishly. ¡°It would be rude to her if I lost to you too easily in the tournament, right?¡±


    Ludwig seemed to think he couldn¡¯t beat me, and he was probably right. Even if he lost to me, though, it wouldn¡¯t damage his mentality at all. He would still continue to give his best effort, because that was the kind of person he was.


    Work hard. Live kindly. Be honest.


    Ludwig embodied thosemon maxims, turning those sayings into an actual living person.


    ¡°Alright then! Good luck in the preliminaries tomorrow! I¡¯ll do my best too!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Ludwig was much stronger at this point than he had been in the original story, all because he had not gotten himself entangled in troublesome matters. Unlike me, Ludwig didn¡¯t have any cheats.


    However, the more troublesome matters I got entangled in, the more strange advantages I seemed to gain. Thanks to the numerous bizarre incidents I had been involved in, I was, at the moment, undoubtedly stronger than Ludwig.


    But would I still be stronger than Ludwig in the future?


    That guy, with his unrealistically strong mentality, had no limits. He probably had the Hero¡¯s Lineage trait or some other simr traits.


    Sabioleen Tana also seemed to sense that Ludwig was no ordinary person. Although she seemed to find him slightly burdensome, they seemed to share a rather positive synergy.


    Now that Ludwig had met her earlier than in the original story, he would grow even stronger, and at an incredible pace.


    While Tana had initiated this special training to instruct me, it would actually result in Ludwig growing stronger at an astonishing rate. He would probably cling to Tana throughout the winter break, seeking her guidance. Tana, despite her reservations, wouldn¡¯t turn away someone as earnest as Ludwig.


    ***


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± Scarlett said in the hallway of the ss B dormitory.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to have dinner together?¡±


    ¡°Dinner?¡±


    I realized I hadn¡¯t eaten dinner because of the special training. I found it slightly surprising that Scarlett was making such an offer.


    ¡°Her Highness suggested we have dinner together if we had time.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, so that¡¯s it. No wonder she didn¡¯t seem interested in doing any extra practice despite entering the tournament.¡¯</i>


    Since Charlotte had returned to the dormitory, we had been cautious around each other. We would greet each other when we met, but we hadn¡¯t had many conversations.

 Chapter 284

    <h4>Chapter 284</h4>


    Since dinner time at the cafeteria was over, Scarlett, Charlotte, and I headed to the main street. The saying ¡°no news is good news¡± seemed apt at the moment.


    The fact that Charlotte hadn¡¯t sought me out thus far meant she was safe. Charlotte¡¯s expression was bright, as if nothing had happened.


    It was winter, so the sun had set early, and it was already dark. However, the bright lights everywhere and the festive atmosphere around the Temple meant that the main street still felt lively.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the festival supposed to start on Monday?¡± I asked.


    Charlotteughed at my question.


    ¡°The restrictions on entry are lifted from Monday onwards, but the restrictions on business hours and curfew have already been lifted, beginning today. That means that people who have entry passes to the Temple get to enjoy the festival a bit earlier.¡±


    In a way, the festival had already started. During the festival period, the fortress-like Temple would open its gates to all civilians.


    Of course, security would be significantly increased, but for the residents of the capital, this one week was the only time they could actually see the Temple, which usually existed only in their imaginations.


    However, the streets weren¡¯t crowded with civilians yet. It was still the preparation period for the festival. Despite this, the streets were still lit up brightly, and there were street vendors everywhere selling food, with delicious smells wafting in from all directions.


    Many people were buying food from the vendors, and students were practicing music or singing in the streets.


    Charlotte looked at me with a mischievous smile. ¡°The students from the general sses have been busy preparing for various events, but thanks to <i>someone</i>, the Royal ss students, who should have been the busiest, get to take a break this festival.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be grateful,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Ah, right. I should have expected this reaction.¡±


    While the general ss poption was busy preparing for the festival, the Royal ss, which should have been the busiest, had nothing to do. We were leisurely wandering the streets on the eve of the festival. Charlotte had apparently skipped dinner while waiting for us as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat that.¡±


    As I had noted before, Charlotte wasn¡¯t picky about food. Following her suggestion, the three of us bought grilled chicken skewers from one of the street vendors. They smelled irresistibly delicious. It seemed like Charlotte, in addition to not being picky, also had a fondness for street food.


    ¡°<i>Ouch!</i> That¡¯s hot!¡± Charlotte eximed.


    ¡°Hey, no one¡¯s going to steal it from you, okay? Eat slowly,¡± I said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would be this hot.¡±


    Scarlett seemed slightly surprised at how casually I was treating Charlotte. For someone who always used honorifics when conversing with others, it must have been a strange sight.


    Charlotte blew on the hot chicken skewer and took small, careful bites. She ate so delicately that she looked like a tiny mouse nibbling away at her food.


    <i>¡®What the heck? That¡¯s ridiculously cute.¡¯</i>


    Scarlett also ate her chicken skewer slowly to avoid burning herself. I took one bite of mine, then just held onto it.


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m the only one eating earnestly,¡± Charlotte said as she looked back and forth between Scarlett and me.


    I was a nominal beggar, and Scarlett was an actual beggar.


    ¡°This is too sweet,¡± I said.


    My chicken skewer had been coated in something like teriyaki sauce before being grilled, but even though it wasn¡¯t that sweet, it didn¡¯t suit my taste.


    ¡°How sweet could it be?¡±


    Charlotte tilted her head curiously, and when I offered her a bite, she looked a bit flustered.


    ¡°H-Huh... What? Why?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°Try a bite.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh, okay?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the hesitation? Do you think it¡¯s dirty?¡±


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s not that...¡±


    <i>¡®I thought she said that because she wanted to try it!¡¯</i>


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s not dirty at all!¡±


    When I tried to take it back, Charlotte grabbed my arm and took a bite of the chicken skewer in my hand. It felt a little like she was forcing herself to do so.


    Scarlett stared at us, wide-eyed.


    <i>¡®Seriously. Are we kids or what? Why is this such a big deal?¡¯</i>


    Charlotte, her face flushed, chewed, and then shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that sweet,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of taste, I guess.¡±


    Charlotte clicked her tongue at me. ¡°You¡¯re really picky about the strangest things.¡±


    Her expression suggested that she was finding me more and more peculiar. She then turned to Scarlett, who had also stopped eating after taking a single bite.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating, Scarlett?¡±


    ¡°This is too spicy.¡±


    She had randomly picked one, and it turned out to be a spicy vor. Charlotte stared at Scarlett, who hesitated before offering her chicken skewer.


    ¡°W-Would... you like to try it?¡± Scarlett offered.


    Charlotte took a bite from the end of the chicken skewer Scarlett was holding and started chewing.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face began to turn bright red.


    <i>¡®Hmm. I thought the spiciness was manageable since Scarlett¡¯s reaction was rather calm, but apparently not.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water.¡±


    ¡°I-I really shouldn¡¯t have offered it to her...¡±


    Charlotte, unable to chew properly, had her mouth slightly open, exposing the half-chewed bits of chicken inside.


    <i>¡®What is this? What did I just eat?¡¯ </i>Her expression seemed to say.


    ***


    In the end, we sat by a nearby fountain to rest. Even after drinking the water I brought her, Charlotte continued to rinse her mouth for a while, looking quite angry.


    ¡°What the heck! Why would they sell something like that without a warning? Who would eat that!¡± Charlotte pouted, rubbing her lips. ¡°This isn¡¯t just spicy; it hurts. It hurts so much. My lips are on fire.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not good with spicy food?¡±


    ¡°Why would I go out of my way to eat something like that?¡±


    ¡°People seem drawn to it. I bought the most popr one just now,¡± Scarlett said.


    Charlotte¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°Why would anyone do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure myself.¡±


    I didn¡¯t particrly like spicy food either, but Charlotte seemed to have concluded that people who enjoyed such masochistic culinary experiences were weirdos.


    While all sorts of food was being sold along the main street, the food we usually had in the Royal ss dormitory and the dinner we had been served in the Spring Pce did not include anything spicy, so it made sense that she wouldn¡¯t be familiar with something like chili powder.


    Scarlett, who had said the chicken skewer was too spicy, was eating it bit by bit.


    <i>¡®Does she actually like spicy food, or is she just forcing herself to eat it?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was too spicy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Scarlett said as she took another bite. ¡°But it¡¯s a waste to throw it away.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte and I exchanged nces.


    It was a statement that tugged at the heartstrings.


    <i>¡®So what does that make me, the one who threw mine away earlier?¡¯ </i>


    Scarlett and Charlotte continued to nibble on their chicken skewers. I had thrown mine away because it was too sweet, but there was another reason for it as well.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you eat more neatly? You¡¯re getting it all over yourselves!¡± I said.


    I handed them some tissues I had brought along just in case. I had to stop myself from wiping their faces directly.


    <i>¡®I hate it when food gets on my clothes. These skewers are messy and the sauce drips everywhere.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh no! When did I get so much on me?¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed...¡±


    Charlotte and Scarlett both panicked as they noticed the bits of sauce on their skirts, faces, and even in their hair, and hastily began wiping it off. Eventually, they both ended up leaning forward awkwardly as they ate their skewers.


    The princess and the beggar, eating chicken skewers in the same posture, both covered in sauce... Quite a rare sight.


    ¡°Ugh, it tastes good, but it¡¯s so messy to eat.¡±


    After throwing away the remnants of the skewers in the trash, Charlotte wiped her sauce-stained clothes, though it didn¡¯t really help.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s all part of the experience, right? Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s find something else to eat!¡± Charlotte said, excitedly leading the way.


    Scarlett smiled as she watched her.


    ¡°You seem to be in a really good mood recently, for some reason,¡± she said.


    Charlotte and Scarlett were both from ss B, and were close. Of course, Charlotte probably hadn¡¯t shared much about herself with Scarlett. So, while they seemed close physically, there was still a significant emotional distance between them.


    Even so, I knew that Charlotte considered Scarlett important to her.


    ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m d,¡± Scarlett remarked.


    It seemed Scarlett shared the sentiment.


    Charlotte did indeed seem to be in a good mood. I finally understood why she had skipped dinner and asked us out on that particr Friday night.


    Once the real festival started, it would be too crowded to wander around freely. The tournament preliminaries were about to start the next day. Even if she could walk the streets while wearing her bracelet that had been enchanted with Cognitive Dissonance, both Scarlett and I would be busy with our own matters.


    ¡°Hey, look at that! Doesn¡¯t that look delicious?¡± Charlotte eximed.


    Charlotte wanted to enjoy the festival with us in advance.


    Her tinum blonde hair shimmered brilliantly in the lights of the Temple¡¯s winter night as she flitted about the streets.


    ***


    Rather than settling in one ce to eat, we wandered around, sampling various street foods that caught our interest. Instead of each of us ordering three of the same item, we ordered one and shared it among us.


    Sometimes it was stir-fried noodles, other times it was a drink.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be able to try a bit of everything,¡± Charlotte said.


    For Charlotte, this was undoubtedly a first-time experience, but she seemed more delighted than overwhelmed. The most flustered one was Scarlett, especially when they shared a drink with the same straw. Scarlett herself didn¡¯t mind it, but she seemed utterly surprised by Charlotte¡¯s nonchnce towards it.


    We also encountered some nostalgic items.


    ¡°Ugh... this taste brings back memories...¡±


    ¡°... Not very good memories, it seems.¡±


    We hade across fresh coconuts with straws stuck in them. Charlotte, excited, bought one, and we each took a sip. Scarlett stared at the coconut with a bewildered expression.


    ¡°Oh, was it always this bad?¡± Scarlett asked.


    ¡°I know, right? Is this a different type of coconut? It tastes so different from what I remember!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just your nostalgia embellishing it,¡± Imented.


    ¡°... Maybe it is.¡±


    Back on that deserted ind in the scorching summer heat, drinking coconut water as a substitute for fresh water... it had to have felt different. In the middle of winter, with plenty of food and drink around, it was just a strange juice with a slightly fishy vor.


    Charlotte giggled, probably reminiscing about our time on the deserted ind.


    ¡°Haha, I thought my clothes were dirty with all sorts of stains, butpared to back then, this is nothing.¡±


    Whether they were princes, princesses, or grand duchesses, everyone had been filthy and miserable. I had experienced that ordeal with ss A, while Charlotte had led ss B through it.


    ¡°When it rained so heavily, I thought it was all over,¡± Charlotte reminisced.


    ¡°Yes, me too,¡± Scarlett agreed.


    ¡°When Ashir summoned that light with Divine Magic, it felt like we had finally been saved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I felt the same way.¡±


    The two of them were reminiscing about their experiences with ss B.


    ¡°Ludwig caught dozens of fish on the first day... That guy is something else. If only he used his head a bit more,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Still, I think he has many strengths.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to imply he was weak.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean.¡±


    As I watched them conversing, I could sense what their usual dynamic was like. Charlotte did most of the talking, while Scarlett would add her own smallments or agree. Scarlett seemed to be a good listener.


    Not wanting me to feel left out, Charlotte turned to me. ¡°You were amazing back then too, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much.¡±


    ¡°Why, Vertus told me after that if it weren¡¯t for you, half of the ss would have given up on the first day.¡±


    <i>¡®Vertus said that? It¡¯s surprising that those two even have conversations.¡¯</i>


    They didn¡¯tpletely ignore each other, but bickered openly.


    <i>¡®I mean, if that¡¯s considered conversation, then so be it.¡¯</i>


    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t wanted to take the lead initially. I only took action first, in front of those who wanted to give up. That prompted Vertus to start leading. In terms of actual contributions, I didn¡¯t do much.


    Vertus was the one who provided most of the leadership, Harriet and Adelia had used their magic to help set up the camp, and Ellen went hunting. All those yed a huge part. Even during the final orc hunt, Ellen and Harriet did most of the work.


    Of course, starting something was half the battle, and I couldn¡¯t deny the importance of initiating it.


    Charlotte took another sip from the coconut she was holding, the one that tasted different from what she remembered, and looked up at the night sky. The street lights were so bright that no stars were visible.


    ¡°This year felt really long,¡± she said.


    The year marked the end of the Great War and the destruction of the Demon Realm, a monumental year for humanity. However, the year felt incredibly long for both Charlotte and me, for different reasons.


    So many things had happened.


    It was the end of the second semester of Temple, with only the festival left, and I was reflecting on the year while preparing for the final events toe.


    Charlotte held onto the coconut tightly. It might not taste as good as she remembered it, but it was close enough.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best next year too.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    We would have to do our best, no matter what.


    ***


    When I asked Charlotte if she was entering Miss Temple or something simr, she said she had no intention of doing so. She said it would be ridiculous, whether she won or not.


    If she won, it wouldrgely be because she was a princess, and if she lost, the winner would be left in an awkward position. Although Olivia didn¡¯t seem like the type to care about such things, Charlotte had no ns to participate in anything during the festival.


    If Charlotte were to enter the Open Tournament or the first-year tournament, though, she would undoubtedly win. I wasn¡¯t sure how much of her power she could actually wield, but she had managed to push Sabioleen Tana to her limits that night. Of course, that might have required specific conditions, like being under the cover of darkness.


    However, Charlotte feared and disliked her own ability, and would surely not participate in a tournament and wield her power over the shadows.


    Friday passed, and Saturday arrived. The Royal ss dormitory felt empty. Ellen, Riana, and Cliffman were at the Granz mansion, while Harriet and Adelia had apparently spent the night at the Magic Research Club estate. Vertus had also returned to the Imperial Pce. The only ones left in the ss A dormitory were me, Heinrich, and the hopeless trio.


    During breakfast, while eating in the nearly-deserted dormitory dining hall, Heinrich looked over at me.


    ¡°The preliminaries start today, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    After the incident in the Edina Archipgo, he wasn¡¯t exactly friendly, but he no longer picked fights with me.


    The tournament was not restricted to students from certain majors. There were no rules against superhumans participating, so Heinrich or Riana could have entered without any issues.


    However, Riana seemed more interested in dressing up, and Heinrich hadn¡¯t entered either.


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°If you weren¡¯t participating, I would have entered too.¡±


    He was sure he would lose to me, so he¡¯d decided not to participate once he learned that I was participating.


    It felt oddly ttering to hear him say that so casually.


    Heinrich seemed to firmly believe that I would win, and the troublesome trio listening to us nearby did not seem to believe differently.


    Connor Lint suddenly looked around. The female students who usually gave him dirty looks whenever he spoke nonsense were absent.


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s something else too,¡± Connor Lint said as he lowered his voice.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kaier asked, suddenly intrigued.


    ¡°A cross-dressing contest.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Cross-dressing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, apparently that¡¯s going on as well. It¡¯s not as big an event as Miss Temple or Mister Temple, but it¡¯s a contest where guys dress as girls and girls dress as guys.¡±


    Erhi frowned deeply. ¡°Are they crazy? Why would they hold something like that?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s held every year, and it¡¯s quite popr.¡±


    A cross-dressing contest... Just hearing about it made me dizzy.


    I red at Connor Lint.


    ¡°Shut up. Anyone who enters or watches that is a pervert,¡± I said, despite having once transformed into a girl and confessed to Connor Lint...


    <i>¡®This is making me dizzy.¡¯</i>


    I felt so anxious that I was about to throw up. Something was about to happen.


    I had a bad feeling that an event was about to trigger.


    [New Event Update - Cross-Dressing Contest]


    [Objective: Win the Cross-Dressing Contest.]


    [Reward: +5 Mana, Increased Magic Resistance]


    <i>¡®Ah... This is seriously nauseating... Damn it, you bastard. Whoever you are, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this to me.¡¯</i>


    .


    .


    ¡°Are you Reinhart, Royal ss first year, A-11?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sessfully registered for the cross-dressing contest.¡±


    <i>¡®Seriously, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 285

    <h4>Chapter 285</h4>


    I was at the registration desk for the cross-dressing contest at the main headquarters of the Temple.


    I had pulled my hood down deeply to avoid being recognized by anyone.


    ¡°Uh, excuse me, teacher.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a teacher, but yes. Do you have more to say, Reinhart?¡±


    <i>¡®Please don¡¯t say my name out loud! I¡¯m somewhat famous, and someone might recognize my name!¡¯</i>


    There were students all around me registering for various contests, but I was the only one standing at the empty cross-dressing contest registration desk.


    The other kids were casting suspicious nces at me.


    <i>¡ªOh, look at him... He must be entering that contest.</i>


    <i>¡ªUnbelievable.</i>


    <i>¡ªThis is big news!</i>


    <i>¡ªHe must be embarrassed. That¡¯s why he came with a hood on. But won¡¯t you have to show your face during the contest anyway?</i>


    They were staring at me with a very specific sort of look...


    ¡°Uh, you know, about the cross-dressing contest... Could you keep my identity, uh, a secret...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean you want to enter the cross-dressing contest but keep your identity a secret?¡±


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t say it so loudly!¡¯</i>


    The receptionist smiled kindly, as if she understood perfectly.


    ¡°Please refer to this pamphlet for detailed contest information, Rein... Ah. Ahem.¡±


    <i>¡®Please don¡¯t look at me like that... Is there anyone else like me entering the contest...? Probably not, but I have a good reason!¡¯</i>


    Since the reward of Achievement Points had not been enough to entice me, that candy vendor jerk decided to change the reward to a 5-point increase in my mana. How could I refuse that?


    Afterpleting the registration, I hurriedly left the main headquarters of the Temple, hoping no one would see me.


    ¡°Damn it... Damn it...¡± I muttered to myself as I hastened away, worried that someone might recognize me.


    <i>¡®This is so messed up. I can¡¯t believe this is happening. It¡¯s so messed up!¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t run into any familiar faces.


    ***


    If it became known that I was participating in the cross-dressing contest, I would be finished.


    People would ask me ¡°Why in the world did you enter that contest?¡± and I wouldn¡¯t have any good excuse to say.


    If word got out that I had entered after calling everyone who entered or watched such contests a pervert, it would be a disaster.


    I would bemitting social suicide.


    I could see it already. <i>¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into... that kind of thing...¡±</i>


    Ellen, Harriet, Olivia, Vertus, Charlotte... Everyone who knew me would be shocked.


    However, there was no way I would get caught. I had asked for my identity to be kept secret, and they would introduce me as ¡°Anonymous Cross-Dressing Participant 1¡± or some such. It was even written in the participant pamphlet.


    <i>[If a participant requests identity protection, the organizers will </i>definitely<i> guarantee confidentiality.]</i>


    The organizers were well-prepared, and were willing to keep the identities of any participants secret, even someone with a sinister hobby.


    Still, I nned to change my facial appearance with the ring. If I got caughtter on, I could just say that my makeup was too good... But ideally, I wouldn¡¯t get caught at all.


    Since I would be participating with a different face, no one would recognize the anonymous cross-dresser as Reinhart. Besides, there was no reason for any of the Royal ss kids toe and watch the cross-dressing contest.


    As long as the host didn¡¯t suddenly announce, ¡°Now, here is Reinhart, a first-year student from the Royal ss!¡± I would never get caught. I just needed to be careful of weirdos like Connor Lint.


    Might it be better to threaten to kill him if he went to watch the contest? No... saying something like that might make him suspect that I was participating.


    A 5-point increase in mana and enhanced magic resistance... It was a huge step towards Mana Domination, and I had a feeling I knew why the rewards had been increased.


    It was ultimately a good thing, and I had a very high chance of winning. But why couldn¡¯t I be happy about it?


    Why did this candy vendor always make me go through such nonsense when he wanted to give me something? Why couldn¡¯t he just give it to me for free? Why was the reward always greater when I had to endure humiliation instead of risking my life in battle?


    ¡°Next, the preliminary match between Reinhart from the Royal ss, first year, A-11, and Oranken von Istua from Dardia ss, first year, C-32, will begin. Both students, please take your positions.¡±


    My mental state was so shaken that I couldn¡¯t even focus on the situation in front of me. It was the preliminary round of the first-year tournament to select the finalists. Matches were being hosted all around the massive preliminary arena.


    I couldn¡¯t see my opponent¡¯s weapon or face clearly as I was too agitated. I felt like I was going to lose my mind.


    ¡°...¡±


    My opponent seemed quite intimidated by the fact that I was from the Royal ss.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    At the referee¡¯s signal, I immediately tossed aside my training sword and charged at him. It did not feel eptable to be wielding a sword in my state.


    I went in with my fists.


    I had just heard his name, but I had already forgotten it.


    <i>¡®Sorry, nameless friend.¡¯</i>


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Reinhart wins!¡±


    <i>¡®Anyone who meets me today should consider themselves unlucky! I¡¯m very sensitive today!¡¯</i>


    ***


    <i>Thud!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Whack!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Wham!</i>


    .


    .


    <i>Thud!</i>


    A monster was rampaging through the location where the Group C preliminaries were being held.


    ¡°Who... who is that guy...?¡±


    ¡°They say he¡¯s from the Royal ss...¡±


    He had no weapons. No matter if his opponent had a sword, a club, or a spear, he would charge at them with such speed that it was hard to follow with the eyes, disarm them, knock them down, or deliver a knee strike to the abdomen.


    He ended each match in a single move.


    Weapons were fundamentally used to establish reach, and thebatant with an advantage in reach usually held the upper hand. Therefore, in a fight that involved weapons, it was obvious that wielding a sword was more advantageous than bare hands, and using a spear was more advantageous than a sword.


    However, this monster embraced the overwhelming penalty of being unarmed, and in a fight in which a single effective hit would result in a loss, he continuously charged in and subdued each opponent without giving them a chance to attack.


    ¡°He may be from the Royal ss, but he¡¯s still a first-year like us...¡±


    ¡°They say he¡¯s famous even in the Royal ss.¡±


    Like most students, they looked up to both the Royal ss and the now-defunct Orbis ss. The Orbis ss wasn¡¯t a big target of jealousy; those in it had earned their ce through effort. However, there was a different perception when it came to the Royal ss.


    Talent¡ªstudents were admitted into that ss solely based on that.


    Therefore, they were always looked upon with jealousy and envy, even if there was a healthy amount of admiration mixed in.


    However, watching this monster who finished every fight in five seconds with a perpetually grim expression, as if something was deeply bothering him, changed their perception.


    Here was someone with an overwhelming physical ability that rendered all the weapons training they had undergone so far meaningless.


    <i>¡®Is this what the Royal ss is truly like? What have we been learning all this time? What have I been training so hard for?¡¯</i>


    The existence of the Royal ss felt unfair, but seeing the skills that they possessed with their own eyes made these ordinary students doubt themselves.


    What was the point of aspiring to be a knight or specializing in closebat? There was no way they could stand on the same level as such a monster.


    Though they hated to admit it, they had to ept it in the end.


    If he was that good, it was only right to treat him that way.


    If these monsters who possessed skills so far beyond the mortal realm existed, then it was only natural for the empire to give them special treatment.


    ¡°... I-I¡¯m going to forfeit. How can I defeat someone like that?¡±


    Many students forfeited without even fighting. Even if he wasn¡¯t their immediate opponent, if they were in Group C, they would eventually have to fight that monster.


    ***


    Group C¡ªthat was my preliminary group.


    Participants were split into groups for the preliminary rounds. Participants in each group were pitted against each other in a tournament format, and the final winner of each group advanced to the finals.


    There were a total of thirty-two groups. The preliminaries for these thirty-two groups would be held over the weekend, and thirty-two finalists would emerge..


    I fought wherever I was told to, advancing through the preliminary rounds.


    Before I knew it...


    ¡°... The final opponent has forfeited his match. The winner of Group C is Reinhart, A-11 from the Royal ss.¡±


    I stood there, looking on as the guy who couldn¡¯t even think of fighting me walked away from the match area. Only then did I look around.


    All the students who had been eliminated in the preliminaries were staring at me as if I were some kind of monster. I checked my state¡ªno sweat, no injuries.


    So, this was the distance between myself and the other students in the arena, who were looking at me with a sense of awe.


    <i>¡®Is this what distance means?¡¯</i>


    I had once said that there were individuals in the Royal ss who were no different from the general student poption. In the end, though, this experience had proved to me that the Royal ss was a ce for those with talents and skills far beyond those of the general ss poption.


    Even Erhi de Raffaeli, whom I dismissed as hopeless and who lived in self-pity, would have easily subdued these guys if he participated in these preliminaries.


    I saw the sense of distance in their eyes.


    These guys were very far away from me.


    I was distant from them.


    I knew that gaze. I knew what that gaze meant.


    It was the same gaze I sometimes had when I looked at Ellen.


    At some point, I had be someone whom others looked at with that gaze, rather than being the one who looked at others that way.


    The eyes of these students were filled with this sense of distance.


    They could not even acknowledge me as a human being simr to them. They saw me as a being of a different dimension.


    I was no longer the same as them. Not now, not ever.


    ***


    I emerged at the top of Group C and easily secured a spot in the finals.


    The finalists would be divided into four groups, A, B, C, and D, with eight participants each. The winner of one group would be pitted against the winner of another in the semifinals, and the two participants that remained after the semifinals wouldpete for the championship trophy.


    I hadn¡¯t encountered any ex-students from the Orbis ss or Ludwig in the preliminaries.


    The organizers had probably been mindful to keep each group rtively bnced. They wouldn¡¯t have made the foolish mistake of putting all the strong contenders in the same group.


    After all, this tournament was one of the standout events of the festival.


    It was unlikely for the strongest contenders to be ced in the same group for the finals either. That probably meant that I wouldn¡¯t meet Ludwig or any ex-Orbis ss participants in the group stages of the finals.


    If anyone from the now-defunct Orbis ss was participating, it would likely be A-1, den Amorel.


    If events had followed their original path, he would have beaten Ludwig but lost to Ellen in the finals, emerging as the runner-up. I wondered if he had entered.


    If he did, could I defeat him?


    If my Mana Reinforcement worked properly, I felt like I could take him on.


    I would definitely beat Ludwig, but I would have to take den Amorel seriously.


    The finals for each grade-level tournament were to be held on Monday and Tuesday. The group matches for the finals were scheduled for Monday, and the semifinals, finals, and ranking matches would be on Tuesday.


    On Wednesday... was the cross-dressing contest.


    On Friday, the final day of the festival, the Mister and Miss Temple Contests and the Open Tournament finals would be held.


    The Open Tournament was actually the biggest attraction, and the preliminaries were also being held on the same days as the other tournaments.


    The winners of the grade-level tournaments would be decided on Tuesday, and the Open Tournament finals would begin on Thursday.


    I was only thinking of participating.


    I wondered how Harriet was doing. She would be going through her preliminary rounds as well.


    I had easily emerged victorious in my group because my opponents were first-year students, but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Harriet was eliminated in the group stage of the Open Tournament, since most of the participants were upperssmen. If she didn¡¯t make it to the finals, she might feel hurt.


    Contrary to my expectations...


    ¡°I won,¡± Harriet said with a nonchnt shrug of her shoulders.


    I stared nkly at her. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®how¡¯? I won all my matches, so I won.¡±


    <i>¡®How on earth did she do it? Did Harriet actually manage to defeat upperssmen in closebat and win her group?¡¯</i>


    Harriet stuck out her tongue, saying she wouldn¡¯t tell me, and quickly left the dormitory. She seemed to be heading to the Magic Research Club estate.


    Could she have changed that much in just a few days?


    No, it wasn¡¯t that.


    I remembered what she¡¯d said before.


    <i>¡°I just wanted to try harder.¡±</i>


    Harriet had been striving to be stronger for a long time. Even before she said those words to me, she had been upset about not being able to go to the Dark Land with us.


    Harriet had been continuously working hard to be apetent mage. More precisely, she had been working hard to get used to fighting. This had to be the result of her efforts.


    <i>¡®By the way, did shee to the dormitory just to brag about winning her group preliminaries to me?</i>


    <i>¡®Why is she so cute?¡¯</i>


    ***


    It was Sunday.


    ¡°... Your Highness, I think I misheard you.¡±


    ¡°You heard me correctly...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had said many shocking things to Eleris before, but it seemed that, this time, even Eleris couldn¡¯t ept what I was saying.


    I understood her. I really did.


    ¡°You need a dress...?¡± Eleris asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±


    It would be even weirder if she was okay with it.


    The cross-dressing contest... I¡¯d been coerced into participating, but I couldn¡¯t just show up without any preparation.


    I needed clothes. I would also need a wig. Although I could use Sarkegar¡¯s ring to grow my hair long, I still needed a wig.


    If it were Riana, she might be horrified at the thought of me doing something so bizarre, but she would probablyugh and have fun dressing me up. But of course, I couldn¡¯t choose that option.


    The thought of being teased by her for life, and how I would have to face Ellen and Cliffman, made me want to strangle myself.


    Unfortunately, I had no fashion sense.


    And so, the only person I could confide in andin to was Eleris.


    <i>¡®Pick out a dress for me. Please!¡¯</i>


    ¡°A cross-dressing contest... you say...¡± Eleris muttered.


    ¡°... It¡¯s a long story... but yes.¡±


    Eleris¡¯s lips quivered. ¡°Why on earth... would you do that?¡±


    Her gaze said it all. <i>¡®I know my kid was a bit off... but now he¡¯s be even stranger...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s really important and necessary for me. It¡¯s hard to exin in detail.¡±


    ¡°... Is it rted to the future?¡±


    ¡°Well, you could say that...¡±


    To be precise, it was rted to my personal growth.


    Eleris was still confused.


    ¡°Um... I can¡¯t possibly understand how... Your Highness cross-dressing is somehow connected to your preparations for the future...¡±


    The utter incredulity in her eyes was hard to bear.


    <i>¡®Eleris</i>...<i> Trust me... I¡¯m a thousand times more distressed than you are!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Still, Your Highness must have a n.¡±


    I did have a n...


    A ridiculous n in which some jerk promised to boost my stats if I won the cross-dressing contest...


    ¡°Well... Um... Good luck, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris could see that I was dying inside as well, and seemed to understand that I wasn¡¯t thrilled about this either. She patted my shoulder as I sank deeper into despair.


    Indeed, Eleris was the only one who understood my feelings.

 Chapter 286

    <h4>Chapter 286</h4>


    Even a nonsensical, insane contest like the cross-dressing contest was still a contest. It was an initiative by the head student council that was officially organized and approved by the Temple.


    There was a prize for the winner, and the contest had a proper, structured format.


    The only saving grace was that there were very few participants. That meant there were no preliminaries, and so I didn¡¯t have to go through the absurdity of observing a bunch of cross-dressed males trying to charm their way to advance to the finals.


    During the contest, participants would take to the stage in turns, present themselves, and then the winner would be decided by a simple vote.


    I couldn¡¯t be apletely different person, but with a slight touch-up to my face and with apletely different outfit and air, even someone who knew me wouldn¡¯t recognize me as Reinhart.


    I had the key cheat for this situation¡ªSarkegar¡¯s ring.


    As much as I hated to say it...


    There wouldn¡¯t be anyone prettier than me there.


    The first thing I needed was a dress.


    Then, I had to decide what kind of performance or act to present during my stage time to appeal to the audience.


    <i>¡®Should I dance...? Or sing...?¡¯</i>


    I really, really wanted to cry. There had been countless times in this otherworldly life when I had felt wronged and resentful, but this was the first time I felt so wronged that I wanted to cry.


    <i>¡®Why... Why is this happening to me...?¡¯</i>


    I absolutely couldn¡¯t let anyone know I was Reinhart. I had to make sure no one could even guess it was me. I had to suppress my usual, terrible temper.


    If I suddenly lost my temper and caused a scene, someone might guess, ¡°That guy¡ªisn¡¯t he Reinhart?¡±


    Most of the peopleing to watch the contest wouldn¡¯t know me, but there might be someone who had heard of my infamy, and there was a very high chance that Connor Lint would appear as well.


    Eleris returned not long after, empty-handed.


    ¡°Um... So, I went to the boutique and... most of the dresses are custom-made... they need to take measurements before they can be made... Of course, there are those that aren¡¯t tailored, but... for Your Highness to wear them... well, um. Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was about 181 cm tall. Not excessively tall, but still on the taller side. While I could change my appearance with Sarkegar''s ring, adjusting my height was risky.


    <i>¡ª¡°Why did you enter the cross-dressing contest?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°But wasn¡¯t he shorter earlier on?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°What did you do?¡±</i>


    I might end up facing such questionster on, so it was better to be on the shorter side first.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with a dress that has a long skirt. I can make myself slightly shorter. If anyone asks, I can just say I was bending my knees.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about a hoop skirt.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what that meant, but it seemed like that was what the dress I had in mind was called.


    I could use Sarkegar¡¯s ring to make myself slightly shorter. If this dress with a hoop skirt covered my legs, I couldter im that I wasn¡¯t actually shorter, but was just bending my knees. This would also lower the chances of anyone recognizing me during the contest.


    As long as the organizers kept my identity secret, there was nothing to worry about.


    It felt like I was conceding defeat by preparing for the possibility of being caught, but I had no choice. It was easier to adjust my body to fit the clothes rather than finding clothes that fit my body.


    Eleris was just about to head back to the boutique when I stopped her.


    ¡°Also, um... the sleeves should be long too,¡± I said.


    It would be weird to leave my arms exposed.


    Elerise nodded, her lips trembling again.


    ¡°Ah, yes... Your Highness.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it. Damn it, really.¡¯</i>


    I hated myself for seriously considering how to cross-dress properly.


    <i>¡®But... I have to win...¡¯</i>


    If I wanted to win, I had no choice. If I ended up in second ce, I would seriously feel like killing myself.


    While waiting for Eleris to return with the dress, I stared nkly at the ceiling with my mouth agape.


    <i>¡®What should I do during my self-promotion time?</i>


    <i>¡®... Someone, please, just kill me.¡¯</i>


    ***


    In the end, I spent the entire Sunday preparing for the cross-dressing contest.


    I should have been focusing on the tournament finals, which were beginning the next day.


    Why did it feel like the cross-dressing contest was the more important issue?


    Eleris brought back collections from various boutiques in catalog form, and I went through them. The design of the dress was important, but the key was that the sleeves and skirt had to be wide.


    I chose a dress with a hoop skirt in the style of a wedding dress, and Eleris purchased the dress and brought it back in a garment bag.


    It was a series of humiliations, but I couldn¡¯t afford to do it half-heartedly.


    As I said before, if I wasn¡¯t properly prepared and ended up cing highly without winning, it would all be meaningless.


    If I didn¡¯t win, this ridiculous effort would be for nothing.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was in the process of trying on the dress that Eleris had brought. The top priority was to make sure it fit.


    I needed to be able to put it on by myself. There I stood, wearing the dress that Eleris had brought.


    I hadn¡¯t changed my facial features yet. I had only adjusted my height to match the length of the dress and changed my hair. To ensure no one would recognize me, I altered the color of my hair from its usual blonde to silver. A drastic change in hair color would significantly alter my appearance.


    Eleris looked at me with a lukewarm expression.


    ¡°Hey... Say something, will you?¡±


    <i>¡®If it looks terrible, say it looks terrible! If it looks weird, say it looks weird! Don¡¯t just stare at me like that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I just... can¡¯t understand why Your Highness has to do this...¡±


    Eleris¡¯s lips quivered as if she was genuinely troubled.


    Although there was no Demon Realm, the supreme ruler of the Demon Realm was now having his cross-dressing appearance inspected by his subordinate. It would be strange if she <i>didn¡¯t</i> have a mental breakdown.


    ¡°Still... strangely enough... it suits you well.¡±


    Even though it felt bizarre to me, Eleris did not find it overly awkward or strange.


    <i>¡®Damn it! Don¡¯t look at me so proudly!¡¯</i>


    ¡°The important thing is this: can you recognize me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, the hair color has changed, but the impression I get of you hasn¡¯t changed much...¡±


    Of course, it hadn¡¯t. The foundation was still the same, and I hadn¡¯t put on any makeup, so it was obvious it was me.


    ¡°Do you want a mirror?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to see myself.


    I really didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Show me...¡±


    But I had to see it.


    Eleris summoned a reflective barrier in the air, and I could see my reflection in it.


    A grim-faced Reinhart (with silver hair, wearing a dress) stared back at me, looking as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.


    I felt nauseous. I felt dizzy.


    Why... Why was I doing this?


    <i>¡®Is this my karma?¡¯</i>


    All this seemed to have begun when I first used Sarkegar¡¯s ring to transform into a girl and trick Connor Lint into confessing to me. The candy vendor hadn¡¯t thought of that possibility at all, but I had shown it to him. This really was all my fault. My karma wasing back to bite me.


    Regrettably, since I had made Reinhart appear somewhat good-looking, it didn¡¯t look too strange.


    However, there was a problem.


    Even from a distance, anyone who knew me would recognize me up close.


    Hence, the next step was necessary.


    ¡°Um... Your Highness. Shall we... begin?¡±


    Eleris carefullyid out the makeup kit she had brought in front of me.


    Eleris knew nothing about makeup prior to this, since she had no reason to learn.


    So, while going around looking for dresses, she had quickly learned how to apply makeup.


    I didn¡¯t know how much she had learned in that short time, but I didn¡¯t need to worry. Eleris was Eleris. She would probably do well.


    The problem was that she would be applying makeup not on her own face, but on mine.


    I took off the ufortable dress and plopped down into a chair. I had tried on the dress, so I didn¡¯t need to wear it again until the cross-dressing contest.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    It felt like I was walking to the gallows.


    ***


    If I were entering the Miss Temple contest, the situation would be easier. I could just change my appearance entirely, which might actually be more straightforward.


    However, this was a cross-dressing contest that I had entered under Reinhart¡¯s name. I had to maintain Reinhart¡¯s appearance while turning myself into apletely different person. The organizers would keep my identity secret, but they would still know who I was. If I showed up looking entirely different, it would raise suspicions.


    First, I changed the length and color of my hair. I could pass that off as a wig.


    Second, makeup. Heavy makeup could make me look like apletely different person.


    Surprisingly, despite never having used makeup in her long life and only just learning how to apply it in such a short time, Eleris seemed to be doing an excellent job. Her delicate touch was extraordinary. Even if she hadn¡¯t done it herself, she must have seen it done many times.


    I sat there, dying bit by bit inside, as I let Eleris work on my face.


    There was one key issue¡ªEleris couldn¡¯t enter the Temple.


    That left me with two options. Either I learned how to apply makeup from Eleris, or I came to her on the day of the contest to get my makeup done before returning to the Temple.


    Both options were terrible.


    ¡°...¡±


    Both Eleris and I looked as though we were slowly losing the will to live.


    Eleris¡¯s eyes darted around and she seemed to be wondering what on earth she was doing, but she continued to apply makeup on my face. As for me, there was nothing to be said.


    However, as time went on, Eleris¡¯s expression became increasingly bizarre.


    She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing.


    ¡°... Why do you look so uneasy?¡±


    Eleris¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Well... um... it¡¯s just that... It suits you too well....¡±


    ¡°... Mirror.¡±


    Eleris summoned the reflective barrier in the air again so that I could see my almost fully made-up face.


    ¡°... Damn it.¡±


    Even I had to admit it.


    The makeup looked too good.


    Eleris had done an exceptionally good job for her first try, but the face she was applying the makeup on was already good-looking, so it would look good no matter what.


    Still, Reinhart¡¯s face wasn¡¯t even my real face. It was just a character I could customize.


    I could change my face as much as I wanted.


    I barely remembered what my original face, Baalier¡¯s face, looked like. Of course, that face had also been decent, but having spent so much time as Reinhart, this face felt more like mine.


    Anyway, my cross-dressing mode had been activated, and it looked annoyingly good, which made it even more frustrating.


    However, there was another obvious problem.


    ¡°... No matter how you look at it, it still looks like my face,¡± I said.


    ¡°It does... indeed.¡±


    Reinhart¡¯s face was distinctive, not because I intentionally made it that way, but because it had be so over time. My made-up appearance was the living embodiment of the answer to the question, ¡°What if Reinhart were born a woman?¡±


    Even if someone didn¡¯t recognize me immediately, anyone who knew me would inevitably think,<i> ¡®Isn¡¯t that Reinhart¡¯s sister? Does Reinhart have a sister?¡¯</i> I could already imagine Connor Lint asking me to introduce him to my ¡°sister.¡±


    <i>¡®This is the worst...¡¯</i>


    There were limits to what makeup could do. While it did a usible job, it didn¡¯t quite conceal my identity well enough.


    Now, onto the third step.


    ¡°First, I need to do something about these damn eyes.¡±


    I began the delicate process of making minor facial adjustments using Sarkegar''s ring. I softened the harsh look in my eyes, made my jawline a bit thinner, andyered on subtle, incremental changes that wouldn¡¯t be too noticeable but would make a difference.


    I had to set aside any feelings of self-loathing for now.


    <i>¡®Focus solely on the ultimate goal.¡¯</i>


    I had to win.


    No matter what it took, I had to win!


    It took ages to finish the fine-tuning while looking in the mirror. I memorized this new look just as I had memorized Reinhart¡¯s appearance, as though saving a preset.


    By the time I finished all the adjustments, my eyes felt like they were going to fall out.


    ¡°... Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Now, you just look like a girl... I think... No, I¡¯ll stop now.¡±


    Eleris, seeing that her praise was making me feel even worse, stopped mid-sentence.


    Indeed. I hadn¡¯t made any major changes, but with makeup and the all-purpose cosmetic tool that was Sarkegar''s ring, it would be strange if this face of mine <i>didn¡¯t</i> resemble a girl¡¯s...


    Such bizarre and crazy things were possible thanks to the all-purpose cosmetic tool that was Sarkegar''s ring.


    ¡°But... No matter how you look at it, I still just look like Reinhart¡¯s younger sister or older sister...¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true...¡±


    Since I couldn¡¯t do any major changes, small changes to hair color and facial features would only make the resulting appearance a derivative of Reinhart¡¯s.


    I couldn¡¯tpletely overhaul everything.


    As things stood, if someone who knew me was at the contest, they would inevitably deduce that I was perhaps rted to Reinhart, and since it was a cross-dressing contest, they would eventually realize it was me.


    It was hell. Eleris hesitated before finally speaking up.


    ¡°Your Highness... I think I know what the problem is...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Eleris pointed to my face in the mirror. ¡°Your expression. It¡¯s your expression.¡±


    The expression on my face in the mirror...


    I looked as though I was dying, and it was obvious that I was under a lot of stress. The sense of being on the verge of exploding from irritation was almost tangible.


    She was right... This was Reinhart¡¯s default expression.


    That perpetually annoyed look... My eyes weren¡¯t inherently harsh; it was that I always wore an expression that made them look harsh.


    Thanks to the added stress of these preparations, my perpetually-annoyed expression was ten times worse than usual.


    At that moment, I looked ten times more like Reinhart than usual.


    ¡°Maybe you could... try smiling a bit...?¡± Eleris suggested.


    ¡°... I¡¯m really not in the mood to smile...¡±


    <i>¡®After going through all this, what¡¯s stopping me from smiling in the mirror?¡¯</i> I thought to myself.


    I tried to force a smile, but it didn¡¯te easily. My lips quivered as I tried to lift their corners into a smile.


    Forcing a smile was harder than I thought.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Practicing smiling in front of a mirror... Am I preparing to be a news anchor?¡¯</i>


    ¡°A bit more cheerfully...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying...¡±


    My mood was in the gutter, but I had to put on a cheerful smile.


    It was pure torture.


    Eleris¡¯s point about my expression was correct.


    ¡°Indeed... it seems to be working.¡±


    As I got more used to it, I could see it too.


    Just changing my expression made me look like apletely different person from the perpetually-annoyed Reinhart.


    It didn¡¯t even remind me of him.


    All it took was changing my usual expression to a more cheerful one.


    I practiced smiling in Eleris¡¯s basement room for what felt like an eternity, until night fell.


    Finally...


    ¡°I think... it¡¯s perfect now, Your Highness. You look like apletely different person.¡±


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    Despite feeling mentally shattered, I saw a face in the mirror that was smiling so brightly that it was almost nauseating.


    Even I had to admit it.


    That didn¡¯t look like Reinhart at all.


    With that, all preparations for the cross-dressing contest wereplete.


    <i>¡®So this is what it feels like to have bile rise in your throat. Terrible, bitter bile.¡¯</i>


    That night, I almost cried in my sleep.


    No... I actually did, just a little.

 Chapter 287

    <h4>Chapter 287</h4>


    In the outskirts of the provincial city of Saint-Ouen in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, Adriana was gradually readjusting to life in the monastery.


    A calm and peaceful life, like the turning of a wheel. The noise that characterized daily life at the Temple seemed like a distant memory. Adriana¡¯s days were now quiet.


    ¡°Sister, the Mother Superior is calling for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡±


    Adriana left the prayer room and walked slowly down the silent corridor.


    There was no reason to hurry in this ce.


    Everything was calm and serene.


    It couldn¡¯t be called a joyful ce, but Adriana was slowly readjusting to it and finding satisfaction in it.


    asionally, faces from her past woulde to mind, but she had left all that behind.


    She had to forget all of it.


    Standing in front of the Mother Superior¡¯s office, Adriana smoothed out her clothes.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s Adriana. I was told you called for me...¡±


    ¡ªCome in.


    Mother Superior Melia had cared for her since she had been very young, and was practically like her own mother. Although someone else had held the position of Mother Superior when Adriana was very young, Melia took over after the previous Mother Superior had passed away.


    Melia had been saddened by Adriana¡¯s return from the Temple. She had sent Adriana there, hoping she would share her talents with more people.


    Ultimately, though, Adriana chose to return, and while the Mother Superior was saddened by her decision, she did not reproach her for it.


    Mother Superior Melia, the head of the Art-Ouen Monastery, sat in her study, a ce devoid of decorations and filled with books, looking at Adriana with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Adriana sat on a wooden chair across the wooden desk at which Melia was sitting. The room was marked by its simplicity, devoid of any opulence.


    If there was anything of value here, it would be the books. The Art-Ouen Monastery was not an easy ce for thieves to break into, but if they did, they might be moved to leave their own belongings behind instead.


    Mother Superior Melia, overseer of this austere house of faith, looked at Adriana with a soft smile.


    ¡°How is life in the monastery, Adriana?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good, Mother Superior.¡±


    ¡°Has it been difficult to adjust?¡±


    ¡°No, everyone has been treating me well, just like before...¡±


    Everyone had been paying a lot of attention to Adriana since her return from the Temple, and she had no issues getting along with people. The Mother Superior also regrly called her in for conversations to ensure she was adjusting well.


    ¡°Do you regret leaving the Temple? If you¡¯ve changed your mind, I can still talk to them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mother Superior.¡±


    Though she never did so forcefully, Melia asionally asked if Adriana wanted to return to the Temple, and Adriana¡¯s answer was always the same.


    She did not want to experience any more confusion. She believed that spending her remaining days in this peaceful and tranquil ce was the best thing for her.


    ¡°I see... So you¡¯re still firm on this, Adriana.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Adriana had no desire to return to the Temple.


    Perhaps it was a lie to say she had no desire at all, but for the moment, she was content. Melia stood up, cing her hands on the table.


    ¡°Shall we take a walk together? It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother Superior.¡±


    Adriana always felt good speaking with the Mother Superior, so she stood up without hesitation.


    Melia did not lead her for a walk inside the monastery, but led her outside.


    There was little else besides the Art-Oun Monastery on the outskirts of Elsion, a provincial hub city in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen. The monastery was surrounded by open fields, covered in dry grass being blown about by the winter winds.


    Melia ced her hand on Adriana¡¯s shoulder and a gentle white light enveloped Adriana, providing warmth.


    ¡°The wind is cold,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, Mother Superior.¡±


    The pair of them walked through the winter-chilled fields, wrapped not in coats but in the warmth derived from Divine Power.


    ¡°Adriana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother Superior?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a year since the Demon King was defeated.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, it has.¡±


    Humanity¡¯s long-awaited goal had been achieved, and these were the days that followed the end of a great saga.


    The Demon Realm, which had posed a threat to humanity for so long, had copsed, and the Demon King had been defeated by their hero. Humanity had achieved the victory it had longed for.


    Adriana didn¡¯t quite understand why the Mother Superior was bringing this up now. However, Melia always started with such stories before giving advice that was helpful to Adriana, so she kept quiet as she walked beside her.


    ¡°The Demon King has fallen, and the demons who served the Demon God have all disappeared. Humanity¡¯s wish has been fulfilled, and so have the wishes of us believers, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The demons who served the Demon Gods... If the enemies of humanity were the demons, then the enemies of those who believed in the Five Great Gods were the forces of the Demon God.


    Now that the demons who believed in the Demon Gods had been defeated, the humans who followed the Demon Gods would also perish. This was also a victory for the followers of the Five Great Gods, and Adriana had no objections to this.


    ¡°However, I believe this victory is also a crisis.¡±


    Adriana tilted her head in confusion. ¡°A crisis...?¡±


    Melia gazed deeply across the winter fields.


    ¡°The empire has begun to fear the power of the Church of the Five Great Gods.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°To achieve the will of the gods, the Order of the Holy Knights gathered to perform their sacred duty, but the empire sees the seeds of rebellion in them. How unfaithful and disgraceful.¡±


    Adriana had never heard Melia speak like this before.


    ¡°The empire needed the power of the Church of the Five Great Gods to win the war against the Demon Realm, but now that the hunt is over, they seek to oppress us, treating us like mere hunting dogs.¡±


    ¡°Did you say... Oppress...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The empire is increasingly encroaching on our sacred authority. They have already done so once.¡±


    Melia turned to look at Adriana. Her gaze was not the gentle and kind gaze of a mother that Adriana was used to. It was filled with anger and resentment.


    ¡°Recing the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights with someone of their choosing reveals the empire¡¯s ambitions, doesn¡¯t it, Adriana?¡±


    Adriana felt as if she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°Th-That was because the former Commander...mitted a crime...¡± she said, her voice trembling.


    ¡°Adriana, that is probably imperial propaganda.¡±


    Truth could always be twisted, and rumors had the propensity to be distorted.


    ¡°The former Commander achieved the great feat of conquering the Demon Realm. The empire, fearing that the Order of the Holy Knights might rebel, saw him as someone who had to be kept in check.¡±


    Adriana¡¯s eyes widened.


    The former Commander had been discovered attempting to torture his adopted daughter, and these crimes of his were grounds for his dismissal.


    The Mother Superior believed that the empire had fabricated evidence and falsehoods in order to rece the Commander of the powerful Order of the Holy Knights and keep them in check. Although the first half of the usation wasn¡¯t true, the empire did indeed desire to keep the power of the Order in check.


    It was easier for people to believe in rumors that were easy to digest rather than those that were credible.


    This was a rumor that appealed to the faithful, a suggestion that the empire had begun persecuting the Church of the Five Great Gods.


    But Adriana knew the truth.


    It was the truth that she and Reinhart had discovered. In reality, another ssmate of Reinhart¡¯s from the first year had uncovered the truth, but the two of them had been closely involved in the whole situation.


    The Mother Superior did not know that Adriana had been directly involved in the matter, so she believed that the recement of the Commander was a scheme by the empire.


    ¡°Moreover, since the new Commander is openly pro-empire, there¡¯s no need for further exnation, is there?¡±


    The monastery was far away from the capital.


    The dismissal and recement of the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights was perceived as religious persecution by many believers.


    Leverier Lanche was a hero of the Great War. Although his actions warranted his removal from the position of Commander, his removal inevitably sparked a bacsh among many religious followers.


    In reality, the dismissal of the Commander had not been decided by imperial authority, and couldn¡¯t have been.


    The decision had been made by the Council of the Five Great Popes, but the faithful from the various orders believed it was due to the empire¡¯s pressure.


    ¡°Adriana, while it is a virtue for the faithful to stay out of politics, when the persecution of religion begins to happen, it bes a matter we must concern ourselves with.¡±


    Mother Superior Melia, who had never spoken about politics in her life, was now talking about it because she believed the empire was persecuting the Church.


    Melia looked deeply into Adriana¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°With the elimination of the Demon Realm, the Order of the Holy Knights serves as a unified body through which the faithful of the Church of the Five Great Gods can be inmunion. The unfaithful will misunderstand and misinterpret this, believing that the Order of the Holy Knights is a threat to the empire, and will try to dismantle it.¡±


    The Order of the Holy Knights, a force united under the Church of the Five Great Gods...


    It was an unprecedented organization.


    The Order of the Holy Knights had been created to aid in the conquest of the Demon Realm, but it couldn¡¯t be disbanded just because the Demon Realm had been vanquished.


    The Order of the Holy Knights also served as a ce where members of the various sects of the Church of the Five Great Gods could gather andmune.


    If the empire tried to unterally dismantle the Order of the Holy Knights, it would lead to significant trouble.


    However, even without any overt statements by the empire, members of the religious sects like Melia already believed that religious persecution had begun.


    The war between demons and humans had begun in a simr way. Neither side intended to attack the other, but they had prepared massive armies anyway, believing that the other side would attack first.


    Thus began the Great War.


    When people start believing in non-existent violence, what would they do?


    ¡°We cannot remain idle, Adriana.¡±


    ¡°M-Mother Superior...¡±


    ¡°We must unite the power of the Church of the Five Great Gods and stand against the empire.¡±


    Naturally, they prepared for violence.


    Adriana was both terrified and puzzled by Melia¡¯s words.


    After all, the Art-Ouen Monastery was not a militant group.


    How were they supposed to unite their power? What exactly was happening, and why was she telling Adriana this? Adriana couldn¡¯t understand any of it.


    ¡°Adriana, the Nameless Monastery needs you.¡±


    The Nameless Monastery...


    Adriana had never heard of the Nameless Monastery before. Melia gently took Adriana¡¯s hand, leading her further along.


    ¡°Adriana, I fear sending you alone, but the person you are about to meet has promised to protect you as much as possible. They have assured me that there would be no danger.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Who... who am I meeting exactly...?¡±


    Adriana crossed the summit of the hill, buffeted by the billowing winter wind, and saw a carriage parked by the roadside, with a few people standing beside it.


    Though most of the faces were unfamiliar, one of them was instantly recognizable.


    At that moment, Adriana understood why the Mother Superior of the monastery in a district far from the capital of Saint-Ouen had said all those things to her.


    Melia held Adriana¡¯s hand gently. ¡°He has suffered unjustly due to the empire¡¯s schemes, and now seeks to restore his honor.¡±


    Adriana realized why Melia felt reassured that she was cing her in this person¡¯s charge.


    Since she did not know the full details, there was no reason to be afraid of entrusting her to this man.


    ¡°Are you Adriana?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Adriana¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at the cold-faced, middle-aged man.


    It was the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche.


    He was staring at Adriana silently.


    Just by looking into his eyes, she could tell. Leverier Lanche knew that Adriana was involved in the incident that had led to his dismissal.


    He hade knowing this.


    But Mother Superior Melia was unaware of this.


    ¡°She is a kind and gentle child with a strong will. Commander, please take good care of Adriana.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I know she is a fine prospect,¡± Leverier Lanche responded.


    She believed in Leverier Lanche¡¯s innocence. That was why she was handing Adriana over to him so easily. She had no qualms entrusting her to him.


    Melia, whom Adriana had trusted and followed like a mother, had, at some point, be part of an unknown, secret organization. Leverier Lanche ced a hand on Adriana¡¯s trembling shoulder.


    ¡°There is no need to be so frightened, Adriana.¡±


    Adriana couldn¡¯t even open her mouth to speak; her whole body was trembling. Leverier Lanche¡¯s cold gaze bore into her.


    ¡°Anyone would think you hadmitted a great crime.¡±


    Why was he taking her?


    What was Leverier Lanche nning?


    Adriana had no answers.

 Chapter 288

    <h4>Chapter 288</h4>


    It was Monday, and the much-anticipated Temple Festival had begun. It was a week filled with various tasks I needed to tackle.


    For the entire week, the Temple would be open to all civilians.


    Of course, most of the visitors were parentsing to see their children. Since students came from all over the continent, many parents took this opportunity to visit, while other residents of the capital simply came to enjoy the festivities.


    Even so, the safety of Temple students was the top priority. There were restricted areas, and security was significantly heightened.


    Even with the heightened security, the Temple would still be incredibly crowded. The Temple was at its most vulnerable during this festival period, when it was open to the general public.


    While there were not supposed to be any incidents during this year¡¯s festival, the festival held in the following year, just before the Gate Incident, would see parties taking advantage of this vulnerability and causing chaos.


    But that was a distant concern, and I wasn¡¯t sure if that incident would even materialize. In fact, since I had already altered the trajectory of this world significantly, incidents could theoretically ur this year as well.


    If the ck Order decided toe after me, this would be the easiest time for them. However, they still seemed to be deliberating their next move internally, as they hadn¡¯t made any moves yet.


    If they did appear, I would deal with them ordingly. I was fairly certain they wouldn¡¯t try to kill me, at least.


    Anyway, it was Monday.


    Although it was the festival period, it wasn¡¯t vacation time yet. Cliffman, Ellen, and Riana had all returned to the dormitory.


    All the Royal ss students were gathered in the main hall, as per the student council¡¯s instructions. Standing on the stairs in front of the gathered students was the student council president, Ceres van Owenne.


    ¡°The Gradias Temple Festival will be held for one week starting from today,¡± she announced formally in front of the entire student body.


    She continued, ¡°Normally, the Royal ss and Orbis ss would participate in the opening ceremony at the Great Stadium, but as you all know, due to various incidents this year, all official events for the Royal ss during the festival have been canceled.


    ¡°Therefore, in a very unusual move, the Royal ss has been granted unlimited free time during this festival period. Students who wish to participate in the tournaments or festival events may do so freely.


    ¡°Normally, I would ry various precautions for official events, but this year, you are simply to enjoy the festival. Participate in activities to ascertain your progress over the year, or take a well-deserved rest.


    ¡°While there are no precautions rting to official events, I will ry some general precautions.


    ¡°There are currently a significant number of civilians within the Temple. Theye from various backgrounds and statuses. I urge you not to provoke or engage in unnecessary conflicts with these members of the public.


    ¡°Conflicts between students and members of the public frequently ur during the Temple Festival, which can arise because of mistakesmitted by either party. If an unidentified person exerts undue pressure on you, seek assistance from nearby guards, who will respond immediately. Security has been significantly increased, so you should see Temple guards everywhere. Likewise, if you act belligerently or use force, you will also be dealt with ordingly.¡±


    In short, don¡¯t cause trouble, and don¡¯t get into trouble.


    After she finished her speech, Ceres van Owenne swept her gaze across the students.


    ¡°As the president of the Royal ss student council, I hope this festival will be a sessful end to your year.¡±


    The festival was an event to be enjoyed by all Temple students after a year of hard work. They could y and have fun, then enter the winter break with a rxed mind.


    Of course, for me, this felt less like a break after a year of hard work and more like the final hurdle that I needed to cross.


    The tournament would show me just how much my skills had improved since the beginning of the semester.


    If I won the first-year tournament, I would see how far I could go in the Open Tournament finals.


    Then there was the Miss and Mister Temple contest.


    And the damned cross-dressing contest.


    I just needed to get over this hurdle, then take a brief moment to breathe.


    ¡°Enjoy the festival. That¡¯s all.¡±


    The students broke out into a round of apuse. The festival officially began.


    Some students rushed out of the dormitory as if they had been waiting for this moment, while others, as always, showed little interest in the festival and returned to their own dormitories with indifferent expressions.


    Harriet was walking with several others as part of a group.


    They were members of the Magic Research Club.


    The first-year members of the Magic Research Club had gathered around Harriet.


    ¡ªYou guys go have fun. I¡¯m fine by myself.


    ¡ªNo, it¡¯s gonna be okay. Let¡¯s go, quick!


    ¡ªBut I¡¯m really alright...


    ¡ªThere¡¯s still a lot to improve. The final rounds areing up soon, so you¡¯re going to need to refine some things.


    Even Rudina joined in.


    ¡ªHey, freshman! Practicing again today? Not going to see the festival?


    ¡ªAh, yes... I¡¯m nning to. You can go to the festival, senior...


    ¡ªNo, no, this is more fun for me!


    ¡ªUm... well...


    It seemed the Magic Research Club was heavily supporting Harriet, who had entered the Open Tournament. She hadn¡¯t told me exactly how she¡¯d done it, but she had topped her group in the Open Tournament preliminaries and advanced to the finals.


    Honestly, even I wasn¡¯t confident of pulling off such a feat, but Harriet had done it.


    If Harriet¡¯s practical magic abilities were at that level, that meant herbat capabilities were at least on par with mine, if not higher.


    After being knocked around here and there and growing frustrated, Harriet had developed a desire to be skilled inbat, and she was seeding.


    Instead of enjoying the festival, Harriet was focusing all her efforts on preparing for the Open Tournament, and the members of the Magic Research Club were helping her with that.


    They were gelling together as a group beyond the tasks I had assigned them, which was a good thing.


    Before heading towards the Magic Research Club, Harriet made eye contact with me. It was possible that she woulde to watch me, but she would be busy with her own matters.


    She looked at me with a somewhat apologetic expression before leaving the dormitory.


    I didn¡¯t think it was a big deal, so there was no need for her to feel sorry.


    Harriet left the dormitory.


    I was at the very back of the line of ss A students, and Ellen was at the front.


    She had to have tried on a ton of outfits over the weekend and racked her brain with Riana and Cliffman to prepare for the Miss Temple contest.


    Ellen turned her head to look at me.


    She¡¯d left the Temple on Friday and only returnedtest night, so it was the first time I had seen her in a few days.


    Although she might have tried on some makeup at the Granz ducal house, she was, of course, bare-faced now, and dressed in her school uniform.


    Ellen tilted her head as I stared at her.


    <i>¡®What... should I say? Why does she... look the same as usual, but somehow prettier?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªEllen! Come to my room. The new makeup I ordered just arrived this morning.


    ¡ªOh, okay.


    Ellen looked at me for a moment before being dragged away by Riana.


    ¡ªAnd you! Do I always have to call you toe?


    ¡ªOh, uh, yeah... okay...


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t it about time you started acting on your own? Why are you so slow?


    ¡ªS-Sorry...


    Riana dragged her two charges away, Ellen in her right hand and Cliffman in her left. Even as she was being pulled along, Ellen kept looking back at me.


    Was she debating whether to watch the tournament?


    Honestly, I did not have high hopes that they woulde to watch the tournament, but seeing everyone busier than usual during the festival instead of taking the time to enjoy it made it feel less like a festival.


    It was a festival that wasn¡¯t really a festival.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    ¡°Reinhart!¡±


    Olivia suddenly jumped on me from behind and enveloped me in a hug, making me jump in shock.


    ¡°What now?!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hang out! There¡¯s so much I want to eat and do!¡±


    Olivia looked at me with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. The first-year tournament finals are today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! Then can Ie watch you?¡±


    ¡°Do as you please.¡±


    Olivia, while talking, made eye contact with Ellen, who was being dragged away by Riana.


    ¡°She¡¯s participating in Miss Temple, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes... That¡¯s what I heard.¡±


    Olivia released her arms from around me and looked back and forth between me and Ellen.


    ¡°Are you going to vote for me?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer, and Olivia pinched my cheek.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even lie, can you? You dummy,¡± she said, then ran offughing.


    ***


    It was Monday, and while numerous events, performances, and activities were happening all over the Temple, the mor and bustle of the festival couldn¡¯t feel further away for me.


    It was the day of the first-year tournament finals. The finals for each grade would be held in the same arena, which was filled with spectators.


    I was in Group A, and my match was first.


    There were a total of 32 first-year finalists.


    It would be the round of 32, the round of 16, and then the quarterfinals.


    I would have to fight in three matches that day, and the semifinals and finals were scheduled for the next day.


    I went with Ludwig and Scarlett to prepare for the first-year tournament.


    Needless to say, both Scarlett and Ludwig had made it through the preliminaries.


    Ludwig looked at the bracket and smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯re all in different groups by chance? That¡¯s lucky.¡±


    I was in Group A, Scarlett in Group B, and Ludwig in Group C. We wouldn¡¯t face each other until the group winners were decided.


    If we ended up facing each other, it would only be in the semifinals of the tournament at least.


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a coincidence?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are you saying they arranged it like this on purpose?¡± Ludwig responded.


    <i>¡®Ludwig... I¡¯m sorry for making you like this... I truly am.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Of course. If they put all the top contenders in one group, there wouldn¡¯t be anything exciting to watchter on.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see...¡±


    The organizers had deliberately arranged the bracket this way to ensure that the most exciting matches would happenter on in the tournament.


    The finalists were divided into four groups.


    Groups A, B, and C each had a Royal ss student.


    And then there was Group D.


    There was a familiar name in that group¡ªden Amorel.


    Although the Orbis ss had been disbanded, he had transferred to a general ss and was participating in the tournament. There could be other former Orbis ss students in the bracket whose names I just didn¡¯t recognize.


    While it was possible that there were others I didn¡¯t know, I confirmed that den Amorel was in Group D.


    If we each won our respective groups, one of us would eventually face den Amorel.


    For now, I did not know who it would be.


    We were heading to the arena where the tournament finals would be held. We each had a maximum of three matches that day.


    Ludwig was grinning.


    ¡°The others said they¡¯d alle to watchter. What if I get nervous?¡±


    There were two finalists from ss B, so most of them, with the exception of a few, were going to watch the tournament to see Ludwig and Scarlett in action.


    It seemed like everyone except the members of the Magic Research Club would be there.


    What about my side?


    <i>¡®Ellen and Harriet probably wouldn¡¯t be able toe...¡¯</i>


    At most, Olivia mighte. However, she seemed a little upset earlier on, so perhaps she wouldn¡¯t show up either.


    What about Charlotte? Since the ss B students would be attending, she could show up. But then, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily being to see me.


    Why did I feel a little sad about this?


    Why did I feel like the only kid whose parents did not show up for the school sports day?


    Perhaps it was because I¡¯d been living as a kid for so long that I wasn¡¯t that much different from a real child.


    ¡°Reinhart! Let¡¯s do our best!¡± Ludwig eximed.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied rather stiffly.

 Chapter 289

    <h4>Chapter 289</h4>


    The Temple was overflowing with people. Not only were there more students on the streets than usual, but the crowds that hade to enjoy the festival were also immense.


    The Temple usually had a somewhat serene and tranquil atmosphere, and it felt quite different to see it bustling with people. Therge number of people ensured that there was always some sort ofmotion going on amidst the neverending buzz of cheerful chatter.


    There were students arguing with passersby, or some high-ranking-looking outsider being dragged away by the guards shouting, ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    The ce was as chaotic as it was crowded.


    Scarlett, Ludwig, and I pushed through the throngs of people towards our destination.


    The main stadium of the Temple was an amphitheater in which important matches or events were held.


    It was ratherrge, with a seating capacity exceeding thirty thousand.


    Significant sporting events within the Temple were held there, including important tournaments like the one today.


    Naturally, there were broadcast screens prepared for the spectators.


    The semifinals and finals of each grade-level tournament would be held here, and the finals of the Open Tournament would also take ce at that venue.


    Members of sports-rted clubs used it often, but I personally had no connection to it until this tournament.


    The Royal ss students who wereing to watch the tournament would arriveter, but since we were participants, we arrived early.


    ¡°Wow... There are really a lot of people,¡± Ludwig muttered in a daze as he looked at the crowd gathered at the entrance of the stadium to watch the tournament.


    ¡°This tournament is one of the main events of the festival, after all,¡± Scarlettmented.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Scarlett. Does that mean the peopleing to see us won¡¯t have any seats?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ludwig. The Royal ss will be able to enter all these events as extra capacity.¡±


    Scarlett seemed to have already looked into various details and knew quite a lot. The privileges that the Royal ss had within the Temple were unending.


    ¡°Oh, I see. But what does extra capacity mean? How can anyone enter if the ce is full?¡±


    ¡°... Well, think of it as having special designated seats. Seats that are not included in the regr seating capacity, and reserved for members of the Royal ss.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I get it now.¡±


    For a brief moment, I could sense an air of exasperation from Scarlett, apanied by a one-word sentiment: <i>¡®pathetic¡¯</i>.


    <i>¡®Life is indeed unpredictable, but how did these two end up with such a rtionship?¡¯</i>


    Scarlett didn¡¯t dislike Ludwig, but it was evident that she often thought of him as a ¡°slightly... slow¡± friend, even if she did not show outright contempt.


    It was all my doing, after all...


    We headed towards the entrance for participants and not the spectator entrance for the Gradias Temple¡¯s annual tournament finals.


    ***


    Since the identities of the finalists were already known, we only needed to present our IDs and were guided straight to the participants¡¯ waiting room inside the stadium.


    Given the massive scale of the stadium, the participants¡¯ waiting room, to which spectator ess was strictly prohibited, was alsorge.


    It was equipped with convenience facilities, exercise equipment for warming up, priests for dealing with injuries, and even guards for safety.


    There were thirty-two finalists from each grade, which meant close to two hundred participants in total from all six grades. Individual rooms were prepared to amodate each participant separately.


    We were guided to the waiting rooms reserved for first-year students.


    ¡°When all the finalists have arrived, we will provide instructions and guidelines. Until then, please feel free to stay in your respective waiting rooms or in the hall. Please approach the desk if you require anything.¡±


    The three of us sat in the hall.


    Ludwig seemed impressed by the luxurious waiting rooms, which wereparable to rooms in the Royal ss dormitory, and Scarlett felt the same way.


    We noticed some students who had arrived before us each resting or preparing in their own way.


    However, most of them were alone.


    These finalists were individuals from the numerous sses within the Temple. It was almost impossible for three students from a single ss of the general cohort to all make it to the finals, unlike the Royal ss.


    Because of this, every one of them saw the others aspetitors. No matter howfortable the ce was, everyone was on edge and wary of one another.


    Most were either deep in thought, warming up, or doing some form of mental preparation.


    Even though they were only high school freshmen, this tournament had the same intensity as a national team selection.


    This tournament would determine the strongest seventeen-year-old within the Temple, and to exaggerate a bit, the strongest of their age group on the continent.


    It was impossible not to be nervous.


    Of course, Ludwig, seemingly oblivious to all this, was munching on a piece of bread he had somehow acquired.


    ¡°Reinhart! Want some bread?¡± he asked.


    Scarlett and I naturally exchanged nces.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We seemed to be thinking along simr lines.


    <i>¡®You know that¡ªNever mind.¡¯ </i>


    ¡°Sure, give me a piece.¡±


    ¡°Here! This is tasty.¡±


    In the end, I was also the type who didn¡¯t care about such things, albeit in a different way from Ludwig.


    Scarlett eventually decided to eat as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have some too.¡±


    The atmosphere changed, and the wary gazes of the surrounding students turned towards us.


    Most of them hade alone, to a ce filled with individuals who saw everyone else as enemies. Here we were, three people who seemed to know each other well, huddled together and eating bread.


    Three finalists who appeared toe from the same ce...


    There was only one possibility.


    They would inevitably realize that we were from the Royal ss.


    Wariness. Hostility. Fear.


    Numerous gazes were directed at us.


    ¡°Uh, um...¡±


    Ludwig finally seemed to notice the attention and nced around, while Scarlett quietly nibbled on her bread.


    Eventually, I got annoyed by the stares and snapped at the surrounding students.


    ¡°What are you looking at, you punks? Never seen someone eat bread before? If you¡¯re jealous, get some for yourselves. Why are you staring?¡± I demanded.


    Unfortunately, the room was filled with individuals who were at the highest level of their respective fields.


    We weren¡¯t surrounded by clumsy, bumbling idiots. The room was filled with people who not only had pride in their skills, but also had considerable self-confidence.


    In such a tense situation, there would certainly be those who would react menacingly to such provocations.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    I leaned on the sofa, watching the guy approaching me with a smile.


    <i>¡®Is he really a high school student, though?¡¯ </i>I wondered. He was about two meters tall and built like a human tank.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I was intimidated.


    I didn¡¯t know about the others, but this guy, in particr, had been ring at us with a particrly hostile look.


    ¡°I asked if you¡¯ve never seen someone eat bread before. What makes you think you can stare at us like that?¡±


    ¡°You little bastard. Just because you¡¯re from the Royal ss, you think you can look down on everyone? You must be under the delusion that you¡¯ll win just because the Orbis ss isn¡¯t here.¡±


    As the atmosphere grew tense, Ludwig stepped in.


    ¡°Ah, haha. R-Reinhart. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Calm down. Sorry about that. My friend is a bit sensitive.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The guy alternated his gaze between Ludwig and me, while I stared back at him. The human tank of a high school student opened his mouth first.


    ¡°Which group are you in for the finals?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°Group A, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m in Group A too.¡±


    The guy cracked his knuckles, looking at me as if he was going to crush me.


    ¡°What¡¯s so perfect about that?¡± I said as I chuckled at his disy. ¡°It¡¯s really unfortunate for you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand what was so perfect about getting badly beaten up.


    After the tense standoff, the nameless human tank finally backed off, and a voice came from behind me.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re still attracting trouble wherever you go.¡±


    I turned around. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t talked before. You remember my face?¡±


    Of course I did.


    We hadn¡¯t spoken, but I remembered his face. Scarlett and Ludwig, who had never seen him before, tilted their heads in confusion.


    ¡°Still, you probably don¡¯t know my name. I¡¯m den Amorel.¡±


    He extended his hand to me. There was no hostility in his gesture.


    ¡°Oh, uh... Long time no see.¡±


    I felt a bit sorry for him since he had lost his special ss privileges because of themotion I had caused.


    ***


    den Amorel sat on the sofa opposite me.


    ¡°I was a first-year in the Orbis ss, which no longer exists.¡±


    Scarlett and Ludwig nodded in realization as they understood why we were familiar with each other.


    den Amorel didn¡¯t seem to harbor any other feelings towards me. In reality, Lilka Aaron¡¯s decision to blow the whistle hadn¡¯t been a lone-wolf action; it had been agreed upon by the entire first-year cohort of the Orbis ss.


    I originally set him up with a cold personality, but the fact that he approached me first and offered a handshake meant that something had changed in him during that time.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly had changed, though.


    ¡°I figured you would participate in the tournament.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin it well, but I just had that feeling.¡±


    He epted the bread offered to him by the ever-friendly Ludwig and began to munch on it himself.


    ¡°The first-year students... Have they all gone their separate ways, then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But since we¡¯re all still within the Temple, it¡¯s not impossible to meet up if we try.¡±


    The first-year students of the Orbis ss had been dispersed into various sses within the general cohort. However, den Amorel seemed to have taken the initiative to create a club through the head student council, providing a ce for the former Orbis ss first-year students to meet. Club gatherings transcended ss boundaries.


    Since they had gone through hardships together, their bonds couldn¡¯t be easily severed.


    Without me even asking, den mentioned that Lilka Aaron was doing well. He joked that he was experiencing ate growth spurt and felt like he was growing a bit taller recently, though in reality, he wasn¡¯t growing at all.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m kind of relieved it turned out this way. It was too... hellish.¡±


    Though the Orbis ss had been dissolved, it seemed they were doing well. Somehow, that brought me a strange sense offort.


    Despite all the problems I had caused, which sparked several incidents that led to numerous changes, at least some of the changes were positive.


    den Amorel was in Group D.


    The four of us sitting there were the strongest contenders for the championship.


    Though it wasn¡¯t our first time meeting, it was our first conversation.


    But it was clear that he held some goodwill towards me.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t n on losing, Reinhart.¡±


    That was that, and the tournament was the tournament.


    Both he and we understood that.


    ***


    ¡°The main stadium of the Temple is equipped with powerful protective and barrier magic. Therefore, special actions can be taken.


    ¡°All of you participating in the tournament finals will be under strong protective magic.


    ¡°The matches you will be participating in from now on will not be in the form of practice duels. If you are in a situation where you might receive a fatal injury, powerful protective and summoning magic will activate, transporting you to a safe location. Of course, you will be considered defeated.


    ¡°In short, even if you go all out, your opponent will not be severely injured or killed. Therefore, the Gradias Temple Tournament can create abat situation that is as close as possible to reality, and that draws out each participant¡¯s full abilities.


    ¡°To put it simply, think of this as a real battle, and use every means at your disposal to win. There are no rules against foul y.


    ¡°Of course, minor injuries or broken limbs can ur. However, any injuries that can be treated afterward will not result in a defeat. Remember, getting hit once doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll lose.¡±


    The thirty-two first-year finalists sat in the waiting room, listening quietly to the tournament organizersy out the ground rules.


    This was different from the countless practice duels I had with Ellen.


    Even if we attacked with the intent to kill, the protective spells and barriers in the stadium that were in ce ensured maximum safety for the participants.


    This allowed us to fight with our full strength. It served both to provide a spectacle and to showcase each participant¡¯sbat abilities to their fullest extent.


    After all, this tournament was supposed to be a spectacle.


    It was about disying the most extreme level ofbat and showing off the kind of monsters the empire was nurturing.


    Tension was written on every participant¡¯s expression, and even Ludwig, who had been rxed until now, had a serious look on his face, now that he realized the tournament finals were imminent.


    ¡°If that is all, please rest in your individual rooms or the hall, and prepare yourself when you are called.¡±


    It was the start of the tournament¡¯s Round of 32.


    The group winners who would proceed to the finals would be determined that day.


    ¡°Group A, first match. Royal ss first-year A-11, Reinhart. Dalon ss first-year C-2, Lageres. Please prepare.¡±


    I was set to participate in the very first match of the grade-level tournament, or rather, the first match of all the festival tournaments that would follow.


    ***


    It was often said that fires and fights were the best spectacles to watch.


    The Temple¡¯s main stadium had thirty thousand seats.


    I thought I wasn¡¯t going to be nervous, but when I saw it filled to the brim, I realized I was wrong.


    No way. Wasn¡¯t it just a bunch of kids fighting? Even though it was a packed schedule, and the first- to sixth-grade tournaments would run continuously into the night, was there really a need for such arge crowd? Some people couldn¡¯t even find seats, and had to stand to watch.


    Was this really that entertaining?


    It finally hit me that no matter how advanced this world was, itcked TV, smartphones, the inte, and other mass media.


    In a world where such forms of dramatic stimtion was rare, watching the empire¡¯s nurtured talents engage in sword fights, even if they were just kids, was quite a significant attraction by this world¡¯s standards.


    Therge screens installed throughout the Temple¡¯s main stadium alternated between showing my face and that of my opponent.


    <i>¡ªOoooh...</i>


    A strange murmur of admiration arose from the audience when my face appeared on the screen.


    It felt... weird.


    I tried to see if I could spot any familiar faces among the thousands of people in the audience, but there were too many faces to recognize anyone.


    Everyone was watching me.


    I felt odd, trying to find someone who might havee to see me.


    <i>¡®They probably wouldn¡¯t be here since everyone is busy.¡¯</i>


    But strangely enough...


    In the midst of tens of thousands of people, where I shouldn¡¯t have been able to find anyone...


    I saw a quiet girl with ck hair in the distance.


    It was Ellen.


    Ellen was watching me.


    Next to her were Riana, Cliffman, and Harriet.


    Even Olivia Lanche, who surely had a terrible rtionship with them, was there.


    ¡ªOur Reinhart is the best! He¡¯s so handsome! Kyaaaa!


    Next to them were the students from ss B.


    Charlotte was watching me with a quiet smile. She didn¡¯t say anything, but I could tell she was cheering for me.


    And of course, for security reasons, Sabioleen Tana was sitting beside her. She was watching me with her arms crossed.


    Seeing that, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡ªYou got this.


    I could see Ellen¡¯s small mouth forming the words.


    ¡ªW-W... Win! Win it!


    Harriet, despite stuttering, cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered me on loudly. It wasn¡¯t just Harriet¡ªeven the members of the Magic Research Club, including Rudina, were all there.


    ¡ªGo for it, Reinhart!


    I thought everyone would be too busy toe, but they were all present.


    Ellen and Olivia, who shared a notoriously bad rtionship, were sitting next to each other, trying to keep as much distance between themselves as possible even though they were in adjacent seats.


    Everyone had gathered.


    ¡ªWhoo...!


    In my hand was not a training sword, but a real one. I had chosen a longsword with the same weight and bnce as the one I had used in the Dark Land.


    My opponent was also armed with a longsword.


    ¡ªAnd now, the much-anticipated Gradias Temple Festival. First-year, Group A! First match! Let¡¯s begin!


    ¡ªYeaaaah!


    A thunderous cheer rose up to meet the stadium announcer¡¯s cry.


    <i>¡®Alright. Since it¡¯s the first match, I should show them something interesting. Sorry, friend.¡¯</i>


    This was for my friends, who hade all the way to watch me despite being busy with their own lives.


    I had to show them what I had been doing for the past year.


    I believed in myself.


    I activated Mana Reinforcement.


    <i>Kroooom!</i>


    With an explosive surge of power, blue mes erupted from my body. The cheers grew even louder, and I could see my opponent growing increasingly intimidated.


    I activated Haste (ѸËÙ), Single Strike (Òݸñ), and Harden (Ó²»¯), as well as Self-Deception and Mana Reinforcement,bining them all into a single move.


    ¡°I will win.¡±


    To that, I also added the power of Incantation.


    I took a step forward. And with that one step...


    <i>Boom!</i>


    In the blink of an eye, I was already right in front of my opponent.


    Victory... I desired nothing else but that.


    ***


    ¡ª<i>Waaaaaah!</i>


    ¡°I wonder if it was really necessary toe and watch,¡± Harriet muttered, sounding displeased.


    The third match of Group D of the first-year tournament had just ended. Reinhart¡¯s match, which they hade all the way to see, had ended in literally less than five seconds.


    There was still a lot of time before Reinhart¡¯s next match. After the first-year group matches, the second-year group matches would begin.


    Although it wasn¡¯t necessary to watch all the Round of 32 matches for every grade, it seemed like all of Reinhart¡¯s matches would end in a sh, just like the first one.


    The spectators were overwhelmed by Reinhart¡¯s performance, but they were also left a bit dumbfounded.


    <i>¡®Who is this guy?¡¯</i> was the stunned reaction from most of the spectators.


    It was overwhelming, but also a bit anticlimactic.


    In terms of entertainment, the fight that had just ended, despite being clumsy and full of desperation, had been more fun to watch.


    So, although all of them hade to watch Reinhart, there wouldn¡¯t be much of him to see.


    Ellen and Harriet had their ownmitments as well, but they had decided to head down in the end after much debate.


    Olivia, whom they had encountered on the way, reluctantly sat next to them, despite showing clear signs of displeasure.


    The reason for that was simple.


    <i>¡®If I sit with these guys, Reinhart will find us easily,¡¯ </i>or so she believed.


    If she sat alone in the crowd, Reinhart might not find her. But if she sat with his friends, Reinhart would spot them¡ªand her¡ªeasily. And indeed, Reinhart had found them precisely.


    When Reinhart won his first match with overwhelming ease, Olivia, while everyone else had been in a daze, screamed, ¡°Take me! Take me with you Reinhart!!!¡± causing everyone around to stare at her in disbelief.


    Reinhart¡¯s next match would start after all the Round of 32 matches werepleted.


    Harriet quietly observed Ellen. She had thought Ellen might participate in the Open Tournament, but Ellen had unexpectedly entered the Miss Temple contest instead.


    ¡°Ugh... When will it be Reinhart¡¯s turn again? I didn¡¯te to watch these weaklings fight... Hey, when is Reinhart up next? Check the match schedule.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you check it yourself, senior?¡±


    ¡°When a senior asks, you should do it!¡±


    ¡°... Reinhart doesn¡¯t like people who talk like that. Oh, you didn¡¯t know that, did you?¡±


    ¡°You... Ugh. Forget it. I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±


    Olivia Lanche acted like an angel only in front of Reinhart, as though she could give him everything, but treated everyone close to Reinhart harshly.


    This was the Saintess of Eredian, whose personality was bing increasingly twisted and crooked.


    Ellen and Harriet, though participating in different contests, both wanted to beat her.


    Could they win, though?


    Despite their worries, Olivia Lanche acted as if they didn¡¯t exist, or rather, she seemed to deliberately ignore and provoke them.


    ¡°Yawn. This is so boring! Bring our Reinhart out!¡± Olivia yelled, causing a scene.


    ¡°Can you please just shut up?¡± Ellen said, ring at her with a frown.


    ¡°What did you say? Do you want to go out there and go one round with me right now? People would love it.¡±


    ¡°Why not do it right here and now?¡±


    ¡°Want to have a go? Should I show you?¡±


    ¡°Stop mimicking Reinhart; it¡¯s annoying.¡±


    Even Ellen¡¯s personality seemed to change when she encountered Olivia.


    Ellen and Olivia Lanche...


    If those two stormed into the arena, no match afterward could hope to capture the audience¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Both of you, please stop...¡± Harriet muttered.


    Just watching the two of them made Harriet feel dizzy.

 Chapter 290

    <h4>Chapter 290</h4>


    All the Round of 32 matches for the first-year students had concluded, and it was time for the Round of 16 to begin. A total of eight matches were scheduled to take ce.


    Naturally, Reinhart¡¯s match was the first match of the Round of 16.


    ¡°Reinhart! Go for it!¡± Olivia screamed excitedly.


    The announcer¡¯s voice boomed across the stadium.


    ¡ªThe Round of 16 matches will be conducted in a best-of-three format.


    The announcer also added that the quarterfinals, which would conclude this group stage, would follow a best-of-five format.


    In the Round of 32, Reinhart had made eye contact with those who hade to support him in the audience, but this time, he did not look their way at all.


    He could have nced at them at least once, Harriet thought.


    ¡°... Wait a minute.¡± Olivia¡¯s excited expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡±


    Ellen sensed it as well. Both Ellen and Olivia had noticed something that the other spectators hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°Something seems... off about Reinhart¡¯s condition,¡± Olivia muttered, her expression growing more serious.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Both Ellen and Olivia instinctively knew that something was wrong with Reinhart.


    Meanwhile, on the other end of their row where the B-ss students were gathered, Sabioleen Tana was watching Reinhart with her arms crossed.


    She, just like Olivia and Ellen, knew that there was an issue with Reinhart.


    Of course, she could recognize the issue more precisely than the other two.


    ¡°Reinhart isn¡¯t ustomed to Mana Reinforcement,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    Charlotte was somewhat aware of this as well.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true...?¡±


    ¡°When you use an unfamiliar power, you inevitably reach your limits.¡±


    ¡°Limits?¡±


    Reinhart had always seeded in drawing out new powers in crisis situations. This time, though, the circumstances were different.


    This wasn¡¯t a real battle; it was a tournament in which he had to fight several rounds in session.


    The more he tapped into this unfamiliar power of Mana Reinforcement, the more his condition would decline.


    ¡°Reinhart is vulnerable to having to fight consecutive battles.¡±


    If he used Mana Reinforcement, his condition would worsen with each fight.


    Not all the Royal ss students there were cheering for Reinhart.


    However, many of them were somewhat confident in Reinhart¡¯s victory.


    Ludwig and Scarlett were also formidable, but Reinhart could use Mana Reinforcement.


    Now, though, they realized that Mana Reinforcement could ultimately be a hindrance for him.


    Charlotte looked at Reinhart, who had a tense expression, with concern.


    ¡°Does this mean he has to win... without using Mana Reinforcement?¡±


    ¡°That would be the best approach... but even if he manages to do so today, what about tomorrow?¡±


    Unfamiliar power always came with a price.


    ¡ªAnd now, the first match of the Round of 16 in the Gradias Temple Tournament will begin!


    With that, the first match of the Round of 16 began.


    ***


    My Round of 16 match ended in a 2-0 victory in my favor.


    I was not in danger at all, although trying not to use Mana Reinforcement in the first bout led to a few risky situations. My opponent was from one of the general sses, but he wasn¡¯t someone to be underestimated. Ultimately, I prepared myself to use Mana Reinforcement again in the second bout.


    Just because someone didn¡¯t get into the Orbis ss did not mean they couldn¡¯t surpass the Orbis ss students after a year of rigorous training.


    I tried to rely solely on Self-Deception, but it did not work out as well as I had hoped.


    Thankfully, I managed to win the best-of-three match by winning the second bout without using Mana Reinforcement.


    When I returned to the waiting room, Ludwig and Scarlett were there to greet me.


    The waiting room had its own internal viewing area, and they had been watching my match from there.


    ¡°That was impressive, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    Mana Reinforcement... I was acutely aware that it was a double-edged sword.


    I had only used it twice before. Although I had seeded in using it for the third time, I had to pay the price for wielding an unfamiliar power.


    I didn¡¯t pass out, but my entire body felt sluggish, like a waterlogged sponge. My condition had deteriorated, and I felt heavy.


    Moreover, I didn¡¯t have enough time to fully recover before the next match.


    Even if I received healing from the priests on standby, it wouldn¡¯t remedy my condition.


    The Round of 16 wasn¡¯t a problem.


    But the uing Group A finals, the quarterfinals, would be a best-of-five match, and the semifinals the following day would also be a best-of-five.


    I wasn¡¯t confident I could easily defeat opponents like den Amorel, Ludwig, or Scarlett without using Mana Reinforcement.


    If I did not recover by the next day, or if I exhausted myself too much in the semifinals... I might not win the championship.


    I had mistakenly believed that I was fully able to utilize Mana Reinforcement.


    I sat quietly in the VIP viewing area in the participants¡¯ waiting room, watching the next match of the Round of 16.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The guy who looked like a bear or a human tank... He was aggressively pushing his opponent back.


    Mana Reinforcement was a power that dramatically enhanced physical abilities.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡ªRichard Haulman from the Irason ss wins the first bout!


    That guy who looked like he could crush his opponent with sheer force took the first bout.


    Just by looking at him, it was clear that his strength alone would overwhelm me. He was literally built like a human tank.


    That guy would be my final opponent of the day. Given how I felt, it was a bad match-up for me.


    <i>¡®Can I defeat someone like him without using Mana Reinforcement?¡¯</i>


    My fingers trembled involuntarily.


    ***


    Since it was a rule that losers had to leave the waiting room, the number of people in the room had significantly decreased.


    First-year student from Irason ss, Richard Haulman.


    The human tank I had shed with earlier won his second bout of the match as well, which meant he and I would face each other in the Group A quarterfinals.


    ¡°Lilka is in that ss,¡± den Amorel said.


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    I felt uneasy knowing that Lilka Aaron was in the same ss as that guy, even though I wasn¡¯t particrly close to her.


    ¡°He¡¯s known for being a cruel guy. He ims he didn¡¯t get into the Orbis ss because he failed the character assessment... but who knows how true that is.¡±


    His ims rting to the Orbis ss might be an exaggeration, but seeing him make it to the finals tournament proved that his skills were no bluff.


    His skills were real, and so was his rotten character.


    ¡°He¡¯s just like me.¡±


    den Amorel chuckled. ¡°Haha... Is that how it works?¡±


    Somehow, he had transformed from a stoic guy to someone who seemed rather agreeable.


    Of course, if den Amorel and Richard Haulman were to face off, the result would be a clear victory for den Amorel.


    Having watched Ludwig, Scarlett, and den fight in their own matches from this viewing area, I could tell that den was the most outstanding in terms of raw ability.


    If I didn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement, I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him. Even though my Self-Deception had reached A-rank, I wasn¡¯t sure if it would give me a definitive edge.


    Using the power of Incantation might change things, but I still didn¡¯t know how to properly harness it.


    <i>Clunk!</i>


    The door to the viewing area swung open, and the victorious Richard Haulman strode in, ring at me.


    ¡°Are you ready, Royal ss trash?¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    My chances of winning had grown uncertain.


    I knew that I wasn¡¯t fully able to utilize Mana Reinforcement yet.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Getting scared?¡± he taunted me with a sneer.


    I looked up at him, arms crossed, and grinned.


    ¡°Hey douchebag, I heard you failed the character assessment to get into the Orbis ss.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t get in, not because I couldn¡¯t, but because I chose not to.¡±


    ¡°Character assessment, my ass. Judging by your face, it seems like you failed because of your ugly mug, not your character. Am I wrong?¡±


    His face twisted in anger, and I chuckled.


    <i>¡®You see, it¡¯s more effective to insult someone over something they can¡¯t change rather than something they can.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re really fucking ugly. Do you even call that a face? Hey, get out of here. My eyes are rotting just looking at you. Go wash off that pig stench.¡±


    Insults that attack someone¡¯s very being were the most effective.


    ¡°You son of a bitch...!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, hit me. If you want to get disqualified.¡±


    I leaned in closer, watching his eyes bulge with rage. He raised his fist but didn¡¯t throw the punch. If he did, he¡¯d be disqualified.


    Iughed at Richard Haulman, his fist trembling as he restrained himself.


    ¡°They say you have a bad temper, but you¡¯re holding it in well. Maybe your character isn¡¯t the problem after all. Maybe it really is just your face.¡±


    ¡°You little...!¡±


    ¡°R-Reinhart... please, s-stop...¡±


    Eventually, Ludwig and Scarlett pulled me away. den Amorel, perhaps afraid this might escte into a serious incident, led the furious Richard Haulman out of the viewing area.


    We weren¡¯t the only ones in the viewing area. Everyone else was looking at me as if I were a mad dog.


    How dare some thug from a general-cohort ss try to mess with me?


    I had a Royal ss personality, after all.


    ¡°Reinhart, sometimes I really don¡¯t understand why you act like this,¡± Ludwig finally said. Even he, the paragon of virtue, couldn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°I¡¯m really d I¡¯m in the same ss as you, Reinhart...¡± Scarlett said with a deep sigh.


    ***


    Everything went as expected.


    Scarlett, Ludwig, and den Amorel all advanced to the finals of their respective groups without any upsets. It was time for the finals of the group stage of the first-year tournament.


    The only unexpected variable was that my condition was deteriorating with my use of Mana Reinforcement.


    Even if I won two out of the five matches in the group finals, if my condition deteriorated so badly that I copsed in the remaining three, I would be defeated.


    ¡ª<i>Waaaaaah!</i>


    The audience was in a frenzy, as only the matches between the top contenders were left.


    Of course, I still didn¡¯t understand what was so entertaining about this.


    For someone who had grown up watching billionaires in full-body armor flying around and shootingser beams from their hands, this was a rather dull spectacle.


    This world was a cultural wastnd.


    For something to be truly spectacr, it would need to be a battle between superhumans, but the skill on disy at this first-year tournament was not at that level.


    The Open Tournament would probably have more dazzling spectacles.


    Finally, it was thest duel of the day.


    I watched Richard Haulman standing at the far end of the arena. He was ring at me with eyes that seemed ready to devour me.


    Why did I keep taunting him so much?


    Honestly, part of it was just for fun, but it was also to see that expression on his face.


    If an opponent got easily worked up and lost theirposure, there was no reason not to exploit that.


    Winning without using Mana Reinforcement would be best.


    If I could create an overwhelming difference in physical strength with Mana Reinforcement, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry, but for now, I intended not to use it.


    Therefore, I had to understand the differences between myself and my opponent first, then approach the fight ordingly.


    My weapon was a longsword.


    Although a longsword was technically a two-handed sword, it was still possible to wield it with one hand. Thus, I could switch between wielding it with one hand or both hands.


    The de was about one meter in length.


    However, Richard Haulman, who stood nearly two meters tall, wielded a weaponmonly known as a Zweihander, a two-handed greatsword.


    The de length of his two-handed greatsword was about 1.8 meters¡ªalmost as tall as I was.


    His weapon surpassed mine in both reach and weight.


    Due to its excessive length, maintaining bnce while thrusting was difficult, so his weapon had a ricasso, an extended grip above the guard, allowing him to wield it more effectively. Additionally, it had a second guard of parrying hooks to protect the ricasso.


    The whole sword was constructed so that it looked like a regr sword with an extra handle and guard added to it.


    Given his physical build, it seemed likely that he could still handle that greatsword one-handed, at least to some extent.


    In terms of reach and height, he had the advantage.


    Reach and physical size alone could determine the initial advantages and disadvantages in a fight, and I had to acknowledge that. It had been the same with Lilka Aaron, who had to rely on kicks in her duel with me due to her small stature.


    In the most basic terms, my opponent had the advantage.


    But when had I ever fought a battle in which I was favored?


    Besides, a monstrous guy wielding a monstrous sword was undoubtedly weaker than any of the opponents I had faced before.


    This was just the quarterfinals.


    I had grown stronger, but I was far from perfect, and I hade to ept that.


    The penalty was that I had to fight with one of my most important powers sealed away.


    If I were to use Mana Reinforcement, it would be in the semifinals or finals. This was not the time.


    ¡ªAnd now, the Gradias Temple Tournament quarterfinals will begin! The match between Reinhart of the Royal ss and Richard Haulman of the Irason ss!


    ¡ª<i>Waaaaaah!</i>


    ¡ªGo Reinhart!


    That was Olivia¡¯s voice, her shout echoing faintly across the arena.


    And then...


    ¡ªReinhart!


    A voice I never expected to hear joined in.


    Even though the match had already started, I couldn¡¯t help but turn my head in surprise.


    Ellen was cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting.


    ¡ªWin it!


    I never expected Ellen to do that, and neither did Harriet and Riana, who were sitting next to her.


    It was just one shout. But everyone who knew Ellen understood that this was an incredibly rare sight. That was why they were all so surprised. Olivia, too, was staring at Ellen in astonishment.


    Ellen was doing something she never did, something no one expected.


    Ellen was shouting for me.


    ¡ªIf you don¡¯t win, I¡¯m gonna be angry at you!


    I was the most surprised of all.


    I wasn¡¯t using Self-Deception or anything, nor had my condition suddenly improved.


    Yet, strangely, the trembling in my hands stopped.


    Up till this moment, I had relied on Self-Deception for everything.


    Believing in myself had brought about change, and it had been the source of my growth. The power I had gained was all thanks to that belief.


    But this time, it wasn¡¯ting from that.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t my supernatural power, Revise, some other anomaly, or Mana Reinforcement.


    ¡ª<i>¡°Win it!¡±</i>


    All my trembling had stopped with that one cry from Ellen.


    Such things shouldn¡¯t have made any difference, and a single cheer shouldn¡¯t have been able to restore the physical imbnce caused by the instability of my mana circuits.


    So why? Why did I feel like everything was okay?


    ¡°Huuaaah!¡±


    Why was this happening?


    The human tank was charging at me with a terrifying momentum.


    ¡°...¡±


    The thought of losing didn¡¯t even cross my mind.

 Chapter 291

    <h4>Chapter 291</h4>


    The greatsword, the Zweihander, came crashing down towards me.


    <i>ng!</i>


    I deflected the de with my own sword, diverting its path outward. Twisting my de, I transitioned into a half-swording stance and thrust my de towards my opponent¡¯s neck.


    If he had been a clumsy opponent, it would have been the end, and my de would have found his throat.


    However, my opponent was far from clumsy. Despite his foul temper and apparent fury, his skill was undeniable.


    He angled his deflected de back up, hooking my de with the parrying hook of his Zweihander and pushing it away.


    It would be foolish to enter into a contest of strength with him and push against the weight of his weapon.


    <i>ng!</i>


    I disengaged my sword and created some distance, and Haulman quickly adjusted his stance.


    <i>ng! ng! Screech!</i>


    We exchanged several more blows. My opponent maintained his distance, using his longer reach to keep me at bay. If his attacksnded, great; if not, there was no risk to him.


    There was no reason for him not to exploit his overwhelming advantage. He was simply doing his best.


    The one with the longer reach always had the initiative, while the one with the shorter reach had to suffer the disadvantage and look to close the distance.


    That was why using a sword against spear wielders was always a nuisance. During the preliminaries, I had simply overpowered them with my physical strength rather than relying on skill.


    In this case, my opponent¡¯s weapon wasn¡¯t a spear, but the difference in reach was still significant.


    And there was another factor.


    <i>ng!</i>


    His sword was significantly heavier than mine.


    Thus, the force applied by the tip of his de was inevitably greater.


    Though a difficult weapon to handle, if mastered, the Zweihander was as effective as a blunt weapon. And he had the physicality and build to wield the Zweihander effectively.


    Richard Haulman sneered at me, favoring me with a sardonic smile. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You talked big, but now that we¡¯re fighting, you¡¯re struggling, huh?¡±


    To the onlookers, it might have seemed like I was being pushed back, and indeed, I was.


    ¡°Stop sweating like a pig and talking nonsense during a sacred duel. Wipe that sweat off, you bastard,¡± I responded.


    ¡°... Heh.¡±


    Though he was smiling, I sensed his anxiety.


    No matter how physically strong he was, his weapon was heavy.


    He had trained hard, but closebat consumed immense mental and physical energy.


    This wasn¡¯t just some exercise.


    As long as it was an actual fight, he would slowly start to suffer frombat fatigue.


    Having the initiative meant he had to keep attacking, maintaining an offensive stance.


    I, on the other hand, had no choice but to calmly retreat, remaining passive because of the difference in reach.


    <i>¡®Come on, grow tired. Show me an opening, and I¡¯ll tear you apart.¡¯</i>


    None of us were Ludwig, with infinite stamina.


    He was anxious, and I was waiting for an opening.


    If I couldn¡¯t ovee the disadvantage between our weapons, I had to exploit the penalties he would have to suffer for using his.


    <i>ng! ng! ng!</i>


    I retreated calmly, sometimes circling to the side, evading and guiding his attacks.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right, get desperate. A bit more. Get a bit more impatient.¡¯</i>


    I lured him forward, retreating and drawing out his attacks.


    He gripped his sword in a long stance, his right hand on the hilt and his left hand on the ricasso, thrusting it in reverse. Even though he held it short, the monstrous length of the two-handed sword still far exceeded the reach of my weapon.


    Such a reverse thrust typically involved a downward strike rather than a forward stab.


    The wider the gap between the hands gripping the sword, the easier it was to bnce the weight, and the stronger the force that could be applied.


    To counter his blows, I would inevitably have to strike upward. He was essentially applying force in a half-swording manner, and to counter his downward strike, I would have to lift and push in the same half-swording manner.


    However, his sword had a parrying hook, and mine did not.


    Even if I won the struggle, his parrying hook would block my de, but if I lost, his de would slice through the hand I was using to grip the middle of my de.


    The difference in our weapons rendered some choices impossible and others viable.


    The length of his grip made his reverse thrust difficult to push against or deflect due to the imbnce in power. If I clumsily let his sword sh with mine, I would be the one pushed back.


    <i>¡®His reverse thrust...¡¯</i>


    A line of thought came to me from that single move, and a swift judgment urred almost simultaneously.


    I had learnt some of what I knew in ss, but it was Ellen who truly made me understand.


    Ellen had taught me various offensive and defensive techniques that varied with different weapons.


    In this situation, countering such a downward thrust from an opponent using such a weapon while half-swording was suicidal.


    In that brief moment, it was not my mind that made the judgment, but my body.


    It was an embodied memory, or perhaps some sort of nervous reflex.


    After countless hours of training, I did not have to think in a fight. After all the practice I¡¯d been through, my body moved automatically, instinctively.


    Amidst all of my abilities, this one had been acquired through sheer effort.


    This embodied memory, forged through countless breaks, rolls, hits, and falls, was the only thing I had earned through sweat alone.


    This was not a cheat.


    From the knowledge I gained training with Ellen, the correct response to a powerful downward strike from an opponent who had a longer and heavier weapon was to evade, not to block.


    Neither me nor my opponent had wasted our time at the Temple, and so there was no reason for us to underestimate each other before this sh.


    Therefore, my opponent likely didn¡¯t expect this attack to seed either. He had to be doing his own calctions. Ultimately, this was a battle of wits as well as bodies.


    He had to assume that I would evade the downward thrust, and would have nned other follow-up attacks for that scenario.


    He would have prepared his next move so that if I dodged to the side, or if I retreated, he might respond by quickly changing his grip or trajectory of his sword to allow for another sh or thrust.


    He was making such ns in the fleeting moment as his sword descended, and I was devising ways to counter them.


    The important thing was that in such a situation, anypetent and rational person would know that evading was the correct move.


    However, I made the decision I shouldn¡¯t have.


    The decision he didn¡¯t expect me to make.


    I whipped my sword upward to meet his descending de.


    With that, I shattered all his ns.


    In a situation where his weight, reach, and physicality all surpassed mine, I had made the worst possible move.


    In a typical situation, it would have been the worst move.


    But I was not typical.


    I channeled all my strength into a single blow.


    <i>¡®Single Strike (Ò»“ô).¡¯</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    Richard Haulman looked startled.


    I was a superhuman.


    It was well within my power to achieve that which was beyond ordinary.


    With a sudden burst of explosive strength, I knocked away his greatsword and, still holding my own sword with the half-swording technique, thrust my de into his exposed chest.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Richard Haulman, eyes wide in shock, was summoned away by his recall artifact. He was unable toprehend how his sword had been deflected.


    ¡ª<i>Critical hit sessful.</i>


    ¡ªThe winner of the first bout is Reinhart!


    The first victory was mine.


    ***


    A best-of-five meant first to three wins...


    Total: 3 wins, 0 losses.


    ¡ªRoyal ss Reinhart emerges from Group A of the first-year tournament finals undefeated!


    ¡ªWaaaahhh!


    I stood still, watching as Richard Haulman was teleported back into the tournament grounds after being summoned away to avoid a fatal strike.


    He didn¡¯t know I was a superhuman.


    And since this wasn¡¯t a Shonen manga, I didn¡¯t bother exining to him that I had supernatural powers or detail how they worked.


    Therefore, he probably thought I had used some bizarre trick.


    Of course, I had been using my supernatural powers in previous duels, but I hadn¡¯t utilized this focused application of my Self-Deception skill.


    In the end, a fight could be lost in a single moment of vulnerability. I had absorbed all of his attacks, waiting for the right moment to unleash my explosive strength in an instant.


    All I needed was to exploit a brief opening.


    He had no idea what had hit him. It had to have felt like being possessed by a ghost. He assumed that he had gauged my abilities urately, only to see me suddenly exert an inexplicably powerful force.


    ¡°You... You used some trick, didn¡¯t you... that¡¯s definitely a foul...¡± Richard Haulman muttered through gritted teeth.


    I didn¡¯t bother exining it to him.


    ¡°Lack of information about your opponent is your mistake.¡±


    Even if he cried foul, there were no rules against superhumans participating, so such aint would hold no merit.


    I had already won, so I had no intention of further provoking or taunting him.


    I had achieved victory in the Group A finals.


    <i>¡®Undefeated.¡¯</i>


    I had seeded in minimizing the use of Mana Reinforcement to achieve that.


    Though my duels had been somewhat uneventful, I had continued my undefeated streak by not losing a single bout. The cheers from the audience were deafening.


    I had felt a bit nervous at the start of the day, but after experiencing the noise of the crowd a few times, being watched by countless sets of eyes ceased to feel intimidating.


    In the audience, many people were watching me.


    I was looking at those who hoped for my victory.


    I was now going on to the semifinals, and If I won, I¡¯d be going to the finals.


    Only two matches remained.


    ***


    I watched all the remaining matches.


    den Amorel, like me, finished with three wins and no losses, and did not concede a single bout.


    Ludwig emerged with three wins and two losses after a close contest.


    Scarlett won her first two bouts, then conceded one, finishing with three wins and one loss.


    In the end, despite the varying scores, the people I had expected had made it to the finals.


    The students from the special sses¡ªthe Royal ss and the Orbis ss¡ªhad made it through.


    There was a short break after the conclusion of the first-year group matches, and the audience could remain in their seats or take a break.


    In addition, the matchups for the semifinals were immediately drawn.


    I made eye contact with Scarlett.


    ¡°Oh... Reinhart,¡± she said.


    ¡°... Well, it looks like this is how things turned out.¡±


    Scarlett and I were facing off.


    ¡°Ludwig, right? Let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    den Amorel was paired against Ludwig.


    The three of them were all formidable opponents, so it didn¡¯t matter who I faced; the challenge would be the same.


    Mana Reinforcement was the key to this battle. The timing of when to use that limited power and whether I could endure its aftereffects would determine whether I won.


    The fact that the finals were the next day was a bit unsettling.


    I had thought that this week-long festival was long, but with so many events going on, those participating in them faced a tight schedule.


    The tournament finals weren¡¯t the end.


    Regardless of whether I won the finals or not, I had to participate in the cross-dressing contest on Wednesday.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Reinhart, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Scarlett asked.


    My expression suddenly soured, and Ludwig and Scarlett looked at me with concern.


    ¡°Nothing, just...¡±


    ¡°Everyone, great job today!¡± Charlotte said.


    When we left the stadium to return to the dormitory, Charlotte was there to greet us.


    Charlotte, together with all of ss B and most of ss A were there to support us. Ellen and Harriet didn¡¯t say much, but their expressions clearly showed their emotions.


    ¡°I should have participated too. I could have knocked everyone down with a zap,¡± Riana said, picking her ear and offering a frivolousment.


    It seemed like everyone was there except for Vertus.


    The hopeless trio, Heinrich, and Cliffman were also there.


    <i>¡®Wait, I saw Cliffman, but were those guys there too? Where had they been?¡¯</i>


    It seemed they had been sitting elsewhere, and I just hadn¡¯t noticed them.


    Olivia Lanche, Rudina, and Sabioleen Tana were there also, thetter having been assigned as Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart! You¡¯ve really mastered the art of beating people up now, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just say I fought well instead of putting it like that?¡±


    The tiny Rudinaughed heartily as she clung to my arm. ¡°Well, considering how much you¡¯ve been brawling around, it¡¯d be strange if you weren¡¯t good at it by now!¡±


    ¡°We all decided to go eat something delicious together! Let¡¯s go, everyone!¡±


    Both ss A and ss B seemed to have gathered to celebrate the sess of all their ssmates making it to the finals.


    In the original story, ss A and ss B were constantly inpetition, always picking fights and tearing each other down, enduring a notoriously bad rtionship. ss A would bully ss B, and ss B resented ss A.


    Now, students from both sses were mingling, talking to each other, and nning to go somewhere to celebrate this good day.


    ¡ªHey, you¡¯re in the Open Tournament, right?


    ¡ªAh, yeah.


    ¡ªI figured you¡¯d do well, but it¡¯s surprising. I heard it¡¯s been a long time since a magic major participated.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll try my best...


    ¡ªYeah, I heard you¡¯re really amazing.


    ¡ªNot that amazing, really...


    Harriet, who didn¡¯t seem particrly close to Charlotte, was having a conversation with her about various things at the head of the group.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Reinhart.¡± Ludwig said with a smile as he pulled me by the arm.


    Everyone had begun to walk off before me.


    I sensed myself bing part of this scene.


    I saw the change in the rtionships between these people because of me.


    Though it hadn¡¯t been intentional, the result was perfect.


    Everything was perfect.


    Almost excessively so.

 Chapter 292

    <h4>Chapter 292</h4>


    The first-year Royal ss had a total of twenty-two students.


    With Vertus absent, there were twenty-one.


    Including Olivia Lanche, Rudina, and Sabioleen Tana, there were twenty-three of us.


    Of course, Olivia seemed to think that being a part of this group was just a bit too much for her, so she patted my shoulder, congratted me, and left.


    I didn¡¯t forget to thank Olivia foring.


    Despite her terrible rtionship with Ellen, she had steadfastly supported me from the sidelines. Ellen had done the same.


    Regardless of whatever headache-inducing tension she brought me, I was grateful to Olivia.


    ¡°Take care of yourself. Winning is great, but don¡¯t get hurt. That¡¯s all I want,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After Olivia left, Charlotte and I led therge group of twenty-two people through the bustling streets.


    The streets were full of life, with street musicians performing and entertainers putting on shows.


    Lanian Sesor, B-10, who had a talent for music, borrowed an instrument from a street musician and performed a far more perfect rendition of the same song, causing passersby to stop and apud.


    It had been so long since we had all roamed around together and enjoyed ourselves.


    I could barely remember thest time.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t have time to y untilte at night. Everyone had their own things to do, so after gathering for a meal and wandering around for a while, we split into two groups, those returning to the dormitory and those still staying out.


    Charlotte seemed intent on staying out longer with some of the B-ss kids, and Sabioleen Tana apanied her.


    Those returning to the dormitory included me, Ludwig, Scarlett, and Lanian Sesor, as well as Harriet and the other members of the Magic Research Club.


    Before I knew it, Ellen was walking beside me.


    When she had suddenly shouted earlier on, she had startled me so much I thought my heart would stop. Now, she was back to her usual calm demeanor.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Do you want the honest answer, or should I lie and say not to worry?¡± I responded.


    Ellen red at me for my nonsense.


    Seeing Ellen pouting for the first time in a while felt strange.


    ¡°If I¡¯m beingpletely honest, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I was slightly off my best condition but it wasn¡¯t a serious injury. However, this could create a sense of unease that might make a crucial difference at a critical moment.


    In fact, small things like that could be very important. Richard Haulman had been pushed back by a slight difference as well, and never managed to beat me because of that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt. And don¡¯t overdo it,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ellen and Olivia ended up saying the same thing.


    Harriet was walking slightly further ahead, chatting with the members of the Magic Research Club.


    It seemed they were racking their brains, thinking up ns on how to support Harriet¡¯s participation in the Open Tournament.


    Louis Ankton, in particr, appeared to be deep in thought.


    <i>¡®Have theye up with something?¡¯</i>


    If they had, I wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    <i>¡®Can Harriet win?¡¯</i>


    It would surely be difficult.


    However, just making it to the finals of the Open Tournament was already an incredible achievement. Luck might have yed a part, but luck also required skill to back it up.


    Perhaps sensing my gaze, Harriet, who had been deeply engrossed in conversation while walking, looked at me and tilted her head.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing, just do your best.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t that what you should be hearing right now?¡±


    <i>¡®True.¡¯</i>


    There was still some time until the Open Tournament, but my tournament finals were the next day.


    ¡°I will,¡± she said, giving me a warm smile.


    It was the first time I had seen her smile like that.


    ¡°So, you do your best too,¡± she continued.


    Not everyone was cheering for me, and not everyone wanted me to win.


    But there were people who did.


    I had entered this just for the Achievement Points at first, but somehow, it had be less about that original goal.


    Now, I wanted to win, even if there was no special reward.


    ***


    As soon as we returned to the dormitory, Ellen, Riana, and Cliffman quickly disappeared somewhere, saying they needed to prepare for the Miss and Mister Temple contest.


    But Olivia didn¡¯t seem that busy, so what were they doing that made them so busy?


    Harriet, who should have been even busier, had gone to the Magic Research Club mansion instead of the dormitory.


    The hopeless trio and Heinrich had stayed out to enjoy the festival, and so had most of ss B, except for the semifinalists.


    It was a festival, after all. Although I had already had my fun, there was still plenty of daylight left.


    ¡°It¡¯s oddly quiet.¡±


    I had just changed into my training clothes and went back out when Ludwig, who was sitting in the dormitory lobby, spoke to me.


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t identally walk into the ss B dormitory, did I? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten how to tell my left from my right yet,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®What are you doing here?¡¯</i>


    Of course, with the lines between ss A and ss B now blurred, it didn¡¯t really matter. Ludwig stood up from his seat.


    ¡°I¡¯m just... feeling a bit uneasy,¡± Ludwig said.


    ¡°Uneasy?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, no matter how I think about it, den seems stronger than me.¡±


    There was no fear or anxiety in Ludwig¡¯s expression, but perhaps that unease was lurking beneath the surface.


    ¡°Could you practice with me for a bit? Scarlett said she wanted to rest today.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Ludwig was an affable guy, but I hadn¡¯t gotten particrly close to him. I didn¡¯t want to influence the protagonist too much.


    But I couldn¡¯t avoid him forever.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t have anything else to do anyway.¡±


    As long as I didn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement, any injuries could be treated by the on-duty priest, so there was no reason to refuse.


    ***


    <i>ng! ng! ck!</i>


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Ludwig took a deep breath and scratched his head.


    ¡°No matter what, I can¡¯t seem to win,¡± he said.


    I hadn¡¯t used Mana Reinforcement, only Self-Deception.


    We sparred about ten times, and I won every match.


    My Self-Deception was at rank A, and it was clearly a high-level supernatural power.


    Since the higher-tier ability, Incantation, had branched off from it, there had to be clear limits to Self-Deception. But in the end, a supernatural power was still a supernatural power, and this significantly enhanced superpower I had was enough to handle Ludwig.


    The conclusion was clear.


    If Ludwig made it to the finals, I would undoubtedly win. I wouldn¡¯t even need Mana Reinforcement.


    ¡°Damn it... I¡¯m the tired one here, you know...¡±


    Even though I had won again, I was the one who was exhausted.


    Ludwig¡¯s stamina was ranked S or higher, and so despite him losing the sparring matches, my stamina was the one that was running out.


    <i>¡®What is this? I won, but it feels like I lost.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡±


    I puffed out my cheeks. ¡°Okay.¡±


    My stamina wasn¡¯t poor, but Ludwig¡¯s stamina was monstrous, so we paced ourselves by taking breaks between sparring sessions.


    The dormitory was empty because of the festival, and since we were in the ss A training grounds, even if someone came, it would only be Cliffman or Ellen.


    We had plenty of time, and so we shed swords for hours, and while I was exhausted, even Ludwig slowly began to sweat.


    Soon, the sun began to set and our stamina reached their limit, and we were about to call it a day.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to lose, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ludwig murmured as he ced his training sword back on the rack.


    It wasn¡¯t a sign of weakness. He was simply acknowledging the reality that he saw no chance of victory against den Amorel.


    Even knowing he would lose, he would not give up. That was the kind of person Ludwig was.


    I looked at Ludwig and wiped my sweat with a towel hanging on a chair.


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    I had no intention of denying it.


    den Amorel¡¯s skill surpassed Ludwig¡¯s, and even Scarlett¡¯s and mine. I could only face him because of my supernatural power and Mana Reinforcement.


    Of course, that was assuming I would be able to sail through the semifinal against Scarlett first.


    Ludwig opened the windows of the training grounds.


    The cold winter wind rushed in, but it felt refreshing after sweating so much.


    ¡°Reinhart, I have a question,¡± Ludwig asked as he looked out the window, his back to me.


    It was the first time I had seen the usually bright and cheerful Ludwig so serious.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve fought knowing you would lose, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve won every time.¡±


    Ludwig stared out at the Temple beyond the dormitory, shrouded in the winter night and the lights of the festival.


    I had been the protagonist of several very strange events. I had faced battles I had known I couldn¡¯t win, yet I had won them all.


    Someone with F-rankbat ability had, in just one year, be the most formidable contender in the first-year tournament, recognized by everyone.


    I was an egg that always broke the rock it was thrown against.


    ¡°How do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±


    Ludwig seemed curious about my secret.


    He wasn¡¯t asking about my supernatural power, Mana Reinforcement, or the many coincidences that surrounded these events. He wasn¡¯t questioning what cheats I had.


    ¡°You have to believe,¡± I said.


    ¡°Believe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    In the end, I had nothing more to say, so I talked about my supernatural power. Ludwig knew about it, of course.


    Self-Deception...


    ¡°You have to believe, even if you know you¡¯ll lose, even if you can¡¯t help but lose. You still have to believe.¡±


    ¡°Believe you can win?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I ced my training sword back on the rack and leaned against it, crossing my arms.


    ¡°Instead of thinking, ¡®I¡¯ll do my best even if I lose,¡¯ you have to believe, ¡®I¡¯ll win. No matter what, I will win.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What if you still lose?¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    The result didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Saying ¡®I¡¯ll do my best even if I lose¡¯ is like preparing an excuse for failure. ¡®I tried my best, but I¡¯ll do better next time.¡¯ It¡¯s like creating a way for yourself to escape in advance.¡±


    Since returning from the Dark Land, I had lived with that mindset for a while.


    I couldn¡¯t say that I was entirely free of such thoughts. But I knew what the best course of action was.


    Even in moments where there seemed to be no possibility, you had to believe in the possibility. Only then could you seize upon whatever small sliver of a chance appeared, if it appeared.


    Saying ¡°I¡¯ll do my best even if I lose¡± wasn¡¯t Self-Deception; it was self-constion.


    That was not what my ability was about; it was about Self-Deception.


    It had to be described in the future tense. It was not ¡°I tried my best¡±, in the past tense, but ¡°I will win.¡±


    Not judging the past, but shaping the future.


    That¡¯s how I had built myself up so far.


    ¡°Instead of preparing an excuse to escape, it¡¯s better to believe, ¡®I¡¯m going to win no matter what.¡¯ That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    Of course, Ludwig wasn¡¯t a superhuman. Even if he epted what I said, nothing would change.


    ¡°Escaping... Yeah, so that¡¯s what it was. Saying ¡®I tried my best¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough... I see.¡±


    Ludwig closed the window and turned his head.


    He would lose.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat den Amorel.


    ¡°See you in the finals, Reinhart.¡±


    Regardless, Ludwig still said that.

 Chapter 293 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 293 [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡°Reinhart? I heard he¡¯s a superhuman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Richard Haulman shouted.


    ¡°Are you yelling at me?¡±


    ¡°N-No. I mean... I¡¯m sorry.¡± He shrank back, bowing his head.


    He was furious at having failed to win a single set in the quarterfinals. He had already sensed his defeat when he saw his opponent use Mana Reinforcement in the Round of 32.


    But his opponent hadn¡¯t even used that against him.


    He had been overwhelmed by some strange force which had created unintended openings that ultimately led to his defeat.


    Theck of information about his opponent going into the match was also a mistake on his part.


    So he did his investigations afterward and found out that Reinhart was a superhuman.


    That was unfair.


    Why should he, who had trained honestly and diligently, lose to something so absurd and unreasonable as a superpower?


    Richard Haulman gritted his teeth, eyes wide with anger.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the supernatural power, he would have won. He could have crushed him. But such excuses were useless.


    Richard Haulman was currently in the dormitory of one of the general sses, Irazon ss.


    His ssmates and some other seniors of his ss were gathered there.


    Even though this was the Temple, it was festival time, and so things were a little more rxed. As a result, they were gathered in one of the dorm rooms, having a drinking party.


    This wasn¡¯t a Royal ss dorm room so it wascking in several ways, but this was still the Temple, so it wasn¡¯t overly cramped.


    The students in the room did not seem like the sort who diligently followed the Temple¡¯s lifestyle.


    A senior, who seemed to be the leader of the group, filled Richard Haulman¡¯s ss with<i> soju</i>. Richard, who had almost been the hero of the day but ended up as the loser because of the variable named Reinhart, epted the drink.


    <i>Glug, glug, glug.</i>


    ¡°Anyway, you have to keep your promise, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a-are you talking about that promise...?¡±


    ¡°You said if you didn¡¯t make it to the semifinals, you¡¯d enter the cross-dressing contest, remember?¡±


    There was a reason why the cross-dressing contest always had a peculiar appeal.


    It was because students often used it as a sort of forfeit or punishment among themselves. They would make bets or duel among themselves in a group, and the loser would be forced into doing something humiliating and mocked by everyone. This was why there were always plenty of participants in the cross-dressing contest.


    There were those who were being mocked, and those who mocked them...


    Participants in the cross-dressing contest were often forced to enter in this manner.


    Not long ago, Richard Haulman, brimming with confidence, had epted a bet from his senior.


    Of course, he hadn¡¯t anticipated things turning out this way.


    Pride always came before a fall.


    Richard Haulman¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°N-No! Why should I do that?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯d enter the cross-dressing contest if you made it to the semifinals, didn¡¯t I? And you agreed to the opposite. Hey, did anyone here not hear that? Raise your hand if you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Everyone around them struggled to hold back theirughter.


    Even though Richard Haulman had a terrible personality, he didn¡¯t have the guts to mess with a senior. However, he was the type who would punch anyone whoughed at him in the face.


    ¡°S-Senior, I¡¯ll do anything else, but please, not that...¡±


    ¡°Enter the cross-dressing contest. That¡¯s all I want from you, you bastard.¡±


    The senior downed his soju in one gulp and exhaled with a satisfied ¡°Ahh.¡±


    While Richard was still at a loss for words, one of the first-year students who had been sipping <i>soju </i>cautiously muttered, ¡°But, isn¡¯t the registration period for that contest over?¡±


    Richard¡¯s face momentarily brightened.


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t look into that?¡± the senior retorted. ¡°You can register up to an hour before the contest.¡±


    There was no escape. The senior chuckled, and the other seniors also seemed to be enjoying themselves, already imagining the two-meter-tall human tank in a dress.


    ¡°Man, if you had won, it would¡¯ve been a disaster! I was really ready to enter, you know that?¡±


    The seniors had known from the start that it was impossible for a student from the general cohort to make it to the semifinals in a tournament in which special ss students were bound to participate.


    <i>¡®Reinhart... that damn cheating bastard!¡¯ </i>Richard Haulman thought.


    His heart burned with hatred for Reinhart, but he had no idea that he would meet him again in a few days.


    ***


    It was Tuesday, the second day of the festival.


    The day of the finals for the grade-level tournaments, starting with the first-year matches.


    Although the quarterfinals had been held the previous day, it was time for the real highlight. The crowd was muchrger than the day before, and the stadium was literally bursting at the seams.


    The others had left me alone, perhaps to avoid distracting me, but they were all somewhere in the audience. Both Scarlett and Ludwig had advanced into the semifinals as well, and so the entire first-year Royal ss would be seated in the audience, just like yesterday.


    Ultimately, both the Royal ss and the Orbis ss were products of elitism. The fact that no one from the general cohort sses had made it to the semifinals suggested that such elitism was justified.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about that.


    It was highly likely that I would face den Amorel in the finals. Ludwig seemed to have made some sort of resolution, but turning willpower into actual strength was only limited to special cases like me.


    If I had to use Mana Reinforcement to beat Scarlett, then I would also have to use it against den Amorel in the finals.


    Given my susceptibility to wearing out after consecutive battles, this was the worst-case scenario for me. If I were to lose consciousness, I would be disqualified.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to push myself too hard. This tournament was ultimately a means to earn Achievement Points, and it was all about bing stronger.


    It would be a disaster if I suffered permanent internal injuries while trying to earn those points.


    The situation did not favor me. I wielded a powerful weapon, but it was a double-edged sword. If I used it incorrectly, I could lose the championship and suffer internal injuries.


    These were my thoughts going into the first match of the tournament semifinals.


    ¡ªThe semifinal match between Reinhart of the Royal ss and Scarlett of the Royal ss begins now!


    <i> </i>¡ªWoohoo!


    I stood opposite a girl with ming red hair and red eyes, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd.


    Her weapon was a longsword simr to mine. However, while her de was slightly shorter and lighter, the difference in reach was not significant.


    Although I hadn¡¯t practiced with Scarlett often, we had been in the same swordsmanship sses that semester and sparred quite a bit.


    Scarlett was fast and agile, employing a swordsmanship style based on excellent reflexes. She did not lock des and try to gain the advantage through pushing, but instead deflected her opponent¡¯s de with skillful maneuvers and relied on quick changes to the trajectory of her sword to exploit openings.


    She attacked by predicting the opponent¡¯s movements and countering it with solid fundamentals.


    Fundamentals... That was something Icked.


    Ellen had taught me the key points and summarized them for me, so it wasn¡¯t as if I knew nothing, but I hadn¡¯t built it up from the ground.


    I was analogous to a student who had only learned how to solve problems. I had learned conclusions, but did not have a solid grasp of the underlying theories.


    On the other hand, Scarlett had a perfect understanding of those theories, and could understand all the problems that were derived from those theories.


    It was a matter of the absolute difference in time invested in swordsmanship. I was someone who shouldn¡¯t have been standing in the arena at all.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Ellen, my supernatural power, or my ability to activate Mana Reinforcement, I wouldn¡¯t be here.


    Whatever the case, I was where I was, and I had to face Scarlett, who had an overwhelming advantage in actual skill.


    Scarlett, one of the two main heroines in the original story, had been ostracized and considered a bad omen. At this point, though, much of herck of confidence had disappeared.


    In the original story, Ludwig was the catalyst for that, but in this timeline, it was Charlotte who had guided Scarlett onto her path.


    The red-haired girl looked at me.


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± Scarlett said before making a move.


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    The audience couldn¡¯t hear our conversation.


    ¡°You are my idol.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback by the unexpected statement, although I could understand why she said it.


    Scarlett and I had a shared background; we both came from the streets.


    ¡°I was afraid of being expelled from the Temple, but you always seemed so confident, as if none of that mattered.¡±


    Scarlett had been present when I dueled with Mayaton, the third-year student.


    At that time, I had no connection or rtionship with Scarlett.


    That duel had been held in the ss A dormitory¡¯s training grounds. At that time, Scarlett, who was still being bullied, had stayed to watch my duel despite Erhi¡¯s hints for her to leave.


    Since then, I hadn¡¯t had much interaction with Scarlett, but I knew her view of me was rather favorable.


    When I was injured, she hade to visit, and we chatted briefly.


    She did not like me in a romantic sense; it felt different. Whenever we passed by each other and exchanged small, trivial conversations, I sensed that there was something else Scarlett was trying to show.


    Was that what she meant by calling me her idol?


    ¡°Watching you made me realize something,¡± she continued. ¡°I wasn¡¯t weak because of my background; I was just weak because I was weak.


    ¡°I saw that it was possible to be like you, to live like you, and not get expelled. No, even if I were expelled, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Not everyone likes you. But not everyone hates you either.


    ¡°There¡¯s something to be gained by living life confidently. It¡¯s okay to live that way, even if you earn the hatred of many, even if the way you live your life makes everyone hate you. Because not everyone will hate you. Some will still like you.


    ¡°I realized that just as it¡¯s impossible to make everyone like me, it¡¯s also impossible to make everyone hate me. I learned that from watching you.


    ¡°Ever since I saw you, I¡¯ve been trying to change. I can¡¯t changepletely, but I¡¯m trying to change little by little. Because if you could do it, then I could do it too, or so I thought. I thought I had to.¡±


    I had thought it was Charlotte who had changed Scarlett.


    But it wasn¡¯t.


    Even though Scarlett and I had no direct connection, she had realized from watching me that it was okay to live like me.


    Therefore, she had begun to change herself. Scarlett, who was supposed to participate in the Miss Temple contest, was nowpeting in the first-year tournament.


    As with Ellen, she was trying to prove something, in her own way.


    Scarlett was trying to prove something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This isn¡¯t the ce for a conversation, but I had to say it.¡±


    I realized that Scarlett wasn¡¯t participating in the tournament just topete; she was doing it to face me in this arena.


    ¡°I consider it an honor to be your opponent,¡± she said.


    Unbeknownst to me, I had be Scarlett¡¯s idol.


    Scarlett pointed her sword at me.


    Her eyes, which had been gentle so far, turned serious, and her expression hardened.


    ¡°I will give it my all,¡± she said.


    As the audience, who had been murmuring due to the prolonged prelude, fell silent again, Scarlett took a step forward.


    The determination in Scarlett¡¯s stance was different from anything I had seen before. It was different from our practice duels.


    This was the main stadium. A ce where you could attack with the intent to kill. A ce where you could pour everything you had into defeating your opponent.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the respect I owe you.¡±


    Scarlett... The crimson girl charged at me.


    As she rushed towards me, her red eyes seemed to trace a path through the air, bearing down on me.


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Her blownded with incredible force, and I felt a sudden and unfamiliar sensation.


    Self-Deception was not activating.


    ¡°Supernatural powers are useless against me.¡±


    Scarlett wasn¡¯t a superhuman.


    But she couldn¡¯t be considered a non-superhuman either, since her talent undoubtedly had some connection to supernatural powers.


    Scarlett, the Crimson Swordswoman...


    Her talent was Immunity.


    In the original story, her moniker was Spellbreaker.


    Neither magic nor supernatural powers worked on her.


    ***


    Scarlett¡¯s nickname, ¡°Witch¡±, was nonsensical from the start.


    Scarlett could withstand all kinds of mental and offensive magic without harm.


    She nullified all supernatural powers as well.


    To give someone with such extreme resistance to magic the nickname ¡°Witch¡± was absurd.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯tpletely immune to all magic. If she were, the stadium¡¯s barriers and summoning devices would not work on her.


    Her resistance to magic could be controlled, and when pushed to the extreme, it became immunity.


    Magic Resistance was a real trait and could be trained.


    However, in this world, only two people had resistance to supernatural powers.


    One was Ellen Artorius, who had resistance to supernatural abilities, and the other was Scarlett. Scarlett¡¯s resistance was overwhelmingly superior.


    Scarlett¡¯s talent did not grow, since she was already practically immune to supernatural powers and magic.


    That was how I¡¯d set it up.


    Despite this, she had clearly grown.


    I put some distance between me and Scarlett with a grave expression.


    Self-Deception was a power that affected me, not others.


    Yet, the fact that Self-Deception¡ªwhich was a self-buff and not an offensive ability aimed at Scarlett¡ªfailed to activate meant that Scarlett¡¯s nullification of supernatural powers extended to envelop an area around her.


    No matter how high one¡¯s Magic Resistance was, it was only protective against spells cast on oneself and could not block spells that were cast on the ground.


    However, Scarlett could now influence supernatural powers in her vicinity. Whether this extended to magic, I did not know, but it was clear she could nullify my Self-Deception.


    Scarlett¡¯s talent had advanced beyond its original form in the original story, and I was probably the reason for it.


    I did not know how exactly I had influenced her, but Scarlett had undoubtedly changed.


    She wasn¡¯t just sparring with me as usual; she was using her Talent to try to defeat me.


    Was this what she meant by giving it her all?


    Had she refrained from using this ability in our practice duels out of respect for me?


    <i>ng! ng! ck!</i>


    My supernatural power was sealed.


    ¡°Mana Reinforcement, too. You can¡¯t use it without the aid of your supernatural power.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Mana Reinforcement, which I required the aid of Self-Deception to activate, was also out of my reach.


    Neither den Amorel nor Ludwig was my true nemesis. It was Scarlett.


    In this arena, Scarlett¡¯s talent was useless against anyone else; it only worked against me.


    She might lose to den Amorel, and I might defeat den Amorel. Against me, though, Scarlett held an overwhelming advantage.


    <i>ng! ng! ck!</i>


    I retreated, barely managing to deflect Scarlett¡¯s relentless strikes. This wasn¡¯t due to the fundamentals I had learned and built upon, but muscle memory of countless mistakes and corrections.


    I had to defeat Scarlett with just pure skill.


    But was that even possible?


    The time she had invested in honing her abilities far outweighed mine, even if the quality of our training differed.


    Self-Deception had be a part of me. Now, in the midst of battle, with it gone, I felt as if I had lost an arm and a leg.


    When I had ess to it, I had used it as though it were a natural part of my own body, and hadn¡¯t realized its importance. Now that it had been nullified, I felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and emptiness.


    Self-Deception was the core of my strength.


    <i>¡®Am I really this inadequate without my supernatural power?¡¯</i>


    <i>ng!</i>


    Scarlett knocked my sword upward and twisted her de, shing towards my neck.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Summoning magic...


    ¡ªRoyal ss Scarlett takes the first bout!


    I had lost the first bout.

 Chapter 294

    <h4>Chapter 294</h4>


    <i>¡ªWaaaaahhh!</i>


    The audience erupted in cheers, but there were some who had been watching the tournament since the day before who were left bewildered.


    ¡°What the heck! How did Reinhart lose?¡± Olivia Lanche shouted in disbelief.


    Most of the spectators from the Royal ss had simr reactions. Even those from ss B were just as surprised.


    Reinhart, who was on an undefeated streak, had been forced into a messy and disorganized retreat by Scarlett, and eventually lost the first bout.


    Not only had he failed to use Mana Reinforcement, but he had also been pushed back helplessly. While it was true that Scarlett¡¯s swordsmanship was dazzling and swift, urately exploiting every gap, Reinhart had seemed unusually powerless.


    Everyone present knew that something was off, but they couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.


    ¡°He can¡¯t use his supernatural power,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I said, he can¡¯t use his supernatural power.¡±


    Even though others couldn¡¯t see it, Ellen could.


    Having crossed swords with Reinhart countless times, Ellen knew everything about his swordsmanship. She could tell when he was using his supernatural power, when he wasn¡¯t, and when he was focusing it to temporarily enhance his strength. Ellen had meticulously observed all of it.


    Because of this familiarity, Ellen could tell that, for some reason, Reinhart waspletely unable to use the power of Self-Deception.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he use it?¡± asked Harriet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well... from what I know, her Talent is Immunity. Could it be rted to that?¡±


    Ellen wasn¡¯t particrly interested in the affairs of ss B, but Harriet knew about this because of her association with the Magic Research Club. Immunity was a very unique but potentially very powerful talent depending on the situation.


    Ellen nodded, agreeing with the suggestion that it might be exerting its influence.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that her Talent is preventing Reinhart from using his supernatural power...¡±


    ¡°What the heck! Reinhart¡¯s supernatural power is his specialty, and if he can¡¯t use it, that¡¯s cheating!¡± Olivia fumed, but no one pointed out that just having supernatural powers was already quite unfair.


    Everyone knew that this senior, who was absurdly biased towards Reinhart, would defend him no matter what he did, and find any reason to justify it.


    It was best to just let her rant on her own, since arguing with her would be exhausting.


    The conclusion was clear.


    A bizarre Talent called Immunity was exerting absolute influence over Reinhart.


    Sabioleen Tana, who had overheard the conversation, watched Reinhart as he was summoned back to the arena for the second set.


    Charlotte was observing both Scarlett and Reinhart.


    Scarlett and Reinhart... Both were precious to her, though they meant different things.


    Whenever her heart leaned towards one, she felt sorry for the other.


    This time, Reinhart was facing a tough matchup.


    ¡°What do you think will happen?¡± Charlotte asked, and Sabioleen Tana shook her head.


    ¡°Reinhart will have a hard time,¡± she replied.


    Sabioleen Tana didn¡¯t know much about Reinhart¡¯s supernatural power, but if he couldn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement, the oue was clear.


    <i>¡®Unless he summons Tiamata,¡¯ </i>she thought.


    However, that was not something to resort to so casually.


    Sabioleen Tana predicted Reinhart¡¯s defeat.


    If he had met Scarlett in the finals, he might have been the runner-up, or if Scarlett had been paired with a different opponent in another semifinal and lost, he might have won the tournament.


    In the end, it was the luck of the draw, and Reinhart hade up short.


    ***


    The next bout ended up much like the first, and I was forced to concede again.


    The announcer¡¯s voice buzzed annoyingly in my ears.


    ¡ªThe current set score is 2-0! If Scarlett wins one more bout, she will advance to the finals!


    The screens in the stadium alternated between Scarlett¡¯s face, serene andposed, and mine, full of tension. Scarlett had promised to do her best, and she was doing just that.


    I had always given my all, using my full strength even in practice duels.


    Scarlett had always gone up against me without using her full power until this match.


    However, out of respect or reverence for me, Scarlett was giving her all this time.


    I felt the urge to ask her to go easy on me, but the words wouldn¡¯te out. I had my abilities, and Scarlett had hers.


    We were simply using what we had.


    Scarlett neither mocked me nor showed any sign of worrying about me.


    <i>¡®Am I really your idol? How can I be your idol if I¡¯m so weak in front of you?¡¯</i>


    Of course, I knew she hadn¡¯t been talking about my skills earlier on, but faced with Scarlett¡¯s expressionless face, I couldn¡¯t find a way to break through.


    Whenever I faced opponents in which there was a significant gap in skill, I had relied on my supernatural power to bridge that gap and ovee them.


    Now that this tool was unavable, there was no way I could overwhelm Scarlett.


    I hadn¡¯t anticipated that Scarlett could nullify my abilities.


    I hadn¡¯t considered the possibility that Scarlett¡¯s Talent might neutralize my supernatural power. Such a thing had been impossible in the original story, so I believed it couldn¡¯t happen in this match as well.


    In the original story, for example, Riana¡¯s electric shock could not harm Scarlett if it hit her. However, in Scarlett¡¯s current form, Riana wouldn¡¯t even be able to activate her electric powers in front of Scarlett.


    I had to admit it. I had been arrogant.


    My thoughts had been on the finals after Scarlett.


    However, the reality was that I had just conceded two bouts and was facing defeat.


    I had to ept it. There was no way to win.


    In the end, my supernatural power was most of what I had. This was just a case of a bad matchup.


    The only constion was that Scarlett was the only person in the world with such a level of total immunity.


    As I pondered whether to ept this defeat as the price of my arrogance, Scarlett spoke.


    ¡°Have you given up?¡± she asked.


    The start of the third bout had already been announced, but Scarlett hadn¡¯t approached me yet.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Have you been living by relying on a supernatural power that you identally awakened? Is it that, without your supernatural power, you can¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement or anything else, and that makes you a powerless and pathetic person?¡±


    Scarlett spoke quietly.


    Was she criticizing me?


    Was she pitying me, mocking me for being a dog with no ce to turn to, running away with my tail between my legs?


    No, it didn¡¯t sound like that.


    ¡°No, I know it¡¯s not,¡± Scarlett said, pointing her de at me. ¡°When you fought the third-year student, knowing no one would help you, knowing you¡¯d only get beaten worse if you got up, you still... you still kept getting up.¡±


    Scarlett took a step closer to me.


    ¡°I remember the look in your eyes back then.¡±


    What had I been thinking at that time?


    It was so long ago that I couldn¡¯t remember it well. Sometimes, though, others remember our experiences better than we do.


    In this case, that person was Scarlett.


    While it had been a strong early memory for me, it seemed even more intense for Scarlett.


    With nothing to my name, in a situation where everyone wanted me to lose, I kept getting up, getting beaten down, flying through the air and falling, but I kept getting up.


    Back then, I had no allies.


    Yet, I kept getting up and eventuallynded a hit on Mayaton, ultimately awakening my supernatural power.


    That look in my eyes... There was no way I could have seen it, because they were my own eyes.


    But Scarlett remembered.


    ¡°Please show me that look again,¡± Scarlett said as she walked slowly towards me.


    Not to hold my hand, but to point her sword at me.


    Two people could never have the same level of emotion towards each other.


    Scarlett wasn¡¯t important to me, but I was important to her. I hadn¡¯t done anything for Scarlett, but she had received something from me. Through the meaning she found in that moment and her efforts to change, she had grown into a different person with different abilities.


    That was why Scarlett called me her idol.


    Scarlett did not want me to give up. She didn¡¯t want to see her idol run away just because his supernatural power was sealed.


    Just like back then, she wanted to see me grit my teeth and aplish something.


    Scarlett didn¡¯t truly know me. She only idolized me. And in her idolization of me, Scarlett had developed an image of me that she wanted to see, which was different from the real me.


    She had magnified certain parts of me and defined me, almost deifying me.


    Scarlett wanted something from me.


    I had no reason to fulfill her wish.


    This was essentially coercion.


    In Scarlett¡¯s calm and serene eyes, I saw a strong desire for something from me.


    <i>¡®I know you can do it. So show me. Show me that someone like me is no match for you.¡¯</i>


    It was a desire for me to remain her hero forever, to be an even greater person and stay in front of her.


    An obsession.


    Painful childhood experiences always warped people, and Scarlett was no exception.


    The memories of wandering the streets and the bullying at the Temple had warped Scarlett¡¯s core. She had escaped the quagmire, but in her escape, she had to entrust herself to a new distortion.


    Scarlett found salvation not in Charlotte, but in me.


    She wanted the person she had found salvation in to stick to his way of life.


    To always aplish the impossible, despite knowing it couldn¡¯t be done.


    This time, she wanted to be my trial, hoping I would ovee even this.


    Now that my powerful tool, my supernatural power, had been neutralized, I found myself in a situation not much different from when I faced Mayaton back in the first semester.


    Scarlett had reverted me back into the reckless novice I had been in the first semester.


    She was challenging me to ovee it.


    What would happen if I lost? If I couldn¡¯t find an answer?


    Would Scarlett be disappointed in me?


    And if she were disappointed, what woulde next?


    Would she despair upon realizing that I could no longer be her idol?


    I had no reason to bear the responsibility for all those emotions. Scarlett had idolized me on her own, and was testing me on her own.


    However, I hade to understand the real reason for Scarlett¡¯s participation in this tournament.


    It wasn¡¯t to prove herself. It was for apletely different reason, one not connected to the original story.


    Scarlett had entered the tournament not to prove herself, but to make me prove something.


    She knew that she was my greatest adversary, and she wanted to see me surpass her.


    I couldn¡¯t fulfill all those wishes, nor did I have any reason to.


    I never said I wanted to be her idol, nor did I have any reason to be.


    Scarlett hadn¡¯t improved.


    She hadn¡¯t gotten better; she had just changed.


    Hers was a life that was bound to be twisted, and in meeting me, she had been twisted in a different way.


    There was no way I could face herfortably.


    A victim of a strange setting in which she was bullied for her red hair and red eyes.


    Every time I saw her, I felt as though my own mistake had been made real and was walking around in reality, making me ufortable and awkward. When Charlotte had protected Scarlett, a bit of my guilt had been alleviated.


    That incident left me with a strange mix of guilt and relief, as if someone else had resolved my mistake.


    Back then, I believed that I couldn¡¯t disrupt the original story¡¯s progression, and I might have hoped someone else would resolve that issue for me. I had left it alone, shirking my responsibility.


    In reality, though, Scarlett had found her answer not in Charlotte, but in me.


    I did not know what would happen if Scarlett stopped idolizing me. But by idolizing me, Scarlett was getting along with everyone and trying to learn self-confidence.


    All the problems arising from her idolization of me only affected me.


    She might impose something on me, expect things from me on her own, and be disappointed on her own.


    If that was the case, then it was the rightful price I had to pay for creating her artificial misfortune.


    ¡°Alright, Scarlett,¡± I said.


    My mind cleared.


    I gripped my sword and pointed it at Scarlett as she slowly walked towards me.


    I tried to tap into Self-Deception and failed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me.¡±


    However, all the experience I had umted hadn¡¯t disappeared.


    My answery only there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you something beyond that.¡±


    Mana Reinforcement...


    Even without the aid of Self-Deception, I had to do it.


    I could get hurt, and I could sustain injuries.


    If I fell, there would be no victory.


    But that was alright. A ssmate who called me her idol, whom it was toote to fix yet wanted to live well despite being broken, was demanding something of me.


    She had lived through the misfortune that I had written into her life. I couldn¡¯t fix her, but I could help her live despite her brokenness.


    That much, I could do.


    I couldn¡¯t feel the sensation, but I had felt it before.


    It seemed impossible, but I had done it before. It was like switching from a four-wheeled bike to a two-wheeled one.


    I might fall after a short distance, but I believed I could go a little further.


    Belief alone could not generate power, but belief was inherently like that.


    The fact that my belief had generated power until now was the strange part.


    The true nature of belief was like an echo without an answer.


    Therefore, like all humans, I returned to a state of primal belief and believed.


    <i>¡®I can do it.¡¯</i>


    I had once used the power flowing through my body, so there was no reason I couldn¡¯t do it again.


    I began to move the things I could feel, little by little.


    Scarlett watched me.


    <i>Woooong...</i>


    The exhrating sensation coursing through my body was an entirely new feeling.


    I was now truly stepping onto the path of a superhuman without the aid of Self-Deception.


    ¡°... You did it,¡± Scarlett remarked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Though it was me who had just grown stronger, Scarlett was even more delighted than if she had grown stronger herself.


    <i>¡®You are broken, just like everyone else in the world.</i>


    <i>¡®If all the bad things you experienced were my responsibility, if you overcame all your problems by idolizing me, and if you can only live like this because I am always in front of you...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Here Ie.¡±


    <i>¡®... then I will remain as your idol forever.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 295 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 295 [Illustration]</h4>


    The moment Reinhart used Mana Reinforcement, the oue was already decided even before our swords shed.


    Reinhart¡¯s body was engulfed in the blue mes of mana, and Scarlett lost her grip on her sword as it was instantly knocked away.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Reinhart had disarmed his opponent with a swift and decisive blow of his own weapon.


    Most martial arts were designed to be used against opponents of simr caliber. A fight between someone who has reached the superhuman level and someone who hadn¡¯t was not a matter of skill but of sheer difference in ss. It was impossible for thetter to win.


    The loss of a weapon counted as being incapacitated inbat.


    ¡ªTh-The... The third bout goes to Reinhart!


    The announcer¡¯s cry ended the third bout.


    ¡°What the heck is going on?¡±


    Olivia did not understand what had happened. She didn¡¯t know that Reinhart needed the aid of Self-Deception to use Mana Reinforcement.


    To her, it just looked like Reinhart had been deliberately not using Mana Reinforcement until that moment.


    Only Ellen and Scarlett knew the truth.


    In the audience, Ellen was the only one who knew exactly what a huge step Reinhart had achieved in such a brief moment.


    She clenched her fist unconsciously.


    <i>¡®Reinhart...¡¯ </i>she thought.


    Reinhart had advanced to the next level. There was no way anyone else around her knew it, but Ellen understood all too well how significant such an advancement was.


    Ellen was so overjoyed that she could barely contain herself from jumping up and running to Reinhart. Despite Ellen¡¯s excitement and the audience¡¯s bewilderment, the match continued.


    The score was now 2-1 in Scarlett¡¯s favor.


    Even though Reinhart had seeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of his supernatural power, the ability itself was still a double-edged sword.


    There were two bouts remaining, and he had to defeat Scarlett in both of them with only the aid of Mana Reinforcement.


    If he managed to do that, though, would he be able topete properly in the finals?


    Though he had ovee the immediate crisis, the uncertainty of winning the championship remained.


    ¡ªThe fourth bout is about to begin...


    Scarlett and Reinhart were facing each other when Scarlett suddenly raised her hand.


    ¡ªYes, is there something...? Ah.


    The announcer¡¯s startled voice echoed through the stadium.


    ¡ªScarlett from the Royal ss First year has... forfeited the match.


    Forfeit...


    The unexpected announcement left not only the audience but also Reinhart in great confusion.


    ***


    I was in the waiting room.


    <i>¡°Reinhart, you need to win the tournament. I can¡¯t afford to let you exhaust yourself further here.¡±</i>


    That was what Scarlett had said that before forfeiting the match.


    She seemed satisfied.


    Scarlett had wanted to see me persevere without giving up. She wanted to see what my reaction would be when my most powerful tool, my supernatural power.


    Scarlett had hoped I would somehow ovee it. She had always seen me demonstrate a way to ovee whatever was in my way, and that was what she¡¯d hoped for this time as well.


    I had somehow responded to this passive coercion.


    That had been Scarlett¡¯s purpose from the beginning.


    The moment I¡¯d seeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power and subdued her, Scarlett stopped testing me.


    If the match had continued, the oue would have been uncertain.


    For a brief moment and in that short time, I had activated Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power.


    In that brief moment, a strange pain and shot through my entire body, as though my muscles were being slowly pulled apart, leaving a tingling in my fingertips.


    I could not use Mana Reinforcement for long even with the aid of Self-Deception, and using it without any aid had put even more strain on my body.


    Scarlett could have beaten me. However, she had conceded after seeing the result she¡¯d been hoping for.


    In the end, Scarlett had entered the tournament to push me one step further.


    That was why she had fought with all her strength, something that was not possible in practice duels, but could be done in this stadium.


    The audience was buzzing, but I eventually returned to the waiting room, and Scarlett left after telling me to make sure I won.


    The look she had given me made me feel responsible in an ufortable way, as though I was being forced to meet expectations. If I were an ordinary person, or the usual Reinhart, I would have told her to stop talking nonsense.


    But I felt indebted to Scarlett in many ways, and so I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Ludwig and den Amorel had left to prepare for their next match, so I was the only one in the waiting room allocated to the first-year students, and I had the spectator area to myself.


    I would be able to use Self-Deception against whichever opponent was up next. Scarlett, my most unexpected and formidable adverary, had forfeited after seeing the change she had hoped for in me.


    Ellen was probably the only one in the audience who knew what had happened.


    She had nagged me endlessly to improve my control over Mana Reinforcement, and I had struggled for what felt like an eternity.


    This time, though, I had seeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power.


    <i>¡®Will she praise me fo rit?¡¯</i>


    I felt like a kid who had done something good and was desperate for the teacher¡¯s praise.


    <i>¡®Well, Ellen is kind of my teacher, so it¡¯s not that different, is it?¡¯</i>


    Anyway, while sitting in the now-empty waiting room, I continued to use Self-Deception to restore my deteriorated condition while waiting for the semifinal match that would determine my final opponent to begin.


    I wondered how much time had passed.


    ¡ªThe second match of the first-year tournament semifinals is about to begin!


    Ludwig and den Amorel were stepping into the arena.


    In the original story, Ludwig was unable to defeat den Amorel in a single bout.


    For reference, Ellen wouldn¡¯t lose a single bout to den Amorel.


    However, Ludwig had grown stronger than he had been at this point in the original story.


    Even so, I didn¡¯t think he would be able to win. At this point, den Amorel was the third-strongest after Ellen and me. If he mastered Mana Reinforcement, he would immediately surpass me. Scarlett was a special case, so she was an exception.


    Willpower alone couldn¡¯t be strength.


    When my Self-Deception had been neutralized, I keenly felt the absence of my power within my body.


    That was how ustomed I had be to my supernatural power.


    That made me realize once again how absurd it was to draw strength from mere belief, which could not conceivably affect the external world.


    However, I decided not to say that Ludwig would lose.


    Ludwig¡¯s face appeared on the screen.


    Ludwig, who always wore a slight smile that went with his good-natured and friendly manner, had a cold and hardened expression on his face.


    It was a look I had never seen before.


    ***


    den Amorel...


    He was the top student of Orbis ss, 1-A, with skills that were on par with those of the Royal ss. He had been a strong future prospect for the Orbis ss.


    <i>¡°You can do it. You can defeat those Royal ss guys. Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. No, do it even better.¡± </i>


    Those were the words had been drilled into him.


    He had alwayspleted the tasks given to him¡ªthe things he had to do¡ªmore perfectly than anyone else.


    He had believed that the ambition imposed upon him from outside was something he had to endure, but he realized it was hell and escaped from it.


    Atst, den Amorel foundughter and ease.


    Having realized there was no reason to live a forced life, den Amorel became kinder and more gentle to others.


    He no longer felt as though he was being constantly pursued by someone.


    But that didn¡¯t mean he had bezy. If anything, he felt that his skills had improved because he could focus on his own desired training in a more rxed state.


    He had recognized the satisfaction that came from voluntary training.


    Therefore, while den Amorel¡¯s personality had changed, his skills hadn¡¯t regressed. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say they had advanced further.


    The one who never smiled had found his smile again.


    However, his opponent, Royal ss B-11 Ludwig, had no smile on his face now. He seemed to have found some sort of inner resolve, as if he had built a wall behind him and believed that everything would end if he touched it.


    Ludwig, who had lost his smile, pointed his sword at den Amorel.


    The two, having switched roles, were now pointing their swords at each other.


    den Amorel spoke to Ludwig.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve made up your mind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a moment of silence, Ludwig, his face still hard, spoke to den Amorel.


    ¡°I am the lowest-ranking student of the Royal ss. My talent was just enough to get me into the Royal ss, but it¡¯s considered the most insignificant talent there.¡±


    ¡°... What is your talent?¡±


    ¡°Stamina.¡±


    Normally, he would scratch his head andugh foolishly, but Ludwig spoke with a serious and calm expression.


    ¡°However, in ss A, there was a friend with infinite potential. A friend who had managed to get in without any talent at all. There was a lot of talk in ss B as well. They said that he should have been B-11. Of course, I didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡°The important thing is, that friend really had nothing. Not even a small advantage like Stamina, like I do.


    ¡°Though that friend might have been weak, he was never cowardly. It wasn¡¯t seen as a good thing, but he never backed down from all the adversities he faced. Even when he fell¡ªno matter how many times he fell¡ªhe always got back up. He could have given up. He should have given up. But in those moments, he always got back up.¡±


    den Amorel seemed to understand who Ludwig was talking about.


    ¡°But I am the opposite,¡± Ludwig continued.


    ¡°I believed that if I worked hard and gave it my best, I would still be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with my ssmates who have great talents, even though I was behind. I believed that.


    ¡°I lived with the mindset of a loser.¡±


    Always promising himself that the future would be better...


    Ludwig had never truly believed in his current self.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t beat him yet. I am stillckingpared to him. So, let¡¯s work hard. Even if I fall behind now, I will be able to stand beside them someday. For now, though, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯</i>


    That had been his mindset.


    ¡°That friend, though... he always faced challenges head-on, despite knowing he couldn¡¯t win. He faced them, was beaten down and got hurt, believing he could win even though he couldn¡¯t. He¡¯s spent this past year attempting foolish and reckless things.


    ¡°Now, I am much weaker than that friend.


    ¡°For sure, I was originally stronger than that friend. But while I was justifying my many shorings with the thought that I was working hard, that friend surpassed me and went far beyond me.


    ¡°While I was hiding behind the excuse that I was working hard, that friend was challenging and facing impossible tasks, believing they could be done.


    ¡°Yes. I admire Reinhart. Catching up and closing this distance that has already been established¡ªthat is what I think I have to do from now on.


    ¡°It might not be possible, but I believe I have to make it possible. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve decided. Reinhart said that you have to at least believe.


    ¡°I will no longer hide behind the excuse that I¡¯m working hard. Because it is that though that keeps me the way I am.¡±


    Ludwig raised his sword and looked den Amorel in the eye.


    The Ludwig who used to ept reality and resign himself to his position under the guise of effort and perseverance, the lowest-ranking stu of ss B, was no more.


    He was changing.


    He no longerforted himself with the thought that he was working hard.


    Not to work hard, but to do well.


    Not to do his best, but to win.


    ¡°So.¡±


    He had discarded the self that scratched the back of his head and said that he would do better next time whenever he did not do well.


    Willpower alone could not be strength.


    But there was one person in this world who knew the truth of this world.


    Willpower could not be strength, but Ludwig was the protagonist of this world.


    It was the core of causality.


    A protagonist, by nature, can turn willpower into strength.


    Ludwig was such a protagonist.


    ¡°I will. Defeat. You,¡± Ludwig dered.


    The world was always on his side.


    ***


    <i>¡®What the hell is that guy?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.


    3-0. The results of the semi-final.


    Ludwig had achieved aplete victory.


    They had been engaged in a long conversation at first, but once the duel started, the situation unfoldedpletely differently from what I had expected.


    Ludwig overwhelmed den Amorel with sheer force of swordsmanship.


    He didn¡¯t use Mana Reinforcement, nor did he use any supernatural power.


    Ludwig, with just the strength in his body, neutralized every strike den Amorel tried and countered them.


    It was an overwhelming difference in physical prowess.


    What should have been possible only with Mana Reinforcement, Ludwig had achieved with his body alone.


    The spectators were staring nkly at Ludwig, who had utterly defeated den Amorel with his monstrous strength.


    ¡ª<i>Waaaahhh!</i>


    Those who didn¡¯t know the intricacies of swordsmanship were excited about the overwhelming and incredible fight as a spectacle, but I was dumbfounded.


    The speed and reaction time he had shown were impossible without Mana Reinforcement.


    I didn¡¯t know what he had done, but Ludwig had changed.


    If he was this strong without Mana Reinforcement, he would be even more of a monster when he mastered it.


    I could tell that my words the previous day had sparked something in Ludwig.


    Willpower alone could not be strength¡ªexcept for me, with the powers of Self-Deception and Incantation.


    As I watched Ludwig, his expression still hard, standing tall amidst the cheers of the crowd, I realized what I had overlooked.


    At that moment, the strongest person in the world was Sabioleen Tana, and the next strongest was Ellen.


    Another candidate for the title of strongest was Olivia Lanche, who should have died but had survived.


    There was the greatest talent in magical history, Harriet de Saint-Ouen.


    And then myself, who had recorded tremendous growth in just one year with the talent of infinite potential.


    What did any of that matter?


    ¡ª<i>Waaaaah!</i>


    In the end, Ludwig was the protagonist.


    The protagonist could turn willpower into strength. He could convert anger, sorrow, revenge, and desire into unbelievable power. If there was no reason for it, then the world would create one, lending strength to Ludwig¡¯s wishes.


    He would always gain the strength and fortune he needed.


    The power I possessed, Self-Deception, was ultimately a knock-off version of the power Ludwig had.


    The power to turn willpower into strength originally belonged to Ludwig.


    This world had been made for its protagonist, and Ludwig would have everything he needed.


    Ludwig nced up. More precisely, he was looking at one of the viewing galleries.


    I looked down at Ludwig through the window, and Ludwig looked up at me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The guy who said he would meet me in the finals was indeeding to meet me in the finals.


    ***


    Nothing had gone as nned.


    Believing that I could easily achieve the ten-thousand Achievement Point challenge had been foolish from the start; nothing was easy.


    I had struggled against Scarlett, whom I hadn¡¯t given much consideration to, and my defeat had seemed imminent until her forfeit allowed me to advance to the finals.


    den Amorel had been overwhelmingly defeated by Ludwig.


    Ludwig, who previously clung to the belief that he could eventually catch up if he worked hard enough, had abandoned his weakness.


    The situation had diverged so drastically from the original story that everything it contained had be meaningless. It was impossible to predict anything else.


    Ludwig hadn¡¯t awakened Mana Reinforcement, nor was he using a supernatural power.


    He was simply the protagonist.


    With that one advantage, Ludwig had gained immense strength.


    After a brief period of rest, the stage for the finals was set.


    I wasn¡¯t in peak physical condition, but it wasn¡¯t so terrible.


    If I used Self-Deception, I could face Ludwig head-on, and if I used Mana Reinforcement, I could overwhelm him.


    However, whether I could do that over three bouts was uncertain.


    If I didn¡¯t pace myself properly, I would face the embarrassing situation of losing not to Ludwig, but failing because I was unable to keep up my physical condition.


    ¡ªThe grand finals are about to begin! A sh between Royal ss A and B!


    They were avoiding calling it a match between the lowest numbers of both sses.


    Ludwig and I faced each other while the announcer gave a lengthy speech. His face, which was so often adorned with a foolish smile, was now stone.


    Finally, this was an expression I could respect.


    Ludwig, who hadcked any modicum of seriousness before, had now be serious.


    ¡°Seems like it had some effect, huh?¡±


    ¡°... It seems so.¡±


    Ludwig seemed to find it hard to believe what had happened to him. He looked at me intently.


    ¡°Will I be able to catch up to you?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t learned, have you, kid?¡± Holding my sword, I smiled at Ludwig. ¡°Believe that you can catch up. No, believe that you can trample over me and stand above me.¡±


    ¡°Hah... Oh yeah. That¡¯s right. That¡¯s how it should be.¡± Ludwig smiled at me, but it wasn¡¯t his usual awkward smile. ¡°But it¡¯s strange. Reinhart, you¡¯re strong, but there are many people stronger than you...¡±


    Ludwig sighed, gripping his sword.


    ¡°At some point... it stopped working,¡± he said.


    ¡°What did?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The thought of me beating you.¡± The smile disappeared from Ludwig¡¯s face again. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to imagine it anymore.¡±


    As I listened to Ludwig¡¯s words and saw his expression, I sympathized with him. After all, there was only one person I regarded in that way as well.


    The one watching me from the audience.


    There were many people stronger and more skilled than her.


    But I couldn¡¯t imagine myself beating Ellen Artorius. Ellen always seems to look down at me from a much higher ce as she taught me swordsmanship.


    In the original story, Ellen was the one that gave Ludwig this feeling.


    She existed as an insurmountable wall, someone he always had to look up to.


    It seemed I had taken over the role of looking up at Ellen.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown so strong so quickly that no matter how hard I try to catch up, you always seem so far ahead.¡±


    Ellen had entered the Royal ss with tremendous strength, but I had started from a point lower than Ludwig and surpassed him by a great margin.


    Naturally, Ludwig¡¯s focus had shifted from Ellen to me.


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he couldn¡¯t be like Reinhart.


    To Ludwig, I was the wall, not Ellen, and so he made reaching me his goal.


    An insurmountable wall... For Ludwig, I was now that wall instead of Ellen.


    I had taken Ellen¡¯s ce In the original story.


    ¡ªThe grand finals of the first-year tournament begins right now!


    The eternal rival and object of admiration for the protagonist...


    Was that my role in this world?


    ¡°It might seem impossible, but I¡¯ll believe in it anyway,¡± Ludwig said as he took a deep breath. ¡°That I can beat you.¡±


    I faced Ludwig, gripping my own sword tightly.


    There was only one thing I had taught Ludwig. To not prepare excuses for defeat, but to make a resolution for victory.


    It wasn¡¯t much, but that was something I had taught him.


    And that was my specialty.


    ¡°No,¡± I said.


    ¡°You cannot beat me,¡± I continued.


    ¡°I will...¡± Ludwig said, looking at me.


    ¡°I will...¡± I replied, meeting his gaze.


    And then, facing each other, we spoke simultaneously.


    ¡°Defeat you.¡±


    <i>Krrung!</i>


    My body was enveloped in blue mana, and Ludwig charged at me with a determined step.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The moment our swords shed, they shattered as if it had been preordained.

 Chapter 296

    <h4>Chapter 296</h4>


    Our swords had broken, but neither Ludwig nor I were surprised. Ludwig immediately struck out with the pommel of his broken sword, aiming for my head.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    The power of Mana Reinforcement could be used for physical protection.


    I took the hit, allowing his blow tond, then drove my fist into Ludwig¡¯s abdomen.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Ludwig, who had struck my head, took the return blow in his abdomen and was sent rolling across the ground. Our weapons were broken, and there was no time to rearm.


    Both Ludwig and I discarded our broken swords.


    Ludwig charged at me. I knew that the longer I maintained Mana Reinforcement, the harder the next bout would be, so I had to end it quickly.


    As soon as Ludwig got up, I charged at him, settling on a ground-and-pound strategy. I had to tackle him to the ground and then beat him into submission.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    Ludwig tackled me, and we both fell to the ground.


    The bout was over.


    Or so I thought.


    As he fell, Ludwig grabbed my waist and flipped me over.


    Mana Reinforcement provided protection, but didn¡¯t increase my weight.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    I lost my bnce and was thrown backward.


    <i>¡®This guy is insane.¡¯</i>


    His physical strength was already beyond the realms of an ordinary human, even without the enhancement of Mana Reinforcement.


    He was more of a monster than I was. While my physical strength was for the moment superior, Ludwig¡¯s endurance was ahead of mine.


    I didn¡¯t know what changes had urred in his body, but without Self-Deception and Mana Reinforcement, there was no way I could stand toe-to-toe with him.


    <i>¡®I will win.¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t expected to stand in the position of a rival, but now that I had taken it up, I could not step down easily.


    Just as Ellen¡¯s mere existence had been the driving force for Ludwig¡¯s growth in the original story, my own existence was now a driving force for Ludwig¡¯s growth.


    Moreover, since I had started from the bottom, my sess also stirred a slight jealousy in Ludwig, and he was triggered by his sense of his inferiority.


    The stronger I became, the faster Ludwig¡¯s growth would elerate.


    <i>¡®I must not lose to you. I must always be the wall ahead of you so that you can be even stronger, because the protagonist must be strong.</i>


    <i>¡®Someday, you will surpass me, but for now, I must be stronger than you. That¡¯s what it means to be a rival. So, I cannot lose.¡¯</i>


    I was now seriously facing the guy I had created but always found slightly annoying and tried to avoid.


    Since he seriously considered me his rival, I had no choice but to respond in kind.


    <i>¡®The one who wins in the end is the victor. For now, you must lose to me. I will concede the final victory to you, but for now, you must keep losing to me.¡¯</i>


    I thought and believed that I would not lose.


    ¡°You cannot beat me.¡±


    I dered that I would never be defeated.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    I charged at Ludwig and threw a punch. He dodged my extended arm with a mere tilt of his head, grabbing my arm to flip me over using the momentum of my punch.


    As he pulled me in, though, I raised my knee to strike Ludwig¡¯s chin.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Ludwig, took my knee squarely on the chin and fell to the ground.


    He should have been knocked out, but he rolled a few times and got back up.


    He did not emerge unscathed. Blood flowed from his gums, but he showed no signs of pain. His tenacity was undeniable. Of course, pain would be less noticeable in such situations.


    I could not lose.


    I had entered this tournament for Achievement Points, but the unexpected revtions that had arisen during this tournament had changed my purpose.


    Scarlett and Ludwig, who I had seen merely as fellowpetitors, hade to signify something different to me in their own ways.


    I thought I had no particr connection with them, but as a result of my actions so far, they both regarded me in a simr way, although the manifestation of that view was slightly different for each of them.


    Scarlett idolized me, while Ludwig saw me as an insurmountable wall that he wanted to leap over but never could.


    Therefore, I had no choice but to achieve an overwhelming victory in this match.


    I had to do so for the sake of the growth of this peculiar guy who was aiming to ovee an insurmountable wall.


    I had to show him.


    Ludwig, his lips stained red with blood, charged at me.


    <i>¡®I have shaped this world so that it would be on your side, but for now, I still have more at my disposal.¡¯</i>


    Self-Deception, Incantation, Mana Reinforcement, Qi Sense. and even Ellen as a training partner...


    In every aspect, Ludwig was no match for me.


    <i>¡®So, I will crush you.¡¯</i>


    At the moment, my greatest weapon was not Mana Reinforcement or my supernatural power, but my Qi Sense.


    I read him with my Qi Sense.


    His forward charge meant his center of gravity was forward.


    The key was timing.


    If I could read the exact step on which he wouldunch his attack and how he woulde at me, I could counter it.


    While it was important to figure out which foot he was putting his weight on, the movement of his shoulders were even more crucial. By watching his shoulders, I could predict the movement of his arms.


    A seasoned fighter might be able to throw a punch without telegraphing it through their shoulders, but neither Ludwig nor I were at that level. If the waist moved instead of the arms, that would indicate a kick.


    The same principle applied to sword movements. Every action has a starting point, and it always originated from the body.


    Ludwig pulled his right shoulder as he charged.


    A slight retraction of the right shoulder meant that he was going to extend his right arm.


    Therefore, he would pivot on his left foot and aim to punch me in the face with his right fist.


    It was all too clear.


    There were many ways to counter this.


    I could deflect his right-handed punch and strike his face with my left, or I could use the momentum of his right arm to throw him.


    Once I read his attack, the oue was practically decided.


    I neither deflected nor countered his attack.


    Before Ludwig could even nt his left foot and assume an attacking stance, I took a step forward, moving into him instead.


    Knowing that Ludwig would pivot on his left foot and move his right shoulder, I struck a moment earlier, just before the attack began.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    I kicked the back of his left knee just before his foot touched the ground.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    To the spectators, it looked like he had charged forward only to be kicked by me.


    A precise pre-emptive strike just before an opponent¡¯s attack began dealt more damage because they would be unprepared.


    Ludwig was sent rolling across the ground. This time, he couldn¡¯t get up. It had been a perfect counter, enhanced by Mana Reinforcement and Self-Deception.


    It would be strange if he managed to get up.


    ¡ªSince Ludwig is unable to continue, Reinhart wins the first bout by decision!


    Ludwig couldn¡¯t get up at all.


    ¡°Nnngh...¡±


    As the priests rushed in to provide treatment, Ludwigy on the ground, looking up at me.


    His gaze was like that of someone staring at an iprehensible being.


    Indeed, I had read his movements and taken him down with a single, precise strike.


    It had been a perfect read. No matter what he did next, I could read it.


    <i>¡®How can I possibly win against such an opponent?¡¯</i> his expression seemed to say.


    My Qi Sense provided me with an overwhelming advantage. Perhaps this was because it had been my reward for surviving the most dangerous situations I had ever faced.


    ¡°I told you, you can¡¯t beat me,¡± I said, smiling.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Not yet, that is...¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t finish that sentence and swallowed the rest of my words.


    I felt like a viin.


    No, I was indeed a viin. I was the Demon King, and Ludwig was the second hero of humanity after Ragan Artorius.


    The hero who always lost to the Demon King...


    But someday, he would catch up to the Demon King and bring justice.


    This overly-perfect picture seemed to foreshadow my eventual downfall.


    Ludwig, having received treatment from the priests, stood up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again, Reinhart.¡±


    There seemed to be a small hint of doubt in his expression. Perhaps he was considering whether it was right to choose an iprehensible opponent as a rival. Whatever the case, Ludwig did not give up.


    ¡°This next bout won¡¯t be much different,¡± I said.


    ¡°Still, you never know until you try.¡±


    He would get up again no matter how many times he fell.


    He would keep challenging me without ever giving up.


    I had always been the egg trying to break the rock, but this guy was the one who would keep throwing eggs until the rock broke.


    I didn¡¯t think I was superior to Ludwig.


    A person who had never been broken even once, versus a person who got up again and again after being broken hundreds or thousands of times...


    Ludwig would be greater than someone like me.


    But future greatness could not buy victory.


    For the moment, I was stronger, and Ludwig could not bridge this gap.


    ¡ªThe score is 1-0! Reinhart has taken the first bout! The second bout of the first-year tournament finals begins now!


    ¡ª<i>Waaaaahhh!</i>


    Ludwig and I were given recement weapons, surrounded by the cheers that I had grown ustomed to in just two days.


    We had swords this time.


    But whether it was fists or swords, it made no difference.


    In this first-year tournament, which had already been full of surprises, there were no more upsets.


    I took overwhelming victories in the next two bouts against Ludwig.


    And so, I won.


    ***


    While most closebat majors would be ahead of me in terms of technical application, I had the upper hand against Ludwig.


    No matter how much his physical abilities had improved, my ability to use Mana Reinfocrment meant I was always ahead, and his movements were excessively easy to read.


    It would have been iprehensible for me to lose even a single bout. The only way Ludwig could have won was if I overused Mana Reinforcement and fell into a state of exhaustion, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    With my victory in the finals, the first and second ces were decided, and the third-ce match between Scarlett and den Amorel followed.


    den Amorel emerged victorious in that encounter.


    Thus, the first-year tournament was concluded.


    I never thought that this would be the road that led to me cing my hands on the trophy.


    [Challenge Completed - First-Year Tournament Victory]


    [You have received 10,000 Achievement Points.]


    It was the first time I had garnered such a big haul.


    The crowd was still cheering for me.


    ¡°Will I be able to catch up to you?¡± Ludwig asked.


    Despite his utter andprehensive defeat, Ludwig did not show any sign of despair, but there might have been a seed of doubt.


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m going to say, right?¡±


    Ludwig smiled at me.¡°Yeah. You mean to say I have to believe I can catch up to you, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I set down the championship trophy and crossed my arms. ¡°Don¡¯t just believe it, but think of it as a given.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s what you said.¡±


    Somehow, it felt like the protagonist had joined my Self-Deception cult.


    Ludwig, holding the second-ce trophy, said, ¡°I can catch up to you, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°I told you, you can¡¯t,¡± I replied.


    It was a strange religion. I was telling him to believe that the future he set for himself was true, while at the same time utterly refuting it myself.


    Each person believed in the future they set for themselves.


    In the end, Ludwig and I had simr powers that operated in a fundamentally different way.


    My aim had been to earn Achievement Points, and although some strange things had happened along they way, my n didn¡¯t go too far off-track.


    I had won.


    From a distance, Ellen was watching me.


    She said she¡¯d scold me if I didn¡¯t win.


    Would she praise me since I won then?

 Chapter 297

    <h4>Chapter 297</h4>


    ¡°Praise me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Praise me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The same exchange happened twice, and Ellen and I red at each other sullenly.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d scold me if I didn¡¯t win! So since I won, you should praise me!¡±


    ¡°I never said I¡¯d praise you,¡± she replied in a teasing manner.


    ¡°Reinhart, you¡¯re the best! I knew you¡¯d win!¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°... Your praise is so cheap it doesn¡¯t even affect me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean!!!¡±


    The tournament was over, and as everyone expected, I had won.


    Though the matches had resulted in wins and losses on both sides, there was no lingering resentment toward me from either Ludwig or Scarlett. Perhaps both of them were unique people in their own ways.


    Just like the previous day, all the ss A and B members went out to celebrate my victory.


    After all, it was a festival.


    Harriet and Charlotte sincerely congratted me on my win.


    Ellen also pulled me aside on the way back to the dormitory, after waiting for everyone to leave.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen seemed hesitant.


    She could have just given me some praise, but it seemed like she couldn¡¯t stand saying it herself.


    Her face was a bit red.


    ¡°I... I know saying this is... kind of weird,¡± Ellen muttered.


    ¡°... What is?¡±


    ¡°... I was proud of you.¡±


    Her unexpected words left my mind nk.


    ¡°You made me proud.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t so much joyful as it was confusing.


    <i>¡®I mean, saying I was great or impressive would have been one thing, but proud? That¡¯s a bit weird!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you my mom or something?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s expression turned sullen again. She was acting like she had raised me or something.


    <i>¡®You know I fed you more than you fed me, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I taught you,¡± she said, but it felt like she was saying, ¡°This hopeless kid I taught for a year ended up winning the tournament!¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s all thanks to you?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Ellen nodded and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve done well to keep up all this time.¡±


    Her smile and her words left me utterly speechless.


    I mostly had Ellen to thank for turning me into what I had be.


    Ellen smiled at me radiantly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Reinhart. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even if all of this was thanks to Ellen, it was I who had persistently pestered her to teach me swordsmanship, even to the point of being annoying.


    Even if I had benefited from many coincidences and cheats, it was I who had swung the sword, shed with my opponents, and was beaten down, learning tenaciously every step of the way.


    Not all my strength came from effort alone, but it couldn¡¯t be said that there was no effort involved.


    That was why Ellen was acknowledging my hard work.


    ¡°Well... yeah, thanks,¡± I said hesitantly.


    I had whined to her for praise, but now that I was hearing it... it felt... weird.


    In the end, though, I received Ellen¡¯s praise.


    No one seemed particrly bitter about my victory, and Ludwig and Scarlett seemed to have grown more fond of me. It was a good oue.


    But my shoulders felt heavier, and my stomach churned as if I had indigestion.


    It was the side effect of Mana Reinforcement. I had used Mana Reinforcement throughout the three bouts to overwhelm Ludwig, and the physical fatigue was no joke.


    I had indeed overdone it.


    I wasn¡¯t about to faint or cough up blood, but I felt dizzy.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just because of Mana Reinforcement.


    I wished that I could bask in the joy of victory and forget the pain, but I couldn¡¯t.


    It was Tuesday night, and the next day was Wednesday.


    ¡°Damn it....¡±


    The cross-dressing contest would be hed the next day.


    <i>¡®Is this what it feels like to dice onions while crying?¡¯</i>


    My condition was worsening, not improving.


    In the end, I decided to forfeit my spot in the Open Tournament finals, knowing I wouldn¡¯t be in any condition topete after the cross-dressing contest.


    ***


    It was Tuesday night at the Magic Research Club mansion.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen was testing something in the safety room in the mansion¡¯s basement. The room was argeboratory equipped with barriers, protection magic, and soundproofing magic strong enough that one could experiment with high-level destructive magic.


    While there were outdoor practice areas, destructive magic often involved loud explosions, so such soundproofing measures were necessary for testing.


    Given the festival, it was impossible to conduct such experiments outside.


    Harriet was conducting an experiment inside the safety room, and the members of the Magic Research Club were watching from outside through the security window.


    <i>Wooong...</i>


    A stream of mes shot from Harriet¡¯s fingertips, hitting a target dummy on the opposite wall.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The target exploded, and then streams of mes rose from above Harriet¡¯s head, encircling her shoulders.


    It was a lower-level destructive magic spell called Firebolt.


    Five Firebolts formed in an instant, hitting five targets simultaneously.


    <i>Kwakakakabang!</i>


    All of it happened incredibly quickly, and the casting time was almost nonexistent.


    Strange blue mana lines formed intricate patterns along Harriet¡¯s arms from her wrist to her forearm.


    ¡°It worked!¡±


    ¡°You did it...!¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe... this really works!¡±


    Harriet continued to demonstrate numerous lower-level destructive spells, including Lightning Bolt, and even cast andunched spells like Fireball.


    All of these were spells Harriet had already mastered. Even those who didn¡¯t specialize in destructive magic could do this much.


    The difference was that the casting speed was abnormally fast, and she was even multi-casting.


    When Harriet emerged from the safety room, the members of the Magic Research Club all looked at her in amazement.


    ¡°Is itplete now?¡± Cristina asked.


    Harriet, looking exhausted, gave her a weak smile. ¡°To some extent. But I think it still needs some refinement.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a genius, Harriet!¡± Rudina eximed, jumping up and down with joy as if it were her own achievement.


    ¡°I... I can¡¯t believe this actually worked...¡± Louis Ankton muttered in disbelief.


    Harrietughed at the dumbfounded Louis Ankton.


    ¡°How can you be surprised when you¡¯re the one who made it?¡±


    ¡°Well... I mean, it¡¯s one thing to theorize, but to see it actually work...¡±


    Louis Ankton was utterly astonished to see his concept be reality.


    ¡°This is a magic system that no one but you can use. No other mage can do this. I never thought it would actually be possible.¡±


    In other words, Louis had created a tool that Harriet was using perfectly. Louis Ankton was a genius for creating it, but Harriet was an even greater genius for being able to use it.


    ¡°Really? Well, that¡¯s good for me.¡±


    Under Harriet¡¯s right sleeve, the blue glowing patterns on her arms hummed and then faded away.


    Harriet stretched and sighed deeply, looking tired. ¡°Ugh! Since Reinhart won, I need to do something too.¡±


    The Open Tournament was on a different levelpared to the first-year tournament.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t sure who would win, Harriet did not think she would be eliminated in a pathetic manner.


    The other members of the Magic Research Club knew what Harriet was capable of, so they didn¡¯t consider her confidence to be arrogant.


    Olivia Lanche, the annoying person who kept butting in and spouting nonsense...


    Harriet was determined to bring her down a peg.


    Olivia, who was always focused on Ellen, wouldn¡¯t see iting. She would be utterly blindsided.


    ***


    It was Wednesday, and Harriet was busy and not in the dormitory, and those participating in the Miss and Mister Temple contests were also absent, likely preparing for the event.


    In short, all my close friends were busy with their own affairs.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly free either.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart! We¡¯re going to watch the parade. Want toe?¡± Connor Lint called out to me.


    Heinrich and the hopeless trio, who had been friendlier towards me since the tournament, waved at me.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to rest.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Oh... Did you overdo it yesterday?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, a bit.¡±


    I had indeed overdone it, and my body felt like it weighed a ton, making me want to rest. But I couldn¡¯t afford to rest that day.


    I had to participate in the cross-dressing contest.


    This event, which could increase my mana by 5, might be the most important event of this festival.


    My current mana was at 14.2. A 5-point increase could bring it to 19.2.


    Just 0.8 more after that, and my Mana Domination talent would blossom.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to give up.


    In the end, the fact that my friends weren¡¯t pestering me to go somewhere was actually a good thing.


    No one would be around to notice whatever I did. I could sneak out to the cross-dressing contest and be back without anyone asking where I had been.


    <i>¡®Here I am, plotting to sneak out of the dormitory to attend a cross-dressing contest ande back unnoticed. I must be out of my mind!¡¯</i>


    I was indeed a crazy guy who sold his soul and dignity toplete events and challenges. I had crossed the line when I transformed into a girl and confessed to Connor Lint, and I couldn¡¯t go back.


    It was all my karma.


    It¡¯s often said that decisions should not be rushed. Now that the candy vendor had found out a weird twist, they were continually giving me such tasks.


    If I hadn¡¯t done that, they might have offered this generous reward for some other event during this festival.


    <i>¡®In the end, it¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s totally my fault. It¡¯s all my big fault.¡¯</i>


    The cross-dressing contest was going to be held at night.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t being held in a huge ce like the main stadium, but in the indoor auditorium of a general ss. I already knew the location of it.


    It was lunchtime, and the contest would start at six in the evening, but I needed to start preparing. I had prepared a dress that I could put on and take off by myself, but I couldn¡¯t do the makeup alone.


    First, I nned to leave the Temple, get my makeup done by Eleris, then return with my clothes packed in a carrier.


    Naturally, I would wear a hood when going out and on the way back.


    Fortunately, entry and exit protocols at the Temple¡¯s gates during this festival period were more rxed. They probably wouldn¡¯tment about how I didn¡¯t look like Reinhart when I presented my ID.


    The whole thing was bizarre, but I could work around it.


    First, I¡¯d get everything ready outside the Temple, then kill time in a quiet ce until the contest was about to start, then rush in at thest minute.


    There was no point in wandering around inside the Temple.


    I didn¡¯t know why I was considering all these contingencies for something like this, as if it was a secret mission or something.


    <i>¡®To bepletely honest, this is a hundred thousand times more nerve-wracking than the first-year tournament! </i>


    <i>¡®What if someone recognizes me? What if someone sees me? What if the announcer suddenly says, ¡°Is that Reinhart!¡±?</i>


    <i>¡®Should I just not go? My mana will increase over time anyway. Am I putting too much on the line for this? Do I really need Mana Domination? I already have Incantation.</i>


    <i>¡®Yeah, maybe I don¡¯t need to be so greedy here.¡¯</i>


    Even though my mind was spinning, I was already halfway out of the dormitory, wearing a half-dead expression.


    The streets were bustling with people enjoying the festival, but I had no energy to pay attention to where they were going.


    I was simultaneously thinking about giving up on the cross-dressing contest and how to change my expression to look less like Reinhart, which made my brain feel like it was splitting in two.


    <i>¡®No, the brain is already divided into the left and right hemispheres.¡¯</i>


    My mental state was deteriorating so rapidly that I was forgetting even the most basic facts.


    I didn¡¯t even know what I was thinking when I left, and it was still broad daylight.


    Eleris had moved to a different residence, but she still operated the scroll shop. It seemed business was still slow.


    That day, though, I had told her to close the shop and wait at home.


    When I knocked on the basement door of a house in the residential area near the Aligar shopping district, Eleris opened it.


    ¡°Wee, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Eleris had not only cleaned the room but alsoid out her makeup tools. She had clearly been making her own preparations.


    She looked at myplexion and tilted her head.


    ¡°The tournament... It didn¡¯t go well?¡±


    ¡°No, I won.¡±


    ¡°Then why is your expression so... Oh. I see.¡±


    Eleris seemed to have forgotten the reason why I couldn¡¯t be happy despite my victory.


    She nodded, and her lips twitched slightly. ¡°Still, congrattions, Your Highness. Your growth is remarkable.¡±


    ¡°Thanks...¡±


    After offering a few words that could be taken either as praise or constion, Eleris sat me down in a chair.


    ¡°So.... shall we start right away?¡±


    ¡°... Might as well get it over with. No point in dragging it out.¡±


    We both wore grim expressions.


    I washed my face and used the Sarkegar¡¯s ring to change my facial features into the preset I had previously configured.


    The changes were subtle, but with makeup and a different expression, I would look like apletely different person.


    In the reflection in the conjured mirror, I saw my slightly-altered face, still bare but now with silver hair.


    ¡°... Why do I¡ªNo, never mind. Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    <i>¡®I look so weird! How do I look like this with just a slight change to my appearance and no makeup?!</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s like one of those drawings where they insist it¡¯s a boy but it looks like a girl!¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Alright, let¡¯s begin,¡± Eleris said.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    This was the prelude to an utterly hellish time.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s just for a day. After today, I won¡¯t have to go through this dreadful ordeal again. No matter how hellish things are, once they¡¯re over, they¡¯ll be just another memory. </i>


    <i>¡®Just like how dawn wille even if you strangle a rooster, time will pass, and even if the world turns upside down, the cross-dressing contest will be over today!</i>


    <i>¡®No matter how slowly time moves, tomorrow wille, and with it, I¡¯ll say goodbye to this humiliating ordeal and run away with boosted mana stats and Achievement Points!</i>


    <i>¡®Once it¡¯s over, I¡¯ll think, ¡°Yeah, it was worth it.¡± I¡¯ll be proud of myself for enduring this embarrassment for the greater good!¡¯</i>


    I kepting up with excuses to justify the situation to myself.


    <i>¡®Ah... At this rate, I might level up my Self-Deception skill.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 298

    <h4>Chapter 298</h4>


    Preparations had beenpleted some time ago. I left Eleris¡¯s ce with plenty of time to spare, and was carrying the dress with me in a garment bag.


    I had already changed my hair color to silver like thest time. While facial expressions were important, so was changing my hair color.


    Thanks to the painstaking efforts of Eleris and myself, I bore very little resemnce to my original self.


    ¡°Ah, um. Ahem.¡±


    Another important thing: my voice.


    I had changed it to an ambiguous tone that was neither overly feminine nor masculine. It was possible that someone could recognize me just by hearing my voice.


    It was quite sad that I had to take all these detailed precautions¡ªincluding making myself look somewhat like Reinhart but not exactly, and changing my voice to this ambiguous tone¡ªjust to make sure I wasn¡¯t caught. If this wasn¡¯t a cross-dressing contest, I could have just transformed into apletely different person.


    <i>¡®It would have been better to have entered Miss Temple...¡¯</i>


    With thest bit of insurance in ce, though there was no further reason to hesitate. All that remained was to return to the Temple in time for the start of the cross-dressing contest. However, if I returned exactly on time, who knew what might happen? Participants had to show up earlier to thepetition to prepare.


    I waited in Eleris¡¯s semi-basement room to pass the time before finally emerging back out to the Aligar shopping district, wearing casual clothing. Obviously I wasn¡¯t in the Temple uniform, nor was I wearing women¡¯s clothing. So far, I had only changed the way I looked with makeup, and the shape of my body slightly.


    <i>¡®Wait... doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ve basically changed everything about myself?¡¯</i>


    Worried that someone might see me, I pulled my hood down tightly over my robe and dragged the heavy garment bag behind me. It felt like I was going on some secret mission.


    <i>¡®Is status really that important...? Do I really have to go this far...?¡¯</i>


    I slowly headed towards Aligar Station, wallowing in self-depreciation and self-justification. Each time I entered a station, I would check to see if the shops in the stations had been properly set up. Of course, the scale of the business had expanded.


    When I¡¯d first proposed the business idea, I saw it as a nice thing to have, but once business began, the Merchants¡¯ Guild realized it was a goldmine and expanded their investment even further. What had started as simple snack shops were now increasing in number and variety.


    Soon, it would grow to such a scale that the Rotary Club members wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it alone, and we would have to rely on others. At this rate, a structure like an underground shopping mall below arge terminal might emerge. I didn¡¯t know when that would be, but it was a possibility.


    In any case, the money the club was earning was increasing exponentially. It wouldn¡¯t be bad if other organizations or businesses came in. Since we held the business rights, we could collect rental fees or hire employees to do the work for us while reaping the profits, and find endless ways to make money using other people¡¯s hands.


    If we didn¡¯t like a tenant, we could use our business rights to kick them out. This was what power was. I found it quite surprising that I, who never used to think about such things, now had no qualms about having such ruthless thoughts as I stood in front of the shops at Aligar Station.


    The Aligar district was like Yongsan-gu in Seoul. It had a very high transient poption and was famous for its shopping district. Of course, the merchants were more famous for their ruthlessness.


    I saw some kids loitering around the shops.


    ¡ªHow much is this?


    ¡ªOh, that¡¯s ten bronze coins.


    ¡ªWh-What about that one?


    One kid was standing in front of the club member managing the shop, pointing at various items and asking about their prices, while another kid was cautiously watching from the club member¡¯s blind spot.


    <i>¡®These little brats.¡¯</i>


    One of them was creating a distraction, while the other kids were stealthily pocketing snacks. People who were busy with their own affairs either didn¡¯t notice or chose to ignore what was happening.


    <i>¡®Hah.¡¯</i>


    Compared to the trouble I got into with subway peddlers, this was child¡¯s y. But still, a business is a business.


    <i>¡®These little brats with no future...¡¯</i>


    I thought I¡¯d teach these budding criminals a lesson and started to approach them.


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Got you, you little brats.¡±


    Someone suddenly appeared and grabbed the necks of the two kids who were shoplifting.


    Realizing that the situation had gone south, the kid who was creating the distraction at the counter tried to make a run for it.


    ¡°Catch that kid!¡±manded the one who had grabbed the two young kids, and another person who had been waiting nearby sprang out and quickly caught the fleeing kid.


    The three kids had been caught red-handed. Passersby began to stop and look, surprised by the suddenmotion.


    <i>¡®Wait, who are these guys?¡¯ </i>


    They weren¡¯t dressed like guards and they didn¡¯t seem to be club members either, since the club member managing the shop looked just as bewildered as I was.


    ¡°You little brats have no idea how long we¡¯ve been waiting for this,¡± said the man who had caught the kids, pping one of them across the face.


    <i>p!</i>


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    I could only watch in a daze as the man pped the kid again.


    ¡°Brats like you guys...¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Need to be taught a lesson!¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ow!¡± The poor kid started to cry.


    ¡°We¡¯ll lock you up in the underground prison so you¡¯ll never see the light of day again¡ª¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    Before I knew it, I had moved. I found myself grabbing the hand of the man who was pping the kids.


    ¡°... What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... The kids... They did wrong, but... Do you really have to go this far?¡± I stammered, not quite believing the wordsing out of my mouth.


    This was not what I had in mind when I thought about teaching them a lesson.


    <i>¡®But still, hitting kids like this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Whoever you are, these three have been going around every station and stealing things. They¡¯ve done it over twenty times. They¡¯re practically hardened criminals. They¡¯re a blight on society. There¡¯s no need for ady like you to be concerned for them.¡±


    <i>¡®¡°Ady like you¡±? Did he just call me ady?¡¯</i>


    My hair felt like it was bleaching just from hearing that... No, it was already bleached since I had silver hair.


    But, twenty times? Were these three really such professional petty thieves?


    They had stolen from my business twenty times! They deserved a beating, didn¡¯t they?


    It was so bad that I wanted to beat them myself.


    Passersby were looking on with confused expressions¡ªat the thugs who had suddenly begun beating the kids, at me who had jumped in to stop them, and at the kids who had started crying after getting hit.


    The kids, who had initially believed me to be their savior, were now even more terrified when they saw the change in my demeanor.


    ¡°Yes, what they did was wrong. But doing this in front of everyone... isn¡¯t it a bit... you know, unsightly?¡± I said, trying to reason with the thugs, though my choice of words felt awkward given the situation.


    The leader of the thugs narrowed his eyes at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, miss. Move along,¡± he said threateningly.


    These guys were definitely not security guards. Their attire was no different from any other passerby¡¯s. But I had developed a keen eye for certain things.


    The wrists of the arms holding the kids, their thick necks and trapezius muscles, their forearms, and the calluses on their hands... These weren¡¯t just any thugs.


    They were trained individuals. Very well-trained. If I pushed any further, it would cause a biggermotion. The kids were looking at me, pleading for help. But I had intended to beat them myself, so looking at me wouldn¡¯t do them any good.


    I didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble in this state. I didn¡¯t know who these guys were, but if I escted things, matters could getplicated. I didn¡¯t want anyone to find out that I was Reinhart from the Temple¡¯s Royal ss under this disguise.


    Seeing that I was hesitating and about to back off, the thug smirked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty-faceddy who hasn¡¯t seen much hardship. Be careful. The world isn¡¯t so kind.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. This feeling of losing my temper... It¡¯s been a while.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± I said.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°What makes a piece of shit who beats kids on the street think he can run his mouth?¡±


    The thug¡¯s expression changed drastically at my sudden outburst. My temper was ring, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself.


    ¡°Who the hell are you anyway?¡± I demanded. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t guards. This is their job, not one for nobodies like you.¡±


    ¡°I warned you to be careful, miss.¡±


    ¡°Careful my ass, you piece of sh¡ª¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Hah, so you¡¯re the type who resorts to violence when things don¡¯t go your way, are you?¡±


    A look of shock ran across the thug¡¯s face. I had caught the hand he had tried to p me with.


    Sure, my physique had shrunk, but my strength remained the same. My Self-Deception was still intact.


    I red at him.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, old man?¡±


    Obviously I wasn¡¯t the same Reinhart as before. I was different in many ways, in a very different sense...


    ¡°Hah... dealing with this kind of crap attracts all sorts of crazy bitches...¡±


    The thug¡¯s eyes changed, and a strange light flickered in them. My Qi Sense detected it.


    <i>¡®Killing intent.¡¯</i>


    If he made a move now, I would have to get serious too. Just as the tension between us was about to escte into a full-blown confrontation, someone interrupted us.


    ¡°Stop.¡± A voice cut through the silence. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    The murmuring crowd parted, and someone emerged.


    ¡°Y-Young Master...¡±


    ¡°... I thought I told you not to make a scene.¡±


    Vertus approached us with a calm expression.


    <i>¡®Wait, why is he here?¡¯</i>


    ***


    I was screwed.


    I didn¡¯t know how it had happened, but I was definitely screwed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, no.... I was also... rude...¡±


    I stood there stiffly as Vertus apologized and offered me tea. He didn¡¯t recognize me at all.


    I hadn¡¯t expected my disguise to be tested in this way. Given the heavy makeup and all the changes, it was no wonder he didn¡¯t recognize me. It was reassuring that he didn¡¯t, but at the same time, I was sweating bullets, afraid that I might be discovered at any moment.


    ¡°The Temple festival has caused an increase in the number of passengers riding the magic trains recently, leading to various inconveniences. Therefore, we¡¯ve had to deploy additional security personnel, some of whom are not in uniform. Since they aren¡¯t professionals, they sometimes overreact. I fully understand if you found their actions ufortable.¡±


    ¡°No, no... I didn¡¯t know that...¡±


    ¡°However, the actions of the personnel in question were clearly wrong. We will take disciplinary action ording to our internal procedures. It may not be enough, but I hope you can forgive us to this extent.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course! Of course!¡±


    <i>¡®So this is what Vertus has been doing while he¡¯s been away from the Temple dormitory.¡¯</i>


    He hadn¡¯t revealed that he was the prince, and had only introduced himself as the person responsible for the operational stability and security of the magic trains during the festival.


    People from all over the continent flocked to the imperial capital for the Temple festival. Therefore, the transient poption of the capital had skyrocketed, and naturally, there was a dramatic increase in the ridership of the magic trains as well. People didn¡¯t just gather at the Temple; they were all over the imperial capital.


    Vertus seemed to be using this time to build his resume by gaining practical experience in governing rather than enjoying the festival. In the original story, where hispetitor Charlotte did not exist, he had participated in Mister Temple. In this timeline, though, with Charlotte as his rival, he probably felt the need to umte achievements.


    It seemed he was a workaholic too.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, was having fun.


    Still, I felt it was better for Charlotte to enjoy the festival rather than work at this time of the year.


    I had unexpectedly learned that Vertus¡¯s absence from the Temple was because he was in charge of the operation of the magic train system during the festival¡ªa significant responsibility.


    He was here handling various issues that had arisen at Aligar Station, and it seemed he had anticipated that the petty thieves who hadmitted over twenty thefts would appear around this time, and had stationed personnel to catch them.


    He had probably issued the order to catch the thieves, and these men who had grown increasingly frustrated while chasing them had ended up hitting them. I just happened to witness it.


    This was a cruel coincidence. Meeting Vertus at this exact moment was just too much. It felt like the universe was conspiring against me... Why was this happening to me?


    To be fair, Vertus was offering me an apology as the chief of operational security because his subordinate, who was on special duty, had hit a member of the public, and he was doing this without revealing his status as a prince.


    Vertus was genuinely a decent guy. I couldn¡¯t deny it anymore. He had the qualities of an emperor.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know the full details, so... I¡¯m sorry too.¡±


    Now that I knew the guy who had been hitting the kids was someone akin to an undercover cop, I had nothing more to say.


    The kids would face proper legal action, and the guy would be disciplined for losing his temper and attempting to strike an innocent person. There was no reason for me to stay any longer.


    More importantly, I didn¡¯t want to remain in Vertus¡¯s sight any longer.


    ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll be going now....¡±


    Vertus¡¯s voice stopped me as I was about to leave. ¡°But, silver hair... It¡¯s really a rare hair color.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, it¡¯s, uh, dyed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Vertus narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. ¡°Are you, by any chance, a Temple student?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry? Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, you seem... familiar.¡±


    <i>¡®Shit. Shit! I need to run!¡¯</i>


    But Vertus seemed surprised by his own words and looked flustered.


    ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. Really. You just seemed... familiar. Never mind. It must sound strange,¡± he said as he fell silent, perhaps realizing that his words might havee off as intrusive.


    An awkward silence ensued.


    I needed to escape, but when was the right moment? Vertus seemed to be struggling to find the right words, believing he had said something inappropriate, while I was just looking for the right moment to flee.


    ¡°... Are you going on a trip?¡± Vertus asked, looking at therge bag I was carrying.


    It was just a casual question.


    <i>¡®Should I say I¡¯m traveling?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, yes... that¡¯s right.¡±


    I mumbled vaguely as I held the teacup Vertus had poured for me. It was ck tea.


    <i>¡°A person who doesn¡¯t even know how to hold a teacup properly can¡¯t be a noble.¡±</i>


    An old memory suddenly shed through my mind.


    How was I supposed to hold the teacup? If I held it any old way, would he think, <i>¡®This person holds a teacup just like Reinhart¡¯</i>?


    <i>¡®Vertus can¡¯t possibly remember something like that... But what if he does?¡¯</i>


    I was on the verge of losing my mind from the anxiety.


    <i>¡®Damn it, why couldn¡¯t I just hold back? Why did I have to intervene and escte the situation and make things worse?¡¯</i>


    Even though the situation was awful, I was the one who had initiated it. I felt an overwhelming urge to bash my own head in as I held the teacup with both hands.


    <i>Tremble, tremble...</i>


    Naturally, my hands began to shake due to the extreme tension, making it look as if I had a tremor. Vertus watched me quietly.


    ¡°I, uh, have a bit of a tremor... as you can see.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    I managed to take a sip while holding the teacup with both hands. Trying to act normal only made me seem more suspicious.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, but you have a tremor? That¡¯s quite unexpected,¡± he said.


    Vertus also picked up his teacup.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. Having a tremor at this age? That¡¯s obviously strange! What excuse could I use?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m an alcoholic.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    The excuse I came up with was so absurd that Vertus spat out his tea, right onto my face.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so, so sorry!¡±


    Vertus, genuinely flustered, fumbled with a handkerchief, unsure whether to dab my face or not.


    ¡°It¡¯s... fine.¡±


    I wiped my face with the handkerchief Vertus handed me. The excuse I hade up with on the spot was ridiculous.


    Vertus seemed deeply embarrassed, as if he had never imaginedmitting such a faux pas in his life.


    I carefully dabbed at my face with the handkerchief.


    <i>¡®Damn it. What if the makeupes off?¡¯</i>


    The fact that I was worrying about this was infuriating.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry...¡±


    Vertus bowed his head, looking utterly mortified. It was better this way. He probably thought I was leaving early because of his rudeness.


    At least I knew my disguise was good enough to fool even the sharp-eyed Vertus.


    ¡°Um, may I ask for your name?¡± Vertus called out to me as I was about to leave the station master¡¯s office.


    I hadn¡¯t thought of a fake name for my cross-dressing self yet. I had already turned myself into a female in so many ways and didn¡¯t want it to be any more ¡°real.¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s no point in someone of high status like you knowing my name.¡±


    ¡°... Oh...¡±


    I fled the scene, leaving Vertus¡¯s puzzled reaction behind.

 Chapter 299

    <h4>Chapter 299</h4>


    After the mysterious young woman left, Vertus wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.


    <i>¡®How could I make such a mistake?¡¯ </i>he thought.


    It wasn¡¯t just ack of decorum; it was an unimaginable level of rudeness. Vertus felt cold sweat running down his entire body.


    If someone had done that to him, he would have been ovee by a murderous rage. He had never seen or heard of anyone spitting tea in someone else¡¯s face, nor had he ever imagined doing something like that.


    It was an act that went beyond the bounds of decency. Yet, the woman seemed more surprised than angry. Her responses had been so absurd.


    Her hands had trembled excessively, which made him wonder why someone who didn¡¯t even know his status would be so nervous. Then, she had suddenly imed to be an alcoholic.


    That statement did not match her noble appearance at all.


    Her attire hadn¡¯t been particrly luxurious, just ordinary. Therge carrier she¡¯d had with her didn¡¯t seem to contain anything valuable, and the carrier itself wasn¡¯t high-end. All things considered, she seemed more like a well-bredmoner.


    The only distinctive features were her radiant silver hair and her delicate, almost artistically-sculpted facial features. Her makeup had been heavy, but it didn¡¯t seem out of ce.


    She was a strange person in many ways.


    Even from a distance, while approaching themotion, Vertus had heard her sharp voice.


    <i>¡ª¡°Hah, so you¡¯re the type who resorts to violence when things don¡¯t go your way aren¡¯t you?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Are you sure you want to do this, old man?¡±</i>


    Those weren¡¯t words one would expect from a well-breddy.


    <i>Thunk.</i>


    ¡°Y-Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°Yes, sit.¡±


    Vertus looked at the man who approached him, and at the two other men who followed behind him. They were all visibly tense.


    Even though Vertus hadn¡¯t said a word, they knelt before him instead of sitting on the chairs.


    Vertus crossed his legs and folded his arms, looking at the three kneeling men.


    ¡°Why did you do this?¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯re sorry!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I make it clear that our goal is the safe operation and management of the magic trains and stations? Yet, you not only created unease among the citizens, but also tried to strike one of them!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Your Highness!¡±


    The man who had lost his temper and tried to hit the mysterious young woman was among them.


    These three weren¡¯t just undercover cops; they were Vertus¡¯s retainers, knights of the Salerion Duchy.


    Vertus smirked.


    ¡°How much did you get?¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°Luckily, nothing serious urred. If you had actually struck thatdy, though, I would have had to spend the next week dealing with the fallout once it was known that the chief of security allowed his men to beat up citizens. Meanwhile, my half-sister would be free to do nothing but watch me self-destruct. It¡¯s a shame, really. Was thatdy so formidable that she caught your p with one hand? Huh? I¡¯m just d she didn¡¯t ruin my week¡¯s work by letting you hit her.¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯re very sorry, Your Highness. We acted thoughtlessly.¡±


    ¡°I asked you how much you got paid. I don¡¯t understand. Why would you do something so insane unless Charlotte gave you money to do so? Tell me, how much did my half-sister pay you?¡±


    Vertus¡¯s sarcastic remark made the faces of the three knights of the Salerion Duchy turn pale. His words and demeanor bore a subtle resemnce to Reinhart¡¯s.


    ¡°Please kill us, Your Highness!¡±


    Though Vertus was deeply displeased, he had no intention of killing these three.


    Knights often believed that they were above thew once they became part of the privileged ss, especially those with close ties to powerful families. Some of them believed that the privileges they enjoyed stemmed from themselves, leading to excessive ignorance and arrogance.


    There were those among the knights of the Salerion Duchy who embodied this attitude. They believed they couldmand city guards with a few words and kill people without facing any consequences, as though killing a few citizens was perfectly eptable.


    Attempting to strike a citizen in public was an exceptionally foolish act.


    ¡°If you try to ruin my week like this again, things will not be fun for you,¡± Vertus said with a menacing expression before dismissing them.


    Even if they werepetent, excessively short-sighted individuals were of no use. Those who enjoyed violence could be sent to ces where they could indulge in it. Vertus had already decided to transfer the three to some remote frontier.


    If they had actually struck the citizen who had tried to intervene, the situation would have escted further. From what Vertus heard, the silver-haireddy had grabbed the knight¡¯s wrist to stop him.


    She didn¡¯t seem like someone who could exert that much strength. Even if she wasn¡¯t a warrior, being able to stop a knight¡¯s open-handed p with one hand was impressive. Vertus knew that physical strength didn¡¯t always corrte with size, having seen some exceptional cases himself.


    Who was she?


    For the first time in his life, Vertus found himself deeply curious about the identity of someone whom he had spat tea at.


    <i>¡®I feel like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before...¡¯</i>


    Somehow, she felt familiar. It wasn¡¯t her face or her expression.


    <i>¡ª¡°Hah, so you¡¯re the type who resorts to violence when things don¡¯t go your way aren¡¯t you?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Are you sure you want to do this, old man?¡±</i>


    Somehow, those words and actions felt familiar to Vertus. However, the strong impression he had of the silver-haireddy made it impossible for Vertus to mentally ovey another person¡¯s image onto hers.


    Her extreme nervousness when face-to-face with him had been somewhat endearing as well.


    <i>¡°... There¡¯s no point in someone of high status like you knowing my name.¡±</i>


    It seemed like she knew who he was, even though he hadn¡¯t mentioned it. Of course, it wasn¡¯t unusual for people to recognize him, since he wasn¡¯t exactly an unknown person.


    <i>¡®Who is she? What does she do?¡¯</i>


    Vertus felt unsettled by the unexpected encounter.


    ***


    Meeting Vertus by sheer coincidence was already a nightmare. But realizing that nothing would have happened if I had just ignored the kids getting beaten made it even worse.


    It was all ridiculous. What had started as a concept had now be reality. Even so, in my book, no matter what sort of scoundrel-like behavior kids got up to, senselessly beating them in front of everyone was just not right.


    Even though what I was saying was correct, the fact that I was the one saying them made it all the more messed up. I needed to let it go.


    Vertus wouldn¡¯t show up to watch something like a cross-dressing contest. He was too busy with his important responsibilities and probably won¡¯t even set foot near the Temple during the festival.


    As I got closer to the Temple, my steps felt heavier and heavier.


    <i>¡®Seriously... I really don¡¯t want to go... But I have to. This is all for my own good. I have no choice but to go...¡¯</i>


    Even the garment bag felt as heavy as a block of iron.


    At least I had made one resolution: No matter what happened, I had to endure it. If I kept acting on impulse as I did earlier, something could go wrong. If I didn¡¯t curb my impulses, things could get even worse.


    ***


    ¡°Why am I doing this...?¡±


    Connor Lint stared nkly into space with unfocused eyes. At that moment, he was wearing a woman¡¯s dress that had been prepared by the organizers.


    Connor Lint wanted to cut off his own tongue for having said something so pointless.


    .


    .


    ¡°The cross-dressing contest is today, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    Heinrich von Schwartz, Kaier Vioden, Erhi de Raffaeli, and Connor Lint had been hanging out together throughout the festival, enjoying various activities.


    ¡°They¡¯re epting applications until this evening,¡± said Connor Lint.


    He had brought it up with the wicked thought that it wouldn¡¯t be him.


    ¡°How about we y rock-paper-scissors, and the loser has to enter? What do you think?¡±


    Boys sometimes staked their lives on strange bets.


    To be precise, they often took pointless risks just to see each other being humiliated.


    ¡°What? Why would we do that? Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    How embarrassing it would be, seeing one of the others in a state they would never want to be in, in front of countless people. The sheer humiliation on their faces would be entertaining.


    It would be a lifelong source of teasing. There was no reason not to do it. Naturally, the others all had lukewarm reactions.


    Until Connor Lint uttered the magic words.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not you who has to do it,right?¡±


    There were four of them, and so the odds were one in four. A twenty-five percent chance of losing, in exchange for a seventy-five percent chance of enjoying someone else¡¯s humiliation.


    It was a bet that couldn¡¯t be passed up.


    Before rational judgment could take over, Connor Lint had already spoken up.


    ¡°Rock-paper-scissors, loser goes!¡±


    The result was...


    .


    .


    ¡°...¡±


    Connor Lint¡¯s presence in the waiting room behind the auditorium where the cross-dressing contest was being held exined everything. The notion of ¡°as long as it¡¯s not me¡± meant that it had to be someone, and that someone turned out to be Connor Lint.


    Even though the odds were the same for everyone, it often seemed like the one who suggested the idea was the one who ended up losing, and Connor Lint was no exception.


    ¡°Hey, can you stay still for a moment? Gosh.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay...¡±


    ¡°Look up. Why is your skin like this? The makeup isn¡¯t even sticking properly. <i>Tsk</i>.¡±


    Riana de Granz was applying makeup to Connor Lint¡¯s face. She seemed to find the whole situation amusing, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from giggling. Riana, the duchess¡¯s daughter, would normally barely acknowledge Connor, but at the moment, she was personally applying makeup to his face.


    Under normal circumstances, Connor would have been overwhelmed with gratitude and his heart would have been racing, but he felt just like he was dying in real-time.


    .


    .


    Even though none of the boys had considered doing something like that before, friends often enthusiastically helped each other out in such unfortunate situations.


    <i>¡°What? A cross-dressing contest? You guys are into that sort of thing? </i>


    <i>¡°Oh, you¡¯re doing it as a punishment? And you¡¯re the one entering? Haha, oh wow. That¡¯s hrious! Makeup? Sure, I¡¯ll do it! Where is it? Is it today?¡±</i>


    Since the four boys knew that Riana was supporting Ellen and Cliffman in the Mister and Miss Temple contests, they had sought her out.


    Despite their initial indifference, as soon as Connor Lint had been chosen to participate in the cross-dressing contest, they sessfully recruited Riana, who they usually could not even speak to, as their makeup specialist.


    Riana found the whole thing highly amusing. Not only did she do Connor¡¯s makeup, but also helped him choose an outfit from the many women¡¯s clothes prepared by the organizers. Of course, she didn¡¯t lend him any of her own clothes.


    Riana was meticulously trying different wigs and makeup styles on Connor, who was wearing one of the many dresses provided by the organizers. After much deliberation, Riana clicked her tongue.


    ¡°This is hopeless.¡±


    ¡°W-What is?¡±


    ¡°No matter what I do, you just look ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Riana giggled as she looked at Connor, who, despite all her efforts, only looked moreical.


    Simr scenes were unfolding around them. The waiting room wasn¡¯t veryrge¡ªjust a big hall behind the auditorium. Some people were sighing deeply, while others, like Connor, were having their makeup done by someone else.


    Most of them wore grim expressions. Some were nervously adjusting their appearance in front of mirrors, which was even harder to watch.


    Over there, a nearly two-meter-tall human tank was wearing thergest dress avable, but it still looked like a short skirt on him. He seemed deeply embarrassed by his appearance, unable to bear the shame.


    That waiting room was essentially hell.


    Connor Lint wondered who was more wicked: the demons of this hell, or the spectators who were waiting to mock them.


    It was fortunate that only one person was allowed to help with makeup or dressing for each participant¡ªin his case, Riana¡ªso she was the only one who couldugh at his predicament.


    His mouth had finally gotten him into trouble. There was no point in wallowing in self-pity; he couldn¡¯t undo what had been done.


    <i>[Participant number 1]</i>


    Connor Lint had a card with his number pinned to his chest. He was also the first to go on stage. The order of participants was supposed to be random, and not based on the order of application. Despite applyingst, he was being made to go first, which made him want to die even more.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have been born prettier?¡±


    ¡°How is that my fault...? Why do I need to be pretty... I¡¯m a guy...¡±


    ¡°Oh is that so? But you¡¯re not particrly handsome either.¡±


    ¡°Please, just kill me...¡±


    Riana continued to giggle and tease him as she applied makeup to his face, finding the whole situation endlessly amusing.


    Who else could he me? He could only me himself for bringing this hell upon himself.


    In the midst of themunal torment that engulfed the somewhat-chaotic waiting room where preparations for the contest were underway, Connor Lint noticed someone sitting in a corner, dressed simrly to him.


    The person was wearing something like a robe. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be a participant. The hood of the robe was pulled low, so he couldn¡¯t see under it clearly, but he could make out silver hair, a delicate jawline, and shimmering pink lips.


    Even at a nce, this person had a different aura. They were sitting quietly in the corner, not talking to anyone, until someone from the organizing staff approached them.


    Though he couldn¡¯t hear the conversation from a distance, it seemed they were discussing something. The person nodded and then removed their hood.


    Connor Lint was left speechless. The same went for the other participants who happened to nce in that direction.


    After what seemed like a brief conversation, the staff member nodded in understanding.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Riana asked, following Connor¡¯s gaze. When she saw what he was looking at, she dropped her makeup tools.


    ¡°... Wait. Can girls participate too? No, that can¡¯t be right,¡± Riana muttered in disbelief, even though she knew it was impossible.


    After finishing the conversation with the member of the organizing staff, the ¡°girl¡± pulled her hood back up.


    Riana turned to Connor with a bewildered expression. The ¡°girl¡¯s¡± face was no longer visible.


    ¡°Was that a guy?¡±


    ¡°H-How should I know? Don¡¯t ask me...¡±


    The two of them, along with everyone else who had seen the silver-haired participant, were dumbfounded.


    Connor Lint believed he had made eye contact with the ¡°girl¡± before she had pulled her hood back up, and he was sure he¡¯d seen her face turn bright red.


    <i>¡®No way...¡¯</i>


    In that brief moment, Connor felt something familiar in that girl¡¯s face and demeanor.


    <i>¡®She can¡¯t be into me, right?¡¯</i>


    Connor Lint was jumping to strange conclusions. He noticed the number pinned to that person¡¯s chest: participant number 40.


    He could see her lips moving under the hood, muttering something over and over.


    ¡ªWhy the hell are they here... Why...


    Of course, he didn¡¯t realize that most of what she was muttering were expletives.

 Chapter 300

    <h4>Chapter 300</h4>


    The contest was about to begin, and everyone except the participants and the organizers had to leave the waiting room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is good enough, but it¡¯s the best I can do,¡± Riana said, giggling as she left the waiting room, leaving Connor Lint behind in his full makeup and wig, still looking ridiculous.


    Only the forty cross-dressing contestants remained. Most of them wore gloomy expressions, as if they were being punished for some crime.


    Of course, there were a few who looked surprisingly good in their outfits, likely those with a genuine interest in cross-dressing. With over a hundred thousand students at the Temple, it wasn¡¯t surprising that there would be some that leaned in that direction.


    Among them was someone who looked particrly dangerous and extraordinary: participant number 40, the one with the hood. She was so anxious and nervous that she was even biting her nails.


    Connor Lint believed he was in a terrible situation, but he wondered why this person seemed so much more anxious.


    If they were that ufortable, why did they evene? Was their situation simr to his?


    The organizer came out and began to prepare the contestants.


    ¡°Alright, the contest is about to start. Participant number 40, please remove your hood now,¡± said the organizer. The hooded participant seemed oblivious, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please remove your hood, participant.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Finally, under persistent urging, they reluctantly removed their hood. The other participants were left speechless by their appearance.


    ¡°....¡±


    <i>¡®No way. Is that really a guy?¡¯</i>


    Everyone had the same expression of disbelief. Participant number 40, despite the situation, forced a subtle, awkward smile.


    ¡°... Did she identally enter thinking it was the Miss Temple contest?¡±


    ¡°Maybe...¡±


    The participants who seemed to know each other whispered among themselves, and Connor Lint began to think that might actually be the case. It seemed more usible.


    <i>¡®Yeah, that must be it. There¡¯s no way that face belongs to a guy.¡¯</i>


    The other contestants started to believe that the beautiful girl had mistakenly submitted her application for the Miss Temple contest to the cross-dressing contest organizers.


    They believed that she found herself stuck in a room full of cross-dressing men, including a nearly two-meter-tall human tank in a dress, and was understandably panicking.


    Being in such a situation would make anyone panic.


    She clearly wanted to leave, but was too shy and embarrassed to do anything. Even though the organizers hadn¡¯t said anything, everyone started to feel sympathy for the blushing, seemingly-helpless girl (who wasn¡¯t actually blushing or helpless).


    Eventually, someone had to step up. Someone had to escort her out of this ce where she clearly didn¡¯t belong. The chivalry that started to bloom in everyone¡¯s hearts eventually moved one of the participants to act.


    ¡°Ahem, excuse me.¡±


    It was the human tank in a dress who had spoken.


    Participant number 24, a massive and muscr human tank, who looked the most ill-fitting in a dress, began to approach the delicate-looking girl.


    Connor Lint was internally horrified.


    <i>¡®No! Anyone but you!¡¯ </i>he thought.


    That enormous figure was too monstrous to be allowed to approach such a fragile-looking girl. The sight of a hulking, muscr beast in a dress, made even more terrifying because of the long blonde wig, approaching the girl was horrifying.


    The girl looked up at the approaching giant in a daze.


    She wore a forced, awkward smile, but her lips were trembling. She was clearly terrified. Connor Lint knew that if he were in her shoes, he would have fainted from fear.


    But Richard Haulman, the human tank who believed he was acting chivalrously, was oblivious to his own appearance. He smiled gently, believing he was being gant.


    ¡°It seems you might have entered the wrong contest,¡± he said. ¡°This is the cross-dressing contest, not the Miss Temple contest.¡±


    He thought he was being suave, but given the situation, his attire, and the fact that he was a participant in the cross-dressing contest, his demeanor was anything but suave.


    Naturally, all eyes were on them. The silver-haired girl¡¯s eyes darted around nervously. She seemed to want to say something but was too nervous to. Her lips were trembling violently.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. This is just a simple event. If you exin it to the organizers, you can leave...¡±


    Everyone else in the room had the same thought. <i>¡®That guy definitely thinks he¡¯s being cool. He probably ns to find out which ss the girl is from and maybe even ask her out for a mealter.¡¯</i>


    The girl finally seemed to realize that staying silent wouldn¡¯t get rid of the giant in front of her. She nervously opened her mouth, her lips still trembling. A soft, ambiguous voice that could belong to either a man or a woman came out of the girl¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°... I¡¯m a... guy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Richard Haulman looked confused, as if he had misheard. The girl, or rather, participant number 40 who had just revealed that he was not a girl, was biting his lip.


    Of course, this person was just angry at the monstrous figure in front of him for not understanding his words.


    <i>¡®Get lost, you bastard,¡¯ </i>was what this person felt, but to everyone else, it looked like he was frustrated at someone who was making her ufortable.


    Anger and frustration... Both were simr, but subtly different.


    Everyone had misunderstood the poor creature in front of them.


    When a single word didn¡¯t suffice to drive him away, participant number 40 finally spat out a short, definitive statement.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m in the right ce.¡±


    At those words, Richard Haulman¡¯s expression froze, and so did the expressions of the others in the room. Even though the person in front of them looked like a beautiful girl, they knew it was impossible for someone to make such a mistake. However, people sometimes found it hard to believe what they saw with their own eyes.


    They had doubted their own eyes, but now, they had verbal confirmation.


    This person was iming to be biologically the same as them.


    ¡°Th-That... can¡¯t be...¡±


    Richard Haulman looked as if the love of his life had just left him. The human tank trudged back to his seat, looking for all the world as though his soul had been drained from his body, but the others couldn¡¯t stop stealing nces at participant number 40, who was blushing furiously and hanging his head.


    Participant number 40, his face red with shame and embarrassment, bit his lip and remained silent.


    ***


    <i>Swoosh...</i>


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    I was in the bathroom near the waiting room, washing my hands and letting the water run into the sink. I couldn¡¯t wash my face, and I didn¡¯t need to use the bathroom. I just couldn¡¯t stay in that room any longer without feeling like I might strangle someone.


    <i>¡®Damn it! I considered the possibility that Connor Lint might be in the audience, but why is he a participant? And in that state, no less?¡¯</i>


    My heart had nearly dropped when I saw Riana doing his makeup, fearing she might recognize me.


    When I¡¯d first arrived, the organizers had grilled me, asking if I was really the person who had registered, suspecting I might be someone else. Exining myself had been nerve-wracking.


    The fortunate thing was that my makeup and disguise were so perfect that no one recognized me. They even thought I might be apletely different person. That was why Connor Lint hadn¡¯t recognized me, and neither did that human tank from the tournament. He even seemed to be trying to be nice to me.


    Still, how could they think I was dumb enough to submit a Miss Temple application to the cross-dressing contest organizers?


    <i>Swoosh...</i>


    I let out a long sigh. I felt like I was going insane. I needed to stay vignt. If I let my guard down and my true nature showed, Connor Lint might recognize me. That scornful expression could only belong to Reinhart, after all.


    <i>¡®Wait. Come to think of it, this could turn into a crazy situation.¡¯</i>


    I needed to smile. I had to manage my expressions properly so that no one would recognize me until this was all over.


    ¡°Uh, uh, excuse me...!¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Oh? This is the men¡¯s bathr¡ªOh.¡±


    Even the organizing staff was mistaking me for a girl.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Sometimes, things going too well could also be a problem. After all, too much of anything was bad. I¡¯d clearly put in too much effort this time.


    Also, I was participant number 40... Although the organizers assured us that the ordering of contestants was random, there were only 40 participants. They definitely made me number 40 on purpose. I was sure of it.


    ***


    The cross-dressing contest, if not grand, was at least a unique event in its own right, and it had begun.


    ¡ªNow, let¡¯s start the 8th Temple Cross-Dressing Contest, hosted by the Temple Student Council!


    Surprisingly, the contest had been held annually for eight years. While it didn¡¯t draw the overwhelming cheers that filled the arena during the tournament, the general-ss auditorium was still packed.


    Some attendees were curious about this unusual event, some hade to witness the lifelong embarrassment of friends who were participating as a form of punishment, and others had a personal interest in such things. The audience was watching, some keenly interested and others ready tough.


    Among the audience were a group from the Irarzon ss, there to witness Richard Haulman¡¯s embarrassing moment. Also present were Riana de Granz, Heinrich von Schwartz, Erhi de Raffaeli, and Kaier Vioden from the Royal ss, all there to see Connor Lint¡¯s embarrassing moment.


    Heinrich turned to Riana and asked, ¡°Did it go well?¡±


    ¡°In a way, yes,¡± Riana replied with a smirk.


    The one who had suggested the contest as a bet, thinking he wouldn¡¯t be the one to suffer, had ended up being the one to participate. Everyone was eager to see what kind of ridiculous figure Connor Lint would cut.


    ¡°So, what number is he?¡± Erhi asked Riana.


    Riana grinned as she looked at Erhi. ¡°Number 1.¡±


    ¡°Oh, haha.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t help butugh at the thought of Connor Lint being the first contestant in this hellish contest. Just imagining his expression made them happy.


    <i>¡ª</i>Now! We have many outstanding contestants this time! Let¡¯s introduce the first contestant of the grand cross-dressing contest right away!


    The host was brimming with excitement for this bizarre event.


    ¡ªHe is a first-year Royal ss student! Let¡¯s wee Connor Lint with a thunderous round of apuse!


    While not exactly thunderous, the mention of the Royal ss brought about a significant round of apuse.


    ¡°Woohooo! Yeahhhh!¡±


    Riana de Granz seemed even more excited than she had been during the tournament, screaming and pping enthusiastically.


    It was almost unbing of a duke¡¯s daughter, but everyone knew by now that Riana de Granz didn¡¯t care about such things.


    The trio, now joined by a fourth member in Riana, observed her high-energy excitement with a sense of awe. They were excited about someone else¡¯s misfortune as well, but Riana¡¯s enthusiasm was on another level.


    <i>¡®What a devilish girl...¡¯ </i>they thought as the contest continued.


    The first contestant, Connor Lint, stepped onto the stage, his face red as a beet. Riana¡¯s makeup was wless. The choice of outfit was perfect. The wig selection wasn¡¯t bad either.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    ¡°What is that?!¡±


    Despite it all, the problemy with the ¡°model¡±¡ªConnor himself. All four of them now understood why this bizarrely-titled cross-dressing contest had been held annually for eight years. Whatever else it might be, it was undeniably funny.


    ¡ªMr. Lint, you¡¯re a Royal ss student, right?


    ¡ªYes.


    ¡ªYou look really cute. You should show some confidence.


    Connor Lint red at the host as if to say, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me.¡±


    ¡ªOh, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I meant the outfit is cute, not you, Mr. Lint.


    ¡ªAh.


    Connor¡¯s face twisted in displeasure, and the audience burst intoughter. This was the essence of the cross-dressing contest: participants who had entered for some dubious reason were put in the limelight while a host gently teased them.


    ¡ªDid you do your makeup yourself?


    ¡ªNo. A friend did it.


    ¡ªA friend? Surely someone here in the audience? They¡¯re quite skilled. Who is it? Can you raise your hand?


    At those words, Riana, who was watching from the audience, raised her hand high. She showed no signs of embarrassment despite all the attention.


    The host looked back and forth between Connor and Riana, then gave Riana a look to suggest they were impressed.


    ¡ªOh, ady. Is she your girlfriend?


    ¡°Ahhh! Absolutely not!¡±


    Riana looked disgusted, causing the audience tough once more. The trio, now a quartet, looked at their temporary member as if she were a monster.


    She was a master at publicly humiliating people.


    ¡ªWow! She¡¯s denying it so strongly! Mr. Lint, are you hurt by that?


    ¡ªN-No! Why would I be hurt?!


    Connor Lint, only ended up highlighting his own hurt feelings by vehemently denying it. He was dying a little more inside with each passing moment.


    ¡ªWhy is a Royal ss student in a cross-dressing contest?


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t it the same as the others? I¡¯m here because I lost a bet.


    ¡ªSo you¡¯re saying you guys bet on the same stuff as us? That doesn¡¯t seem right...


    While the Royal ss¡¯s devilish ssmates were busy mocking him, the audience¡¯s reaction was slightly different. After all, Connor Lint had the prestige of the Royal ss attached to him.


    In a school with nearly a hundred thousand students, the Royal ss only had about two hundred students, so the Royal ss carried a certain prestige.


    To most general ss students, the Royal ss was an elite, omnipotent group, perceived as arrogant. But here was a Royal ss student, fumbling awkwardly in a ridiculous outfit. It made him seem more rtable.


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t he kind of cute?


    ¡ªYeah, he is.


    The reactions from the female students were particrly notable. While Connor Lint wasn¡¯t exactly a handsome guy, he could be considered cute. Adding Riana de Granz¡¯s skill with makeup, and though he might not be called pretty, he could certainly be called cute.


    Of course, the male students wouldn¡¯t agree, but some female students found Connor Lint¡¯s embarrassed and shy demeanor quite endearing.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re so cute!


    ¡ª<i>Oppa</i>, you¡¯re adorable!


    Middle school girls were waving their hands and squealing, and Connor Lint¡¯s eyes were practically spinning as he tried toprehend what was happening to him.


    After various questions, the host moved on to an important point.


    ¡ªBy the way, it says here that Connor Lint is a superhuman.


    ¡ªOoooh...


    People knew supernatural powers existed, but few had seen them firsthand. Even at the Temple, Royal ss students with supernatural powers were umon.


    Despite the existence of supernatural powers, they were still a foreign concept to most people. Therefore, the mention of supernatural powers heightened the anticipation surrounding this Royal ss student in a funny outfit.


    There was a reason the organizers had imed the order was random, but ced Connor Lint as number 1 and Reinhart as number 40.


    At the mention of supernatural powers, Connor Lint¡¯s expression, as well as those of the other male students of the Royal ss, froze.


    ¡ªIt seems you haven¡¯t decided what to do for your appeal time. How about showing us your supernatural power? Teleportation, that¡¯s impressive!


    ¡ªWow! Teleportation?


    ¡ªOoooh!


    Those who knew, knew. Connor Lint¡¯s supernatural power was not something he could demonstrate in public. Although the penalty for its use had been somewhat mitigated, he could still only teleport in his underwear.


    ¡ªN-No, no! Absolutely not!


    Connor Lint¡¯s desperate cry echoed across the auditorium. The hopeless trio looked on with their mouths agape, realizing that Connor¡¯s embarrassment could multiply exponentially.


    Even Riana was speechless. If she had lost a little more of hermon sense, she might have joined in the chant that was starting up in the crowd, but she still had her wits about her.


    Unfortunately, most in the audience didn¡¯t know the details.


    ¡ªShow us!


    One person started it, and the chant began.


    ¡ªShow us! Show us!


    Everyone was united in their desire to see a demonstration of the supernatural power.


    ¡°What... what do we do?¡± Riana muttered nkly, looking at Heinrich.


    ¡°Y-Yeah... what should we do...?¡±


    Even though Connor Lint had fallen into his own trap, this was a devastating moment for him.

 Chapter 301 [Illustrations]

    <h4>Chapter 301 [Illustrations]</h4>


    There was no way he could show it.


    ¡ªShow us! Show us!


    Connor Lint felt like biting his tongue and ending it all as he listened to the crowd¡¯s chants.


    <i>¡®Why did I get myself into this mess?!¡¯ </i>he thought.


    The host, unaware of the true nature of Connor¡¯s supernatural power and believing that it was something impressive, was urging him on. The audience was excited, eager to see the Royal ss student demonstrate his teleportation ability.


    If he suddenly teleported in just his underwear, the cross-dressing contest could turn into chaos at worst, or at best, he would be aughingstock.


    He knew he had to exin that his ability had a significant w and so he couldn¡¯t demonstrate it. He was already embarrassed enough standing in front of everyone like this; he didn¡¯t want to add to his humiliation.


    People wanted to see a slick teleportation show, but what they would actually see was a nearly-naked pervert disappearing and appearing in a different ce, which would be a very dangerous image!


    He had to say it. But...


    ¡ªShow us! Show us!


    Connor Lint looked at the people shouting at him, at all the eyes that were fixed on him. Despite his current state, he saw the way they looked at him. They were looks of admiration.


    He had never been the recipient of such looks before.


    The subtle jealousy, envy, and admiration that came with being a Royal ss student¡ªConnor had never experienced it.


    Within the Royal ss, his ability had long been branded as useless.


    ¡ª<i>Wow! That¡¯s amazing!</i>


    ¡ª<i>Soon you¡¯ll be able to teleport with your shirt too, right?</i>


    ¡ª<i>C-Congrattions, Lint...</i>


    When he had managed to teleport with his underwear, his fellow superhuman ssmates had celebrated with him. His ability was so pathetic that even a minor improvement was met with encouragement and praise.


    He could never dream of doing the incredible things Reinhart did, achieving sess after sess.


    Awakening his supernatural power in a fight with a senior, returning from the Dark Land after aplishing something monumental, awakening Mana Reinforcement on his own after a fight, and winning the first-year tournament confidently...


    Performing the kinds of feats that made everyone¡¯s jaws drop¡ªthat wasn¡¯t his role.


    Now, though, people were seeing him. Just because he was a Royal ss student, just because he was a superhuman.


    Some even whispered that he was cute.


    For the first time in his life, he was receiving attention. What would happen if he told them that he couldn¡¯t use his ability because it would strip him of his clothes?


    Would their admiring gazes turn into looks of disdain?


    The thought of their expectant gazes turning cold was unbearable.


    His ability was useless.


    No¡ªit was an amazing ability with a critical w that made it impractical.


    How long would he have to live like this? Waiting to see what he could teleport next after his underwear, living on while being satisfied by tiny improvements?


    When would he be a useful person?


    Connor Lint felt the crowd¡¯s chants growing distant. The host¡¯s urging sounded like a distant echo.


    Amidst the countless eyes that were focused on him, Connor Lint felt utterly alone.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want to be like Reinhart. That reckless guy only seeks out dangerous situations and takes on risky challenges. </i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want to live like that. I don¡¯t think I could even if I wanted to. But even though I don¡¯t want to go looking for trouble and hardships like that annoyingly handsome guy, I still wish... </i>


    <i>¡®I wish the world could be a little more lenient with me, just as it seems to be with him. How long do I have to live with this half-baked ability, introducing myself as a superhuman but never being able to show my power to anyone?</i>


    <i>¡®If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned from watching Reinhart, it¡¯s that recklessness sometimes leads to unexpected results. Recklessness doesn¡¯t always lead to failure.</i>


    <i>¡®I believe the world has something prepared for me too. And I know that unless I try, it will never be within my grasp. If a tree bears fruit, that fruit will never be mine unless I take the risk of climbing the tree.¡¯</i>


    ¡ªShow us!


    Connor Lint, lost in his short but intense contemtion, returned to reality. He made a decision. His Royal ss ssmates, who had been mocking him, turned pale as they read the resolve in his expression.


    ¡ªNo! Don¡¯t do it!!


    That was Riana de Granz, who had been enjoying herself the most. She had turned almost blue and was shaking her head frantically. While she enjoyed a goodugh at someone¡¯s expense, she wasn¡¯t inherently evil. Seeing Connor about to cross a point of no return, she tried desperately to stop him.


    But Connor was beyond listening to anyone else now.


    <i>¡®No. I¡¯ve decided to do it. There are times when you must move forward, even if you might fail.¡¯</i>


    ¡ªShow us, <i>oppa</i>!


    It wasn¡¯t because of the cute middle school girl squealing in the front row.


    ¡°Mr. Lint, if demonstrating your ability is difficult, you can use your presentation time for something else...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because of the annoying host either.


    ¡ªShow us!


    It wasn¡¯t because of the admiring cries of the crowd.


    ¡ªI said don¡¯t do it!


    It wasn¡¯t for anyone else.


    It was for himself.


    He was tired of this stagnation, tired of being stuck. He was fed up with himself. So, while he couldn¡¯t live like Reinhart, he decided to take the path Reinhart had taken to reach his achievements so far.


    There were situations in which one couldn¡¯t back down, and this was one of them. He would push himself to the limit and make it to the next stage.


    If he failed, it would be a huge embarrassment. But if he seeded, he wouldn¡¯t have to live as a half-baked superhuman anymore.


    There was no more extreme situation than this.


    He had to do it.


    ¡°I will show you something.¡±


    ¡ªYeahhhhh!


    Connor Lint, wearing a dress, concentrated, his eyes filled with determination. He was going to teleport himself together with all his clothes, and finally step onto the path of a true superhuman.


    The target coordinates were the right side of the stage. Using the ability itself was easy; it was oveing the penalty that was the challenge. Though he still didn¡¯t know how he would do it, he resolved to master teleportation in this extreme situation.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    Connor Lint sped his hands together and let out a spirited shout.


    <i>Pop!</i>


    ¡ªWhoa!


    In an instant, the auditorium fell silent. Connor Lint had sessfully teleported.


    ¡ªH-Huh...?


    The audience was shocked.


    ¡°Uh...?¡±


    The host was also shocked.


    ¡ªWhat...?


    ¡ªW-What¡¯s going on...?


    The Royal ss ssmates who were looking on were equally stunned. Their expressions were not those of people seeing a predicted side effect; they were of people who had witnessed somethingpletely unexpected.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Connor Lint himself was just as bewildered. He had indeed seeded in teleporting, but his body had remained in the same spot. It was his clothes that had teleported instead.


    Connor Lint had teleported all his clothes, except for his underwear, to the right side of the stage. He was left in a daze, as were his ssmates.


    Connor Lint¡¯s ability had evolved. What had just happened was unbelievable. Those in the know understood that Connor Lint¡¯s ability had not just improved, but had undergone a miraculous transformation.


    However, the host and the audience could only assume that this was how Connor Lint¡¯s teleportation ability worked. Instead of teleporting himself, he had teleported his clothes.


    ¡°Is... Is this what teleportation is...?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, th-that¡¯s... Not exactly.¡±


    Connor Lint had achieved a miraculous growth in his ability.


    ¡ªAhhhh!


    But the result was the same: he was left nearly naked, d in nothing but his underwear.


    ***


    ¡ªW-Welldies and gentlemen... T-That was contestant number 1, Mr. Connor Lint!


    Of course, Connor Lint wasn¡¯t arrested for public indecency or something simr. The faulty primarily with the host for not finding out about the penalties associated with his ability.


    Connor Lint, in his underwear, hastily gathered his clothes and fled backstage, leaving the audience and other students in a state of shock and confusion. It took some time for the chaos caused by the sudden visual assault to settle down.


    ¡°What... What did I just see...?¡± Riana de Granz muttered, still in a daze.


    Her shock wasn¡¯t just because of Connor Lint¡¯s sudden near-nudity, but also because he had used apletely different ability than what they had known.


    Heinrich, Kaier, and Erhi were equally stunned. While the audience, unfamiliar with Lint, reacted with bewilderment and disbelief, those who knew him were shocked by the significant evolution of his ability.


    Connor Lint had always been able to teleport himself, but now he had managed to teleport other objects. Although it had resulted in aical situation, with him teleporting his clothes away, the fact remained that his ability had advanced dramatically.


    The audience, unaware of the true nature of his ability, were staring in shock and disbelief, although some found his panicked retreat endearing. However, the four who knew the truth were left speechless, their mouths agape.


    ***


    ¡ªN-Now, let¡¯s introduce contestant number 2!


    The host tried to restore order by continuing with the programme. The four Royal ss students had initiallye to see Connor Lint¡¯s ridiculous performance, and now that it was over, they had no reason to stay.


    Although there was still the audience voting and the announcement of the overall winner, their participation wasn¡¯t considered essential. Despite the shocking turn of events, their main interest in the event had concluded, so there was no reason to remain.


    However, the Royal ss students did not leave their seats, nor did the other audience members.


    ¡ªWhat have you prepared for your appeal time?


    ¡ªI¡¯ll be dancing.


    The antics of the contestants were amusing enough to keep everyone watching. Whether they were participating as a punishment or voluntarily, each provided their own brand of entertainment.


    ¡°Hey, what is that? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Ouch! Ouch! I get that it¡¯s funny, but why are you hitting me?!¡±


    The shock from Connor Lint¡¯s performance was short-lived. Soon enough, Riana wasughing heartily and hitting Erhi de Raffaeli, who was sitting beside her.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they at least shave their leg hair? Haha!¡± Riana was the type to hit people when she found something funny. ¡°This is hrious... Oh, my stomach hurts fromughing so much!¡±


    During the time allocated to each contestant to showcase their skills, some danced, some sang, and some even attempted martial arts demonstrations.


    When a music major who looked surprisingly good in drag performed a powerful baritone solo, everyone was left in awe, pping absentmindedly.


    As the cross-dressing contest continued, Riana suddenly pped her hands as if she had remembered something.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s right... Are you going to hit me again?¡±


    Erhi, seemingly conditioned to the abuse, flinched as Riana¡¯s eyes lit up with an idea.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right! I forgot about it!¡±


    <i>Whack! Whack! Whack!</i>


    Of course, she did hit him again.


    ¡°Why do you keep hitting me...¡±


    Riana smacked Erhi¡¯s shoulder a few more times before turning to the rest of the trio.


    ¡°Earlier on, in the waiting room, there was this really strange person,¡± Riana said.


    ¡°A strange person?¡± Erhi asked, while Kaier¡¯s expression turned curious.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be stranger if there <i>wasn¡¯t</i> anyone weird in that room?¡± Kaier added.


    That was true. In a waiting room filled with people engrossed in cross-dressing, it would be more unusual to find someone who <i>didn¡¯t</i> seem out of ce. In a room full of oddballs, the normal person would be the odd one out.


    ¡°No. I mean, there was someone who looked gorgeous,¡± Riana said, finally choosing a more blunt way to express it.


    ¡°...?¡±


    For Riana to use such a strong expression like ¡°gorgeous¡± was surprising.


    Given the context, it was obviously a guy. Riana tilted her head as she recalled the strange person she had momentarily forgotten because of the earlier shock.


    ¡°I think it was number 40.¡±


    Riana seemed determined to stay until the end to satisfy her curiosity, and her ssmates were also intrigued by her description.


    <i>¡®How pretty could he be?¡¯ </i>they wondered.


    They were just curious. What did it mean for a guy in drag to be gorgeous? None of them understood why they were still sitting there, but none of them left.


    ¡ªNow, let¡¯s introduce contestant number 24, Richard Haulman!


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The appearance of a giant over two meters tall wearing a dress made everyone want to cover their eyes. Even the host seemed taken aback.


    ¡°... I feel like leaving,¡± Riana said, her lips twitching slightly as if her eyes had been assaulted.


    ¡ªAhem, um... oh. Uh. Yes.


    Seeing a muscr giant blushing while fiddling with the hem of his dress and crossing his legs was indeed a sight to behold.


    After a painfully awkward exchange between the malfunctioning host and the embarrassed human tank, the host decided it was best to move on to the performance.


    ¡ªWhat have you prepared to show us?


    ¡ªI¡¯ll be demonstrating squats.


    Everyone watched in a daze as the human tank performed some heavy squats in a dress. It was a sight many wished they could unsee, leading to a number of people leaving the room.


    Amidst this chaos andughter, the cross-dressing contest continued, and it was quickly approaching the final act.


    ¡ªNow, we have thest contestant of the 8th Annual Cross-Dressing Contest. This contestant is sure to surprise you in many ways. Due to a request for anonymity, we cannot reveal their real name. Please wee contestant number 40!


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for some contestants to request anonymity, so this wasn¡¯t particrly strange.


    Riana had already seen this person once, and her description had piqued the interest of the other three who were with her.


    The final contestant, the anonymous number 40, slowly walked onto the stage.


    ¡ªWow...


    The audience could only utter awestruck exmations as contestant number 40 walked into the spotlight.


    ¡°... What, what is this...?¡±


    ¡°No way...¡±


    ¡°What the... is this real?¡±


    The reactions of the Royal ss students were no different. Even Riana, who had seen number 40 earlier on, was staring at him in a daze.


    The silver hair, reflecting the light and shining brilliantly, looked too vibrant to be a wig. It seemed like it was the person¡¯s actual hair. Golden eyes, alluring pink lips, a beautiful jawline and facial features, and a clean, delicate white neck.


    The slender shoulders and the perfect waistline, though partially hidden by the dress, were evident. Finally, a gentle, kind smile made the appearance truly perfect.


    Everyone had the same question in their minds. <i>¡®Is that really a guy?¡¯</i>


    It had to be a lie.


    ¡ªUh... I hesitate to ask, but... are you really a contestant in the cross-dressing contest?


    ¡ªYes.


    There was the soft, ambiguous voice again, one that could belong to either gender. Instead of cheers or exmations, the audience was left in a stunned silence. It seemed almost unbelievable.


    ¡ªYou requested anonymity. Is there a reason for that?


    For a moment, a slight crack appeared in the otherwise imprable expression of participant number 40. But it was quickly reced by the original serene smile.


    The contestant paused before answering.


    ¡ªEveryone has their secrets.


    ¡ªI see... Do you often dress like this?


    At the host¡¯s provocative question, participant number 40 paused and looked at them. The audience sensed a fleeting glimpse of participant number 40¡¯s true expression, but no one could catch it clearly.


    The brilliant smile quickly returned.


    ¡ªNo, not at all.


    ¡ªSo this is your first time?


    ¡ªYes.


    Though number 40 seemedposed, those watching closely could see the truth. While his expression was calm, his hands were gripping his dress tightly.


    It was clear that number 40 was very nervous. His face was gradually turning a subtle shade of red.


    It was evident that number 40 found the situation extremely embarrassing.

 Chapter 302

    <h4>Chapter 302</h4>


    ¡°Then, is there a particr reason why you decided to participate in the cross-dressing contest?¡±


    ¡°Money.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the prize money. Right, that makes sense.¡±


    The host seemed to ignore the beauty of contestant number 40 and continued to ask awkward questions. Although the contestant responded calmly, his grip on his dress tightened with each question.


    As his embarrassment and shame increased, number 40¡¯s difort became more apparent, and the expressions of the audience grew increasingly peculiar.


    In truth, the behavior that number 40 was disying was not at all different from the behavior exhibited by contestant number 24, the human tank, earlier. It was entirely the same.


    However, first impressions mattered. People who had been disgusted by number 24¡¯s actions found themselves inexplicably captivated by number 40¡¯s simr behavior.


    Dangerous thoughts began to spread through the minds of the audience.


    <i>¡®I mean... I guess it¡¯s okay, since he¡¯s really cute...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then, if you win the prize money, what do you n to do with it? Buy another dress, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, the host didn¡¯t stop his mischievous questions. The awkward smile on number 40¡¯s face was enough to elicit sympathy from the audience.


    ¡ªStop bothering them!


    ¡ªYeah! Leave them alone!


    ¡ªAsk normal questions!


    Eventually, the audience began to criticize the host for making number 40 ufortable. They had established an emotional connection with number 40 without even realizing it.


    ¡°Oh dear, I might have gone too far. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The host asked about everyday life and hobbies, and once the mischievous questions stopped, the silver-haired contestant was able to answer the various questions with aposed expression.


    It was a typical Q&A session, but people found themselves wishing this final segment wouldn¡¯t end so quickly.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I should watch anymore,¡± Erhi muttered in a daze. He felt like he was slipping into dangerous territory.


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The other two male students with him shared his view. Riana would usually have shot them a look of contempt, but this time she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Why am I feeling jealous of a guy?¡± Riana muttered dazedly.


    Then the host said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on to the show¡ª¡±


    ¡ªLet¡¯s do itter!


    ¡ªYou¡¯re rushing it too much!


    The audience even tried to stop the host from concluding the segment with the showcase. Number 40ughed awkwardly, but that only fanned the mes further.


    ¡°It seems like contestant number 40 has made a significant impact on most of the audience.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯m... sorry...¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for the contestant to apologize,¡± the host said firmly, trying to bring the segment to a close. ¡°However, we can¡¯t drag this out forever. We still have to get to the voting, and thepetition needs to wrap up soon. So, what have you prepared to showcase to us?¡±


    It was time for my showcase.


    ¡°I will sing.¡±


    Singing was amon act in talent shows, so it wasn¡¯t particrly new. Of course, no one had any apaniment prepared, so everyone either sang a cappe or brought a portable instrument.


    Although singing was a rathermon talent, the audience¡¯s eyes lit up at the thought of the mysterious and seemingly exceptional number 40 singing.


    ¡°What song will you sing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an originalposition.¡±


    ¡°Oh, an original song. Are you a music major?¡±


    Number 40 replied to the probing question with a subtle smile. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    And so, for their showcase, number 40 sang a song.


    Everyone was stunned by the song, sung in that beautiful voice. Their voice was good, but the lyrics and melody of the song were so bizarre that people were left awestruck in a different way. The lyrics were about a woman weeding a soybean field, something no one had ever heard of before.


    The contestant had introduced the song as ¡°Chilgapsan[1].¡±


    It was strange and unusual, but in many ways, it was sensational because such a style waspletely new to the capital¡¯s cultural scene.


    ***


    After all the contestants had introduced themselves, it was time for the straightforward audience vote. The forty contestants returned to the stage.


    All the contestants were on stage, from number 1, Connor Lint, who had given an unexpected underwear show thanks to the shocking evolution of his ability, to the mysterious number 40, who looked like they could immediatelypete for Miss Temple.


    There was no need to look at the vote count. Everyone, the audience and the contestants included, were staring nkly at number 40. The more they stared, the redder number 40¡¯s face became, and despite the embarrassment, they forced a trembling smile.


    This pitiful sight of number 40, who was on the verge of losing their mind from the unbearable shame, only further ignited the audience¡¯s hearts.


    Of course, the song they had showcased had also been surreal and unlike anything ever heard before in the capital, which lent a magical sense of charm to the performance.


    When someone who isn¡¯t viewed positively does something strange, they are called a weirdo. When someone who has a good reputation does something strange, they are called ¡°sophisticated.¡±


    Thus, the oddities of number 40 were put down to their own unique brand of personal charm.


    ¡°... They really must not have wanted toe out.¡±


    No matter how number 40 appeared, everyone could agree that number 40 was genuinely struggling to endure being on stage.


    There had to be apelling reason behind it, and they began to whisper and specte among themselves.


    ¡°... Just how much money do they need...?¡±


    The only conclusion was that number 40 really needed the prize money.


    ¡°Whoever they are, they have to be incredibly handsome. So why not just enter the Mister Temple contest?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe he¡¯ll enter that too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Winning both the cross-dressing contest and the Mister Temple contest would mean double the prize money. All the spectators who had turned up to watch thepetition were in agreement, sharing the same thought.


    The males in the audience were curious about what number 40 looked like normally, while the females dreamed about just how handsome number 40 had to be in their usual appearance.


    If he was so desperate for money that he¡¯d entered the cross-dressing contest, it was only natural he would enter the Mister Temple contest as well. Everyone concluded that, by attending the Mister Temple contest, they might uncover the true identity of this contestant.


    While everyone whispered among themselves, the Royal ss students alternated their gazes between Connor Lint and contestant number 40.


    Although contestant number 1¡¯s unexpected underwear show seemed to have been forgotten due to all the attention on number 40, Connor Lint was still filled with a mix of embarrassment and astonishment at himself.


    Caught up in aplex emotional spiral of both confusion and joy, Connor Lint looked at his friends triumphantly, but even they were more focused on number 40.


    Erhi de Raffaeli nudged Kaier Vioden¡¯s side.


    ¡°Hey, why...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like that person is looking at me?¡±


    Erhi was, of course, referring to contestant number 40.


    ¡°... What? No. I thought they were looking at me!¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it me?¡±


    Riana frowned at Heinrich and Kaier¡¯s words.


    ¡°What are you talking about, you idiots? They¡¯re a guy, right? If they¡¯re looking at anyone, it¡¯s me and not any of you.¡±


    All four of them, sitting in the audience, thought number 40 was constantly ncing at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°No, obviously it¡¯s me. What are you talking about?¡±


    The four of them began to bicker over this trivial matter. Their thoughts weren¡¯t just baseless delusions; they were actually correct.


    Number 40¡¯s eyes darted about constantly, asionally making eye contact with those four in the audience.


    Whenever they made eye contact, number 40 quickly averted his gaze, but he was clearly looking at them. This naturally caused some strange thoughts to cross the male students¡¯ minds.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s a guy... No, but still... No, definitely not. But what if...? Maybe they¡¯re actually a girl?¡¯</i>


    These bizarre thoughts swirled around in their minds, drawing them into a whirlpool of confused delusions. Of course, number 40 was just being cautious and not trying to send any signals.


    Riana, however, was looking somewhere else this time.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Look over there,¡± Riana whispered to Erhi, pointing. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that person look a bit creepy?¡±


    Someone in a ck robe was standing at the very back of the auditorium, silently watching number 40. Of course, just as there were contestants like number 40 who hid their identities in order to participate, there were also spectators who wore hoods to conceal their presence at the event.


    However, the excessively somber ck robe was unsettling just to look at.


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± Erhi agreed, feeling a chill run down his spine which caused him to shiver slightly.


    Those concerns were put aside as the voting began.


    Contestant number 40, who had reluctantly entered the cross-dressingpetition out of financial necessity, started to garner sympathy votes in addition to the votes they had already secured.


    It was clear without even looking at the results that number 40 would win, and indeed, they did. It was a nearly unanimous victory, with no objections from anyone.


    ***


    It was a hellish time.


    ¡°How do you feel about winning, number 40?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well... thank you very much. Yes, thank you.¡±


    This was a finale straight from hell. As I clutched the crown and trophy that was awarded to the winner, I forced a smile, hoping this hellish time would end quickly.


    [Event Completed - Cross-Dressing Contest]


    [You have received 4000 Achievement Points.]


    [Your Mana Status has increased by 5.]


    [Your Magic Resistance has increased.]


    In the end, after enduring this ridiculous ordeal, I had obtained my desired reward. Not to mention the prize money¡ªtwenty gold coins, which was twenty million won. It was, without a doubt, quite a substantial amount.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this money was worth the dignity I had lost and might continue to lose in the future.


    Prior to this, my Mana had been at 14.2, and it had increased to 19.2. Just 0.8 more, and I would gain the talent of Mana Domination.


    <i>¡®Yeah. I¡¯m almost there now. I¡¯m not far off.¡¯</i>


    I had gone through all this¡ªthe various hellish moments, being awarded the crown and trophy, making the victory speech, and enduring the apuse and cheers from the audience¡ªfor that singr reason.


    The hysterics of middle school girls...


    ¡ª<i>Oppa</i>! Take me!


    ¡ªYou¡¯re prettier than me, so just be my <i>unnie</i>[2]!


    The hysterics of middle school boys...


    ¡ªHyung[3]! Take me!


    ¡ªHyung, I...


    Even the high schoolers were no different.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s be secret friends!


    I felt dizzy.


    I felt like I was going to throw up.


    Despite the situation, I tried my best to maintain my smile because of the people watching who knew me.


    It seemed they hadn¡¯t recognized me at all, just as Vertus hadn¡¯t recognized me earlier on. The host, who had tormented me with those awful questions during the Q&A session, was now grinning at me.


    ¡°Now then, as a celebration for your victory, could we have an encore of the song you sang during your showcase?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Because of that request, I ended up belting out ¡°Chilgapsan¡± once more. The sight of the bewildered expressions on everyone¡¯s faces,pletely unsure of how to react to the song, was quite amusing even in the situation I was in.


    <i>¡®Do you guys even understand the sorrow of the Chilgapsan mountain ridge?¡¯</i>


    Anyway, the cross-dressing contest was over. All that was left to do was to safely discard the trophy somewhere and return to being Reinhart without running into any issues.


    ¡°Hyungggggg! I... feel strange...!¡±


    <i>¡®Ah... Maybe I should just kill you all and go to hell?¡¯</i>


    1. A Korean song from the 1970s that is nostalgic and popr amongst middle-aged men. ?


    2. Term used by a younger female to refer to an older female. ?


    3. Term used by a younger male to refer to an older male. ?

 Chapter 303

    <h4>Chapter 303</h4>


    I had won.


    I¡¯d achieved what I¡¯d wanted, and everything had gone as nned, but it felt like my soul had been vited. I realized my mistake¡ªfocusing solely on the cross-dressing contest itself.


    Anyway, I needed to get out of the venue. Naturally, there was no security detail to escort me. I should have considered that there might be crazy people waiting outside to grab me. Unfortunately, I had only thought about winning, and had not nned a safe means of escape.


    It seemed that many of the spectators whose passions had inadvertently been ignited by me, both girls and boys, were waiting outside totch onto me as I left. The sight of the crowd gathered outside the auditorium could only mean trouble.


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt like a celebrity.


    Unlike a celebrity, though, I was the anonymous winner of a cross-dressing contest, and both men and women were dying to know my true identity.


    <i>¡®Would they even know who I was if I told them I was Reinhart? They wouldn¡¯t! Why are they so curious about something that would mean nothing to them even if I told them?</i>


    <i>¡®If I go out like this, I¡¯ll get caught. If those people cross into my personal space, I can¡¯t guarantee I won¡¯t throw a punch.¡¯</i>


    The other cross-dressing contestants saw me stuck at the exit and offered awkward smiles as they left. Naturally, no one was swarming them.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like this was the only exit.


    <i>¡®Should I exit through the window?¡¯</i>


    As I stood there, unable to move, someone spoke to me.


    ¡°Um... If you¡¯re not nning to leave...¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    I turned around and saw Connor Lint. He had changed back into his own clothes, so he wasn¡¯t in a dress anymore, but the makeup still made him look ridiculous. Of course, I didn¡¯t have my own clothes here to change into.


    I couldn¡¯t just walk out.


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    As I stepped away from the door, Connor Lint hesitated and slowly tried to pass by me. He seemed intimidated by me in a different waypared to how he was when I was Reinhart.


    I hadn¡¯t seen exactly what Connor Lint had done, but I knew something significant had happened. He had managed to teleport something other than himself.


    In the original story, the ultimate development of Connor Lint¡¯s ability was teleporting together with his clothes. I didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened, but it seemed he could now teleport other objects.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a sign of increased power or something else, but it was clear that Connor Lint had achieved a remarkable advancement in his abilities, far beyond what had been depicted in the original story.


    The enhancement of Connor Lint¡¯s ability was a much bigger deal than my own 5-point increase in mana. He continued to nce at me nervously as he made his way toward the exit.


    His ability had evolved... and he could now teleport something other than himself...


    Without thinking, I grabbed Connor Lint¡¯s arm.


    ¡°W-Wait, wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    His face turned beet red, and his lips trembled as he looked at me, unsure whether he should be happy or not.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not like that, you idiot!¡¯</i>


    There was a crowd waiting outside.


    ¡°Could you, um, teleport me outside? Please?¡±


    At that moment, the only one who could rescue me from the bizarre situation was Connor Lint.


    ***


    Naturally, he was startled.


    Connor Lint exined in detail that his ability had not worked like that originally, that there could be side effects, and that I might end up naked. Of course, those things could happen.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll use Revise!¡¯</i>


    I had earned a whopping 14,000 Achievement Points I earned from winning the first-year tournament and the cross-dressing contest. I had 18,000 points when adding in the points I had before, so I could definitely afford to use some.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to risk any side effects. Please, just do it.¡±


    ¡°S-Still... you might end up in apromising situation...¡±


    Even though I was adamant about being teleported away, Connor Lint looked visibly troubled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t me you. I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡±


    He looked at me as if wondering why I preferred being transported somewhere naked over being caught by the people outside.


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not it! You can do it! You don¡¯t believe in yourself, and I don¡¯t believe in you either, but the Revise function is like a cheat!¡¯</i>


    After a long internal struggle, and still looking bewildered, Connor Lint finally nodded. ¡°Th-Then... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Connor Lint had sessfully teleported an object for the first time, and now he had to seed in teleporting a person.


    Of course, there was a high possibility that something bizarre might happen, like only my clothes being teleported.


    So, I decided to use the Revise function.


    <i>¡®Connor Lint sessfully teleports me to a secluded area outside the auditorium, and my clothese with me.¡¯</i>


    [This event requires 100 Achievement Points.]


    The whole thing would only cost a hundred points.


    That was surprisingly cheap. I had expected it to cost around 500 points.


    <i>¡®Does this mean his ability has already developed significantly?¡¯</i>


    [Using 100 Achievement Points.]


    ¡°Uh, your hand...¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡±


    Connor Lint extended his trembling hand, and I took it.


    <i>¡®Come on kid, don¡¯t be so embarrassed.¡¯ </i>


    With his face flushed red, Connor Lint focused intently, and I stared at him.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work well... please don¡¯t me me too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He paused for a moment to look at me.


    ¡°... Do you trust me?¡± he asked.


    <i>¡®No. What are you trying to do? Just send me outside already!¡¯</i>


    I had no choice but to smile and say, ¡°Of course.¡±


    <i>Poof!</i>


    There was a fleeting sense of darkness, and the scenery before my eyes changed in an instant.


    I let out an audible gasp.


    It was my first time experiencing this kind of teleportation, so I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise. In an instant, I had been teleported to an open area outside the auditorium, away from the crowd.


    Connor Lint hadn¡¯te with me; I was alone. The oue of the Revise function was always certain.


    Fortunately, I was still wearing my clothes. I had managed to escape without being seen, so I just needed to change back into my regr clothes and return to being Reinhart.


    As I was thinking that, something fell through the air andnded on the ground with a thud.


    ¡°...¡±


    Something had fallen out of the sky.


    <i>¡®What is that?¡¯</i>


    I picked it up and held it up, examining int in the faint light around me.


    ¡°... Oh no.¡±


    The moment I saw it, I realized I had used Revise incorrectly.


    It was the clothes Connor Lint had been wearing just moments ago.


    <i>¡®Connor Lint sessfully teleports me to a secluded area outside the auditorium, and my clothese with me.¡¯</i> That was how I had set it up.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just my clothes. His clothes had also been teleported with me.


    Could it be that the penalty for Connor Lint¡¯s newfound teleportation ability was that his own clothes would be teleported along with the target?


    <i>¡®No wonder it was so cheap...</i> <i>Are your abilities all still half-baked?¡¯</i>


    Then another thought came to me.


    <i>¡®Should I go back and return these? Or should he juste here to get them? Given the situation, he shoulde to retrieve his clothes, right?¡¯</i>


    However, I was on a main road. Appearing here in just his underwear would be too much for Connor Lint to handle.


    People who saw me would only see a girl in a dress.


    <i>¡®Do I really have to go back and return these myself?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    What was the point of teleporting out if I had to go back?


    I considered just running away.


    But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do that.


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    In the end, I had no choice but to trudge back to the auditorium where the cross-dressing contest had taken ce, still wearing the dress.


    ***


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to go through the crowd gathered outside the auditorium.


    I saw several familiar faces on a bench a distance away. Heinrich, Erhi, Kaier, and Riana de Granz were there, waiting near the auditorium, seemingly waiting for Connor Lint.


    Approaching them was risky, but I preferred that over being caught by those who were calling me ¡°<i>oppa</i>¡± and ¡°<i>hyung</i>¡±.


    ¡ªWhy is it taking so long for him toe out?


    ¡ªIs he changing his clothes?


    They were grumbling about Connor Lint being slow to leave as I approached them. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t too bright, so no one could see me easily.


    ¡°Um, excuse me...¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    They all seemed surprised to see the cross-dressing contest winner suddenly appear holding a bunch of clothes.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the guy who¡¯s prettier than me. What¡¯s up? Do you need something?¡± Riana asked, smirking at me.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re such a mean brat!¡¯</i>


    The other guys were too stunned to speak, so Riana was the only one I could talk to.


    ¡°You¡¯re from the Royal ss, right...?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, and?¡±


    Since they were wearing the Royal ss uniform, they would not find it strange that I could recognize them.


    ¡°These are, um, Lint¡¯s clothes...¡±


    They looked at me strangely.


    ¡°I asked him to teleport me outside, but he identally teleported his own clothes too... So he¡¯s probably in a difficult situation... But I can¡¯t really go back...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it.¡±


    Riana raised her hand to stop me from exining further and snatched Connor Lint¡¯s clothes from my hand.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re quick to catch on in situations like this.¡¯</i>


    Just moments ago, I thought she was a terrible person, but my opinion of her flipped like a switch.


    Riana gave me a sly smile and looked me up and down. ¡°If this is a hobby of yours,e visit the Granz duchy sometime.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Just mention the name Riana de Granz, and they¡¯ll let you in. You can try on both men¡¯s and women¡¯s clothes, whatever you like.¡±


    Sheughed heartily, clearly teasing me.


    <i>¡®You... You¡¯re really a terrible person...¡¯</i>


    Anyway, after handing over Connor Lint¡¯s clothes to them, I hurried off.


    I had seen enough of this dirty business.


    <i>¡®Now, please, let me return to normal.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Unfortunately, the end of the dirty business was nowhere in sight.


    I had to have known that things would not go smoothly. This was a situation designed to humiliate me, and there was no way the architects of it would let me go so easily.


    As I tried to hasten away from the area, someone recognized me and chased after me.


    ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a strange person.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering how desperate for money you have to be to enter such a contest despite how difficult it was for you. Hmm. Hmm.¡±


    A balding middle-aged man had caught up to me and was now giving me a long-winded speech. He seemed to be one of the spectators, and he was trying to emphasize that he wasn¡¯t weird, that he ran a respectable business, and that his children would soon be attending the Temple.


    ¡°So anyway, if you¡¯re in a difficult situation, I could offer you a personal sponsorship. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    <i>¡®What is this? Why is this happening?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t understand why this situation hade about. This man might genuinely be a benefactor trying to help me out of pity.


    However, his eyes were strange.


    <i>¡®Do you know that you have a really weird expression right now?¡¯</i>


    I could tell that the kids calling me ¡°<i>oppa</i>¡± and ¡°<i>hyung</i>¡± were just joking, but this guy was serious.


    I felt a shiver run down my spine.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand this. I don¡¯t expect anything in return. I¡¯m just talking about the difficulties you might be facing while living in the Temple. Hmm. That¡¯s all.¡±


    <i>¡®Sure, you can say that, but your eyes are really off-putting.¡¯</i>


    He was clearly not a Temple student or staff member.


    <i>¡®Should I just punch him and tell him to shut up?¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, there was a festival going on, and there were people everywhere. Naturally, there were guards stationed all around.


    If I started a fight and got dragged away by the guards, it would be even more humiliating. And of course, my identity as Reinhart would be revealed.


    This was the final test.


    If I lost my temper and threw a punch, the story of Royal ss student Reinhart winning the cross-dressing contest and then beating up a middle-aged man would spread like wildfire.


    That would be a real reason to consider suicide.


    I had to endure this.


    I¡¯d already run into Vertus once before because I¡¯d failed to restrain myself.


    If I couldn¡¯t hold back this time, it was really over for me.


    ¡°Ah, I understand what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯m doing fine,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Oh, you should just ept the kindness of an elder. Let¡¯s go somewhere quiet and have a chat, at least.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really okay. The prize money is enough, and I¡¯m not in that much trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help because you seem to be in a difficult situation. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s anything weird. Do I seem like a weird person?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re weird at all. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m really doing alright.¡±


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s at least have a conversation.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, get away from me, you persistent jerk.¡¯</i>


    I felt a tingling sensation along the back of my neck. I was getting really pissed off. Despite my clear refusal, this guy just wouldn¡¯t take the hint. It seemed like I would have to resort to some harsh words.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let me go easily.


    ¡°You keep making me out to be a weird person. It¡¯s upsetting. Why don¡¯t we go somewhere quiet and have a cup of tea¡ª¡±


    Just as I was about to resort to some harsh words since I couldn¡¯t use my fists, a deep, resonant voice interrupted us.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Someone approached us, his voice carrying with it a heavy presence. I turned around to see the human tank, Richard Haulman. He had changed back into his own clothes, so he wasn¡¯t in a dress anymore. Richard Haulman wasn¡¯t alone; he was with a group of people, probably his ssmates.


    The middle-aged man froze at the sight of someone even more intimidating than himself.


    ¡°What do you want, old man?¡±


    ¡°Ah, nothing... I just had something to discuss with this student...¡±


    Richard Haulman looked over at me. ¡°This student doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to discuss with you,¡± he said.


    <i>¡®Damn. It feels weird, but I¡¯m d you showed up. Get rid of him for me!¡¯</i>


    Whether he understood my desperate look or not, the over-two-meter-tall giant tilted his head and looked down at the middle-aged man.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like this person has anything to say to you, does it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, I¡¯m not a strange person or anything!¡±


    ¡°Cornering a delicate studentte at night and not letting her¡ªI mean him¡ªgo? That makes you a weirdo. Do you want me to hand you over to the Temple guards? Get lost before I do so.¡±


    <i>¡®A delicate student, he says... You got beaten three to zero by this delicate student in the tournament, you idiot! And you were definitely about to say ¡°her¡±...¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-Well, I think there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. Ahem. My apologies.¡±


    Finally, the persistent middle-aged man, intimidated by the giant, tucked his tail and ran away.


    The guys behind Richard, who looked like troublemakers, were whistling.


    ¡ªOh, nice one, Richard!


    ¡ªThis is gold.


    ¡°Ah, be quiet please!¡±


    While I was grateful for being saved, it seemed like I had attracted even worsepany.


    Richard looked down at me and cleared his throat awkwardly.


    ¡°Uh, ahem. Are you alright?¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m starting to give up on this now.¡¯</i>


    It was just like the saying: if it tastes good, who cares about the ingredients?


    I was losing my mind...


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯ve already lost it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh... thank you.¡±


    Hearing Richard¡¯s ssmates or seniors whistling made my blood pressure spike. They had probably shown up just to see Richard in this state.


    I didn¡¯t know why he¡¯d entered the cross-dressing contest, but anyway...


    ¡°You should head back quickly to avoid any misunderstandings,¡± said Richard, his face flushed red, without making proper eye contact with me.


    ¡°Y-Yes, I should...¡±


    ¡ªHey, are you just going to let her go like that?


    ¡ªAt least invite her for a meal!


    ¡°Oh, please!¡± Richard shouted at the group behind him.


    This guy, despite everything, was behaving in a somewhat gentlemanly manner. I had thought he was aplete jerk, but perhaps I¡¯d been mistaken. Thinking back, I was the one who had picked a fight during the tournament, not him. The real jerk was me.


    Richard looked at me with a troubled expression.


    ¡°Uh, you should really go back quickly before things get moreplicated...¡±


    ¡°Ah... yes. Thank you.¡±


    In the end, with the unexpected help of Richard Haulman, I managed to shake off the persistent middle-aged man.

 Chapter 304

    <h4>Chapter 304</h4>


    ¡°So, your supernatural power got stronger, but now your clothes have to follow along with whatever you want to teleport? Why is your life always so messed up?¡±


    As Rianaughed, clutching her stomach, Connor Lint¡¯s face grew increasingly sour.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. How should I know?¡±


    Fortunately, thanks to contestant number 40 returning his clothes to the Royal ss students, Connor Lint was able to change back into his clothes and leave the auditorium.


    He hadn¡¯t hoped he would win; all he wanted was for the whole thing to go by as quickly as possible. Now, all he wanted was to return to the dormitory and rest. He was struggling to hold together the pieces of his shattered mental state. It had been a terrible experience, but it was all over now. Were they all bad memories?


    <i>¡°... Do you trust me?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Of course.¡±</i>


    Even though he didn¡¯t trust himself, someone had smiled brightly and said they trusted him. That trust had allowed him to sessfully use his new ability, even with its penalty. Who could that person be? He didn¡¯t want to do anything specific, but it would be nice to at least know who they were. Maybe they could even be friends.


    The hand he had briefly held in order to teleport the girl¡ªno, the boy¡ªaway had been strangely soft. Despite his nails looking terrible after chewing on them out of nervousness in the waiting room, his hand had been very soft.


    Connor Lint shook his head violently, trying to get rid of the strange thoughts that kept creeping in.


    Riana took a few steps back, thinking Connor Lint had lost his mind.


    ¡°... What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that her?¡± said Kaier, pointing at something while they were walking down the main street. There stood the silver-haired girl¡ªor rather, someone who looked like a girl¡ªin a hoop dress.


    Although they only saw the person from behind, it was obvious that if anyone was dressed like that, it had to be contestant number 40.


    Erhi also nodded in that direction. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s her.¡±


    Heinrich tilted his head, puzzled by what he was seeing. ¡°It looks like something¡¯s going on.¡±


    Contestant number 40, was standing face-to face with an over-two-meter-tall giant who towered over him. Surrounding them were a group of people who looked like troublemakers,ughing and jeering.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were too far away for them to hear their conversation. However, it was clear that the giant and his group seemed to be harassing or threatening contestant number 40.


    They all recognized the giant as one of the other participants in the cross-dressing contest. That massive frame squeezed into a dress had left a rather strong imprint on them.


    Riana smirked, her lips curling upward. ¡°Well, well, it looks like some big guys are bullying a poor, pretty boy.¡±


    Her words were slightly strange, and the others with her looked at her with puzzled expressions. From a distance, though, it did look like that. Whatever was happening, it was clear that number 40 was in a difficult situation.


    ¡°This big sister should go save him.¡±


    Just as Riana was about to step in to rescue the poor, pretty boy in distress, something unexpected happened.


    ¡°... He¡¯s just leaving?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    The group surrounding him parted, and the silver-haired boy bowed repeatedly to the giant before suddenly walking away. Whatever had happened, it seemed they were letting him go peacefully. Judging by all the bowing, it even seemed like he was thanking them for something.


    ¡°What the... That¡¯s anticlimactic.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that nothing happened...?¡±


    Riana seemed disappointed, as if she had been looking forward to some action. She watched as the giant walked away, and then her eyes followed number 40 as he hurried off.


    Sheughed, as if she found the whole situation amusing. ¡°Anyway, that guy sure attracts a lot of trouble. By the way, I¡¯m still curious about what major he¡¯s in and which ss he¡¯s from...¡±


    Riana trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she looked past contestant number 40.


    The group that had seemed to be harassing him had just let him go, so it must have been a misunderstanding, but Riana noticed something else.


    ¡°Hey, look at that.¡±


    ¡°That?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the person who was at the contest earlier?¡±


    She pointed to someone in a ck robe, quietly following number 40.


    ¡°It looks like it...¡±


    Erhi, who had also noticed the eerie ck-robed figure earlier, understood what Riana was talking about. The suspicious figure in the ck robe was indeed following number 40. Everyone¡¯s expressions grew serious.


    ¡°Whatever it is, this looks really dangerous for him.¡±


    A mysterious figure was tailing number 40. Both Riana and the other Royal ss students felt that something bad might happen to him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s follow them.¡±


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that dangerous...?¡± said Kaier rather timidly. He didn¡¯t want to get involved in something potentially dangerous.


    ¡°Is this really the time to worry about that?¡±


    Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t Riana who¡¯d said it, but Connor Lint.


    ***


    Someone was tailing me.


    This time, I was certain that the person following me wasn¡¯t just a simple pervert like the middle-aged man from earlier.


    At the contest, while everyone had been looking at me, I had distinctly noticed a ck-robed figure staring at me from the very back of the auditorium.


    It had made me uneasy, but there were so many weirdos that I had just ignored it. Now, that same figure was following me. What did they want from me?


    I had to get out of my cumbersome dress and wipe off my makeup, but this strange person was tailing me. They weren¡¯t closing the distance quickly, but they were definitely getting closer. While they couldn¡¯t harm me if I stayed on the main street, I just wanted to get back as quickly as possible.


    I tried to lose them by blending into the crowd on the main street, but the ck-robed stalker kept following me, keeping the same distance. I could report the suspicious person to the guards, but I didn¡¯t want to get involved in any more trouble.


    Why was I going through this?


    I decided to duck into an alley. I would lose them and get out of the Temple, then return to the dormitory as Reinhart. This was thest ridiculous thing I had to deal with, I thought, as I turned the next corner in the alley.


    ¡°...¡±


    The ck-robed figure who had been behind me was now in front of me.


    <i>¡®This guy is dangerous.¡¯</i>


    Before I could even fully process the thought, my fist was already flying through the air.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    My arm sliced through the air, and the robed figure dodged it effortlessly with a slight motion of their head. Their movements were anything but ordinary. Despite my sudden attack, the figure didn¡¯t retaliate.


    ¡°... I only approached because it seemed like your business was done. I have no intention of attacking you, Reinhart.¡±


    My thoughts froze. They knew who I was, even though no one had recognized me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Despite the hostility in my voice, the figure remained calm.


    ¡°You should have known that the Order would contact you soon.¡±


    The ck Order... They had said they would contact me soon.


    <i>¡®Of all times... Of all times, it had to be today.¡¯</i>


    My mind went nk. I felt like I had been hit with a hammer.


    <i>¡®No, no... Why today?¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t been caught by Ellen, Vertus, Harriet, or any of my dormitory mates.


    However, of all people, a representative from the magic societies with whom I needed to discuss important matters with, who were neither friend nor foe, had seen me in drag.


    ¡°Wh-When did you... see me? No, how did you even...¡±


    ¡°I saw the list of participants. Contestant number 40, Reinhart.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    The organizers were supposed to keep my identity a secret, but they had to record it down properly on the list of participants. and this person had seen it.


    How did they even know I was participating in the cross-dressing contest? Even if they were the ck Order, and it wasn¡¯t ssified information, how could they just rummage through the list and find out?


    Was that even allowed?


    The ck Order member looked at me from within the hood of his ck robe.


    ¡°So, uh... about this... You see, it¡¯s because I had my own reasons...¡±


    <i>¡®I have a story! I can¡¯t exin it properly, but there¡¯s a story behind this!¡¯</i>


    ¡°I have no interest in your personal fetishes.¡±


    However, the member dismissed my words, not out of respect for my preferences, but because he genuinely had no interest in them.


    <i>¡®Fetishes... fetishes?! It¡¯s not like that!¡¯ </i>


    The stalker, whom I had assumed was nning something weird, actually had no interest in my appearance at all. Although I was trying to exin myself, this person didn¡¯t care at all.


    Still, these guys who acknowledged me as someone whomanded a Vampire Lord would certainly find my current state a bit damaging to my credibility.


    ¡°We don¡¯t care how well you cross-dress; what matters is the valuable information you have for us.¡±


    Their indifference was strangely hurtful.


    Even Ellen wasn¡¯t this indifferent.


    Were the ck Order a group of extremely indifferent people, or was it just this guy?


    I couldn¡¯t tell if they had infiltrated the Temple so easily because of the festival, or if infiltrating the Temple was no big deal for them. While my mind was osciting between embarrassment and a sense of crisis, the ck Order member continued forward with his agenda.


    ¡°You said you needed the Order¡¯s knowledge, and that you can provide us with information on Cantus Magna. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Talking about this in such a state was incredibly embarrassing, but since the other party didn¡¯t care, I felt like the odd one out.


    ¡°What knowledge do you need?¡±


    I was trying to make a deal with the ck Order at this bizarre timing.


    Were they really unrted to the Gate Incident? I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I had to find out somehow. There was no time for jokes or embarrassment.


    ¡°I want to know how to open a dimensional gate to another world,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    The member didn¡¯t respond to my question. He didn¡¯t even ask why I wanted to know. He just watched me in silence.


    ¡°Do you know?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°I asked what knowledge you needed, not that I would provide it. If you provide us with valuable information, we will share corresponding knowledge.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re acknowledging that you have knowledge worth sharing in return?¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to know the specific method for it. Just the fact that the ck Order could provide such information would be proof enough for me.


    If they confirmed that they could tell me how to open a dimensional gate to another world in exchange for information on Cantus Magna, it would mean that the ck Order had the capability to cause the Gate Incident.


    I didn¡¯t need to know the method. I just needed to know if they knew it.


    Unfortunately, the ck Order wasn¡¯t that easy to deal with.


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that,¡± the hooded figure said.


    ¡°Then the deal is too unfair,¡± I replied. ¡°I could give you information on Cantus Magna, but you might not be able to provide the information I want. Why should I agree to such a deal?¡±


    There was no reason to engage in a one-sided deal. I had to make sure that both sides had valuable information.


    ¡°Do you have definite information on Cantus Magna?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the information is not prepared?¡±


    The demeanor of the ck Order member shifted slightly. He seemed to be angry.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like how you can¡¯t tell me for certain if you have the knowledge to share or not,¡± I responded.


    ¡°...¡±


    Could this be called a battle of nerves? Neither of us was demonstrating overt hostility or aggression.


    ¡°We will discuss this matter further and contact you again.¡±


    It seemed the person in front of me couldn¡¯t make a decision on this matter.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Until then, I hope you have the information on Cantus Magna ready.¡±


    ¡°And if it¡¯s not ready?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the type to y games with us.¡±


    In the end, the only thing that came about during this brief contact was for each side to understand what the other wanted; nothing substantial was exchanged. However, the ck Order member did not deny that they had knowledge of how to open a gate to another world. There was a glimmer of hope that the Gate Incident could be prevented.


    My heart was pounding like crazy.


    Preventing the Gate Incident wouldn¡¯t fix all the world¡¯s problems, but it would be crossing a significant hurdle.


    The ck Order did not seem interested in my intentions. They just wanted to know if I had anything valuable to offer before making a deal.


    ¡°I wille back at an appropriate time<i>¡ª</i>¡±


    <i>Crack! Boom!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Just as the conversation was wrapping up, a sh of lightning suddenly shot through the air, hurtling toward the right cheek of the ck Order member.


    However, the fork of lightning was blocked by a quickly-manifested protective spell.


    <i>¡®What the hell was that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hey, pretty boy! Over here!¡±


    I turned around to see Riana de Granz and the Royal ss students who hade to watch the cross-dressing contest, together with Connor Lint, standing there watching me.


    <i>¡®Why did theye all the way here?¡¯ </i>


    Judging by their anxious expressions, I could guess why they had followed me.


    <i>¡®Did you have to say ¡°pretty boy¡±, though? Why are you doing this to me, Riana?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Riana called out urgently, her face pale.


    The ck Order member seemed to understand the situation and gave me a subtle nod.


    <i>¡®Was that a signal to go?¡¯</i>


    He seemed indifferent, but still had some awareness.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ming!¡±


    I quickly ran towards Riana, who grabbed my hand tightly and red at the ck Order member.


    ¡°You bastard! Are you a mage?¡± she said to the ck Order member.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, but what the hell are you doing in the Temple? Get lost now!¡±


    <i>Zap! Zap!</i>


    Lightning flickered around Riana¡¯s head as a warning that she would strike if he tried anything funny.


    <i>¡®No... Riana, no matter how bold you are, picking a fight with a ck Order member isn¡¯t a good idea.¡¯ </i>


    Fortunately, the situation didn¡¯t escte.


    The ck Order member suddenly pretended to be a kidnapper and started to retreat.


    ¡°Hmm, what a pity,¡± he said as he departed. ¡°Well then, until next time, pretty boy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Did he just mock me?¡¯</i>


    Whether he was just acting or actually mocking me, the member slowly backed away and then turned, disappearing into the alley. Riana, seeing the ck robe vanish, looked at me with concern.


    ¡°Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ah, well... no, nothing happened...¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®Actually... You didn¡¯t need toe and help me...¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ugh</i>, why didn¡¯t you just go back as quickly as you could? Even if you were trying to shake him off, why would you enter an alley like this? Are you stupid? Where do you live? This big sister will take you home.¡±


    ¡°Oh... no, it¡¯s fine...¡±


    In the end, this ridiculously long day concluded with Riana showering me with over-the-top concern.

 Chapter 305

    <h4>Chapter 305</h4>


    Riana insisted on bringing me back home, and it took forever to convince her otherwise. Thankfully, the others managed to persuade her that I seemed fine, and she reluctantly let me go.


    There was also talk about reporting the incident to the guards, but I managed to convince them that nothing serious had happened.


    After wiping off all the makeup and changing clothes outside the Temple, I finally returned to the dormitory.


    I stored the dress in Eleris¡¯s basement. It was an expensive dress, so it seemed better to sell it than throw it away. Naturally, I discarded the trophy.


    There¡¯s a term in martial arts called ¡°Jinwon Jinki.¡±


    It¡¯s a concept simr to the fundamental life energy of a human, something one could draw upon in extreme situations, but using it all up would result in death. It felt as though I had used up a reserve like that, leaving me utterly drained.


    Since I had been out all day, no one in the dormitory had seen me. Of course, there were plenty of others who had been out and about as well. I returned to the dormitory quitete, and encountered some of the people I had seen earlier in apletely different context.


    Most notable was Riana de Granz, who had boldly dered that she would take me home.


    ¡°Hey, what were you up to all day?¡± Riana asked.


    ¡°Oh, just wandering around. It¡¯s a festival, after all,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Alone?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you just want to be alone, you know.¡±


    I tensed up a bit, worried that she might connect my earlier appearance with my current one.


    Honestly, having seen myself in the mirror, it was only natural that they didn¡¯t recognize me. And indeed, no one had recognized me.


    However, facing them as Reinhart made my heart race with anxiety.


    <i>¡®What if they suddenly say, ¡°Hey, you... were you...?¡±¡¯ </i>


    I tried to act normal, but cold sweat ran down my spine.


    Riana chuckled and slung her arm over my shoulder.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you watch the cross-dressing contest?¡±


    ¡°... Why would I watch that? Did you go?¡±


    <i>¡®Actually... I did go... Not only did I go, but I was a contestant, and even emerged the winner...¡¯</i>


    It was almost surprising they didn¡¯t recognize me...


    ¡°Oh, you missed a good show. You should¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    Riana made some vaguements that I fully understood, thenughed and went back to her room.


    I also crossed paths with the hopeless trio¡ªnow part of a quartetter on, but they didn¡¯t react much.


    Except for Connor Lint, who seemed a bit off.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, nothing.¡±


    But even he didn¡¯t seem to have figured it out.


    Of course not. I¡¯d returned to my original Reinhart form, not just by removing my makeup but also altering my body shape, height, and face.


    <i>¡®It would be strange if they did recognize me! Right...?¡¯</i>


    ***


    In the southern outskirts of the capital, a group of people gathered at an abandoned monastery sitting on arge plot ofnd.


    From their attire alone, it was hard to identify them. But at the center of the gathering, near a bonfire, sat someone on an old wooden chair.


    The man in the chair, the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche, was staring at a female student in a Temple uniform standing opposite him.


    Her name was Radia Schmidt, who was in the final rounds of the Open Tournament and a sixth-year student in the Temple¡¯s Royal ss.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°... I think it¡¯s worth a try. Sir Volten said he would take necessary actions if the situation unfolds in that way.¡±


    ¡°Illeion Volten?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Olivia returns, he won¡¯t have any reason not to wee her.¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s resolute expression radiated determination. She was staring firmly at some part of the abandoned monastery.


    ¡°But if things don¡¯t go as you expect, the n will proceed as intended, Radia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    Even though the current Commander of the Order was Illeion Volten, the student still referred to Leverier Lanche as Commander.


    Everyone present at the meeting had no hesitation in calling the formermander, Leverier Lanche, by his title. Radia Schmidt, having finished her business, turned to leave but then stopped and turned back around.


    ¡°Commander.¡±


    ¡°... Do you have something else to say?¡±


    Radia gaze fell on the interior of the monastery again. She looked in pain.


    ¡°Does it... have to be that child? That child is also a devout believer in the embrace of the gods¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Leverier Lanche cut her off, not wanting to hear more. ¡°As you said, I know Reinhart is more suitable for this role.¡±


    At the mention of Reinhart¡¯s name, a strange emotion flickered in the girl¡¯s eyes. Twisted hatred and anger swirled within them.


    ¡°But Reinhart is a student of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, just like you, and a ssmate of the prince and princess as well. You understand that we can¡¯t touch him recklessly.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course, if circumstances grow dire, we might have to extend our reach to involve him as well, but for now, this is the best course of action. Remember that. Also, we haven¡¯t decided to sacrifice that child necessarily. Depending on how the situation unfolds, it¡¯s possible that no one will be hurt.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Commander.¡±


    Radia Schmidt finished speaking and left the abandoned monastery. A man standing beside Leverier Lanche spoke cautiously.


    ¡°Do you think things will go the way she nned them?¡±


    Leverier Lanche shook his head with a stern expression. ¡°Not at all. Her ideas are bold, but things won¡¯t go as she expects.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unsettling. I know she¡¯s skilled, but...¡± Leverier Lanche clicked his tongue as he looked in the direction in which Radia had disappeared. ¡°Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t do anything unnecessary.¡±


    The man who had brought Radia Schmidt to the nameless monastery bowed his head to Leverier Lanche. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought she would be of help to us...¡±


    What was done was done. Radia Schmidt¡¯s usefulness wasn¡¯t limited to this one instance. She was about to graduate from the Temple and was ted to join the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°Be more selective about who you bring in from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    Whether she liked it or not, Radia Schmidt was a valuable asset to this group.


    ¡°What about Adriana?¡± Leverier Lanche asked.


    ¡°... She¡¯s quiet.¡±


    Leverier Lanche nodded. ¡°Good. For now, let¡¯s observe the situation. If Radia Schmidt¡¯s n doesn¡¯t go as expected, send a letter to Olivia. Mention that we have Adriana. She¡¯ll understand.¡±


    As long as they had Adriana, luring Olivia out of the Temple would be exceedingly easy. The important part was what came next. Leverier Lanche sat by the bonfire, quietly watching the mes.


    Only Olivia Ranche could restore the fallen honor of the former Commander. After that, slowly, Leverier Lanche intended to write the history of the new sacrednd that wouldst a thousand years.


    ***


    Adriana sat quietly on a hard wooden bed, gazing at the pale moonlight streaming through a small hole. The room was cold and had no windows, but the white sphere she had summoned filled the room with warmth.


    It was a secluded room in an abandoned building, with nothing but a hard wooden bed. Two holy knights stood guard, one on each side of the open doorway.


    ¡°...¡±


    Adriana buried her face between her knees. She had been brought to this ce by Leverier Lanche and was living under the watchful eyes of the Holy Knights of the nameless monastery. Her initial thought was that Leverier Lanche intended to exact revenge on her. However, her valuey elsewhere.


    <i>¡°In a few days from now, Olivia wille here. You just need to exin the situation to her and persuade her to change her mind.¡±</i>


    That was all Leverier Lanche had said.


    <i>¡®What situation? What sort of persuasion?¡¯</i>


    He wanted her to convince Olivia, who had abandoned her faith, to believe again. But Adriana couldn¡¯t understand why she had to do that.


    She only knew one thing.


    She was bait to lure Olivia out.


    Leverier Lanche wanted to bring Olivia back to faith. Even if he failed, he aimed to restore his authority and honor by having Olivia, his adopted daughter, retract her statements that had led to his downfall.


    Adriana had refused to do that.


    Olivia had made her own choice, and Adriana saw no reason or need to forcibly reverse it.


    Since then, Adriana had been confined to this nameless monastery.


    She now knew that these people intended to cause new divisions among humanity, even after the Great War had ended.


    She was disappointed in these believers.


    She did not think it was the fault of the gods, but the fault of those who believed.


    However, if those who believed in the gods were so wrong, shouldn¡¯t the gods give them some message, warning, or word of caution?


    Adriana quietly watched the moonlight pouring through the hole.


    Olivia would be there soon. If she knew that Adriana was being held hostage, Olivia would have no choice but toe. That was the kind of person she was.


    Adriana could do nothing but despair over her situation as a hostage.


    While a festival was taking ce in the Temple in the north, in a deste ruin in the south, Adriana huddled in a corner, quietly resenting her god.


    ***


    It was Thursday, during breakfast time.


    Connor Lint was having breakfast, and the news that he had participated in the cross-dressing contest had spread throughout ss A. However, the only one who seemed horrified by it was Cliffman.


    Ellen showed no interest, and Adelia and Harriet were busy talking about something else.


    ¡ªAre you feeling okay today, Harriet? How¡¯s your condition?


    ¡ªI¡¯m great, don¡¯t worry.


    Connor had expected Reinhart to say something when he heard about it, but all Reinhart said was, ¡°Why did you even enter that?¡± and left it at that. It was unexpected. Connor fully expected Reinhart to either be horrified, disgusted, or even criticize him.


    So, Connor found himself watching Reinhart¡¯s reactions closely. Even though Reinhart wasn¡¯t the type to pick fights, he could be spiteful if he was in a bad mood.


    Connor had felt a strange sensation when he saw Reinhart the night before. It was hard to describe, but it was something peculiar, a feeling that he was on the cusp of understanding something, but couldn¡¯t quite grasp it.


    Despite the festival, this morning scene was no different. Everyone except Vertus was at their seats, busy with their own affairs. It was an ordinary breakfast time. Connor kept ncing at Reinhart, keeping a close eye on him.


    And then, Connor noticed Reinhart¡¯s hands as he sat next to Ellen and ate his meal. His nails were jagged and uneven, as if they had been bitten.


    When he saw those nails, Connor felt a jolt of electricity run through his body, almost like a revtion. The anxious number 40, who had constantly chewed on their nails. the number 40 who had asked him to teleport them away. The number 40 who had obediently held out their hand when asked...


    The nails... Those jagged and bitten nails.


    ¡°No way,¡± Connor muttered to himself as he caught the confused looks of Erhi and Kaier.


    It couldn¡¯t be. The silver-haired, angelic-looking number 40 from yesterday... It was hard to put into words, but the simrity in which the two sets of nails had been bitten was uncanny.


    Number 40 had silver hair and golden eyes, and Reinhart¡¯s eyes were blue.


    But that could be easily changed with lenses.


    Connor¡¯s mind raced with the implications.


    <i>¡®Could number 40 really be Reinhart?¡¯ </i>


    The thought seemed absurd, yet the evidence was right in front of him.


    ¡°No way. Not a chance,¡± Connor Lint muttered to himself again.


    ¡°... What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Connor Lint knew his thoughts were absurd.


    ¡ªAren¡¯t you participating in the Open Tournament today?


    ¡ªYeah.


    ¡ªDo you think you¡¯ll do well?


    ¡ªI¡¯ll manage somehow. But aren¡¯t you participating too? You won the first-year tournament.


    ¡ªNo, I decided not to. Lucky for you, huh?


    ¡ªWhat?! Do you think I¡¯d lose to you?


    ¡ªHah, where do you get the idea that you¡¯d win?


    ¡ªJust wait and see!


    Even their voices werepletely different. Compared to the soft, warm voice of number 40 from the day before, Reinhart¡¯s voice sounded harsh and abrasive.


    <i>¡°... Do you trust me?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Of course.¡±</i>


    There were distinct differences between personalities. The gentle and kind number 40 from yesterday and Reinhart were as different as angels were from demons.


    Connor tried to suppress the unpleasant thoughts creeping into his mind, but the more he scrutinized it, the more simrities he found.


    If you put a silver wig on that face, gave him golden eyes, made him a bit shorter, and gave him a more slender build, it would match.


    ¡°N-No way.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep saying that?¡±


    ¡°Are you sick or something?¡±


    In the end, Connor¡¯s repeated mutterings drew annoyed looks from his friends who were quietly eating their breakfast.

 Chapter 306

    <h4>Chapter 306</h4>


    By Wednesday, all the events I had to personally participate in for the festival were over.


    Riana was finding immense enjoyment in helping Cliffman and Ellen prepare for their contest, so there was nothing for me to do even if I wanted to get involved. I just hoped her clumsiness wouldn¡¯t manifest in strange ways.


    It was Thursday, the day the group stages of the Open Tournament finals were being held. After that, on Friday, the Miss and Mister Temple contests and the Open Tournament finals would be held.


    Although I had won the first-year tournament and earned a spot in the final rounds of the Open Tournament, I decided not to participate in it.


    While participating just to gain experience wouldn¡¯t have been a bad idea, I was reluctant to take on the risk of significant injury, or suffer the impediment of having my condition deteriorate when using Mana Reinforcement. Even in the first-year tournament, which I had entered with a rtively light heart, I¡¯d had to struggle more than expected.


    Given the ongoing matters regarding the ck Order and the Vampire Council, I couldn¡¯t afford to push myself too hard by entering this tournament since it was possible that I might need to face realbat at any moment.


    Because of all this, I didn¡¯t have any more events to participate in. The troublesome cross-dressing contest had alsoe to an end. Of course, the ck Order now thought I had some bizarre fetishes, but that was a separate issue.


    Harriet was in Group C of the Open Tournament finals. Since participants had to go to the stadium early to prepare, Harriet was going off early.


    Before she left, I had a brief conversation with her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say... Do you think it¡¯ll go well?¡± I asked.


    I felt bad for thinking it, but I couldn¡¯t understand how Harriet had made it through the preliminaries and into the final rounds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage somehow,¡± Harriet replied, seemingly annoyed by my concern. I had peppered her with various questions the entire morning out of anxiety, but while Harriet didn¡¯t seem overly confident, she didn¡¯t appear particrly nervous either.


    Harriet wasn¡¯t even wearing the earrings enchanted with calming magic.


    ¡°What about the earrings?¡± I asked her, and Harriet sighed.


    ¡°Artifacts are prohibited, you know?¡± she replied.


    <i>¡®Oh, right.¡¯</i>


    That made sense. If contestants could rely on artifacts, the tournament wouldn¡¯t be a true test of skill. Of course, I was constantly using an artifact in Sarkegar¡¯s ring, but no one had checked if I had brought any artifacts to my tournament.


    This meant Harriet had to fight without any items to help control her nerves, which were easily triggered.


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t overdo it. If things seem impossible, just quit. You might not get hurt, but you could still get injured, so be careful. Most of the contestants in the finals can probably use Mana Reinforcement, so keep that in mind¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey! Even my mom doesn¡¯t nag me this much!¡± Harriet finally yelled when I didn¡¯t stop my rambling.


    ¡°Do I seem that anxious to you?¡± she continued, shing me a sad smile.


    <i>¡®I must havee across that way.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh... no, it¡¯s just that...¡±


    ¡°No, I get it. It¡¯s understandable. And honestly, I don¡¯t mind you being like this.¡± Harriet sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯re just worried about me. Thanks.¡±


    Although my morning nagging could have been taken as a sign that I didn¡¯t trust her, Harriet seemed to have decided to think positively about it.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m trying to change,¡± she said.


    She wanted to be stronger.


    I believed that her desire to be stronger was not just about acquiring physical strength, but also a matter of mindset. Ellen had the right mindset, butcked the physical strength. Harriet, on the other hand, seemed unprepared in both aspects.


    Over many events and incidents, both Ellen and Harriet had changed significantly. It wasn¡¯t any single event that caused this change, but rather a culmination of the effects of many different experiences that had instilled in both of them a fervent desire to be stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you this time,¡± Harriet said confidently.


    She had always seemed serious and somber ofte, weighed down by various issues. It felt like I was seeing her genuinely smile for the first time in a while.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it, then,¡± I said.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re looking forward to...¡± Harriet grinned. ¡°It¡¯ll be more than that.¡±


    With those words, Harriet headed to the stadium. I did not see much to be confident about in her departing figure. However, I had a firm belief that Harriet¡¯s words about exceeding expectations were not a lie.


    ***


    Only two people I knew had advanced to the group stages of the Open Tournament finals. One was Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who had just left for the stadium. The other, of course, was Olivia Lanche.


    Herments about being able to beat Ellen in the Miss Temple contest and the Open Tournament were not just provocations; she was actually participating in both of them. After Harriet left, I leaned against one of the columns outside the dormitory entrance and waited.


    Olivia, who was leaving the dormitory, spotted me.


    ¡°Oh, were you waiting for me?¡± Olivia Lanche asked.


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that,¡± she said, a smile spreading across her face and causing her eyes to grow smaller. ¡°What a surprise.¡±


    ¡°By the way, senior, you can¡¯t use Divine Dower, right?¡±


    I knew Olivia was confident in her abilities. I wasn¡¯t sure what her abilities were exactly, but I knew her greatest strength was her Divine Power. However, since she had abandoned her faith, she would not be allowed to use Divine Power, regardless of whether she could or not.


    At my words, Olivia smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I can¡¯t risk being hauled off for a heresy trial.¡±


    ¡°... Would they go that far?¡±


    ¡°Unauthorized use of Divine Power is, of course, prohibited.¡±


    Was she confident that she could win the tournament without even using her strongest ability? Of course, just making it to the finals was proof enough of her skills.


    Olivia tilted her head and offered a hint of a smile. ¡°Wait. Are you worried about me?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage just fine.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Olivia stuck out her tongue, pretending to be disappointed that I had almost made her feel good. To be so confident even without her most important ability... I wondered just how skilled Olivia really was. There was also one more thing I was curious about.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t participate in stuff like Miss Temple or the tournamentst year, did you? You were busy with volunteer work, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t have timest year because of my volunteer work.¡±


    ¡°And before that, you weren¡¯t interested, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Olivia was not someone who liked to show off. Before all this happened to her, she was always humble and considerate of others. She even had to repeat a year of school because she had spent a year volunteering to provide back-line support during the Great War.


    Although Olivia Lanche¡¯s personality might have changed quite a bit over the past year, she still wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed showing off, and she had never participated in Miss Temple or any of the tournaments before.


    ¡°You want to know why I¡¯m suddenly entering these things?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    She had surely been persistently encouraged to participate in Miss Temple or the tournament by those around her every year. Why did she suddenly decide to enter both?


    That was what I wanted to know.


    It seemed like Olivia had decided to participate in bothpetitions not because she wanted to beat Ellen, but for some other reason.


    Olivia blushed and scratched her cheek with her finger. ¡°Well... it¡¯s not really a big deal...¡±


    I wanted to know the reason why Olivia Lanche, who had never been interested in showing off her beauty or strength, had suddenly taken an interest in both.


    Olivia, looking slightly embarrassed, said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s... because of money...¡±


    ¡°Money?¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®Money? Of all things, the person who seemed the least interested in money was participating because of it?¡¯ </i>


    ¡°Ahaha,¡± Oliviaughed awkwardly, a silly and innocent expression.


    I felt like I was seeing Olivia Lanche¡¯s true expression for the first time in a long while, and not the overly tense and somehow constantly insincere demeanor she had adopted since everything had befallen her.


    This was the Olivia Lanche from when we¡¯d first met, the one who had spoken kindly and seriously to a first-year student like me despite my sudden and rude request.


    ¡°The thing is... I¡¯ve been disowned, right? Not that it was entirely against my will.¡±


    ¡°... Ah. Yes.¡±


    ¡°So... I don¡¯t have any money now...¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, is that what this is all about?¡¯</i>


    When she was the daughter of the head of the Order of the Holy Knights, she probably never had to worry about money.


    However, Leverier Lanche had been dismissed from his position and disowned Olivia Lanche, and Olivia herself had barely managed to escape the chaos alive by the skin of her teeth. Because of all this, she was now in a situation that she found difficult to exin to others.


    Put inly, she had no source of allowance.


    She needed money, and so she decided to enter both the Open Tournament and Miss Temple, where substantial prize money was on offer.


    In the end, it all came down to money.


    Olivia¡¯s face was red, as if she was embarrassed just to say it.


    Still, it was kind of surprising.


    ¡°... Doesn¡¯t the Temple provide a maintenance allowance?¡±


    Royal ss students received a monthly allowance of four gold coins a month, under the guise of a maintenance fee.


    That was equivalent to four million won, which might be a small amount to some, but was still a significant sum. Moreover, Olivia didn¡¯t seem like someone who was interested in luxury. She didn¡¯t wear any jewelry or essories, and she didn¡¯t seem to have any expensive hobbies.


    Wouldn¡¯t the maintenance allowance from the Temple be enough for her to get by?


    Olivia bit her lip slightly. ¡°Well... yes, but... It feels really stupid to mention this sort of thing, like I¡¯m just showing off, so I didn¡¯t want to say anything...¡±


    Olivia finally sighed deeply, looking at me in a resigned manner. ¡°I¡¯ve been personally sponsoring some orphanages for a while. Just because I¡¯ve given up my faith doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to give up on those kids. The allowance my former adoptive father used to send me was quite substantial, so this wasn¡¯t a problem. Now, though, even though I try my best to support these organizations, they are still struggling financially, and I can¡¯t afford to reduce my donations...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, my savings have run dry, and I¡¯m at my limit in many ways. That¡¯s why...¡±


    I understood why Olivia was reluctant to talk about it. She knew it was something that could be seen as foolish.


    After all, she hadn¡¯t been donating her own money from the beginning. However, even in her current situation where she was financially strapped, she couldn¡¯t afford to reduce or stop her donations. That was why she needed the prize money from the Open Tournament and Miss Temple, events which she would normally have no interest in.


    In the end, it wasn¡¯t about picking a fight with Ellen or anything like that; it was all because of money.


    Olivia¡¯s lips trembled, as though she¡¯d been caught making some sort of excuse. ¡°S-Still, I¡¯m not <i>that </i>desperate, you know?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®that desperate¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not nning to join an organization like Shanapell and donate the money I get from them to charity.¡±


    I had once asked Olivia why she couldn¡¯t live for herself.


    <i>¡®Did she think I would be angry if she told me the real reason she needed the money?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I did consider it, but after talking to youst time, I realized that wasn¡¯t right... Still, this is okay, right?¡±


    The prize money would ultimately belong to whoever won the contests, and they would be able to spend it freely.


    The organizations Olivia was sponsoring were probably not financially stable. I didn¡¯t know how much she was donating, but any reduction in her donations would likely have a significant impact.


    When I didn¡¯t say anything, Olivia smiled weakly.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s stupid...?¡± Olivia muttered quietly, looking dejected.


    ¡°I do think it¡¯s kind of foolish.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it foolish to try to help others when you can¡¯t even take care of yourself?


    That was what I believed. Even now, to some extent, I still thought that way.


    However, just because someone didn¡¯t choose to live in such a manner didn¡¯t mean they had the right to look down on someone who did.


    ¡°But how is that a bad thing?¡± I continued.


    Just as I lived my life my way, there were people who lived their lives like Olivia.


    I could neither know or judge the rightness or wrongness of that.


    Olivia looked at me wide-eyed, seemingly surprised by my words.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but neither did I say that it was the right thing to do.


    But Olivia smiled brightly, as if she had received some encouragement.


    ¡°Thank you, Reinhart,¡± she said.


    Every time I saw Olivia¡¯s genuine smile, and not her usual insincere expression, it took my breath away.


    ¡°You¡¯ve given me strength. A lot of it.¡± Olivia ruffled my hair yfully and winked at me. ¡°I¡¯ll win no matter what.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t say you had to win.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t ruin the moment by nitpicking!¡±


    <i>Dash!</i>


    Before I could say anything else that might spoil her mood, Olivia quickly ran out of the dormitory.


    Olivia always showed an impressive amount of speed


    It urred to me that Olivia hadn¡¯t chosen to participate in the tournament held for her grade specifically. If her goal was prize money, she could have entered that as well.


    Perhaps she thought it wouldn¡¯t be fair since her opponents would be fifth-year students, and she had technically attended an extra year. She couldn¡¯t enter the sixth-year tournament, though, so it seemed the Open Tournament was the only one left to her.


    As I watched Olivia disappear into the distance, I felt even more conflicted. Miss Temple and the Open Tournament. Olivia was the overwhelming favorite to win both. Ellen and Harriet, who were participating in Miss Temple and the Open tournament respectively, were clearly at a disadvantage.


    Personal feelings aside, I had been mentally rooting for Ellen and Harriet. They were fighting battles they were likely to lose.


    However, Olivia wasn¡¯t participating out of mere curiosity; she had very serious reasons for entering bothpetitions, and so I wasn¡¯t sure who to support.


    That aside, the fact that the orphanages she sponsored were struggling financially puzzled me.


    <i>¡®That shouldn¡¯t be the case...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Oh, excuse me.¡±


    Someone called out to me just as I was about to head back into the dormitory. It was a student, and since I was the youngest in the Royal ss, it had to be a senior.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Reinhart, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    It was a female senior with a kind appearance. She had called me but was looking off into the distance, specifically in the direction in which Olivia had disappeared.


    ¡°What were you speaking with Olivia about?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing much, really.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t exactly told Olivia that she had to win, but my words ended up being something like encouragement.


    But who was this person, anyway?


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    The senior was staring at me intently. There was no hostility in her gaze, but...


    How should I put it? I felt a strange chill run down my spine. She was smiling at me, but it didn¡¯t feel like a genuine smile.


    ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t introduce myself.¡±


    The senior extended her hand to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m Schmidt. Radia Schmidt. Sixth year.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, I see.¡±


    I shook her hand. Despite her kind appearance, I could tell from the handshake that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.


    I scrutinized her, feeling a sense of unease. ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing, Reinhart. I don¡¯t have any business with you.¡±


    The peculiar senior smiled faintly.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    <i>¡®What was that?¡¯</i>


    Leaving me with that strangely chilling remark, the unknown senior slowly walked away.

 Chapter 307

    <h4>Chapter 307</h4>


    I had learned nothing more about that senior with the weird vibe other than her name.


    Radia Schmidt... She gave off an unsettling feeling. Her aura was definitely different from Vertus or Charlotte, but I couldn¡¯t quite exin how.


    Harriet was in Group C of the Open Tournament finals.


    Olivia was also in Group C.


    All 16 matches of the Round of 32 would happen consecutively, so I had to be there early if I wanted to watch Harriet¡¯s match.


    Harriet was the only first-year participant from the Royal ss, so I¡¯d expected that most of ss B might note to watch. Interestingly, though, everyone was heading to the stadium en masse.


    Even if they weren¡¯t particrly close to Harriet, the fact that a first-year student¡ªand a magic major at that¡ªwas participating in the Open Tournament piqued their curiosity. Plus, there seemed to be a sense of camaraderie, of wanting to cheer for a fellow ssmate.


    It was fascinating to see this sense of unity among the first-year students of the Royal ss, and ack of the supposed rivalry between ss A and ss B.


    Everyone¡ªincluding Ellen and Cliffman, who were participating in their own contests the next day¡ªwas heading to the stadium, with the exception of Vertus, who wasn¡¯t staying in the dormitory.


    ¡°Hoo...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haa...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    <i>Zap!</i>


    ¡°Hey! Why do you keep sighing like that?¡± Riana snapped.


    Riana, having grown increasingly irritated by my constant sighing, zapped me with a spark of electricity. Everyone turned to look at us, but I paid them no mind.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± I said ¡°She¡¯s about to take part in a fight with some terrifying seniors!¡±


    <i>¡®Our girl is walking into a lion¡¯s den! ¡®It¡¯s not as if it¡¯s just first-years in the waiting room, like how it was during my first-year tournament. What if some random senior picks a fight with her? ¡°Hey, cute little freshman, what are you doing here? This isn¡¯t a ce for kids to show off their tricks!¡± How would Harriet handle that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you think Harriet is a kid?¡±


    ¡°<i>Isn¡¯t </i>she a kid?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®She is in the same ss as me, after all. But still. Our little Thick-Skull... I can¡¯t help but worry. No matter how much she says she¡¯ll manage...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Haa...¡±


    I sighed again. Everyone was staring at me, bewildered. Riana frowned at me, annoyed by my constant sighing.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to jinx it! Why don¡¯t you just hold a memorial service?¡±


    ¡°...A memorial service?¡±


    At the mention of a memorial service, Dettomorian, who had been following quietly, looked over at us.


    ¡°... It won¡¯t be a full ritual, but I could perform a simple incantation to bring good fortune...¡± he said.


    ¡°Detto... wouldn¡¯t it be considered cheating if it actually worked...?¡±


    ¡°Is that so...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s not do that.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Dettomorian had seemed ready to do something, but Charlotte stopped him. Judging by her expression, it seemed she was more concerned about potential side effects rather than the issue of cheating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Reinhart,¡± Ellen said quietly beside me, noticing that my anxiety had not subsided. ¡°Harriet will do well.¡±


    ¡°Based on what?¡±


    ¡°Just a feeling.¡±


    Ellen wasn¡¯t smiling, nor was she frowning. She had her usual nk, neutral expression on.


    ¡°I believe she¡¯ll do well,¡± she said again.


    <i>¡°I believe.¡±</i>


    That expression felt oddly familiar.


    I had told the Duke of Saint-Ouen that his daughter possessed the greatest magical talent in all of human history, and that she was certainly capable of feats that would amaze the world.


    I had said all that, yet here I was, sighing deeply because she was participating in a tournament with some seniors.


    I should instead be believing that she would do something great, that she would demonstrate something amazing.


    Was this how the Duke of Saint-Ouen had felt when he¡¯d heard about the projects the Magic Research Club were undertaking?


    It¡¯s human nature to be unable to trust those who are closest to you to perform reliably. One often ends up worrying so much that one ends up discrediting them, even for the things they can obviously do.


    I found myself doubting Harriet.


    But was that because I considered her that important?


    Was it because I didn¡¯t want her to get hurt?


    I wasn¡¯t her parent. Even so, thinking that way about Harriet was ultimately disrespectful to her.


    <i>¡®But still... our little Thick-Skull... What if she getspletely crushed in her first match...? What would I do then...?¡¯</i>


    Even though I tried to change my mindset, it wasn¡¯t easy.


    It almost felt like a sickness.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Reinhart. She¡¯ll do well.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t Ellen, but Louis Ankton who spoke.


    Naturally, the members of the Magic Research Club were all there to watch Harriet¡¯s match, and senior Rudina was with them as well.


    They did not seem worried at all, which was very strange.


    ¡°Hey, Reinhart! Stop worrying about useless things and get ready to be amazed!¡± Rudina said, thenughed and covered her mouth.


    <i>¡®Is she hiding some sort of secret weapon?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like the Magic Research Club had all put their heads together and prepared something for Harriet for this tournament.


    ***


    The least interesting of the grade-specific tournaments was undoubtedly the first-year tournament. After all, the skill level on disy would be the lowest.


    Therefore, the most interesting of the grade-specific tournaments was the sixth-year tournament.


    However, once students rose higher in grade, it wasn¡¯t umon for some juniors to grow stronger than their seniors. That was why the Open Tournament existed. Instead of just pitting the winners of the grade-specific tournaments against each other, anyone from any grade could participate in the Open Tournament. Since its inception, it had be the biggest highlight of the festival.


    While it was true that the sixth-year tournament winners often went on to win the Open Tournament, there were plenty of exceptions. Therefore, this event was undeniably the festival¡¯s main attraction.


    Soon, the strongest student in the Temple would be determined.


    Of course, this was limited to those who were participating.


    <i>Waaaaaaah!</i>


    The excitement and cheers from the crowd could hardly bepared to the first-year tournament. There were empty seats among those reserved for the Royal ss, but the stadium was packed, and even all the standing room was taken up.


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s so noisy,¡± came Riana¡¯s voice from behind me.


    The Royal ss seats were quite full, and not just because of us first-years. There were other Royal ss participants in the tournament besides Olivia Lanche and Harriet. While the general noise made it hard for most to distinguish individual voices, I could enhance and focus my hearing to pick out individual conversations from the crowd.


    ¡ªWho do you think will win?


    ¡ªProbably senior Radia, right?


    ¡ªNo, I heard senior Olivia is participating too.


    ¡ªOh... really? But I¡¯ve never seen her fight. Isn¡¯t her talent in Divine Power?


    ¡ªYeah, but I heard she¡¯s also incredibly good at closebat.


    ¡ªReally? Who said that?


    ¡ªHuh? I heard it somewhere... Who was it again?


    Most of the conversations around us were about Olivia, even though people hade to see other participants.


    Some fifth-year students hade to watch Olivia¡¯s match, including the Student Council President Ceres van Owenne and members of the religious club Grace. Because of the crowd, we could only exchange nods.


    ¡°...¡±


    Even Sabioleen Tana, who was sitting with us, had acknowledged Olivia as the next strongest contender, so I had a rough idea of her abilities without even seeing her fight.


    To my right sat Charlotte, and next to her was Sabioleen Tana, the dormitory supervisor and Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard.


    Olivia had always spoken about her fighting skills, and she had also said she disliked violence.


    I knew both statements to be true, and most of the Royal ss spectators were discussing Olivia¡¯s abilities.


    But one important fact remained.


    It was clear that very few people had actually seen Olivia in action.


    There were many rumors that she was incredible, but since she wasn¡¯t one to show off her strength, no one seemed to have witnessed it firsthand.


    There were plenty of people makingments like ¡°She¡¯s amazing¡± and ¡°She¡¯s incredible¡±, but no one had actually seen her and could say, ¡°I saw her do this.¡±


    ¡°Is Olivia really that amazing, Dame Tana?¡± Charlotte whispered to Sabioleen Tana. The surrounding chattere seemed to have made her curious.


    ¡°You should address me as ¡®teacher¡¯ now, Your Highness.¡±


    <i>¡®Why is she so sensitive about how she¡¯s addressed?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Well, if that¡¯s the case, you should call me Charlotte and speak informally, since I¡¯m a Temple student.¡±


    ¡°... That won¡¯t do. I cannot be so disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying all my ssmates who call me Charlotte and speak informally are being disrespectful?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not it. The Temple has its own rules, and I must follow them¡ª¡±


    <i>¡®Wait, if that¡¯s the case, then as a dormitory supervisor, I should call you Charlotte ording to the rules, right? Isn¡¯t that contradictory? Did I just make a mistake? What should I do?¡¯</i>


    Why did it feel like I could read Tana¡¯s thoughts even without seeing her face? Was it just my imagination?


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s just... change the subject.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmm. Olivia Lanche is an outstanding student. Among the promising talents of the Temple¡¯s Royal ss, she stands out as being particrly exceptional,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    ¡°Oh. How exceptional?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana crossed her arms and looked down at the arena, where the matches would soon be held.


    ¡°I would be very surprised if there was even a student who was just below Olivia¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Dame Tana... I mean, teacher, how do you know so much about Olivia Lanche?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard most of it from my junior, Effenhauser. As far as I know, Olivia Lanche hasn¡¯t taken any closebat sses since her third year.¡±


    I understood why most students talked about Olivia¡¯s skills but had never actually seen them. She had no reason to show them, not even in ss.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She said she didn¡¯t want to learn any more techniques meant to hurt people.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s an interesting statement.¡±


    ¡°Effenhauser said that, when she made that statement, Olivia was already at the level where there was nothing more for her to learn.¡±


    ¡°Oh?!¡± Charlotte seemed incredulous. ¡°So, by the time she said she didn¡¯t want to learn any more, she had already learned everything there was to learn?¡±


    ¡°... You could put it that way.¡±


    <i>¡®¡°I don¡¯t want to learn any more techniques to hurt people! (Because I¡¯ve already learned everything there is to learn).¡± What a funny person she is.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, since then, Olivia hasn¡¯t taken any practicalbat sses or participated in any tournaments. Of course, I haven¡¯t seen her skills first hand either.¡±


    So even Sabioleen Tana had only heard about Olivia from Effenhauser.


    ¡°So it¡¯s all just rumors, then?¡±


    Since no one had seen her in action recently, it was possible that her skills were actually subpar.


    To that, Sabioleen Tana shook her head.


    ¡°There¡¯s no chance these are just baseless rumors.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You do know that Olivia Lanche volunteered to provide support from the rear during the Great War, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I heard she did. To treat the wounded and offer medical support...?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked at Charlotte.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana hadn¡¯t participated in the Great War.


    It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t wanted to, but that she couldn¡¯t.


    Despite that, she had to have known the details of how the war unfolded.


    ¡°It was a time where every pair of hands was precious. Do you think a powerful force of Divine Power like Olivia Lanche would only be used for medical support?¡±


    ¡°... Are you saying she was deployed inbat?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they wouldn¡¯t have deployed her inbat against her will. However, all sorts of things happen in the rear lines. For example, surprise attacks by the Demon King¡¯s army, targeting the rear.¡±


    I, and everyone at the Temple, had been too naive.


    Just because Olivia had gone to provide support from the rear, we had all assumed her duties simply consisted of treating people and caring for the wounded, since it was a war.


    Just like the nickname ¡°Saintess of Eredian¡± suggested, we all assumed she had been going about doing noble work, like an angel in white.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go into the details, since it¡¯s not pleasant to hear about,¡± Sabioleen Tana said, watching the arena where the first match was about to start. ¡°Olivia Lanche faced numerous dangerous situations in unsafe ces and returned safely each time.¡±


    ...¡±


    Olivia wasn¡¯t a sheltered flower.


    She had experienced real war and survived it.


    Perhaps that was why she had grown to despise violence even more.


    For Olivia, her memories of those experiences were probably difficult. That was why she went around saying that she only provided medical support, to downy the reality.


    ¡°They say Olivia Lanche was known as the Grim Reaper in those regions, and not a saint.¡±


    On the battlefield where she had gone to save lives, Olivia had killed countless soldiers of the Demon King¡¯s army.


    Even her allies feared her, and called her the Grim Reaper.


    I thought that Olivia didn¡¯t particrly like her nickname, the Saintess of Eredian.


    In reality, she had another nickname that she probably hated even more.

 Chapter 308

    <h4>Chapter 308</h4>


    The Open Tournament was on apletely different levelpared to the first-year tournament I had experienced.


    Many of the participants were from the Royal ss or former Orbis ss upperssmen, and even those from the general ss were not to be underestimated.


    All the closebat participants who had made it to the finals had mastered Mana Reinforcement.


    While many students never managed to master Mana Reinforcement by the time they graduated, all of those in the tournament had.


    This tournament would determine the strongest student in the Temple, so Mana Reinforcement was a basic requirement.


    The matchups had likely been arranged to prevent top contenders from being eliminated in the earlier rounds.


    While spectating the matches in Group A, I saw the peculiar senior who had spoken to me in front of the dormitory.


    ¡ªRoyal ss sixth year, B-2 Radia Schmidt!


    She was also a participant in the tournament.


    It seemed she had been considered a top contender before Olivia¡¯s name hade up.


    <i>¡®Was she just upset because Olivia¡¯s participation made her victory less certain?¡¯ </i>


    Olivia had repeated a year. If not for that, she should have been a sixth-year student.


    This meant Olivia and Radia Schmidt had spent a long time together at the Temple.


    However, Olivia¡¯s recent strange behavior didn¡¯t suggest she had bad rtionships with anyone.


    Royal ss sixth year, B-2, Radia Schmidt...


    Regardless, what mattered was that her skills were extraordinary.


    I had sensed it when I¡¯d shook her hand, but seeing her in action was even more impressive.


    ¡°... She¡¯s incredible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen and I couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge Radia Schmidt¡¯s performance in the finals.


    She was a holy knight, a monster who used both Divine Power and Mana Reinforcement simultaneously.


    After she secured a clean victory and left the arena, the subsequent matches also featured incredibly skilled participants, both winners and losers.


    Even though I had won the first-year tournament, it was clear I couldn¡¯t hold a candle to these upperssmen. I hadn¡¯t been particrly arrogant about my victory, but seeing the skills of these seniors made me realize how far I still had to go.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about how Ellen would fare, but I was still very far behind them.


    The excitement of the audience was palpable as they watched the students sh while wreathed in the blue mes of Mana Reinforcement.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in the matches, but she still paid attention while listening to Sabioleen Tana¡¯smentary. Leaning in to listen to their conversation was very helpful.


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s predictions were almost always urate, whether it was about who would win or how a certain action indicated the oue.


    Of course, there were those who had no interest at all.


    ¡°Adelia, wake me up when Harriet¡¯s match starts,¡± Riana said.


    ¡°Huh? Oh... okay.¡±


    Rianaid her head on Adelia¡¯sp.


    The four of us were seated in the following order: me, Ellen, Riana, then Adelia. Rianaid her head on Adelia¡¯sp and draped her legs over Ellen¡¯sp.


    Ellen didn¡¯t seem to mind, but I couldn¡¯t just let it slide.


    ¡°Are you seriously doing this while wearing a skirt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wearing shorts underneath, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Riana, lying down, reached for her skirt as if it was no big deal.


    <i>¡®What the heck are you trying to do?!¡¯</i>


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    When Riana attempted to lift her skirt, Ellen, who had been quiet, pped her thigh with a loud smack.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Stay still.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay...¡±


    Ellen stared at Riana, who nodded her head in bewilderment while lying down.


    Ellen, perhaps worried that Riana might try something foolish, held onto Riana¡¯s skirt herself.


    <i>Bang! Crash!</i>


    Meanwhile, two students with Mana Reinforcement were shing ferociously in the arena.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to follow them with my eyes, but seeing those monsters fighting made me doubt my chances if I were to face them.


    Soon, Harriet would have to go up against such opponents.


    <i>¡®How is she supposed to handle them when even Ick confidence? Our little Thick-Skull... Can she really do well? I¡¯m so anxious, I feel like I¡¯m going crazy! She won¡¯t lose and suffer a crushing mental defeat, right?¡¯</i>


    <i>Tremble, tremble.</i>


    Ellen finally said something to me. ¡°Stop shaking your leg.¡±


    But how could I not be anxious?


    I sighed deeply, and heard someone echoing a simr sigh.


    The reason that sigh stood out was not just because it sounded like mine.


    It felt strangely familiar.


    ¡ªHoney, please stop.


    ¡ªAren¡¯t you worried?


    ¡ªOur child will do just fine.


    The Duke and Duchess of Saint-Ouen were sitting together in the stands.


    It was the Temple¡¯s annual festival, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for them to visit the Temple. Moreover, since Harriet was participating in the Open Tournament, it made perfect sense for them toe and watch.


    They weren¡¯t seated close enough to me for the Duke of Saint-Ouen to recognize me.


    However, it was clear that both the Duke and I shared the same thoughts. As I watched him fidgeting anxiously, I could understand why the people around me were annoyed by my restlessness.


    <i>¡®Should I go and greet them?¡¯</i>


    It seemed like their previous misunderstanding had been resolved.


    It felt wrong not to acknowledge the presence of my friend¡¯s parents, especially since I had seen them.


    But going over to greet them felt a bit awkward.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    I decided to think about the right course of action after everything was over.


    At the very least, knowing that someone else shared my anxiety made me feel a bit better.


    ***


    The third match of Group C of the Open Tournament finals was Harriet¡¯s first match.


    ¡ªThe only first-year participant and the only magic major in this tournament! Royal ss first-year, A-4, Harriet de Saint-Ouen!


    Harriet stood in the arena quietly, wearing a long-sleeved top that seemed more suited for movement instead of her uniform.


    A first-year, and a magic major at that.


    Even those who didn¡¯t know much could tell that Harriet was at a disadvantage.


    Naturally, the Royal ss first-years, including Riana, who had been lying down, were now sitting upright, eyes glued to the arena.


    Harriet¡¯s opponent was Aisa Shelkin, a fourth-year from the Elnor ss.


    I didn¡¯t know who she was, but like all the other Open Tournament finalists, she would be able to use Mana Reinforcement.


    Although she had been introduced as being from the general cohort, it was entirely possible that she had been transferred from the Orbis ss.


    She was wielding a sword, while Harriet, being a magic major, was unarmed.


    When it came to the Open Tournament, the matches from the Round of 32 onwards were a best-of-5 format.


    I could see the tension in Harriet¡¯s face. This was likely her first time fighting someone in front of such arge audience.


    I worried that she might fail to cast her spells without her magical earrings.


    The announcer offered a few brief words, and then the match began.


    <i>¡®What will Harriet show us?¡¯ </i>


    I enhanced both my vision and hearing to better understand the situation.


    Aisa Shelkin stared at Harriet, then raised her sword and pointed it at her.


    ¡°A magic major, and a first-year at that. I don¡¯t know how you made it to the finals, but if it was luck... It ends here, freshman.¡±


    Harriet didn¡¯t respond.


    To subdue a magic major, a swift and decisive approach was key, so that they did not have the time to cast their spells.


    Aisa Shelkin¡¯s body began to glow with a faint blue light.


    Mana Reinforcement...


    <i>Thud!</i>


    In an instant, she dashed forward, rushing toward Harriet with the force of a hurricane.


    Harriet extended her hand forward as she observed her opponent¡¯s charge.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    A blue barrier formed around Harriet¡¯s outstretched hand, blocking Aisa Shelkin¡¯s thrust.


    It seemed to be a protection-type spell.


    <i>¡®So far, so good. Did she pre-cast it? Protection spells cannot be maintained indefinitely, though.¡¯</i>


    Aisa Shelkin knew this too, and pounded relentlessly against Harriet¡¯s protective barrier.


    <i>Bang! Crash! ng!</i>


    She constantly rained down heavy blows, empowered by Mana Reinforcement.


    If the defensive spell broke, it was possible that there was another one behind it, but defense alone wasn¡¯t enough.


    The protective barrier was weakening, the blue light gradually fading.


    We all watched in silence. Even Sabioleen Tana was observing the situation carefully, without making any hasty judgments.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    A final powerful strike from Aisa Shelkin shattered the defensive barrier, and she immediately thrust her sword into the opening.


    <i>¡®Did she fail to prepare the next defensive spell in time?¡¯</i>


    Just as it seemed Harriet might take the hit...


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Harriet¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Aisa Shelkin¡¯s sh met empty air as her opponent vanished.


    While she hadn¡¯t seen what had just happened, the audience had.


    Harriet had disappeared and reappeared on the opposite side of the arena.


    It was a short-range teleportation spell, Blink.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first spell a battle mage must master,¡± Sabioleen Tanamented briefly.


    Aisa Shelkin quickly turned her gaze towards Harriet, who had created a significant distance between them.


    But then...


    <i>Zap!</i>


    A blue lightning bolt flew out from Harriet¡¯s right hand and struck Aisa Shelkin.


    ¡ªUrgh!


    Aisa Shelkin flinched but didn¡¯t fall, thanks to either the protection afforded by Mana Reinforcement, or perhaps due to sufficient anti-magic training.


    Despite this, it was difficult to recover quickly from the shock of being struck by lightning.


    Harriet had not meant for the lightning bolt to finish off her opponent.


    In that brief moment of dy...


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    A fiery-red fireball formed above Harriet¡¯s right shoulder and immediatelyunched itself towards Aisa Shelkin.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    As soon as the fireball struck, and before the explosion from the fireball subsided, another fireball was already forming on Harriet¡¯s left side and wasunched. It was an unbelievable sight.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Another fireball exploded, engulfing Aisa Shelkin in another st.


    Something was off.


    Sabioleen Tana also furrowed her brows as she watched the battle unfolding. ¡°Her casting speed... is incredibly fast.¡±


    Anyone with even a basic understanding of magic could recognize that Harriet¡¯s casting speed was exceptionally quick.


    Harriet hit Aisa Shelkin with three consecutive fireballs, not giving her opponent a chance to recover.


    It seemed that Aisa Shelkin had reached her limit.


    After the third fireball hit, she was enveloped in light as she was summoned away by the recall artifact.


    ¡ªThe winner of the first bout is first-year Harriet de Saint-Ouen!


    <i>¡®What on earth just happened? What on earth did she do?¡¯</i>


    Harriet found me among the countless spectators and looked directly at me.


    She seemed to assume that I would be able to hear her words clearly.


    ¡°How was that?¡± she said.


    I had no idea what she had been doing all this time, but it was clear that someone with extraordinary talent had started doing extraordinary things.


    <i>Waaaaaah</i>!


    The audience, captivated by the sheer power and spectacle of her magic, erupted in cheers.


    I didn¡¯t know what she had done exactly, but it was clear that even I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Harriet at this point.


    I smiled back at Harriet, who was looking directly at me.


    I was a mouse worrying about a cat.


    But it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling at all.


    ¡ªSee honey? Didn¡¯t I tell you? She would do just fine!


    ¡ªOf course, I knew this would happen all along.


    ¡ª...


    The Duke of Saint-Ouen had already changed his tune.

 Chapter 309

    <h4>Chapter 309</h4>


    The match ended with a 3-0 scoreline, aplete victory for Harriet.


    Aisa Shelkin looked as if she had been tricked by some foul y.


    She had been utterly defeated by a magic major.


    However, it was inevitable.


    The main drawback of magic was casting time. However, Harriet¡¯s casting speed was abnormally fast, and so Aisa Shelkin was always a step behind.


    Harriet didn¡¯t have the ability to cast spells without any casting time, but her casting speed had be so fast that she could toy with a seasoned closebat specialist.


    That was why Rudina¡¯s No-Casting talent was so absurd.


    Even someone like Harriet, given sufficient mana and increased casting speed, couldpletely overwhelm abat specialist. If there was no casting time at all, she could pummel her opponent without giving them a moment to breathe.


    While the audience cheered, those of us watching from the Royal ss seats were dumbfounded.


    It was strange that Harriet could do that.


    Even Sabioleen Tana, who had been providingmentary on the matches, was taken aback.


    ¡°Magic requires casting,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯smon sense,¡± Charlotte responded.


    Sabioleen Tana tilted her head. She seemed to find the situation quite odd. ¡°But high-level battle mages can use magic almost instantaneously without the casting process.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true as well,¡± replied Charlotte.


    ¡°Harriet de Saint-Ouen appears to have casting speeds on par with a seasoned battle mage.¡±


    It was clear from Sabioleen Tana¡¯s expression that she believed with near certainty that such a thing shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    From Sabioleen Tana¡¯s perspective, a seasoned battle mage was not someone with a little bit of experience, but someone who had been hardened by realbat.


    A casting speed on par with a battle mage with at least ten years of experience... Was that even possible?


    ¡°Among mages, only battle mages focus on increasing their casting speed to achieve multi-casting or chain casting. Other types of mages have no reason to prioritize casting speed. They pursue precision over speed, which is the correct path. But why would she spend time on that technique...?¡±


    While having a fast casting speed was impressive, such a pursuit was ultimately limited to battle mages. Mages who madebat their profession were often looked down upon by other mages, as I had heard before.


    Quick casting time was ultimately a skill necessary only for battle mages who earned a living throughbat. Sabioleen Tana found it hard to understand why the youngdy of the Saint-Ouen family would be so proficient in a skill typically only mastered by battle mages.


    I knew that Harriet wanted to increase her practicalbat prowess, which was why she had spent time working on a skill that had little rtion to her noble birth.


    Of course, just how she had managed to achieve such a level of proficiency just by dedicating time to it was something neither I nor Sabioleen Tana could fullyprehend.


    <i>¡®What exactly has been happening in the Magic Research Club?¡¯</i>


    I shot Adelia a questioning look, and she gave me a sheepish smile in reply.


    <i>¡®Is it a secret?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It seems like Harriet de Saint-Ouen will perform quite well,¡± said Sabioleen Tana.


    In the end, it was clear that Harriet had gained significantbat prowess, contrary to my expectations.


    Ellen had also said Harriet would do well, and she didn¡¯t seem particrly surprised by the oue. Whether she had expected it to turn out quite this way, I couldn¡¯t say.


    ***


    As the Round of 32 matches progressed, I realized that, contrary to my worries, Harriet possessed substantial skill. After all, she had managed to make it through the preliminary rounds of the Open Tournament and secure a spot in the final rounds.


    The Group C matches continued, and the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.


    Royal ss, fifth-year, Olivia Lanche...


    A huge cheer went around the stadium from those who recognized Olivia, since she was a well-known figure, and the reaction from the Royal ss seats was equally enthusiastic.


    The announcer gave her a lengthy introduction. Although some of the remarks were embarrassing, Olivia stood there with a faint smile.


    There was one problem: she had renounced her faith, yet she could still use Divine Power, and at a very high level.


    However, if she used Divine Power in the tournament despite having renounced her faith, it would cause issues. The religiousmunity could raise objections just because she used Divine Power after renouncing her faith.


    There was nothing truly stopping her from using it, but to avoid any controversy, she would have to fight without Divine Power.


    Her opponent was a fifth-year male student.


    He had been introduced as a student from the general cohort, but he seemed to be a former member of the Orbis ss. Olivia appeared to recognize him. It wasn¡¯t unusual for the students of the Royal ss and Orbis ss to have interactions, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that they knew each other.


    Olivia didn¡¯t look in my direction.


    Everyone was curious about Olivia¡¯s skill, and even Sabioleen Tana was seeing her abilities firsthand for the first time.


    ¡ªNow, let¡¯s begin the final match of Group C!


    The announcer began the match, and I was curious to see how Olivia Lanche would fight without using Divine Power.


    Her opponent¡¯s weapon wielded a spear, while Olivia was unarmed.


    Her opponent¡¯s body was enveloped in blue mana.


    Olivia smiled at her opponent, and she began to speak.


    ¡ªSorry to disappoint the audience. My match might be a bit boring.


    <i>Whoosh</i>...


    Olivia¡¯s body was enveloped in blue mes of mana.


    I had already suspected that Olivia could use Mana Reinforcement. Olivia dashed forward barehanded without using any Divine Power.


    Or rather, I could only tell that she moved; it was impossible to follow her movements with my eyes.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡ªUgh!


    In the blink of an eye, Olivia had closed the distance andnded a punch on her opponent¡¯s abdomen.


    The immense force of that single blow sent her opponent flying through the air, far across the floor of the arena.


    The destructive power of her bare fists was unbelievable, even ounting for Mana Reinforcement.


    The first bout ended in an instant.


    ¡ªOh, was that too much?


    She was a strong contender for the championship. No¡ªat this rate, she seemed like the only contender.


    Ellen and I stared nkly at Olivia, who had effortlessly sent her Mana-Reinforced opponent flying.


    She had to fight without using Divine Power, but was that really a penalty at all?


    It seemed like no one could stand against her, even in this state.


    <i>¡®To think that someone like her was nicknamed the Saintes of Eredian... Shouldn¡¯t she have been hailed as the strongest person in the Temple instead?¡¯</i>


    ***


    When all the Round of 32 matches concluded, there would be a short break before the Round of 16 matches began.


    Just as in the first-year tournament, the four winners from each group would face off in the semifinals and finals the next day.


    If Harriet won her next Round of 16 match and then her quarterfinal match, the final match of the group stage, she would have a shot at the finals.


    But Harriet¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t the finals.


    Harriet sat quietly on a sofa in the participants'' waiting room. She wanted to go to her private room and gather her thoughts, but she figured it would be better to observe her potential future opponents.


    ¡°You¡¯re Harriet, right? You were amazing. We¡¯ll be facing each other in the next match, so let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes.¡±


    Some participants were on edge, but her next opponent was a cheerful-looking senior. She was from the Royal ss and was someone with a supernatural power and not a closebat specialist.


    Her ability allowed her to control the wind.


    She had easily defeated her opponents by blowing them out of the ring with wind pressure and causing them to lose because of that.


    Harriet was contemting how to counter that.


    ¡°Want some? It¡¯s tasty.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, no... I¡¯m fine.¡±


    The senior sat next to her, mumbling about various things. ¡°If your protective spells can block my wind, then I don¡¯t really have a way to counter that. I¡¯m not really good at fighting.¡±


    It seemed to Harriet that her opponent was already resigned to losing. She seemed to rely solely on blowing her opponents out of the ring, but Harriet could use protective spells to nullify that.


    The senior, who was a fourth-year student, seemed somewhat cute despite herints about the bad matchup.


    Harriet wondered if she was pretending to be weak only to suddenly reveal her hidden skills in the arena, but she doubted that a fellow Royal ss member would go that far.


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was aiming to win the tournament. Although Harriet found the constant chatter a bit annoying, she didn¡¯t really mind it.


    ¡°You... don¡¯t seem very nervous,¡± Harriet said.


    ¡°Nervous? Hmm. Well, there¡¯s no reason to be, right?¡±


    The senior munched on a macaron and took a sip of tea, then smiled bashfully.


    ¡°After all, senior Olivia is going to win Group C anyway.¡±


    It seemed she had already given up on winning, given Olivia¡¯s participation. Harriet couldn¡¯t help but agree with that assessment.


    She hadn¡¯t even fully grasped what had happened during Olivia¡¯s match.


    Most participants could use Mana Reinforcement, but among them all, Olivia stood out.


    She hadn¡¯t even used her primary strength, Divine Power, and yet she was that formidable. The other participants had seen Olivia¡¯s overwhelming prowess and seemed half-defeated already.


    <i>¡®How would I have faced her?¡¯</i>


    Harriet pondered but couldn¡¯te up with a proper answer.


    Olivia Lanche... The Open Tournament was a chance to challenge her.


    However, after witnessing Olivia¡¯s skills, Harriet didn¡¯t think she could win.


    Despite that, she still wanted to have the chance to go up against her.


    To face Olivia, Harriet needed to reach the quarterfinals, thest match in Group C. She knew she couldn¡¯t win, but she wanted to at least face her.


    She didn¡¯t fully understand why.


    Olivia Lanche was undoubtedly stronger than Ellen.


    Harriet had never had apetitive spirit, especially not when it came to fighting. But somewhere along the way, it had developed on its own.


    The desire to be stronger naturally turned into the desire not to lose.


    Harriet watched Olivia Lanche approach her from afar, chatting with other participants along the way. Having been at the Temple for a long time, Olivia seemed to know many of thepetitors, and held casual conversations with them.


    Ellen had said she disliked Olivia, and Harriet felt the same way.


    Olivia walked closer and made eye contact with Harriet.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°... Hello,¡± replied Harriet.


    Olivia smiled shyly. ¡°You¡¯re Reinhart¡¯s friend too, right? Nice to meet you.¡±


    The word ¡°too.¡± implied there was someone else ahead of her.


    Harriet found it infuriating.


    She had often seen Olivia picking fights with Ellen and knew where that desire to provoke came from.


    Olivia disliked Ellen, and Ellen disliked Olivia.


    However, Olivia didn¡¯t dislike Harriet.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing. Only a first-year student, yet already at that level. Are we going to face each other in the Group C finals today?¡±


    Her kind expression and tone were devoid of any hostility.


    ¡°Are you feeling okay? Need some healing magic?¡±


    The casualpliments and the unnecessary concern...


    Harriet knew that Olivia didn¡¯t see her as a threat. She didn¡¯t even see the need to show hostility to someone like her. It wasn¡¯t even condescension, which made it feel even more dismissive.


    ¡°Let¡¯s both do our best.¡±


    <i>¡®I dislike you, But you don¡¯t dislike me,¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Harriet hated this situation because of the emotional gap between them.


    And so, Harriet abruptly poured cold water on the whole interaction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you, senior,¡± she said.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Olivia looked at Harriet quietly and scratched her cheek.


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    Olivia seemed to read something from Harriet¡¯s expression and gave a subtle, almost mocking smile.


    It was the same expression she sometimes wore when she looked at Ellen. That faintly mocking smile.


    ¡°So what?¡± Olivia asked.


    Harriet stared at Olivia.


    Ellen was annoyed and angry about being disliked for no reason.


    But she wouldn¡¯t understand the sorrow of not even being worthy of such dislike, of having someone who considered you beneath their notice show you kindness.


    So, Harriet decided to make Olivia dislike her.


    She would make it so Olivia couldn¡¯t ignore her.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s too bad.¡± Olivia smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯m not particrly interested in you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The phrase ¡°not particrly interested in you¡± implied that while she might care about others, she had no significant interest in Harriet.


    As expected, Olivia was deliberately ignoring her.


    Harriet gritted her teeth as she watched Olivia walk away.


    Even if she couldn¡¯t win, she would make it so Olivia couldn¡¯t ignore her anymore.


    ***


    Harriet had made remarkable progress.


    She easily advanced to the quarterfinals, the Group C finals.


    Her Round of 16 opponent was a fourth-year Royal ss student, a wind-type supernatural power user, but Harriet easily defeated her. After blocking her wind attacks and aiming five firebolts at her opponent, her opponent simply forfeited, as if there was no point in continuing.


    It was the same senior who had told her to go see her if she ever needed help after the Mayaton incident. Harriet hadn¡¯t gone to her, but she remembered her face.


    In the end, it was a matter ofpatibility. The opponent¡¯s strategy hinged on blowing closebat specialists away with gusts of wind, and she was no match for a magic major.


    Naturally, Olivia also easily defeated her Round of 16 opponent and advanced as well.


    With that, the stage for the final match of Group C was set.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen and Olivia Lanche...


    Whichever of them emerged victorious would advance to the semifinals and have a shot at the championship tomorrow.


    Despite sessfully making it through two matches, both me and the Duke of Saint-Ouen found our anxiety resurfacing.


    <i>Tremble, tremble.</i>


    ¡°... Stop shaking already,¡± Ellen rebuked me.


    There was a sigh from the stands above me.


    ¡ªHoney, what¡¯s wrong now?


    ¡ªHer opponent is just too strong...


    The Duke of Saint-Ouen was also getting scolded by his wife.


    No matter how much Harriet had grown, Olivia Lanche was clearly not an opponent she could handle at this point.


    The only hope was that Olivia couldn¡¯t use her Divine Power.


    That slight advantage was the only glimmer of hope for Harriet¡¯s victory.


    Everyone in the Royal ss, regardless of grade, held their breath.


    Despite being a first-year and a magic major, Harriet was performing admirably in the Open Tournament.


    However, Olivia Lanche was someone who deserved the title of the strongest person in the Temple.


    The two of them stood facing each other in the arena.

 Chapter 310

    <h4>Chapter 310</h4>


    Harriet faced Olivia Lanche, who stood across from her, wearing a faint smile. Unlike the tension on Harriet¡¯s face, Olivia¡¯s expression exuded confidence and ease. Harriet couldn¡¯t stand that arrogant demeanor.


    <i>¡®Was I like that once?¡¯</i> she wondered.


    There was a time when everything in the world seemed trivial andughablepared to herself. Having been born into a position in which everything was predetermined, she couldn¡¯t understand why people struggled so desperately.


    Instead of trying to understand them, she used to mock them. Even up to this point, she couldn¡¯t say that she hadpletely abandoned that part of herself, but she realized she needed to change.


    Her opponent was arrogant. Despite being known as a selfless person, as her nickname ¡°Saintess of Eredian¡± suggested, Olivia acted despicably when it came to anything rted to Reinhart. She openly picked fights with Ellen and intentionally ignored Harriet.


    That subtle smile which she used to provoke others while hiding her true intentions infuriated Harriet.


    Harriet knew her chances of winning were slim. She had seen that monster fight. But her mask, that disgustingly thick, hypocritical facade... She wanted to tear it off, even just once.


    Her feelings were born out of anger, frustration, or sheer determination. She wouldn¡¯t let Olivia continue to look down on her with that expression forever.


    The announcer¡¯s voice boomed across the stadium.


    ¡ªNow, on to the next quarterfinal match, the final match of Group C! Let¡¯s begin!


    Olivia Lanche looked at Harriet calmly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like dragging things out. I¡¯ll finish this quickly,¡± she said.


    Blue mana enveloped Olivia¡¯s body, shrouding her in a dense aura. Harriet found Olivia¡¯s words absurd.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite weirding from someone who clings so desperately to Reinhart, even though he doesn¡¯t want you?¡± Harriet retorted.


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± Olivia smiled, walking slowly towards Harriet instead of running. ¡°I like him so much that I¡¯m willing to do things I hate.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say something like that, can you?¡± Olivia continued to approach Harriet with a dazzling smile.


    Olivia was honest about her feelings. She could afford to be. She was willing to push forward, even if it meant hurting others, including Harriet and Ellen, just to have Reinhart. She had epted that she had to lose some things to gain others.


    Harriet felt a momentary surge of envy towards Olivia, but it quickly subsided. Her opponent was merely trying to provoke her.


    As Harriet tried to push Olivia¡¯s words out of her mind and regain herposure, Olivia gently pushed herself off the ground.


    <i>Tap!</i>


    The sound was delicate.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    However, the speed at which Olivia lunged forward was anything but.


    <i>Zing!</i>


    As soon as her protective spell materialized in front of Harriet¡¯s eyes, Olivia¡¯s fist struck the blue force field.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    With a single punch, the protective field copsed, and Olivia¡¯s fist came perilously close to Harriet¡¯s face.


    <i>Fwoosh!</i>


    A split second before the attacknded, Harriet used Blink to instantly create distance between them. Olivia turned around immediately, smiling as she noticed Harriet sweating.


    ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡±


    Harriet had cast Blink almost as soon as her protection spell copsed. But unlike Olivia, who seemed to have all the time in the world, Harriet could not afford any wordy.


    <i>sh!</i>


    A streak of lightning struck Olivia¡¯s body. It was the same tactic Harriet had used in her first match. After creating distance with Blink, she would bombard her opponent with attack spells to strip away their Mana Reinforcement.


    Many had fallen victim to this simple strategy during the preliminaries. If closebat was frightening, then she just had to avoid it.


    Lightning spells, once cast, struck almost instantaneously and were nearly impossible to dodge. A normal person would be knocked out or even killed by such an attack, but an opponent using Mana Reinforcement was different.


    The best strategy was to incapacitate them with a powerful Fireball. So far, it had worked.


    However, Olivia charged at Harriet again without even flinching, as if the lightning was nothing. Harriet had expected as much.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As soon as Harriet waved her hand, the ground in front of her rose up, forming a stone wall. Protection spells could be easily prated, so she created a physical barrier instead.


    However, no strategy would work against Olivia.


    ¡°This won¡¯t stop me,¡± Olivia said. Relying on her overwhelming physical strength, Olivia pushed forward. ¡°Do you think this can hold me back?¡±


    <i>Bam!</i>


    Olivia shattered the stone wall with her bare hands and lunged at Harriet.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not trying to stop you.¡¯</i>


    In that brief moment, Harriet had already cast another spell. The wall wasn¡¯t meant to stop Olivia; it was to obscure her vision.


    The spell she used was Hallucination.


    It created an illusion, which would make her presence undetectable. Magic had endless possibilities. By confusing her opponent¡¯s perception, she could make them disqualify themselves by running out of bounds.


    Now, Olivia wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive her. She would break through the wall only to realize that Harriet had vanished.


    However, just as Harriet cast the spell, she felt it.


    <i>¡®Resistance...?¡¯</i>


    The magic aimed at Olivia bounced off. Why?


    It was a mid-to-high-level mental magic, and could not be easily resisted. Harriet could only watch in horror as Olivia¡¯s fist flew towards her.


    ***


    The first bout ended quickly in a victory for Olivia. Having been recalled away to avoid a fatal blow, Harriet stared nkly at Olivia¡¯s smiling face after she was re-summoned back into the arena.


    The effectiveness of the high-tier illusion magic she had used had not merely been reduced; the spell had been somehow renderedpletely ineffective.


    ¡°I could guess what you were trying to do,¡± Olivia said, cing her hands on her hips as if she were offering a special lesson. ¡°Most mental magic doesn¡¯t work on me, dear junior.¡±


    Harriet¡¯s thoughts froze when she heard that. Olivia¡¯s near-immunity to mental magic was notmon knowledge, and it was only natural that Harriet didn¡¯t know about it. Because of this, though, all the strategies she had nned out in order to achieve victory were instantly nullified.


    She had been convinced that mental magic was the solution, since she couldn¡¯t match Olivia physically, but it also turned out to be entirely ineffective.


    There was no chance Olivia was bluffing. Harriet had clearly felt that her spell had no effect. She had anticipated some resistance, but notplete immunity.


    ¡°Why do you look so incredulous? That¡¯s how the world works, isn¡¯t it? Everyone is born with certain gifts. This ce is full of people born with extraordinary talents,¡± Olivia continued.


    The Temple¡ªand the Royal ss specifically¡ªwas a ce where such individuals were concentrated.


    ¡°Just as you¡¯re an extraordinary person in your own way, I am in mine,¡± Olivia said, her smile never wavering.


    The second set was about to begin.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got, you might as well forfeit,¡± Olivia said, still smiling. ¡°Before you embarrass yourself further.¡±


    Harriet was already in a disadvantageous situation, and now she knew that this trump card of hers would not work.


    She was on the brink of despair. She thought that only Scarlett from ss B had a talent granting her magic immunity, but it seemed there was another.


    If only she had her calming earrings... Now that her only strategy had been nullified, Harriet¡¯s mind was in turmoil.


    ¡ªHey! Thick-Skull!


    A shout pierced through the fog of her chaotic thoughts. From the spectator stands, a familiar voice called out. She didn¡¯t need to look to know who it was. Only one person in the world called her that.


    ¡ªDon¡¯t be scared!


    He wasn¡¯t telling her to win or to stay strong. He was simply telling her not to be scared. In itself, it wasn¡¯t much of a cheer.


    However...


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Harriet noticed Olivia Lanche¡¯s expression twist slightly upon hearing the same shout. Reinhart had once said that people tended to cheer for the underdog in such situations. It was bittersweet, knowing that he had said that while being certain of her defeat.


    In the end, though, results were all that mattered in this world. Reinhart was cheering for her.


    ¡ªDon¡¯t be scared, just charge in!


    Reinhart was cheering for Harriet de Saint-Ouen, not Olivia Lanche.


    ¡°So this is what it feels like to win even when you lose,¡± Harriet said, smiling as she saw Olivia¡¯s expression harden.


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia¡¯s smile vanished. She offered no more yful taunts or mocking words. Reinhart¡¯s shout might have calmed Harriet¡¯s chaotic mind, but it might have led to an even worse oue for her.


    ¡°This is a little humiliating,¡± Olivia muttered, clearly angry now.


    She was angry at Harriet, but also at Reinhart.


    ¡°This is so annoying. Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡±


    The announcer had already dered the start of the second bout. Olivia charged in again. This time, Harriet didn¡¯t cast a protective barrier. Instead, blue lines of mana formed intricate patterns on the back of her hand, glowing brightly.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    <i>Crack!</i>


    In an instant, the ground beneath the arena cracked and began to copse.


    ¡°<i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    Taking advantage of Olivia¡¯s momentary loss of bnce, Harriet spread her hands wide. The spell she had just cast was Shockwave, which was causing the terrain to copse.


    It was by no means a low-level spell, and she was preparing to follow up with another high-level spell. There were no more chances left for her. She would use every means at her disposal to take this one bout.


    Harriet raised her hands to the sky. A massive ball of fire, iparable to a regr Fireball, formed above her.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    me Strike surged towards the staggering Olivia Lanche.


    <i>Booooom!</i>


    Blue mana lines glowed vividly on Harriet¡¯s hands and forearms as Olivia Lanche was engulfed in a massive explosion of mes.


    ***


    The arena had suddenly turned to rubble,pounded by the massive destructive force of me Strike.


    The overwhelming spectacle left the audience speechless.


    ¡°This is unbelievable,¡± Sabioleen Tana remarked sinctly.


    ¡°No matter how much of a genius Harriet de Saint-Ouen is, casting suchrge-scale destructive magic at that speed is impossible,¡± she continued.


    ¡°... Are you suggesting she used some kind of trick?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... but it doesn¡¯t seem like a conventional use of magic. Just look at those symbols that have suddenly appeared on her body,¡± Sabioleen Tana replied.


    Indeed, blue symbols had momentarily appeared on Harriet¡¯s arms, although they had already vanished. She had cast tworge-scale destructive spells in rapid session, with almost no time between them.


    Ellen, Riana, and I were all dumbfounded by the sight.


    I grabbed Ellen¡¯s shoulder and shook her. ¡°Could it be... Did Harriet... D-Did she get a tattoo or something?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but the lines on her forearms had looked very much like tattoos.


    Not that there was anything wrong with that... She could do whatever she wanted, but still...


    ¡°Is that really what¡¯s important right now?¡± Riana scolded me, making me feel like crying. There had to be someone around who knew what was going on.


    ¡°Louis! Hey! What did you guys at the Magic Research Club do to our Thick-Skull?¡± I shouted, almost in a panic.


    Louis turned to look at me from the front row, clearly not expecting my reaction.


    ¡°Why are you so freaked out?¡± he sighed, trying to calm me down. ¡°It¡¯s an application of scroll magic.¡±


    ¡°... What does that even mean?¡± I asked, bewildered.


    Louis looked at Harriet, who was standing in the partially-destroyed arena.


    ¡°Harriet is writing and using magic scrolls in real-time.¡±


    <i>¡®Huh...? What kind of bizarre exnation is that?¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡ªLouis! Hey! What did you guys at the Magic Research Club do to our thick skull?¡±


    Reinhart wasn¡¯t the only one who was confused; the Grand Duke and Duchess were equally perplexed. They were too focused on their daughter to pay attention to Reinhart calling her Thick-Skull.


    ¡°What is... our baby doing?¡± the Duchess asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... but it seems she¡¯s done something extraordinary,¡± the Grand Duke replied.


    Even the Grand Duke, who was well-versed in magic, couldn¡¯t understand what strange thing his daughter had done to herself. It was an unprecedented sight.


    Unlike Reinhart, the Grand Duke wasn¡¯t panicking about tattoos or anything of the sort. He was a mage before he was a noble, and he thought like one.


    ¡°Our daughter appears to have aplished something that will astonish the world,¡± he said.


    The oue of the fight didn¡¯t matter. The Grand Duke sensed that his daughter had developed a new branch of magic.


    ***


    Casting...


    Casting was the alpha and the omega of magic. However, casting ultimately required time, and no matter how fast one became, it was impossible to reduce that time to zero.


    Magic was a great and convenient power, but when used inbat, casting time remained a critical disadvantage. Given enough time, magic could destroy anything. However, the time required to prepare and cast a spell often led to the untimely deaths of even the most skilled battle mages.


    Casting was a natural process. The idea of eliminating it entirely was as absurd as solving an equation without any calctions. But Harriet knew of a precedent. Rudina, the number one student in Royal ss 2-A, had a talent known as No-Casting. Though it was a supernatural power, Harriet had seen with her own eyes that it was possible.


    Magic that manifested instantly through thought alone¡ªif that was possible, why couldn¡¯t she achieve something simr?


    However, acquiring a supernatural power was out of the question. Like many battle mages before her, Harriet sought to drastically reduce casting time. She hadn¡¯t gained a supernatural power, but she had found another way.


    Huddled together in the Magic Research Club, Harriet and her peers racked their brains. The answer came not from Harriet but from Louis Ankton, who had a deep understanding of magic but couldn¡¯t use it. His thought processes differed from that of typical mages.


    .


    .


    ¡°Scroll magic can be activated instantly, right?¡± Louis asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Harriet confirmed.


    ¡°A scroll is essentially a piece of paper imbued with magic, with a magic circle drawn on it, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But the human body is already imbued with magic, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so?¡±


    ¡°What if we consider the human body as a scroll and draw magic circles on it to activate spells?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Everyone else seemed confused by Louis Ankton¡¯s suggestion, finding it bizarre. However, the concept wasn¡¯t entirely irrational. A scroll was essentially a medium imbued with magic, with a magic circle drawn on it.


    The paper, imbued with magic, was the medium, and the magic circle was the form.


    If the medium was the human body and the form was drawn on it, wouldn¡¯t the magic automatically activate?


    It was a very intuitive way of understanding how scrolls worked. Even Harriet, who had extensive knowledge of magic, found it a strange but intriguing proposition.


    ¡°Dettomorian said that, in his tribe, warriors had shamans draw tattoos they called Warpaints on their faces to draw out extraordinary power.¡±


    ¡°I know that Sorcery is the root of magic, but... are you saying that this Warpaint is like drawing magic circles on the human body to draw out power?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard it actually works. If this Warpaint utilizes the magic inherent in the human body, then it¡¯s not much different from what I¡¯m suggesting.¡±


    If the art of Warpainting essentially involved drawing Sorcery circles on the human body to channel power, then it wasn¡¯t fundamentally different from scroll magic.


    Louis was merely specting that one could turn the human body into a sort of living scroll in order to reduce casting time.


    Adelia tilted her head, trying to wrap her mind around the radical nature of Louis¡¯s idea.


    ¡°Assuming it works, and you engrave the magic circle for a Fireball, does that mean that the person can only use Fireball? What about other spells...?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Then their whole body would have to be covered in tattoos...¡± someone else chimed in.


    It was clear to all of them that even if it worked, covering one¡¯s body with numerous magic circles just to use various spells would not look pleasant. Their expressions soured at the thought.


    ¡°And besides, we can¡¯t even learn scroll magic,¡± Cristina pointed out.


    Magic rted to magic scrolls was highly ssified, and not taught at the Temple. Therefore, the workability of this concept was a moot point, since they couldn¡¯t learn it.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Harriet interjected, shaking her head. ¡°Instead of magic circles, we can engrave nguage.¡¯¡±


    Language... The sudden mention of something else confused everyone all over again.


    ¡°If we engrave anguage, we can derive numerous spells just bybining the necessary characters. There¡¯s a magical system that works like that,¡± Harriet exined.


    Once Harriet exined it this way, everyone understood what she was talking about. It was an ancient magical system, not as old as Sorcery but still very ancient, and the true origin of magic.


    ¡°We can engrave runes.¡±


    By using runes, it was possible to implement every sort of magic that existed.

 Chapter 311 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 311 [Illustration]</h4>


    In this system, the caster¡¯s body essentially became the magic scroll, so instead of having to performplex Mana Maniption each time they cast a spell, they would simply invoke the necessary runes engraved on their body and infuse them with mana to activate the spell.


    The body was the paper, and the runes would form the magic circle. While it was not entirely devoid of casting time, it came very close.


    This was a new magical system thatbined rune magic and scroll magic with the human body. Louis Ankton, who hade up with the initial concept, had been skeptical.


    Magic had evolved, after all, and runes were considered primitive.


    Abandoning advanced systems and reverting to an ancient magicalnguage in order to implement modern magic seemed highly inefficient. It required reinterpreting and reverse-engineering modern magic into runes, which necessitated a deep understanding of runes.


    However, Harriet could do that. The Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen had emphasized the importance of runes from a very young age, so Harriet had a deep understanding of runes, even if she wasn¡¯t a lifelong schr.


    To make sure it worked, Harriet would also have to memorize a vast array of rune forms and learn to activate or rearrange them as needed, but she could do that too. Memorizing was exceedingly easy for her.


    In this new system, Harriet¡¯s body now performed most of the practical tasks required for Mana Maniption after Magical Computation instead of her mind. All she needed was to memorize thebinations of runes for various spells.


    Her body was essentially a magic scroll that could be used indefinitely as long as her mana permitted it. Therefore, while Harriet didn¡¯t have the supernatural ability of No-Casting, she had acquired a simr capabilityparable to Rudina¡¯s.


    .


    .


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The bout had yet to be dered in Harriet¡¯s favor, which meant Olivia had not given up or been considered incapacitated yet.


    Harriet stretched her hand out through the thick smoke rising from the ruins of the arena floor.


    Blue mana lines formed in the shape of runes along Harriet¡¯s right arm. Therger the scale of the magic, the more extensive the mana lines that covered her body.


    At this moment, runes glowed across the entirety of Harriet¡¯s upper and lower right arm.


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The magic, reconstituted and activated through runes, was a spell called Thunder.


    Instead of a mere electric shock, she intended to finish off her opponent with a thunderbolt that struck from the sky. As sudden darkness enveloped the previously clear sky, the crowd began to murmur.


    <i>sh!</i>


    A streak of lightning struck the arena.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The thunderbolt superheated the air around it, sending out a massive shock wave that shook the entire arena. Complete silence followed the massive lightning strike.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Harriet smiled as she saw Olivia emerge from the debris. Although the oue had yet to be decided, she was confident she hadnded a significant blow.


    Olivia Lanche, battered and bruised, emerged from the wreckage of the arena.


    ¡°This is... really pissing me off...¡± Olivia said.


    Harriet had managed tond a hit, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that Olivia Lanche was a monster.


    The fact that she hadn¡¯t been recalled by the artifact meant she had withstood both me Strike and Thunderbolt with just her bare body.


    me Strike was arge-scale destructive spell, and Thunderbolt, despite having a smaller area of effect, was still a powerful anti-personnel attack.


    Yet Olivia had endured both.


    The audience was in shock, unable to believe not just that someone in this tournament could cast such high-level destructive magic, but that there was also someone who could withstand it with just their bare body.


    The smile had vanished from Olivia¡¯s face. Clearly, the time for ying around was over.


    Mana lines began to appear on Harriet¡¯s right and left arms again, hidden under her sleeves.


    The arena was in ruins, and the concept of out-of-bounds had lost its meaning. Harriet would lose if she allowed even a single attack tond, while Olivia Lanche would lose if her imprable Mana Reinforcement barrier was broken.


    The condition of the arena favored Harriet, since the uneven ground made it difficult for Olivia, who needed to get close, to move.


    However, such mundane concerns did not affect Olivia. She leaped across the uneven ground, approaching Harriet without missing a step. Of course, Harriet, who had done something unprecedented by engraving magic onto her body, was hardly ordinary either.


    Harriet cast a spell aimed at the debris on the arena floor where Olivia was about tond. The spell was a simple Psychokinesis spell¡ªin other words, telekinesis.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    With a dull sound, the rock Olivia was about to step on suddenly flew to the right.


    Her foothold had suddenly disappeared.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Olivia, having lost her footing, stumbled and fell.


    In the midst of such an intense battle, suddenly losing one¡¯s footing and falling was critical. However, Olivia¡¯s exaggerated forward tumble was soical that it was unexpectedly humorous to watch.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    Instead of casting an offensive spell, Harrietughed at the sight of Olivia stumbling.


    ¡°Wow... just wow...¡±


    As Olivia staggered to her feet, she looked at Harriet, who was smirking at her. She had never imagined she would be subjected to such ridicule by a mere child... By a mere mage.


    ¡°This is really... really infuriating...¡±


    A dark fire ignited in Olivia¡¯s heart. With veins bulging on her neck and forehead, she gritted her teeth and approached Harriet once more, this time with caution. The childish trick had caught her off-guard the first time; the same trick wouldn¡¯t work again.


    Being cautious in her approach would be enough to avoid another miscalction. Olivia lunged at Harriet, but Harriet vanished using short-range teleportation.


    However, the moment Harriet reappeared, she found herself looking at a flying rock.


    She was toote.


    There wasn¡¯t even a brief moment to cast a protective spell.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    Harriet didn¡¯t dodge the rock because of her quick reflexes; it missed her purely because its trajectory had been slightly off. The rock flew through the air with such force that it would have killed an ordinary person if it had hit them.


    ¡°Missed,¡± Olivia said, clicking her tongue in disappointment.


    She had known that Harriet would escape using short-range teleportation when approached, and so she had thrown the rock the moment Harriet teleported. Fortunately or unfortunately, the distance had been too great for her aim to be pinpoint urate.


    Harriet felt a chill run down her spine. Olivia was adapting to her patterns of attack and evasion and finding ways to counter them. She had been ready to snipe her with a rock the moment she¡¯d teleported. Next time, she wouldn¡¯t miss.


    This was herst chance.


    She had already used many powerful spells, and was low on mana.


    ¡°You seem to be running out of mana,¡± Olivia noted, aware of Harriet¡¯s condition.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As Olivia advanced, Harriet chose to use the terrain around her rather than strike with offensive spells. She used telekinesis to lift debris from the arena floor and hurl it at her opponent.


    <i>Bang! Crash!</i>


    The chunks of debris flew towards Olivia, but she dodged with ease, her movements fluid and unimpeded by the uneven ground. Harriet knew she had to act quickly. She couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more mana or time.


    With a determined look, Harriet began to prepare her final spell, knowing that this was herst opportunity to turn the tide of the battle.


    Olivia smashed through the debris, which was as solid as rocks, advancing relentlessly.


    Ellen had used her divine sword Lament to break through walls and cut down doors, but Olivia Lanche was doing it with her bare hands.


    There was a limit to how many fragments of the arena Harriet could throw at the ever-approaching Olivia. But Harriet continued to hurl debris, as if it were her only option, while Olivia shattered them and pressed forward. The arena began to be covered in a cloud of dust.


    When Olivia reached Harriet¡¯s position, Harriet used Blink to escape again, causing Olivia to grit her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°How annoying.¡±


    Olivia found her vision obscured by the dust cloud. This had probably been Harriet¡¯s n all along. In such conditions, it was impossible to determine where Harriet had teleported to. The dust also made it difficult for the audience to follow the action.


    Olivial let out a sigh. Suddenly, the blue mana enveloping Olivia¡¯s body red up explosively.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Just like when Sabioleen Tana had fought the darkness-imbued Charlotte, the mana shockwave exploded, instantly clearing away the dust.


    Olivia blew away the dust like it was fog, and once again, she spotted Harriet on the opposite side of the arena.


    The arena was now beyond a mess; it had been practically obliterated.


    ¡°Nothing left to throw?¡±


    From Olivia¡¯s perspective, Harriet seemed exhausted, barely managing to teleport and only able tounch feeble attacks using telekinesis.


    However, Olivia had shattered all therge pieces of debris, leaving only small stones lying about.


    The window for using short-range teleportation and dust-raising tricks was over. She had spent too much time dealing with this little mage.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to throw anything anymore,¡± Harriet said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve already thrown everything I¡¯ve needed to.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    <i>¡®¡°Thrown everything¡±? What did she mean?¡¯</i>


    Only then did Olivia notice the stones embedded around her, fixed in ce despite the mana shockwave. They should have been blown away, but had somehow remained in ce.


    Olivia saw it. The scattered fragments and stones wereid out in a peculiar pattern. She couldn¡¯t fully understand what it was, but there was an undeniable, strange regrity to it.


    ¡°My mana is almost depleted, but I don¡¯t need to use my mana for this,¡± Harriet said.


    Harriet had thrown the fragments and arranged them around Olivia without her noticing, and she was going to harness the natural mana in her surroundings. Reinhart had told her to figure it out, but Harriet still didn¡¯t know how to do that. However, there was a way to tap into natural mana¡ªthrough the form of a magic circle.


    Magic circles were used in various ways, andrge-scale magic circles often drew mana from nature, though they could also be fueled by mana stones.


    In that brief moment, Harriet had aplished the monumental task of setting up a magic circle in the arena.


    <i>Whoooom...</i>


    ¡°Damn it...!¡±


    Olivia watched in disbelief as the magic circle, which spanned an extensive area, began to activate.


    ¡°I¡¯ve won,¡± Harriet dered with a smile.


    The magic circle Harriet had set up formed aplete array. It glowed blue, and the spell activated. The spell was Inferno, a fire-based destructive magic spell that was even more destructive than me Strike. Its area-of-effect was sorge that there was no escaping it.


    Olivia realized she was doomed. As the crimson mes began to surge beneath her feet, she cried out in dismay, ¡°You...! Just wait and see!¡±


    ¡°The person who says ¡®just wait and see¡¯ is the least scary!¡± Harriet retorted.


    Their exchange seemed overly childish for the conclusion of such a meticulous and intense battle.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The hellish mes engulfed Olivia and shot skyward. This time, Olivia couldn¡¯t withstand the magic.


    The announcer¡¯s voice rang out through the stadium.


    ¡ªH-Harriet de Saint-Ouen takes the second set!


    The audience stared in awe at the terrifying mes writhing like a serpent¡¯s tongue towards the sky.


    ***


    Harriet wasn¡¯t ustomed to fighting, but she knew what was important in a battle: to keep as much information hidden as possible.


    Harriet had concealed her trump card well. She had hidden her true capabilities and intentions, making it seem like throwing debris was her only remaining means of attack while secretly setting up arge-scale magic circle on the ground.


    In the end, though, it was all a stroke of luck. Olivia had underestimated Harriet, and Harriet had skillfully employed deception. Moreover, Olivia had not used her Divine Power throughout the fight. She hadn¡¯t summoned Tiamata either. If she had used her Divine Power, she might have survived Harriet¡¯s final attack.


    Ultimately, Olivia¡¯s downfall hade from underestimating her opponent while being under numerous restrictions. Regardless of the oue, the audience was thrilled to witness the most spectacr fight of the tournament so far.


    The score was tied 1-1. Olivia would no longer becent.


    The arena was restored with restoration magic, and Harriet and Olivia were re-summoned. Olivia red at Harriet as if she would devour her on the spot. She wouldn¡¯t becent, wouldn¡¯t underestimate her, and wouldn¡¯t fall for any more tricks.


    Harriet looked at Olivia, who was waiting for the match to start, and raised her hand.


    ¡°I forfeit,¡± she announced.


    Olivia¡¯s face turned pale at those words, a natural reaction.


    ¡°No, no! You! Youuu! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t forfeit!¡± Olivia shouted, her voice filled with frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯m too tired to continue,¡± Harriet replied calmly.


    She could not use the excuse of mana depletion. While Reinhart couldn¡¯t recover from the condition caused by Mana Reinforcement, a mage could recuperate from a regr state of mana exhaustion by replenishing their mana from a standby mage using a mana replenishment spell like Siphon Mana.


    The sudden deration of forfeit took everyone by surprise.


    ¡°Uh... Um. Due to Harriet de Saint-Ouen¡¯s forfeit, Olivia Lanche is dered the winner of the final match of Group C,¡± the announcer dered.


    Naturally, no one could force a yer to continue fighting if they chose not to.


    ¡°You...!! Don¡¯t forfeit! I said don¡¯t!¡± Olivia shouted, fuming, but Harriet had no intention of continuing the fight.


    Harriet knew she couldn¡¯t defeat Olivia.


    ¡°Just one more bout, one more! If you win the next one, I¡¯ll forfeit and you can win!¡± Olivia pleaded.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. Why should I do that? You¡¯re not even good at fighting,¡± Harriet retorted.


    ¡°Aaaagh!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s goal had never been to defeat Olivia, but to ensure that she couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    Harriet had indeed seeded in that.

 Chapter 312 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 312 [Illustration]</h4>


    The final match of Group C was over, therefore neither Olivia, who advanced to the semifinals, nor Harriet, who forfeited, had any business at the tournament grounds for the rest of the day.


    ¡°You... You really are a bad person. You know that, right?¡± Olivia said as she stalked Harriet.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be as bad as you,¡± Harriet replied.


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s...! Still! You¡¯re bad too!¡±


    Olivia¡¯s face turned bright red as she trailed behind Harriet. Despite winning, Olivia felt like she had been defeated. In fact, winning in that fashion made her feel even more defeated.


    Harriet nced at Olivia, who was chattering away beside her, and said, ¡°Be quiet. The match is over, so stop bothering me and be on your way.¡±


    ¡°... Anyway, you little...! I¡¯ll get my revenge! Just wait and see!¡± Olivia shouted, fleeing the tournament grounds like a sore loser despite her victory.


    Harriet smiled at Olivia¡¯s retreating figure. Despite her anger, Olivia had shown a great deal of restraint. She seemed furious enough to lose herposure andsh out, but she hadn¡¯t touched Harriet outside the arena.


    If she got any angrier, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if she lost herposure and harmed Harriet, or something like that. In the end, she could not tolerate her own anger any further, so she ended up running away instead.


    At least Olivia had some sense of boundaries, even if her behavior suggested otherwise.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s a strange person...¡¯ </i>Harriet thought.


    Harriet still couldn¡¯t figure out if Olivia was a good or bad person. However, she was certain she didn¡¯t like her.


    As Harriet exited the main stadium, she was greeted by a crowd of first-year students of the Royal ss.


    Among them, Reinhart shouted, ¡°Thick-Skull! You did it!¡±


    Even though she had lost, they were all celebrating her as if she had won.


    ¡°I always believed in you!¡± Reinhart eximed.


    ¡°... You were the one who doubted her the most,¡± Ellen retorted.


    ¡°Ahem. Well, uh, ahem!¡± Reinhart cleared his throat awkwardly as everyone, including Ellen and the other students, stared at him.


    Harriet knew that Reinhart had been anxious and restless.


    Everyone gathered around Harriet, praising her for her incredible performance. Despite the fact that Olivia hadn¡¯t used her Divine Power and had underestimated her opponent, winning one bout against Olivia was still a significant achievement.


    It wasn¡¯t just the students who were waiting to greet Harriet.


    ¡°Sweetie!¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, mom...¡±


    The Duchess of Saint-Ouen hugged Harriet tightly. Harriet knew her parents had been in the audience and expected them to make an appearance, so she wasn¡¯t too surprised. However, being called ¡°sweetie¡± in front of everyone made her face turn bright red.


    ¡°You were amazing, my sweetie. Are you hurt anywhere?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me sweetie...¡±


    The students stepped back and watched the scene unfold. Having them know that she was treated like this at home made the situation even more unbearable for Harriet.


    The Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen was also looking on with a proud smile, clearly delighted by his daughter¡¯s significant growth. After fussing over Harriet for a while, the Duchess, still holding onto Harriet, looked around.


    ¡°But... Mr. Reinhart?¡±


    Reinhart¡¯s face turned pale, and he froze.


    ¡°Uh... y-yes! It¡¯s been a while!¡±


    Everyone was surprised that the Duchess knew Reinhart. <i>¡®¡°It¡¯s been a while¡±? How does Reinhart know Harriet¡¯s mother?¡¯ </i>their expressions said.


    ¡°If I heard correctly... the person you call ¡®Thick-Skull¡¯ is our sweetie, isn¡¯t she?¡± the Duchess asked.


    Reinhart¡¯s face, which was already pale, almost turned green.


    The Duchess smiled kindly at Reinhart, but her smile seemed to hide thousands of sharp des.


    ¡°Is that right?¡±


    ¡°U-Uh, Uhh... W-Well, uh... that is... um...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Ellen answered instead of Harriet or Reinhart.


    Reinhart, still frozen, looked at Ellen.


    <i>¡®Are you trying to get me killed?¡¯</i>


    Ellen ignored his gaze and looked away, seemingly annoyed.


    The Duchess¡¯s chilling smile grew even more pronounced, and the des concealed within them seemed even sharper.


    At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had been watching the situation with amusement, approached and ced a hand on Reinhart¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Mr. Reinhart, would you like to have a little chat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, w-well, uh, you see, there¡¯s a story behind that...¡±


    The Grand Duke¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°A story that exins why you call my daughter ¡®Thick-Skull,¡¯ huh?¡±


    <i>¡®It must be quite a story,¡¯ </i>his eyes seemed to say, implying that it had better be a very good one.


    ¡°Please, just kill me,¡± Reinhart finally confessed, surrendering himself.


    ***


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t beaten to death, but when the Duchess of Saint-Ouen patted my shoulder and said she didn¡¯t know her daughter had such a cute nickname, the gesture felt more chilling than having a knife to my throat.


    Harriet didn¡¯t know what to do. Both defending me or not defending me would look strange.


    That was that. I had to ept that I was now paying the price for teasing the Grand Duke¡¯s daughter and a princess of a nation-state by calling her Thick-Skull.


    The Grand Duke didn¡¯t explicitly say he would kill me if I called his daughter that again, and just looked at me with a cold, piercing gaze. His silence was more terrifying than any words.


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, yes.¡±


    In the end, I found myself sitting at a table in a restaurant inside the Temple with the Saint-Ouen family. The Grand Duke had briefly greeted Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana, who were familiar faces, and then decided to have a meal with his daughter. For some reason, I ended up as part of their group.


    I hadn¡¯t intended to follow them, and they didn¡¯t explicitly ask me to follow them either. The Duchess had just dragged me along naturally, wanting to talk to me as we walked, and we ended up at the restaurant.


    <i>¡®What is this? What kind of situation is this?¡¯</i>


    Harriet was just as bewildered. <i>¡®Why is he here? Why did mom bring him along?¡¯</i> said her expression


    We both sat there as though in a trance, moving our forks and knives mechanically as the food was served.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s not say anything. Let¡¯s not ask any unnecessary questions. One wrong word, and things could be irreparable.¡¯</i>


    What was all this? Meeting Harriet¡¯s parents alone in Arnaria was one thing, but I was now sitting together with them? Even if Harriet and I were engaged, this would seem out of order.


    ¡°So, sweetie, when did you learn to do that?¡± the Duchess asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious about the details of the mechanics behind it,¡± the Grand Duke added.


    Fortunately, neither the Duchess nor the Grand Duke seemed to have much interest in me for the moment, which was a relief. Harriet¡¯s performance in the second bout against Olivia had far exceeded their expectations.


    ¡°Oh, well... I haven¡¯t given the technique a name yet. It¡¯s based on the principle of applying scroll magic to the human body,¡± Harriet exined, rolling up her right sleeve. There were no visible tattoos, but as she concentrated, blue mana lines began to appear on her arm, forming the shapes of runes.


    The Grand Duke examined theplex runes and nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Runes, is it?¡± the Grand Duke remarked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Harriet confirmed.


    ¡°Are you saying you reverse-engineered modern magic into runes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Grand Duke was likely the only one who truly understood how difficult that was. He stared at his daughter in disbelief, clearly astonished by the incredible feat she had aplished.


    Harriet smiled subtly. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it alone. The others at the Magic Research Club helped a lot. The idea came from someone else.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Research Club...?¡± The Grand Duke looked at Harriet, then at me.


    ¡°Yes, the one he suggested we form,¡± Harriet said, pointing at me.


    The Duchess and the Grand Duke turned their gazes towards me.


    I had boasted that their daughter would achieve something remarkable within the Magic Research Club. Although this was not what I had envisioned, Harriet had indeed aplished something extraordinary with the help of the other club members.


    In the end, I had been proven right.


    The Grand Duke and Harriet discussed her newly developed magical technique for a while. Most of it went over my head, but I had an idea of what they were talking about, thanks to Louis.


    Harriet had essentially turned her body into a living, functioning magic circle, but I couldn¡¯t fully grasp how using magic via a magic circle reduced casting time as opposed to using regr magic.


    ¡°Harriet, this system of magic is probably something only you can use. Ordinary mages won¡¯t be able to reverse-engineer modern magic into runes, memorize all the details, and recall them as needed. This method eliminates the Mana Maniption stage in casting, but makes theputational process even longer,¡± the Grand Duke exined.


    ¡°... Yes, I suppose so,¡± Harriet agreed.


    In the end, the method relied on an exceptional mind topress the process. For an ordinary mage, this method would be more of a hindrance.


    It skipped the practical steps required for Mana Maniption, but increased theplexity of the forms instead. For Harriet, it allowed near-instantaneous magic use, but for others, it would be an impractical endeavor.


    Seeing Harriet achieve something only a true genius could made me feel oddly proud.


    I knew I would lose if I fought against Ellen, and now I felt the same about Harriet. But why did that make me happy?


    ¡°... Why do you and dad have the same expression? It¡¯s creepy...¡± Harriet said, looking disturbed.


    Apparently, both the Grand Duke and I had been making simr expressions, which was making Harriet uneasy. The Duchess, the Grand Duke, and I all seemed to be feeling the same way.


    ***


    ¡°How is it? Can you breathe alright?¡± Riana asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ellen replied.


    ¡°... I have to hold my breath to wear something like this, but you don¡¯t even flinch? Isn¡¯t that unfair?¡± Riana said, sticking out her tongue in disbelief as she helped Ellen into a dress.


    Ellen looked stunning and seemedpletely at ease in the tight-fitting garment.


    The Miss Temple Contest was happening the next day, alongside the finals of the Open Tournament, making it one of the main events of the festival. Ellen and Riana were doing a final check, and Riana was busy running back and forth between Ellen¡¯s room and Cliffman¡¯s room.


    The busiest person during this whole festival was Riana. Reinhart¡¯s tournament was over, and Harriet¡¯s participation in the Open Tournament had also concluded.


    The only things remaining for the first-year students of the Royal ss were Ellen and Cliffman¡¯s events. Riana touched Ellen¡¯s cheeks as she stood in front of the mirror.


    ¡°Can you rx your face a bit? Is something bothering you?¡± Riana asked.


    ¡°No, not really,¡± Ellen replied.


    Ellen looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn¡¯t think her expression was much different from usual, but maybe she did look upset.


    She tried to force a smile, but it didn¡¯te out right. It was always difficult for her to smile naturally. When she forced it, her expression looked strange¡ªnot ugly, but it certainly looked nothing like a smile.


    It was even harder to smile than usual that day.


    The image of Reinhart kept shing in her mind.


    .


    .


    <i>¡ª</i>¡°<i>Sigh...</i>¡±


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°Sigh...¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you worried?¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°What if our Thick-Skull loses? Huh? I mean, losing is one thing, but what if she gets utterly defeated?¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°How can you not be nervous?!¡±</i>


    <i>.</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll stop shaking my leg! I said I won¡¯t do it!¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°Oh, I was shaking my leg again?¡±</i>


    Reinhart had been unable to stay still, and had been sighing anxiously the whole time.


    <i>¡ª¡°Wow. What the heck? What¡¯s up with her?¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°Wh-What just happened? What¡¯s going on?¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°Hey, look! Our Thick-Skull did it!¡±</i>


    .


    <i>¡ª¡°I believed in you!¡±</i>


    Reinhart had been genuinely overjoyed by Harriet¡¯s strength, enough that he stopped worrying about her. He had truly been concerned for her and had cheered her on with all his heart.


    Ellen was surprised too. Even though Harriet had eventually forfeited, she had managed tond a significant blow against Olivia. Ellen wondered if she could have done as well if she had been in Harriet¡¯s ce.


    She didn¡¯t think so.


    <i>¡®If I had been in that position... Would Reinhart worry about me like he did today? Would he cheer for me like he did today?¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    She doubted it. Even if he worried about her, he wouldn¡¯t be as restless and anxious as he had been earlier that day. Reinhart didn¡¯t fully believe in Harriet. He treated her roughly most of the time, but worried about her in such situations.


    He wouldn¡¯t worry about Ellen as much because he believed she could handle anything. Even if she lost, he would trust that she could pick herself up.


    Reinhart was more worried about Harriet because he didn¡¯t fully trust her capabilities. As she watched Reinhart, Ellen had to admit to herself that she felt an ufortable emotion growing inside her¡ªjealousy.


    She was jealous of Harriet.


    Because of this, she couldn¡¯t shake off the biggest question mark that the day¡¯s events had left her, nor the heavy feeling in her heart.


    <i>¡ª¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡±</i>


    Reinhart seemed to know Harriet¡¯s parents. Both the Grand Duke and the Duchess of Saint-Ouen knew him, and Harriet wasn¡¯t surprised either, which meant she was aware of it as well.


    How? More importantly, why? Why had Reinhart met Harriet¡¯s parents? Had he met them together with Harriet? Why hadn¡¯t he mentioned this to Ellen?


    Not that Reinhart had any obligation to tell her, but still...


    She knew there were many things she didn¡¯t know about Reinhart. But she didn¡¯t want to find out things like this, in this way.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one with these questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of surprising that the Grand Duke and Duchess know Reinhart,¡± Riana said casually as she adjusted Ellen¡¯s outfit and matched it with various essories.


    Everyone had been shocked to see Reinhart being dragged away by the Grand Duke in front of the stadium.


    ¡°Maybe they just happened to meet somewhere,¡± Ellen replied casually, even though she was the one who was the most curious.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    At some point, Ellen had started lying, pretending not to be curious about things she was curious about, and acting indifferent when she wasn¡¯t.


    Ellen disliked how she was changing¡ªlying and hiding her feelings.


    ¡°But they went to have a meal together... Does that mean Reinhart is close to the Grand Duke¡¯s family?¡± Riana wondered.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen gritted her teeth to stop her face in the mirror from twisting into an odd expression. Smiling was difficult, but Ellen could manage to keep a neutral expression.


    ¡°I think this is good enough. I¡¯ll go check on Cliffman. That idiot probably doesn¡¯t know how to dress himself,¡± Riana said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ellen replied.


    Only after Riana left the room did Ellen unclench her jaw.


    Ellen looked at herself in the mirror. She saw her reflection, adorned in a morous dress that left her shoulders exposed, essorized with a ne, earrings, and bracelets. She thought she looked good. Riana had repeatedly told her that it would be strange if she didn¡¯t win Miss Temple, given how stunning she looked.


    She decided to discard all unnecessary thoughts, questions, and feelings of jealousy and inferiority. None of those would help her in any way.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t curious about anything else. She only wondered what Reinhart would say and what expression he would make when he saw her like this. She believed he would be surprised, just as she was slightly surprised by her own appearance.


    She was both anxious and a little excited about what Reinhart might say afterward.


    In her room, with Riana gone, Ellen practiced smiling in front of the mirror. It still didn¡¯te naturally, but the fact that she could try it gave her hope that one day, she might be able to smile genuinely.


    ***


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia Lanchey sprawled on her bed in her room.


    Everyone knew that, although she had won her Group C finals that day, she had also been humiliated.


    Olivia Lanche, the top student in her fifth-year ss, A-0, was still kind and gentle to everyone, with a few exceptions. She hadn¡¯t changed much from before. Her ssmates, younger than her but in the same grade, knew that Olivia might be feeling sensitive, and so they didn¡¯te around to congratte her. So, Olivia was alone.


    As shey there, she stared nkly at the ceiling of her dorm room. If she had used her Divine Power, she could have miraculously withstood the final magical attack. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t have evene to that. Divine Power wasn¡¯t limited to healing and protection.


    Moreover, Olivia had raised her hand and saw the swirling ck smoke around it¡ªcorrupted Divine Power. She could have used that too. If she had Tiamata with her, she wouldn¡¯t have been humiliated by that little girl.


    She had won, but it still felt like she¡¯d lost.


    The expression on that impudent girl¡¯s face when she dered her forfeit was unforgettable. Harriet had known exactly how her forfeit would affect Olivia¡¯s victory. In the end, Olivia¡¯s win felt like a loss. She had to win every match, but she had lost a bout, and her victory had been tainted and humiliated by her opponent¡¯s forfeit.


    Even if she won the tournament, the fact that she had lost to Harriet wouldn¡¯t change. Thinking about what could have been was pointless. What mattered was that she had lost to Harriet de Saint-Ouen. That fact remained.


    She felt demotivated, but couldn¡¯t give up.


    In the end, punishing or defeating those kids wasn¡¯t her goal. She needed money. Winning the tournament and being crowned Miss Temple would earn her the prize money. That was her primary objective, so she needed to focus on that.


    The opponents in the tournament semifinals and finals wouldn¡¯t be easy, and she also had to prepare for Miss Temple.


    Olivia sluggishly got up from her bed and opened her wardrobe. She had sold everything except for the essentials. The wardrobe contained only her school uniform and some in everyday clothes.


    <i>¡®If only I had the dress I wore to the sponsorship gathering...¡¯</i>


    She had sold her belongings to help others. The dresses and essories that her foster father had bought for her for various events were all gone. There was no real reason to go that far, but she couldn¡¯t find a reason not to either. She believed that her true needs couldn¡¯t be fulfilled by material possessions, and so Olivia had done what she did.


    Olivia looked into her wardrobe, devoid of anything but her school uniform, and sighed,ughing weakly.


    ***


    The Grand Duke and Duchess of Saint-Ouen left in the evening after their meal. The Grand Duke was clearly a busy man, and it seemed he had made time specifically for Harriet¡¯s tournament.


    ¡°What?¡± Harriet said abruptly after seeing her parents off.


    ¡°... Did I say something? I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect time to say something! What are you going to say? Just say it already!¡± Harriet shouted, her face turning bright red.


    It was as if she knew I was holding something back, not wanting to say it in front of her parents.


    ¡°... M-Mom calling me that... You¡¯re going to tease me about it...¡±


    Even as she spoke, her lips trembled. She probably thought I would mock her for being called ¡°sweetie¡± by her mom.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to tease you about? You are a sweetie.¡±


    ¡°See! You¡¯re teasing me!¡±


    Her reaction was priceless. This made me want to tease her even more.


    ¡°Come on, say ¡®goo-goo ga-ga.¡¯ I bet you did it when I wasn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t! I don¡¯t do that! Not even at home!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned even redder as she fumed. Sure, I knew she wouldn¡¯t actually do it, but she was so easy to rile up with just the smallest bit of provocation.


    Getting angry and stomping her feet like that already made her seem like a child. She had grown stronger, but her mental state was still the same, which was amusing.


    ¡°Come on. Just once?¡±


    ¡°No! Why would I do that at my age!¡±


    <i>¡®... Why is it so cute when a seventeen-year-old says ¡°at my age¡±? She really is like a baby!¡¯</i>


    If I provoked her any further, she might actually start casting spells using those mana tattoos all over her body and beat me up, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Even teasing had its limits.


    The streets were still bustling as we made our way back to the Royal ss dormitory. The crowds would only growrger until Friday.


    The final match of Group C of the Open Tournament had be quite a hot topic. The fight had been on a totally different levelpared to the other matches.


    A first-year student casting spells at near-instantaneous speed, and a fifth-year student taking all those spells head-on and charging through them like a tank...


    It was impressive, to say the least.


    ¡°But... isn¡¯t it weird?¡± Harriet muttered quietly as we walked.


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡±


    ¡°... Mom calling me that. Don¡¯t you think... it¡¯s weird?¡±


    <i>¡®What? Is she still thinking about that?¡¯</i>


    Harriet seemed genuinely embarrassed by it. Well, perhaps it was a pretty big deal for her. The Grand Duke and Duchess of Saint-Ouen seemed to treat Harriet like a child no matter how old she was.


    But that¡¯s just how it is sometimes. I chuckled at Harriet¡¯s embarrassment.


    ¡°What¡¯s so weird about parents loving their child?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Grand Duke, who pretended to be stoic but clearly adored his daughter, and the Duchess, who couldn¡¯t stop hugging Harriet and calling her ¡°sweetie¡±... Harriet seemed to be mortified by it, but I found it heartwarming.


    Even so, I still wondered why I had been made to witness the whole scene from start to finish.


    ¡°Of course, spoiled kids often turn out to be brats,¡± I said.


    ¡°W-What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not one of those brats, are you?¡±


    Despite growing up in an environment that could have easily spoiled her, Harriet had turned out fine. Her parents¡¯ love wasn¡¯t a crime, and she wasn¡¯t a brat¡ªat least not now.


    ¡°Seriously, you say nice things, but why do you always have to put it like that? ¡®B-Brat¡¯? I¡¯ve never heard anyone call me that in my life!¡± retorted Harriet indignantly. It was funny how I was trying to say that her parents were good people and she turned out well, but it hade out like that.


    <i>¡®Maybe I have a condition that prevents me from saying things nicely?¡¯</i>


    Seeing her get all worked up and red-faced made it hard to stop, though.


    We continued bickering in such a manner as we headed back to the Royal ss dormitory. It was a winter night, and it was cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s winter, you idiot. Of course, it¡¯s cold,¡± Harriet replied.


    ¡°Do I have to be called an idiot just for saying it¡¯s cold?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not others, but you of all people shouldn¡¯t be saying that, and to me especially! After all the times you¡¯ve teased me for no reason!¡±


    Harriet started up again, but this time, she had a point; I was the one who started it.


    It felt like a particrly cold night, though. It was the middle of winter and it was nighttime, and we were both dressed lightly. Our breaths came out in white puffs as we walked.


    I wondered how much colder it would get. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the Arctic, and the weather wouldn¡¯t be that harsh.


    But then again, magic was considered a divine force in this world, so there was no need to be cold if you could use magic.


    I nudged Harriet, who was walking quietly beside me.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°... What about it?¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Do something about it.¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Harriet looked at me, puzzled by my demand.


    During our time on the deserted ind, Harriet had summoned an orb of warmth to keep everyone warm in their tents.


    <i>¡®Incantation and all that aside, magic is truly the best.¡¯</i>


    Harriet pouted at my request, then closed her eyes gently. I thought she might be summoning that heat orb again.


    But then...


    <i>Swish.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet suddenly took my hand. Her head was bowed so low that she couldn¡¯t even look at me.


    This felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu. When I had first awakened my Mana Reinforcement and was in terrible pain, Harriet had sung a luby instead of using a sleeping spell on me. When I realized it was a misunderstanding, she had almost wished she¡¯d died right then and there.


    Was she misunderstanding me again, thinking I wanted something else instead of her magic?


    ¡°No, hey... that¡¯s not what I meant. I meant magic¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Her words made my mind go nk.


    ¡°I¡¯m... not that stupid...¡±


    Her voice trembled as if it might shatter at any moment. This wasn¡¯t d¨¦j¨¤ vu. She knew I was asking for a magical solution, but had chosen to hold my hand instead.


    Harriet, still with her eyes to the ground, led the way, holding my hand. She wasn¡¯t gripping it too tightly. She couldn¡¯t bear to hold it tighter, nor could she let go.


    I followed her lead, letting her guide me.


    ¡°How was I today?¡± Harriet asked.


    ¡°You were amazing,¡± I replied, sincerely and without pretense.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We didn¡¯t say anything more. We just walked in silence.


    The dormitory was quite a distance away, far enough that we would usually take the tram. But Harriet walked past the tram stop and kept walking.


    It felt as if she wanted to walk forever, as if she hoped the ce we had to return to would never appear.

 Chapter 313

    <h4>Chapter 313</h4>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t spend the entire day just wearing a dress and putting on makeup¡ªthose were just preparations for the Miss Temple contest that wasing up.


    After taking off the dress and removing the makeup, Ellen finished with a shower. Riana had not only helped with the dress and makeup but also made her practice facial expressions. She had insisted that thorough preparation was necessary.


    Even though it didn¡¯t seem like she had done much that day, the tasks were unfamiliar and strange, leaving Ellen feeling both physically and mentally drained. Despite that, she didn¡¯t find herself disliking it. Instead, it felt like she was discovering apletely different side of herself that she hadn¡¯t known before.


    She had looked in the mirror countless times throughout the day, wondering if that reflection was really her.


    After drying her hairpletely, Elleny quietly on her bed. The Miss Temple contest would begin the next day.


    <i>Gurgle.</i>


    Ellen frowned at the sounding from her stomach. This would usually be the time she had ate-night snack with Reinhart, but she remembered Riana¡¯s stern warning.


    <i>¡ª¡°Don¡¯t eat anything tonight.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°... Why?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I know you don¡¯t gain weight, but what if your face gets puffy tomorrow from eatingte?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°... I don¡¯t really get it.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Just don¡¯t eat. You can endure it for one night.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°... Okay.¡±</i>


    It wasn¡¯t like she was being forced to starve; she was just told not to eat ate-night snack, which she could manage. Of course, she could endure it for one night. However, routines were a powerful thing.


    <i>Gurgle.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Her body was sending her signals because it was used to eating at this time, but she couldn¡¯t eat. Moreover, the desire to eat seemed to grow stronger now that someone had told her not to. Although Ellen had gone to bed without ate-night snack many times, it felt different that night just because she had been explicitly ordered not to eat.


    Ellen usually had strong self-control. She didn¡¯t gain weight easily due to her exercise routine and active metabolism, and the Royal ss dormitory was always stocked with plenty of food. She had also spent a lot of time with Reinhart, who would make anything she wanted. Ellen realized that she hadn¡¯t really tried to resist eating recently.


    Still, she needed to show her best self tomorrow. She couldn¡¯t let a little hunger get in the way.


    She tried to force herself to sleep, but it wasn¡¯t easy. She wondered if it was the moonlight pouring in from outside, and rustled out of bed to close the curtains.


    Just as she grabbed the curtains to close them, her eyes fell on the street outside the dormitory. In the darkness, under the moonlight, she saw two familiar silhouettes.


    Reinhart and Harriet de Saint-Ouen...


    They were walking quietly, holding hands.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen stood still inside her room, watching the scene. Harriet was walking beside Reinhart with her head lowered, seemingly embarrassed, while Reinhart gently held her hand as they walked. Ellen was frozen in ce as she watched the scene unfold.


    Holding hands... How special an act was it, really? Ellen had held hands with Reinhart countless times, and even hugged him countless times. She had done it all, even as friends with Reinhart.


    Clearly, it was something that friends did with each other. Of course, it was a perfectly reasonable thing for them to be doing. Even so, Ellen couldn¡¯t take her eyes off their sped hands. It was as if her thoughts hade to a halt.


    <i>¡®Have I already lost him?¡¯ </i>Ellen thought. <i>¡®No. Perhaps it happened long ago. Perhaps it was all just my delusion that there were parts of him only I could touch.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡±</i>


    In truth, maybe it had already happened long ago.


    <i>¡®Why are they holding hands? I can do that too. I¡¯ve held his hand countless times. Did I think that touching Reinhart was something that only I had the privilege to do? Why does my heart feel like it¡¯s about to break when I see him holding hands with Harriet?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Um, you know... sometimes... I think you¡¯re really unfair...¡±</i>


    Harriet¡¯s words from some time ago echoed in Ellen¡¯s mind. Clearly, Harriet had always felt this way. She had been made to watch from afar as Ellen created stories and memories Harriet wasn¡¯t part of, building a rtionship she couldn¡¯t intrude upon. Harriet had to just watch, unable to do anything.


    <i>¡®So this is how it feels like.¡¯</i>


    Betrayed, helpless, frustrated, sorrowful, and aggrieved...


    Harriet had summed up these feelings in just one word: unfair. However, that word alone did not seem to do these feelings justice.


    Ellen watched the two of them return to the dormitory. Perhaps it was already toote. Harriet was just doing what she needed to do. There was no need or reason to hate her for it. To hate her for such a thing... Ellen should have already earned her hatred long ago.


    Harriet was making her own efforts, in her own way, and there was no need to hate her for that. Ellen tried to convince herself of this.


    All she needed to do, then, was what she had to do. She needed to show her best self the next day. Maybe, just maybe, when Reinhart saw her, things would be a little different.


    A little bit here, and a little bit there. Things might change, just a little. That would be enough.


    Today was today, and tomorrow would be tomorrow.


    Ellen squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the lingering image of the two of them from her mind.


    ***


    I was in the training grounds that night, swinging my sword. Neither Cliffman nor Ellen was there, so I ended up hitting the scarecrow for the first time in a while.


    I could have asked Sabioleen Tana for guidance, but it waste, and when that person started teaching, she tended to get so enthusiastic that I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep on time.


    So, I swung my practice sword at the scarecrow.


    <i>Thwack!</i>


    ¡°... Damn it.¡±


    The practice sword broke.


    <i>¡®Was I swinging it so intensely that I waspletely absorbed in it?¡¯ </i>


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d been that engrossed in the sword.


    What was it?


    I had lost track of time.


    I had already gone far beyond the standard bedtime. Even if I had asked for guidance from Sabioleen Tana, the session would have ended long ago.


    My entire body was drenched in sweat. I gathered the broken pieces of the practice sword and threw them into the trash bin, then opened the window to the training grounds.


    A chilling breeze brushed past my cheeks and through my sweat-soaked clothes.


    I was definitely feeling unsettled.


    What was I supposed to do?


    No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    It was well past bedtime, and if I kept swinging the practice sword in this state, I would probably just end up breaking more scarecrows and practice swords.


    I decided to wash up and go to bed. I thought about making something to eat, but Ellen wasn¡¯t around, and I didn¡¯t feel like cooking for myself.


    As I walked down the hallway, I ran into someone. The person who bumped into me tilted his head in curiosity upon seeing me.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    It was none other than Vertus.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t he busy managing the magic trains? What¡¯s he doing in the dormitory at this hour?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± Vertus asked, beating me to the question.


    ¡°I was at the training grounds.¡±


    Vertus chuckled. ¡°Trainingte into the night even during the festival... Impressive.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Ah... I had some work to do, but I¡¯m done now, and I¡¯m heading back to rest.¡±


    <i>¡®Has he finally wrapped up the work rting to the magic trains?¡¯ </i>


    The festival wasn¡¯t over yet, but perhaps all the necessary tasks he was overseeing had beenpleted.


    Vertus had dark circles under his eyes, which suggested that he had been working tirelessly. It didn¡¯t seem right for him to be praising me for training during the festival; he was having a much harder time himself.


    ¡°Oh, and congrattions on winning the tournament.¡±


    ¡°Oh... thanks.¡±


    Vertus patted my shoulder and walked towards his room. If someone as stoic as him could be made to show such visible signs of fatigue, the past few days were definitely rough.


    Just as he was about to go into his room, Vertus suddenly turned back towards me as if he had remembered something.


    ¡°Ah... wait a second.¡±


    ¡°Huh... What¡¯s up?¡±


    Cold sweat broke out all over my body.


    All the other guys had passed me without incident, but not him. He hadn¡¯t seen me since Ist met him in my cross-dressing state. This was the first time he had seen me since then.


    Vertus narrowed his eyes and stared at me intently.


    <i>¡®No way... You can¡¯t recognize me, right? Even though we encountered each other before, it was just a brief encounter, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Vertus frowned and stared at me for a while, then shook his head. ¡°No, I must be tired.¡±


    With that chilling remark, Vertus turned and went into his room.


    ***


    Vertus dragged his heavy, waterlogged body back into his dorm room to wash up and then copsed onto his bed.


    Managing the operations of the magic trains during the festival period was no trivial task. The magic trains were the most important means of transportation within the capital, and they were always busy.


    During this festival period, people from all over the continent flocked to the capital and made use of them. It was inevitable that there were people who had never seen or heard of these magic trains before.


    Children cried, calling them monsters on wheels, and even adults sometimes ran away in panic. That was the easy part. Even in the farthest corners of the continent, people were divided into different sses. Those who made it to the capital to see the Temple festival had enough money to pay for the warp gate fees, which meant that most of the visitors were high-status individuals from their own regions.


    There were plenty of people whoined loudly about how there weren¡¯t any carriages on the magic trains reserved exclusively for nobles. They couldn¡¯t stand the idea of sharing the same transportation asmoners and demanded exnations.


    It wasughable to see ants arguing about their ranks, but Vertus had to handle it well. Trying to resolve all these incidents and idents smoothly and without trouble was incredibly stressful.


    After days without proper rest, he had finally returned to the dormitory to get some sleep. He felt like his head was about to explode. However, seeing Reinhart had suddenly reminded him of something. He hadn¡¯t had time to think about it because of all the work he¡¯d been swamped with, but the girl with the silver hair he had encountered came to mind as soon as he saw Reinhart.


    He couldn¡¯t forget her. He hadmitted the ridiculous mistake of spitting tea on the face of a girl he had never seen before, and Vertus knew he would never forget her face for the rest of his life.


    <i>¡®She looked simr. Definitely.¡¯</i>


    He wondered if he was just imagining things because he was tired, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Of course, he would need to see them side by side to be sure, but the silver-haired girl and Reinhart looked very much alike.


    After that, though, Vertus¡¯s thoughts took a rather strange turn.


    First of all, Vertus had been so busy that he didn¡¯t know much about what had been going on in the festival. He only knew that Reinhart had won the first-year tournament.


    Therefore, he had no idea who the silver-haired girl was, or that she had participated in the Temple¡¯s cross-dressing contest.


    To Vertus, the silver-haired girl was just that¡ªa silver-haired girl. Reinhart and the girl were two entirely different people, but they looked alike. They even shared a rather rough manner of speaking.


    When he had asked about her silver hair, she had said it was dyed. And Reinhart was from the streets.


    <i>¡®Does Reinhart have a sister or a brother?¡¯</i> he wondered.


    It was entirely possible that Reinhart had blood rtives he didn¡¯t know about, given how some children were abandoned at birth.


    It was a simple matter of asking Reinhart if he had a sister or a brother. Of course, the answer could be ¡°yes,¡± ¡°no¡± or ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± but whatever it was, Reinhart would surely be curious about why he was asking.


    <i>¡®Well, it might be nothing.¡¯</i>


    People could just resemble each other for no reason. If he told Reinhart that he had met someone who might be his sister or brother and it turned out not to be true, Reinhart would be quite disappointed.


    <i>¡®Maybe I should look into it separately...¡¯</i>


    There was no need to tell Reinhart about it. If it turned out to be true, he could reunite Reinhart with his lost family member. If not, it would be as simple as him retrieving the handkerchief he hadn¡¯t gotten back.


    Believing it to be just a trivial matter, Vertus slowly drifted into sleep.

 Chapter 314

    <h4>Chapter 314</h4>


    It was Friday, the day of the Miss Temple contest and the Open Tournament finals. Olivia Lanche, who had to participate in both, was undoubtedly very busy. The first-year Royal ss students didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in the Open Tournament program, which opened with the semifinals.


    Ellen, Riana, and Cliffman seemed busy with contest preparations. However, Ellen approached me in the morning.


    ¡°Are you...¡± she said, staring at me.


    I knew what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to go,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Ellen had watched all my tournament matches. Even if that weren¡¯t the case, there was no reason for me not to attend the Miss Temple contest today.


    I would go as far as using Revise to make Cliffman Mister Temple, but I was unsure about what I would do when it came to Miss Temple. There was no reason for me not to attend the contest, though.


    ¡°... Pleasee,¡± Ellen said after a moment of hesitation, determination burning in her eyes.


    ¡°Okay. Prepare well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It felt like she had something to say to me after the contest. At least, that¡¯s what I understood from her expression.


    With that, Ellen went off with Riana to prepare. The other students seemed to have their own ideas about how to enjoy the festival, but I decided to head out alone during the day, without anyone apanying me.


    I decided to go watch the finals of the Open Tournament, for which most of my ssmates had lost interest. Of course, some of them might still end up going, but I nned to go alone.


    I felt a lot of guilt towards Olivia. She always took care of me and did anything I asked of her, but I always treated her poorly. The day before, I had openly cheered for Harriet as well.


    Just because someone was good at everything didn¡¯t mean they were unbreakable. I intended to go alone, even if others ended up showing upter on.


    The program for the day began with the semifinals, so there were only three matches in total. Even if I watched all the matches, it wouldn¡¯t take too long.


    <i>¡ªWaaaaaaah!</i>


    The cheers from the crowd were thunderous.


    The fact that Harriet had lost hadn¡¯t changed. However, things had taken apletely unexpected route to get there, even though the eventual oue was still one I¡¯d expected.


    Just as my tournament had its own twists and turns, the Open Tournament had its surprises. Olivia had only lost one bout so far, and that was to Harriet.


    As I waited for the match to start, I heard someone calling me from behind.


    ¡°Reinhart, you came to watch the finals too?¡±


    It was Charlotte.


    ¡°Ah, hi Charlotte.¡±


    Even though I had nned to watch the tournament alone, I was in the designated VIP seating area, so I was bound to run into someone. I wondered why Charlotte had specificallye to watch the finals.


    The reason became clear soon enough.


    ¡°Teacher Tana, you¡¯re here too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It seemed that it wasn¡¯t Charlotte who wanted to watch the finals, but Sabioleen Tana. As Charlotte¡¯s bodyguard, though, she couldn¡¯t leave Charlotte¡¯s side. Charlotte, being no fool, must have read her desire and suggested theye to watch.


    ¡°If you were going toe, you should have said so. Whye alone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just... No particr reason.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    I thought it would be better to watch the matches alone rather than bring someone along, but now that we had met, I had no intention of moving seats.


    Naturally, Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana sat beside me. Charlotte looked around and crossed her arms.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Nothing...¡±


    We were in the section of the VIP seating reserved for students of the Royal ss, but there were other VIP seats as well. Charlotte had just been looking over at the VIP seats reserved for distinguished guests.


    ¡°I saw Commander Volten,¡± she said.


    ¡°Volten?¡± I said, tilting my head in confusion, and Sabioleen Tana looked at me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you greet him at thest sponsorship gathering?¡± Sabioleen Tana asked.


    ¡°The sponsorship gathering?¡±


    I¡¯d already forgotten the names of quite a few people I had greeted at the sponsorship meeting.


    <i>¡®Volten? Who¡¯s that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    <i>¡®This kid has a bad memory,¡¯ </i>said Sabioleen Tana¡¯s eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Sir Illeion Volten, the current Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights,¡± Charlotte rified.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve heard that name before.¡¯ </i>


    Illeion Volten, the one who had taken over as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights after Leverier Lanche¡¯s dismissal. I didn¡¯t know much about him, and since he hadn¡¯t sponsored us, I hadpletely forgotten about him.


    Charlotte smiled slightly. ¡°I was looking out for him yesterday, but he wasn¡¯t here. But he¡¯s here today. Maybe because it¡¯s the finals.¡±


    ¡°... Do you think he doesn¡¯t want to see Olivia win?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t know what Sir Volten thinks, but it might be an ufortable sight for him.¡±


    How would the current Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights feel about seeing a once-promising future religious leader who had abandoned her faith win a tournament without using Divine Power?


    It certainly wouldn¡¯t be pleasant.


    Now that I recalled who he was, I could recognize his face. Unlike Leverier Lanche, he had a stern and rigid appearance. He wasn¡¯t wearing knightly armor but ceremonial robes, and he was quietly watching the arena while surrounded by his close aides, who were undoubtedly also holy knights.


    Sabioleen Tana, who had been listening to our conversation, tilted her head.


    ¡°Instead of being concerned about Olivia, he might be supporting someone else,¡± she asked.


    ¡°Someone else?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who the semifinalists are?¡±


    ¡°Other than Olivia, I don¡¯t remember any of them,¡± Charlotte said with a chuckle, as if she didn¡¯t bother to remember things unrted to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a student among the semifinalists who is almost certain to join the Order of the Holy Knights after graduation.¡±


    ¡°Oh... really?¡±


    ¡°He might be hoping that this student defeats Olivia.¡±


    Olivia had abandoned her faith, and that was unalterable. Because of that, it was possible that Sir Volten hoped a future holy knight would defeat Olivia, who could not use her Divine Power.


    Indeed, there were quite a few participants in the Open Tournament who seemed to aspire to be holy knights, and many of them were quite skilled as well.


    There was Royal ss sixth-year A-3, Jordan Windsor, and Royal ss sixth-year B-2, Radia Schmidt.


    Radia Schmidt was the person who had been curious about the conversation between me and Olivia. She seemed like a good person, but I had sensed something odd about her. She was incredibly skilled, and could use both Divine Power and Mana Reinforcement.


    Olivia and Radia Schmidt were probably long-time friends that had spent many years together at the Temple, especially since Olivia had repeated a year. Did Olivia abandoning her faith create a rift between them?


    Since Radia Schmidt was aiming to join the Order of the Holy Knights, she might have been jealous of Olivia. They would have beenpared in many ways. Although Radia Schmidt was incredibly skilled, she had probably never surpassed Olivia.


    If Radia Schmidt had been part of the club Grace, I would have seen her before, but our brief conversation in front of the dormitory had been our first meeting. I would have found it quite distressing for there to be someone who was a perfect and superior version of my own talent constantly above me.


    As we continued our conversation, the announcer¡¯s voice boomed out, signaling themencement of the tournament program.


    ¡ªNow, presenting the Royal ss 5th-year student who has only lost one set so far! Olivia Lanche!


    Olivia was teleported into the arena amidst the cheers of the crowd. Olivia had regained her confident smile, despite the minor incident the day before. However, there was a noticeable difference: Olivia, who had fought barehanded up to this point, was holding a sword this time. Perhaps she had decided there was no need to give herself unnecessary penalties from the semifinals onward, or perhaps she had realized that letting her guard down, as she did the day before, could cost her a bout.


    The other semifinalists were two Royal ss sixth-year students and a fifth-year student from the Orbis ss. All the Royal ss participants were in their final year of high school.


    Olivia Lanche¡¯s opponent in the semifinals was Mn Benier, a fifth-year student from the Orbis ss. He had to feel bitter about the Orbis ss being disbanded just before his graduation.


    The Orbis ss had been a cradle for the Revolutionary Forces, and most of the students and teachers involved had either dropped out or resigned. Those who remained had either not been recruited by the revolutionaries or had decided to stay at the Temple despite being recruited.


    The Revolutionary Forces... Just thinking about it made my head throb. However, I set aside my personal issues as the semifinal match began.


    There wasn¡¯t much to say about it.


    The result was 3-0.


    Olivia Lanche won decisively.


    ***


    Perhaps Harriet had had a better chance against Olivia because she used magic, or maybe Olivia was just that much stronger with a sword.


    Her opponent constantly struggled and was no match for Olivia. More importantly, while the opponent seemed frustrated, they didn¡¯t look entirely defeated, as if such an oue had been expected.


    And so it was onto the next semifinal match.


    Royal ss sixth-year, A-3, Jordan Windsor vs Royal ss sixth-year, B-2, Radia Schmidt.


    The semifinalists were, of course, highly skilled.


    I had seen both Radia Schmidt¡¯s and Jordan Windsor¡¯s matches previously. Radia Schmidt was the type to overpower her opponents with her double buffs, while Jordan Windsor, despite being unable to wield Divine Power, was exceptionally skilled.


    I couldn¡¯t even hope topete with them given the level I was at. It would have been difficult to favor Harriet too, if she had faced either of them.


    Olivia was an exceptionally powerful monster, but the other senior Royal ss students were also monsters in their own right. They had honed their skills over six years, and while Olivia was an extraordinary outlier, the others were still incredibly talented, and talent did not just disappear.


    Even if Erhi was a cker at present, there was no guarantee he would be in six years. He had been putting in efforttely, so he might awaken Mana Reinforcement in his third year, and three years after that, he could be a monsterpeting in the Open Tournament.


    Olivia Lanche was originally a peer of these sixth-year students, and she had spent her Temple life with them, with the exception of her fifth year, when she went off to serve in the Great War.. Because of this, she was likely closer to these sixth-year students.


    It was quite fascinating and exciting to think about Royal ss peers facing off in the finals of the Open Tournament. If the Gate Incident did not ur, perhaps Ellen and I would eventually face each other in the finals of the Open Tournament as we advanced through the years. I would probably lose to her, though.


    I imagined myself reaching the finals only to lose to Ellen, and honestly, it didn¡¯t seem like it would feel that bad.


    The second semifinal match turned out to be quite interesting, contrary to my initial expectations.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Radia.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡±


    The two greeted each other with smiles, which suggested there was no ill will between them. Despite being from different sses, they seemed to have a friendly rapport, likely due to the long time they had spent together. However, that genial atmosphere was short-lived.


    As soon as the announcer dered the start of the match, their expressions hardened. All hint of camaraderie disappeared, and the two began their cautious probing.


    Mn Benier, the 5th-year from Orbis ss who had just been defeated 3-0 by Olivia, was undoubtedly much more skilled than I was, and now, the two in the arena were both sixth-year students from the Temple. This would be theirst time facing each other in a tournament like this.


    This was a special battlefield where they could give their all, so they set aside whatever personal rtionship they might have had and got serious.


    <i>Woooong!</i>


    Blue mana enveloped Jordan Windsor¡¯s body. It wasn¡¯t an explosive, fiery surge like Ellen¡¯s. It was quite the opposite. It felt like he was focusing all his energy on stability and control. The mana around him waspressed and refined, with no unnecessary expenditure, giving the impression of a well-honed de.


    His Mana Reinforcement wasn¡¯t weak. It was just extremely efficient, and he was only using exactly as much mana as required.


    Perhaps Ellen and I should aspire to using Mana Reinforcement in this way as well.


    Radia Schmidt took a different approach. She suddenly drove her sword into the arena floor.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The metal sword pierced the stone floor, and white lines began to weave their way up from the ground, wrapping around the sword and enveloping her body as well. However, that wasn¡¯t all. Blue mana also flowed out from Radia¡¯s body, mingling with the white light.


    She was reinforcing her body with Divine Power and supporting it with Mana Reinforcement, adding strength to strength. Although I could use Self-Deception, this dual reinforcement seemed almost unfair.


    Sabioleen Tana, observing the scene, said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s the Divine Power of Alse, the god of war...¡±


    I already knew from watching Radia Schmidt¡¯s previous matches that she used the Divine Power of Alse.


    ¡°The Divine Power of Alse... itcks something important.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I was aware of this as well.


    The god of war, Alse...


    ¡°Instead of offering healing power, it focuses entirely on offense...¡±


    While the power of Ouen wasn¡¯t purely limited to healing, most Divine Powers had some ability to heal. However, the priests of Alse couldn¡¯t use healing. Their power was specialized solely towards destruction.


    A power of destruction that specialized in ughter and massacre, a power other than magic. That was the Divine Power of the god of war.


    Radia Schmidt, having fully absorbed the Divine Power rising from the earth, pulled her sword out, wrapped in white light. She faced her opponent with both blue and white auras surrounding her body.


    ¡°Here Ie.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    These two were not just superhumans, but among the best of the superhumans. They were the pinnacle of the Royal ss¡ªtwo monsters shing.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    When their swords collided, the shockwave was so intense that I could see the air distort.


    Given the level of their duel, they were undoubtedly wielding powerful artifact-grade weapons capable of withstanding such an intense battle. This was a true fight between superhumans.


    ***


    The second semifinal match ended with Radia Schmidt from ss B emerging victorious, taking the match 3-1.


    While Jordan Windsor¡¯s Mana Reinforcement was exceptional, Radia Schmidt had the Divine Power of Alse. That was the biggest difference.


    Her destruction-focused Divine Power was so terrifying that it made my skin crawl, and ultimately cost Jordan Windsor the match.


    Since no one moved between ss A and ss B, it was prettymon for ss B students to surpass ss A students in the upper grades. Still, it felt different to see it with my own eyes. I could see Jordan Windsor gritting his teeth in frustration.


    No matter what rtionship they usuall had, losing so decisively after training so hard throughout one¡¯s life in the Temple would always be hard to ept.


    epting defeat was difficult for anyone.


    I didn¡¯t particrly empathize with either of them. If there was anyone I could empathize with, it was Olivia. Unlike me, the audience seemed satisfied with the spectacle, as they had no particr favorites and were just here for the entertainment.


    But could Olivia really win?


    Olivia couldn¡¯t use Divine Power, while Radia Schmidt could give it her all. What kind of rtionship did Radia Schmidt and Olivia have? If Radia Schmidt had been jealous of Olivia throughout their life in the Temple, she would surely want to defeat Olivia with all her might.


    After a short break, it was time for the finals. It was a match between ssmates. Formerly Royal ss sixth-year, A-1, Olivia Lanche, and Royal ss sixth-year B-3, Radia Schmidt.


    Right from the start, things seemed different from what I¡¯d expected. Olivia, who always wore a confident smile, now wore a hardened expression, while Radia Schmidt was smiling.


    ¡°Olivia.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    The atmosphere between them was tense. Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes, which had seemed normal when conversing with Jordan Windsor before their match, now seemed different. The same could be said for her smile. There was a hint of madness in Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The Divine Power I sense from you is stronger than before.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Return to the embrace of the gods. Olivia, you were born for this. You were not made for a life outside of the embrace of the gods,¡± Radia Schmidt implored.


    ¡°Radia, I...¡±


    ¡°Come back, Olivia.¡±


    There was none of the jealousy or sense of inferiority I had expected. It seemed Radia Schmidt had an entirely different emotion towards Olivia.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯ve given it all up. I keep... I keep telling you...¡±


    ¡°No, Olivia. Your Divine Power, your talent, your character, all of it. You are the only one who can truly unify the Church of the Five Great Gods. You are the only one who can usher in a new era in the long history of our faith.¡±


    Radia Schmidt smiled as she spoke to Olivia. Olivia wielded the Divine Power of Ouen, while Radia Schmidt wielded the Divine Power of Alse. Even though they worshiped different gods, Radia Schmidt was trying to bring Olivia back to the faith. Olivia looked visibly troubled.


    ¡°Come back, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Radia. I have no intention of returning.¡±


    It was then that I realized how little I knew about Olivia¡¯s life at the Temple. Just as Leverier Lanche did not want to lose the talented Olivia, many others also regretted Olivia¡¯s departure from the faith, including her ssmates who had been influenced by her. She must have heard such pleas countless times since abandoning her faith, not only from religious figures, but also from many of her close ssmates.


    Those who had gotten along well with her while she maintained her faith had likely tried tirelessly to persuade her to return once she abandoned it. Olivia must have grown weary of it all.


    Contrary to my expectations, Radia Schmidt wasn¡¯t jealous of Olivia Lanche; she was one of her fervent followers.


    ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Charlotte asked Sabioleen Tana as we focused on the distant conversation between Olivia and Radia.


    ¡°... She¡¯s trying to persuade Olivia to regain her faith.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°That must be exhausting for her.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was fatigue bordering on desperation in Olivia¡¯s expression. She knew she would be gued by this for the rest of her life. Olivia was dealing with far more than I had imagined.


    ¡°My answer is the same, Radia. I have no intention of returning to the embrace of the gods.¡±


    At Olivia¡¯s words, Radia closed her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°I see... Then, you must be prepared.¡±


    ¡°... Prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes, prepared.¡±


    Radia Schmidt once again drove her sword into the arena floor.


    ¡°Prepared to endure sadness.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    Radia Schmidt didn¡¯t seem like an evil person. My unease was unfounded; even during our brief conversation, she had had a kind smile.


    However, she seemed like a totally different person while conversing with Olivia. The expression on Radia¡¯s face, now devoid of any hint of a smile, conveyed the madness and obsession within her,pletely different from how she had seemed during her semifinal match.


    ¡°Everything that happens from now on is the will of the gods to guide you back to the right path,¡± Radia dered.


    <i>Whoooosh!</i>


    Divine Power surged from the arena floor, enveloping Radia Schmidt.

 Chapter 315

    <h4>Chapter 315</h4>


    Divine Power and Mana Reinforcement...


    What was about to happen? Even if Radia Schmidt defeated Olivia, it wouldn¡¯t make Olivia believe that she was nothing without her Divine Power and return to her faith.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    Olivia activated her own Mana Reinforcement, and the finals of the Open Tournament began.


    ¡°Something feels... off,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Sabioleen Tana agreed.


    Neither of us could shake off the ominous feeling that we had after overhearing their conversation. Radia Schmidt was up to something.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Despite the foreboding feeling, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. One thing was clear: Radia Schmidt was incredibly skilled. However, Olivia Lanche, relying solely on Mana Reinforcement, was holding her ground. This implied that if Olivia used her Divine Power, she would likely dominate her opponent.


    No matter how much offensive potential Alse¡¯s Divine Power provided, Ouen¡¯s power also had its own reinforcement capabilities. If Olivia used that, defeating Radia Schmidt would be easy.


    What was Radia Schmidt nning? Was she trying to force Olivia to use her Divine Power by making her feel cornered?


    Olivia had mentioned that using her Divine Power would lead to her being hauled up to face a religious trial. That was why she hadn¡¯t used it even when she was about to lose that bout to Harriet.


    ¡°Hypothetically, what would happen if Olivia used her Divine Power after officially renouncing her faith?¡± I asked, wanting to rify my understanding of the issue.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t end well,¡± Charlotte said gloomily after a short pause.


    ¡°Those who use Divine Power without authorization are treated as witches,¡± Sabioleen Tana added.


    Priests or holy knights were the only ones who were granted the use of Divine Power. While students on a probationary status were exceptions, the monopoly on Divine Power was strictly maintained.


    Olivia wasn¡¯t some hidden healer in a remote vige¡ªshe had once been known as the Saintess of Eredian. When she renounced her faith, her Divine Power should have disappeared with it, as such power stemmed from her belief in the gods.


    Contrary to that, though, Olivia¡¯s Divine Power had only grown stronger¡ªshe simply wasn¡¯t supposed to use it. Using Divine Power outside the embrace of the gods would be considered heresy.


    ¡°Of course, if Olivia used her Divine Power, she might not be treated as a witch, but she would still have to face a religious trial,¡± Sabioleen Tana exined.


    If Olivia used her Divine Power, that would constitute the unauthorized use of Divine Power in a public setting. This would give the religious authorities grounds to conduct a heresy trial. Radia Schmidt might be trying to force Olivia to use her Divine Power.


    But how?


    Even in the moment she was about to lose to Harriet, Olivia had not used her Divine Power. Olivia had fought through the whole bracket of the tournament as if that power didn¡¯t exist for her. She would rather lose than be forced to use it.


    <i>Bang! ng!</i>


    Radia Schmidt attacked with a powerful blow but Olivia parried it with just her sword, sending out a shockwave that shook the entire arena. Not only had she withstood the destructive Divine Power with just her Mana Reinforcement, but she counterattacked as well. It was hard to believe that this was a fight between humans.


    ¡°Impressive, both of them,¡± said the world¡¯s strongest monster sitting beside me, praising their battle.


    The fight was indeed intense. Radia Schmidt was using everything she had, while Olivia Lanche relied solely on Mana Reinforcement.


    If not for Olivia, Radia might have taken her ce in society. Radia¡¯s skills were that impressive. However, she wasn¡¯t driven by jealousy, but by an obsession to return Olivia to her rightful ce.


    Obsession, jealousy... Both were exhausting in their own ways.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Radia¡¯s sword, infused with concentrated Divine Power, emitted a white light as it struck the ground.


    <i>Boom! Boom!</i>


    This Divine Power, a force entirely dedicated to destruction, was more powerful than magic. The arena floor, which had been reinforced after Harriet¡¯s match, was being torn apart in real time. Calling Radia a holy knight seemed almost inappropriate; ¡°berserker¡± might have been a better term.


    But Olivia was equally impressive. She deflected or dodged Radia¡¯s powerful attacks and countered with precise timing, leaving Radia unable to keep up. While Radia overwhelmed her opponent in sheer power, Olivia¡¯s quickness and the precision of her attacks and counters kept Radia on the defensive.


    If things remained this way, the oue of the match became predictable. Despite Radia¡¯s valiant efforts, Olivia would win. Unlike in her fight with Harriet, Olivia wasn¡¯t underestimating her opponent. She was giving her all, even without using Divine Power.


    If Radia Schmidt had a hidden trump card to force Olivia to use her Divine Power, what could it be?


    Olivia continued to press Radia back with her sharp and precise attacks.


    <i>Bang! ng! ng!</i>


    Olivia¡¯s relentless assault left Radia no time to breathe. She seemed fully intent on ending the match quickly. Her continuous strikes wore down Radia¡¯s mana-reinforced defenses, and Olivia finally created an opening.


    This was it. Olivia, sensing her victory, thrust her sword towards Radia Schmidt¡¯s chest.


    Just as Olivia was about to take the first bout...


    <i>Boom!</i>


    An explosive red aura surged from Radia Schmidt¡¯s body.


    ¡°That¡¯s...!¡±


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s eyes widened, and Olivia, equally rmed, retreated several steps.


    ¡°Radia! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Olivia... You need to win, right? You need the money, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you entered the tournament. To help the children, right?¡± Radia, enveloped in the ominous red aura, gave her opponent a chilling smile. ¡°Defeat me with all your strength. Use everything you have.¡±


    Radia Schmidt, shrouded in that sinister red glow, was clearly not in a normal state. Sabioleen Tana, recognizing the aura, muttered in disbelief, ¡°That¡¯s... Berserk... Why is she using that power? She¡¯s still just a student...¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a power that high priests of Alse have but rarely use,¡± Sabioleen Tana exined.


    Berserk... Even without knowing the details, the word itself gave me a sense of its meaning.


    Olivia, her face pale, cried out, ¡°Radia! Stop it, now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... a power that burns one¡¯s life force to amplify strength,¡± Sabioleen Tana exined.


    The holy knights of Alse used this extreme method of burning away their own life force to draw out immense power. They weren¡¯t just simr to berserkers; they were literally berserkers.


    Radia Schmidt was tapping into this power in the finals of this tournament. She knew why Olivia needed to win¡ªnot for herself, but because she needed the prize money to help the children. To force Olivia to use her full strength, Radia was burning her own life force to increase her power.


    Was she really doing all this just to force Olivia to use her Divine Power?


    <i>Bang! ng! ng!</i>


    Radia Schmidt, now enveloped in the red aura, was pushing Olivia back, reversing the situation from moments before. Charlotte looked anxiously at Sabioleen Tana.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop this?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Berserk is an extremely rare ability even among the priests of Alse. Few in the Alse Order can use it. Olivia seems to know what it is, but the organizers might not understand what¡¯s happening...¡±


    To an outsider, it might just look like Radia Schmidt, who was on the verge of defeat, had suddenly found a second wind. They wouldn¡¯t know that the red aura was a power that burned away the user¡¯s life force.


    I looked over at Sir Illeion Volten, the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights. Even he and his retinue of holy knights were in disarray, discussing the situation with confused expressions.


    Even the high-ranking holy knights who were with Sir Illeion Volten did not seem to understand what Radia Schmidt was doing.


    Olivia, gritting her teeth, was struggling to fend off Radia Schmidt¡¯s overwhelming assault. The match had to be stopped immediately, but if the organizers didn¡¯t understand the situation, they would let the match continue.


    Olivia was being pushed back by Radia Schmidt, who was drawing on extreme power. The best way to end it quickly would be to overpower her, but that would require using Divine Power¡ªa choice Olivia couldn¡¯t consider.


    While she might be able to hold out without using Divine Power, Radia Schmidt would burn through her life force and die right there in the arena.


    There was only one way to stop Radia Schmidt, who was attacking with her life on the line.


    The match had to be suspended, or Olivia would forfeit.


    Those were the only two options.


    ¡°Dame Tana, stop the match immediately. I¡¯ll take full responsibility,¡± Charlotte said with a serious expression.


    Sabioleen Tana nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I... forfeit.¡±


    Just as they were about to act, Olivia, with a vacant expression, dered her forfeit.


    ***


    In the waiting room, Olivia sat with her face buried in her hands, trembling. She had forfeited.


    <i>¡ª¡°I want to grow up to be like you, big sister!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Heh, that¡¯s too small a dream! You should aim to be much greater than me!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°But you¡¯re the prettiest, kindest, and most amazing person I know!¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Don¡¯t tter me too much, you little rascal.¡±</i>


    She had forfeited.


    <i>¡ª¡°Olivia, thank you for everything.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s my duty.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Still, given the circumstances... I hope you don¡¯t overdo it.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Director, I¡¯m fine. I think I can earn a lot of prize money at the Temple festival this time.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Prize money?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Yes, from the tournament and... heh, the otherpetition... um, something like that!¡±</i>


    She had forfeited.


    There was no mary prize for the runner-up of the Temple tournaments.


    Most of the audience was stunned. The highly anticipated final hade to a sudden and anticlimactic end.


    Very few people understood the full situation. Whether Radia Schmidt¡¯s actions warranted disqualification was a matter for discussion.


    For the moment, the tournament had to be concluded, albeit in a tepid manner.


    Olivia couldn¡¯t even think about attending the award ceremony. The prize money was important, and not winning was a bitter pill to swallow. More than that, Olivia felt like her head was going to explode. She felt like she was going to lose her mind. She couldn¡¯t understand why Radia had gone to such lengths.


    How long had she been sitting there in a daze?


    ¡°Olivia.¡±


    Radia Schmidt was walking towards her.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    She threw the ornate trophy, proof of her victory in the Open Tournament, into a trash can in the hallway. It was as if she had no interest in it at all. Radia approached Olivia.


    ¡°Why did you forfeit?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You needed the money, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    There was no joy of victory in Radia Schmidt¡¯s expression.


    The only thing Radia Schmidt had wanted in exchange for burning her own life force was for Olivia to use her Divine Power in a public setting. That would have led to Olivia being hauled off to a religious tribunal and being forced to return to the path of bing a holy knight. Radia Schmidt had risked her life for that oue, believing it was the only way.


    If Olivia had used her Divine Power, she could have subdued Radia Schmidt, even in her berserk state. But Olivia didn¡¯t do that.


    If they had continued to fight to a standstill, Radia Schmidt would have died. Olivia would have been forced to make a choice: to defeat her opponent so that she could provide food and clothing for the children who would otherwise starve, and because of that, be forced back into a life of religious servitude.


    However, Olivia had chosen differently.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the Olivia I know,¡± Radia said, showing no joy in her victory. Instead, she looked down at Olivia with anger. ¡°The Olivia I know would have subdued me instantly, taken the prize money, and helped the ones she wanted to help. That was what she would have done.¡±


    In Radia Schmidt¡¯s mind, Olivia wasn¡¯t someone who would choose to forfeit in such a situation. She had entered the tournament to earn the prize money and help others, so she should have used her Divine Power without thinking about herself. Radia was angry that Olivia hadn¡¯t acted as everyone had expected her to.


    Olivia, pale and trembling, responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m selfish. From now on, I¡¯m going to live selfishly. This is who I am now... So, please, leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°No, Olivia. No. You shouldn¡¯t have done this. You should have used your Divine Power just now,¡± Radia insisted, shaking her head firmly.


    She knelt in front of Olivia, looking up at her with eyes as dark as the abyss, filled with a fervent intensity.


    ¡°Olivia, you can still be the person you were meant to be. Look at me. I risked my life, not thinking about myself, to help you. I wasn¡¯t always like this. I admired the way you always helped people, and I tried to be like you. That¡¯s why I did this.


    ¡°So, Olivia, let me help you this time. This will only make things harder for you. You¡¯ll only be made to face harsher and more difficult situations. The situation you¡¯re in, drifting away from the gods... it¡¯s already unbearably harsh for you. I didn¡¯t do this for nothing. This was the only way to ensure no one gets hurt.¡±


    Olivia could barely understand the torrent of wordsing out of Radia Schmidt¡¯s mouth. She didn¡¯t want to listen at all. Radia Schmidt believed that the person she admired was falling apart. She thought it was her turn to help Olivia.


    ¡°I never asked for this... So please...¡±


    ¡°No, Olivia. No. I¡¯ll give you my prize money. I don¡¯t want you to be a bad person. You can still help the children. But promise me one thing. Promise you¡¯ll return to the embrace of the gods. It¡¯s not toote. It¡¯s not toote!¡±


    It did not matter what one said to a person who had closed their ears. Olivia, unable to bear looking into Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes any longer, squeezed her eyes shut. Finally, Olivia burst into tears.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this to me... Please... Please leave me alone... Why me? Why does it have to be me... Please... Just leave me alone... I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing anything wrong...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Radia shouted, unable to ept those words.


    ¡°Olivia!¡± she continued, ¡°You can¡¯t say that! You were chosen by the gods! Not just Ouen, but all the Five Great Gods. You received their blessings. Someone as perfect as you can¡¯t deny the gods! Y-You¡¯re just... You¡¯re just straying from the path, that¡¯s all. The gods are giving you this trial to make you moreplete. This is all the will of the gods, to bring you to greater glory. So, let¡¯s think about it slowly. Let¡¯s start by going back to the Temple. No, let¡¯s start by talking to people about grace¡ª¡±


    ¡°Goddamn, you talk too much.¡±


    A voice suddenly came from the hallway, causing both Radia and the crying Olivia to turn their heads in that direction.


    ¡°Why are you trying to convert someone who clearly isn¡¯t interested? Even street preachers aren¡¯t this persistent,¡± he continued, striding towards them.


    It was none other than Reinhart, approaching them with a determined gait. He grabbed Olivia¡¯s hand and pulled her up forcefully.


    ¡°And if someone starts spouting bullshit, you should just p them instead of listening to that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t your business, Reinhart,¡± Radia Schmidt said with a stern expression.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Reinhart replied, pulling the trembling Olivia behind him protectively. ¡°You¡¯re the one who has no ce here.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You should mind your own business.¡±


    Ignoring Radia, Reinhart started dragging Olivia away.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?! You can¡¯t take Olivia with you! This isn¡¯t right!¡± Radia shouted, but Reinhart shot her a cold re.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop with your pathetic nonsense and you let her go?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia allowed herself to be led away by Reinhart, her head hung low as they disappeared down the hallway. Radia watched them go, gritting her teeth. The name ¡°Reinhart¡± was like a thorn in her side.


    Olivia, who had once been gentle and kind, had be stubborn and unyielding, but she was endlessly lenient towards that guy. The pure saint of Ouen acted as if she loved him. Everything had changed when Olivia had gotten close to that damned Reinhart.


    He was the root of all these problems. If he disappeared, everything would be fine. Everyone was focusing on the wrong thing, saying that he wasn¡¯t to be touched, and nning on sacrificing another poor child instead.


    <i>¡®Worm. Trash. Demon,¡¯ </i>Radia Schmidt thought.


    In Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes, Reinhart was the one who had led Olivia astray. He needed to be eliminated. Only then would Olivia return to her rightful path.


    Radia stood there, clenching her teeth, staring down the hallway through which Olivia had disappeared.


    <i>¡®Yes... it¡¯s you...¡¯</i>


    She would do anything for Olivia.


    <i>¡®It would be better if you died instead. Better than Adriana. If you die, Olivia will be okay... It just needs to be you... Why should a child in the embrace of the gods have to suffer because of someone like you...? It just needs to be you. Just one unbeliever like you.¡¯</i>


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes were wide with determination.

 Chapter 316

    <h4>Chapter 316</h4>


    Sir Illeion Volten, the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, left the stadium with his attendants.


    ¡°So, this was what she had nned to do to make her use her Divine Power?¡±


    ¡°... It seems she thought Olivia wouldn¡¯t forfeit,¡± one of the apanying holy knights remarked briefly.


    Radia Schmidt...


    Though not quite at Olivia Lanche¡¯s level, she was still a highly promising and powerful holy knight candidate and was more than ready for realbat.


    Volten hadn¡¯t fully believed her words. She imed to know of a way to restore Olivia¡¯s faith, and he was curious about what that could be. But all Volten had seen was Olivia choosing to forfeit rather than watch a friend die or use her Divine Power to win.


    Why had she believed that such a method would work? Then again, it seemed she had no choice but to try that method.


    In any case, Radia Schmidt was far more extreme than Illeion Volten had anticipated. Volten knew well that extremism, regardless of its nature, was dangerous. He could see the fanatical obsession Radia Schmidt had for Olivia in her eyes.


    ¡°Radia Schmidt doesn¡¯t seem like the type to give up easily...¡±


    ¡°... I agree, sir.¡±


    It was clear that Radia Schmidt, having failed to achieve her goal, would likely cause more trouble.


    ¡°What do you think of the possibility that Radia Schmidt is connected to the Nameless Monastery?¡± one of Volten¡¯s attendants cautiously whispered in his ear.


    He considered this for a moment. ¡°They do tend to attract such extremist individuals. But I doubt they would condone this level of extremism...¡±


    They continued their cryptic conversation as they walked away from the stadium.


    If Olivia had used her Divine Power, Volten would have had to act as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights. Since that hadn¡¯t happened, the Order had no further business at the Temple.


    ***


    ¡°... I know you¡¯re not okay, but how are you holding up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... No, thank you for pulling me away,¡± Olivia replied.


    I wanted to find a quiet ce, but given the circumstances, there were no truly quiet ces. In the end, we ended up in a rtively empty caf¨¦. I sat across from Olivia, who seemed mentally shattered.


    I had told Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana that I was going to check on Olivia, so they had wished me luck before parting ways.


    If Olivia had waited a little longer, Charlotte would have stopped the match. But Olivia couldn¡¯t have known that. Letting the fight drag on would have meant Radia Schmidt dying from burning out her life force, and using her Divine Power would have led to her being hauled away for a religious trial. Olivia had had no choice but to forfeit.


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s expression had been priceless. She hadn¡¯t expected Olivia to forfeit and had been left in utter shock. She had fully believed Olivia would use her Divine Power to subdue her. In the end, Radia Schmidt had won the prize money, though she seemed to ce no value on her victory.


    Olivia sat with a gloomy expression, her head bowed, not even touching her tea.


    ¡°Do such things happen often?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Is it just her, or do others do this too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they do, to varying degrees...¡±


    It seemed Olivia was saddened by the fact that I had learned about the many rtionship issues she faced after abandoning her faith.


    The Olivia I knew who would flirt with me or pick fights with Ellen always seemed cheerful, even if she sometimes acted a bit crazy.


    Olivia wasn¡¯t getting along with her friends. The reason she kepting to me and clinging to me wasn¡¯t just because she wanted to see me. She was running away from people like Radia Schmidt.


    While others might subtly suggest she regain her faith, Radia¡¯s approach was extreme, bordering on madness. Olivia had never expected to experience something like this today, which is why she was so shocked.


    What could I say tofort her? What words would be right for Olivia to hear?


    I had never had faith, nor had I experienced the problems that came with abandoning it, so I couldn¡¯t truly understand how Olivia felt. Everyone around her had expected her to achieve great things.


    She had made a choice to abandon that path, but those around her believed it to be the wrong choice. She didn¡¯t believe that the way she was living her life was wrong, but everyone around her seemed convinced that it was.


    It felt like I was seeing the real Olivia, the one who had her head bowed, hiding her expression, instead of the one who always smiled brightly and acted kindly. She had been harassed by those around her for far too long.


    Just because Olivia could get angry and pick fights with Ellen didn¡¯t mean she could do the same to others. What was possible when it came to one person might be impossible with another. Therefore, Olivia had been pushing people away with awkward, troubled smiles, and that was gradually wearing her down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand...¡± she said softly.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why do they do this to me? I really don¡¯t understand.¡±


    She had lived under immense expectations all her life. Though she had escaped from her adoptive father, who had the highest expectations of all, she still faced pressure from those around her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that great of a person...¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand why people were so obsessed with her. When I thought about it rationally, though, there were certainly reasons to exin such an obsession, even if not to Radia Schmidt¡¯s extent.


    There were other hidden factors at y. Olivia was secretly also a co-master of Tiamata. If that became known, her life would be even more difficult.


    In the end, Olivia had entered the tournament for the prize money, but had failed to win it because of Radia Schmidt.


    ¡°Honestly, I wonder if anything has really changed,¡± Olivia said with a weak smile, her head still bowed.


    ¡°People have an image of me in their minds. No one... no one is interested in who I really am or what I think. If I¡¯m not what they want or expect, they get disappointed. They ask if it¡¯s okay for the daughter of the Commander of the Holy Knights to be like this. They say I should be like this or that. I was just a doll, existing to meet others¡¯ expectations.¡±


    That was indeed how Olivia¡¯s life had been. A life full of excessive demands, prohibitions, and expectations. Even the smallest bit of freedom was seen as indulgence or corruption.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m trying to figure out what my life is all about, what it means to live, what I truly want. I¡¯m trying to live a life where it¡¯s okay to be curious about those things, to want those things. But people still want something from me. They think I¡¯ve fallen and need to be guided back to the right path. They think that because I helped others before, it¡¯s their turn to help me now that I need help, now that I¡¯m on the wrong path. But I don¡¯t see it that way. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong. People... They try to give me help I don¡¯t want, and they don¡¯t even realize it¡¯s not help at all.¡±


    Her worldview was fundamentally different from those who believed that living in the embrace of the gods was the ultimate good. That was why they couldn¡¯t understand each other on certain levels.


    These others believed that their way of living was the only right way, that it was ultimately good for her, and that everything they said was inherently good.


    How can you have a conversation with someone who begins with the absolute premise that they are right and you are wrong? Conversations only work with those who can consider another¡¯s worldview.


    Olivia had broken away from that kind of life, but the people around her, for whatever reason, believed she needed to return to it in order to be happy, even if she had to be forced to return. Radia Schmidt was an extreme example of this.


    Olivia wasn¡¯t just upset about missing out on the prize money or the shock of that day¡¯s events. She was struggling because she knew it wasn¡¯t the end. She was worried about what might happen next, and that uncertainty was weighing heavily on her.


    I wanted to help somehow, but I couldn¡¯t expel all of Olivia¡¯s ssmates, nor could I go around threatening them to leave her alone.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I was usually a little prickly around her, but I softened my tone. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her more by being uptight.


    With some difficulty, Olivia lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyes were red, and she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s bad to ask this at a time like this, but...¡±


    ¡°What is it? Just say it.¡±


    ¡°Can you give me a hug?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She looked like she was about to cry. She seemed to be desperately hoping for just one person to be on her side. It wasn¡¯t about any other emotion; she purely wantedfort.


    Seeing my hesitation, Olivia forced a trembling smile. ¡°No, never mind. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really awful, aren¡¯t I...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    In the end, I moved over to sit beside Olivia and gently wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Olivia buried her face in my shoulder. Her shoulders shook, slowly, as if she was taking her first breath.


    Olivia cried very quietly.


    ¡°Thank you... Reinhart.¡±


    I felt suddenly foolish for agonizing over what to say tofort her. I realized thatfort wasn¡¯t something that could only be conveyed through words.


    ***


    After crying for a long time, Olivia hurriedly left the caf¨¦.


    ¡°... This is embarrassing.¡±


    She seemed mortified about clinging to me and crying in front of everyone.


    ¡°Well, right now, you should be embarrassed about your puffy eyes too,¡± I teased.


    ¡°R-Really?!¡± Olivia¡¯s face turned pale as she touched her face. Not that it would help without a mirror. ¡°What do I do?! I have to take part in the Miss Temple contest today! How can I do that if my eyes are swollen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know. It¡¯s not that noticeable, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°But even a slight difference can change everything! I didn¡¯t win the tournament, so I really need to win Miss Temple. What should I do?! What should I do, Reinhart? If I don¡¯t win, I really...¡±


    Olivia¡¯s face started to crumple again, but she seemed to realize that crying some more would only make her eyes puffier, so she held it in.


    Was she feeling a bit better? It seemed like she was returning to her usual self.


    In the end, what was done was done. The tournament was over, and Olivia had to aim for Miss Temple.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t even know who to root for anymore.


    Olivia seemed so concerned about her swollen eyes, touching her face and sighing. She muttered in a despairing voice, ¡°I don¡¯t even have a dress, and now I have to go out looking like this...¡±


    I was taken aback. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a dress? You wore one at the sponsorship gathering.¡±


    I had seen Olivia in a dress not too long ago, so it was strange to hear that she didn¡¯t have one.


    Olivia gave a sheepish smile. ¡°W-Well, actually... I sold it...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to ask why. Olivia was sweating nervously, probably thinking I would scold her.


    She had sold her belongings to help others. I didn¡¯t even know what to say to that.


    ¡°Uh... What about borrowing one, or something like that?¡±


    ¡°... Borrowing also costs quite a bit...¡±


    It seemed like she was nning to go in her school uniform. The audience might think she hadn¡¯t prepared properly and was just relying on her looks, which would make her seem arrogant. Imagining Olivia standing there without proper makeup and in her uniform, while the others around here were dressed up in fancy outfits, seemed quite pitiful.


    If she had won the Open Tournament, she might have had that title to her name, but she had forfeited the finals.


    <i>¡®A dress... a dress...¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s not that,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®A dress... No, that won¡¯t do. I mean, her body type is simr. Although I¡¯m taller, I adjusted the size of my body back then.</i>


    <i>¡®I gave it to Eleris to sell because it was too good to throw away... She probably hasn¡¯t sold it yet... But still, someone might recognize it. This is really risky... Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just give her money to buy a dress?</i>


    <i>¡®Honestly, though, it¡¯s a significant amount of money, and there¡¯s not much time left. Finding the right size and design at a boutique would take time. It might be better to just use that dress.</i>


    <i>¡®I know there¡¯s no real reason to go this far, but...¡¯</i>


    Olivia looked so pitiful, and I wanted to do something for her.


    ¡°Uh... G-Go to the dorm and wait for a bit,¡± I said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Olivia responded, puzzled.


    ¡°Just go and wait, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay...¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a good exnation ready if she asked where the dress came from.


    <i>¡®So what if I get caught? My </i>noona<i> is in this state, after all. To hell with a little embarrassment! I owed her a heap of apologies anyway! What could anyone do if they found out? Kill me?¡¯</i>


    Leaving Olivia, who was bewildered by my suddenmand to wait for me, I hurried out of the Temple.


    ***


    ¡°She dropped out of the tournament finals.¡±


    ¡°... Dropped out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know why, but they say she forfeited.¡±


    Ellen, who was preparing for the Miss Temple contest, looked puzzled as Riana entered the makeshift preparation room and shared the news.


    Ellen had vaguely assumed Olivia would win, so the unexpected news left her slightly stunned.


    The audience had been quite upset that the tournament finals had ended in such an unsatisfactory manner.


    The person who seemed certain to win had forfeited... While there had to be some reason for it, Ellen was curious as to what that reason could be. Reinhart had gone to watch the finals; maybe he knew the reason why.


    ¡°Oh, there she is,¡± Riana pointed out the window, and Ellen saw Olivia outside on the first floor.


    Olivia was alone.


    Ellen found herself oddly relieved by that fact. Olivia didn¡¯t look happy at all. While the reason for her forfeit was unknown, her eyes were red.


    <i>¡®Did she cry...?¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    She had cried and returned alone. Ellen had thought Reinhart might be with her, but he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Look straight ahead,¡± Riana said, turning Ellen¡¯s head back and starting to fuss with her appearance.


    ¡°Oh... yeah.¡±


    Ellen did not know what had happened in the tournament, but Olivia would soon bepeting in the Miss Temple contest.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t aiming to win Miss Temple. She had made up her mind. She nned to show her best self today. She had practiced smiling in front of the mirror a lot, and although it hadn¡¯t gone perfectly, she had tried hard.


    She intended to stand before Reinhart looking different from how she usually did. After the contest, regardless of the oue, she wanted them to spend some time together. They had been too busy to spend time together during the festival. This day, Reinhart would surely make time for her.


    Ellen didn¡¯t know what expression Reinhart would have, nor what expression she should have.


    She decided to forget about everything else and focus only on her own feelings. Not Harriet, not Olivia, not anyone else.


    This day, she would think only about Reinhart.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 317

    <h4>Chapter 317</h4>


    The Miss Temple and Mister Temple contests were set to begin at 7 o¡¯clock. It was currently 4 o¡¯clock, so there wasn¡¯t much time left. Although the dress might not fit perfectly, based on my own rough estimate, it seemed like it would be good enough. In any case, the fitting wasn¡¯t the most critical part of the dress I had worn.


    My only concern was that Eleris might have sold it already. However, it had only been two days, so she probably hadn¡¯t sold it off yet.


    Olivia would need to arrive at the contest venue earlier than the official starting time since participants had to gather beforehand. Therefore, I needed to pass her the dress early.


    If someone pointed out that the dress was the same one I wore during the cross-dressing contest... I didn¡¯t know what to do about that.


    <i>¡®Whatever! It¡¯ll work out somehow! Embarrassment never killed anyone!¡¯</i>


    Since there was no time to waste, I hurriedly to the Aligar shopping district where Eleris¡¯s shop was located.


    ¡°... This is driving me crazy.¡±


    The fastest way to travel within the capital was using the magic trains. However, the capital was overcrowded because of the Temple Festival. As a result, the magic train stations were packed with people waiting to board. I couldn¡¯t get on the train even after three trains hade and gone.


    I hoped I wouldn¡¯t bete.


    Even so, taking the magic train was undoubtedly faster than walking or running, so I waited anxiously and finally managed to board a train.


    I didn¡¯t understand why I had to endure the experience of standing in a packed train even in another world, but I eventually managed to reach the Aligar shopping district.


    All I needed to do next was to head to Eleris¡¯s semi-basement room and retrieve the garment bag.


    I didn¡¯t have eyes on the back of my head, but I had developed a sense that served a simr purpose.


    A sense of unease crept over me.


    There was a sticky, sinister feeling clinging to my back. I instinctively knew that I was being followed.


    ¡°... If you¡¯re going to tail someone, shouldn¡¯t you at least try to stay hidden?¡±


    There in her school uniform, without any attempt to conceal herself, Radia Schmidt was openly watching me in the middle of the bustling Aligar shopping district.


    ¡°...¡±


    I thought she was slightly unhinged, but to follow me so tantly...


    Radia Schmidt approached me with a subtle smile on her lips. ¡°Reinhart, I have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°What kind of favor?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from Olivia. Please.¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s gaze was chilling.


    Had Olivia had to deal with these cold eyes staring her down and begging her all this while?


    It was horrifying to think that such things had been happening to her continuously.


    It was a wonder Olivia had managed to keep her sanity.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you. Olivia has fallen from grace, strayed from the embrace of the gods¡ªshe¡¯s turned out like this all because of you. If only you weren¡¯t around, then Olivia could return to her original self. Don¡¯t you think so too?¡±


    ¡°... Senior, I think you¡¯re mistaken. Olivia had already decided to abandon her faith before she met me. That has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Her reading of the timeline was mixed up. Olivia had already adopted that mindset before she met me, so saying that I was the cause of Olivia¡¯s fall was nonsense. Moreover, I didn¡¯t even think of it as a fall in the first ce.


    Radia Schmidt stared at me as though she were possessed. ¡°No, it¡¯s all because of you. Olivia could have been saved. Even until then, she could have changed her mind. Everything went wrong only after she met you.¡±


    It seemed she had already made up her mind, so there was no point in trying to reason with her. She seemed topletely disregard the cruelty that the Order of the Holy Knights had inflicted on Olivia.


    <i>¡®No... Someone like her would probably say that such actions were necessary to guide her onto the right path.¡¯</i>


    There was no way I could change the mind of someone who had already reached an absolute conclusion and was acting on it. My words would fail to persuade her.


    ¡°Please, Reinhart, stay away from Olivia. I¡¯m begging you. If you aren¡¯t around, Olivia will return to the right path. I¡¯ll even kneel if I have to. I¡¯ll do whatever you ask. Just let Olivia go. Please. Before something even more tragic happens. Let her go before something irreversible happens.¡±


    She seemed to be willing to do anything for Olivia, yet she still hated me. She had even attempted something akin to suicide for Olivia¡¯s sake. This was utterly foreign to me.


    <i>¡®Why is she going to such lengths?¡¯</i>


    I found myself thinking the same thoughts Olivia had. Just like Olivia, I couldn¡¯t understand why people would do this to her.


    ¡°Let me ask you a favor instead. Leave my <i>noona </i>alone. No matter how much of a once-in-a-century genius she is, there are surely other people who are just as devout and capable as her. Why do you insist on clinging to Olivia, trying to drag her back in even though you know it isn¡¯t what she wants? You don¡¯tck ability or faith yourself, so why don¡¯t you go ahead and do whatever it is you want Olivia to do instead?¡±


    ¡°No! Olivia is unique! Only Olivia is qualified for it! This is the destiny that she was born for!¡± Radia Schmidt shouted, and passersby began to take notice of our argument, sensing that something was off. ¡°Only Olivia can unite the different branches of our faith in the Five Great Gods and be the Holy Emperor of the soon-to-be-established Millennial Empire.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Her sudden bout of nonsense made my brain freeze up.


    <i>¡®Millennial Empire? What nonsense is this?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Olivia was born to fulfill this destiny. Only she is qualified for it. Her appearance, talent, abilities, and character¡ªshe is the only one who suits it all. And you¡¯re ruining it.¡±


    There was nothing but a dark abyss in Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes. Despite being a divine believer, all I could see in her eyes was darkness.


    It seemed that Radia Schmidt didn¡¯t just want Olivia to regain her faith. She wanted her to fulfill her destiny as some grand ruler of an empire.


    However, one thing still lingered in my mind.


    <i>¡®Holy Emperor of the Millennial Empire... What on earth does that mean?¡¯</i>


    If Radia Schmidt were nothing but a mad woman, it would only be a matter of dealing with her alone. But this was something that couldn¡¯t be easily dismissed.


    ¡°What do you mean by the Millennial Empire?¡± I asked.


    My question caused Radia Schmidt¡¯s expression to harden further.


    ¡°... Someone like you doesn¡¯t need to know.¡±


    Her attempt to hide it, as if it had been a slip of the tongue, was very revealing.


    It wasn¡¯t just nonsense.


    There was something going on there. She¡¯d said something she shouldn¡¯t have in a moment of heightened emotion. If it were just random nonsense, there would be no need to cover it up.


    There were several implications.


    The others who were urging Olivia to return to her faith might have their own personal motives, but Radia Schmidt seemed to have a different agenda.


    She appeared to be talking about the possible independence of the Church of the Five Great Gods. Although they were already a significant independent force, it seemed they intended to establish their own nation.


    It was possible that this was merely Radia Schmidt¡¯s delusion. However, if there was a splinter group that harbored such ambitions, the situation would be much moreplicated. It would mean there was another revolutionary faction to contend with.


    This wasn¡¯t just a matter of dealing with a single madwoman clinging to Olivia. Theplexity of the situation only fueled my anger further.


    They were essentially trying to force their beliefs onto Olivia.


    Why did they have to impose their will so forcefully?


    The expression on Radia Schmidt¡¯s face, devoid of any doubt about the righteousness of her actions, was utterly repulsive. She hadn¡¯t even considered the rightness or wrongness of what she was doing because she believed her cause was unquestionably just.


    A corrupt member of the clergy was disgusting, but a fanatic was both repulsive and unsettling.


    There were many things I wanted to say.


    Countless harsh words swirled about in my mind, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say any of them. I merely observed Radia Schmidt silently.


    She had openly followed me onto the main street. I could see her fists subtly clenching and unclenching.


    She had been ready to sacrifice her own life if it meant forcing Olivia back into the fold. That meant she was also someone who would be ready to kill to achieve that goal.


    I didn¡¯t need my Qi Sense to see this. The anger, hatred, and resentment swirling within her obsessive gaze said it all.


    She had mentioned the possibility of something irreversible, something tragic happening, and there was only one way to interpret that.


    This person intended to kill me.


    Given her mention of a Millennial Empire, it seemed she was on some sort of crusade. She believed that killing me was a righteous act, regardless of who saw it. Having witnessed her madness once, it wasn¡¯t hard to predict how she would act.


    She had tried to persuade me to stay away from Olivia. Now that I had refused, her next likely course of action was to kill me.


    I didn¡¯t want to fight her on the main street, but if she made a move, I would have to respond.


    There was a high probability that I would die if I fought her. Although I had been lucky many times before, there was no guarantee that luck would be on my side this time.


    Would her attitude change if she knew I was the owner of Tiamata? For a fanatic like her, Tiamata would be an incredibly effective tool. But I couldn¡¯t rely solely on Tiamata.


    If I revealed myself as Ouen¡¯s champion, she might try to persuade me to join her in convincing Olivia to give herself up or impose another troublesome burden on me.


    Radia Schmidt was extremely dangerous. Moreover, she likely had knowledge of something even more perilous.


    First, I needed to find out what that was.


    ¡°It seems we have a lot to discuss, senior.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stay away from Olivia, I have nothing more to say to you...¡±


    ¡°How about we go somewhere quiet to talk?¡±


    I noticed the sudden hesitation in Radia Schmidt¡¯s expression.


    It wasn¡¯t so much that she was flustered. Rather, my words werepletely unexpected. She had followed me with the intention of killing me, regardless of who saw it, but now her prey was suggesting they go somewhere secluded to talk.


    She was likely prepared to face imprisonment and a trial for murder. However, if she killed me in a hidden ce and disposed of my body, she wouldn¡¯t get caught. She couldmit the perfect crime and eliminate the thorn in her side.


    ¡°... I¡¯m fine with that,¡± Radia Schmidt said, smiling eerily, perhaps dreaming of her perfect crime.


    I felt chills run down my spine, but there was no other choice.


    ¡°But before that, I have some business to take care of. Let¡¯s handle that first. It won¡¯t take long. You can follow me if you want.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    She would soon realize that if she truly wanted to kill me, she should have attacked me right then and there. Her desire tomit the perfect crime would ruin everything.


    I found it quite astonishing that I could think and have such conversations so calmly while my life was on the line.


    Thanks to this, my original ns had altered slightly. However, things weren¡¯t significantly different. I still needed to find Eleris.


    Radia Schmidt seemed to be enjoying herself, thinking that her prey was willingly walking into a trap.


    ***


    Since it was daytime, Eleris would be at her scroll shop. Since I was already in the Aligar shopping district, I did not have to endure a long walk with Radia Schmidt.


    Radia Schmidt didn¡¯t ask where we were going or what my business was. She was likely preupied with thoughts of how to deal with me quietly once my business was done.


    The hunter had no idea that she had be the prey.


    Of course, how <i>could </i>she have imagined it?


    Even though I was the champion of the first-year tournament, Radia Schmidt was confident she could overpower me, and I knew that too. She was confident she could catch me even if I realized my folly and tried to escape.


    <i>Click.</i>


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Eleris, as usual, was lounging behind the counter. She was surprised to see me enter and even more surprised to see an unfamiliar Temple student behind me.


    Eleris might have been confused by the situation, but there was no time for exnations. I walked into the scroll shop with a purpose and immediately started speaking.


    I did indeed have a legitimate reason for being there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions. Just put up some noise-canceling magic around us,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t understand the situation, but followed my instructions immediately. As the soundproofing magic took effect, Radia Schmidt¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. She sensed something was off.


    She couldn¡¯t have predicted this.


    She couldn¡¯t have expected me to walk into any random shop under the pretense of attending to some business and then calmly give orders to the shop owner.


    ¡°If you have any binding or incapacitating spells, use them on this person. Make it strong. She¡¯s no ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Eleris still did not fully understand what was going on, but she still followed my instructions precisely. A fleeting expression of dismay crossed Radia Schmidt¡¯s face and she tried to move, but Eleris was quicker.


    <i>Kang! Ka-kang!</i>


    With a casting speed that was almost terrifying, pitch-ck chains materialized out of thin air and bound Radia Schmidt¡¯s limbs.


    The clink of magical restraints securing themselves echoed through the shop.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>ng! ng-ng!</i>


    Radia¡¯s arms were lifted into the air, and her legs were anchored to the ground. Radia Schmidt struggled, trying to exert her Divine Power, but the chains summoned by Eleris only rattled slightly and did not budge.


    ¡°You... You bastard! What is this?!¡±


    It was only natural for Radia Schmidt to be bewildered. Who could have predicted such a sudden turn of events?


    <i>Click!</i>


    Eleris then locked the shop door to ensure no one would witness the scene. She had followed my instructions without asking any questions.


    ¡°Ugh!<i> </i>R-Release me! Release me now! Who is this person, and what are you trying to do to me?!¡±


    Radia Schmidt couldn¡¯tprehend the situation, but just as she had no intention of trying to see things from my perspective, I had no intention of exining anything to her.


    ¡°Let me go! I said, let me go!¡±


    Just as she had spoken to me only to say what she wanted to say, I would do the same.


    <i>Swish.</i>


    ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±


    ¡°... Th-That¡¯s...! T-Tiamata? How... how do you have that...?¡±


    ¡°Hard to believe, isn¡¯t it? But I am the owner of Tiamata. People call me... What was it again? Ouen¡¯s Champion?¡±


    The person who had intended to kill me suddenly found themselves trapped, after which, I had summoned Tiamata.


    It was unbelievable, but there was no way Radia could dismiss the Tiamata in my hand as a fake. Even though it hadn¡¯t been seen in the world for a long time, the divine aura emanating from it was unmistakable.


    Radia Schmidt had tried to persuade me to stay away from Olivia before resorting to extreme measures, so I would give her one chance as well.


    ¡°From now on, you need to answer my questions properly. If you resist, re at me with those crazy eyes, or spout nonsense...¡± I tapped Radia Schmidt¡¯s cheek with the t of Tiamata¡¯s de. ¡°The Divine Power you revere so much might just split your head open.¡±


    Radia Schmidt red at me with wide eyes.

 Chapter 318

    <h4>Chapter 318</h4>


    Fanatics are inherently strange creatures. They appear powerless before their god, yet they still possess free will.


    Radia Schmidt had intended to kill me. She hadn¡¯t explicitly said so, but the implication had been so clear that verbal confirmation was unnecessary.


    Radia Schmidt, who had followed me with the intention of killing me, now realized that the person she had tried to kill was Ouen¡¯s Champion.


    Radia Schmidt, who prided herself on her unparalleled devotion, had to acknowledge that she had failed to recognize Ouen¡¯s Champion and had tried to kill him.


    Fanatics do not doubt their god. They also do not doubt themselves. While they seem to have absolute faith in their god, they actually have absolute faith in themselves. They believe that their devotion to their god makes it impossible for them to be wrong.


    However, the reality she was being confronted with contradicted her beliefs.


    The person she intended to kill had actually been chosen by one of her gods.


    The moment she recognized this, Radia Schmidt was forced to confront her error. However, fanatics cannot admit such things. If they could, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen into the abyss of fanaticism in the first ce.


    Therefore, Radia Schimdt couldn¡¯t admit that what she had been so ready tomit would have been the greatest sin against the gods she believed in.


    Therefore, she had to find some sort of logic in which she wasn¡¯t wrong, without denying or doubting the gods she so fanatically believed in.


    ¡°That should belong to Olivia! That... That should not be in your possession!¡±


    Naturally, Radia Schmidt arbitrarilybeled me as a thief of the Holy Relic. She seemed to have established in her mind that since Olivia served Ouen, Tiamata, the Holy Relic of Ouen, should belong to Olivia.


    ¡°... It is Olivia¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°We are both masters of Tiamata. I can¡¯t demonstrate it to you right now, but Tiamata belongs to both me and Olivia. You could say it¡¯s a dual soul-bond. Ah, you probably wouldn¡¯t like hearing that... but what can I do? To put it simply...¡± I grinned and whispered in Radia Schmidt¡¯s ear, ¡°Olivia and I are practically soul-bound to each other.¡±


    ¡°You... you...! You sphemous, vile maggot! How dare you speak such filth about Ouen¡¯s representative!¡±


    <i>¡®Ouen¡¯s representative? First, she was supposed to be the Holy Emperor of the Millennial Empire, and now she¡¯s Ouen¡¯s representative? What exactly does this madwoman think Olivia is?¡¯</i>


    It seemed she couldn¡¯t ept that the goddess of purity was practically soul-bound to me.


    ¡°You demon! Return Tiamata to its rightful owner! It shouldn¡¯t be in the hands of someone like you! Tiamata is a Holy Relic that is passed down to the priests and holy knights who are sworn to Ouen, not to a non-believer like you!¡±


    ¡°Is the soundproofing secure?¡± I asked Eleris.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Eleris replied.


    I found this situation quite fascinating. I had half-expected that revealing Tiamata might make her fall to her knees and apologize.


    Although I had anticipated such a reaction, actually seeing her hatred for me amplify when I summoned Tiamata was still intriguing.


    Radia Schmidt was not a loyal servant of divinity. She was just someone who interpreted her faith in her own way, to suit her own purposes. That¡¯s why she was spouting such nonsense and so unwilling to admit her error.


    If I was truly unworthy, why would Ouen allow me to be the owner of Tiamata? To say such a thing would mean acknowledging that Ouen was imperfect.


    Radia was essentially saying that Ouen had made a mistake, all because she didn¡¯t want to admit she was wrong about me.


    Ultimately, fanaticism and self-deception are one and the same. Humans need logic to protect themselves. Radia Schmidt was not acknowledging her gods, but putting all her faith in her own belief that killing me was right.


    Fanaticism is never about sincere and steadfast faith; it¡¯s literally madness wrapped up in the shell of faith.


    Fanaticism cannot be sincere.


    I had no intention of discussing faith and divinity with Radia Schmidt, who was at that moment experiencing cognitive dissonance.


    Radia Schmidt had given me a chance. She had given me a chance to stay away from Olivia. When I¡¯d refused, she had decided to kill me.


    I, too, was giving her a chance. I had shown her that I was Ouen¡¯s Champion, and wanted to know if she would still go through with her n. Radia Schmidt, however, was iming that I had somehow deceitfully stolen Tiamata, and refused to believe that both Olivia and I were both its masters. If I told her the whole truth about this, she would go even more insane.


    She believed that my very existence tainted Olivia¡¯s purity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what filthy trick you used to steal Tiamata, which should belong to Olivia, but divine retribution awaits you!¡±


    She was nowpletely convinced of this. Radia would continuously generate words and logic to protect herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret this! I don¡¯t know what kind of deal you made with that vile sorcerer, but¡ª¡±


    I struck Radia Schmidt¡¯s head with the t of Tiamata¡¯s de to silence her.


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Shut up. From now on, just answer my questions.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Millennial Empire. What is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you understand simplenguage? Want to taste some Divine Power?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak of Divine Power with your filthy and sphemous mouth!¡±


    ¡°... This isn¡¯t working.¡± I looked over at Eleris. ¡°Sorry, Eleris, but can I ask you for another favor?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She used the alias Rellia, but there was no need to hide anything in front of someone who was about to die.


    ¡°Can you make her more cooperative? Or at least less energetic?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris looked at me quietly and then walked over to my side. She stood silently next to me and then brought her face close to Radia Schmidt¡¯s.


    ¡°Do I have to hide anything?¡± Eleris asked.


    I knew what she meant by that.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Eleris seemed to take a deep breath, then closed her eyes and reopened them.


    Her eyes had turned blood-red, with long, slit-like ck pupils. Radia Schmidt was horrified by the overwhelming sight.


    ¡°V-v-v-vampire...?¡± She said, her lips trembling. ¡°H-how... how... how is this possible?¡±


    Radia looked back and forth between me and Eleris. No matter how much she tried to rationalize it, seeing me, the one holding Tiamata,manding a vampire as a subordinate was beyond herprehension.


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s words were wrong in many ways, but she was also right in many ways. In fact, she was underestimating the situation.


    <i>¡®Calling me a demon? I¡¯m not just some demon; I¡¯m the Demon King.¡¯</i>


    No matter what Radia Schmidt imagined me to be orbeled me as, I was a much more demonic existence than she could fathom.


    Radia was on the verge of losing her mind as events beyond her wildest imagination were continuously unfolding.


    Eleris, having revealed her true form, brought her face as close as possible to Radia Schmidt¡¯s and stared into her eyes.


    ¡°I am the Vampire Lord Eleris, the head of the House of Tuesday of the Seven Nights.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh... Oh... Ah...¡±


    Radia Schmidt was already engulfed in terror, unable toprehend what was happening.


    ¡°Even if you say nothing, I can drink your blood once to make you my ve, then I¡¯ll learn everything. No matter how strong your will is, resistance will be futile.¡±


    ¡°Ah... Uh.... Um... Ugh...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to reveal your secrets now and live as a human, or would you prefer to spend the rest of your life as a vampire by hiding them?¡± Eleris whispered, her eyes wide open, as if piercing Radia Schmidt¡¯s soul. ¡°Choose.¡±


    Eleris drove a single point into Radia Schmidt¡¯s mind: secrets were meaningless.


    ***


    ¡°Y-you... you... what are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not a maggot, but I¡¯m simr to a demon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s... that¡¯s impossible... H-how could someone like you be at the Temple...?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a funny one. You called me a demon, but now that I say I¡¯m one, you find it unbelievable? What do you want? Did you call me a demon knowing I wasn¡¯t one? Hah.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She had called me a demon, but she probably never truly believed I could be one. Given that Imanded the Vampire Lord who had subdued her so easily, she had to believe I was an even more formidable being.


    Although I was indeed that, at least in some manner, there was no need to inform her that Eleris was actually much stronger than I was.


    ¡°This is the second time I¡¯m asking you this. What is the Millennial Empire? If you don¡¯t answer, you might just be a vampire.¡±


    My words turned Radia Schmidt¡¯s face white with fear.


    ¡°Do you think you canmit suicide if you be a vampire? Your life and death will be determined by your master¡¯s will. If you want to end up being a vampire priest, keep resisting,¡± I continued.


    I didn¡¯t actually know how vampire thralls and ves worked, and I was making things up as I went along. Radia Schmidt, already terrified, would believe anything I said, regardless of the truth.


    Radia had misjudged me earlier, but now, she was misjudging me in a different way.


    She had been easily subdued despite being much stronger than an active holy knight, merely by the power of my subordinate.


    I had Tiamata in my possession, and she had begun to see me as an enigmatic being akin to a demon. She did not see me as a weakling anymore, but was misjudging me as something altogether different.


    She was starting to see me as a being beyond her wildest imagination.


    It was impossible to keep secrets.


    Radia trembled, perhaps imagining herself as a vampire. She might have envisioned herself as a yer of such beings, but she had never considered bing one herself. Even the thought ofmitting suicide as a vampire would be futile, as her mind would be utterly dominated.


    To go from a promising holy knight of Alse to a creature that drinks human blood and lives in the shadows of the night¡ªcould there be a greater humiliation? The mere thought of it was so terrifying and shameful that Radia trembled like a leaf in the wind.


    Secrets could often lose their power. Once the person holding them realizes that hiding them is meaningless, they often spill them easily, even the secrets they once believed they were willing to die to protect.


    Radia Schmidt suddenly adopted a very respectful manner of speech.


    ¡°The... the Millennial Empire... is a n that has been set in motion by the Nameless Monastery...¡±


    ***


    The Nameless Monastery...


    Another unfamiliar concept had emerged. As Radia Schmidt uttered it, her expression was a mix of despair, misery, and fear.


    ¡°What is the Nameless Monastery?¡±


    ¡°It is a faithmunityposed of members from various sects and organizations of the Church of the Five Great Gods, who share the same vision...¡±


    ¡°So, the purpose of this Nameless Monastery is to unify the forces of the Five Great Gods and establish a theocratic state. And they n to make Olivia Lanche the first ruler?¡±


    ¡°... In summary, yes...¡±


    She seemed to have a lot of objections, but was too afraid to speak them out loud. Both Eleris and I couldn¡¯t help but take the situation seriously.


    ¡°They seem no different from the Revolutionary Forces, just with a different ideology.¡±


    ¡°Indeed...¡±


    Just like the Revolutionary Forces who were spreading within the Temple, the Church of the Five Great Gods had extremist factions like the Nameless Monastery whose goals were to breakaway from the empire and establish a Holy Empire.


    Judging by the term ¡°Holy Emperor,¡± it seemed they intended to run their theocracy in a simr manner to the empire.


    ¡°Do you know the scale of this group?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Radia nodded and trembled, but stayed silent.


    I clicked my tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about lying. If I suspect you¡¯re lying, I¡¯ll turn you into a vampire and cross-check everything.¡±


    ¡°N-no! I swear! I will never mix lies with the truth!¡±


    Radia, bound and shaking her head vigorously, seemed to fear bing a vampire more than death itself.


    ¡°The group isn¡¯trge for now, but it is continuously growing. It¡¯s projected to soon grow to be asrge as one of the denominations of the Church of the Five Great Gods...¡±


    ¡°... Damn it.¡±


    ¡°This is serious,¡± Eleris said.


    Fortunately, the group still seemed rtively small, but its growth rate was rming. They were expected to soon match the size of the major denominations. Moreover, this group wasn¡¯t just restricted to one group of believers, but included members from the Order of the Holy Knights and believers of all of the Five Great Gods.


    In other words, the radicals from every denomination had gathered, and they would be able to wield influence over all who believed in the Five Great Gods.


    The situation was far more severe than I had anticipated. Alongside the Revolutionary Forces, there was now a religious faction to contend with.


    ¡°This is driving me crazy...¡±


    I held my head in my hands, and Eleris sighed deeply.


    The empire was like a house of cards. If both the Revolutionary Forces and this Holy Empire enacted their ns simultaneously, the empire would be torn apart.


    Radia seemed unable toprehend the situation. She was certain that Eleris and I were evil beings, but she also appeared deeply unsettled by the impending crisis facing the empire.


    She would be even more shocked if she knew the truth that the Demon King and his subordinate were fretting over the potential copse of the empire.


    Still, it was maddening and infuriating.


    ¡°How long has this Nameless Monastery been around?¡±


    I needed to rify whether this secret religious organization was a recent development or if it had been around for a long time, like the Revolutionary Forces. If it was an existing group, what had triggered its recent explosive growth?


    ¡°... It hasn¡¯t been around for long.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why are so many people flocking to it? Is the religiousmunity so eager for a Holy Empire?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s because of religious persecution.¡±


    ¡°... Persecution?¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s she talking about now?¡¯</i>


    Radia Schmidt gritted her teeth and lowered her gaze.


    ¡°Many believers think that the fall of the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Sir Leverier Lanche, was a signal of the empire¡¯s persecution. A way to keep the Order of the Holy Knights in check.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    That alone gave me a rough understanding of the situation.


    From the perspective of those in the religiousmunity who didn¡¯t know the full story, the fall of the war hero Leverier Lanche could indeed be seen in that light.


    Or perhaps...


    ¡°... No way. Was Leverier Lanche the one who founded the Nameless Monastery?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s silence was enough. She either couldn¡¯t answer, or wouldn¡¯t. That was already an answer.


    ¡°It seems like that¡¯s the case. It probably isn¡¯t a theory that many believers automatically subscribed to. Leverier Lanche must have spread that rumor himself. iming that his fall was due to political pressure, regardless of what he actually did.¡±


    ¡°No! The Commander was unjustly ndered¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re a Temple student; you should know better than to call it nder.¡±


    ¡°It was necessary to guide Olivia, who was wavering, back to the right path¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said shut up, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Radia Schmidt believed that everything Leverier Lanche had done to Olivia was justified. I did not want to discuss this matter with her any further.


    I hadn¡¯t kept track of what Leverier Lanche was up to after his fall, but it was clear he had formed a secret society and was causing trouble.


    This was something that had been triggered by the historical inflection point caused by Olivia Lanche¡¯s survival.


    This mess was ultimately my mess.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Both Olivia and Charlotte... Did individuals who yed significant roles in altering history have to go through crisis after crisis?


    If Leverier Lanche had remained as Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, none of this would have happened. This meant that Leverier Lanche truly had ambitions to breakaway from the empire and establish a Holy Empire in the name of the Church of the Five Great Gods.


    However, it had not been part of the main story, which meant that he was not allowed to push this agenda aggressively.


    However, after his fall from grace and removal from power, he had now chosen the path of creating a secret society.


    Leverier Lanche would have made the im that his downfall was a consequence of religious persecution by the state, stirring up resentment among religious figures. He had formed the Nameless Monastery, and was using the idea that they had to form a breakaway Holy Empire that was made up only of true believers to attract followers to him.


    Leverier Lanche effectively stirred up this sense of persecution and was using it to rapidly grow his secret society.


    His achievements as a hero of the Great War would also support his cause. If things continued like this, they could grow in number to rival one of the denominations of the Church of the Five Great Gods, and that could shake the very foundation of the Church itself.


    Leverier Lanche intended to elevate Olivia to the position of Holy Emperor. While he might have wanted that position for himself, it would have beenughable.


    If he dered that he would be the first Holy Emperor of a Holy Empire, his true intentions woulde into question. However, if he imed to be creating a divine nation that only his exceptionally talented and virtuous foster daughter was qualified to lead, it would lend some legitimacy to his cause.


    Moreover, Leverier Lanche could only repair his reputation through Olivia¡¯s testimony. If Olivia dered that she had not been mistreated by Leverier Lanche, all usations against him would be seen as imperial nder, regardless of the truth.


    Having witnessed her abilities firsthand, I could see why Olivia herself could serve as a justification for such a n. While Leverier Lanche might have ambitions to be emperor himself, installing himself as emperor would be impossible, so he aimed to elevate Olivia instead.


    In this scenario, Olivia would find her faith again, and Leverier Lanche would eventually use this secret society to create an independent religious state and force Olivia into the position of Holy Emperor.


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s obsession with Olivia stemmed from the fact that she could serve both as a justification for the Millenial Empire, serving as its Holy Emperor, and as a means to restore his own reputation.


    ¡°What a despicable bastard,¡± I spat.


    Radia Schmidt grew even more fearful.


    This matter couldn¡¯t be left alone. Leverier Lanche and the Nameless Monastery were seeds that could bring about massive discord. They needed to be eradicated.


    If we didn¡¯t act while their force was still rtively small, it would be impossible to deal with themter.


    But how? If we used them of conspiracy and involved the imperial family, it would bring about actual religious persecution. This would undoubtedly turn even the moderates into extremists.


    Involving the imperial family and the government in this matter would inevitably lead to a massive conflict.


    I needed to organize my thoughts. I had to figure out how to approach this, and what strategy to implement.


    ¡°Alright, onest question. Was your attempt to kill me also an order from the Nameless Monastery?¡±


    Radia Schmidt had genuine personal reasons to kill me. However, she might also have received orders to do so.


    Radia Schmidt shook her head vigorously at my question.


    ¡°N-no... This was... my own decision...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re not lying to protect them because you¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll go after them?¡±


    ¡°No! No! The original n was... different! This was my own decision!¡±


    How much did Radia Schmidt hate the idea of bing a vampire?


    ¡°Really? Then what was the original n?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Radia Schmidt hesitated, clearly afraid to speak. But she knew what I would say if she kept silent.


    The words came out of her in a torrent. ¡°Adriana... Adriana, who was a second-year student at the Temple... the Monastery has her...¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    The unexpected name left my mind nk.


    <i>¡®Why Adriana? Why bring her up?¡¯</i>


    Images of Adriana shed through my mind. Thest memory I had of her was walking through the fields around the Art-Ouen Monastery.


    <i>¡®What are they nning to do to Adriana? No, what have they already done?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Exin in detail.¡±


    If I had any semnce of rationality left... what I was about to hear would snap it.


    ***


    Olivia was in her dormitory room. The Miss Temple contest was approaching and she should have been heading to the venue to prepare, but she was waiting in her room since Reinhart had asked her to.


    She didn¡¯t know what he was nning, but he seemed to have something in mind. Still, if he took too long, she would have to leave soon. If there was no word from Reinhart in the next thirty minutes, Olivia nned to head to the venue.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    How long had she waited? At the sound of a knock on her door, Olivia jumped up from her seat.


    ¡°Reinhart, what on earth are you¡ª?¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t Reinhart at her door; it was a dormitory attendant.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The maid, seeing Olivia¡¯s puzzled expression, smiled and handed her something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re waiting for, but there¡¯s a letter for you, Miss Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Oh... thank you.¡±


    Olivia took the letter from the maid and closed the door. The letter bore no sender¡¯s name, only an address. Who could have sent such a letter?


    Olivia opened the envelope. Inside, there were only two lines of text.


    <i>[My daughter, do you remember the name Adriana?]</i>


    <i>[She is with me now.]</i>


    Shock ran through Olivia¡¯s mind.


    The only person who would call her ¡°daughter¡± was Leverier Lanche. She didn¡¯t know why or how, but he had Adriana.


    Reinhart, Adriana, and Evia from ss 1-B had yed crucial roles in rescuing her. That was widely known. It also meant that those three had yed decisive roles in Leverier Lanche¡¯s downfall.


    Reinhart and Evia were Temple students, which made it dangerous for Leverier Lanche to touch them. Adriana, however, was rtively easier for him to reach.


    Whether for revenge or some other reason, Leverier Lanche had Adriana.


    There was no indication who had sent the letter, only the address from which it had been sent. It was an invitation to go to that location.


    Her foster father was calling her to him, using Adriana as bait. She didn¡¯t know what he wanted to say or what he intended to do to Adriana, but the child who had saved her was now in danger because of it.


    Olivia, as if in a trance, stood up and flung open her dormitory door.


    ¡°Why... just why...?¡±


    What did he want from her? Why was he doing this?


    Gritting her teeth, Olivia ran down the dormitory hallway. The Miss Temple contest was already a distant memory.

 Chapter 319

    <h4>Chapter 319</h4>


    The Nameless Monastery had Adriana...


    To be precise, it was Leverier Lanche who had Adriana. His primary goal was to coerce Olivia into vouching for him, thus restoring his position. His secondary goal was to use Olivia as a figurehead in order to achieve his ambitions.


    Leverier Lanche had initially intended to make Olivia the next Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights. It was likely that he had already envisioned the future Holy Empire. Unfortunately, his fall from grace had necessitated that he adopt a different approach to achieve this vision, by forming a secret religious society.


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s fall had sparked bacsh within the religiousmunity, regardless of the actual circumstances surrounding it. As a result, he still wielded influence within the religious circles, and that influence was growing.


    By leaving the Temple Adriana had, in fact, put herself in greater danger. Leverier Lanche was using her as bait to draw in Olivia, and Olivia would not be able to refuse, since Adriana¡¯s life was at stake.


    Unlike in the tournament finals against Radia Schmidt, there was no option to forfeit. With Adriana as a hostage, Olivia would have no choice but to be Leverier Lanche¡¯s puppet.


    Night had already fallen. I looked at Radia Schmidt, tied up in Eleris¡¯s shop, her head hung low.


    Radia Schmidt had used the dangerous power, Berserk, during the finals, and had continuously tried to persuade Olivia to return to the embrace of the gods. In the end, though, Olivia had forfeited the match.


    Even to me, it seemed like a poorly thought-out n.


    Moreover, Radia Schmidt had continuously told Olivia during their bout that something even sadder would happen if she didn¡¯t return to the fold.


    I had initially dismissed it as the ramblings of a madwoman, but it was clear now that she had been warning Olivia that Adriana would be harmed if she didn¡¯tply.


    Blood is thicker than water, as they say.


    Radia Schmidt, who did not want a fellow member of the Church of the Five Great Gods to be harmed, had resorted to something dangerous in a desperate attempt to change Olivia¡¯s mind. And she had tried to kill me because she believed I was the one who had led Olivia astray, and also since I wasn¡¯t a believer in the Five Great Gods.


    She had judged that it was better for me to die than for Adriana to be harmed.


    This was how the day¡¯s bizarre events had unfolded.


    Adriana was in danger, and I needed to act quickly.


    ¡°Where is Leverier Lanche?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It might already be toote to stop the Revolutionary Forces, but the Nameless Monastery, which had been formed after Leverier Lanche¡¯s fall, still only had a rtively small following. If we didn¡¯t crush them immediately, things could spiral out of control.


    Radia Schmidt believed I was an extremely dangerous and evil being, the depths of which she couldn¡¯tprehend. She was unwilling to speak, probably because she believed I would kill Leverier Lanche.


    But if she didn¡¯t talk, there were ways to force her to.


    Tears welled up in Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes. ¡°Please... please...¡±


    She began to sob, but unable to articte if she wanted freedom, she was unable to answer.


    ¡°Just... kill me...¡±


    She was begging for death. Despite knowing we wouldn¡¯t grant her a peaceful death, she still saw it as her best option.


    ¡°Please, please... a clean death... please...¡±


    Revealing Leverier Lanche¡¯s location would be a great betrayal, and she couldn¡¯t bear that. But bing a vampire was also unbearable.


    That¡¯s why Radia Schmidt was begging for death in the face of evil. I squatted down in front of the bound and weeping Radia Schmidt.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± I gently wiped the tears from Radia Schmidt¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Why do you consider this a betrayal? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am Ouen¡¯s Champion, and thus, all my actions represent Ouen¡¯s will more than anything. More so than Leverier Lanche, who, after being ousted from the position of Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, created a secret organization within the Church of the Five Great Gods out of a lust for power. Aren¡¯t my actions more aligned with the will of the gods?¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s sobs grew louder at my twisted logic.


    ¡°The gods are omnipotent. Even if you think I¡¯m an evil being, if I wasn¡¯t meant to hold Tiamata, I wouldn¡¯t have be its master. Whether I meet a miserable end, or a greater hero emerges to take Tiamata from me, all of it would be part of Ouen¡¯s n. Isn¡¯t that right?


    ¡°The gods are omnipotent, and since I am a part of the n of such an omnipotent being, my actions must be more in line with the will of Ouen than someone like Leverier Lanche. Isn¡¯t that right?


    ¡°If my actions are the will of the gods, then this has to be Ouen¡¯s will. The Nameless Monastery is heretical. So, it must be eradicated.


    ¡°Come on, senior. Don¡¯t cry. There¡¯s no reason to cry. Everything is unfolding ording to the will of the gods. You¡¯re not cooperating with an evil and unknown entity; you¡¯re cooperating with Ouen¡¯s Champion. How is that betrayal?¡±


    I cupped Radia Schmidt¡¯s face in my hands and smiled at her. Despair was etched into her eyes.


    ¡°Senior, you¡¯re finally on the right path. You¡¯ve just taken a wrong turn and gotten lost for a while. This isn¡¯t betrayal.¡±


    In her heart, she was trying desperately to deny it, but she also desperately wanted to believe them.


    <i>¡®How is this betrayal?¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t just saying it; I genuinely believed it.


    ¡°This is your repentance.¡±


    <i>¡®Repent, and return to the right path.¡¯</i>


    Breaking free from the clutches of the false prophet Leverier Lanche and aligning with Ouen¡¯s Champion¡ªhow was that an act of unfaithfulness?


    The small contradiction that the Champion of the God of Purity somehowmanded a vampire didn¡¯t matter.


    <i>¡®If you can ept that everything was part of Ouen¡¯s n, then you can make peace with anything. If all of this is part of the divine n... if you ept that, then you won¡¯t have to be a vampire. You can even see it as a more glorious act.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-Is that... is that really... really the case?¡±


    Radia¡¯s voice was trembling, seeking an answer. My words had not persuaded her of anything. She had merely broken down.


    ¡°Trust me, senior.¡±


    I was recing her previous fanaticism with a new one.


    ¡°Believing in me is no different from serving the gods.¡±


    Fear drives people to madness. Even those already mad are not immune to it. If Radia Schmidt submitted to me, she would create her own logic in order to defend me. All the suspicions and doubts she has about me would somehow be forced to fit into the belief that everything was part of Ouen¡¯s n because I was Ouen¡¯s Champion.


    ¡°... I hope all of this is truly part of God¡¯s n...¡±


    I was a god greater than the Five Great Gods. Therefore, saying that believing in me was akin to serving the gods wasn¡¯t far from the truth.


    I stroked Radia Schmidt¡¯s head as she knelt before me, sobbing.


    I gritted my teeth.


    I had hoped for a day without any incidents. For this one day to be free of incidents, at least. At that moment, though, there was somewhere I needed to be.


    Turning away from the weeping Radia Schmidt, I looked at Eleris.


    ¡°Summon Sarkegar and Loyar.¡±


    This was not something I could handle alone. Even if I could, it was better if I didn¡¯t go alone. This did not only concern the Nameless Monastery. There were signs of division everywhere. The empire could not not fall.


    ¡°We¡¯re all going together.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had to deal with this situation as Baalier, not as Reinhart. It was time for the enemy of humanity to reappear.


    ***


    In the waiting room allocated to the Miss Temple Contest participants, Ellen was receiving the final checks on her dress.


    ¡°You look perfect.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Themencement of the Miss Temple contest was drawing closer. The scale of the contest was on a different levelpared to the cross-dressing contest, and the venue reflected that. It wasn¡¯t held in the main stadium where the tournament finals had taken ce, but in a massive concert hall.


    Riana had finished helping Cliffman and had gone over to Ellen.


    She tilted her head as she applied the final touches to Ellen¡¯s makeup. ¡°By the way, I haven¡¯t seen that senior around.¡±


    ¡°... She¡¯lle.¡±


    Perhaps she was already there but they had not seen her, or she could be runningte.


    Ellen was more concerned about something else. Reinhart had left the dormitory early in the morning and hadn¡¯t been seen all day.


    When the contestants had left with Rianna for thepetition venue, most of ss A and even some from ss B had been there to see them off. Many of them would being to watch the contest.


    But Reinhart hadn¡¯t been among them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But what has Reinhart been doing all day? I haven¡¯t seen him at all,¡± Riana grumbled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s his loss if he doesn¡¯t get to see you.¡±


    Riana continued to diligently touch up Ellen¡¯s makeup as Ellen gently clutched at the hem of her dress.


    He wouldn¡¯t forget to show up. She knew that. Yet, a strange sense of unease kept tickling her heart.


    He would definitelye. She had even asked him to make sure that he would turn up. He wouldn¡¯t forget.


    Ellen took several deep breaths to calm her anxious heart.


    ***


    I had gathered everyone. Eleris, Sarkegar, and Loyar¡ªall three of them. We didn¡¯t travel by foot; instead, Eleris used Mass Teleportation. I had been in my Temple uniform, but had changed into a set of casual clothes that I stored at Eleris¡¯s house.


    <i>sh!</i>


    The location was on the outskirts of the southern part of the capital, a fair distance away from the capital itself.


    We appeared close to a small vige on the southern outskirts of the capital. It was more of a hamlet than a vige, with fewer than twenty households, mostly farmers.


    It was one of those nondescript ces on the outskirts of the city. We were on a hill overlooking the path leading to the vige.


    ¡°M-mass... Mass Teleportation...¡±


    Radia Schmidt trembled, seemingly in awe after her experience.


    ¡°... Are you sure about this?¡± Loyar asked, and I nodded with a determined expression.


    I had yet to exin the details of the operation to them. I had only mentioned that a big fight was looming, and that we had to be prepared.


    They might find outter, and Sarkegar might not understand why we were risking so much to prevent the empire¡¯s division, but I had decided to trust Sarkegar a bit more.


    Most importantly, Sarkegar was the one we needed the most.


    Radia Schmidt, unaware of Loyar and Sarkegar¡¯s true nature, was trembling in fear. She probably thought they were terrifying beings simr to Eleris.


    Our target wasn¡¯t the vige itself.


    ¡°Over that hill... there¡¯s an abandoned monastery. That¡¯s where...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the temporary base of the Nameless Monastery, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Although they were a faithmunity within the Church, they couldn¡¯t hold public gatherings. Therefore, until they had gathered enough support, they could only hold regr meetings in such remote areas.


    Once their following grewrger or they began to be recognized within the religiousmunity, they might be able to host official meetings, but they hadn¡¯t reached that point yet.


    We were here to kill an infant monster that was growing at an uncontroble rate before it became too big to handle.


    Radia Schmidt, fearing what would happen if she refused toply, had ultimately submitted. The choice was between bing a vampire or believing that all this was part of the will of the gods.


    I held Tiamata, a powerful symbol, which served as a perfect tool for Radia Schmidt to rationalize her actions.


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s fate would be decided after we dealt with the Nameless Monastery and Leverier Lanche.


    ¡°Is Adriana being held at the monastery?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... Yes. I don¡¯t remember the exact location, but she was definitely there,¡± Radia Schmidt replied.


    Adriana was the bait to lure Olivia out. Radia Schmidt had believed that it would be better to kill me, a non-believer and the one she med for Olivia¡¯s fall, rather than using Adriana¡¯s life as bait to lure Olivia in. That was why she had attacked me.


    Not all members of the Nameless Monastery would be within the abandoned monastery, but the key figures would be.


    Leverier Lanche... At the very least, I had to kill him, the cornerstone of all this chaos. I wasn¡¯t sure if that would resolve everything, but it had to be done immediately.


    ¡°What kind of forces are we dealing with?¡±


    ¡°... There are about twenty high-ranking holy knights stationed there.¡±


    ¡°And their skill level?¡±


    ¡°They are all veterans of the Great War... They are the closest confidants of Commander Lanche... I mean, Leverier Lanche. They resigned with him when he stepped down.¡±


    If these were Leverier Lanche¡¯s closest confidants, they would be veterans among veterans who had gone through the Great War together.


    There were surely others, but the most formidable would be these twenty high-ranking holy knights who had seen countless battles, plus Leverier Lanche himself.


    Eleris was a powerful mage, but she was also a vampire. Fighting holy knights would be challenging for her.


    However, I didn¡¯t n to engage them head-on.


    ¡°Alright, the n isn¡¯t tooplicated.¡±


    First, we needed to get Adriana out of there.


    ¡°Sarkegar, infiltrate the monastery and locate Adriana. If you can extract her quietly, do so.¡±


    Using Sarkegar¡¯s infiltration skills, we would first locate Adriana.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t extract her, return to us and report. If you can¡¯t do it now, we might have to disguise you as Leverier Lanche and extract herter,¡± I added.


    Radia Schmidt probably didn¡¯t understand what I was talking about, but there was no time to exin.


    ¡°If we can extract Adriana safely, the Eleris will userge-scale destructive magic to obliterate the monastery. It would be best if we can kill everyone in there in one strike, but if not, we¡¯ll engage inbat.¡±


    Securing Adriana was the top priority. After that would be annihtion.


    Eleris clenched her fist. She didn¡¯t say she couldn¡¯t do it, and we weren¡¯t in a situation where she could object.


    Leaving them alone would only lead to greater sacrificester on. Eleris would agree that immediate action had to be taken.


    ¡°And, we need to make a statement.¡±


    ¡°A statement... what kind...?¡±


    Ultimately, who was behind this mattered most of all. We could not afford to handle things discreetly.


    Fortunately, this area was on the outskirts of the capital. Even if there was an uproar, the imperial family wouldn¡¯t be able to respond immediately. Since Radia Schmidt was present, I didn¡¯t say anything directly.


    ¡°We need to reveal our existence.¡±


    We would reveal that the remnants of the Demon Realm still existed. The reappearance of amon enemy would temporarily mend the divisions within the empire.


    Sarkegar still seemed puzzled.


    ¡°Why exactly are we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Loyar raised a hand, cutting off Sarkegar¡¯s question. She pointed down the hill.


    ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡±


    There was a path leading into the vige.


    ¡°Olivia...!¡±


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes widened, and I was equally shocked.


    Olivia was on her way.


    They had definitely used Adriana as bait to lure her in. Olivia was running along the path at an rming pace, wearing a desperate expression.


    Olivia was getting involved now.


    There was no more time to waste.


    ¡°Sarkegar, get both Adriana and that person out of there. Go in now.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and flew through the night sky.


    My heart pounded wildly.


    Adriana and Olivia... Neither of them could be involved in this fight.

 Chapter 320 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 320 [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡°Where the hell is he and what is he doing?¡± Riana de Granz muttered with a frown, arms crossed.


    The Miss & Mister Temple contest had already started. The Royal ss students who had gone to watch were all seated together.


    ¡°Indeed...¡± Harriet murmured quietly in response to Riana¡¯s irritated question.


    All the contestants were students, but they were all exceptionally good-looking, and if theycked in appearance, they made up for it with impressive talents.


    Ellen was the ninth contestant. Contestant number seven had just finished, and it would soon be Ellen¡¯s turn.


    All their ssmates, including Connor Lint, were present, but Reinhart was nowhere to be seen.


    What was he doing?


    Harriet felt conflicted. She didn¡¯t know what Reinhart was up to, but she had assumed he woulde. Yet, he hadn¡¯t shown up.


    ording to Riana, that fifth-year senior hadn¡¯t appeared in the waiting room either, for whatever reason.


    What was going on?


    <i>¡®He should be here, so why isn¡¯t heing?¡¯</i>


    Harriet felt a mix of relief and disappointment at Reinhart¡¯s absence. She knew it was cowardly to hope he wouldn¡¯te, but she was also afraid to see how Ellen would look that day.


    Everyone was puzzled by Reinhart¡¯s absence.


    Harriet watched the situation unfold, feeling anxious and uneasy, without even knowing why she was so nervous.


    Contestant number seven, who had been trembling slightly, managed to finish their dance number and went backstage. It was now time for contestant number eight.


    That person finished, and Harriet¡¯s anxiousness grew.


    It was time for contestant number nine.


    ¡ªNow, we have a contestant from the Royal ss. As you all know, in the Royal ss, their ss numbers indicate their skill level. This contestant is from the first-year ss A, and she¡¯s number 2. Please wee Ellen!


    Ellen walked onto the stage, apanied by the audience¡¯s apuse.


    ¡°...¡±


    Harriet had known it all along, of course. Although Ellen always wore either her school uniform or her training clothes, Harriet was well aware that Ellen had a striking appearance.


    However, seeing Ellen properly dressed up left Harriet in awe. Her mouth fell slightly agape without her realizing it.


    Riana seemed to have spent all this time searching for the color that suited Ellen best.


    Ellen was wearing a pure white dress, and her hair was tied up with a ribbon as an ent. With her white heels, Ellen stood out so much that even Harriet thought she overshadowed the other contestants.


    Riana looked at Ellen with satisfaction, and Ellen¡¯s ssmates, as well as the rest of the audience who didn¡¯t know Ellen, stared at her in a daze.


    Ellen had diligently practiced smiling, and so the smile she had on was rather convincing.


    Looking the way she did, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Olivia without any shame, Harriet thought.


    Ellen stood there with her smile, disregarding the audience¡¯s reaction, peering at the audience as if searching for something. As if searching for someone.


    Ellen¡¯s gaze eventually met Harriet¡¯s. She scanned the area around Harriet, as if looking for someone who wasn¡¯t there.


    Her gaze returned to Harriet, a questioning look in her eyes.


    It seemed she hadn¡¯t found the one she was looking for.


    Harriet felt her heart tighten, even though she wasn¡¯t the one on stage.


    Ellen¡¯s eyes held a question for Harriet. <i>¡®Isn¡¯t Reinhart here?¡¯</i>


    Harriet didn¡¯t know how to respond to that gaze. She couldn¡¯t smile, nor could she cry. She must have made a very strange expression.


    Ellen lowered her eyes, as if Harriet¡¯s troubled expression was already an answer.


    ¡ªMs. Ellen, do you have a special reason for participating in Miss Temple?


    ¡ªOh...


    Ellen¡¯s lips trembled. She seemed to want to say something.


    Harriet watched as Ellen stood there, trembling slightly, her head lowered.


    ¡ªIs there someone special you wanted to show this look to today?


    There was silence on stage.


    Ellen couldn¡¯t answer the host¡¯s question. The question pierced directly into Ellen¡¯s heart.


    She needed to say something, but she didn¡¯t know how to say anything to someone who wasn¡¯t there. Harriet gritted her teeth as she watched Ellen struggle.


    Just a moment ago, Harriet had thought it was a relief that Reinhart hadn¡¯te. Seeing Ellen in such a pitiful state, though, Harriet had only one thought in her mind.


    Ellen looked like she was about to break.


    No matter what, Harriet didn¡¯t want that to happen.


    <i>¡®Where are you...?¡¯</i>¡¯ Harriet thought as she clenched her fists unconsciously. <i>¡®Where are you and what are you doing...?¡¯</i>


    She felt a surge of resentment towards Reinhart for not being there.


    ***


    Sarkegar observed the situation from just outside the abandoned monastery. The monastery, which hadn¡¯t been used in a long time, was massive, and an eerie atmosphere had settled upon it due to its prolonged abandonment.


    Sarkegar still didn¡¯t fully understand the situation. He had followed orders and hastened over because there was a need for force, but he still did not understand the full picture. He only knew there were people to rescue and enemies to eliminate.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but this mission required them to reveal their existence.


    At the moment, though, the objective, as always, was infiltration. This time, it was a rescue mission, not a kidnapping.


    Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and flew over the monastery¡¯s outer wall, entering the monastery with ease. While the security wasn¡¯t tight, there were still guards stationed at various points.


    Among them were about twenty elite guards who posed a real threat.


    His lord had ordered him to rescue two women: one trapped inside the monastery and another who had just rushed into the monastery.


    There were likely more armed personnel capable of using Divine Power within the monastery.


    Sarkegar was a demon. While not as vulnerable to Divine Power as the undead Eleris, he still didn¡¯t fare well against it. Infiltrating a ce teeming with high-ranking holy knights wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant.


    But did he have a choice when it came to carrying out orders?


    Sarkegar flew carefully inside the monastery, sensing the presence of others.


    He did not need to search meticulously; he could hear an agitated voiceing from a courtyard.


    ¡ªWhere is Adriana?


    It was the woman who had just arrived at the monastery.


    ¡ªThat will depend on your answer.


    ¡ªYou already know what my answer will be.


    ¡ªThen you also know what will happen.


    ¡ªWhat do you want?


    Sarkegar moved closer to the voices.


    A middle-aged man sat on an old chair by a campfire in one of the monastery¡¯s courtyards, nked by several holy knights. Opposite him stood a young blonde woman in a Temple uniform.


    Sarkegar recognized the middle-aged man as Leverier Lanche.


    ¡°Return to Ouen. Retract all your previous testimonies and publicly dere your regret.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°After which, the Church of the Five Gods, led by the Order of the Holy Knights, will break away from the empire and establish an independent Holy Empire. You will be the first Holy Emperor of that empire.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s... absurd...¡±


    Olivia stared at Leverier Lanche in disbelief.


    Holy Emperor... Independence...


    Just hearing those words made Olivia feel like she was suffocating.


    ¡°... And if I can¡¯t do that?¡±


    ¡°Then things will start happening that you¡¯ll regret.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll kill Adriana? That young girl who hasn¡¯t even fully be a nun yet?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it an unavoidable sacrifice. The gods will understand.¡±


    Olivia red at Leverier Lanche, who was using the name of God as a shield for his evil deeds, with undisguised contempt and disgust.


    ¡°... Is this your way, Father? Was losing power so unbearable, so infuriating and so unjust, that you¡¯ve abandoned not just your faith but your humanity as well?¡±


    ¡°This is a necessary step in order to counter the threat against the Church of the Five Great Gods. As you well know, no one will be harmed if you promise to return to the fold.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go back.¡±


    ¡°Even if something happens to the child who saved you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Despair and anger shed across Olivia¡¯s face.


    Leverier Lanche was presenting the vision of making Olivia the Holy Emperor, but in reality, he wanted Olivia to retract her previous statements about him in order to clear his name and redeem himself.


    ¡°Why me? Why does it have to be me? You can go ahead and do whatever it is you want. I don¡¯t understand why you have to use me as a front. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re threatening me with other people¡¯s lives...¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve always said, there¡¯s no one as qualified as you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to justify it that way, please...¡±


    Overwhelmed by sorrow, Olivia finally broke down and began to cry.


    ¡°You just want power. You want to use me to fulfill your own desires. That¡¯s why you created this strange group. You want to restore your honor by making me retract my statements and regain your power...¡±


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s was unrelenting. ¡°Olivia, I don¡¯t expect you to understand my intentions. But everyone has roles and destinies that they have a duty to fulfill. That is what I live for. My role was to lead humanity to victory in the Great War, and now, it is to protect the Order of the Holy Knights, the pride of the Church of the Five Great Gods, from the clutches of the empire.¡±


    Leverier Lanche was unmoved in the face of the sobbing Olivia.


    ¡°And you are next in line,¡± he continued. ¡°I decided that, and I raised you for that. If it doesn¡¯t happen naturally, I will make it happen.¡±


    ¡°Why...? Just... why...?¡±


    ¡°If you refuse me, do you think it will end with just Adriana?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Do you think Reinhart is untouchable?¡±


    ¡°W-what...? What are you... saying...?¡±


    At the mention of Reinhart¡¯s name, Sarkegar, who had been observing the situation, focused his attention on Leverier Lanche.


    Sarkegar understood, if not fully, that Leverier Lanche needed to be eliminated.


    He was a threat to Baalier. Sarkegar clearly saw Olivia¡¯s expression twist at the mention of Reinhart¡¯s name.


    This woman was undoubtedly an ally of Reinhart¡¯s. Sarkegar was certain of that.


    ¡°If Adriana isn¡¯t enough, I¡¯ll find someone else precious to you, Olivia. I brought you here to show you that this won¡¯t end.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Give up, Olivia, before a small pain turns into a greater one, and youe back to me crying and begging.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s spirit seemed to break, her eyes losing their light.


    Adriana¡¯s fate was just the beginning. If Olivia didn¡¯t give in, Leverier Lanche would destroy everything she held dear, bit by bit. He knew that threatening and torturing Olivia herself would yield no results, so he sought to break her by targeting those she cared about.


    He knew that Olivia, who was ustomed to sacrifice, would rather sacrifice herself than see her loved ones be hurt. Just as she had forfeited the tournament to prevent Radia Schmidt from destroying herself with Berserk, she would always give in to protect others.


    Leverier Lanche knew how to manipte Olivia.


    ¡°... You¡¯re a demon...¡± Olivia said in a despairing tone. The surrounding holy knights bristled, but Leverier Lanche raised his hand to stop them from speaking.


    ¡°Yes. If there¡¯s no escape, then this is the right path.¡±


    A burst of divine light and blue mana began to ze around Olivia¡¯s body. Using both Divine Power and Mana Reinforcement to enhance her physical abilities, Olivia red at Leverier Lanche.


    ¡°If I die or if you die, this will all end.¡±


    In the face of such forceful coercion, Olivia chose to resist rather thanply or surrender. If she died, no one else would have to suffer. But before that, she intended to kill Leverier Lanche, the mastermind behind this cruel scheme.


    However, Leverier Lanche kept his calm in the face of Olivia¡¯s hostility.


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t anticipate such a choice?¡±


    At his signal, two holy knights emerged from a corridor.


    ¡°The moment you try anything foolish, you¡¯ll witness Adriana¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Senior...¡±


    The two holy nights dragged a distraught Adriana into the courtyard. Olivia¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Leverier Lanche.


    ¡°This is... monstrous...!¡±


    ¡°Even if you act here, it will only result in a meaningless death for you. And you¡¯ll have to watch Adriana die first.¡±


    Guilt filled Adriana¡¯s face. She understood the role she was being used for. Olivia couldn¡¯t make a move. The moment she tried anything, the sword held against Adriana¡¯s neck would do its job.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you think this is a bad thing. This is the first step in protecting the faithful. It¡¯s about saving countless people. If you change your mind, even a little, you can save countless lives.¡±


    Olivia did not respond to Leverier Lanche. She knew he fervently believed what he was saying, which made any argument futile. He believed his path was just, and never doubted himself.


    Olivia knew her foster father well. He was the kind of person who always demanded things from others, but was never persuaded by them.


    ¡°Senior... Please, don¡¯t worry about me!¡±


    ¡°Adriana...¡±


    Adriana, held captive, cried out to Olivia with a face full of guilt. Her expression was not just one of sorrow, but of utter disillusionment. She hade to realize that everything she had valued came down to this, and had lost the will to live.


    ¡°Senior... I¡¯m... I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Just follow your heart...¡±


    ¡°Adriana! Don¡¯t say anything. I... I...¡±


    Olivia couldn¡¯t finish her sentence.


    What could she do to save Adriana?


    To save Adriana, she had to stand with them. She had to pursue something she didn¡¯t want, like the formation of this Holy Empire.


    She did not know if Leverier Lanche could be reinstated as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, but she would have to lie and say that all the harsh things he¡¯d done to her had been fabricated.


    Adriana was just the beginning.


    Olivia coldly calcted the future. For the time being, she would go along with them. Once she confirmed that Adriana was safely released...


    She would die.


    If she died, they wouldn¡¯t be able to torment anyone to change her mind, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to torment her anymore either.


    Her death would be the greatest revenge against Leverier Lanche. The thing they least wanted was her death.


    Olivia decided to ept their proposal for now.


    At that moment...


    <i>sh!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Unexpectedly, the throats of the two holy knights holding onto Adriana were suddenly slit.


    Both Oliviat and Leverier Lanche stared open-mouthed at the sudden fountain of blood.


    As the two headless bodies iled about in the darkness, a figure caught Adriana¡¯s falling body.


    ¡°Humans.¡±


    A shadowy figure, like a manifestation of darkness, muttered from a red maw within the darkness. ¡°How can they be so wicked?¡±


    The shadowy figure, which looked like a pure manifestation of evil, smiled as it mused about the depths of human wickedness.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    The dark figure reached out, and shadows enveloped Olivia¡¯s entire body.


    ¡°Wh-what is this...!¡±


    ¡°A... a demon...?!¡±


    Olivia was suddenly bound up by the mysterious figure, just like Adriana.


    The figure, with wings like shadowy membranes, took to the sky.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    ¡°Ahahahahahaha!¡±


    With a maniacalugh that ripped through the night, the monster that had snatched Adriana disappeared into the sky. Olivia, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, found herself dangling in midair, caught in the monster¡¯s trap.


    ¡ªWhat, what is this?! Let me goooo...!


    Her cute and delicate scream didn¡¯t match the serious and ominous atmosphere at all.


    ¡°What is that!?¡± Leverier Lanche eximed.


    ¡°It seems to be a demon, sir!¡±


    ¡°How... how can there be a demon in the imperial capital...?!¡±


    Leverier Lanche pointed at the mysterious demon that had suddenly taken Olivia and Adriana, but no one could identify it.


    However, the confusion over the demon¡¯s appearance didn¡¯tst long, as an even more bewildering situation unfolded.


    <i>Rumble... Rumble...!</i>


    Dark clouds gathered in the night sky, and lightning crackled within the ominous clouds.


    <i>sh!</i>


    In an instant, bolts of lightning began to rain down from the sky.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen had summoned lightning bolts during her battle with Olivia Lanche. Now, dozens of those bolts were pouring down.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s magic!¡±


    The holy knights activated their Divine Power to protect themselves, but those who did not manage to react in time were instantly charred and crumbled to ashes.


    This was the highest level of destructive magic, Thunderstorm.


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon attack!¡± The holy knights cried out, quickly assessing the situation. However, things were not looking good.


    The Thunderstorm was just the beginning.


    <i>Zzzzzing!</i>


    A strange, tearing sound echoed around the monastery, and massive shockwaves erupted from the north, south, east, and west, punctuated by four massive explosions.


    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!</i>


    The spell ¡°Explosion¡± was cast four times in session, causing the structure of the already-dpidated monastery to crumble and copse.


    Holy knights, priests, and members of the secret society who did not have ess to strong protection spells were immediately blown to pieces.


    It was an instantaneous massacre.


    The sudden assault by a high-level mage turned the ce into a living hell. Lightning rained down on the holy knights as explosions ripped through the monastary.


    And then...


    <i>Rumble...</i>


    The ground shook, and mes began to erupt from the earth.


    Lightning rained from the sky while a storm of fire erupted from the ground.


    A Firestorm began to sweep across the ground with ferocious intensity.


    Leverier Lanche watched as the lightning and mes engulfed the holy knights.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    He remembered an incident when a simr firestorm had suddenly erupted in front of the Order of the Holy Knights¡¯ headquarters. A dragon had appeared, while a mysterious lycanthrope had caused chaos.


    Leverier Lanche had not been in charge of the caravan of subi prisoners at that time, but he had heard the reports.


    This felt just like that. A mysterious demon attack.


    As the mes and lightning raged on, someone emerged from the chaos.


    The magic seemed to part for them, as if it was avoiding them. They were unaffected by the pandemonium around them.


    A wolf-like demon with silver fur¡ªa lycanthrope.


    And beside it, a figure with ming red hair, a pair of curved horns protruding from their temples, human in appearance but clearly not human.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    In the midst of the inferno, a lycanthrope and an unknown demon had appeared.


    The demon stepped through the wall of mes, a sword with a milky white de slung over their shoulder.


    ¡°Leverier Lanche.¡±


    It was an unending series of horrors.


    ¡°Who... who are you?!¡± Leverier Lanche cried, eyes wide with disbelief as the heat from the mes and lightning buffeted him.


    The demon boy approached him, dragged his sword along the ground.


    ¡°Me? My name is Baalier. I am the rightful heir of the Dark Land, the legitimate sessor of the Demon Realm.¡±


    The boy pointed his sword, with its milky white de, at Leverier Lanche. The former Commander¡¯s eyes widened even further as he recognized the sword for what it was.


    ¡°How... how is this possible?!¡±


    Leverier Lanche couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of a single aspect of this situation.


    ¡°Well... you corrupt priest, it¡¯s time for divine retribution.¡±


    Despite his iprehension, things were still unfolding.


    The Demon King, wielding a sacred sword, was about to kill him.

 Chapter 321

    <h4>Chapter 321</h4>


    Humans needed to understand that the Great War was notpletely over. Eleris understood what I meant, Loyar didn¡¯t question it, and though Sarkegar seemed unsure as to why it was necessary, he didn¡¯t argue.


    I did not allow Radia Schmidt to be involved in the fight. It was possible that she might do something foolish, so I left her under Eleris¡¯s watch once the situation escted.


    After confirming that Sarkegar had retrieved Olivia and Adriana, I initiated the n. Once they were dropped off in a safe ce, they would have questions about why demons had rescued them, but their first order of action would be to flee.


    The mysterious massacre that was about to ur would be reported as the work of demons. I had instructed Sarkegar to fly around in his demonic form to ensure there were witnesses, which would allow the rumors to spread. Of course, those present at the actual scene couldn¡¯t serve as witnesses since they would all be dead.


    The monastery had beenpletely destroyed by Eleris¡¯s magic, and all the small fry within had perished in the hellish chain of destructive spells. However, these destructive spells did not harm Loyar or me. The fact that Eleris could exclude certain targets even within suchrge-scale destructive magic demonstrated what an incredibly powerful mage she was.


    Wrapped in the searing heat that should have turned our skin to charcoal, only Loyar and I remained unharmed. There were not even corpses left of the small fry, and the survivors had to fight amidst the extreme conditions of lightning storms and firestorms.


    During the incident involving the demon prisoners, Eleris had created a firestorm as well, but had no intention of killing anyone back then. This time, however, she had used her magic with the intent to annihte all enemies.


    The holy knights struggled just to use their Divine Power to protect themselves from the extreme heat.


    Those that remained were the elite holy knights, including Leverier Lanche.


    <i>Roaaaaaar!</i>


    Loyar, in her lycanthrope form, fought to kill this time as well.


    <i>Bang! Crash! ng!</i>


    Instead of pushing the holy knights away with her mana-infused ws, she lifted them, threw them to the ground, and tore them apart.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    <i>Aaaaargh!</i>


    Loyar bit into the head of a holy knight, pulling the body downward and viciously jerking her head upward.


    <i>Rip!</i>


    <i>¡®Ugh...¡¯</i>


    Loyar chewed on the head of the decapitated holy knight. Blood dripped from the mouth of the silver beast, and a red gleam flickered in her eyes.


    While I knew this was a side of her, seeing her true nature was still chilling.


    But in this circumstance, strength was all that mattered.


    The moon wasn¡¯t yet full, but it was close enough, and both Eleris and Loyar were at their peak.


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    I parried Leverier Lanche¡¯s greatsword, taking a few steps back. Of all the elite holy knights, he was central to this entire plot, and the one enemy that had to be killed.


    Leverier Lanche... He was my opponent.


    ¡°How can the Demon King wield Tiamata?¡±


    ¡°Because it is the will of the gods.¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t a good choice for me to be facing him, but I stood before Leverier Lanche nheless. Myment about the will of the gods caused his expression to twist.


    ¡°How dare a creature of the Demon Realm speak of divinity?¡±


    ¡°Are you, in turn, denying the power of the gods?¡±


    ¡°Silence, young Demon King! I don¡¯t know how you found that nor how you are able to wield it, but I cannot tolerate any more insults to the gods!¡±


    Leverier Lanche charged at me with his greatsword. He was the leader of the Order of the Holy Knights and a veteran among veterans.


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Even with Mana Reinforcement, it was impossible for me to face such a seasoned warrior. Just one sh of swords sent me rolling backward. A wave of shock ran through me, and it felt like my entire body was shattering.


    ¡°Pathetic! Are you really the Demon King?¡±


    Leverier Lanche had to fight while enduring the full brunt of the firestorm and the lightning strikes. Most of his energy was spent protecting himself.


    Despite this, he was overwhelmingly superior, which was no surprise.


    Even so, I stood my ground against Leverier Lanche. I had to face him.


    This bastard was the one who had kidnapped Adriana, and couldn¡¯t let go of his obsession with Olivia.


    Only by squaring up to him could I draw out true anger.


    <i>Wooong...</i>


    ¡°If this isn¡¯t the power of the gods, then what is it?¡±


    ¡°A mere demon using Divine Power...¡±


    I saw the shock and disgust in Leverier Lanche¡¯s eyes over the fact that I could draw out the true power of Tiamata.


    <i>sh!</i>


    An explosion of holy light enveloped my body.


    On top of my Mana Reinforcement, my body was further strengthened by Divine Power. Olivia Lanche¡¯s power infused my body.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s greatsword shed with Tiamata, sending out a fierce shockwave.


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s sword was imbued with white light. He wasn¡¯t a Swordmaster, but he wasn¡¯t that far off. At my current level, I would be overwhelmingly defeated a hundred times out of a hundred.


    However, Leverier Lanche could not focus solely on defeating me.


    He was fighting within a furnace that could turn steel into molten metal.


    I had Mana Reinforcement, Self-Deception, Tiamata¡¯s Divine Power, and even Incantation.


    ¡°<i>Die</i>!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Leverier Lanche, who was pushed back by my strike, looked incredulous.


    Even though I was the sessor to the Demon King, he probably believed that I was just a novice. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was being pushed back.


    Despite this small sess, I was struggling as well.


    My Incantation power was weak, so I couldn¡¯t fully draw on it.


    ¡°Do not speak of the gods any longer, young Demon King.¡±


    Cold fury filled Leverier Lanche¡¯s eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, but he seemed to be focusing more and more on the fight. Leverier Lanche¡¯s Divine Power was overwhelming.


    ¡°Whatever you are, I must kill you before you be an even more dangerous seed of evil,¡± he said.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    The white light enveloping Leverier Lanche¡¯s body surged explosively.


    The Divine Power of Ouen was most potent against unholy beings. In other words, it was an exorcising force.


    But I was not undead. Thus, the exorcising power imbued in Ouen¡¯s Divine Power had no effect on me.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    However, this was the same for my opponent. And the output of my Mana Reinforcement and the Divine Power I wielded through Tiamata were both inferior to Leverier Lanche¡¯s.


    If not for the environmental conditions around us, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to exchange even a few blows with him. Leverier Lanche approached me as if he were a giant.


    He looked at me the way one might observe a naive youngster. ¡°Since you survived, you should have quietly lived out your days in the remote corners of the Dark Land. Chasing after past glories only hastens your demise.¡±


    Despite having a powerful mage and a lycanthrope under mymand, he had already assessed that I did not possess any formidable strength on my own.


    This was a duel between leaders. But while Leverier Lanche was the strongest among his forces, I was weaker than my subordinates.


    My participation in this duel was nothing but folly.


    Even though I could draw out Tiamata¡¯s power, I was gradually being pushed back.


    With a stern expression, Leverier Lanche struck blow after blow.


    ¡°Indeed, all this plotting is unnecessary. I¡¯m d you revealed yourself. By killing you, the root of the next Great War, and reiming Ouen¡¯s relic, I can avoid such tedious tasks.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Just one sh of swords sent me tumbling backward.


    I could see a hint of exhration within Leverier Lanche¡¯s stern expression.


    ¡°Is this a revtion Ouen has given me?¡±


    He was interpreting the Demon King wielding a sacred sword to his own benefit.


    He believed he could im the honor of having defeated the next Demon King and reiming Ouen¡¯s relic simultaneously, regardless of the events leading up to it.


    He seemed to believe that my sudden appearance, while wielding Ouen¡¯s holy relic, was akin to a pig bringing home gold.


    Now that I had appeared, Olivia was no longer necessary.


    Did he believe Ouen had brought him both the relic and the young Demon King¡¯s head at the same time?


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    I parried his thrust, but could not push him back.


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s misconception was understandable. After all, I wasn¡¯t qualified to face him.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Even parrying his sword was a struggle, which left me open multiple times. Although his sword didn¡¯t not directly wound my body thanks to my Mana Reinforcement and the power flowing from my own sword, I still felt the blunt force of each blow.


    It felt like I was being struck in the sr plexus with a hammer. The pain made it hard to stay conscious.


    Leverier Lanche continued with his ferocious onught, and maintaining my Mana Reinforcement was bing increasingly difficult.


    My opponent was iparably stronger than me. That was an unchanging fact.


    <i>Bang! Bang! ng!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I knew this was reckless. Even if I were to join up with Loyar, who was currently massacring the holy knights, the oue would be uncertain.


    But I wasn¡¯t fighting alone.


    <i>Crash! sh!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Four consecutive thunderbolts from the Thunderstorm struck Leverier Lanche. He furrowed his brow and took a few steps back.


    I wasn¡¯t alone. Eleris was controlling the whirlwind of destructive magic around us, buying me time so that Leverier Lanche couldn¡¯tnd a decisive blow on me.


    However, even the lightning strikes that would have turned an ordinary person to ash with a single hit only managed to slow him down a bit.


    <i>Crash! Boom!</i>


    ¡°You might be insignificant, but your subordinates seem to be quite capable!¡± Leverier Lanche eximed.


    I had no intention of denying that.


    Leverier Lanche, steadily approaching me through the storm of fire and lightning, no longer looked human to me.


    Was this the true power of the holy knights?


    Could he even be called human? He seemed more monstrous than I, the Demon King.


    <i>¡®It should be happening by now. Even if I go back now, it would be toote.¡¯</i>


    Gripping the fiercely vibrating Tiamata, I swung upward to counter my opponent¡¯s descending de.


    ¡°<i>Get lost</i>!¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    With a deafening noise, Leverier Lanche¡¯s chest was left exposed, and I thrust Tiamata towards his chest.


    <i>sh!</i>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    A huge explosion of force was released as my blownded, and both Leverier Lanche and I were flung in opposite directions.


    ¡°You... What are you?¡±


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s expression hardened. It was as if he sensed I was using an unusual power.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m the Demon King.¡±


    Tiamata cried out. It was responding to my anger.


    There was only one reason for my anger.


    I pointed the tip of Tiamata toward him. ¡°Because of you... I couldn¡¯t go to Miss Temple...¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Acquiring a new talent wasn¡¯t the issue. I wasn¡¯t angry because of that.


    She¡¯d told me she just needed one vote. And because of him, I couldn¡¯t be there to give her that one vote.


    I had been worried about who to vote for in the contest before, but that worry had disappeared entirely.


    Leverier Lanche couldn¡¯t understand what I was talking about.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Within the whirlwind of fire and lightning, a stray thought rose up, overwhelming me.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s Ellen thinking right now? Does she resent me for not being there?¡¯</i>


    She had asked me to go, even though she wasn¡¯t the type to make such requests.


    Telling her it couldn¡¯t be helped meant nothing. Telling her it couldn¡¯t be helped solved nothing. It only piled up into resentment and sorrow.


    But I <i>couldn¡¯t</i> go. I couldn¡¯t leave those I had put in danger because of me.


    I had created another unavoidable situation, and made someone else sad because of it.


    This vile injustice infuriated me, my anger rising toward the one who had created this situation.


    ¡°So just die,¡± I said.


    I was angry. So angry that my anger was sufficient.


    <i>Wooooong!</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but there¡¯s no need to converse with the likes of you any longer.¡±


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    With powerful strides, Leverier Lanche charged at me, swinging his greatsword enveloped in Divine Power.


    I was in danger. The intense warning from my Qi Sense told me that if I took that hit, I would die, so I threw myself to the side.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    The blow did not catch me, but the ground that Leverier Lanche struck was blown apart, as if a giant beast had taken a bite out of it.


    He was both an unbreakable shield and a force that could unleash powerful physical attacks.


    Leverier Lanche was truly a master of his field.


    Without magical assistance, I would have been reduced to a bloody pulp in just one exchange.


    ¡°Is running all you can do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If I drag it out long enough, even your zombie-like vitality will run out.¡±


    ¡°How dare youpare this sacred power to such a vile and disgusting being!¡±


    Treating him like an undead was the greatest insult to a holy knight who served Ouen.


    <i>Roaaaaar!</i>


    From afar, I could hear Loyar¡¯s battle cry piercing through the explosions.


    Once again, Leverier Lanche, wreathed in lightning, charged at me.


    He pointed his greatsword, enveloped in a torrent of Divine Power, at me.


    I took a deep breath.


    Leverier Lanche was a holy knight, and could channel his overwhelming defensive power to be used as a weapon. His style of fighting was to imbue each strike with incredible physical force, to kill his opponent in one blow.


    He could certainly afford to do so. In this battlefield, charged with high-level destructive magic, minor attacks would be nothing more than a tickle to him.


    The term ¡°human tank¡± couldn¡¯t be more fitting for him, the pinnacle of holy knights.


    Leverier Lanche approached once more, ready to strike. From about twenty paces away, he focused Divine Power into his sword and pointed its tip at me.


    He¡¯d stopped his approach, as if he didn¡¯t even feel the need to.


    He swung his sword at me from where he was.


    If I didn¡¯t dodge, I would surely die.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    My vision turned white as the torrent of Divine Power, projected forward with physical force, engulfed the spot where I had just been.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I dodged, but just a little toote. Part of my left shoulder was literally torn off, and a searing pain surged through me, as if I had been burned.


    The Divine Power emanating from Tiamata was sealing the wound, but nearly half of my shoulder was gone.


    I could endure the pain, but my left arm was useless.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    This had already surpassed the realm of swordsmanship.


    Just as Sabioleen Tana could ovey mana on her sword and send out mana shockwaves, Leverier Lanche could strike beyond the reach of his sword with his ability to project Divine Power.


    At the pinnacle of swordsmanship, swordsmen could perform feats indistinguishable from magic, and the worst part was that my opponent was one of those individuals.


    ¡°Has your fighting spirit been broken, Demon King?¡±


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s power was iparable to mine. Eleris was providing magical support from a distance, but Leverier Lanche¡¯s defenses were still intact.


    Loyar was also being overwhelmed by more than five holy knights, and unable to spare me any attention.


    I felt like I was facing a wall.


    It was different from the wall that Ellen represented. It wasn¡¯t the feeling of being unable to catch up.


    It felt as if the wall of death was slowly approaching.


    <i>¡®What should I have done? Should I have waited for Adriana to die, for Olivia to fall into this bastard¡¯s hands? Should I have watched as the empire¡¯s division loomed closer?¡¯</i>


    I knew it was reckless to go up against an enemy I couldn¡¯t possibly defeat at my current level.


    But was I supposed to just watch as someone died, as sacrifices were made?


    I knew that not everyone could be happy.


    However, understanding that and epting it were different matters, and so I stood before Leverier Lanche in my true form.


    In my mind, that was what I had to do.


    The pain in my shoulder gradually faded, but Leverier Lanche once again rested his sword on his shoulder, imbuing it with Divine Power.


    At my level, I could not block his projection of Divine Power.


    A ranged attack that could be projected forward with just a single thrust of his sword. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could dodge it a second time.


    I¡¯d survived a blow to the shoulder, but if this strike struck my head, or heart, or severed a limb, I would die instantly.


    And that wasn¡¯t all.


    Loyar couldn¡¯t handle all the holy knights.


    ¡ªCommander! I¡¯ll assist you!


    One of the holy knights had wriggled free of Loyar¡¯s assault and was rushing to join Leverier Lanche.


    Leverier Lanche looked over at the holy knight rushing over to us and shouted, ¡°Just hold him down for a moment! Go, Rondel!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Leverier Lanche on his own was already enough to overwhelm me, but if it became a two-on-one fight, it would truly be the end of me. Even if that holy knight held me down for just a moment, I wouldn¡¯t be able to block Leverier Lanche¡¯s attack.


    As the holy knight who hade to join the fight brushed past Leverier Lanche and charged at me...


    <i>Thud!</i>


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    I watched in horror as the ckened ws of the holy knight pierced through Leverier Lanche¡¯s back and emerged through his chest.


    ¡°Your Highness! I have arrived!¡± the holy knight cried out.


    It wasn¡¯t a holy knight; it was Sarkegar.

 Chapter 322 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 322 [Illustration]</h4>


    Sarkegar had transformed into one of the holy knights and joined the fray. He had pretended to join Leverier Lanche, but struck him from behind instead.


    His strike was precise. It pierced Leverier Lanche¡¯s heart from the back.


    It was surely a fatal wound.


    However, what I saw next left me even more horrified.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Leverier Lanche, quickly assessing the situation, unleashed a burst of Divine Power, flinging Sarkegar away from him. Sarkegar, who fared even worse against Divine Power than I did, was thrown backward, and groaned as he slowly got up.


    Leverier Lanche clutched at his chest, from which bright red blood was still gushing.


    <i>Woooong...</i>


    The wound began to heal.


    Although his heart had been shattered, it was regenerating. Leverier Lanche was slowly recovering from the fatal wound to his heart, even as blood trickled out the side of his mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s insane... Are you even human?¡±


    ¡°Demon King, what are you talking about?¡± With an expression as hard as iron, Leverier Lanche wiped the blood from his mouth. ¡°This is what it means to be human.¡±


    Leverier Lanche, having restored his shattered heart and ready to fight again, looked at me and said, ¡°The gods ept my faith and make the impossible possible. This is something that only humans can achieve because the Five Great Gods love humanity.¡±


    Leverier Lanche seemed to believe that Divine Power was a privilege exclusive to humans.


    ¡°Therefore, reiming the relic from an unholy being like you as quickly as possible is my mission and duty. It is the way to repay the gods¡¯ love,¡± he added.


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s fanaticism was different from Radia¡¯s.


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s fanaticism was passionate and intense, but Leverier Lanche¡¯s was a refined madness.


    A cold fanaticism, devoid of excitement, anxiety, or anger. One that was meticulously honed and sharpened. Leverier Lanche, having been infused with a torrent of Divine Power, looked over at the now-risen Sarkegar, who had disguised himself as a holy knight.


    ¡°A being that wears the skin of another. You truly have a despicable subordinate, Demon King.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had anticipated that Leverier Lanche would possess formidable strength, but this was far beyond what I had imagined.


    He could recover even when his heart had been pierced. This creature couldn¡¯t be killed unless his head was severed.


    I was beginning to doubt whether it was possible for his stamina to be exhausted by the relentless lightning strikes.


    At this point, it seemed that Sarkegar and I would not be enough. We also needed Loyar to join forces with us.


    Even then, would it be possible?


    I was realizing the tenacity of the holy knights in the most unwanted way.


    They enhanced their bodies, protected themselves with blessings, imbued their swords with Divine Power, and could even survive wounds that should have been fatal.


    If that wasn¡¯t a zombie, then what was? Not all holy knights were like this, but Leverier Lanche was the pinnacle of them all, and could do all those things.


    Leverier Lancheunched himself toward Sarkegar and me once more.


    <i>Thud! Boom! Crash!</i>


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Though we were the monsters, we were barely dodging the ferocious attacks of this rampaging beast, struggling to keep pace against its onught.


    <i>sh!</i>


    Leverier Lanche recognized that Sarkegar¡¯s attacks could prate his defenses, and he didn¡¯t allow Sarkegar to get close enough to deliver a fatal blow.


    Sarkegar¡¯s ck des, formed by transforming parts of his body, could indeed pierce through Leverier Lanche¡¯s defenses.


    However, even when an attack seeded, it changed nothing.


    <i>Woooong!</i>


    Leverier Lanche never allowed himself to suffer a fatal wound, and even when injured, he quickly recovered.


    I couldn¡¯t even fathom the limits of his Divine Power.


    A long, drawn-out fight was the only strategy, but it was uncertain if I could survive Leverier Lanche¡¯s attacks long enough for that.


    ¡°Your Highness! You should consider retreating!¡±


    Sarkegar¡¯s shout rang in my ears.


    <i>¡®Right.¡¯</i>


    We could end this chaos and retreat immediately. I knew very well that it was time to consider that option.


    We had sessfully rescued Olivia and Adriana, and I had acted openly as Baalier.


    If we retreated, though, Adriana and Olivia would be in danger once again.


    People would undoubtedly question the fact that Adriana and Olivia had been rescued by demons. Even though they knew nothing about it, the misunderstandings and suspicions of others could lead to the worst possible oue.


    Alternatively, Leverier Lanche might turn a blind eye to all of this and try to manipte Olivia again.


    If I didn¡¯t kill Leverier Lanche, the oue of the day¡¯s efforts would be worse than if we had done nothing. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t retreat.


    ¡°No. Either he dies, or I die. One of us must die today.¡±


    Leverier Lanche looked at me, cautioning me with his eyes. ¡°Do you think you have a chance, Demon King?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t die here. I¡¯ll kill you and survive.¡±


    ¡°On what basis do you make that im?¡±


    Just as Leverier Lanche had his fanaticism, I had my own.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s just how this world works,¡± I said.


    Miracles that always seemed to favor me happened again this time.


    Self-Deception? Incantation?


    I didn¡¯t care about all that.


    This wasn¡¯t about belief; it was a fact.


    This second life of mine was a punishment, and my punishment couldn¡¯t be as trivial as dying at the hands of Leverier Lanche in a ce like this.


    A greater punishment awaited me. There were more things I had to endure, more sorrows and pains prepared for me.


    If I were to die from something like this, I would be disappointed that the punishment given to me was this trivial.


    ¡°There are too many things ahead of me for me to die now.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t die before experiencing all of them.


    Perhaps one day I would crumble, get trampled, go mad, kill, or die in those experiences. Or perhaps I could break through all of it and seize happiness. In any case, this wasn¡¯t the ce for me to fall yet.


    ¡°Even if the Five Great Gods descended to kill me here, I wouldn¡¯t die, Leverier Lanche.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t some kind of belief or deception; it was simply a fact. Such a level of certainty from me caused a different light to flicker in Leverier Lanche¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your sphemy has gone too far, Demon King.¡±


    A fanatic always felt disgust when faced with another form of fanaticism. He now felt what I felt towards him.


    I wouldn¡¯t die until I had experienced all the stages that had been prepared for me.


    I would ensure that Olivia wouldn¡¯t be forced into further sorrow.


    I wouldn¡¯t let her return to a life where she couldn¡¯t even explore what it meant to be herself, buried under the mantle of a saint.


    I was going to lift both Adriana and Olivia out of this pit of gods, faith, and belief.


    Every ce where humans lived, every realm where humans existed, might be a cesspool for its own reasons. Ultimately, though, I would show them that things other than cesspools existed.


    I would grant them freedom. A life where they could ponder and choose their own path, not one where they had to adapt and sumb to what was forced upon them, but one where they made their own choices after going through their own struggles.


    I had decided to grant both Adriana and Olivia true freedom.


    ¡°I will. Kill. You.¡±


    This was the most chilling vow I had ever made.


    Leverier Lanche adjusted his grip on his sword.


    He didn¡¯t say anything like, ¡°Do you think you can do that?¡±


    He seemed to sense that something had changed in my demeanor.


    <i>¡®Let it happen again. A miracle. Come to me. Don¡¯t you still have many desires for me? There are many things I have yet to go through. Aren¡¯t you raising me up just to bring me down? I haven¡¯t reached the top yet.¡¯</i>


    I wanted a miracle that would allow me to take the life of Leverier Lanche, an enemy that I couldn¡¯t possibly best at my current level.


    I prepared myself for that miracle.


    Anger... To ignite the fuel that would produce the result I considered a miracle, I had to be angry.


    Surpassing my actual limits always required willpower.


    Leverier Lanche despised me. The time for words was over. He prepared for another attack.


    ¡°Die, Demon King!¡±


    <i>Crackkkk!</i>


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s sword came down, his blow striking the ground and distorting it, sending out a massive shockwave. I barely dodged the direct hit, but had to roll several times along the ground to do so. Sarkegar was also fighting valiantly, but he could only inflict minor scratches.


    The iron wall named Leverier Lanche remained steadfast. It was a wall that, even when crumbled, would rebuild itself.


    A blue and white light began to coalesce around his sword. He was channeling his Divine Power offensively. The next attack was more than a mere sh of his sword. He was about to attack me with an explosive discharge of mana and Divine Power. Just like Sabioleen Tana had shown, mages were not the only ones who could perform area-of-effect attacks.


    He intended to kill me in one blow and leave. He was preparing a massive strike.


    Though Tiamata was the source of my Divine Power, I couldn¡¯t draw Divine Power from within myself, and could only utilize Tiamata¡¯s power under limited conditions.


    Leverier Lanche, a holy knight of Ouen, and Tiamata, a Holy Relic of Ouen.


    Ultimately, we were both drawing on the same type of power, and I was inferior in that power.


    It was Divine Power against Divine Power. In such a contest, I would always lose, because I could not draw on it as much as he could.


    Whether he was a fallen cleric or a mad fanatic, the time and experience he had umted were real.


    ¡°Disappear with the light.¡±


    This was what it meant to be a war hero who returned victorious from the Great War.


    I had to surpass all the experience he had umted.


    He was a madman who would not die unless I severed his head or inflicted some other truly mortal wound.


    I had to rely on my own power: Anger, Faith (Self-Deception), and Words (Incantation).


    And also the fate that was given to me.


    Since that fate had yet to arrive, I wouldn¡¯t die.


    I needed a miracle that could kill this monster, and I knew what that was.


    Facing the enemy who was preparing his strike, I gripped Tiamata with both hands.


    Though it was impossible to infuse it with power while holding it, I spoke with determined anger.


    <i>¡®Tiamata.¡¯</i>


    As he swung his sword and the storm of Divine Power in the form of physical force tried to engulf me, I directed mymand towards Tiamata, which was radiating Divine Power in all directions.


    <i>¡®Be a demonic sword.¡¯</i>


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    The white light that had been surging from Tiamata turned into darkness that consumed the light.


    To kill a monster that drew on Ouen¡¯s power to regenerate infinitely, it was obvious what I needed.


    I needed the opposing force.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    Burning through wasn¡¯t enough. Within the wave of light pouring down on me, I pierced through it, shrouded in darkness.


    ¡°Y-You...! What have you done to Tiamata...!¡± Leverier Lanche cried out in horror as I charged towards him.


    I was right.


    I couldn¡¯t defeat Leverier Lanche with the same power he wielded. So, I summoned an opposite force, breaking through with the power of opposition.


    Using a force that opposed his, I could prate his irond defense and sever his lifeline.


    I had only one chance.


    There was no need to exin the situation to him. I would run my de through his throat before he could understand what was going on.


    Piercing through the surging light, shrouded in darkness that the light couldn¡¯t invade, I reached the astonished Leverier Lanche in an instant.


    In just one moment, life and death hung in the bnce, and history could be rewritten.


    The line between life and death was ultimately a matter of a single moment.


    <i>¡®Revise.¡¯</i>


    [Using 1000 achievement points.]


    <i>¡®Incantation.¡¯</i>


    Shrouded in the power of the demonic sword, I shouted a single word at Leverier Lanche, who was drawing back his greatsword to stab me in response.


    ¡°<i>Stop!</i>¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Ugh! This... this is...!¡±


    One step.


    One span.


    Life and death could be decided by such a small difference.


    I thrusted my sword towards Leverier Lanche, whose movements had been momentarily halted by my Incantation.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    I seeded in plunging the demonic sword Tiamata into his heart.


    ***


    I had transformed Tiamata into a demonic sword.


    That was the miracle I had wished for.


    I had strengthened the power of the Incantation using Revise, freezing Leverier Lanche¡¯s movements at the critical moment.


    As a result, Leverier Lanche suffered a fatal wound.


    This time, it was truly a mortal wound.


    ¡°Ugh, ugh... ugh!¡±


    He clutched the demonic sword Tiamata embedded in his heart, but all he could do was cough up blood.


    The holy knights, already weakened by the prolonged battle in the firestorm, had reached their limits. Seeing Leverier Lanche kneeling on the ground, a sword through his heart, they began to flee.


    They likely believed it was better to survive and report the situation than to prolong a losing battle.


    ¡°Ugh... ugh... ugh...¡±


    ¡°Persistent, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Even with his heart impaled on the demonic sword, Leverier Lanche wouldn¡¯t die easily.


    A white glow enveloped his entire body. He was desperately clinging to life with Divine Power.


    Even after taking a direct hit from an opposing power, he could still channel Ouen¡¯s power weakly.


    ¡°H-How... could... T-Tiamata...¡±


    I hadn¡¯t anticipated that he would be such a monstrous opponent, but even fighting against the power of the demonic sword that was consuming his body was beyond his limits.


    Though they originated from the same source, they were opposing forces.


    Leverier Lanche could survive Sarkegar¡¯s attacks, but he couldn¡¯t withstand the unholy power flowing through the demonic sword Tiamata.


    He was merely prolonging his life through sheer desperation.


    I stood there, calmly looking down at Leverier Lanche, who was kneeling before me, clearly wanting to pull out the demonic sword embedded in his heart butcking the strength to move even a finger.


    As I watched him in his final moments, Loyar, in her lycanthrope form, approached me.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will pursue the fleeing holy knights.¡±


    ¡°Good. Take Sarkegar with you.¡±


    Sarkegar, though shocked by how I had transformed the sacred sword into a demonic sword, hadn¡¯t forgotten what needed to be done.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let a single one of them escape. No one must know that I wield Tiamata.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    To be precise, Olivia could not witness the Demon King wielding the sacred sword. Sarkegar would have ensured that Olivia was far away. There was no chance she had witnessed this scene.


    ¡°Who... are you...?¡± Leverier Lanche muttered, blood dripping from his mouth.


    ¡°The Demon King.¡±


    ¡°Why did you attack me¡ªno, why did you attack us...? Why did you save Olivia...?¡±


    Only on the brink of death did Leverier Lanche seem to question my motives.


    Why would someone iming to be the Demon King save Olivia and Adriana? What was this talk about Miss Temple?


    ¡°Let¡¯s... cooperate... Demon King...¡± he said, his voice fading.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    With his dying breaths, Leverier Lanche said softly, ¡°You want... to rebuild the Demon Realm... don¡¯t you...? In that case... a division within the empire... would benefit you... If we cooperate... amon goal... It would be... an offer you can¡¯t refuse...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be dumbstruck by his words.


    ¡°If you were going to say that, you should have said it earlier.¡±


    Only on the brink of death did he pathetically speak ofpromise.


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re begging for your life,¡± I said.


    ¡°You will... need me too...¡±


    If he had said this with a clear mind, he would have seemed like a fanatic who was willing to betray humanity for the sake of the divine.


    At this moment, though, Leverier Lanche¡¯s words were nothing but the desperate ilings of someone on the verge of death.


    He was, in the face of death, abandoning everything.


    ¡°Begging for your life when you¡¯re on the brink of death shows you¡¯re not pure. Not keeping your methods pure in pursuit of your goals, but changing your methods depending on the situation shows that your intentions aren¡¯t pure either.¡±


    I looked down at him. ¡°Leverier Lanche, you are disqualified in too many ways to serve Ouen.¡±


    At my words, Leverier Lanche looked at me with dying eyes.


    ¡°Do you... truly im to be Ouen¡¯s champion?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Do you think otherwise?¡± I replied.


    Leverier Lanche struggled to look up at me.


    He stared into my eyes.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    It was as if he was trying to find something he had lost.


    ¡°Yes... Ouen¡¯s champions were originally... those who punished humans.¡±


    Ouen¡¯s champions... They had not been demon hunters or undead yers, but hunters of humans.


    They had traditionally been tasked with executing corrupt dark mages or demonic cultists, and thest Champion of Ouen before me had been killed fighting demonic cultists.


    Ouen¡¯s champions were originally those who killed humans, not demons or undead.


    He continued to look up at me.


    ¡°A Demon King being Ouen¡¯s champion... might not be so strange after all...¡±


    Only on the brink of death did he ept that I was Ouen¡¯s champion.


    Had hee to terms with everything after his defeat? Did he see his defeat as Ouen¡¯s will?


    My god is right. I face death because my god has abandoned me.


    Thus, I am wrong.


    His fanaticism remained unshaken even in the face of death.


    In the end, in the face of death, he even had to ept the demonic sword Tiamata.


    If Ouen had truly been on his side, he wouldn¡¯t have been defeated.


    He had to acknowledge that I was Ouen¡¯s champion, despite all his doubts about me.


    I pulled Tiamata from his heart and pointed its tip towards the neck of the kneeling Leverier Lanche.


    ¡°I believed I was pure,¡± he said.


    It sounded like a protest, but it wasn¡¯t.


    Ouen¡¯s champion, wielding Tiamata, had made his appearance. Not for anything else, but to kill a holy knight who imed to serve the god of purity.


    Thus, he left his final excuse: that he had believed himself to be pure.


    He might truly have been pure.


    He might have genuinely believed that the justice he believed in was the right path.


    Hisst words were his final excuse.


    <i>sh!</i>


    With a single sh of Tiamata¡¯s de, I ended Leverier Lanche¡¯s lifepletely.


    The life of a fallen priest, taken by a fallen Holy Relic.


    In the end, Leverier Lanche had fallen twice to the same entity.


    I stood there, dazed, in the ruins of the destroyed monastery, which had been shaken to its core by chaos.


    The storm had passed, and only charred ruins and rising smoke were left, illuminated by the pale winter moonlight.


    Ignoring the headless corpse of the former leader of the Order of the Holy Knights and his head rolling lifelessly along the ground, I stared nkly at the sky.


    In the end, I hadn¡¯t gone where I¡¯d needed to go.


    <i>¡®What should I say?¡¯</i>


    If I said that, once again, I hadn¡¯t been able to be there because of unavoidable circumstances...


    <i>¡®What would Ellen say? </i>


    <i>¡®No... Do I even have the right to say such things anymore?¡¯</i>


    I had nned and seeded in the monumental task of annihting the former leader of the Order of the Holy Knights and a secret religious faction, to prevent a division within the empire.


    I pondered what excuse I could give to Ellen.


    This situation should have felt absurd, but it didn¡¯t feel funny at all.


    ¡°...¡±


    As I stood under the winter night, a message appeared before my eyes.


    [Special Achievement Unlocked - Turning Point in History]


    [The death of a key figure (Leverier Lanche) who should have existed in the original timeline has been confirmed.]


    A turning point in history, caused by killing someone... This was the first time it had happened.


    [As a reward for achieving the special achievement, you have acquired the trait ¡®Apostle (ʹͽ)¡¯.¡¯]


    [Trait: Apostle]


    [Description: You have be the true master of Tiamata.]


    It was a simple statement, but I felt like I understood what it meant.


    Tiamata in the form of a demonic sword, and Tiamata in the form of a sacred sword...


    I had be, in the truest sense, Ouen¡¯s champion, capable of wielding both for the first time in history.


    ***


    It waste at night.


    The Miss and Mister Temple Contest venue was still brimming with excitement, wrapped up in thunderous cheers.


    The long contest hade to an end, and the only thing that remained was for the winners to be announced.


    Glittering confetti rained down from the ceiling of the auditorium.


    Olivia Lanche, a strong contender for the win, had not participated.


    The reason for her absence was unknown.


    ¡ªThis year¡¯s Miss Temple is Ellen from the Royal ss, first year!


    Ellen had surpassed all other formidable candidates and was crowned that year¡¯s Miss Temple.


    Amid the apuse and cheers of the crowd, a crown of flowers and a bouquet were handed to Ellen, who was dressed in a white gown.


    Her Royal ss ssmates pped vigorously and congratted her.


    However, Ellen¡¯s expression remained stiff while she stood in that glorious position. She stared nkly at the floor as she stood holding the ornate crown and bouquet that signified victory.


    Ellen, who had needed just one vote, had received many.


    All but that one vote.


    Despite having been chosen by so many people, Ellen couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the world had abandoned her.

 Chapter 323

    <h4>Chapter 323</h4>


    ¡°Senior, what on earth... is going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The important thing is, we mustn¡¯t get involved in that matter.¡±


    Olivia and Adriana were making their way through the forested hills. Olivia held Adriana¡¯s hand tightly, leading the way so that they wouldn¡¯t get separated.


    When that demonic creature had suddenly kidnapped Adriana, it seemed the already dire situation had worsened even further.


    Then, Olivia felt her heart sink when that demon grabbed her as well.


    She dangled in mid-air, being dragged away¡ªkidnapped¡ªyet she couldn¡¯t use her Divine Power recklessly. She feared that Adriana might fall to her death, so she decided to bide her time.


    The demon unceremoniously dropped Adriana and Olivia off in a forest far from the monastery and simply left, leaving Olivia dumbfounded.


    She had expected something terrible or life-threatening to happen. However, the demon released both her and Adriana without saying anything, and then flew away on its massive ck wings.


    Olivia had been contemting how to fight this demon she had never seen before, but she didn¡¯t even get the chance to fight.


    She had considered whether to draw Tiamata as well, but the moment never came.


    When the thunderstorm gathered in the distance, lightning shed, and a crimson firestorm began to rage, it looked to Olivia as though chaos had truly erupted.


    She was desperate to find out what was happening, but she didn¡¯t head in that direction solely because of Adriana.


    Though it was unclear what was actually going on, securing Adriana¡¯s safety was the priority.


    Thus, Olivia walked briskly in the opposite direction of the madness.


    Adriana was just as confused by the situation.


    ¡°Listen carefully, Adriana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, senior?¡±


    ¡°We mustn¡¯t tell anyone what happened to us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Adriana understood why Olivia was saying this.


    ¡°Whatever it is, if someone finds out, it won¡¯t end well.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Given what was happening, a thorough investigation into the chaos that was uring would soon beunched, even though it was happening on the outskirts of the capital.


    Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, a demon had rescued the two of them. Such a thing would never be seen in a good light, and they might even be branded as demon coborators.


    For their silence to be effective, all the holy knights at the scene would have to die.


    Olivia didn¡¯t know what was happening, but she knew they had to leave the area.


    Olivia continued to walk forward, holding Adriana¡¯s hand firmly.


    ***


    Given the considerablemotion, it was certain that troops would be dispatched, and an investigation would soon follow.


    We regrouped at a location far from the ruined monastery.


    ¡°Did you handle everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was me, Sarkegar, Loyar, Eleris, and a trembling Radia Schmidt...


    Radia Schmidt hadn¡¯t seen the full extent of the battle.


    But she had seen the demon flying through the night sky, therge-scale destructive magic cast by the Vampire Lord, and the silver beast Loyar.


    She had witnessed those three individuals¡ªfour, counting me¡ªmassacring the elite holy knights, including Leverier Lanche.


    We would not have emerged victorious if they had been prepared and able to fight in their best condition. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against Leverier Lanche.


    He had fought in a whirlwind of destructive magic so intense that it would be enough to instantly turn a normal person to ash, and he had lost his life because of Tiamata¡¯s unexpected transformation into a demonic sword.


    Strictly speaking, all of this was merely a stroke of luck achieved through my use of Revise and the demonic sword Tiamata, and not because of any significant increase in my own abilities.


    However, the fact that I had faced and killed Leverier Lanche remained unchanged.


    Loyar and Sarkegar had dealt with the remaining fleeing holy knights.


    ¡°Who... who are you... really...?¡±


    In the face of this iprehensible situation, Radia Schmidt could only see me and my subordinates as unfathomable overlords of the Demon Realm.


    I had to decide what to do with the terrified Radia Schmidt.


    The only thing I had needed from her was Leverier Lanche¡¯s location, which we obtained. The matter was resolved. Therefore, Radia Schmidt was no longer useful.


    I looked at the terrified Radia Schmidt.


    The others hadn¡¯t yet addressed me as ¡°Your Highness,¡± so Radia Schmidt didn¡¯t know my exact identity.


    However, given that Imanded demons, she likely had some idea of who I was: the re-emerged Demon King.


    I couldn¡¯t let Radia Schmidt go quietly, since she knew too much.


    I had to choose between killing her or turning her into a vampire.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± But Eleris quietly called out to me. ¡°Can you leave this child to me?¡±


    ¡°... You want to be responsible for her?¡±


    Eleris didn¡¯t enjoy killing, but she had beenmanded by me to repeatedly unleashrge-scale destructive magic.


    While Loyar had dealt with the elite knights, Eleris had massacred those who couldn¡¯t protect themselves.


    It was no wonder that Eleris¡¯s expression was grim.


    She hadn¡¯t protested my orders and had obediently followed them, but it was clear she was troubled. She seemed to want to avoid further killing if possible.


    ¡°I will take responsibility and ensure she bes harmless to us.¡±


    Radia was terrified by those words.


    ¡°P-Please... please... please... Just... Just kill me, please...¡± Radia whimpered, crouching down and trembling. Eleris looked at her with a sorrowful expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to make her a thrall.¡±


    ¡°... Then, what do you mean to do...?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to figure out gradually.¡±


    Eleris seemed determined to find a better solution than killing or turning Radia into a vampire.


    ¡°... Alright. I trust you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris gently lifted up the trembling Radia from her crouch. Loyar and Sarkegar had nothing to say to Eleris.


    Since it was Eleris, she would find a way to handle Radia without killing her.


    It was better than leaving her to Loyar or Sarkegar, at least.


    Moreover, Radia Schmidt was a powerful individual, on par with an elite holy knight. Having her as an ally would be beneficial.


    ***


    Eleris returned us to the capital using Mass Teleport.


    Eleris was holding onto Radia Schmidt. Radia¡¯s face was pale with fear, unsure of what would happen to her, but she didn¡¯t resist.


    The fanatic was gone, reced by someone trembling in fear at the thought of being bitten by a vampire.


    What was Eleris nning to do with Radia?


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but if it was Eleris, I knew she would surely find a way. I could check in with herter about how she would resolve this matter.


    Leaving the two of them in Eleris¡¯s basement room, Loyar, Sarkegar, and I stepped out onto the street.


    Sarkegar finally voiced the question he had been holding back. ¡°Your Highness, why is it necessary for the empire to know of our existence? This sense of crisis will unite humanity, and that unity will be of no benefit to us.¡±


    It was a valid question.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± added Loyar, who had been silent.


    They had followed orders, but they couldn¡¯t bury their doubts. They didn¡¯t question the matter of Tiamata, since I had mentioned it in passing during a recent update.


    ¡°I have my reasons. I¡¯ll exin soon, so just wait,¡± I responded.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little busy right now.¡±


    Sarkegar seemed to understand and fell silent, while Loyar appeared to drop the matter as if it was settled.


    If I thought hard enough, I coulde up with an excuse. I could convince them of the need somehow, but it wasn¡¯t the right time for that.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go now.¡±


    All I could think about was getting back to the Temple as quickly as possible.


    ***


    It was already close to midnight.


    The official events of the festival hade to their conclusion, and Ellen emerged the winner of the Miss Temple contest.


    The winner of the Mister Temple contest, unfortunately, wasn¡¯t Cliffman. However, Cliffman had charmed many senior girls with his awkward appeal and had managed to secure third ce.


    There was even a parade featuring Miss and Mister Temple after the contest.


    Ellen hadn¡¯t known about the parade, but it didn¡¯t matter to her since Reinhart hadn¡¯t shown up for the finals or the parade.


    Ellen changed out of her clothes with Riana¡¯s help.


    ¡°Something must have happened,¡± Riana casually remarked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen wasn¡¯t so foolish as to fail to understand what she meant.


    Her ssmates who congratted her seemed to look at her with pity.


    Ellen knew why they looked at her that way.


    Harriet had hugged her silently. Harriet seemed genuinely sad, which made Ellen feel even more miserable.


    It was a day when she had probably received congrattions from everyone, but Ellen couldn¡¯t remember a single word she¡¯d heard or said.


    It felt like her soul had briefly left her body and then returned.


    <i>¡®What happened today? What did I do? It felt like I had a fleeting dream. A dream that was vain and empty. All that I¡¯ve worked hard for feels so meaningless,¡¯ </i>Ellen thought.


    After Riana left, Ellen removed her makeup, took a shower, and sat on her bed in a daze.


    The cheers and apuse of countless people echoed in her mind like distant reverberations.


    <i>¡®There was someone I wanted to beat. There was someone whose vote I wanted to receive. But, neither of them were there.</i>


    <i>¡®...</i>


    <i>¡®Were they together?¡¯</i>


    Ellen felt miserable thinking that.


    Everyone had cheered for her and showered her with praise, yet somehow, she felt like she had failed at everything.


    Ellen looked at the trophy, the evidence of her victory as Miss Temple, sitting in her room.


    It wasn¡¯t bad to receive such a thing. It was proof of others¡¯ recognition. But it wasn¡¯t something she needed.


    Ellen stared at the trophy for a moment, then opened the door.


    She needed a change of pace.


    Ellen stepped outside.


    She just wanted to take a walk. There was no other reason.


    As she looked around the hallway and the lobby, she wondered if someone had returned. If someone was there.


    She was just trying to change her mood.


    Ellen quietly nced around the ss A dormitory and headed outside.


    She was dressed in light training clothes. Not much had changed, but Ellen found her reflection in the window fascinating. It was as if she had suddenly realized that clothing was very important.


    Ellen looked at herself in the window, dressed in training clothes, and felt the vast gap between her recent self and her current self.


    When she had been dressed up in a fancy dress, wearing heavy makeup, she had felt miserable.


    Now, having returned to her original appearance, she felt even more miserable than before.


    She had wanted to show it to him.


    She was curious as to what expression he would make when he saw her dressed up like that.


    She had been thinking about what to say while in that appearance.


    Pushing those thoughts aside, Ellen headed outside the dormitory.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t heing back today? Did something serious happen?¡¯</i>


    Even though she tried not to think about it, the same thoughts kept rising, making Ellen confused.


    She had asked him toe, but he hadn¡¯t, so there must have been a reason.


    <i>¡®Then, did he run across something dangerous again, as usual? Shouldn¡¯t I be worried rather than feeling disappointed that he didn¡¯te? Shouldn¡¯t I go look for him?¡¯</i>


    As Ellen felt her imagination spiraling out of control, she headed towards the dormitory entrance.


    And there, she saw it. A familiar-looking silhouette, from behind...


    Someone was sitting on the steps of the dormitory entrance.


    He wasn¡¯t wearing the Temple uniform, but casual clothes.


    She recognized the back of his head.


    ¡°...¡±


    All the confusion, questions, and feelings of disappointment swirling in her mind momentarily subsided.


    Ellen quietly approached the familiar figure.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Startled by her voiceing from behind him, Reinhart almost rolled forward as he stood up. ¡°Oh, uh... that... um.¡±


    It was a cold day.


    Reinhart¡¯s face was red from the cold, as if he had been sitting there for a long time. He looked at her with a dazed expression.


    His fingertips, face, and nose were all red.


    <i>¡®Why is he sitting on the dormitory steps instead ofing inside?¡¯</i>


    Ellen tilted her head as she looked at Reinhart.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    ¡°... Well, uh... um...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Is he unable toe inside because it was cold?¡¯</i>


    He could have gone inside, but he didn¡¯t.


    He must have felt like he needed to say something, but no words seemed adequate.


    On this cold night, Reinhart had long ago returned, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to enter the dormitory.


    He probably didn¡¯t know what to say if he ran into her. He was likely to encounter her, whether in the dormitory lobby or anywhere else.


    So, he had been sitting outside the dormitory, unable to decide whether to go in or not, just endlessly sitting there.


    Ellen looked at the shivering Reinhart.


    He wasn¡¯t shivering from the cold; it was clear he was trembling for another reason.


    He looked so foolish.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold, I asked.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, well, uh... a bit?¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to take a walk.¡±


    At Ellen¡¯s words, Reinhart shook his head vigorously.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, no, not cold at all. Yeah, this is nothing.¡±


    Ellen smiled faintly at Reinhart.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said.


    Ellen took the lead, as though leading him somewhere, and Reinhart followed behind.

 Chapter 324

    <h4>Chapter 324</h4>


    The guilty remain silent.


    Thus, Reinhart kept quiet, merely observing the situation.


    Ellen also walked without saying a word.


    The two of them maintained a reasonable distance, with Ellen slightly ahead and Reinhart following behind.


    The festival wouldst until the weekend was over. It was less crowded at nighttime, but Main Street was still brightly lit. They walked up the hill near the Royal ss dormitory, taking in the night view as they went.


    The two of them walked for a long time.


    Though they didn¡¯t run together, this was the same running course they both used each dawn. Therefore, the ce was familiar even at night, and they both knew where the path led.


    The two walked down a path they both knew well.


    At the top of the hill with a good view, Ellen sat down on a bench first, and Reinhart cautiously sat beside her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to sit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, right.¡±


    Startled by Ellen¡¯s words, Reinhart quickly stood up as soon as he had sat down.


    Seeing Reinhart startled, Ellenughed.


    ¡°Does it matter whether I tell you to sit or not?¡±


    ¡°... Uh, well... um... so...¡±


    ¡°Just sit.¡±


    Reinhart was uncharacteristically overly cautious, as if he hadmitted a grave mistake.


    As she watched Reinhart take a seat hesitantly beside her, Ellen quietly looked down at the view of the Temple below her.


    <i>¡®Had Reinhartmitted such a grave mistake? Why was it even a mistake?¡¯</i>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t precisely exin why, but it felt as if the whole world had abandoned her. It was sorrowful and heartbreaking.


    The reality wasn¡¯t like that, though. Rather, the whole world had chosen her, and it was only one person who had abandoned her.


    Why did it then feel like the whole world had abandoned her?


    That was because, to Ellen, Reinhart was her whole world.


    Ellen watched as flowers began to fall in front of her eyes.


    However, they weren¡¯t flowers.


    ¡°Snow...¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Before they knew it, snow was falling.


    Snowkes, like white flowers, were gently descending.


    It wasn¡¯t a particrly harmonious situation.


    The two didn¡¯t know what to say to each other, afraid that even a single wrong word might hurt them both.


    Reinhart didn¡¯t know how to exin his circumstances, and Ellen didn¡¯t know how to exin her wounds.


    Both of them knew that even a slight misstep in words could lead to a big fight, so they both remained silent.


    <i>¡®Who are you?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What are you?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What are we, really?¡¯</i>


    Knowing that such words would only hurt each other if spoken, neither of them could speak.


    And so they said nothing.


    On a snowy winter night, Ellen and Reinhart sat quietly on the bench, letting the snow fall on them.


    The night was cold, so the snow on the ground didn¡¯t melt.


    As soon as it touched the ground, the snow was blown away by the wind, drifting off into the distance.


    That¡¯s what snow did: it piled up in corners, driven by the wind.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®What are we? How did ite to this? Where did things go wrong for it to end up like this?¡¯ </i>Ellen wondered, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint where it all began.


    <i>¡®Was it when Reinhart got knocked out by my practice sword during our first sparring session in swordsmanship ss?</i>


    <i>¡®Was it when Reinhart woke up after passing out and invited me to have a strange, unheard-of lunch together?</i>


    <i>¡®Was it when Reinhart started meddling with my midnight snacking habits?</i>


    <i>¡®Was it the first time Reinhart cooked for me?</i>


    <i>¡®Or was it when I couldn¡¯t stand his constant interference and began teaching him swordsmanship?</i>


    <i>¡®Or perhaps it was after we went to the Dark Land and experienced those horrific events?¡¯</i>


    Ellen retraced each moment and eventually realized the truth.


    There were beginnings scattered everywhere, slowly piling up and growing into something significant.


    Piled-up snow could be cleared away, but the time that had umted couldn¡¯t be erased.


    Thus, the momentsbeled with the name tag ¡°Reinhart¡± had piled up in the space of her heart.


    It had piled up and piled up, and Ellen¡¯s heart was filled with momentsbeled with Reinhart¡¯s name.


    At that moment, she almost wanted to hate him, but she found it difficult to.


    Even if she tried to fill the empty spaces in her heart with resentment and disappointment towards him, too much of it had already been filled up.


    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to hate him, even if she wanted to.


    And it was strange how she already knew, that even if Reinhart couldn¡¯t say it, he felt very sorry.


    The fact that Reinhart had spent all that time outside doing nothing, letting his hands and face turn red from the cold, was because he couldn¡¯t exin why he had disappointed her again, and he felt sorry for that.


    Even though she was the one who was upset, Ellen somehow felt that Reinhart was struggling more.


    She could see that Reinhart was tormented because he couldn¡¯t even say he was sorry.


    Ellen wondered what was troubling Reinhart so much, but as always, he wouldn¡¯t tell her.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have toe to see me,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have toe to see me,¡± Ellen said quietly.


    The two of them had no obligations to each other in any way.


    ¡°So... don¡¯t feel too sorry...¡± she said.


    Ellen spoke gently, telling Reinhart that he didn¡¯t need to feel obligated, and he didn¡¯t need to feel so guilty for not fulfilling that obligation. There was no reason for Ellen to feel disappointed either.


    Reinhart quietly watched Ellen.


    She wasn¡¯t unaffected by it all. Reinhart watched Ellen pretending to be unaffected.


    <i>Whoosh.</i>


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Suddenly, Reinhart pulled Ellen into an embrace.


    ¡°Just... get angry already...¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scarier and makes me feel guiltier when you hold it in...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s mind had made the judgment that there was no reason to be angry, but her heart couldn¡¯t help but feel hurt and upset.


    <i>¡®Are we the kind of people who get angry and feel hurt over things like this?¡¯</i>


    Ellen couldn¡¯t be sure, yet Reinhart was holding her.


    Because of how long Reinhart had been outside, his body and hands were cold, so being held by him only made Ellen feel even colder.


    Yet, despite shivering from the cold, Reinhart continued to hold her.


    Whatever had happened, whatever had kept him away was making him feel even more sorry, even though he was struggling more.


    If he was feeling it to this extent, it had to have been something truly unavoidable.


    Ellen tried to convince herself of this.


    But people don¡¯t understand things they think they can understand.


    They understand what they want to understand.


    At that moment, Ellen wanted to understand Reinhart. So, she epted the fact that he¡¯d had to deal with something terribly important.


    Given how much Reinhart was struggling, she convinced herself that it had to have been something significant.


    Wrapped in Reinhart¡¯s cold embrace, Ellen gritted her teeth.


    Reinhart¡¯s shirt gradually became wet.


    ¡°... I was... hurt...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I... I worked... worked so... so hard... to prepare...¡±


    Ellen, trembling slightly, spoke in broken sentences, crying silently as Reinhart held her.


    ¡°No matter... no matter how much I... I looked... I couldn¡¯t... couldn¡¯t find... I asked... I asked you to... toe...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    <i>¡®It should be meforting Reinhart, not the other way around,¡¯ </i>Ellen thought, even as she cried.<i> </i>Yet, she couldn¡¯t stop her tears, because that¡¯s just the way tears are.


    ***


    It was a deep, dark night.


    After crying for a long time, Ellen pulled away from my embrace, and stared nkly down at the Temple.


    ¡°...¡±


    Reinhart didn¡¯t exin what had happened, and Ellen didn¡¯t ask.


    Naturally, Reinhart felt restless.


    After crying for a long time, Ellen suddenly stopped and stared nkly down at the night scene below. Renhart wondered if her heart had fully settled or not, and what he should do next.


    In reality, it was theplete opposite.


    Ellen was gritting her teeth. It wasn¡¯t out of any emotion other than because she felt embarrassed.


    Once her emotions settled, she realized what she had done.


    She had been acting as if the world had ended just because her friend hadn¡¯t shown up to the beauty contest. After crying for a long time, she finally realized what she had done.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he had been obligated toe.


    Now that her heart felt lighter, it was Ellen who found it hard to endure the situation.


    That was why she couldn¡¯t speak, and just stared nkly down at the night scene.


    Why had she felt as if she had lost the whole world over something so trivial? She couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Reinhart hadn¡¯t been there, and because of that, she had felt as if the world had abandoned her.


    Now, though, Reinhart was beside her, and just because of that, she felt better.


    Ellen suddenly red at Reinhart.


    Now that she felt better, she felt a bit mischievous.


    ¡°Uh, um... What is it? Do you have something to say?¡± Reinhart stammered, still in a submissive posture. It looked like he would do anything she asked.


    <i>¡®I need you to be here.¡¯</i>


    Her sudden mischief faded just by looking at his face.


    Ellen stood up from the bench.


    Snow was falling, and considering how cold Reinhart¡¯s body was, they couldn¡¯t stay outside any longer.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    ¡°I can handle this much.¡±


    As they started walking again, Ellen kept an eye on Reinhart.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been outside all this time.¡±


    Reinhart had been waiting outside, feeling guilty, wandering around in the cold.


    Nheless, he walked along as if it was nothing.


    ¡°If you¡¯re cold, we can go inside,¡± Ellen said, worried that Reinhart might catch a cold.


    ¡°... I just want to be with you like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Those words made Ellen¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    It seemed like nothing special.


    He had said simr things to her before.


    Now though, it seemed like any word or thought could affect her.


    Ellen wondered if she was going crazy.


    Just a moment ago, she¡¯d felt lonely and abandoned by the world, but suddenly, she felt as if she had the whole world in her hands.


    Could a person¡¯s mood really swing so drastically in an instant?


    <i>¡®Could one person really feel like everything to me? </i>


    <i>¡®If that person smiles at me, I feel happy. If that person liked me, I feel happy.</i>


    <i>¡®Could all my emotions stem from just one person? Is it okay for someone else to be the master of my life instead of myself?¡¯</i>


    The two of them walked through the snowy night.


    As they descended the slope, Reinhart nced at Ellen.


    ¡°Be careful. You might slip and¡ªwhoa!¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    As he was trying to warn her not to slip, Reinhart ended up falling backward on the slope himself. Ellen, dumbfounded, tried to help him up.


    <i>Slip!</i>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    <i>Thud!</i>


    Ellen slipped too,nding on her bottom.


    ¡°... What are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for real...¡±


    The two stood up and dusted off their backsides.


    Maintaining a reasonable distance, they continued walking through the snowy night.


    From the bottom of the hill, they could hear the distant sounds of people reveling in the night along the brightly-lit Main Street.


    Even at night, there were stores that were open 24 hours, selling food. Ellen¡¯s gaze alternated between the bright lights and Reinhart¡¯s face.


    ¡°... Do you want to go?¡± Reinhart asked.


    Ellen nodded slightly, her cheeks flushed.


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± she said.


    She hadn¡¯t chosen this hour specifically, but since it happened to be this hour, she wanted to go.


    They were together, on the first snowy night...


    ¡°If you want to go, then we should go.¡±


    The festival was nearing its end.


    It wasn¡¯t thest night of the festival, just close to the end, yet Ellen felt like the festival was just beginning.


    Only now, at the very end, when she could finally be alone with Reinhart, did Ellen feel the true essence of the festival.


    ***


    Even past midnight, Main Street was bustling with people.


    Alcohol wasn¡¯t allowed within the Temple¡¯s premises, but there were plenty of sights and activities to enjoy during the festival, evente at night.


    And of course...


    <i>Nomnomnom.</i>


    In Ellen¡¯s case, it was mostly about the food.


    ¡°This is good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Ellen grumpily handed Reinhart a rice cake skewer, and he ate it silently.


    The not-quite anger that she¡¯d felt had already dissipated. However, Reinhart still seemed to feel guilty, and was following Ellen around without a word.


    It wasn¡¯t particrly cheerful.


    They walked around, looking at various things, watching street performances, and buying food from stalls.


    Naturally, Ellen felt a bit special that day.


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t that...?


    ¡ªHuh? Oh yeah, it really is.


    Reinhart couldn¡¯t help but hear the whispers directed at them from the people around them.


    A group of men and women cautiously approached and blocked their path, and Reinhart frowned as usual.


    ¡°What do you want, blocking our way¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Miss Temple?!¡±


    Reinhart froze, while Ellen calmly nodded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ellen responded.


    ¡°What?¡± Reinhart uttered.


    ¡°Oh, I thought so... Even in casual clothes, you shine!¡±


    Reinhart was dumbfounded, while Ellen nonchntly acknowledge the group of admirers who were fussing over her.


    ¡°You... won?¡± Reinhart mumbled in disbelief, not having expected it at all, and Ellen, seeing his shocked reaction, began to pout.


    ¡°... Is that a problem?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not that. Not at all.¡±


    Ellen, clearly upset, walked off briskly, her lips still in a pout.


    ***


    It only took a warm lemon tea to soothe the pouting Ellen.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d lose; it¡¯s just that you didn¡¯t say anything, so I thought... you didn¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡±


    The two sat on a bench, sipping the warm tea. There had been huge crowds at both the contest venue and the parade, and those with keen eyes recognized Ellen even in her casual clothes.


    Though no one directly approached them, many whispered as they passed by.


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t that Miss Temple?


    ¡ªSeems like it.


    ¡ªWho¡¯s that next to her? Her boyfriend?


    ¡ªDamn it.


    ¡ªWhy are you disappointed?


    ¡ªWho said anything about being disappointed?


    ¡ªCome on, she¡¯s Miss Temple, and even from the Royal ss.


    ¡ªOh, really?


    .


    .


    As people passed by, they all madements about Ellen, and Reinhart couldn¡¯t help but hear them too.


    Ellen began to pout again, but for a different reason this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    She seemed annoyed that she was being recognized. Ellen didn¡¯t care about being Miss Temple or anything like that. She just found it bothersome that people recognized her.


    The Miss Temple who had been showered with cheers and apuse while dressed in a pure white dress was now wandering the winter night streets in a ck tracksuit, holding a cup of herbal tea, fuming about being recognized.


    Ellen red at Reinhart. ¡°This is all your fault.¡±


    ¡°... Uh... um. Sorry...¡±


    Ellen hadn¡¯t gotten what she¡¯d wanted from the contest, but had to deal with all the repercussions of it. Her heated gaze left Reinhart utterly confounded, not knowing what to do.


    Eventually, tired of being recognized, whispered about, and asionally approached, Ellen left Main Street, along with Reinhart.


    Since it was nighttime, the crowd thinned significantly once they left Main Street.


    Snow was falling, and it was gradually umting on their heads and shoulders.


    ¡°... Congrattions on winning Miss Temple,¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Ellen, who had entered the contest with different intentions, didn¡¯t particrly want to hear congrattions, especially from Reinhart.


    As they walked quietly, snow continued to pile up on their heads and shoulders.


    ¡°Hold still.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    After walking for a while, Reinhart, seemingly bothered by something, stopped Ellen and brushed the snow off her shoulders and head.


    Reinhart was about to begin walking again, but Ellen stopped and looked at his shoulders.


    Snow had also umted there.


    He hadn¡¯t thought to brush off the snow on his own head and shoulders, and had only brushed off hers.


    He probably hadn¡¯t even thought about it.


    Perhaps he could see the snow on her, but he hadn¡¯t thought that snow would naturally umte on his own shoulders too, so he hadn¡¯t brushed it off.


    Ellen observed Reinhart quietly.


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen brushed the snow off Reinhart¡¯s shoulders and head. As she did, she quietly said, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Confused by her sudden remark, Reinhart hurried to keep pace with Ellen as she started walking again.


    Reinhart was a strange guy.


    ¡°You¡¯re weird,¡± said Ellen.


    ¡°... I hear that a lot.¡±


    Ellen continued walking. ¡°I thought you were weird from the beginning, and I still think you¡¯re weird now.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Ellen exhaled, her breath misting in the cold air, and took a sip of her herbal tea.


    It had cooled down a bit, probably because she had been carrying it around for a while.


    ¡°But the weirdness that I first sensed about you and the weirdness I see now are... very different.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Reinhart who used to pick fights and argue with everyone, was a strange person.


    However, after getting to know the many aspects of Reinhart over time, he seemed strange to her in a very different way.


    ¡°I sometimes wish you weren¡¯t a weird person. But...¡±


    Ellen sighed, sending out another puff of white mist, and looked at Reinhart. ¡°If you weren¡¯t weird, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this.¡±


    Ellen turned her gaze away from Reinhart and back to the path ahead.


    ¡°Did you even want toe today?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°Of course...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be vague.¡±


    Ellen stopped walking and turned Reinhart around to face her, looking up at him directly.


    She wanted a clear answer, and her gaze demanded it.


    Their rtionship was full of ambiguous words.


    They always spoke indirectly, afraid that something might break if anything became certain. Ellen and Reinhart shared a strange rtionship that was neither something nor nothing.


    She had tried to make something clear today, but Reinhart hadn¡¯t shown up, which made things ambiguous again.


    But this time, she wanted to be certain.


    Ellen looked straight into Reinhart¡¯s eyes as if demanding him not to avoid the question.


    ¡°Did you want to see me today?¡± she asked him directly.


    ¡°...¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t hold it against him for not being able to turn up.


    She wouldn¡¯t ask what had happened.


    She wouldn¡¯t speak of her sorrow and sadness anymore.


    Ellen demanded a clear answer.


    Reinhart nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    But Ellen wasn¡¯t satisfied with just that.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Reinhart considered her quietly.


    After a long moment of contemtion, he finally spoke, as if he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.


    ¡°... I think I¡¯m going to regret it for the rest of my life that I couldn¡¯te today.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®For the rest of my life.¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡®Regret...¡¯</i>


    Regret wasn¡¯t a good word, but thebination of those two things resonated differently.


    <i>¡®For the rest of my life.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You are someone who can affect my entire life</i>.¡¯


    It was as if she had heard those words.


    ¡°Do you want me to show you?¡± Ellen asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At Reinhart¡¯s immediate response, Ellen couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.


    He had such a foolish expression.


    He had really wanted toe.


    He really hadn¡¯t been able to help it.


    There was no need for countless excuses and reasons.


    The immediate response to her question, and the foolish expression of his...


    That expression erased thest remnants of resentment Ellen had.


    ***


    The two of them returned to the dormitory.


    ¡°This is weird.¡±


    ¡ªHow weird?


    ¡°I can¡¯t put it on by myself.¡±


    A moment of silence.


    ¡ªAh... I see.


    Ellen had tried to put on the dress she¡¯d worn earlier on her own in her room, but it ended up a mess.


    Since she couldn¡¯t tighten the corset by herself, the dress ended up looking loose and unfinished.


    Ellen had said that she would show it to Reinhart, but on the way back, she¡¯d realized her error.


    Riana had helped her put on that dress. Ellen realized on their way back that she couldn¡¯t put it on by herself.


    Even so, she still believed that she could somehow manage, and only realized it was impossible once she returned to the dormitory and tried to put on the dress herself.


    It wasn¡¯t Reinhart who¡¯d gotten carried away by the atmosphere; it was Ellen.


    Worries about not having makeup on or her hair being undone were pointless.


    She couldn¡¯t even put on her dress herself.


    It was the wee hours of the morning, which meant she couldn¡¯t wake up Riana, who was likely asleep.


    She looked in the mirror and saw herself in a mess, the dress clumsily draped over her body.


    There was no way she could show this to him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Just when she thought it was going well, things turned out like this.


    In the end, she couldn¡¯t show it off.


    Ellen was frustrated. Frustrated enough to stomp her foot on the floor.


    <i>Thud! Thud, thud!</i>


    ¡ªWh-What¡¯s wrong?!


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Ellen, full of frustration, tried to take off the dress she had barely managed to put on.


    Of course, dresses are difficult to put on and take off.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    In the end, Ellen tripped and fell.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ªWhat in the world is going on in there?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 325

    <h4>Chapter 325</h4>


    In the end, Ellen changed back into her training clothes.


    She was very angry.


    She couldn¡¯t stand the whole situation, and was filled with frustration.


    Above all else, she was annoyed that she hadn¡¯t been able to show off what she had wanted to, and Reinhart found the situation amusing.


    She had said she would show him the dress, but when she realized she couldn¡¯t put it on by herself and grew angry, he found her reaction amusing.


    However, there was something else curious about Reinhart¡¯s reaction.


    When she¡¯d said that she couldn¡¯t put on the dress by herself, Reinhart responded with ¡°I see¡± instead of asking why, as if he had some experience putting on one himself.


    Of course, that couldn¡¯t be the case.


    Anyway, Reinhart seemed to understand that it was inevitable that she couldn¡¯t show it to him.


    They were in the dining hall.


    During the festival period, both had been busy, so it had been a while since they had ate-night snack together. So, Reinhart suggested they make something to eat, and brought Ellen to the dining hall.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Beef stew.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ellen, still feeling frustrated, ordered a dish that was time-consuming and bothersome to make. That day, though, Reinhart seemed willing to do anything, and nodded withoutint. Ellen was a little surprised. She¡¯d expected at least a few grumbles.


    Ellen watched quietly as Reinhart entered the kitchen and began preparing the meal.


    She had wanted to show him how she looked in the dress, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t.


    But was that really important?


    <i>Chop, chop, chop.</i>


    Watching Reinhart start chopping vegetables, Ellen smiled. She quietly observed him cooking.


    Not long after, a yawn from the hallway made Ellen turn her head.


    ¡°Oh, Ellen?¡±


    Harriet was walking down the hallway, looking extremely tired as she made eye contact with Ellen. Perhaps she had been workingte in the Magic Research Lab.


    Seeing Ellen sitting in the dining hall, Harriet slowly approached her.


    ¡°What are you doing up sote...¡± she started to say, but then looked towards the kitchen, and her eyes widened.


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    Her surprise was short-lived.


    Ellen saw Harriet¡¯s eyes re up with anger.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Harriet marched into the kitchen, her voice sharp.


    ¡ªHuh, what?


    ¡ªYou! Where have you been today?


    ¡ªUh... what? Why are you asking all of a sudden?


    ¡ªYou wandered off without saying anything! Why didn¡¯t youe to the contest?


    ¡ªUh... well, you see...


    ¡ªWhat? Speak up!


    ¡ªI had... There were some circumstances...


    ¡ªCircumstances, my foot! You jerk!


    ¡ªAh, ah! Why are you hitting me? What did I do wrong? I¡¯m holding a knife, you know? Huh? I¡¯m holding a kni¡ªow!


    ¡ªYou jerk! You jerk!!!


    Ellen observed as Harriet, her face turning red with anger, pounded on Reinhart¡¯s back. Ellen stood there, dumbfounded.


    She should have been the one angry at Reinhart. Instead, Harriet was the one whose face was red with rage and was scolding him furiously.


    ¡ªY-You¡¯re seriously hitting me? Just because I let you hit me, you think you can just hit me whenever? Should I show you my strength too? Huh?


    ¡ªHa... Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful that I¡¯m just hitting you? Do you want me to use my special abilities? Want to try me?


    ¡ªNo, no... that¡¯s not what I meant...


    ¡ªThen take it quietly! It¡¯s not like it hurts when I hit you anyway!


    ¡ªIt¡¯s gonna hurt if you keep hitting me like that!


    Harriet¡¯s anger was extreme.


    Ellen thought Harriet should have been d that Reinhart hadn¡¯t shown up. But Harriet was genuinely furious, and was hitting him repeatedly.


    It was strange.


    Ellen thought she understood why Harriet was so angry.


    Harriet cared about Reinhart deeply, and she was worried about the hurt Ellen had felt that day.


    That was why Harriet had hugged Ellen¡ªnot to congratte her on winning Miss Temple, but tofort her.


    Ellen found herself unable to summon her anger.


    Harriet was getting angry on Ellen¡¯s behalf, and to Ellen, that was amusing. It was also heartwarming, and it made Ellen feel sorry. So very sorry.


    Ellenughed. Sheughed as she wiped away her tears, not knowing why they came.


    ***


    ¡°I let you hit me a little, and now you¡¯re trying topletely dominate me? Is that why you developed whatever that thing is?¡±


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The three of them sat around a pot ofpleted beef stew. Somehow, Harriet had joined them, but Ellen didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s snowing,¡± Harriet said, looking out the dining hall window.


    While Ellen and Reinhart had just returned, covered in snow, Harriet had been holed up in the Magic Research Lab.


    ¡°Want to eat on the terrace?¡± she asked.


    Harriet seemed to be imagining the romantic scene of eating warm stew while watching the snow.


    Harriet de Saint-Ouen had a subtle appreciation for such romantic notions.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea, so they took the stew pot out to the dining hall terrace and ced it on a table there.


    The night wind was cold, but not unbearable. The trio sat at the terrace table, each with a bowl of stew, eating slowly.


    The snowfall was heavy, though not as bad as a blizzard.


    It had been snowing for quite a while, and piles of snow had umted on the ground.


    ¡°Remember when we made that snowman?¡± Harriet said, smiling as she recalled the memory.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a snowman; it was a snow-giant,¡± Reinhart corrected.


    ¡°Whatever, idiot!¡±


    Ellen had made a snowman, while Harriet had made a giant snow figure.


    They had re-entered the ancient castle of Epiacs and had discovered that it was haunted by ghosts. Harriet suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at both Reinhart and Ellen, her expression bright.


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s funny?¡±


    ¡°No? What is it? I am dying to know.¡±


    ¡°... Do you always have to have a go at everything I say? It¡¯s really annoying!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so angry these days? That¡¯s a problem too, you know?¡±


    At Reinhart¡¯s sarcastic remark, Harriet¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°Do you have to irritate someone at least once a day? Why are you like this?¡±


    ¡°... Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not ¡®someone,¡¯ it¡¯s you. I only do this to you. This only works with you.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so specific! It¡¯s really annoying!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s lips trembled. Watching Reinhart¡¯s expression as he teased Harriet was annoying, even for Ellen. Sometimes, even though that expression wasn¡¯t directed at her, Ellen felt her fists clench just from watching.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the funny thing?¡±


    ¡°I forgot! You made me so mad that I forgot!¡±


    Harriet huffed and took a spoonful of stew.


    The stew was very hot, and she hadn¡¯t let it cool properly before shoving it in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she couldn¡¯t spit it out. She iled her arms and stomped her feet.


    ¡°Spit it out! What are you doing?¡±


    Reinhart looked at her with a mix of pity and amusement, while Harriet, unable to spit out the stew due to her noble sense of etiquette, finally managed to swallow it after much iling.


    Harriet, looking pale, opened her mouth wide.


    ¡°My mouth is burnt...¡±


    ¡°It must be. Eat something cold.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you going to get me some water¡ªHey, what are you doing...?¡±


    Harriet watched in horror as Reinhart scooped up some snow from the terrace railing and brought it over.


    ¡°Here, something cold.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not... No, you wouldn¡¯t... Surely not...¡±


    Harriet had this tendency to be able to calcte exactly what crazy thing Reinhart might do in her head, but she often hesitated, thinking, <i>¡®He wouldn¡¯t </i>really <i>do that to me, would he?¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Reinhart was the kind of person who would do it without hesitation.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Harriet screamed in shock as Reinhart shoved the snowball directly into her mouth.


    ¡°Refreshing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You... you... What did you just do to me...?¡±


    Harriet, too stunned to react, stood there with snow all over her mouth while Reinhart burst intoughter.


    When somethingpletely unexpected happens, it takes a moment to even get angry. This was one of those moments.


    But only for a moment.


    With trembling hands, Harriet brushed the snow off her mouth, her face turning red with rage. She lunged towards Reinhart.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡±


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    <i>Thud! </i>


    A blue line of mana blossomed on Harriet¡¯s forearm, and her punch sent Reinhart flying off the terrace and crashing to the ground.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re actually crazy!¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s hot, you need something cold. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± said Reinhart, who had taken his seat again after climbing up via the terrace railing.


    Despite her irritation, Harriet brushed the snow off Reinhart¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Anyway, if it was too hot, you should have spit it out. Why force yourself to eat it?¡±


    ¡°Unlike someone who grew up on the streets, I was taught to live with dignity.¡±


    ¡°Really? Does iling around like a maniac and making weird noises count as dignified?¡±


    ¡°Fl-iling? You... you... And when did I ever do that?¡±


    Reinhart mimicked Harriet¡¯s earlier actions in an exaggerated fashion, twisting his body about, which only made her angrier. They had started bickering again.


    When the two of them were together, they would bicker endlessly over trivial matters. Their exchanges, thoughcking any real substance, made time fly by. Eventually, after a long back-and-forth, they both grew tired and went back to eating the stew in silence.


    ¡°It¡¯s wonderful...¡± Harriet murmured absentmindedly as she gazed at the snowyndscape.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°... I wasn¡¯t talking to you... Hmph. No, I¡¯m not falling for it. Not this time.¡±


    Despite her words, Harriet often found herself reacting to Reinhart¡¯s casual remarks, as if she had built up some immunity but still couldn¡¯t help herself.


    It was a festival night, but it was not particrly noisy.


    Just the three of them, quietly eating beef stew on a snowy night...


    This was amon urrence, and it wasn¡¯t a particrly special day.


    But Ellen knew that these moments wouldn¡¯tst forever. There woulde a time when they would not be able to spend time like this anymore.


    When that day came, they would look back and realize that all the days they¡¯d spent together were special.


    At least, that was what she thought.


    Perhaps all this was enough.


    It had been so far, and if things continued like this, it would be enough. There was no need to want more, to be greedy.


    Ellen found herself content with just this.


    It was okay not to get any closer. As long as they didn¡¯t drift apart.


    ¡°Hey, go get me some water.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you... ordering me around?¡±


    ¡°Who else would I be talking to?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t order me around!¡±


    ¡°Come on, you eat what I make for free, but you can¡¯t go get some water?¡±


    ¡°Ughhh, fine! I¡¯ll get it!¡±


    Reinhart was probably the only person in the world who treated the Grand Duchess like this. Even Ellen found Harriet¡¯s reactions cute.


    <i>¡®Grand Duchess...¡¯ </i>


    As that thought came to her, Ellen remembered a question she had forgotten.


    ¡°By the way, I have a question,¡¯ Ellen said, tilting her head slightly.


    ¡°A question?¡± Harriet, who hade back with a bottle of water, looked at Ellen curiously.


    ¡°How do your parents know Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Oh... th-that...¡±


    Seeing their awkward reactions, Ellen¡¯s head tilted even more.


    ***


    After hearing the detailed story from Reinhart, Ellen nodded.


    ¡°Oh... that senior?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen had known about Adriana¡¯s sudden withdrawal, but did not know the details.


    Of course, Reinhart did not go into the whole story. He just mentioned that certain circumstances had led him to visit her at the Duchy of Saint-Ouen and, on the way back, had stopped by the White Pce in Arnaria because of issues with the warp gate, which led to him bing acquainted with them.


    When Adriana¡¯s name came up, Reinhart¡¯s expression darkened slightly, but Ellen assumed it was out of concern.


    Harriet, exasperated, vented to Ellen, ¡°Isn¡¯t he really strange? Even if he¡¯s in the same Royal ss as me, does it make sense to show up at our pce out of the blue and knock on the door, asking for priority ess to the warp gate?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Arnaria wasn¡¯t open to casual visits, the way a friend¡¯s ce was, and even if it were a friend¡¯s house, visiting at such ate hour would be rude.


    However, he hadn¡¯t just got to visit a friend¡¯s house; he had paid a visit to the pce of a nation in that manner.


    ¡°I was afraid you guys would kill me if I missed ss without saying anything...¡± Reinhart muttered in a small voice.


    Even more surprising to Ellen was that, despite such rudeness, the Grand Duke had actually opened the gates, and the entire family had weed him.


    Ellen was curious, but the fact that Adriana was involved was unexpected. As she cast her mind back, Ellen vaguely remembered when Reinhart had visited the Duchy of Saint-Ouen.


    Even so, the fact that he had traveled such a long distance in just one day was astonishing.


    Ellen found Reinhart¡¯s decisiveness almost mysterious. With her forgotten question now answered, the three of them resumed eating the stew.


    However, Harriet soon pointed out something that she could see from their viewpoint on the terrace.


    ¡°... Uh, over there...¡±


    The first-year dormitory was on the ground floor, and it was easier to see outside from the terrace.


    In the direction which Harriet was pointing, Ellen saw someone who had been missing earlier on.


    ¡°... It¡¯s that senior.¡±


    Somehow, the situation was even stranger.


    The senior who had just been mentioned, Adriana, was with her.


    Olivia was walking towards the Royal ss dormitory, apanied by Adriana.


    Reinhart stood up abruptly and stared at them.


    A strange mix of emotions flickered in Reinhart¡¯s eyes, but Ellen couldn¡¯t decipher them.


    Olivia and Adriana also noticed the three of them watching from the terrace.


    ¡°Ah, Reinhart...¡± Olivia Lanche said.


    ¡°Junior...¡± Adriana said.


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re a bit busy right now. Let¡¯s talkter.¡±


    Before Reinhart could say anything, Olivia hurriedly led Adriana to the dormitory entrance.


    Harriet and Ellen watched them, puzzled, while Reinhart sat back down.


    Olivia had gotten second ce in the tournament, and she hadn¡¯t even participated in Miss Temple.


    And Adriana, who had withdrawn from the Temple suddenly, had returned to the Temple in the middle of the night, apanied by Olivia.


    ¡°... What do you think happened to her today?¡±


    ¡°... I wonder.¡±


    Reinhart took a sip of water.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll askter,¡± Reinhart said, taking another sip of water.


    Ellen watched Reinhart closely.


    Reinhart had gone all the way to the Duchy of Saint-Ouen when he heard of Adriana¡¯s withdrawal.


    There was no way Reinhart would just sit around quietly after saying that they¡¯d talkter. Reinhart wasn¡¯t that kind of person.


    Ellen observed Reinhart as he stared in the direction Adriana and Olivia had gone.


    She figured that Reinhart knew about something.


    She didn¡¯t pry, but she knew Reinhart well enough to know that.

 Chapter 326

    <h4>Chapter 326</h4>


    The next day, there was a hugemotion in the capital.


    Rumors quickly spread about a battle that had taken ce in the southern outskirts of the capital the previous night.


    A strange creature, presumed to be a demon, had flown through the night sky, andrge-scale destructive magic had been cast, affecting the weather.


    ¡°Demons appeared!¡±


    Naturally, such rumors quickly reached the Temple.


    Connor Lint, who had picked up the rumors from the streets, was excitedly recounting them, while I listened quietly.


    ¡°Demons? What¡¯s this about demons all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°They say demons appeared in the southern part of the capitalst night. It was a hugemotion.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the details. They just said demons appeared...¡±


    Since it had only happened the previous night, the specific details were not yet known. Everyone was naturally shocked by the sudden news of a demon attack during the festival.


    It was breakfast time, and Ellen looked at me with a serious expression.


    ¡°Could it be those demons from before?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... Probably,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±


    Ellen, Harriet, Riana, and all our ssmates were dumbfounded by the sudden news of demons.


    There was no way anyone would suspect me.


    Even though I hadn¡¯t exined my whereabouts the previous day, thinking that I was involved in the attack would be too far-fetched.


    Suspecting that a friend might be a demon was absurd.


    At most, Ellen might suspect me of some crimemitted via the Rotary Club, but the scale of the demon attack was toorge to be connected to me.


    Sometimes, something so absurd happens that it doesn¡¯t even raise suspicion.


    Charlotte and Vertus would undoubtedly be busy again, and the conclusion was clear.


    A state of emergency would be dered in the capital, and the festival would be cut short.


    ***


    As I expected, Charlotte was absent, and Sabioleen Tana, who had been acting as a temporary dormitory supervisor, was not in the dormitory either. She had probably also returned to the pce.


    It was inevitable, since elite holy knights had been massacred near the capital.


    If the southern district of the capital had been attacked instead of the outskirts, the casualties would have been enormous.


    Given the crowded conditions, if even one of the highest-level destructive spells used by the high-ranking demons had been cast anywhere inside the capital, tens of thousands of people could have easily died.


    The festivities were over.


    It was time for everyone to go home.


    In an empty club room on the top floor of the dormitory, I sat with Olivia and Adriana.


    The previous night, Adriana had stayed in Olivia¡¯s room with the dorm supervisor¡¯s permission. This would usually have been impossible, but since Adriana had once been a Temple student, it was easy for her to gain permission.


    ¡°Have you been well, junior...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well...¡±


    Adriana had given the excuse that she was just visiting, but the darkness in her expression made it clear that something was wrong.


    Olivia wasn¡¯t much different.


    The Nameless Order had tried to use Adriana as bait to lure Olivia out.


    It must have been a huge shock. Adriana¡¯s distrust of the church had been growing, and she had tried to suppress those doubts by going back to her life in the monastery. But even within those walls, she had been deeply disappointed.


    She couldn¡¯t be in a good state of mind.


    I had saved both Olivia and Adriana, but they didn¡¯t know that.


    I didn¡¯t want to boast about it, nor could I.


    Olivia¡¯s expression was a mix of gloom and guilt. She probably thought that I had tried to do something for her yesterday, and she had stood me up by disappearing.


    Olivia looked at Adriana as if seeking her consent. I could see Adriana nodding slightly.


    ¡°Have you heard about the demon attack...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but yes.¡±


    Olivia trusted me.


    ¡°We were at the scene of the demon attack...¡±


    Olivia seemed intent on telling me everything rather than making excuses.


    ***


    Hearing the story I already knew from Olivia¡¯s mouth was awkward.


    Pretending to be surprised was harder than I thought.


    They managed to keep the story rather short.


    The Mother Superior of the Art-Ouen Monastery, where Adriana was staying, was part of a secret religious organization called the Nameless Monastery and had handed her over to Leverier Lanche.


    The Mother Superior had been deceived as well. She hadn¡¯t expected Adriana to be used as bait.


    Adriana had no choice but to go along quietly, fearing that any wrong move could endanger not only herself but also the Mother Superior.


    As things turned out, the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights had used her as bait to lure Olivia in. Olivia had headed to the scene as soon as she¡¯d received the letter.


    There, while confronting Leverier Lanche, demons had suddenly appeared.


    ¡°The strange thing is... those demons saved us...¡±


    As she recounted this portion of the story, both their expressions were filled with confusion.


    After being abducted by the grotesque and terrifying demon, Olivia had thought about how she would have to fight in order to keep Adriana safe.


    Strangely, though, the demon dropped them off far away from the abandoned monastery and left.


    Then, the monastery came under attack fromrge-scale destructive magic, and the two of them fled.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t understand it,¡± I remarked, and Adriana and Olivia nodded in agreement.


    Pretending not to know and acting surprised was exhausting. However, given the seriousness of the situation, I had to do my best.


    I was relieved that they had told me all of this. That meant I could discuss strategy with them.


    ¡°For now, it¡¯s best not to tell anyone else,¡± I said.


    ¡°... We think so too.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know the reasons behind the demons¡¯ actions, but if this fact gets out, people might use you of colluding with demons... In any case, it¡¯s unlikely that any of the holy knights survived...¡±


    There were no survivors at the ce of the massacre. There were surely witnesses who had seen the demonic form of Sarkegar flying about, but I had made sure that there were no survivors among those involved in the battle, including the holy knights who had tried to flee.


    The rumors spreading through the capital likely originated from those who had seen the flying demon and therge-scale magical attacks from afar.


    The fact that holy knights had been involved hadn¡¯t been disclosed to the public yet.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡±


    Olivia and Adriana didn¡¯t know the exact details of the battle, so it was natural that they would doubt me. But there were no witnesses to the battle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume for now that all the holy knights at the scene were annihted,¡± I said, looking at Adriana. ¡°Do you think anyone else knows that you were there?¡±


    If the surviving members of the Nameless Order in other regions knew that Adriana and Olivia had been there, it would be a problem.


    There could be questions about Adriana and Olivia: <i>¡®If everyone at the scene was killed by demons, how did you two survive?¡¯</i>


    They wouldn¡¯t have an exnation to that question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure...¡± Olivia said, biting her lip.


    ¡°Even if the others don¡¯t know, the Mother Superior knows... that I was with the Nameless Order...¡± Adriana said, her expression growing dark.


    The Mother Superior, who had handed Adriana over to Leverier Lanche.


    While the Mother Superior might be in the dark for now, once she learned that the Nameless Order¡¯s forces was annihted by a demon attack, she would naturally question Adriana¡¯s survival.


    <i>¡®If everyone died, how did youe back alive?¡¯</i> Adriana would inevitably face that question.


    ¡°... You shouldn¡¯t return to the monastery, senior.¡±


    ¡°... I guess not.¡±


    If any investigative body discovered this inexplicable incident of them being protected by demons, there would be serious repercussions.


    If the choice was to remain silent, then Adriana couldn¡¯t return to the Art-Ouen Monastery.


    While Adriana could return to the Temple, there would be a significant risk if her location was officially known.


    If anyone in the Nameless Order knew where she was, it would be dangerous for her, and at least one person among them knew for sure that Adriana was under Leverier Lanche¡¯s control.


    It would be better for Adriana to be presumed dead.


    I was thankful that there was no advanced form ofmunication or media in the world.


    News from the capital would take a while to reach the Art-Ouen Monastery in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and even longer for this news to reach the provincial cities of the Duchy.


    Since information wasn¡¯t shared in real-time, Adriana didn¡¯t have to go into hidingpletely.


    She just needed toy low for a while, somewhere far from public power and influence.


    ¡°Staying in the Temple isn¡¯t a good idea. Senior, you shoulde with me for now. I can find a ce for you to stay.¡±


    The Rotary Club headquarters... There were plenty of rooms there, so I could leave Adriana under Loyar¡¯s protection while figuring out her next steps.


    ¡°How will you manage this, junior?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. What do you have in mind?¡±


    Neither of them knew that I was part of an organization called the Rotary Club.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble to exin. Just go along with it.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. Thank you, junior.¡±


    Neither of them knew anything about my background, since there was no need to boast about being part of an organization that was close to being criminal, even if not outrightly criminal.


    When I thought about it, the only ones who knew about my connection to the Rotary Club were Harriet, Ellen, and the prince and princess.


    And perhaps, at a stretch, the three troublemakers who used to mock me as a beggar.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    Letting Adriana stay in the Temple for too long wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    We had to get out of the Temple.


    ***


    The atmosphere in the capital was tense.


    People were rushing about frantically.


    ¡ªThey say demons have appeared...


    ¡ªWe need to get back quickly.


    ¡ªThe queue for the gate stretches for hours. It¡¯s chaos.


    ¡ªWhat if the demons attack the capital too?


    ¡ªThey might.


    The rumor that demons had appeared in the southern part of the capital had already spread widely.


    The magic trains, which were already crowded due to the festival, were now even more packed, making them an unviable option for transportation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to walk,¡± I said to Olivia and Adriana.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    It was utter chaos.


    This wasn¡¯t the usual crowd wandering around to see the sights during the festival.


    A massive wave of people were trying to leave the capital as quickly as possible, not only overwhelming the areas around the magic train stations, but also near therge warp gates.


    ¡ªPlease queue up in an orderly manner! There are no priority passes!


    There was arger-than-usual contingent of soldiers overseeing the queues at the warp gates, and people were crowding not just therge warp gates, but also the medium and small ones.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s get out of the capital for now ande back when things calm down.


    ¡ªYes.


    It seemed many people thought of the capital as a dangerous ce, and were trying to get as far away from the capital as possible if they couldn¡¯t immediately return to their hometowns. They would return to the capital and use therge warp gates to go home once things settled down.


    The chaos from the previous day¡¯s events had all the tourists in the capital into a panic.


    I was sweating.


    It was terrifying to realize how many people were affected by my actions.


    I had killed Leverier Lanche.


    I still believed it was necessary, but seeing how my actions could literally turn the world upside down was overwhelming.


    We walked through the chaotic streets as I led Olivia and Adriana towards the Rotary Club headquarters.


    Demons and the Demon King...


    I realized just how much influence these entities had on the territories of humanity.


    The Great War had ended.


    People should have gradually forgotten about the Demon King and the demons. However, because of my actions the day before...


    ¡ªThe Demon King... has returned...


    ¡ªDon¡¯t say such ominous things, you idiot!


    ¡ªThe Demon King is seeking revenge! He wasn¡¯t really dead! Artorius didn¡¯t kill the Demon King!


    ¡ªNo... it can¡¯t be...


    People were dishing out wild theories and passing them off as facts.


    Numerous wild rumors were growing and spreading, such as ¡°the Demon King wasn¡¯t dead,¡± or ¡°the next Demon King was seeking revenge,¡± or perhaps ¡°the surviving remnants of the demons would continue to throw the continent into chaos.¡±


    Fear paralyzed a person¡¯s sense of rationality.


    If the demons had really been seeking revenge, they would have targeted the capital or the royal pce, not an abandoned monastery in the outskirts to the south.


    But no one was talking about that.


    ¡ªIf the Demon King has really been resurrected... Who will kill him?


    They were only worried about who would kill the new Demon King if he had indeed returned.


    Adriana and Olivia followed me silently. Since they had been saved by demons, they were likely the most confused by the current situation.


    ***


    Since we were walking instead of taking the magic train, the journey took quite a while.


    It would take more than a day or two for people to leave the chaotic capital, like a receding tide.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Since people were crowding around the gates, the other areas were rtively quiet.


    ¡°But... Why did the demons attack the Order of the Holy Knights?¡± asked Adriana.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Olivia replied grimly, shaking her head.


    They didn¡¯t know why the demons had saved them, or what their purpose was. It was too strange to even hazard a guess.


    They couldn¡¯t possibly guess that I, the one walking ahead of them, was the son of the Demon King and had used my subordinates to save them, attacking the Nameless Order instead of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    ¡°The demons attacked the Order of the Holy Knights before too.¡±


    ¡°Yes... that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Could it be because of revenge...?¡±


    While Adriana might not know it, Olivia was aware of the truth behind the first attack.


    She knew about the corruption and depravity within the Order of the Holy Knights, including the fact that they had taken demon prisoners.


    She knew that the demons¡¯ first attack on the Order was to rescue the subus prisoners. If that was so, then this might not have been an attack on the Nameless Order, but revenge against Leverier Lanche, the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    Even without going that far, Leverier Lanche, the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, was a war hero of the Great War, and thus an enemy of the demons.


    He had lost his power and influence, so attacking him once his power had waned made a lot of sense.


    ¡°Revenge... perhaps.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s theory had its own logic.


    Olivia¡¯s conclusion was that the events of the day before had not been an attack on the Nameless Order, but an attempt to kill Leverier Lanche.


    In reality, things were entirely different.


    However, if Olivia chose to interpret the demons¡¯ intentions that way, it was beneficial for me.


    Of course, even if she believed that, it was still strange that the demons had rescued Adriana and Olivia.


    Olivia seemed to realize something and muttered, ¡°This might be a stretch, but...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Olivia looked at Adriana and I. ¡°If the demons did what they did yesterday to take revenge on the Order of the Holy Knights... could it be that they spared us because we were outsiders...?¡±


    Adriana tilted her head. ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°I mean, think about it. It was a remote location, and so it was unlikely that any outsiders would be there... Perhaps they pulled us out intentionally in order to prevent unintended casualties...¡±


    Olivia¡¯s reasoning was that the attack hade first, and the rescue was an afterthought.


    If the purpose was to harm humans, there would be no reason to attack the Order of the Holy Knights. Which meant the original intent was to attack the Order of the Holy Knights. However, upon discovering outsiders there, the demons had decided to pull them out to avoid unintended casualties.


    ¡°Would demons... really care about such things?¡±


    After all, all humans were seen as enemies by the demons. Adriana seemed unable to understand Olivia¡¯s reasoning.


    It was almost as if Olivia was suggesting that demons were kind-hearted.


    Themon belief was that demons had an unconditional hatred towards humankind and wanted to kill all of them. Naturally, Adriana held this belief as well.


    Ultimately, though, demons had saved them.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right... maybe it is a bit strange,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not really sure about it either,¡± Adriana responded.


    Both Adriana and Olivia found it difficult to ovee their deeply ingrained prejudices.


    Of course, since rescuing them had been the primary objective, any theory Olivia came up with would be incorrect.


    Still, it was cute, seeing Olivia furrow her brow and try to reason out the meaning behind the previous day¡¯s events.

 Chapter 327

    <h4>Chapter 327</h4>


    The headquarters of the Rotary Club was located in the southern part of the capital. The area was sparsely popted, and the grounds were quite extensive, which made it an ideal ce to stay hidden and rtively isted. It wasn¡¯t the perfect ce to disappearpletely, but if one was determined, they could survive without being noticed by outsiders.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to take care of someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s my senior. Her name is Adriana.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello...¡±


    Adriana bowed her head slightly towards Loyar.


    Adriana hadn¡¯t grown up in luxury, nor was she from the capital. She had gone about her life quietly in the Temple, so it was unlikely she had heard of the Hound of Irine. Olivia was also seeing Loyar for the first time.


    Even though the organization wasn¡¯t entirely criminal, only those who knew about such ces would know that. Both of them were seeing the boss of the Rotary Club, with her disheveled white hair, for the first time in their lives.


    Even though Loyar looked human, she had a beastly aura about her, which chilled Olivia and Adriana. They were even more surprised to learn that I had such a person as my boss.


    Loyar was one of the main culprits of the incident that had most recently shaken the capital.


    The main perpetrator of the attack on the holy knights, the Demon King Baalier, and his aplice, the lycanthrope Loyar... Of course they would not recognize us as such. Loyar had also never met these two before, as it was Sarkegar who had rescued them.


    ¡°Because of some circumstances, she will need to stay here for a while. Is that okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... It¡¯s not impossible, but...¡± Loyar looked Adriana up and down, and Adriana flinched as if she had been electrocuted by that gaze. ¡°There aren¡¯t any empty rooms at present, but we can create one. However, there are only men here.¡±


    The club members had recently improved their circumstances and were now all dressed like regr folk, although Loyar was still dressed like a vagrant. Even so, the headquarters was filled with rough people who had weathered the storms of life, so Loyar seemed particrly concerned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. She can take care of herself.¡±


    ¡°Well, she does look a little frail, but if she¡¯s from the Temple, she should be able to handle herself in a fight.¡±


    Loyar didn¡¯t bother to ask for details. Just by looking at my eyes, she could tell that Adriana was involved in yesterday¡¯s events. I looked over at Adriana. It was entirely possible that she might find it difficult to endure living in such a ce, as Loyar mentioned. After all, I didn¡¯t know the exact nature of every member of the organization.


    ¡°If you find this ce ufortable, I can look for another ce for you.¡±


    Adriana shook her head, as if she couldn¡¯t bear to impose on me any further, without asking about the ce or what it was for.


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s fine... Thank you, Reinhart.¡±


    Loyar understood that Adriana was staying with them in order toy low.


    ¡°Hmm... Which room should I give her...¡±


    Loyar seemed deep in thought, as if it was a huge bother. In reality, Loyar wasn¡¯t particrly kind-hearted, and often snapped at me as well.


    She¡¯d said there were no empty rooms but that they could create one, which sounded like she intended to evict someone from the room that they were currently upying. This seemed like a rather awkward situation.


    After a moment of contemtion, Loyar gestured for Adriana to follow her and opened a door behind her office.


    <i>Click.</i>


    ¡°Use this room.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Loyar had suddenly offered Adriana what was clearly her own room. Olivia, Adriana, and even I were surprised by this sudden decision.


    Adriana hadn¡¯t expected a secluded attic room, but she was naturally intimidated by Loyar¡¯s wild and prickly appearance. When Loyar suddenly offered her own room, Adriana couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    ¡°Um... I don¡¯t know what to call you... but isn¡¯t this your room, <i>unnie</i>...?¡±


    ¡°... <i>Unnie</i>?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um... is that inappropriate? Then how should I...¡±


    Loyar¡¯s eyes widened at the word ¡°<i>unnie</i>,¡± and she grabbed Adriana¡¯s hand, pulling her into the room.


    ¡°No, I insist use this room.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, just let me know. I¡¯ll get it for you right away.¡± After saying that, Loyar ced her hands on Adriana¡¯s shoulders. ¡°And from now on, always call me <i>unnie</i>.¡±


    Loyar seemed very pleased that Adriana had called her ¡°<i>unnie</i>,¡± unlike Ellen, who always rudely called her ¡°<i>ahjumma</i>.¡±


    ¡°Ah... yes, <i>unnie</i>.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    It almost seemed like Loyar¡¯s non-existent tail was wagging furiously. It was clear that Ellen¡¯s constant ¡°<i>ahjumma</i>¡± remarks had trained Loyar¡¯s behavior in a strange direction.


    ***


    Ellen¡¯s constant teasing meant that Loyar waspletely won over just by being called ¡°<i>unnie</i>,¡± but that was a good thing. Although I was worried about leaving Adriana alone in such a ce, it was the best option we had at the moment. For the time being, Adriana could not live out in the open.


    We left Adriana at the club headquarters and headed back. Along the way, Olivia looked nkly up at the sky.


    ¡°What is happening to the world...? I didn¡¯t think everything would be fine just because the Demon King died.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I thought that his death would at least mean that the senseless deaths of countless people who were dragged onto the battlefield would stop...¡±


    Having seen the horrors of war firsthand, Olivia knew better than anyone how terrifying war was. Olivia didn¡¯t know about the Revolutionary Forces.


    However, she knew that the Church of the Five Great Gods and the empire were igniting the sparks of conflict by creating another point of friction.


    ¡°If the Demon King hadn¡¯t died, maybe humans wouldn¡¯t be killing each other.¡±


    Olivia seemed to hope that the rumors about the Demon King were somewhat true. The presence of an external enemy always quenched the fires of internal division. Olivia seemed to grudgingly acknowledge the necessity of the Demon King.


    Olivia smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯ve just said something very strange. Don¡¯t go around telling anyone I said this.¡±


    ¡°What good would it do for me to tell people that?¡±


    Adriana would only be left at the Rotary Club temporarily; I would have to find another ce for her soon. The capital wasn¡¯t absolutely safe.


    Some ce far away.


    Somewhere like the Edina Archipgo, for example, where Airi was. That would be reassuring.


    If I sent her there, though, how would I exin my connection to that distant ind nation? It seemed difficult to make sense of today¡¯s events in the first ce.


    ¡°By the way, Reinhart, what exactly was that ce today?¡±


    Olivia shared the same curiosity as Adriana, but was willing to ask me about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a home base for those who came from the streets. Though it''s no longer located on the streets now.¡±


    I gave Olivia a brief exnation about the Rotary Club, detailing how it had evolved from a beggars¡¯ organization to its current state.


    ¡°I see... that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    Olivia smiled brightly at the thought of the beggars under the bridge now living in a proper building and earning their keep. Everyone had started living like proper citizens. The problem was that the boss, Loyar, still looked like a beggar.


    ¡°I was worried that you might be involved in some criminal organization, Reinhart.¡±


    I had been involved with such groups in the past, and I wasn¡¯t entirely unconnected to the Thieves¡¯ Guild either, but I didn¡¯t correct Olivia¡¯s assumption. After all, in reality, the Rotary Club now conducted legitimate business through coboration with the Merchants¡¯ Guild, backed by the imperial family.


    Olivia let out a long sigh, seemingly burdened with many worries.


    She had a lot on her mind, not just her own issues but Adriana¡¯s as well. Now that Lanche was dead, no one was going to try to make Olivia Lanche the Holy Emperor, but one could never be too sure. Throw in the issues with the demons, and things got terriblyplicated.


    Moreover, Olivia hadn¡¯t won the tournament nor been crowned Miss Temple. Olivia, who needed money, had lost everything she¡¯d been aiming for after getting entangled in these matters. This festival had been full of nothing but unfortunate events for her.


    Though she was undoubtedly stressed out by other issues, the money problem was surely still troubling her.


    I couldn¡¯t solve all of Olivia¡¯s problems. However, I wanted to give her some support, especially since she had been through so much recently.


    ¡°You know, that thing...¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡±


    ¡°The orphanage you sponsor.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in the imperial capital, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    Olivia looked startled and shook her head. ¡°No, no, Reinhart! You don¡¯t have to do that. It¡¯s my problem... you don¡¯t need to spend money...¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about spending money?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    She seemed to think I was nning to cover the sponsorship money she couldn¡¯t afford. It was a natural assumption. Unfortunately, I had no intention of doling out money.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going there to give them money. Just show me the ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Uh... okay.¡±


    Olivia hesitated, but then led the way.


    ***


    Olivia personally sponsored several orphanages, not just one.


    She had been using the allowance she received from Leverier Lanche to support her sponsorships, but once her circumstances became difficult, she couldn¡¯t afford to continue the sponsorships. Olivia was likely sponsoring only those orphanages that were struggling financially. She wouldn¡¯t be sponsoring ces that were well-off.


    Without Olivia¡¯s additional sponsorship, the orphanages would struggle to operate.


    ¡°There are two more ces besides this one?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We stood in front of an orphanage building located in a quiet area on the outskirts of the eastern part of the capital. The building wasn¡¯t falling apart, but it was old and the facilities were quite outdated. However, the grounds were quiterge, and children were ying in the central yard in the middle of the three buildings.


    Since the orphanage didn¡¯t have a fence, the children could see us approaching.


    ¡ªOh? It¡¯s <i>noona</i>!


    ¡ª<i>Noona¡¯s</i> here!


    ¡ªOlivia <i>unnie</i>!


    ¡°Oh... hi kids.¡±


    It seemed Olivia visited often, as the children swarmed around her.


    ¡°<i>Noona</i>, my leg is all better now!¡±


    ¡°Really, Billy? That¡¯s great.¡±


    The children crowded around Olivia, each one clinging to her and telling her various things, and she responded to each of them individually.


    Olivia seemed to know how to love children.


    ¡°<i>Unnie</i>! He fought with Willy again! Scold him!¡±


    ¡°Really? You little rascal. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to fight with your friends?¡±


    ¡°But he started it! He said I don¡¯t have a mom! Even though he doesn¡¯t have one either!¡±


    ¡°I do have one, dummy! She¡¯s just too busy toe!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right! I even know where your mom¡¯s grave is!¡±


    ¡°You little...!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to say such harsh things?¡±


    The children¡¯s conversation, though simple, seemed to include words that cut deep into each other¡¯s hearts.


    <i>¡®Right. Kids tend to make harsh remarks surprisingly easily...¡¯</i>


    Addressing the children¡¯s hurtful words, Olivia scolded the perpetrators sternly, stopped them, andforted the victims. It was my first time seeing her like this. I had imagined her to be such a person, but seeing it in person was quite fascinating.


    The children swarmed Olivia for a while, but soon they turned their attention to the new face¡ªme.


    ¡°Who is this <i>hyung</i>?¡±


    ¡°Is he your boyfriend, <i>unnie</i>?¡±


    ¡°Oh? No, no... he¡¯s one of my friends at school. A close friend.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s face turned red, and she shook her head vigorously.


    Her reaction waspletely different from usual. I expected her to scream, ¡°Of course, he¡¯s my boyfriend,¡± but she clearly felt that would be too embarrassing.


    <i>¡®Why does her personality change here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Unnie</i>, you like this <i>oppa</i>, don¡¯t you? Your face is all red.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Oh? No, no. No, you little rascal. Are you teasing me?¡±


    As Olivia stammered, the girls squealed with delight, while the boys started giving me cold stares.


    Their looks said it all, even if they didn¡¯t speak it out loud. <i>¡®Who the hell are you, you bastard?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Who are you, <i>hyung</i>?¡±


    ¡°Do you go to the Temple too?¡±


    ¡°Are you good at fighting?¡±


    The boys¡¯ hostile gazes left me in a rather difficult situation.


    Even though my ssmates were already kids by my standards, these children were even younger. Unlike Olivia, I neither liked nor knew how to handle kids. Children were strange creatures to me. As I stood there, frozen and silent, the children began to whisper among themselves.


    ¡ªHe looks like he might be good at fighting.


    ¡ªHe looks scary.


    ¡ªNah, guys who look like that usually can¡¯t fight.


    .


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    .


    The whisperedments made me dizzy.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯te here to see the kids!¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t just the boys; the girls were whispering too.


    ¡ªThat guy is totally my type.


    ¡ªAre you going to live off his looks? He looks like a thug. Guys like that just suck women dry and then dump them. Money is the best.


    ¡ªHe might have a lot of money.


    ¡ªNo way, he¡¯s broke. You can tell by his face.


    ¡ªSo, would you marry a bald, fat old man if he had money?


    ¡ªThat would be even better. He¡¯d die soon, and all the money would be mine.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s true.


    ¡ªThen you can snag a handsome guy like him, you idiot.


    ¡ªWould you get married again?


    ¡ªWhy not? Why can¡¯t I get married three times?


    The girls, who seemed unusually mature for their age, were saying things even my ssmates wouldn¡¯t say.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s with these kids?¡¯</i>


    ¡ªStill, that guy is totally my type...


    ¡ªForget it, he¡¯s our <i>unnie¡¯s </i>guy.


    ¡ª<i>Unnie</i> said she doesn¡¯t like him.


    ¡ªOf course she¡¯s lying, you idiot.


    What was this? What had these kids seen and heard to be so jaded already?


    However, I wasn¡¯t there to y. Ignoring their whispers about me as much as possible, I observed the children¡¯s appearances. Their clothes were worn out. They weren¡¯t wearing rags, but it was clear they didn¡¯t have many spare clothes.


    Overall, the kids were all skinny and they seemed poorly nourished. It was evident that this orphanage was in dire straits.


    Seeing this, I fully understood why Olivia was so desperate to continue offering sponsorship. Any reduction in funding would have a significant impact.


    ¡°Oh, Olivia, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, director.¡±


    As the children swarmed around, a middle-aged woman in a white dress came out to greet Olivia, curious as to who had arrived. She had a kind appearance. After greeting Olivia, her gaze naturally turned to me.


    ¡°Oh, Reinhart, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Bell, the director of Sunlight Haven.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello. Are you Olivia¡¯s friend...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Reinhart.¡±


    She extended her hand to me, and I shook it. Her hand was soft.


    It was obvious that she wasn¡¯t managing this ce alone, as there were a few adultsing and going.


    <i>¡¯The director of Sunlight Haven...¡¯ </i>


    I neither liked nor knew how to handle children. I didn¡¯t know how to interact with them and was just d if I didn¡¯t make them cry.


    I wasn¡¯t here to see the kids. I wasn¡¯t here to give sponsorship money either.


    I looked at Olivia. ¡°Senior, could you take the kids over there for a bit?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°I have something to discuss with the director.¡±


    Olivia seemed slightly puzzled by the seriousness of my expression, but she led the children away. Like the Pied Piper, when Olivia moved, the children, both boys and girls, swarmed after her.


    The director, who introduced herself as Ms. Bell, turned to me.


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Reinhart. Do you have something to discuss with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go somewhere quiet.¡±


    Since this wasn¡¯t a conversation to be had in public, I followed Ms. Bell to her office, where no one could overhear us.


    ¡°What is it you want to discuss, Mr. Reinhart?¡± Ms. Bell asked with a kind smile, which I returned with a smirk of my own.


    ¡°Exin yourself,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Which hole are you siphoning the funds into, leaving the kids in this state?¡±


    After the Great War, the imperial family had immediately started providing maximum support for orphanages for war orphans.


    ¡°With the amount of money pouring in, the kids should be worrying about obesity and not living like this.¡±


    Lack of funding? I already knew that such a thing couldn¡¯t happen to an orphanage in the imperial capital.

 Chapter 328

    <h4>Chapter 328</h4>


    One cannot judge a person as good or evil by their appearance. The person in front of me, looked like they couldn¡¯t hurt a fly, but could actually be a devil who was sucking the lifeblood out of these children.


    Ms. Bell looked genuinely flustered and confused.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, Mr. Reinhart. Why would you bring that up all of a sudden...¡±


    <i>¡®Of course, she would deny it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the structure of the orphanage support program, nor do I know the exact method through which the money is provided,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯m not a stakeholder, after all.¡±


    I sighed deeply.


    After emerging victorious in the Great War, the imperial government had immediately started support programs to take care of the numerous orphans.


    When I first arrived in the capital, I had seriously considered just entering an orphanage because I knew for sure that I would be given support. I had even made it so that talented war orphans could enter the Temple and receive free education, even if they were not ced in the Royal ss.


    Because of that, the idea that there were kids in orphanages within the imperial capital who were starving andcked clothes due tock of funds was simply absurd. The fact that these kids were starving meant that someone was siphoning off the imperial funds. It was clear that the resources meant for the children were leaking out somewhere along the way.


    The ces Olivia was sponsoring were all like this. They weren¡¯t in need of actual help¡ªmoney was just leaking out somewhere along the way before it got to them. When Olivia had told me about her sponsoring these orphanages, I hadn¡¯t said anything about it, but I had already figured out that there had to be some underlying issue.


    Since the thought was still fresh in my mind, I had decided to take action.


    I crossed my arms and looked at Ms. Bell, who wore an expression of utter indignation. I didn¡¯t know how the orphanage support program was run, and it was possible that this person was innocent.


    ¡°Ms. Bell, I won the first-year championship in the Temple Tournament.¡±


    ¡°... And what does that mean...?¡±


    ¡°Winning a tournament within the Temple gives you the opportunity to meet the emperor.¡±


    I grinned as Ms. Bell¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°What do you think will happen if I tell His Majesty that this orphanage seems to be diverting government support funds elsewhere?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°W-What are you saying?! Do you think we would be safe if you said such things?¡±


    ¡°If it turns out you¡¯re innocent, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?! I-I have never... I would never...¡±


    Ms. Bell¡¯s face turned ashen, and she began to tremble. If I told the emperor about this, he might personallyunch an investigation, or he might not. But just the fact that I would say such a thing terrified her. Even if she was innocent, she might be framed and made the scapegoat. If she was guilty, her scheme would undoubtedly be exposed.


    Was she innocent? Just looking at her expression¡ªshe looked like she might copse at any moment¡ªI could tell that she had indeed been tampering with the funding meant for the children.


    ¡°P-Please. Just spare me this once. I-I¡¯ll never... I¡¯ll never do this again...¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    I shook off Ms. Bell, who was clinging to my pant leg.


    ¡°Why should <i>I</i> decide whether you live or die?¡±


    I looked down at the kind-looking, middle-aged woman who was trembling at my feet.


    How many people had been deceived by her kind and gentle facade?


    I didn¡¯t know what she had done with the money meant for the children. Olivia had likely sold her personal belongings to raise the necessary funds, only for them to be siphoned off like this. If she had won the prize money and donated it to this orphanage, it would have been diverted as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s for thews of the empire to decide, not me,¡± I said.


    Outside the window, Olivia and the children were ying andughing heartily, while inside the director¡¯s office, the orphanage director was kneeling before me.


    Olivia didn¡¯t need to know about this. I didn¡¯t want her to find out that all her efforts had gone towards filling the pockets of the wrong person. She was already going through a lot, and I didn¡¯t want to burden her with this mess as well.


    ***


    After watching Olivia and the children y for a while, we left the orphanage. The children were disappointed, and Ms. Bell didn¡¯t daree near me.


    ¡°What did you talk about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just about when they would be getting support from the government, and various other things.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. I hope they get it soon.¡±


    The policy had already been implemented a long time ago. They had been deceiving Olivia and the other sponsors by iming that they had been excluded from the list of supported institutions. I decided there was no need to inform her of this. I didn¡¯t know how much emptiness and betrayal she would feel if she found out.


    Not all truths had toe to light. Sometimes, it¡¯s better to be unaware of a truth that will only cause pain, and Olivia has already been hurt too much.


    While I might not be able to punish them directly, I could at least report them. I didn¡¯t know what kind of punishment the perpetrators would face, but I nned to look into the other orphanages Olivia was sponsoring as well. If Olivia¡¯s wish was for the children to be well-fed and well-clothed, that would soon be the case.


    ¡°Reinhart, you seemed really ufortable around the kids.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t like kids.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I didn¡¯t know you had such a weakness.¡±


    ¡°Why is disliking something a weakness?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a weakness. Normally, you¡¯re all loud and brash, but you couldn¡¯t do anything in front of the kids.¡±


    She had clearly noticed that I was flustered and unable to act like my usual self, afraid that I might shout at them and drive them away with harsh words.


    ¡°Heh, but you¡¯ll have to do your best to y with our child, okay?¡± she said.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Olivia, smiling brightly, seemed to be in a much better mood. That was enough for me.


    ***


    ¡°Eat up.¡±


    <i>Flinch.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s food for humans.¡±


    ¡°... I-I know that.¡±


    Radia Schmidt cautiously epted the bread and milk offered by the vampire and ced them beside her.


    Although it had been given to her to eat, Radia couldn¡¯t bring herself to touch it. She sat huddled in a corner of that basement room, trembling as she looked up at Eleris, who was looming over her.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The vampire had gone out for a while and returned. Radia might have tried to escape, but she hadn¡¯t even attempted it. The fear that they wouldn¡¯t leave her escape route so unguarded paralyzed her.


    The vampire, who had bought the bread and milk, gently patted Radia¡¯s head, as if acknowledging that she hadn¡¯t tried to escape. <i>¡®So, you¡¯re not a foolish child. That¡¯s a relief,¡¯</i> that gesture conveyed.


    Everything about her circumstances was terrifying, but what scared Radia the most was that it was broad daylight.


    ¡°How can a vampire... go outside during the day...?¡±


    It wasmon knowledge that vampires only moved around at night. The day before, when she had firste across this vampire who had disguised herself as an ordinary merchant, it had been at dusk, indoors, and the subsequent battle had taken ce at night. This time, though, this vampire had casually gone out for a walk and had even bought bread and milk for her in broad daylight.


    Seeing Radia¡¯s shock, the vampire smiled. ¡°In this world, there¡¯s no such thing as absolutes, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    The smile seemed kind enough. The eerie eyes and harsh words from yesterday, and therge-scale destructive spells she had cast from her fingertips, all that seemed to have vanished.


    However, it was an unquestionable fact that the being that stood before her was a vampire mage capable of massacring hundreds of thousands with a single gesture. And Reinhart, whomanded such a mage as a subordinate, was the Demon King.


    Radia had realized that this was the true nature of Reinhart. She couldn¡¯t understand why the Demon King was Tiamata¡¯s master. All she could do now was hope, in her fear, that she would be killed swiftly rather than being turned into a vampire.


    What does this vampire intend to do with her? Radia didn¡¯t know. All she could do was pray to the gods for a peaceful death. The vampire scrutinized her quietly.


    ¡°Hmm... Are you cold?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s winter, so it must be cold... and there¡¯s no heating...¡±


    A vampire¡¯s body was not affected by heat or cold. The vampire ced a hand on the floor and tilted her head.


    <i>Click!</i>


    She summoned a heating device, and warmth began to fill the chilly room.


    ¡°How is that? Warm enough?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Radia could only shrink further away. She had no idea what the vampire wanted from her. The uncertainty of what this terrifying vampire intended to do with her left her trembling in fear.


    The vampire sighed deeply and looked at Radia. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. If you need anything, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In an attempt to reassure her, the vampire sat beside her and gently ced her hands on Radia¡¯s trembling shoulders.


    ¡°Given the situation, your fear ispletely understandable, but you don¡¯t need to be so afraid.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t harm you, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    The more kindly the vampire treated her, the more intense Radia¡¯s fear became.


    Oveing her fear and mustering all her courage, Radia finally managed to ask, ¡°W-What do you want from me...?¡±


    The vampire tilted her head in response. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then... why are you keeping me here like this?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t want to be a thrall or part of my kin, and His Highness doesn¡¯t trust you yet.¡±


    Radia Schmidt looked at Eleris with a despairing expression.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just... kill me... normally?¡±


    Now that she knew Reinhart¡¯s true identity, Radia couldn¡¯t evene up with a defense for herself. She had betrayed herrades in the Church of the Five Great Gods out of fear of bing a vampire.


    So what if the Demon King was Ouen¡¯s Champion? Her sins still ran deep. Radia Schmidt, burdened with guilt, now only wished for a clean death.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, because I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Did that mean she would be trapped in this dark underground forever? Would she have to stay like this, unable to die, until the words ¡°I want to be a vampire¡± came out of her mouth? Had she be a human being that was being raised by a vampire?


    Seeing Radia¡¯s expression, Eleris seemed toe to a realization and shook her head.


    ¡°You can¡¯t return to the Temple, but you can go outside. Of course, wherever you go, I¡¯ll have to apany you.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll alter your appearance slightly so no one recognizes you, but if there¡¯s somewhere you want to go, just say so. If there¡¯s something you want to eat, let me know. If you want a change of scenery, we can teleport somewhere far away. Don¡¯t worry about the distance.¡±


    Radia Schmidt began to think that this vampire was somewhat strange.


    ¡°If you have family, you can go see them. Of course, I¡¯ll be watching from nearby, but you understand that, right?¡±


    ¡°N-No... I don¡¯t have any family...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s... okay...¡±


    Was this really what it meant to be raised by a vampire?


    Radia began to wonder if she hadpletely misunderstood the situation. The vampire in front of her, and Reinhart too¡ªshe couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening.


    ***


    In the central imperial pce, Tetra, of the imperial city of Emperatos, the emperor sat in his study facing the prince and princess, after an urgent meeting with his ministers. Vertus and Charlotte were not engaging in their usual bickering as they both understood the gravity of the situation.


    They knew that this was not the time to provoke the emperor¡¯s temper.


    The emperor of the empire, Neliod de Gradias, delivered the facts calmly.


    ¡°Last night, Leverier Lanche was found dead along with several elite holy knights in an abandoned monastery in the outskirts south of the capital. It is presumed to be the work of demons.¡±


    ¡°Is it rted to the earlier incident in the capital as well?¡± Vertus asked, and the emperor nodded.


    ¡°While we cannot be certain, the circumstances suggest it is likely.¡±


    Though the Great War had ended, powerful demons still survived. They were capable of orchestratingrge-scale attacks in and around the capital. Previously, there had been no casualties, but this time, there were. Leverier Lanche, the former leader of the Order of the Holy Knights and one of the heroes of the Great War, was dead.


    However, the emperor, the prince, and the princess did not seem particrly troubled.


    ¡°... Are the gods aiding the empire?¡± the emperor mused.


    Charlotte and Vertus both nodded reluctantly. The appearance of high-ranking demons in the capital was a disaster, but they knew that, in the long run, this situation could be advantageous.


    ¡°Was Leverier Lanche the only significant figure who died at that location, or did it include the leadership of the Nameless Monastery?¡± Charlotte asked.


    The emperor nodded again. ¡°While we don¡¯t know the exact members of their core leadership, it seems likely,¡± he replied.


    The imperial family was already aware of the secret religious sect, the Nameless Monastery, formed by Leverier Lanche. However, they had not been able to act. If the imperial family made a move, it could provoke a massive uprising among the already sensitive religiousmunity, which waspletely uneptable.


    Covert assassination was also difficult. Not only was Leverier Lanche highly skilled, but the rest of the leadership consisted of veteran fighters as well. Even if the assassination was sessful, the imperial family would undoubtedly be med for it. Thus, the imperial government had been struggling with how to deal with these growing seeds of division.


    And then, in one night, all of them had been wiped out. Moreover, numerous civilians had witnessed a demon flying about the vicinity. The imperial family was clearly not behind it, nor could they be mistaken for being behind it.


    The re-emergence of these leftover demon forces was a disaster, but for the empire, it was as if the opportunity had fallen into theirp.


    ¡°Do you understand why the demons attacked Leverier Lanche instead of the Order of the Holy Knights themselves?¡±


    ¡°Other than personal grudges against Leverier Lanche... I can¡¯t think of anything else,¡± Vertus said. ¡°More importantly, we need to consider whether the demons knew about the Nameless Monastery when they attacked, or if they attacked them without knowing.¡±


    ¡°If they knew, then they would have left them alone...¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    If the demons had known the true goal of the Nameless Monastery, they would have left them alone to weaken the empire. The consensus among them was that the demons must not have known, which was a reasonable assumption.


    The idea that demons might be trying to protect the empire was inconceivable, so even in the heart of the empire, the true nature of the situation remained unknown.


    The three of them were left perplexed and uncertain, unable to discern the true intentions of the remaining demon forces. While they had rid themselves of a troublesome issue, it had only been reced by another.


    Powerful demons still existed, and could attack the capital at any time. Whether the Demon King had truly been resurrected or if there was a sessor to the Demon King was unknown. However, everyone in the empire now realized that the Great War was not truly over. The three of them knew that this was a temporary respite for the empire.


    ***


    Once the audience with the emperor had concluded, Vertus and Charlotte walked along one of the hallways of the central pce of Tetra on their way out.


    ¡°What do you think, sister dear?¡± Vertus asked.


    ¡°... About what?¡± Charlotte responded, bristling.


    ¡°The possibility that the child you¡¯re looking for is involved in this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your nonsense.¡±


    Despite his words, Charlotte¡¯s mind was equally troubled.


    ¡°If that kid is somehow the Demon King¡¯s son or something...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Charlotte looked up at Vertus with a grim expression. ¡°What are you trying to say? That because I survived, the Demon King¡¯s son was also able to survive? And so all of this is my fault? Are you trying to say that I should have obediently epted death by your hand? Is that it?¡±


    Vertus shook his head and smiled at Charlotte¡¯s hostile words. ¡°No. I¡¯m just saying that if that were the case, it would be a relief. I almost made a fatal mistake, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    If the empire were to fall, thepetition for the throne would be meaningless.


    Seeing that malicious expression, Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick.


    Someone needed to hear this conversation, but there was no one around who could. Even if someone did overhear their exchange, nothing would change.


    ¡°... You bastard,¡± Charlotte said.


    Charlotte understood why Vertus preferred the child to be the Demon King¡¯s son or something simr. She knew what he was thinking.


    Even if there were still remnants of the demon forces around, they couldn¡¯t topple the empire. The Dark Land had been effectively destroyed, and the Demon King¡¯s castle had fallen. The remaining demons, no matter how high-ranking, could only conduct guerri operations at best.


    Therefore, if the remaining demons did indeed rally around one of their kind and created disturbances, the empire would face chaos, but not division. It was because of this that Vertus was hoping for the existence of a sessor to the Demon King.


    Charlotte knew this as well.


    Even if they couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, it was ultimately beneficial for the empire.


    But was that child really rted to the Demon King?


    It seemed unlikely, given that he was an exceedingly ordinary child with no special abilities.


    However, Charlotte also found that she couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss the possibility.

 Chapter 329

    <h4>Chapter 329</h4>


    Although there were no official festival events left, immediate measures were taken within the capital.


    The festival itself had ended, but the Temple was supposed to remain open until the weekend. However, the number of visitors allowed inside was immediately controlled, as part of the measures implemented throughout the capital.


    The military had taken control of all the warp gates within the capital, and measures were being taken to restore order and send tourists back to their hometowns as quickly as possible. Of course, all these activities were happening outside the Temple, so to me, it just felt like the Temple festival had ended a day early.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen and I were strolling through the now-peaceful Temple grounds. Even though Ellen had been crowned Miss Temple, she was still just Ellen. Nothing much had changed, and she didn¡¯t seem to ce much significance on her new title. If anything, she found it bothersome.


    The festival was over, and so was the tournament. While I was supposed to have an audience with the emperor, given the current situation, that opportunity might not arise. I could let either Charlotte or Vertus know about the issue of the orphanages siphoning off money, and it would be resolvedter on.


    Although I hadn¡¯t managed to attend the contest, Ellen had won Miss Temple, and while Cliffman didn¡¯t win, he did make the podium. I wasn¡¯t sure if his confidence or social anxiety issues had been resolved, though. Riana was teasing him, asking him why he hadn¡¯t won when Ellen had. It seemed like, instead of oveing his anxiety, he had just gained a persistent bully.


    The issue of Radia Schmidt was also important. Radia Schmidt was missing. Even though she was on the verge of graduation, she was still a Temple student, and the winner of the Open Tournament. Her sudden disappearance would soon be a significant issue.


    Eleris, who was in charge of her for the moment, would be able to handle her well enough, but Radia Schmidt was a member of the Nameless Monastery and would undoubtedly be a key witness in helping to resolve this whole incident. For the time being, I could only hope that Eleris kept her well hidden.


    And also...


    ¡°It¡¯s vacation time now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Winter break had begun.


    The imperial family would be in turmoil, but I hadpleted my task by killing Leverier Lanche.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°What are you going to do this vacation?¡± Ellen asked, looking at me.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any particr ce to go, so I¡¯ll probably stay at the Temple.¡±


    I had plenty to do. Negotiations with the Vampire Council, re-establishing contact with the ck Order, gathering information on Cantus Magna, making a decision regarding Adriana¡¯s situation, and dealing with the Revolutionary Forces.


    Also, although it wasn¡¯t my responsibility, there were also matters rted to the Magic Research Club I wanted to check in on. It felt like I had postponed too many tasks until after the semester had ended. I couldn¡¯t tell Ellen this, but I was busier now during the vacation.


    Ellen walked quietly beside me.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to go home,¡± she said.


    ¡°... Home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, home.¡±


    Naturally, Ellen¡¯s parents were still alive. She hadn¡¯t been able to return home all year, so it seemed she nned to go back during this winter break.


    I had not written in much detail about Ellen¡¯s family background or circumstances. Ellen wasn¡¯t a noble; she was amoner.


    The hero, Ragan Artorius, grew up in a normal vige, in a normal family, and became an adventurer. That meant his younger sister, Ellen, had also grown up in a normal vige, in a normal family.


    Ellen was usually quiet, and never talked about her hometown. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it; it just seemed like she didn¡¯t see a reason to bring it up. I had never asked her about it either.


    If I started asking her about such things, she might start asking about me, and I wouldn¡¯t have much to say, so I intentionally avoided the topic.


    If she was going home, though, she would probably be spending time with her family over the entire break. Would she be gone for the whole vacation?


    ¡°... When will you be back?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ellen replied with a tilt of her head. It seemed she had no specific ns other than spending time with her family.


    Then would she be back after the vacation, in time for the new school term next year? That would mean she¡¯d be away from the Temple for at least a couple of months.


    ¡°... Why?¡± Ellen asked, noticing my expression. ¡°Do you want me toe back sooner?¡±


    <i>¡®You...! You always catch me off guard like this!¡¯</i>


    She stared at me intently. ¡®<i>Are you saying you¡¯ll miss me if you don¡¯t see me for a long time?¡¯ </i>her expression intimated.


    <i>¡®You... You really...¡¯</i>


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    In the end, I said it, feeling like it was better to just admit it than to keep it in.


    <i>¡®I mean, I¡¯d worry if I went too long without seeing her. Even if she¡¯s just staying at home, you never know what might happen. Right...? It¡¯s definitely not because I¡¯d miss her if she wasn¡¯t around.</i>


    <i>¡®Probably not... I think.¡¯</i>


    Ellen seemed to ponder for a moment, then tilted her head again. ¡°Then, do you want toe with me?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°To my home. Do you want toe with me?¡±


    Her sudden suggestion left me momentarily speechless.


    <i>¡®Is she saying that if I think I¡¯ll miss her, I should juste along?</i>


    <i>¡®This is... something... I don¡¯t even know what rtionship we have anymore...¡¯</i>


    I did say that I didn¡¯t have any ns, so I didn¡¯t have a reason to refuse her invitation.


    If I said, ¡°Why should I go?¡± it wouldn¡¯t make sense, considering I had barged into Arnaria without Harriet.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine,¡± Ellen said as she continued walking. She didn¡¯t seem particrly upset.


    ¡®<i>You aren¡¯t mad, right?¡¯</i>


    She would always pout when she was mad, and she didn¡¯t seem to be doing that.


    Then again, Ellen¡¯s parents... They would also be the parents of the hero, Ragan Artorius. I was curious. I had only written that she was the hero¡¯s little sister, without going into detail about what her parents would be like.


    Who were these parents that had raised two children who turned out to be such extraordinary individuals? Beyond that, I was simply curious about the environment Ellen had grown up in.


    However, I had too many tasks to handle during this vacation. I couldn¡¯t afford to be away.


    ¡°... Sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡±


    There was no reason to feel sorry for not being able to go with her. Ellen shrugged her shoulders, indicating it was no big deal.


    ***


    Adriana had been feeling quite bewildered over the past few days. Of course, it was very different from the bewilderment she¡¯d felt after being was captured by the Nameless Monastery.


    ¡°Hey, do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°No... I¡¯m fine, <i>unnie</i>.¡±


    Ever since Reinhart had dropped her off, the person who seemed to be the boss of this mysterious organization had been hovering around her whenever she had a chance.


    ¡°Heh. Okay. If you need anything, just let me know. I¡¯m always here.¡±


    Her job seemed to be lounging on the sofa in what she called her office on the top floor of the building, doing nothing. Adriana spent her days in the back room.


    ¡°Um... But if you give me your room... where do you sleep, <i>unnie</i>? Last night, you were sleeping on the floor...¡±


    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t really care about that stuff.¡±


    Loyar didn¡¯t use her room much and just hung around her office. The night before, Adriana had been startled when she¡¯d gone to the bathroom. She saw the boss who had given her the room sprawled out on the office floor, sleeping.


    Loyar had given Adriana her room and slept on the floor herself. Adriana was so shocked that she told the boss not to sleep there and to use the bed instead. The boss scratched her belly and said, ¡°I usually sleep like this,¡± and then flopped back down.


    She didn¡¯t seem like a bad person, but she was such a strange person that Adriana felt odd whenever Loyar hovered around her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Are you bored?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Want to go for a walk?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Is there anything you want to eat?¡±


    .


    .


    ¡®¡±Are youfortable here?¡±


    .


    Loyar¡¯s constant attention and questions were bewildering. Adriana couldn¡¯t understand why this person, who seemed to be the boss of a mysterious organization, was so concerned about her well-being. It was bothforting and unsettling at the same time.


    Whenever Adriana tried to meditate in her room, Loyar would circle around her, constantly asking questions and making conversation. Adriana didn¡¯t find it annoying. In fact, the way Loyar kept circling around and asking questions reminded her of a puppy.


    Even though she knew it was rude to think so, she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that arge dog was hovering around her.


    The sight was oddly endearing, and Adriana felt a strange sensation whenever she saw the perpetually disheveled boss.


    <i>¡®What kind of person is she...?¡¯</i>


    Adriana didn¡¯t really know what this ce was or why the boss, who seemed to be in charge, looked the most unkempt. While the others wore proper¡ªif not expensive¡ªclothes and kept themselves clean, this person always looked like a wet, unwashed dog with hair sticking out in all directions.


    Adriana had lived her life in a monastery. Her life was focused on self-discipline, maintaining cleanliness, and strict personal hygiene. Living with Loyar made Adriana realize for the first time that she had a peculiar obsession with cleanliness.


    Regardless of who Loyar was or how scary she might be, seeing someone live in such a state was excessively bothersome to Adriana.


    ¡°Um... <i>unnie</i>?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As Loyar approached, Adriana flinched slightly and took a step back.


    ¡°W-Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you... took a bath?¡±


    ¡°A bath? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well... it would look better... and you wouldn¡¯t have any strange smells... wouldn¡¯t that be nice? Oh, not that you smell strange! I mean... it might be better for your health...¡±


    Adriana stammered, and Loyar tilted her head, sniffing her own arm.


    ¡°Do I smell? This is just my natural scent.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be your natural scent...! Uh, um.¡±


    Saying that she didn¡¯t smell anything would be lying. But Adriana couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell Loyar that she smelled like a wet dog, so she bit her lip.


    Adriana pondered how to phrase her words, but before she could, Loyar shrugged.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s that important, I¡¯ll take a bath.¡±


    Loyar dashed off. About three minutester, she returned.


    ¡°...¡±


    Adriana stared at the white-haired woman, water dripping from her wet hair.


    ¡°I took a bath. Do I still smell?¡±


    It was clear that Loyar had just sshed some water on herself. She was still wearing the same dirty clothes she had been wearing earlier. She acted as if just getting wet was enough.


    Adriana felt like something important inside her had shattered. She began to understand why Reinhart sometimes acted like a madman and charged ahead without thinking. This must be how he felt.


    <i>Grab!</i>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Adriana began dragging the bewildered Loyar away.


    ***


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡ªI-I don¡¯t like this smell!


    ¡ªWhat do you mean you don¡¯t like the smell of soap?!


    ¡ªAh! Don¡¯t apply that! It¡¯s slippery!


    ¡ªJust stay still for a moment!


    The members of the Rotary Club tilted their heads in confusion at themotioning from the shower room inside the headquarters.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You know, that girl Reinhart brought in recently?¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s trying to give the boss a bath.¡±


    ¡°The boss?¡±


    ¡ªCome here!


    ¡ªNo! I said no! I¡¯m leaving!


    ¡ªWhere do you think you¡¯re going all naked like that?! Get back here!


    <i>Crash!</i>


    The club members passing through the hallway were left with their mouths agape.


    The fact that someone was trying to forcibly bathe the Hound of Irine was astonishing. Judging by the sounds from inside, it was clear that the one being caught and dragged around was not Adriana, but their boss.


    Their boss hated anything bothersome more than anything else in the world, including bathing or changing clothes. She was the type to ssh some water on her face and im she was clean.


    ¡ªStop it! I said stop!


    ¡ªAre you going toe here or not?!


    The girl from the Temple was forcibly washing Loyar, who was yelping like a caught dog, but she seemed to eventually let herself be subdued and bathed against her will.


    ¡°Temple folks sure are something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s incredible. The boss can¡¯t even move.¡±


    Everyone passing bymented on how amazing the Temple was.


    ***


    Washing a troublesomerge dog is a tough job. Naturally, the one doing the washing would end up a mess. Adriana was soaked from head to toe, including her hair and clothes. Meanwhile, Loyar, the one who had been bathed, was now dressed in fresh clothes, with Adriana diligently drying her wet hair with a towel.


    ¡°See? Doesn¡¯t it feel nice to be clean?¡±


    ¡°... Does it?¡±


    Loyar looked at her reflection in the mirror with a nonchnt expression. Her skin looked a bit more radiant, and her previously wild hair was now neat and dried. Adriana was carefullybing Loyar¡¯s hair with a brush.


    Loyar didn¡¯t seem to care much about her appearance, but she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of the brush gently flowing through her hair and scratching her scalp.


    Under Adriana¡¯s care, Loyar¡¯s previously matted and disheveled white hair was transformed.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t silky and shiny like well-maintained hair, but it no longer looked like the unkempt fur of a stray dog.


    ¡°From now on, make sure to bathe regrly.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Loyar tapped her head lightly.


    ¡°Can you brush my hair a bit more?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, even after Adriana had finished tidying up Loyar¡¯s hair, she continued brushing it for a while longer.


    Naturally, when Loyar appeared before the other club members, looking like a proper human for the first time with her hair neatly brushed, they were nearly shocked out of their wits.


    ¡ªSo, the boss is human after all.


    ¡ªYeah, who would¡¯ve thought.


    ¡°What are you guys babbling about, you idiots?!¡±


    Everyone nodded absentmindedly, acknowledging that their boss was indeed human.


    ***


    Tourists throughout the imperial capital were quickly evacuated under the eye of the military. While the sense of crisis lingering over the capital remained, the chaotic atmosphere was gradually subsiding.


    The imperial family knew what had happened, but to prevent indiscriminate rumors from spreading among the general popce, the Imperial government had to make an announcement.


    Demons had appeared in the southern part of the capital and massacred over eighty followers of the Five Great Gods, including the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche, who had been holding a gathering at an abandoned monastery.


    The identity of the demons who had attacked was unclear, and the imperial family was doing everything in their power to investigate the incident. While this was indeed an emergency, the public was urged not to be taken in by rumors rted to the Demon King.


    That was the essence of the imperial statement. There was no particr lie in it. In fact, there was no reason to mix in falsehoods.


    The threat ofrge-scale civil war had been looming if the empire shed recklessly with the Church of the Five Great Gods, and the demons had effectively done the empire a favor. The hostility that the followers of the Five Great Gods felt towards the empire had shifted to hostility towards the demons.


    At the moment, I was sitting quietly in a darkened underground sewer, a small fire burning beside me.


    <i>Shuffle.</i>


    Someone appeared in the distance, apanied by the sound of footsteps. It was Count Argon Pontius, also known as Sarkegar.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Sit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sarkegar sat down across from me. Not long after, without a sound, Eleris appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Radia?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in my room. She won¡¯t try to escape, so you can rest assured.¡±


    Eleris also sat quietly by the fire. Given the recent events and the discussions we needed to have, I had called all my subordinates to this former Rotary Club hideout. We were waiting for Loyar to arrive to start the conversation.


    After waiting for a while, the sound of approaching footsteps announced another arrival.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Seeing the person who appeared, all three of us tilted our heads in confusion.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Seeing our bewildered expressions, the neer also tilted their head in confusion.


    ¡°... Loyar...?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±


    White hair wasn¡¯tmon, and it was indeed Loyar, but she looked so different from usual that the three of us were stunned. Loyar usually looked so disheveled that it felt better to keep your distance. This time, though, her hair was neatly arranged and she was wearing clean clothing, which made her look presentable.


    <i>¡®Wait. Was Loyar always this decent-looking?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Did you take a bath?¡± Eleris asked, and Loyar nodded.


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Why on earth did you do that?¡±


    Just the fact that she had bathed and changed clothes was enough to shock Sarkegar and Eleris.


    <i>¡®Loyar... What kind of life have you been living to make them so surprised that you took a bath? Also, why did you bathe?¡¯</i>


    The fact that someone being clean was surprising was already absurd.


    Loyar plopped down by the fire.


    ¡°The girl you entrusted to me bathed me.¡±


    ¡°... Adriana?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It felt strange to hear someone proudly say they had been bathed by someone else.


    <i>¡®Is she actually a dog in disguise?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 330

    <h4>Chapter 330</h4>


    Had Adriana gotten close enough to Loyar to bathe her already? It did seem like Loyar had taken a liking to Adriana.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to see. You should keep it up. I could hardly stand the smell of a wet dog in midsummer,¡± Eleris said, smiling brightly.


    ¡°Mind your own business,¡± Loyar snapped, ring at her. ¡°It¡¯s my business whether I bathe or not.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to buy some insecticide on your way back and spray it on her. I¡¯m sure the fleas and lice that lived on you have jumped over onto her as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? I don¡¯t have fleas or lice!¡±


    ¡°It would be strange if you <i>didn¡¯t</i> have any while living like that. Or perhaps you were too dirty for even fleas and lice to survive on you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Eleris had a tendency to tease Loyar, and Loyar¡¯s reactions were quite entertaining. It was simr to how I would poke fun at Harriet.


    Anyway, the white-haired beast who had transformed from a wet dog into a human, Loyar, had joined us.


    ¡°Alright. The previous situation was an urgent one, and so I did not have time to exin everything properly. I called you all here today to rify a few things,¡± I started.


    Back then, the most important thing had been to get things done, and I hadn¡¯t had time to exin things. I had returned to the Temple immediately after that, and did not have a chance to speak with them.


    The one whom I needed to understand the situation the most was Sarkegar. It didn¡¯t matter too much if Eleris or Loyar didn¡¯t get it.


    ¡°In the previous encounter, I was trying to save Olivia, and Adriana as well..¡±


    All three of them remained silent.


    ¡°Olivia is co-master of Tiamata, and ys a crucial role in imbuing Tiamata with Divine Power. I cannot afford for her to disappear. Of course, I won¡¯t say that I¡¯m only keeping her around because she¡¯s useful. Adriana and Olivia are both important to me.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... you have too much affection for huma¡ªNever mind.¡±


    Sarkegar started to say something, then cut himself off, looking concerned. He seemed to realize he couldn¡¯t persuade me to see things his way when it came to this issue and gave up.


    ¡°Sarkegar, I¡¯m sure you must be wondering, above all else, why we let the humans know of our existence. Correct?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. If the humans learn that a new Demon King exists, they will unite and try to hunt us down.¡±


    Revealing the fact that remnants of the demon forces remained would temporarily halt the forces that were driving the empire towards division, which was beneficial for the empire, but it was surely a disaster to Sarkegar, who dreamed of rebuilding the Demon Realm. However, I could always find a reason to fit the situation.


    ¡°Sarkegar, would you like to hear something interesting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Leverier Lanche, just before he died, suggested that we join forces.¡±


    Both Eleris and Sarkegar¡¯s seemed shocked by this revtion.


    ¡°He argued that, if his faction sowed chaos within the empire, it would benefit us. He thought it would be better for us to join forces.¡±


    ¡°The leader of the Holy Knights... said such a thing...?¡±


    ¡°Humans are like that,¡± I said, lowering my voice. ¡°They are willing to ally with non-humans and kill other humans for their own benefit.¡±


    I was highlighting the wickedness and selfishness of humans.


    ¡°In that case... wouldn¡¯t it have been better to join forces from the start...?¡±


    ¡°I told you. Leverier Lanche was after two things that I wasn¡¯t willing to give up. That¡¯s why it was impossible to negotiate with him.¡±


    I had no intention of hiding that Adriana and Olivia were important to me.


    ¡°We are still weak. Even if the humans turned on each other now, the empire might be able to bring it under control somehow, and everything might be settled before we can strike,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now is not the right time. When we have a solid foundation and are fully prepared, we can then trigger everything at once. A republican revolution, or the establishment of a Holy Empire.¡±


    As I spoke, Sarkegar¡¯s expression began to change. From his initial doubt and confusion, he started to find answers.


    ¡°The idea of a Holy Empire won¡¯t disappear just because Leverier Lanche is dead. There are already factions within the Church of the Five Great Gods that desire independence. They might find another focal point besides Leverier Lanche. And those factions, if necessary, will ally with us.


    ¡°The Revolutionary Forces? They¡¯re no different. The empire is a colossal monster, one that the Revolutionary Forces have to face. Those guys? If they think these new demon forces can shake the empire, they¡¯ll definitely want to ally with us.


    ¡°Of course, if they believed we were the forces of the previous Demon King, they wouldn¡¯t ally with us. They¡¯d just try to use us.


    ¡°In other words, an alliance makes sense at this point because both of these factions are weak. Such an alliance is necessary to face the monster that is the empire. Therefore, we did not reveal ourselves just to unite humanity against us. We did it to inform these anti-imperial factions of our existence.


    ¡°We¡¯ll approach them one by one and findmon ground. We could discuss the timing and specifics of tearing the empire apart.


    ¡°So, whether it¡¯s a revolution, the establishment of a Holy Empire, or the rebuilding of the Demon Realm, it would be better if they all happened simultaneously, rather than sequentially. It¡¯s a proposal they can¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°In short, this is the starting point for creating an anti-imperial alliance.¡±


    My initial purpose was to let humanity know that forces of the Demon Realm still existed, thereby preventing them from turning on each other.


    However, depending on how you phrase it, you could also say that we revealed our existence to ally with anti-empire forces and use them to our advantage.


    An anti-empire alliance... In the end, it was all down to how one framed the situation.


    Eleris was staring at me with a stunned expression.


    Even Eleris, who knew my true intentions, was shocked. Perhaps she was wondering if this was indeed my true goal, rather than the future-oriented ns I had shared with her. Despite having confided everything in her, this line of thinking still surprised her.


    ¡°Your Highness¡¯s insight is... truly remarkable...!¡±


    Sarkegar was, of course,pletely convinced, and his doubts were resolved.


    They had to be.


    It was a real possibility and I could indeed orchestrate things in such a fashion if I¡¯d wanted to. If the Revolutionary Forces believed that toppling the empire was their priority, they would willingly ally with us and rely on the weakened remnants of the demon forces.


    After the empire fell, they would likely try to turn on us. However, such alliances with possible future enemies were always made out of need.


    First, you topple the biggest immediate threat, then you deal with the smaller threats you allied with.


    I could steer things in such a direction if I chose to.


    ¡°Contact with the Revolutionary Forces will be made under the guise of remnants of the Dark Land, Sarkegar.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Your Highness...¡±


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Sarkegar seemed to be in awe, as if he couldn¡¯t believe how grand my n was.


    But it was all a lie.


    The Revolutionary Forces and the Holy Empire...


    I could contact their core leadership and exchange information, but all I needed to say to keep them from acting was that it wasn¡¯t the right time yet.


    I just needed to buy time until the Gate Incident urred, which would be in about a year.


    As long as I could keep them upied until then, my goal would be achieved. The rest could be dealt withter.


    Just thinking about how to deal with the Gate Incident was enough to make my head spin. I wasn¡¯t about to make things worse by contemting the possible consequences of my actions right now.


    After all, there was no point thinking about doing the dishes before the main course was even served.


    I had merelyid out my intentions in a rough way. The most important thing was for Sarkegar to be convinced, and he seemed to be. Even Eleris seemed a little dazed.


    Sarkegar said that he would find a way to contact the Revolutionary Forces as soon as possible, and left eagerly.


    Despite his appearance, he was thorough in his work, so I wasn¡¯t worried.


    Loyar, having listened to everything, just sat there nkly. It seemed like her mind was elsewhere.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°... Well, if that¡¯s what Your Highness says, then that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Anyway, the discussion was over.


    ¡°How¡¯s Adriana? Is she doing well? From what I hear, she¡¯s doing better than I expected, considering she¡¯s even bathing you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like Loyar was the one bathing a much younger child; she was the one being bathed, which was already a problem.


    ¡°Compared to that brat, she¡¯s an angel. She¡¯s quiet, kind, and always wants to help, which is annoying.¡±


    Despite her words, Loyar was smiling while talking about Adriana.


    <i>¡®She got utterly neutralized by being called ¡°unnie¡±. Isn¡¯t that too easy? Well... Dogs are like that, after all...¡®</i>


    If I thought about it, Ellen¡¯s personality was more like that of a cat¡ªnever easily showing her emotions, acting like she doesn¡¯t care, but then suddenlying over and sitting on yourp.


    It made me wonder if Ellen and Loyar were just inherently ipatible.


    I had originally thought about sending Adriana somewhere else, but seeing how Loyar was acting after just a few days, it seemed like Adriana was doing well.


    Of course, this was just Loyar¡¯s perspective, and Adriana might have been feeling differently. I decided I should visit her myselfter.


    After Loyar left the sewer with a noticeably lighter step, I turned to Eleris for thest time.


    ¡°How about Radia? How¡¯s she doing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, she¡¯s very scared of me. I suppose it¡¯s inevitable. But if you leave her to me... I believe there will be good results soon.¡±


    I had originally intended for Radia Schmidt to die, but she was spared at Eleris¡¯s request. I trusted Eleris to handle her.


    ***


    It was Tuesday, and the chaos from the recent events seemed to have calmed down somewhat. Most of the people who needed to leave had done so in a controlled manner, and while the investigation was ongoing, it was likely going nowhere. They wouldn¡¯t find any traces of us, or be able to track down anything.


    At the moment, I was in the head student council president¡¯s office with seven other people.


    The head student council president and vice president were there, both of whom I had seen before while sorting out the club budget issue.


    The Temple¡¯s head student council president, fifth-year Raine Carly, and vice president, fourth-year Hermann von Rogarius...


    The festival had ended, which should havee as a relief to them both, but they still looked visibly exhausted.


    ¡°You will now be granted an audience with His Majesty the emperor.¡±


    The winners of the Temple¡¯s festival tournaments were given an opportunity to have an audience with the emperor. I had thought that it might be canceled due to the recent incident, but it seemed they had no intention of calling it off.


    The ones selected for this audience were the six winners from the first-year to sixth-year tournaments, and the winner of the Open Tournament.


    This time, unusually, even Mister Temple and Miss Temple were included in this group.


    Therefore, it wasn¡¯t just me standing in the head student council president¡¯s office and listening to the instructions for and precautions to take when meeting the emperor, but Ellen as well.


    I didn¡¯t know who Mister Temple was. He was just an annoyingly handsome guy from one of the general sses, and apparently a fourth-year student.


    I didn¡¯t care.


    It was clear that something was bothering Raine Carly even as she was exining various precautions to us, and I knew what it was without her saying it.


    There should have been nine of us in that office¡ªseven tournament winners, Miss Temple, and Mister Temple.


    However, there were only eight of us.


    The winner of the Open Tournament, Radia Schmidt, was missing.


    Leonard, the winner of the sixth-year tournament and a Royal ss A-5 student, also seemed puzzled by Radia Schmidt¡¯s absence. He was a senior I was unfamiliar with since he hadn¡¯t participated in the Open Tournament.


    Radia Schmidt¡¯s disappearance was a significant issue.


    The imperial family might suspect that Radia Schmidt, being associated with the Nameless Monastery, had been caught up in the recent incident and was presumed dead.


    However, a disappearance was still a disappearance.


    Those who knew about the Nameless Monastery would understand that the search for Radia Schmidt would be tied to this incident.


    Things could getplicated If there were witnesses who remembered seeing me and Radia Schmidt together in the Aligar shopping district.


    In the end, I had taken a risk to save Adriana and Olivia.


    If this became an issue, I could always release Radia Schmidt from captivity and have her offer a false testimony.


    Eleris¡¯s decision to spare Radia Schmidt might turn out to be beneficial for me.


    Our party, one person short, departed the Temple to meet the emperor, escorted by members of the Imperial Guard.


    Originally, the honor of meeting the emperor was reserved for the tournament winners only.


    The reason for the unusual inclusion of Miss Temple and Mister Temple this year was obvious. I looked over at Ellen.


    ¡°... I¡¯m hungry,¡± Ellen muttered with a nk expression.


    She was the younger sister of Ragan Artorius and a ssmate of Vertus and Charlotte.


    The court would be curious about what kind of person Ellen was.


    Not only that, but the emperor knew that Charlotte¡¯s condition had improved because of me.


    Sabioleen Tana had mentioned that the emperor would summon me someday, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would eventually go to meet him as a tournament winner, and apanied by Ellen, no less.


    The journey to the Imperial City of Emperatos was different this time, probably because we were being apanied by the Imperial Guard.


    Instead of taking the magic train, we used the warp gate outside the Temple exit to travel directly to the gate near the imperial pce entrance.


    Arrangements had been made beforehand, so we had bypassed the queue and passed through for free, and were now directly in front of the Imperial Pce, Emperatos.


    Ellen, wearing her usual nk expression, seemed indifferent to the whole situation. It was as if she was thinking, <i>¡®Well, if the emperor wants to see us, then so be it.¡¯</i>


    Honestly, I felt a bit nervous, but observing Ellen¡¯s nonchnt demeanor was quite amusing.


    <i>¡®Wait... When I think about it, shouldn¡¯t I be the one person in the whole world who is most afraid of meeting the emperor? The fact that I only feel a little bit nervous might mean that I¡¯m even more nonchnt than Ellen.¡¯</i>


    With these trivial thoughts bouncing about in my mind, we followed our escort into the imperial pce.


    Just like on myst visit, we boarded a prepared tram and headed towards the central pce, Tetra.


    For most of the students, it was their first time riding the tram inside the imperial pce, and they were all amazed.


    Even Ellen seemed a little fascinated. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they had a tram here.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s big, so it makes sense,¡± I responded.


    I, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t particrly impressed. Without such a mode of transportation, moving around inside the vast grounds of the pcepound would be truly inconvenient.


    ¡°Have you been here before?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s question almost made me choke.


    ¡°No...?¡±


    Even though it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I¡¯d told her, there were still imperial guardsmen and other unfamiliar students around.


    It was important no one knew that I had been to the Imperial Pce, Emperatos, nor that I had anything to do with events that had happened in the Spring Pce. Vertus could not find out that I yed a significant role in saving Charlotte¡¯s life.


    Ellen simply nodded and looked out the window.


    In the distance, I could see the Spring Pce and the Winter Pce. I wondered if Charlotte and Vertus were in their respective pces.


    The tram stopped at the central pce, Tetra, and we all disembarked and lined up in formation.


    The main gate of the central pce was wide open. Everyone seemed to be overwhelmed by the solemn, majestic appearance of the central imperial pce, Tetra. Even though I had seen it before, the simplicity of the pce only added to its grandeur and dignity.


    We walked through the central hall of the pce and entered the audience chamber. Nobles and officials were lined up to either side, and at the deepest part of the audience chamber, on a throne at the top of five steps, sat someone.


    A middle-aged man with a golden crown, a scepter, and a red cloak...


    The emperor of the empire, Neliod de Gradias.

 Chapter 331

    <h4>Chapter 331</h4>


    The program for the audience with the emperor was not thatplicated.


    The ministers apuded us as a sign of wee, and we knelt before the emperor to listen to his lengthy speech.


    Whether it had been prepared beforehand ore up with on the spot, it was all rather superficial.


    He said he was pleased to see the excellent talents nurtured by the Temple, an institution that was safeguarding the future of the empire, and hoped we would continue to strive to lead the empire. To me, it was all meaningless words.


    It was simr to the principal¡¯s address at school.


    The emperor thenmanded us to rise and shook hands with each of us as a gesture of encouragement, which was rather expected.


    ¡ªContinue to strive.


    ¡ªAh, ah! This is the honor of my life, Your Majesty!


    ¡ªMmm, hmm.


    Some of the others were almost in tears. No¡ªsuch reactions were the norm, and were expected.


    ¡ªContinue to strive.


    ¡ªThe honor and glory is mine! I will engrave it in my soul and serve the empire for the rest of my life!


    ¡ªGood.


    Some even seemed to have prepared their lines.


    Anyway, everyone was overwhelmed with honor, which was the moremon reaction.


    ¡°Continue to strive.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ellen just nodded once, like answering a teacher, while shaking hands with the emperor.


    ¡°Continue to strive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I tried to sound as honored as possible, but since I didn¡¯t actually feel honored, I kept my response simple to avoid offending the emperor.


    In fact, Ellen and I had the most unusual reactions.


    The emperor seemed to have been informed in advance that Radia Schmidt was not present, since he did not specifically mention it.


    Even though the audience with the emperor itself was a great honor, the emperor did not send us away empty-handed.


    A luncheon with the emperor was scheduled afterward.


    We moved to the lunch venue, where the Temple students and the emperor sat together at a long table for the meal.


    Just like the meal we had at the pcest spring, the food starteding out course by course, beginning with the appetizer.


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    As is typical with appetizers, Ellen popped it into her mouth in one bite, chewed, and then stared intently at the te.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ </i>her expression said. <i>¡®Why is there so little?¡¯</i>


    For Ellen, who grew impatient when presented with food, having a meal served course by course meant a long wait.


    I¡¯d been to fine dining establishments with her before, and although she always enjoys the taste of the food, she alwaysined about the small portions, since she was the type who liked to order a bit of everything, eat it all, and then order more.


    Whenever a dish came out, she would wolf it down, then sit idly. When the next dish came out, she would shovel it into her mouth again, then stare intently at the te.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it, she did mumble that she was hungry earlier, didn¡¯t she?¡¯</i>


    Naturally, the emperor observed the students as he had his meal.


    The emperor whispered a few words to the maid attending to him. After that, Ellen¡¯s portions were tripled.


    It seemed he¡¯d noticed her appetite and passed on this instruction discreetly. If he had mentioned it openly, she might have felt embarrassed.


    <i>Omnomnom.</i>


    Now that had visuallyrger portions, Ellen could finally eat at a pace that matched the others.


    Of course, Ellen did not question the sudden increase in food. She just ate, assuming it was normal.


    When I stared at her, Ellen tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°... Sometimes, you¡¯re... kind of...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    <i>¡®I usually wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed to be seen with her, but having such a big appetite that even the emperor has to amodate it? I know it¡¯s not something I should be embarrassed about, but I am!¡¯</i>


    Everyone else was so nervous in front of the emperor that they barely ate, while Ellen was devouring her food, and I was openly scolding her. People looked at us as if we were strange creatures.


    <i>¡®Wait, how am I the weird one here?¡¯</i>


    ***


    After our meal, the emperor led us on a brief tour of the central pce, Tetra.


    We were not shown the bedrooms, but we toured the training grounds, the guards¡¯ waiting room, and the gallery. I assumed that the program would have concluded with lunch, but since it was an official event, the emperor seemed to have allocated quite a bit of time for it.


    Everyone was stiff with tension, stammering whenever the emperor spoke to them, but the emperor didn¡¯t speak to Ellen or me.


    The reason soon became clear.


    After all the events were over, as the students, including us, were about to be led out by the guards, when someone called out, ¡°You two,e this way.¡±


    It was Sabioleen Tana, dressed in her Shanapell uniform.


    ¡°Do you remember me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the Captain of Shanapell.¡±


    Though they hadn¡¯t interacted much, Ellen remembered Sabioleen Tana¡¯s face from the time she¡¯d been appointed as the dormitory supervisor for the first-year students.


    ¡°Good. The emperor has summoned you two separately. Follow me.¡±


    The other students left, and Ellen and I followed Sabioleen Tana.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve brought the two students you requested.¡±


    ¡ªCome in.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked at Ellen and me.


    ¡°I trust you¡¯ll handle this well.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I nodded.


    Sabioleen Tana knew of my reckless nature, and seemed more worried about me than Ellen.


    No matter how reckless I might be, I wouldn¡¯t act out in front of the emperor.


    Sabioleen Tana opened the door to the room. Immediately, the high ceiling and walls lined with books caught my eye.


    And there, in a chair by the wooden table near the window, sat the emperor, the sunlight obscuring his silhouette.


    It seemed to be the emperor¡¯s office or study.


    On the adjacent armchairy the cloak, scepter, and crown he had been wearing. Since they were cumbersome, he probably did not wear them when not on official duty.


    Although his garments were of high quality, they weren¡¯t overly extravagant, and seemed like just simple everyday clothes.


    Neliod de Gradias, without his cloak, scepter, and crown, gave off the impression of a schr.


    <i>Click.</i>


    ¡°Come closer. There¡¯s no need to kneel.¡±


    Following his instructions, Ellen and I took a few steps towards the emperor.


    The emperor silently observed us.


    ¡°How much do you know about each other?¡±


    It was an abrupt question, but I understood what he was getting at.


    Ellen was hiding the fact that she was Artorius¡¯s sister.


    I was also hiding the fact that I was the owner of Tiamata.


    He was asking if we knew each other¡¯s secrets. If not, it would be to protect our secrets.


    Before I could say anything, Ellen spoke first.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot we don¡¯t know, but we know enough about each other.¡±


    <i>There¡¯s a lot we don¡¯t know, but we know enough...</i>


    Those words felt like they were piercing my heart.


    ¡°That makes things easier. Good.¡±


    The emperor quietly looked at us.


    ¡°As the emperor of the empire, it is an honor to meet the Champion of Ouen and the Champion of Mensis.¡±


    We were both taken aback at the way the emperor had suddenly addressed us first. The emperor stood up and quietly looked out the window with his back to us.


    ¡°The gods do not choose champions without reason.¡±


    Whether he was a believer in the Five Great Gods or not, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    But since he couldn¡¯t deny the existence of gods, perhaps he was speaking about the providence of the gods themselves.


    ¡°Champions always have their roles, and because there are events in the world that require them, the relics and their champions exist.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ellen Artorius.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Alsbringer is in the possession of the empire.¡±


    Alsbringer, the sword of the war god Alse, was the relic belonging to Ellen¡¯s brother.


    Ellen nodded as if it wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡°Yes, I thought so.¡±


    ¡°If Alsbringer chooses a champion, that would mean that three of the Five Gods¡¯ relics have found their masters.¡±


    Three relics had appeared in the world, and two had already chosen their champions. And now, it was clear where Alsbringer was.


    ¡°During the Great War, only two relics were known to be in the world: Alsbringer and Lament, both held by Ragan Artorius. And only Alsbringer was actually used.¡±


    The emperor continued to look quietly out the window.


    ¡°However, with the Great War over, one more relic has appeared. What do you think this means?¡±


    ¡°Does it mean that more dangerous times are ahead?¡± said Ellen.


    ¡°... Probably.¡±


    The gods did not allow their relics to drift about the world carelessly.


    Even during the Great War, humanity¡¯s greatest crisis, only two relics had appeared. Now, though, there was one more.


    The emperor seemed to interpret this as a red g, and feared for the fate of humanity, but that was ultimately a misunderstanding.


    The Five Great Gods did not solely belong to humanity. Even the emperor seemed unable to escape such preconceptions.


    The emperor turned and looked at Ellen and me, still backlit by the sunlight streaming in through the window.


    ¡°You must be aware of the rumors that have been spreading through the capitaltely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°About twenty elite holy knights, including the former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche, were killed by an unknown group of demons. They were all war heroes who had made significant contributions during the Great War.¡±


    Though it was already public knowledge, hearing it from the emperor¡¯s mouth made it seem fresh.


    Especially from the perspective of the one responsible for it.


    ¡°This could be seen as the work of mere remnants of the demon forces, but the imperial family is considering the worst-case scenario.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This might mean that the Demon King is not dead, or that there is a sessor to the Demon King.¡±


    Ellen swallowed nervously at those words.


    The Demon King... That title was inextricably tied to her.


    As the sister of the hero Ragan Artorious, and someone with greater talent than he, Ellen had always been burdened with the expectation of bing a hero herself.


    ¡°You are both very valuable individuals who possess relics. But you are still young.¡±


    Though we had the potential to be heroes, we were still just budding talents.


    ¡°However, if the need arises in the future, are you prepared to fight against the Demon King?¡±


    Ellen and I remained silent.


    We couldn¡¯t say no.


    However, Ellen had said before that she didn¡¯t want to live a life in which she was destined to save the world at the cost of her own life.


    She had vowed not to make the same choice as her brother.


    Yet, at the same time, she had risked her life to prevent innocent people from dying in the Dark Land.


    The Ellen at the beginning of the school year and the present Ellen were two different people.


    ¡°If the Demon King¡¯s goal is the destruction of humanity, and if his purpose is to destroy everything I love... Yes. I will fight the Demon King.¡±


    Unlike in the original story, Ellen had found many precious things.


    Even in the original story, when she had nothing of her own, Ellen had ultimately risked her life for the world. Now though, things were different for her.


    If the Demon King¡¯s goal was to destroy all of humanity, she would kill the Demon King.


    That was Ellen¡¯s vow.


    The emperor then looked at me.


    ¡°Yes. I feel the same way.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t about killing the Demon King. I was ready to fight for humanity¡¯s cause, and I was already fighting.


    The emperor alternated his gaze between Ellen and me, who had both given the same answer with different meanings, and nodded with a firm expression.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The words of gratitude from the emperor¡¯s mouth inevitably left me somewhat taken aback. ¡°From this moment on, the empire promises you the utmost protection and cooperation.¡±


    To the emperor, we were nothing less than the key to defeating the Demon King. Therefore, until we became strong enough, he was promising not only protection as Temple students, but also unlimited cooperation at the imperial level.


    All this, while unaware that the beneficiary of this cooperation was the very Demon King that they so desperately sought.


    ¡°And Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes held a different sort of emotion.


    He had been discussing the future of the empire and humanity until this point, but there was now a more personal emotion behind those eyes.


    ¡°Thank you for saving my daughter.¡±


    Something that could be called paternal love...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Naturally, Ellen tilted her head in confusion. She did not understand his remark.


    ***


    After our conversation with the emperor, Ellen and I were escorted out of the pce by the guards.


    The emperor dismissed Ellen first, then spoke a few words to me in private.


    <i>¡ª¡°In the near future, I might require you to do something for Charlotte.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Is that so?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I¡¯m not sure what it is yet, but will you be willing to do it for me?¡±</i>


    The answer was predetermined.


    <i>¡ª¡°Yes.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°Thank you, Reinhart.¡±</i>


    The emperor¡¯s sincere gratitude unexpectedly resonated deeply within me.


    <i>¡®To do something for Charlotte...¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t know what it was. But if it was for Charlotte, I would have to do it.


    Of course, this was not the main issue. The emperor¡¯s real businessy elsewhere.


    It was possible that the Demon King had returned. And since we were both bearers of holy relics, the emperor judged that the safety of me and of Ellen Artorius was the empire¡¯s top priority.


    In exchange for promising to risk our lives in a future battle against the Demon King, we would receive nearly unlimited support from the empire.


    Ellen and I each took the items we were given.


    It was the same imperial emblem that Charlotte had loaned me.


    With this, the emperor exined, we were not just Temple Royal ss students, but had authority surpassing even that of most high-ranking nobles.


    We would receive treatment equivalent to royalty wherever we went, and if a serious need arose, we could even mobilize the soldiers of the empire.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    In simpler terms, we now had a free pass, which included the free use of warp gates.


    Of course, at the moment, neither Ellen nor I could fully grasp the reality of it all.


    When we were finally alone, Ellen looked at me and asked me directly, ¡°Exin what all that was about.¡±


    I had no choice but to exin the details of what had happened to Ellen.


    The Spring Pce, Charlotte¡¯s rampage, and the desperate battle against the being inside the Spring Pce together with Sabioleen Tana...


    Ellen remembered the days I had been missing from the Temple, and figured out when it had happened.


    ¡°You said you hadn¡¯t been to the pce.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You lied again.¡±


    Despite telling her earlier in the day that I hadn¡¯t been to the pce, the conversation with the emperor had forced me to reveal that I had been inside the pcepound before, and had even saved Charlotte¡¯s life.


    ¡°Well, you see, it was... a situation... No one else should be allowed to know about it...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hiding it from you... It¡¯s just that... there were other people around.¡±


    Ellen nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. The issue doesn¡¯t concern you, it¡¯s Charlotte¡¯s. By telling me about it, you would be revealing a royal secret. It must have been hard to speak about.¡±


    In fact, this was a matter that I couldn¡¯t freely discuss with anyone.


    Ellen seemed to be pondering something. Her head was down, and she seemed to be debating whether to say something or not.


    Suddenly, she looked up. ¡°Can I be upset?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°It feels like something I shouldn¡¯t be upset about, but I am.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s... up to you...¡±


    Strangely, she was asking for permission to be upset.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m upset,¡± Ellen said, her lips starting to pout.


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°You always say sorry.¡± Ellen grumbled as she kicked a random stone on the ground. ¡°I want to hear something else.¡±


    She didn¡¯t specify what that ¡°something else¡± was. She seemed to be avoiding the topic.


    She turned her head away and looked back at the main gate that led to Emperatos, the Imperial City. Then she took out the imperial emblem she had received from the emperor.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be treated like royalty now, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not actual royalty, but... yeah, that¡¯s what he said.¡±


    ¡°Then, can we just go in there?¡± Ellen asked as she tilted her head.


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t see why not...¡±


    The emperor wouldn¡¯t have made such a statement lightly.


    The emperor saw us as key weapons in the future battle against the Demon King. As champions who had pledged to risk our lives in that fight, he promised us the utmost protection and special treatment until we became strong enough.


    Ellen stared nkly at the entrance to the pcepound.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what she was curious about.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back inside,¡± Ellen said. She started to walk briskly, and not in the direction of the Temple.


    ¡°Are we using the gate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re allowed to use it, right?¡±


    Ellen was heading back towards the warp gate.


    It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking of this as a free ticket for the warp gate.


    When one thought about it, being treated like royalty essentially meant having priority ess to the warp gate.


    It might have seemed like a small thing, but to me, it felt like an enormous privilege.


    <i>¡®No. Even Charlotte, who was actual royalty, took the magic train around the capital. The two of us using the warp gate so trivially might be a bit of a nuisance, right?¡¯</i>


    Of course, despite my thoughts, I followed Ellen as she walked briskly towards the warp gate.


    <i>¡®Nuisance or not, if we can use it, we might as well use it.¡¯</i>


    That was the confident sentiment I sensed from her as I followed behind her.

 Chapter 332

    <h4>Chapter 332</h4>


    The emperor said that since we had to kill the Demon King, we had to focus on getting stronger while they bought us as much time as possible, and the empire would provide maximum support.


    It was a very ironic situation, but what could I do about it? I couldn¡¯t exactly say, ¡°Actually, the Demon King? That¡¯s me.¡±


    We had our audience with the emperor, and the break had started.


    Soon enough, thest day of the year approached.


    On New Year¡¯s Eve, some like-minded folks from ss A gathered in the dormitory for a small party.


    Everyone except Vertus was there. Even the hopeless trio and Cliffman joined the party in the dining hall.


    I cooked the food with Ellen¡¯s help.


    ¡°Whoa, no way... Reinhart, you did all this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so hard about it?¡±


    The hopeless trio were wide-eyed, since it was their first time tasting my cooking. Cliffman, who asionally joined in for meals, wasn¡¯t particrly surprised.


    It was a day of eating and having fun.


    Of course, our true blockhead, Riana de Granz, pulled a stunt by bringing alcohol from her ducal house.


    ¡°Pour it up, ahhhh!¡±


    ¡°Drink it up, ahhhh!¡±


    Of course, no one else touched it, and only Riana and I drank, getting quite drunk before Ellen and Harriet subdued us.


    Thankfully, because of that, we avoided getting caught by the dorm supervisors.


    ***


    The New Year dawned.


    Since Sarkegar was trying to get in contact with the Revolutionary Forces and Eleris could update me on the Vampire Council issue at any time, I decided to stay in the capital.


    I wanted to follow Ellen to her hometown, but circumstances didn¡¯t allow it, which was a little disappointing.


    ¡°I can go alone,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°Obviously. Who doesn¡¯t know that?¡±


    I was walking beside Ellen, who was dragging arge suitcase.


    I didn¡¯t know when Ellen would return from her hometown, but she would be gone for at least a few weeks.


    We had already left the Temple, and Ellen just needed to enter the mega warp gate in front of the Temple.


    With the imperial emblem at her disposal, she could get priority ess, so there was no need to wait.


    It was good that she could leave without having to wait. but somehow, it felt a bit underwhelming since she was leaving pretty much at the start of the break.


    Ellen¡¯s hometown was a literal rural backwater so small that it wasn¡¯t even marked on the map.


    We walked until the gate was visible, then Ellen, dragging her suitcase behind her, nodded at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t leaving for good; she¡¯d be back soon.


    I wondered when she¡¯d return. Since it had been a long time since she¡¯dst seen her family, she could stay for about a month.


    As I stared at her, Ellen tilted her head.


    ¡°Should I not go?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°If you tell me not to go, I won¡¯t.¡±


    <i>¡®This is driving me crazy. I told her not to spring things on me like this!¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, you should go. I¡¯m sure your parents must be worried. They haven¡¯t seen you in a long time. Yeah.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s parents had to be worried sick about how their daughter was doing, having gone to such a farawaynd. I also had a lot to do and would probably be away from the capital for days, so it didn¡¯t make sense to selfishly ask Ellen not to go.


    Following her this far was already a bit much. Ellen looked at the gate for a while, then looked back at me for a while.


    Suddenly, she pointed to a caf¨¦ on the street.


    ¡°Then, perhaps I could go a littleter?¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellen smiled at my prompt answer.


    In the end, we ordered drinks at the caf¨¦ and dawdled, dying her departure by almost six hours.


    We didn¡¯t converse about anything particrly interesting. We just sat there, idly watching people pass by, ordering desserts when we got hungry, and killing time.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It felt as though I were a soldier, reluctant to part with his girlfriend before returning to duty, though our roles were reversed. Ellen was the one leaving, and I was the one staying.


    The time we spent at that caf¨¦ grew awkwardly long, and Ellen tilted her head.


    ¡°Should I just go tomorrow?¡±


    I almost blurted out ¡°Yeah,¡± but swallowed it back down.


    ¡°... No, if you do that, you¡¯ll end up saying the same thing and leave the day after tomorrow. Just go now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s lips started to pout.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this to rush you, but I just know that¡¯s how it¡¯ll end up.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    In the end, after all that wasted time, Ellen finally stood in front of the warp gate again.


    ¡°I¡¯m going. See youter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take care.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what she needed to be careful about, but I said it anyway.


    ¡°You too. Be careful. With everything.¡±


    Ellen nodded and walked towards the mega warp gate.


    Feeling a bit wistful, I watched her until she passed through the gate.


    Just before entering the gate, Ellen turned back to look at me, waved her hand slightly, and then was pushed into the gate.


    <i>¡®What can I say? That girl and I, we¡¯re really clingy with each other... Not that it¡¯s necessarily a bad thing...¡¯</i>


    ***


    Ellen had returned to her hometown, and I didn¡¯t know exactly when she woulde back, but I was just as busy.


    ¡°Can I try this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fully tested for safety yet. What if something goes wrong?¡±


    ¡°Would it really kill me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it might.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really...¡±


    I brought the bottle containing a mysterious blue potion to my lips, but then put it back down.


    I was at the Magic Research Club mansion, checking up on the progress of the Moonshine and Power Cartridge projects.


    It felt like I was some kind of supervisor, which wasn¡¯t far from the truth, since I was the president of the Magic Research Club.


    Cristina, who specialized in alchemy, said she had a good grasp of things now, so I was just about to taste-test it or something, until her warning made me think twice.


    ¡°So when do you think it will bepleted?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t be sure. Honestly, getting this far already feels like a miracle...¡±


    It seemed unbelievable to Cristina that she had even managed toe this far. And it made sense; the Magic Research Club had been around for less than half a year.


    In the original story, though, these items had been created very quickly, under an immense sense of urgency. Thus, I was confident they would bepleted before this vacation ended.


    ¡°It¡¯s fascinating, you know... I know it sounds funny, but... it feels as though it¡¯s fated. There¡¯s just something about it.¡±


    She had been tasked with creating something absurd, but as she worked on it, she started to understand how to do it. Cristina seemed to find a sense of destiny about the whole thing.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ultimately, I couldn¡¯t reveal that I knew the future.


    Cristina wasn¡¯t the problem. It was someone else.


    ¡°Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°... Uh, yeah... What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to try this...?¡±


    Anna de Gerna...


    She was one of the main yers in this alchemy experiment along with Cristina, and she was the problem. Anna, looking slightly sneaky, offered me a bottle of a mysterious pink fluorescent substance.


    ¡°Wh-What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good for your body... heh.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m already healthy enough, I don¡¯t need to get any healthier... Sorry.¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m scared of her! Every time Ie here, she tries to sneak something for me to drink, and her intentions never seem pure!¡¯</i>


    Unlike Riana, I couldn¡¯t just ignore her. She seemed to have some kind of goodwill towards me, but if that goodwill turned into malice, I would have no idea what she might do to me.


    ¡°Anna! Stop trying to make Reinhart drink weird stuff!¡±


    Fortunately, Cristina stopped Anna, who then put the pink bottle back into her pocket with a sullen expression.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    <i>¡®She¡¯s... She¡¯s really scary...¡¯</i>


    Each time I checked up on them, I firmly resolved not to eat or drink anything by mistake.


    ***


    The next thing on my list was, of course, the Power Cartridge. The core purpose of the Magic Research Club was to create Moonshine and the Power Cartridge.


    <i>Wooong</i>...


    In the underground safe room of the mansion, designed to withstand maximum impact, Harriet was intensely focused, gripping an artifact made of blue ore.


    <i>Wooong!</i>


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The blue artifact vibrated and emitted light.


    Adelia, the little senior Rudina, and I watched on in silence.


    The vibrations from the glowing artifact grew more intense.


    <i>Kaboom!</i>


    ¡ªEek!


    In the end, the Power Cartridge exploded and shattered into pieces. Harriet wasn¡¯t injured thanks to the protection field she had deployed around herself, but if it had exploded while she was unprotected, the force would have been more than capable of blowing off an arm.


    Adelia sighed deeply. ¡°It exploded again...¡±


    ¡°Does this happen often?¡±


    ¡°Almost always.¡±


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this testing process too dangerous?¡¯ </i>


    Harriet, her hair standing on end from the explosion, emerged from the safe room.


    ¡°Hey, why are you testing this so dangerously?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... If we don¡¯t do it like this, how else are we supposed to test it?¡± Harriet retorted, hands on her hips, as if challenging me toe up with a better method.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a better idea... but I¡¯m just worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concern, but there¡¯s no other way.¡±


    In the Magic Research Club, Harriet was the best when it came to manipting mana. Therefore, the only one who could attempt to use the unstable mana within the cartridge as if it were internal mana was Harriet.


    If someone less skilled attempted the test and failed, it would be unclear whether the failure was due to the tester¡¯s poor mana maniption or a defect in the cartridge itself.


    That was why Harriet was always the one testing the Power Cartridge.


    Recently, they had seeded in infusing mana into the cartridge, but there seemed to be issues when it came to operating it.


    Every time a cartridge exploded, it was a significant dent in our budget.


    ¡°What could be the problem?¡±


    ¡°I felt the artifact¡¯s mana syncing with my body. But it¡¯s still weak. So when I try to cast a spell, the circuit can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Is it a durability issue?¡±


    ¡°Not just that, I think.¡±


    ¡°Alright, kids! Let¡¯s review the circuit design then!¡±


    The three magic majors were discussing something I couldn¡¯t understand. From what I gathered, progress hadn¡¯tpletely stalled; they seemed to have reached an intermediate stage.


    Moonshine, and this Power Cartridge... I had a sense that both projects would likely bepleted by next year.


    Honestly, even if they weren¡¯t finished then, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal.


    Both would be incredibly useful even after the Gate Incident. If they werepleted before the Gate Incident, it would significantly enhance ourbat capabilities.


    After all, Harriet had seeded in dramatically reducing her casting time. All that was needed was mana.


    Once the Power Cartridge waspleted, it could be a channel for unleashing tremendous power.


    ¡°I think using the open type is the way to go.¡±


    ¡°Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it, and if it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll move on!¡±


    The one who inspired Harriet¡¯s new method of using magic: the little senior Rudina.


    Harriet had mimicked Rudina¡¯s talent.


    With Rudina¡¯s No Casting talent, the true power of the Power Cartridge could be fully demonstrated.


    Things were going well, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bitter taste rising inside me.


    Thinking that all the work we were doing here was ultimately in preparation for war made it inevitable.


    These kids would soon be thrown into a fight where they would have to kill or be killed, and some of them might not survive.


    I didn¡¯t want to deny the necessity of this work, but thinking about how everyone would end up getting hurt made it hard to feel entirely good about it.


    After the three of them discussed their findings for a while, they decided on a direction, and Adelia said she would redesign the Power Cartridge ording to the new blueprint.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Harriet said to me.


    ¡°What is it? Are you done?¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to step out of the Temple for a bit. Do you have time?¡± Harriet seemed to have something in mind. ¡°We need to start the dimensional magic research.¡±


    Although Harriet was in charge of testing the Power Cartridge, her original role was to research dimensional magic.


    Now that the tournament had ended and the winter break was upon us, it seemed she was ready to dive into her research on dimensional magic.


    ¡°Sure, but why do you need me?¡±


    ¡°Juste along if I tell you to, idiot!¡±


    Harriet dragged me along, demanding that I shut up and follow her.


    ***


    Harriet and I left the Magic Research Club mansion. Harriet had a small backpack with her. I didn¡¯t know what was inside.


    ¡°Do you think Ellen got home safely?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Everyone knew Ellen had gone back to her hometown.


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of curious about what Ellen¡¯s hometown looks like. Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a rural vige. What¡¯s there to be curious about?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s also the hometown of Ragan Artorius...¡±


    Come to think of it, Ellen¡¯s hometown was also Ragan Artorius¡¯s hometown.


    <i>¡®Does she think it¡¯s like visiting the birthce of a hero?¡¯</i>


    However, the general public didn¡¯t know that Ragan Artorius came from a mountain vige. If they did, it wouldn¡¯t remain a rural vige.


    Regardless of whether Ragan Artorius¡¯s sacrifice was justified or not, Harriet seemed to have a personal liking and respect for the hero Artorius. Who wouldn¡¯t, after all?


    ¡°Should I ask Ellen if we can visit her hometown sometime?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s up to you. But remember, it¡¯s a rural vige.¡±


    ¡°What about that? It sounds like a nice and quiet ce, like something out of a fairy tale.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. Do you think water wille out just by turning a faucet in such a ce?¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    It was bold of her to assume that the living conditions everywhere on the continent would be simr to those in the capital. Harriet seemed a little taken aback, as if she had never considered that.


    ¡°You¡¯d be lucky not to faint when you enter a traditional toilet.¡±


    ¡°Traditional...? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Harriet tilted her head as if she had never heard such a term before.


    Of course, you have no reason to think about the importance of toilets.


    ¡°Hmm, I never thought I¡¯d have to exin atrine to you. Listen up, you thick skull.¡±


    ¡°W-What?! If you¡¯re going to talk about something dirty, don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°In ces without a sewage system, they dig a big hole in the ground, bury a huge container, and then build a toilet over it. You do your business there...¡±


    ¡°I-I said don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Naturally, the waste doesn¡¯t go down a sewer pipe, but just piles up. So every time you go in, you see all the umted... traces of life...¡±


    ¡°Stop it! Ugh, I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up!¡±


    ¡°And when it gets full, they scoop it out with a bigdle, mix it with straw, and let it ferment...¡±


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    In the end, I got smacked.


    Harriet was the imaginative type.


    It seemed she was vividly imagining what I had described, and it was sticking in her mind.


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s... that¡¯s impossible... Doesn¡¯t it smell?¡±


    ¡°Of course it does.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you... do your business?¡±


    ¡°You just endure the smell.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, ughhh...¡±


    Harriet looked like she was about to cry. She had seen all sorts of things on the deserted ind, but that experience must have left her with some traumatic scars.


    She would definitely faint the moment she stepped into a traditional toilet.


    ¡°Just because a ce looks like it''s from a fairy tale doesn¡¯t mean people live like they¡¯re in one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really awful!¡±


    Harriet, disgusted by my unnecessary reality check, stomped on ahead.


    ¡°You just realized that you couldn¡¯t possibly go to such a ce, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Now you feel bad for Ellen, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up!¡±


    Harriet, on the verge of tears, yelled at me to be quiet.


    ***


    Harriet and I were close to the mega warp gate at the Temple¡¯s entrance. Although the atmosphere in the capital was still tense, themotion had died down, and the warp gate wasn¡¯t excessively crowded, aside from the usual queue.


    ¡°Dimensional magic...¡±


    Although the reason I had given her¡ªto visit another world¡ªwas absurd, Harriet had been conducting research on dimensional magic as I had requested. Of course, she had been busy with other things, so she hadn¡¯t managed to achieve any significant breakthroughs.


    ¡°First of all, do you remember that I mentioned dimensional magic is used in various fields of magic?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the difference between dimensional magic and spatial magic?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    I only knew that magic existed; I didn¡¯t understand its principles. I wondered if I could even grasp Harriet¡¯s exnation.


    Harriet and I walked to a quiet clearing outside the Temple, where we could still see the Temple warp gate.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use teleportation yet, but you¡¯ve seen me use Blink.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Watch this.¡±


    Harriet seemed to focus her mind, and soon she appeared about three steps to the right from where she had been standing.


    ¡°This is Blink.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I see.¡±


    It seemed she had chosen a secluded spot to avoid startling people with her magic.


    ¡°This concept involves moving my body. Teleportation isn¡¯t much different. It¡¯s about swapping the spatial coordinates of my body with the target location... You¡¯re not understanding any of this, are you?¡±


    My eyes had started to ze over. ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    Harriet sighed in exasperation. ¡°Anyway, teleportation and Blink are about manipting space.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t space and dimension simr concepts?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... They¡¯re simr, with slight differences. In magic, dimension is a higher-level concept.¡±


    Harriet pointed to the distant warp gate. ¡°The warp gate system doesn¡¯t manipte space; it maniptes dimensions.¡±


    ¡°How is that different, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... How should I exin this? There are many types of magic rted to portals and gates, but they all ultimately connect one space to another.¡± Harriet spread her arms wide. ¡°Let¡¯s say my left hand and right hand are gates of the same type. Even though these spaces are physically apart, the magic makes them function as if they are connected, either as a one-way or two-way portal. That¡¯s a gate.¡±


    ¡°Well... that makes sense.¡±


    I¡¯d used warp gates before, so I understood that they created dimensional doors that make distant spaces function as if they were adjacent.


    ¡°Do you understand the difference between moving my body and creating a dimensional door that connects spaces?¡±


    ¡°So connecting spaces is higher-level magic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if ¡®higher-level¡¯ is the right term, but the basic premise is entirely different. Spatial movement magic requires that I calcte the exact coordinates of my location and the target location, while gate magic creates a portal that connects two distant spaces.¡±


    Both warp gates and teleportation involve moving between distant spaces, but their fundamental operating concepts were entirely different.


    ¡°Of course, calling spatial magic a form of dimensional magic isn¡¯t entirely wrong. But the magic powering gates is more about finely interfering with dimensions.¡±


    Harriet had mentioned that the concept of dimensional magic was rare because it was used to some extent in most magical systems.


    ¡°Actually, the thing you¡¯re curious about¡ªtraveling to another world¡ªisn¡¯t that difficult.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not that difficult? What¡¯s she talking about now?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Theoretically, if you have infinite mana and precise knowledge of exactly where the other world is located, it¡¯s possible. Of course, a typical dimensional door wouldn¡¯t work, though.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re basically saying it¡¯s impossible, then??¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Harriet concluded clearly.


    The method itself was simple. However, since such a thing called infinite mana didn¡¯t exist, and the location of the other world was unknown, simply knowing <i>how</i> to do it didn¡¯t help.


    But ultimately,if connecting a dimensional door to another world didn¡¯t <i>actually </i>require infinite mana, then infinite mana was not a necessary condition and it was possible to pull off. Moreover, the warp gates already connected different ces together, which meant the condition of infinite mana shouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    While I had this small realization, Harriet was still staring at the distant warp gate.


    ¡°But as I did more research, I found out something interesting about these warp gates.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re using much more advanced magic than I thought, and there¡¯s a lot of secrecy around them. Almost nothing is publicly known, and they¡¯re strictly managed by the Magic Association and the imperial family.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Since you can¡¯t have just anyone making warp gates.¡±


    Warp gates were crucial infrastructure for humanity, so maintenance would be thorough, and keeping the technology secret was of utmost importance.


    Harriet tilted her head as she looked at the warp gate. ¡°So, I got curious.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible to create a private warp gate? And if so, could it be connected to the existing warp gate system? If someone could interfere with the dimensional doors of the warp gate system... that would be a big problem.¡±


    Harriet hadn¡¯t foreseen the Gate Incident, but she seemed to have grasped the potential dangers of the warp gate system.

 Chapter 333

    <h4>Chapter 333</h4>


    To put it in modern terms, Harriet seemed to be considering the possibility of someone hacking into the warp gate server.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible. If someone had knowledge of warp gate design, they could create a private warp gate that functioned just like the existing ones.


    Moreover, all warp gates were interconnected.


    If we assumed for a moment that someone could create a warp gate that connected to another world, then even with just one gate, it would be possible to disperse whoever passed through it throughout the entire continent.


    In fact, it might not even be necessary to create a new gate at all.


    If a single warp gate were turned into a gate that connected to another world, it could cause all the warp gates on the continent to spew out monsters from another world.


    It felt like we were walking on thin ice.


    Knowing how to open a dimensional door to another world, and knowing how to hack the warp gate system... Those two pieces of knowledge would be enough to trigger the Gate Incident, which meant the continent was always in danger.


    ¡°So, in the end, understanding the warp gate system better would help me understand dimensional magic more, but as you know, it¡¯s ssified information... It¡¯s daunting to do it alone.¡±


    Harriet sighed deeply. The information existed, but it was one of the empire¡¯s top secrets, so she couldn¡¯t ess it. Even though Harriet was of a very high status, the information she wanted was top-secret, kept by the imperial family and the magicalmunity.


    ¡°... I think I might be able to help with that.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    I pulled out the imperial emblem from my pocket.


    ¡°... What? Why do you have that...?¡±


    ¡°I received it a few days ago.¡±


    The imperial emblem allowed me to receive royal treatment and cooperation from the empire¡¯s forces anywhere on the continent. Harriet was stunned to see me in possession of such a thing.


    ¡°Will this work?¡±


    Of course, there was a chance it might not, but it was worth a try.


    Even if we couldn¡¯t acquire information on the warp gate system itself, we could at least ask if they were willing to share knowledge about dimensional magic.


    Harriet slowly recovered from her daze and began to look more lively. ¡°R-Really? Can we really do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s do something then, anything. Quickly!¡±


    In the end, Harriet was a mage, so she was more excited than I was at the prospect of gaining new knowledge.


    ***


    I did not know whether the imperial family would share information about the warp gatework, which was one of the empire¡¯s top secrets, but I always had an open channel.


    Vertus seemed to be spending his break at the Winter Pce, but Charlotte was residing in the Royal ss dormitory.


    She wanted to stay as close to me as possible, since her condition could deteriorate at any moment and she might need immediate attention.


    Naturally, Sabioleen Tana, who was her bodyguard, had also returned to her role as the dormitory supervisor for the Royal ss.


    Therefore, Harriet and I ended up going to see Charlotte instead of Vertus.


    ¡°Dimensional magic research?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for purely academic reasons. Harriet wants to study it some more, and the empire probably has a lot of knowledge on the subject.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mention anything about gates to other worlds to Charlotte.


    ¡°Hmm, isn¡¯t what¡¯s avable at the Temple enough?¡±


    Charlotte wasn¡¯t a mage, so she didn¡¯t understand why we needed the imperial family¡¯s cooperation for this.


    I exined our need on behalf of the hesitant Harriet.


    The imperial family and the Magic Association would have abundant information on dimensional magic, since they developed the warp gate system. However, this research was treated as highly ssified, which made them inessible.


    ¡°If it¡¯s ssified, then there¡¯s a reason for it, so I can¡¯t make a decision on my own. But I can request some cooperation from the Imperial Magic Department.¡±


    Harriet was so happy she was jumping in ce. ¡°R-Really?!¡±


    Even as the heiress of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, renowned for its magic, essing the imperial family¡¯s ssified magical research materials was something she couldn¡¯t even dream of.


    Charlotte quickly wrote a document in the lounge and handed it to Harriet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them a heads-up. Take this to the Imperial Magic Department tomorrow, not today.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you... Thank you, Your High¡ªI mean, Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Charlotte gave me a subtle smile as if to say she¡¯d done it for me.


    ¡°Reinhart,e see meter.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have something to say to me.


    Harriet, holding the document, looked bewildered as we returned to the ss A dormitory. She stared nkly at the letter of authorization, then carefully folded it and put it in her pocket, looking at me with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Come to think of it, why are you so close with Her High¡ªI mean, Charlotte?¡±


    Harriet seemed to be pondering this issue for the first time, and seemed to think there was no reason for me and Charlotte to be close, especially since we were in different sses. And yet, Charlotte had even asked to speak with me privately.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t it a bitte to be asking that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Because I¡¯m handsome.¡±


    Harriet looked genuinely disgusted at my response. ¡°How am I supposed to react to that?¡±


    <i>¡®Wow. She really took that seriously.¡¯</i>


    Harriet stared at me, clearly wanting a serious answer instead of a joke.


    ¡°Hey, why did you and I be friends?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Harriet furrowed her brow, seemingly trying to recall the past.


    I could almost see the flood of memories shing through her mind, starting from when she spoke up against a crazy ssmate who was bullying the seniors, only to be called a thick skull in return.


    Then, after I¡¯d nicknamed her ¡°Thick-Skull¡±, she¡¯d thrown a fit and ended up crying. Those memories, and all those after, swept over her.


    ¡°Well, now that you mention it...¡± Harriet¡¯s face started to turn pale. ¡°Why <i>did </i>I be friends with someone like you...?¡±


    As she carefully traced back all the events that led to the beginning of our friendship, Harriet seemed to realize it didn¡¯t make much sense.


    Despite her sense of pride, noble background, and exceptional talent, she had be friends with a street urchin who called her ¡°Thick-Skull.¡±


    It seemed even she found this hard to believe.


    ¡°There are people who enjoy being bullied. Perhaps you¡¯re one of them.¡±


    ¡°No! I hate it! I hate it, you idiot!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned bright red at the suggestion that she was a masochist.


    <i>¡®Yeah, you¡¯re not a masochist. But I love your reaction to hearing that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Seriously, how did this happen? How did I... H-How did I...?¡±


    ¡°Well, just like you said, it just happened.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Honestly, I never nned to be friends with Harriet. It was just one of those things that happened.


    Teasing her made her seem cute, and when she started crying, I felt sorry and started treating her better.


    Not everything goes as nned, and among the unnned events, some turn out to be good.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same with Charlotte.¡±


    Just like how I¡¯d be friends with Harriet by chance, my friendship with Charlotte could also be exined as a series of coincidences.


    Thinking back, there was no way I could have be close to Charlotte after hiding my identity as Baalier and joining a different ss.


    It had all started when Charlotte approached me first, trying to find Baalier.


    ¡°... I guess that¡¯s how it is,¡± Harriet muttered absentmindedly.


    Then, after a while...


    <i>Smack! Smack, smack!</i>


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s so frustrating! You! Why did you do that to me! Why!¡±


    Harriet¡¯s face turned red as she pounded my shoulders.


    ¡°Ow, you¡¯re always hitting me these days!¡±


    It didn¡¯t hurt at all, which made me feel a bit sorry for her.


    ***


    Harriet would continue her research on dimensional magic with the cooperation of the Imperial Magic Department. I wasn¡¯t sure what she might discover in the process, but given her talent, she could potentially uncover significant insights. Even from the conversation we had today, it seemed she had some leads.


    Unfortunately, one of those leads was the dangerous realization that triggering a Gate Incident was potentially very easy, if one knew how.


    After some time, I headed back to the ss B dormitory, since Charlotte had asked to talk to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Charlotte was waiting for me in the dormitory lounge.


    The other students were nowhere near the lounge, likely upied with other activities. The storyline had deviated significantly from the original.


    Sabioleen Tana had be a permanent resident, and Ludwig had awakened a desire to be stronger.


    As a result, Ludwig, who was supposed to have gone on a journey during this vacation, had decided to spend this winter break training under Sabioleen Tana.


    It was a good thing; this development was much better than the original storyline.


    Charlotte poured me some ck tea, and although I still couldn¡¯t appreciate the taste, I sipped it.


    Charlotte savored her milk tea while gazing at the winter sunlight streaming through the lounge window.


    ¡°I heard you had an audience with His Majesty. With Ellen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And you were given the imperial emblem?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charlotte set her teacup down and gently ced her hand over mine, which was holding the teacup.


    ¡°...¡±


    There was intense emotion in Charlotte¡¯s eyes. It was a look of sadness. Charlotte knew very well what it meant if Ellen and I were given the imperial emblem.


    It meant we had been granted unlimited privileges in exchange for risking our lives in the fight against the Demon King.


    Both Ellen and I, as well as Charlotte, understood this.


    ¡°I think that child might be behind all of this.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Charlotte already knew that Baalier was not an ordinary person.


    Even knowing this, she had stopped contacting him to sever ties without suspicion.


    If Baalier was behind it, Charlotte, who knew Eleris¡¯s whereabouts, might try to apprehend Eleris at any moment, though it was easier said than done.


    Charlotte continued to gaze out the window, still holding my hand gently.


    ¡°If that child is truly the sessor of the surviving Demon King, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte looked at me.


    Tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°I hate the thought of you having to fight to the death with that child.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s sorrow stemmed from an unexpected ce.


    Both Baalier and I were precious to her.


    As the master of Tiamata, I was chosen as the one to oppose the Demon King, alongside Ellen.


    Charlotte, who didn¡¯t want Baalier to get hurt, had kept Eleris¡¯s whereabouts a secret. If she suspected Baalier was behind it, she could have acted at any time, but chose not to.


    Now, though, the situation had changed.


    She knew that I was one of the ones chosen tobat the Demon King, and she was terrified at the thought that I might die in the process of fighting the Demon King someday.


    Charlotte was standing at a crossroads, feeling like she had to choose between me and Baalier.


    Since she couldn¡¯t know that we were the same person, her sad dilemma was understandable.


    For my sake, she felt she needed to find Baalier. At the very least, she seemed to want to confirm whether he was involved or not.


    However, she was paralyzed by the fear of discovering an irreversible truth.


    Eleris needed to leave the capital, or relocate somewhere else. That much was certain for now.


    I trusted Charlotte, but her trust in Baalier was wavering.


    All because of me, who was the same person.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell that mage to run far away,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Huh?¡± she replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s all it takes, right?¡±


    Charlotte looked stunned, as if she had heard something unexpected.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that a shattered Demon Realm or the sessor of the Demon King could quickly be a powerful force capable of threatening the empire. At most, a few strong demons might be alive. What can they do with just that?


    ¡°If the Demon King truly grows to be a real threatter on, I¡¯m the one chosen to fight him. I have the right to make this decision. And besides, we aren¡¯t even sure if that child is really involved in this incident. There¡¯s no need to feel too guilty.¡±


    It was all a lie.


    I had to tell such tant lies to Charlotte without changing my expression.


    I was pretending to make a sacrifice when I wasn¡¯t.


    Charlotte stared at me nkly.


    She started crying after hearing my words, which implied that I was willing to bear this future danger so that she wouldn¡¯t have to chase that child right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Reinhart... I¡¯m so sorry...¡±


    Charlotte seemed deeply sorry for being unable to make an easy decision, while knowing what the right choice for me was.


    She wasn¡¯t the only one feeling sorry. A feeling of guilt, a hundred times heavier, was weighing down on my heart.


    ¡°I¡¯ll...pletely forget about that child now...¡±


    To Charlotte, this was her final act of kindness and mercy towards Baalier. From now on, she would always stand by Reinhart¡¯s side.


    She said this to me, who was both Baalier and Reinhart.


    ***


    I hadn¡¯t considered this issue.


    While Charlotte had noticed Baalier¡¯s suspicious behavior, I didn¡¯t think she would delve into it.


    However, her trust in Baalier had been shaken because of her concern for me, which was unexpected. All this had happened only after the emperor had given Ellen and me the imperial emblem.


    Now that the forces of the Demon Realm were bing more prominent, Charlotte would inevitably try to confirm Baalier¡¯s whereabouts for my sake.


    So, I immediately went to see Eleris.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to relocate, it seems...¡±


    ¡°We need to be careful about contacting each other in the capital from now on. Let¡¯s use the Rotary Club for mostmunications. There might be some dy, but it¡¯s not the time to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I understand what you mean.¡±


    We were in Eleris¡¯s semi-basement room.


    Eleris understood perfectly well that she needed to relocate due to the change in circumstances following my audience with the emperor and Charlotte¡¯s psychological state.


    Normally, that would have been the end of it, buttely, there was another person at Eleris¡¯s ce who needed attention.


    ¡°It would be better if this child were moved to a ce where she can live more freely.¡±


    <i>Flinch.</i>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything. Why are you so scared?¡±


    It was Radia Schmidt.


    Radia trembled as if my gaze alone was enough to terrify her.


    She had inadvertently be the only Temple student who knew I was the sessor of the Demon King. Eleris, given her personality, wouldn¡¯t have bullied or mistreated her, but Radia looked pale and emaciated.


    ¡°Tsk. Anyway, your unnecessary actions did help save Olivia...¡±


    I guess one could call it poetic justice.


    If Radia Schmidt hadn¡¯t acted so foolishly, I would have had to watch Olivia make a drastic choice or fall into Leverier Lanche¡¯s hands. Or I might not have even known of Adriana¡¯.


    Radia sat on the floor, trembling and watching my every move.


    She looked like she wished for death.


    I no longer had any emotions towards Radia Schmidt, but I couldn¡¯t just let her go.


    There was a limit to being swayed by minor sentiments; Radia Schmidt knew too much that she shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°So, what are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think I¡¯ll take her to the Council for now. There, she won¡¯t be able to escape even if she wants to, and she can live more freely. Besides, a meeting will be convened there soon.¡±


    The Vampire Council... They were at the ce known to humans as the ancient castle of Epiacs.


    It seemed Eleris¡¯s n was to head there for a while. It wouldn¡¯t take her long to close up her shop.


    ¡°Has the date been set?¡±


    ¡°It will be soon. Once the schedule is finalized, I will inform the club, so be there at the appointed time, and I wille to get you, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Got it.¡±


    Radia probably had no idea what we were talking about. I squatted down in front of the terrified Radia Schmidt.


    ¡°Senior.¡±


    Radia Schmidt quickly lowered her eyes. ¡°Y-Yes...?¡±


    Though she was a fanatic with firm resolve and faith, the mere mention of bing a vampire had easily shattered her.


    Even if she wanted to believe that I was a champion of god, knowing I was the Demon King made that impossible.


    Radia Schmidt had no choice but to fall apart.


    ¡°Eleris isn¡¯t such a bad person... She¡¯s better than me, at least. So, try to live a bit morefortably.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I patted Radia Schmidt¡¯s shoulder and stood up.


    I intended to leave Radia in Eleris¡¯s care.


    If she broke, she broke; if she adapted and got used to her new life, so be it.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Your Highness.¡±


    Eleris would leave the capital.


    It felt like things were finally starting to move in earnest.


    In all honesty, it felt less like things were getting serious, and were slowly bing irreversible.


    That thought kept creeping up on me.

 Chapter 334

    <h4>Chapter 334</h4>


    Eleris acted very quickly. Realizing that Charlotte de Gradias might start tracking her, Eleris moved immediately.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be cold. You need to dress warmly.¡±


    Since Eleris was heading to an extreme region during winter, she made sure Radia Schmidt wore a thick coat and warm clothes.


    Eleris only packed the most essential items.


    She felt no particr emotion about leaving the capital. After all, it was a ce she could return to anytime.


    However, she knew that her return to the Vampire Council marked the beginning of something significant.


    Something was about to start. Whether this event would be a path to saving the world or destroying it, she didn¡¯t know.


    Hoping that Baalier¡¯s words were true, Eleris cast a mass teleportation spell.


    <i>Whoosh...</i>


    They arrived at the snow-covered castle known to humans as Epiacs, but which was originally used as a gathering ce for the Vampire Lord ns..


    ¡°... Where is this ce?¡± Radia asked.


    ¡°Have you been here before? His Highness mentioned that he came here when on a group mission assigned by the Temple.¡±


    ¡°No, this is my first time here...¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone else here, but just in case, don¡¯t stray too far from me.¡±


    Radia hesitantly followed Eleris, who led the way into the cold and deste castle.


    <i>Sob... Sob...</i>


    ¡°Is... is someone there?¡±


    Radia was startled by the sound of sobbinging from various directions.


    ¡°Those are just wandering spirits.¡±


    Though they were low-level spirits, the sounds they made were unsettling. Radia Schmidt turned pale as she saw the ethereal ghosts passing through walls at will.


    <i>¡®What kind of ce is this?¡¯ </i>Radia thought.


    Normally, her first thought would be to eradicate such unholy beings, but the deep-seated fear in her consciousness made her weak.


    The cold and gloomy hallway echoed with the calm footsteps of Eleris.


    ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t be monitoring you closely. You don¡¯t know where you are, and even if you try to escape, there are no human settlements within hundreds of kilometers. If you run, I¡¯lle after you, not to punish you, but to save you from dying. Keep that in mind.¡±


    Radia Schmidt could only nod nkly at Eleris¡¯s words.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take care of your food, clothing, and shelter, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    It was impossible to reach this ce without the assistance of a mage who could teleport. If Eleris left Radia here, she would simply wither away.


    ¡°But if you decide tomit suicide because I¡¯m not watching you, I¡¯ll resurrect you as a vampire out of spite.¡± Eleris turned to look at Radia as she said this. ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°If I deem you safe and His Highness permits it, I¡¯ll let you go without harming you. I can¡¯t say when that will be, but you won¡¯t be held forever.¡±


    Radia seemed to find a small glimmer of hope in those words.


    The vampire in front of her was not the evil creature she had imagined.


    Whether or not the being was evil, its nature was not inherently wicked.


    Radia Schmidt finally epted this as she looked at Eleris¡¯s kind and sorrowful smile.


    Thus, Radia Schmidt held onto hope, unaware that it was always the precursor to greater despair.


    <i>Tap, tap, tap.</i>


    Eleris halted her steps at the sound of approaching footsteps from afar.


    ¡°Oh dear, it seems we have a visitor...¡±


    Someone other than the wandering spirits was present in Epiacs.


    Eleris stopped in the castle corridor and saw someone approaching from the darkness. She looked at Radia and ced a finger on her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say a word. Don¡¯t even look.¡±


    Radia nodded with a tense expression and lowered her head at what seemed like a warning.


    The person approaching from the corridor soon emerged from the darkness.


    A white-haired, ck-eyed elderly gentleman dressed in a ck suit, holding an elegant, dark brown wooden cane.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Eleris.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed, it has. Antirianus.¡±


    Though the elderly man appeared much older, it was strange for Radia Schmidt that he was addressing Eleris, who looked like a young woman, so respectfully.


    ¡°I heard there was going to be a meeting, so I arrived a bit early. But... you¡¯ve brought something peculiar with you.¡±


    The man called Antirianus looked at Radia Schmidt, who was standing behind Eleris, trembling and silent.


    ¡°And after this, you¡¯re nning to bring someone even more peculiar to us?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t describe him as peculiar. He is my lord.¡±


    At those words, a smile appeared on Antirianus¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Your lord you say... your lord...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eleris¡¯s expression hardened at his barely concealed amusement.


    ¡°Does the young Demon King know who you are?¡±


    ¡°He does not. And he never will.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear. Then everyone on the Council will have to be careful with their words.¡±


    Radia Schmidt had no idea what the conversation was about.


    ¡°Soon, the others will start to gather. Once everyone is here, the meeting called by the head of the House of Fire will begin.¡±


    Leaving behind a cryptic smile, the old man called Antirianus slowly walked away. Eleris looked at Radia.


    ¡°Radia.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can speak now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes...¡±


    Radia, who had been silent as if speaking would bring disaster, finally opened her mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone here will harm you, but it¡¯s best not to converse with anyone other than me,¡± Eleris advised Radia.


    ¡°Remember,¡± she said sternly, ¡°you are the only human here.¡±


    ***


    Southwest of the Empire¡¯s second duchy, Kernstadt, near the bordends... Most people wouldn¡¯t even know this vige existed.


    It was the mountain vige of Rijaiera, the hometown of Ragan Artorius and Ellen.


    After a long time, Ellen had finally returned to her hometown, Rijaiera. The vigers weed her warmly, and Ellen, originally from the countryside, livedfortably with her hair loosely tied, like the vige girl she once was.


    She chatted with old friends she hadn¡¯t seen in a while and told them about the capital.


    Everything that was mundane to Ellen was astonishing to the children of Rijaiera. The magic trains, for instance, were a marvel to them.


    The vige held a celebration to wee Ellen back during her vacation. A feast with plenty of meat and bread wasid out.


    After the grand feast, which was quite extravagant for a mountain vige, Ellen went for a walk with her parents.


    On the northern ridge of Rijaiera, Ellen sat between her mother and father under the night sky.


    Ellen shared various stories with them. She talked about her experiences at the Temple and the new friends she had made.


    Her parents were delighted to hear that Ellen was doing well and living an upright life.


    These stories, though seemingly trivial, were hugely significant. As Ellen shared these stories, her heart grew heavier.


    She had begun with light-hearted tales, but she knew that eventually, only the heavy ones would remain. There was something she didn¡¯t want to say, but had to.


    Ellen had returned home for the break. She had returned home seeking rest, but there waw something she had to tell her parents. There was something she had to say.


    The full moon shone brightly in the winter night sky.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After sitting in silence for a while, Ellen finally spoke.


    ¡°It seems the Demon King isn¡¯t dead, or a new Demon King has appeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At those words, the expressions of both Ellen¡¯s parents hardened. Just as Ellen had lost her brother to the Demon King, they had lost their son to him as well.


    The title ¡°Demon King¡± was not something they could take lightly.


    ¡°I met His Majesty the Emperor recently.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s parents listened quietly.


    ¡°He asked me if I was willing to fight the Demon King.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s mother gently took Ellen¡¯s hand, and her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t understand my brother. But if the Demon King is someone who wants to destroy the things I love, if that¡¯s what the Demon King desires... I said I would fight the Demon King.¡±


    Ellen looked at her parents.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said.


    Having lost a son in the fight against the Demon King, they might now have to lose their daughter in the next battle. Ellen did not want to bring such sorrow to her parents.


    But Ellen knew. If Ragan Artorius had been the only one who could oppose the Demon King, then she was the only one who could oppose the next Demon King.


    But she wouldn¡¯t be alone.


    There were others who would fight alongside her, and so Ellen was able to make that decision.


    If the world was forcing her to defeat the Demon King, she could do nothing but ept that fate.


    Ellen sitting there and apologizing to her parents, and her parents, sitting with their daughter who had decided to risk her life at such a young age...


    Ellen¡¯s mother and father exchanged a brief look.


    ¡°Ellen, can your mother and I talk for a moment? Alone?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Just wait here for a bit.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s mother and father left her sitting there and walked away to discuss something in private.


    Ellen quietly looked up at the sky.


    She didn¡¯t know what her parents talked about while her brother had been out doing what he did.


    Sometimes, he woulde backte at night, quietly stroke Ellen¡¯s hair as she slept, and then leave again.


    Her brother always discussed important matters with their parents, and she was never included in such discussions.


    Ellen didn¡¯t know what her parents thought about her brother¡¯s decisions and actions.


    She only remembered the time she had cursed her brother just before he left home and was pped by her usually gentle father.


    It had been a rainy day.


    Her mother and father must have been even more heartbroken.


    Ellen still hated herself for that.


    Time had passed, and now her parents were seeing their daughter make the same choice as their son.


    Ellen couldn¡¯t fathom what that felt like.


    Would her parents oppose it?


    Having lost a son in such a manner, would they say that they didn¡¯t want to send their daughter into such danger?


    What would she do then?


    If she didn¡¯t fight, Reinhart would have to fight alone. Although Reinhart wouldn¡¯t be alone, in a situation where every person who could wield a holy relic was needed, if she backed out...


    If the world needed a second hero and Ellen wasn¡¯t there...


    Reinhart would be forced to be the second hero.


    If she avoided the fight against a yet-unknown but powerful entity, Reinhart would be in even greater danger, facing an already perilous battle.


    Therefore, Ellen couldn¡¯t choose to avoid the fight.


    After a long while, her parents returned.


    Her mother took Ellen¡¯s hand, and Ellen met her mother¡¯s sorrowful eyes.


    ¡°My dear daughter. Can¡¯t you change your mind?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course they would oppose such a decision. Having already lost a son in a simr situation, the thought of their daughter wanting to follow the same path would be heart-wrenching.


    Ellen lowered her gaze.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, Mom. Dad.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t avoid the fight.


    If she was to face her destiny alone, then maybe. But if she didn¡¯t step forward, Reinhart would be left to face the Demon King alone.


    Ellen felt even more guilty in the face of her parents¡¯ sorrowful plea. Her mother and father remained silent for a while.


    They didn¡¯t try to persuade her to change her mind or beg her not to follow through.


    They knew their daughter had resolved to do this, and that they wouldn¡¯t be able to change her mind.


    Parents know their children well.


    ¡°Then, how about we go somewhere with Mom and Dad for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there.¡±


    Her mother took Ellen¡¯s hand and led the way.


    Ellen¡¯s parents were used to hiking, and navigated the path without any trouble, even in the dark.


    The family arrived at a valley near Rijaiera.


    It was a familiar ce. Ellen had often yed in the river here as a child.


    Her mother slowly approached arge, frozen waterfall in the valley and gently touched the frozen wall of water.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ellen was bewildered by what she saw.


    The center of the frozen waterfall suddenly split open, as if space itself had been distorted.


    It wasn¡¯t the ice breaking; it was as if space itself had been pried apart to create a gap.


    ¡°W-What is this? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Ellen, having witnessed something she had never witnessed before, was at a loss for words. But her parents calmly held her hands and led her into the waterfall.


    Ellen had lived in this vige her entire life.


    But she had never known there was a hidden space behind the waterfall she asionally visited.


    She had seen the back of the waterfall many times, and it was always solid.


    This time, though, there was a cave behind it.


    ¡°Ellen, just follow us for now.¡±


    Her mother led the way, and her father manipted something, causing a dim light to fill the cave.


    In the pale blue light, Ellen slowly walked into the cave, still unable toprehend the situation, while being guided by her parents.


    ¡°Your brother didn¡¯t set out to be an adventurer from the start.¡±


    ¡°What... do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He originally left the vige to find a certain item. It was the vige council¡¯s decision, since Ragan was exceptionally skilled.¡±


    Ellen had no idea about this.


    She had always thought Ragan Artorius had gone wandering because he loved adventure, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    What kind of ce was Rijaiera?


    Ellen realized she knew nothing about the ce she had lived in her entire life.


    ¡°In the process, he naturally met many people, experienced many things, and made many friends. Eventually, he came to prioritize the world¡¯s issues over the vige¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°What... what do you mean? What is our vige?¡±


    Her mother squeezed Ellen¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Later. I¡¯ll tell youter, my dear,¡± her mother said.


    ¡°One of the items Ragan went to find was Lament. The one you now possess, Ellen,¡± her father added.


    The natural rock formation of the cave soon gave way to a more crafted interior.


    The walls in this section were man-made, and numerous passages and corridors illuminated by the pale light came into Ellen¡¯s view.


    She couldn¡¯t see where they led to, but her parents seemed to know exactly where they were going, leading her to a specific chamber inside the cave behind the waterfall.


    <i>sh!</i>


    As the light illuminated the chamber, Ellen saw something in the center of the empty chamber.


    There, a cloak glowed like a burning me, flickering like fire.


    ¡°This... this is...¡±


    Ellen¡¯s eyes widened and almost popped.


    ¡°This was one of the two items that Ragan went out to find, along with your Lament.¡±


    The Cloak of the Sun God. Lapelt, the relic of Shm.


    It was right in front of Ellen.


    Her mother picked up the Cloak of the Sun God. She slowly approached Ellen and gently draped it over Ellen¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°May the blessings of the Moon and Sun be with you,¡± she said, as she kissed Ellen lightly on the forehead.

 Chapter 335

    <h4>Chapter 335</h4>


    It had been a week since the start of the winter break.


    Harriet had beenmuting almost every day to the Imperial Magic Department for her research into dimensional magic. Since my involvement in the Magic Research Club¡¯s work would only be a hindrance, I didn¡¯t visit too often.


    Eleris had left the capital.


    ording to the Rotary Club, a meeting of the Vampire Council was scheduled to be held in a week. Eleris would return before that, so if I went to the Rotary Club around that date, I would be able to attend the Vampire Council meeting.


    If I could gain the cooperation of the five vampire families, it would be like gaining a thousand troops.


    I needed to obtain their power, whether through threats or persuasion, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was possible.


    I didn¡¯t know what I could do to persuade them or what I could threaten them with, since they hadn¡¯t cooperated with the demon forces during the Great War either.


    The ck Order would be in contact with me soon as well, and I needed to obtain information about Cantus Magna in order to proceed with negotiations.


    If I couldn¡¯t get that information from the Vampire Council, I might have to resort to the crazy idea of using a forbidden spell myself to lure out Cantus Magna.


    Additionally, I was gradually learning something about the Gate Incident through information about the warp gates themselves.


    The brooch given to me by Charlotte was already a clue.


    If I activated the brooch artifact and passed through the warp gate of the capital, I would be directed to the warp gate in the basement of the Spring Pce.


    I didn¡¯t know the exact mechanism of it, but the important thing was that magical technology already existed that could affect the warp gate system.


    Of course, this was an authorized artifact, but importantly, this told me that magical technology capable of adjusting one¡¯s path through the warp gate system already existed.


    Charlotte¡¯s artifact was a glimpse of what could be possible.


    I had begun to seriously dive into the matter of saving the world.


    My head felt like it was going to explode. I had no time to sit down to think, and depending on how all this turned out, my life was at stake, as was the possibility that my identity would be exposed.


    Of course, amidst all this, there were still plenty of trivial matters to handle.


    <i>ng! ng!</i>


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    After exchanging blows with Olivia, I hung the training sword back on the rack, feeling the tingling sensation in my hands.


    With Ellen absent, I had no sparring partner for sword practice. As a result, I was practicing swordsmanship with Olivia in the training grounds.


    I could practice with Cliffman, but he hadn¡¯t yet mastered Mana Reinforcement, so he wasn¡¯t a match for me if I went all out.


    Of course, I could go to Sabioleen Tana for swordsmanship lessons, but I judged it was better for her to focus on teaching Ludwig.


    Thus, I was practicing swordsmanship with Olivia instead.


    Olivia, who had been twirling her training sword, rested it on her shoulder.


    I hade to truly understand Olivia¡¯s skill after the recent tournament. Until then, Olivia hadn¡¯t said anything about teaching me swordsmanship.


    Of course, when I asked her, she agreed and came to the training grounds.


    Olivia¡¯s skill was undeniably incredible.


    The output and stability of her Mana Reinforcement, as well as her swordsmanship itself, were iparable to mine.


    Even with all my strength in Qi Sense, Self-Deception, and Mana Reinforcement, I couldn¡¯t even keep up with her.


    I couldn¡¯t help but realize that the only reason I was able to kill Leverier Lanche was because of my use of Achievement Points, Incantation, and sheer luck.


    ¡°Shall we try again?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Olivia, holding her sword, looked at me with calm eyes.


    I retrieved my training sword and activated Mana Reinforcement.


    <i>Kwabang! ng!</i>


    In an instant, Olivia charged at me, forcefully pushing my training sword.


    ¡°An opening!¡±


    <i>Smooch!</i>


    As she pushed my sword away and exposed my chest, Olivia wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.


    ¡°Seriously, stop doing that kind of stuff, will you?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then get stronger than me.¡±


    Everything was fine, except for an asional bizarre moment.


    ***


    After sparring for a while, I copsed onto the training ground floor, stopping just short of sprawling out.


    Although my stamina had improved significantlypared to before, sparring while using Mana Reinforcement brought with it a different kind of exhaustion.


    It was a kind of fatigue different from just a loss in physical strength.


    The fortunate thing was that I did not feel anysting damage to my mana circuits just from using Mana Reinforcement.


    My pure mana capacity had increased, and I originally had talents in both Mana Maniption and Attunement.


    It would be strange if I didn¡¯t get used to it quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a weakling, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re just abnormal, senior.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to be especially abnormal in the Royal ss, where only extraordinary people gather?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Olivia, who was squatting next to me as Iy spread out on the training ground floor, poked my cheek.


    ¡°She went back to her hometown, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Darn. You¡¯re really treating me too harshly, you know.¡±


    I had nothing to say to that. She was right. I had only sought her out because Ellen wasn¡¯t around.


    ¡°Nothing to say? You must really be feeling a little guilty.¡±


    Although Olivia said that, she didn¡¯t seem extremely angry, nor did she want to argue.


    I felt a lot of guilt towards Olivia.


    Still, neither Olivia nor Adriana knew that I had risked a lot to save them, and I didn¡¯t expect them to know it either.


    However, I also couldn¡¯t be a gentleman about it. I wanted to act cool and forget about it, but I couldn¡¯t.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s frustrating that I can¡¯t boast about it! I don¡¯t n to talk about it, but the fact that I can¡¯t even do so if I wanted to is just infuriating! I took risks far beyond the level of being caught in a cross-dressing contest, all for the sake of my </i>noona<i>! Isn¡¯t it a bit unfair that she feels resentful towards me now?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Was it you?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    <i>¡®What is she talking about? Has she figured something out? What clue could she have possibly found? There¡¯s no way Olivia could have any evidence leading her to discover that I¡¯m the Demon King.¡¯</i>


    My brain froze, for a moment, and it showed on my face. Olivia gave a sad smile.


    ¡°The orphanage I was sponsoring... the directors and teachers... they¡¯ve all been taken away.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    I was acting like a thief caught red-handed because I had so many things to hide, and had misunderstood herpletely unrted statement.


    <i>¡®Yes, that was my doing.¡¯</i>


    I hadn¡¯t been able to speak about this matter with the emperor, but I had hinted it to Charlotte while informing her that Eleris had been safely hidden away and asked her if she could step in to resolve a few issues regarding these orphanages.


    I had already identified the orphanages that Olivia was personally sponsoring. It seemed strange that they were poor when they shouldn¡¯t have been.


    I had spoken to her just a few days ago, but it seemed Charlotte had taken immediate action, and Olivia had found out as well.


    Olivia looked at me with a sad expression.


    ¡°You... you did this, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had hoped Olivia wouldn¡¯t find out, but it was inevitable. Once the perpetrators of the scheme were arrested and punished, and various facts about their schemes came to light, Olivia would eventually learn how the directors and teachers from the orphanages had disappeared and why.


    ¡°The capital already has programs in ce to support war orphans. It just didn¡¯t make sense that any orphanage would be in financial trouble,¡± I exined.


    Olivia didn¡¯t seem happy. She couldn¡¯t be happy.


    The children would now live in better conditions under stricter management, but Olivia had been betrayed by the people she had trusted.


    Olivia sat down on the training ground floor.


    ¡°I never thought they would do such things. Never. I never even suspected it. I thought no one would ever embezzle money like that... if they were human.¡±


    She had trusted in humanity. She had trusted in the goodness of people.


    Olivia had such a humanitarian spirit. After having been disappointed by religion and faith, was Olivia now disappointed in humanity itself?


    After a long silence, Olivia said, ¡°The funeral starts today.¡±


    ¡°... The funeral of...¡±


    ¡°Yes, my foster father.¡±


    Leverier Lanche¡¯s death was a significant event, not only for the religiousmunity, but also for the empire itself.


    Despite his fall from grace, he was a war hero. He had died fighting demons.


    Therefore, regardless of the underlying issues behind his death, it was still a tragedy for the general public. Now that themotion had settled, a public funeral was being held to mourn Leverier Lanche¡¯s death.


    ¡°Reinhart, can youe with me somewhere for a bit?¡± she asked.


    I couldn¡¯t refuse Olivia¡¯s request.


    ***


    It wasn¡¯t so apparent inside the Temple, but once we went out, it was clear that Leverier Lanche was being mourned throughout the empire. Every house on the street had ck gs as a sign of mourning, and people were selling flowers to be offered as tribute.


    The funeral procession was going to begin from the abandoned monastery where the bodies had been recovered, to the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights.


    At the southern edge of the capital, the path for the funeral procession was lined by guards.


    ¡ªI can¡¯t believe it...


    ¡ªDamn those demons...


    A significant number of people who had gathered to observe the funeral procession were likely followers of the Five Great Gods, and even those who weren¡¯t had shown up to mourn the death of a war hero.


    Hatred for the demons and fear of the Demon King had surged among the people.


    It didn¡¯t matter why Leverier Lanche had been at that ce on that date.


    People believed that Leverier Lanche had died in a fierce battle against the remnants of the demons, and that was ultimately true.


    They just didn¡¯t know the full story.


    No one knew that Leverier Lanche had tried to reim his lost power by threatening his adoptive daughter and, in the end, had offered to ally himself with the Demon King to bring about the fall of the empire in order to save his own life.


    Olivia had to have found this situation absurd.


    Thanks to the demon attack, she was safe.


    It must have been hard for her to ept that Leverier Lanche, who had threatened Adriana in order to gain herpliance, was being hailed as a hero in death.


    The grand funeral procession appeared at the southern entrance to the capital, escorted by holy knights and priests. They were leading a carriage, which was followed by dozens of ornately decorated coffins. Those likely contained the bodies of Leverier Lanche, other holy knights, and other members of the Nameless Monastery.


    I didn¡¯t know how they managed to recover Leverier Lanche¡¯s body which had been decapitated by me, or the other bodies which had been torn apart by Loyar, or blown up and burned to a crisp by magic.


    I didn¡¯t know the overall opinion of the Order of the Holy Knights, but Illeion Volten was leading the procession on a white horse.


    Both the representatives of the empire and Illeion Volten must have found this situation favorable.


    Nevertheless, they feigned sorrow for the ignorant citizens, leading the procession with solemn expressions.


    As the funeral procession appeared, people began to cry as if overwhelmed by sadness.


    ¡ªOh no!!!


    The tears that started with a few quickly spread, and soon, the mourners were crying a sea of tears.


    They probably didn¡¯t know Leverier Lanche.


    They were just mourning his death, not knowing why they were so sad or even shedding tears. Perhaps they were true believers, they had some other reason. I couldn¡¯t tell. But I had no right to question their tears.


    I was the most inhuman person here.


    Regardless of whether those people deserved to die or not, I was the madman who hade to watch the funeral of the people I had killed.


    Amidst the sea of crying mourners, there were quite a few who weren¡¯t crying.


    However, those who weren¡¯t crying seemed to be filled with a sense of difort, as if not crying made them feel guilty.


    They were restless.


    Tears are usually an involuntary action. One can¡¯t cry on demand unless it has been practiced. Tears well up on their own, and cannot bemanded by the mind.


    Olivia observed the approaching funeral procession calmly.


    ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Is it bad of me to think all of this is so disgusting?¡± Olivia said quietly as she watched the coffin containing her foster father¡¯s body approach.


    All of this was ultimately just a show.


    All these people were ignorant. They were simply making Leverier Lanche a hero in death because they had been shown a perfect image of him.


    Olivia must have hated Leverier Lanche, but she also hated the fact that his death was being exploited.


    Olivia felt disgusted by all of this.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s understandable,¡± I said.


    Olivia nodded.


    As the funeral procession gradually approached and began to move along the main road of the southern district of the capital, the crying of the mourners grew ever louder. They were heading to the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights, with Illeion Volten at the head.


    People who had gathered to see the long procession were crying and throwing flowers as the two of us watched.


    ¡ªThere, over there...


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t that the Saintess...?


    ¡ªThe Saintess...?


    ¡ªShe¡¯s the Commander¡¯s daughter!


    We had been watching for too long.


    Olivia was a well-known figure, and there were plenty of people who could recognize Olivia.


    Someone gestured towards Olivia amidst the sea of tears, and all the attention quickly focused on her.


    The Saintess of Eredian.


    Although she was the reason for Leverier Lanche¡¯s fall, no one cared about that.


    The former Commander of the Holy Knights and war hero who had honorably died fighting the demons.


    The fact that his daughter was here was what mattered.


    ¡ªOh, Saintess!


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia¡¯s expression hardened, and in an instant, the crowd began to swarm around us.


    ¡°Oh, Saintess! What are we to do?! What should we do?!¡±


    ¡°You must take revenge for us against those vile, filthy demons!¡±


    ¡°You must carry on your father¡¯s will and lead the fight against the demons, Saintess!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Saintess! We can¡¯t live in fear any longer!¡±


    ¡°Saintess!¡±


    ¡°Saintess, you must save us!¡±


    ¡°With the Hero gone, what are we to do?!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    We were quickly surrounded in chaos.


    Countless people knelt before Olivia and cried out to her as though she were some sort of deity.


    They did not see her as the reason for Leverier Lanche¡¯s fall from grace, or that Olivia had abandoned her faith.


    The Demon King had returned, but now, there was no Hero.


    Someone had to stand against the Demon King.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Someone other than them. Someone great, brave, kind, and powerful.


    They wished for someone else to defeat the Demon King in their ce.


    ¡ªPlease, Saintess, you must defeat the Demon King!


    ¡ªYou¡¯re our only hope, Saintess!


    ¡ªOh, Saintess! Save us!


    They didn¡¯t know the real Olivia.


    They only knew that she possessed very powerful Divine Power and was a person of such excellent character that she was called a saint.


    She watched on as countless people knelt down and begged her, as if she were some kind of queen, to die in their ce.


    She watched on as so many people boldly asked her to sacrifice herself for them.


    I saw her eyes slowly be unfocused.


    Olivia was being crushed by the overwhelming pressure.


    She was tormented by countless people urging her to restore her faith.


    She had seen the disgusting behavior of those who would recklessly use others¡¯ lives to exploit her, and now she was witnessing someone who had done exactly that being praised in their death.


    The sponsorship funds she had painstakingly gathered had been embezzled by the teachers she¡¯d trusted.


    It had moved beyond faith and religion. Now, people who had nothing to do with faith or religion were crying and boldly demanding that she die in their ce.


    These people were using their tears as a shield to push someone else into death without hesitation...


    Something important, which had barely remained alive in Olivia¡¯s heart, had finally shattered.


    A cold, emotionless voice flowed out of Olivia¡¯s lips. ¡°Why should I? Why on earth should I do that?¡±


    Olivia had broken.

 Chapter 336

    <h4>Chapter 336</h4>


    <i>¡®Why should I die for you all?¡¯ </i>Olivia pushed through the frozen mourners and left the street.


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± Olivia muttered as she left the funeral procession behind, her voice hard. ¡°Humans are so disgusting.¡±


    It seemed she had lost thest bit of hope and sympathy she had for humanity after being confronted by the ugly side of humanity several times over the past few months.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on them. They probably don¡¯t know any better,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia clicked her tongue. ¡°Yeah, maybe. If they knew, it might have been different.¡±


    Olivia looked at me. ¡°If they knew that demons saved my life, they would have said I was a filthy and impure woman who should be burned at the stake.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s eyes had changed.


    The sadness in her eyes was now gone, reced by a dark abyss. It felt simr to Radia Schmidt¡¯s eyes.


    The malice and unptable side of humanity had ultimately broken Olivia.


    I couldn¡¯t refute Olivia¡¯s words.


    Whether in knowledge or ignorance, humans did disgusting things. That was undeniable.


    ¡°The Demon King? Sure, I don¡¯t know why those demons saved me. But if that Demon King¡¯s real goal is to rebuild the demon realm and kill all humans,¡± Olivia grabbed my hand tightly, ¡°then I would fight to protect the few people I love. I would never fight for those vermin.¡±


    Olivia hugged me.


    Just like Ellen did, Olivia had concluded that she would fight.


    However, the fundamental reason for her decision was drastically different from the Olivia of the past.


    It had to change, and it did.


    ***


    Olivia was someone who embodied the phrase ¡°soft on the outside, strong on the inside.¡± While she might not have been that way with everyone, she was kind and gentle to many, yet firm in her resolve.


    However, even such a person would break when pushed past their limits.


    She had grown increasingly weary of gently rejecting and pushing away the countless people clinging to her, and the recent events had driven Olivia to her mental breaking point.


    It wasn¡¯t just the obsession of the religious and the faithful. Olivia had been betrayed by those in charge of the orphanages she had sponsored, who were embezzling funds while leaving the children to starve, and finally, she had been mobbed by a crowd who had used their tears as a weapon to demand her sacrifice.


    She had realized that there was no need for her to live her life for those people, and had changed.


    She would fight the Demon King if necessary, but it wouldn¡¯t be for humanity¡¯s sake.


    Given how she felt, she might even join forces with the next Demon King and work towards the destruction of humanity if she knew it was me.


    But I didn¡¯t want to exploit Olivia¡¯s broken state. I didn¡¯t want to impose some strange mission on someone who was already so pitiable.


    After all, I didn¡¯t wish for the destruction of humanity either.


    Of course, Olivia hadn¡¯t changed drasticallypared to her usual self.


    ¡ªStop being annoying and get lost.


    ¡ªS-Sorry? <i>Unnie</i>, what are you saying...?


    ¡ªI said get lost. How many times do I have to tell you? Are you an idiot?


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡ªWh-What... <i>Unnie</i>...?


    ¡ªIf you¡¯re not an idiot, why do you make me repeat myself dozens of times? Hey. Look me in the eye. Look me in the eye.


    ¡ª<i>Unnie</i>, you¡¯re scaring me. Why are you suddenly...


    After that, I saw Olivia harshly rebuke someone a few times.


    Radia Schmidt wasn¡¯t the only one demanding that she return to the religiousmunity.


    Olivia, who had previously offered a troubled bit gentle refusal to such demands, now responded with sharp rejections and even ferocity.


    In a way, I thought it was fortunate.


    ¡ªOh, Reinhart! Want to have lunch together?


    But seeing her harshly scold other junior students and then suddenly smile brightly at me...


    Seeing her run over with a big smile and link arms with me...


    Well... It felt as if my older sister had be even crazier than before.


    And that made me a little... afraid.


    ***


    My <i>noona </i>had changed.


    To be honest, though, the surface-level changes seemed positive.


    People who had the intention to force her into doing things while pretending not to had kept clinging to her because she was excessively kind.


    To put it nicely, they were treating her like shit.


    Now that Olivia had begun to respond harshly to such demands, people seemed too scared to make such demands of her.


    They might spout nonsense about her being possessed by a demon or something, but Olivia was physically stronger than anyone. If they tried to do anything by force, they would suffer a terrible beating.


    It was good that Olivia was strong in that regard, for her own sake as well.


    ***


    Finally, on one of the days during the break...


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I met Eleris in the southern forest where the headquarters of the Rotary Club was located.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will give you the details on all the members of the Vampire Council. You must remember them well.¡±


    A meeting with the Vampire Council... Before that, Eleris had to inform me of all the necessary precautions from A to Z.


    The future would change significantly based on the oue of the meeting that day.


    Therefore, there could be no mistakes.


    ***


    <i>sh!</i>


    We returned to the ancient castle of Epiacs through teleportation. The winter winds blew through it even more fiercely than before.


    The castle felt much more eerie while shrouded in this snowstorm, perhaps due to the beings within it.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Radia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve warned her not to leave her room during the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Even though I had no particr affection for her, I couldn¡¯t help but be concerned while Eleris was taking care of her, despite the fact that she was now scared out of her wits and had been brought all the way here, which made it impossible for her to do anything foolish.


    <i>Swoosh...</i>


    I used Sarkegar¡¯s ring to transform back into Baalier.


    This task, I would undertake under the name of Baalier, not Reinhart.


    I was attending the Vampire Council, a meeting of the heads of the five Vampire Lord families.


    The location of the meeting was exactly the same as the ce where the nightly discussions for the Mafia game had been held during the Temple¡¯s group mission.


    To think that the very ce where the students had debated who to ¡®assassinate¡¯ was now upied by the Vampire Lords, whose mere presence could turn the entire continent upside down, felt both terrifying and somewhat absurd.


    When I opened the door to the meeting room, I saw that four people were already seated at the round table.


    Since they were not affiliated with the Demon Realm, they did not show any particr respect towards me.


    One looked at me with interest, one with indifference, one with disdain, and one did not seem to have any noticeable intentions.


    ¡°Nice to meet you all. I am Baalier.¡±


    Given my age and the fact that they were not affiliated with the Demon Realm, I decided to use honorifics, even if I wasn¡¯t overly polite.


    As soon as I finished speaking and sat down, a chillingugh echoed through the meeting room.


    ¡°The master of the nonexistent has arrived.¡±


    The nonexistent...


    They must have been referring to the already-vanquished Dark Land. I chose not to respond to the provocation.


    The vampire whoughed at me was a woman with pale skin and alluring red lips.


    Aside from her beauty, there was one distinctive feature about her that I wasn¡¯t particrly surprised by, since Eleris had already informed me of it.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Lruien, the head of the house of Thursday of the Seven Nights.¡±


    She had long ears, which could only mean one thing.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s an elf.¡¯</i>


    An elf, a race that had been extinct for a very long time, was living on as a vampire.


    From the first Vampire Lord¡¯s introduction, I got the sense that all these Vampire Lords were ancient beings.


    An elf was surprising enough, but visually, the being next to her was even more astonishing.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, young Demon King,¡± said the one sitting next to her in a deep voice. ¡°I am Grsh, the head of the house of Friday of the Seven Nights.¡±


    A massive figure with gray, rock-like skin, red eyes, and tusk-like teeth protruding over the lower lip.


    <i>¡®Grsh, the Orc Vampire.¡¯</i>


    Even hearing about it felt strange, but the intimidation factor was no joke.


    I had heard that all Vampire Lords were excellent mages, but this one looked like he should be wielding a stone axe instead.


    Next was a vampire who was observing me with curious eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Archdemon! I¡¯m Lucinil, the head of the house of Wednesday of the Seven Nights! Nice to meet you! Since I¡¯m older than you, I¡¯ll address you casually, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, sure.¡±


    <i>¡®A vampire with an unusually high energy level...¡¯</i>


    She had the appearance of a young girl, and even acted like a child.


    <i>¡°They are all unique in their own ways, but none of them are particrly ferocious. Given their long lives, they are quite dignified. However, you can consider the head of Wednesday to be harmless.¡±</i>


    Although she had the appearance of a young girl, she was clearly not human.


    I had heard she was a homunculus.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine a homunculus bing a vampire. It was also a mystery as to who had created such a homunculus and how she had be a vampire.


    Lucinil was probably the most peculiar among the Vampire Lords gathered ther. She looked at me with a curious expression.


    Andstly...


    ¡°It is an honor to meet such a great being.¡±


    An elderly gentleman, who had been wearing a bowler hat, took it off and bowed deeply to me.


    ¡°I am Antirianus, the head of the house of Saturday among the Seven Nights.¡±


    He looked at me with an inscrutable smile.


    He was supposed to be human.


    Antirianus, aside from Eleris, looked the most ordinary here, which ironically made him seem the least ordinary.


    In fact, Eleris had warned me to be cautious of Antirianus, and that his intentions were hard to read.


    Eleris of Tuesday.


    Lucinil of Wednesday.


    Lruien of Thursday.


    Grsh of Friday.


    And Antirianus of Saturday.


    The five members gathered here were the entirety of the current Vampire Council.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s proceed with the meeting now that the Archdemon is here,¡± Antirianus dered quietly, announcing themencement of the meeting.

 Chapter 337

    <h4>Chapter 337</h4>


    All the heads of the five vampire families looked at me.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to beat around the bush. I need your help.¡±


    This was undoubtedly what they had expected.


    There was only one thing thest heir of a fallen nation could say whening to seek aid from a peripheral power.


    ¡°You must be aware that we did not participate in the Great War,¡± Lruien said quietly.


    ¡°I am aware,¡± I replied.


    Lruien¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Even when the previous Archdemon and Demon King, Baalier, the most powerful being in the world, was alive, the Vampire Council did not participate in the Great War. We did not cooperate when the Demon Realm was at its peak, so why should we join hands now that it has fallen?¡±


    They had not formed an alliance with the Demon Realm in its prime, and she saw no reason to help me now.


    Lruien looked at me, the prince of a nonexistent world, with a mocking gaze.


    Grsh was looking at me calmly.


    ¡°The Vampire Council owes nothing to the Dark Land. We have never needed each other, nor have we interfered with or benefited from each other¡¯s existence. Not even the Archdemon¡¯s strange power could dominate us. That¡¯s why the previous demon kings left us alone, and we did not involve ourselves in Dark Land¡¯s affairs. This was an unwritten rule, until the head of Tuesday swore loyalty to the Dark Land.¡±


    I had somewhat expected this.


    Even the innate power of the Archdemon was not enough to dominate beings on the level of a Vampire Lord.


    This made Eleris¡¯s case even more unique.


    She had sworn loyalty voluntarily, without being dominated.


    Grsh wasn¡¯t mocking me like Lruien had, but he saw no reason to cooperate.


    The next to speak was the child-like vampire, Lucinil.


    ¡°Archdemon, what do you n to do by rebuilding the Demon Realm?¡± Lucinil asked innocently, posing a more fundamental question.


    ¡°Are you nning to kill all humans?¡± she continued. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. While we don¡¯t necessarily need human blood, there¡¯s nothing quite like it. I don¡¯t want to survive on tasteless blood.¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of killing all humans, nor do I think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Really? So, you n to kill about half of them?¡±


    <i>¡®Why is she so fixated on killing?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible. It would take a lifetime just to restore the Dark Land to some semnce of its former power.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that makes sense. It¡¯spletely ruined... Even if the Archdemon lives longer than ordinary mortals, to restore it to its former glory... Hmm...¡±


    Lucinil tilted her head as if pondering something.


    Last to speak was Antirianus, the head of Saturday.


    He favored me with a gentle smile. ¡°You say you do not dream of war, yet you need power; isn¡¯t that contradictory, great being?¡±


    ¡°Without the power to protect oneself, rebuilding is impossible.¡±


    ¡°The Demon Realm did not enter the Great War with the intent to destroy the other side, but to protect one¡¯s existence. Of course, the humans initiated the invasion first.¡±


    Was he implying that the need for self-defense was just an excuse?


    ¡°The humans will crush any remaining forces of the Dark Land that they see reuniting. In that case, we would have to bear the brunt of protecting the fragile forces of Dark Land. I can¡¯t think of anypelling reason or justification for us to do so.¡±


    Lruien nodded in agreement, and so did Grsh.


    Lucinil seemed lost in her own thoughts and was not paying attention to the ongoing conversation.


    ¡°No matter how I consider it, there is nothing for us to gain by cooperating with the Archdemon. Even if we had desires, it¡¯s unlikely the Archdemon could fulfill them,¡± Lruien said.


    Her words were reasonable. Though her mocking tone was irritating, it was an unavoidable truth.


    The Vampire Council had no reason to cooperate with me, and they had nothing to gain from me. Forming an alliance that only required them to provide help without receiving any in return was pointless.


    I had nothing to offer, and they had nothing to gain.


    ¡°I have a different topic to discuss. May I?¡± I asked.


    Antirianus nodded with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Go ahead, he said. ¡°Immortals have plenty of time.¡±


    ¡°Recently, since the end of the Great War, the Church of the Five Great Gods seems to be aiming for independence.¡±


    My words caused confusion among everyone, including Lruien.


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Well, humanity came together as one during the Great War, but now that the war is over, various military and other interest groups are beginning to have their own ambitions instead of just disbanding. For example, the Order of the Holy Knights is leading the effort to establish an independent state for the Church of the Five Great Gods.¡±


    The formation of an independent state by the Church of the Five Great Gods...


    When they heard that, Lruien and Grsh¡¯s expressions hardened. Divine Power was the antithesis of vampires, so the birth of a religious state was a natural cause for concern.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°Of course, together with the help of Eleris, I killed Leverier Lanche, the former Commander of the Holy Knights who was at the core of that independence movement.¡±


    The threat was there, but it had been eliminated.


    Lruien tilted her head. ¡°Are you saying that, because you removed a potential threat to the Council, we owe you a debt of gratitude and should cooperate?¡±


    Lruien wanted to know if I felt they owed me for eliminating a future threat.


    I shook my head. ¡°Not at all. If I said that, you could just brush it off and say, ¡®So what?¡¯¡±


    Lruien narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Leverier Lanche said something interesting before he died,¡± I continued. ¡°He said he was willing to cooperate with me. He asked me why I didn¡¯t just leave them alone if I wanted the empire to be weakened.¡±


    ¡°I see. I was curious about that as well. If this was an anti-empire faction, leaving it alone would have been beneficial to you,¡± Antirianus said.


    I had no intention of exining Olivia and Adriana¡¯s involvement.


    Everything can be rationalized.


    Just as I was seeking the Vampire Council¡¯s cooperation under the guise of rebuilding the Demon Realm, the reason for killing Leverier Lanche could also be rationalized.


    ¡°If left alone, the independent state of the Church of the Five Great Gods would have been under Leverier Lanche¡¯s control. Why would I allow that?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Why not take it for myself?¡±


    This time, everyone except Eleris looked puzzled.


    Eleris¡¯s mouth dropped open in shock, realizing what I was implying.


    ¡°Taking over the Church of the Five Great Gods? What do you mean by that?¡±


    How could the Demon Kinge up with such an oundish idea, and how did I think it was possible? I ced my hand on the table.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    ¡°I am the Champion of Ouen.¡±


    When they saw what appeared in my hand, the already-pale vampires turned even whiter.


    ¡°Wh-What???? Wh-What is that?!¡±


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    Lucinil jumped up in shock and fell backward.


    ***


    Tiamata was incredibly triggering for the undead. Eleris had been terrified when she¡¯d first seen it, and still couldn¡¯t look at it properly.


    Lucinil had fallen over, Lruien had jerked up in shock and was slowly backing away, and Grsh was scowling fiercely.


    Only Antirianus seemed intrigued as he stared at Tiamata.


    ¡°Huh. The Champion of Ouen, is it?¡±


    To prevent the Vampire Lords from potentially having heart attacks, I unsummoned Tiamata.


    ¡°I did not intend to threaten you. But do you understand what I mean now?¡±


    All of the others were visibly shaken after having seen the item the undead least wanted to see.


    Lucinil was hopping mad, yelling at the top of her lungs, ¡°You scared the life out of me, you jerk!¡±


    ¡°I apologize. But without showing it to you, how could I prove it?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to do something like that, you should at least give us a warning! Tiamata! Ugh! It¡¯s so disgusting!¡±


    She even showed her arm to Lruien, iming she had goosebumps all over.


    ¡°Of course not, Lucinil.¡±


    Lruien clicked her tongue and patted Lucinil¡¯s head.


    ¡°I do have them! Look! It¡¯s true!¡±


    Lucinil kept pushing her arm forward, insisting Lruien see her goosebumps, and Lruien swatted her arm away in annoyance.


    Anyway, everyone except Anntirianus seemed highly on edge due to Tiamata¡¯s appearance. Even Eleris was clutching her chest in relief.


    ¡°That item is particrly dangerous for undead like us. However, I fully understand what you¡¯re saying. You mean that, as the Champion of Ouen, you could unite the forces that follow the Five Great Gods and be their leader?¡±


    ¡°How I go about doing so is critical, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Leverier Lanche had wanted to use Olivia as a figurehead, but I didn¡¯t think it was impossible to unite the forces of the followers of the Five Great Gods under the name of Reinhart and be their leader.


    ¡°Very well, great being. Whether you control them from behind the scenes or be their actual leader, or form an allied front with them, why have youe to the Council?¡±


    <i>¡®Now, to the main point.¡¯</i>


    I crossed my arms and looked at each of them.


    ¡°If I be the representative of the Church of the Five Great Gods or something simr, I will wipe you all out for not cooperating with me.¡±


    This time, even Antirianus¡¯s expression hardened.


    ¡°It paints a good picture, doesn¡¯t it? The Champion of Ouen unites the forces of the Church of the Five Great Gods and bes its leader, under the pretext of eliminating all vampiric forces.


    ¡°The goal will be the eradication of the undead, and the first targets will be the families of the Vampire Lords.


    ¡°If a massive force from the Order of the Holy Knightses to destroy your forces one by one, can you handle that?¡±


    This was a threat, not as the Demon King, but as the Champion of Ouen.


    ¡°Are you threatening us, young Demon King?¡± Grsh said, ring at me with eyes consumed by anger.


    ¡°As you all said, I have nothing to offer you. So your argument that we can¡¯t make a deal is absolutely correct. I need help, but have nothing to give. So what can I do except threaten you?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Do you think I enjoy doing this to my elders? My back is against the wall, and I have to do whatever it takes.¡±


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    I summoned Tiamata again and ced it on the table.


    ¡°Help me out. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you all.¡±


    The smile finally disappeared from Lruien¡¯s face, who had been mocking me the entire time.


    ¡°Wow, this lunatic is so absurd it¡¯s almost impressive,¡± Lucinil said, letting out a hollowugh.

 Chapter 338

    <h4>Chapter 338</h4>


    The already tense atmosphere grew even colder with my bombshell deration that if they didn¡¯t cooperate, I would side with the Church of the Five Great Gods and start hunting down the Vampire Lords out of spite.


    Lucinil crossed her arms and red at me.


    ¡°Do you think you can walk out of here alive after saying such a thing? Don¡¯t you value your life? Even if you¡¯re an Archdemon, you¡¯re still a rookie. Do you think we can¡¯t just close our eyes and snap your neck, Tiamata or not?¡±


    ¡°Eleris will figure something out. She¡¯s always managed to so far.¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Highness!¡±


    The one most flustered by my words was Eleris herself.


    She hadn¡¯t expected me to take this approach at all.


    ¡°Are you just trying to take the easy way out in life...?¡±


    ¡°I have to at least try, don¡¯t I? Anyway, you¡¯re free to try and kill me, but you should be prepared for what will happen if I manage to escape.¡±


    Though my words were hard, I had no real intention of fighting, so I unsummoned Tiamata again.


    I knew provoking them by hurting their pride wasn¡¯t the best approach. Ultimately, though, I had no other cards to y beyond threatening them.


    I had nothing to offer, and they had no reason to cooperate.


    If throwing away all my pride, falling to the floor and begging them to help me would secure their help, I would have done it.


    But even that wouldn¡¯t secure their cooperation, so this was the best I could do.


    ¡°Honestly, the Church of the Five Great Gods isrger and more powerful, so siding with them would be more beneficial. But I came to the Council first because, in a way, you¡¯re my closer neighbors. It seemed more polite toe here first. And if I be the face of the Church of the Five Great Gods as the Champion of Ouen, I won¡¯t be able to form any rtionship with you.¡±


    Saying all of this made me feel like a piece of trash.


    Grsh didn¡¯t hide his displeasure, and neither did Lruien.


    My audacious statements seemed to have turned both of them against me. Lucinil was as hostile as ever.


    ¡°We will cooperate,¡± Antirianus said out of nowhere.


    Everyone was taken aback.


    ¡°... Sorry? Excuse me? What did you say?¡±


    Oddly enough, I was the most surprised of all.


    <i>¡®Why?¡¯</i>


    Antirianus looked at me with a mysterious smile. ¡°Why are you so surprised? You asked for our cooperation, and I will cooperate, great being.¡±


    Lucinil red at the old gentleman with a nervous look. ¡°Antirianus, what¡¯s your dirty scheme this time?¡±


    ¡°Scheme? It¡¯s just interesting, isn¡¯t it? One of the holy relics of the Five Great Gods, Tiamata, is in the hands of an Archdemon.¡±


    The old gentleman smiled at me. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel the malice of the gods?¡±


    The first demon in history to be the owner of Tiamata, and an Archdemon at that...


    ¡°Whether the Demon King loses everything in vain or achieves all his dreams, it will be interesting either way. How could I not follow such a path?¡±


    There was a deep malice in Antirianus¡¯s eyes. The kind of malice that found amusement in others¡¯ misfortune, happiness, sorrow, and joy.


    ¡°I wish to alleviate the boredom of eternal life by watching the fates of others.¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Antirianus?¡±


    Grsh¡¯s words were met with a smile from Antirianus.


    I began to understand why Eleris had warned me about Antirianus. He was the only Vampire Lord who had expressed a willingness to cooperate, yet he made my skin crawl.


    While it was fortunate to have some support, I hadn¡¯t expected it to unfold in such a bizarre context.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more problematic if someone who has lived for so long were still sane?¡±


    Antirianus''s point that living for such a long time would inevitably lead to rather deranged decision-making was surprisingly persuasive.


    ¡°Therefore, I, Antirianus, and the family of Saturday will cooperate with the Demon King. Won¡¯t more interesting things happen than during the Great War? Since I¡¯ve said so, then consider an attack against the Demon King as an attack against me.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s thinking. Don¡¯t you agree, Lruien?¡±


    ¡°... Is this the first time?¡±


    It seemed Antirianus¡¯s entric behavior wasn¡¯t new. After expressing his desire to cooperate, Antirianus tapped the table with his index finger and looked at me.


    ¡°In any case, as immortals, we have plenty of time. We don¡¯t have to decide everything right here and now. So, how about taking a few days to talk things over slowly?¡±


    It seemed he wanted everyone to take a break, clear our heads, and have some separate conversations.


    That was good for me.


    There was nothing more frightening than altruism, and this form of altruism felt like a noose tightening around my neck.


    ¡°Hey, you little punk Archdemon. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡± Lucinil said, pointing at me. She seemed to find this break convenient.


    Eleris nodded at me, indicating it was okay.


    It felt like the kindest person here hade to dislike me the most.


    ***


    Thanks to Antirianus¡¯s mediation, the Council meeting was temporarily halted. Regardless of his intentions, his decision to cooperate had clearly shifted the atmosphere somewhat.


    Lucinil, who had left the meeting room, gestured for me to follow her and walked ahead in silence.


    A homunculus vampire with silver hair and red eyes, the head of Wednesday...


    Eleris had said that Lucinil was probably the least harmful among them, but from what I could see, she seemed the most upset.


    ¡°Where did you learn such bad manners? Did the Demon King teach you that?¡± she said.


    It was a low blow, but since I had no particr feelings about the previous Demon King, it didn¡¯t anger me.


    ¡°It¡¯s in my nature. What can I do?¡± I replied.


    At this point, it wasn¡¯t just a persona; I had genuinely grown to be like that. Lucinil stopped in front of a window, beyond which a snowstorm was raging, and turned to look at me.


    ¡°You won¡¯t gain anything by doing this,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Antirianus and I might not care, but Lruien and Grsh are genuinely angry.¡±


    ¡°I figured as much. But what can I do? This is all I can do.¡±


    ¡°You might end up dead before you can even think about rebuilding the Demon Realm.¡±


    The idea of being killed for threatening the heads of the Vampire Lord families was exceedingly unpleasant. But the fact that Lucinil was warning me rather than expressing anger confirmed Eleris¡¯s assessment that she was rtively harmless.


    ¡°I was interested in you as Baalier¡¯s sessor, but now I¡¯ll remember you as an arrogant, rude, and overly confident fool with nothing to back it up.¡±


    Lucinil seemed to have formed a very negative impression of me due to my wed personality. Despite that, though...


    ¡°But the reason I¡¯ve decided to cooperate with you, despite my bad first impression, is because I owe Eleris a personal debt.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother asking what this debt to Eleris was since she probably wouldn¡¯t tell me anyway.


    Lucinil bit her lip in frustration and red at me. ¡°Damn it, Eleris must have known I¡¯d do this.¡±


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I didn¡¯t know what debt she owed, but it seemed Eleris had brought me to the Vampire Council knowing that Lucinil would reluctantly agree to my request for cooperation because of it. This was probably also why she said Lucinil was harmless.


    The heads of Wednesday and Saturday... Both of them had their reasons for agreeing to cooperate with me. Lucinil crossed her arms and tilted her head.


    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve now secured the cooperation of three out of the five families. Isn¡¯t that enough? Why not just leave instead of stirring things up further?¡±


    She seemed to think that continuing to attend the Council meetings would only provoke Lruien and Grsh without any additional benefit.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to do this, I might as well try to bring everyone on board, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that. You¡¯re a shameless one.¡± Lucinil clicked her tongue and sighed. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Lucinil seemed to think this wasn¡¯t the right ce to talk and dragged me after her again.


    Lucinil left the pce building and trudged through the deep snow outside.


    <i>Whoooosh....</i>


    Naturally, it was difficult to walk through the snow with her small frame, and she eventually couldn¡¯t move properly.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Lucinil extended her hand, and a shockwave sent the umted snow in front of her flying away in all directions.


    ¡°This council chamber was built in the wrong ce. Why build a pce in a ce where it snows all year round? I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t around when this pce was built, were you?¡±


    ¡°This ce was built a long time ago, back when Sunday and Monday were still around. No one knows exactly when,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s been renovated a lot since then. It was really crude in the beginning.¡±


    Lucinil led the way through the snowstorm, and I followed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is the right way to put it, but I¡¯d like to know the order of seniority among you all. Can you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Seniority? Oh, you¡¯re asking about age?¡±


    ¡°Yes, roughly.¡±


    Lucinil spread her fingers as if it wasn¡¯t a secret.


    ¡°As you can probably guess, Lruien is the oldest. Then Grsh, then Eleris, then me, andstly, Antirianus.¡±


    Lucinil and I left the main pce and arrived at what could be called an annex building.


    ¡°And this ce is always crawling with spirits. Why is thend here so cursed?¡±


    Soft whimpering came from all directions.


    Lucinil pped her hands, and the ghostly wails that were assailing us from all directions vanished as if the spirits had been scattered into thin air.


    It was strange to hear a vampirein about badnd.


    ¡°Like summer flies, no matter how many times you chase them away, they keeping back.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what about it exactly, but spirits really seemed to like this Vampire Council headquarters. Lucinil sat on an old sofa in the reception room of the annex, and I sat across from her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set Antirianus and whatever scheme he has aside for now. You want to bring Lruien and Grsh on board as well, right?¡±


    ¡°If possible.¡±


    ¡°Little Archdemon, we¡¯ve all lived for an unimaginably long time, even if there¡¯s some variation. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡±


    ¡°How do you think we all ended up bing vampires?¡±


    It was impossible to be born a vampire.


    All of them had been something else before bing a vampire. Lruien was likely an elf, Grsh an orc, and Lucinil a homunculus.


    ¡°Well? I guess it¡¯s different for everyone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not different for everyone.¡±


    Resting her chin on the armrest of the sofa, Lucinil looked at me with a sideways nce.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we didn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    The reason the five great Vampire Lords had be vampires was simply because they didn¡¯t want to die.


    I hadn¡¯t expected some grand reason, but it felt oddly strange that it all boiled down to that.


    ¡°Antirianus said he debated on whether to be a lich or a vampire and chose to be a vampire. He thought that living on as a skeleton would be more inconvenient than not being able to see the sun. However, he ended up bing a Vampire Lord, so now he can see the sun if he wants to, even if it¡¯s painful. He¡¯s pretty lucky. Anyway, he became a vampire because he didn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    <i>¡®Well, that¡¯s creepy in its own way.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I was a homunculus. A homunculus is an unstable magical lifeform. I was quite exceptionally stable, but I still didn¡¯t know my exact lifespan, and the thought of facing death someday terrified me. So I tried every method to avoid dying, and thest option I had was to be a vampire. It¡¯s the same reason¡ªI didn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Lucinil seemed about to say something else, but then changed her mind.


    ¡°Anyway, while the specific reasons may vary, the fact remains that we all became vampires because we didn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Lucinil did not exin the circumstances surrounding the transformations of Lruien, Grsh, or Eleris, but it was clear that bing a vampire was a refuge for those who feared death.


    ¡°So, in a way, your threats are the most effective against us because what we fear most is death.¡±


    For immortals who had likely acquired almost everything they desired over their long lives, the only meaningful threat to them was the end of life itself. They feared death.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s only part of it. We¡¯ve lived for an incredibly long time, and it¡¯s not like the heads of the families have always been the same individuals. How do you think that happened?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Vampires of our caliber won¡¯t be hunted down or killed.¡±


    I read something in Lucinil¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Suicide?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Ennui...


    ¡°This is the main reason why the heads of the five families need to be reced from time to time. There are other cases, but you don¡¯t need to know about those.¡±


    Powerful vampires living in seclusion far from the world were not in danger of being hunted down and killed. Not only because they were strong, but also because they didn''t reveal their existences to the world.


    The heads of the families could only be reced by voluntarily giving up their lives.


    ¡°So, does that mean they don¡¯t fear death after all?¡±


    If all of them became vampires to avoid death, but eventually grew tired of life, then did that mean that threatening their lives wouldn¡¯t achieve anything?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the opposite.¡±


    Lucinil smiled subtly. ¡°They¡¯ve lived so long, grown so tired of living, and yet...¡±


    There was a hint of sadness in the vampire¡¯s eyes. ¡°They still have a reason to live.¡±


    In that case, each of the current heads each had to have at least one reason to continue living.


    The fact that they hadn¡¯t given up on life yet was already proof of that.


    Lucinil was giving me information.

 Chapter 339

    <h4>Chapter 339</h4>


    Such a long life inevitably brings ennui, and thus, the Vampire Lords who grew tired of living voluntarily left the world.


    What Lucinil was saying was that the five heads, who still clung to this undoubtedly tiresome life, each still had a reason to live.


    Therefore, their lives were still precious to them.


    ¡°Of course, your threats about killing us are just annoying, but if such a thing was truly possible, Lruien and Grsh might cooperate with you. From our perspective, your lifetime is insignificant, and helping you avoids trouble while indebting the Dark Land to us. It¡¯s not such a bad deal.¡±


    While the Demon Realm and the Council had a distant rtionship, making the ruler of the Dark Land indebted to them in exchange for helping rebuild the Demon Realm wasn¡¯t a bad deal.


    Especially since the Demon King possessed Tiamata and could cause them trouble if he wanted to. Moreover, three of the heads had already promised their cooperation. Lruien and Grsh were now the minority.


    Lucinil narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°Since I¡¯ve decided to cooperate with you, things will naturally turn in your favor. Don¡¯t spout nonsense like you did earlier. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not someone who does that without reason.¡±


    ¡°No, you <i>are</i> someone who does that without reason. I can tell by your face.¡±


    <i>¡®How did she know that...?¡¯</i>


    Had the traces of my past words and actions left a mark on Baalier¡¯s face? And could a homunculus-turned-vampire even talk about physiognomy?


    Anyway, thanks to Eleris, Lucinil had been inclined towards me from the start, and somehow, Antirianus had also decided to support me.


    However, I still wasn¡¯t sure about the other Vampire Lords....


    ¡°How did Eleris end up serving someone like you...?¡± sighed Lucinil.


    <i>¡®Why is she so kind?¡¯</i>


    Despite her grumbling, Lucinil had exined everything to me and given me advice. She was not just harmless, but actually quite likable.


    Lucinil did not seem to care if I was wary of her excessive kindness. Shey back on the sofa with her arms crossed.


    She had said that all the other Vampire Lords had a reason to live.


    That meant Lucinil also had at least one reason to continue living.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate to ask this, but...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re unsure whether or not to ask, then it¡¯s polite not to, Archdemon.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your reason for living, Lucinil?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re actually asking that, huh? You really have no manners.¡± Lucinil frowned and looked at me. ¡°Why? If I tell you, will you do something about it?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I can listen to what you have to say and we can ponder it together, no?¡±


    ¡°You really have a way with words.¡±


    Lucinil looked up at the ceiling of the castle, her arms still crossed.


    ¡°I want a soul,¡± she murmured quietly, as though it wasn¡¯t really a secret.


    Her vague statement left me breathless.


    In that one sentence, I felt the immeasurable sorrow of a life lived as a homunculus and the despair of having to continue living on as a vampire.


    She wanted a soul.


    What could that mean?


    It wasn¡¯t about wanting to be human or anything else; she wanted a soul.


    I didn¡¯t know if only intelligent beings had souls, or if some life forms had them while others didn¡¯t.


    However, one thing was certain. A created being like a homunculus wouldn¡¯t have a soul.


    Lucinil desired what shecked.


    She turned her head towards me and smiled. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s pathetic? That a being like me dreams of something so trivial?¡±


    ¡°... No, not really.¡±


    She seemed desperate for it, though I couldn¡¯t fully empathize.


    She wanted a soul, but she didn¡¯t exin why she wanted it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just one of those things. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t live without it.¡±


    She put on an air of indifference, as if it wasn¡¯t a grand desire or wish. But she had likely lived an immeasurably long time with just that one wish.


    ***


    While Baalier was having a conversation with Lucinil in the annex, Eleris was speaking with Antirianus.


    ¡°Antirianus.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eleris?¡±


    ¡°What scheme are you nning this time?¡±


    At her words, the old gentleman merely smiled as if he found himself in a difficult position. ¡°The Demon King said he needed help, so I offered my assistance. I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    Eleris chuckled. ¡°At the meeting that was held during the Great War, you didn¡¯t even consider an alliance, but this time you¡¯ve agreed to it. Isn¡¯t it natural to be suspicious?¡±


    Lruien and Grsh had both reacted as expected, which made Antirianus¡¯s rather quick decision to offer aid all the more peculiar.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The old gentleman still wore a gentle and kind smile. ¡°Well, the Great War wasn¡¯t interesting, but this seems like it will be.¡±


    ¡°... Interesting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, interesting.¡±


    Antirianus, who had been smiling all along, carefully opened his eyes. The vampire stared back at Eleris with his red eyes. ¡°To endure such an excruciatingly long eternity, one needs asional diversions, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Diversions...?¡±


    Even though he had decided to cooperate, Antirianus was approaching this as a way to kill time, and that was a sore spot for Eleris.


    ¡°You should choose your words more carefully... Antirianus.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, Eleris. I didn¡¯t mean to belittle or dismiss you... But is this really something to get so angry about? Whether I genuinely cooperate or merely see it as a diversion?¡±


    <i>Tap, tap.</i>


    The old gentleman tapped the floor of the castle with the end of his cane and smiled. ¡°The fact remains that I am offering my help.¡±


    The old gentleman left those words behind and brushed past Eleris. Eleris quietly watched Antirianus as he walked away.


    Gaining the Council¡¯s help would be equivalent to gaining a thousand troops for Baalier¡¯s cause.


    But was it truly right to take the hand of such a sinister vampire?


    Eleris couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ***


    The Council would take some time to reach a proper conclusion, which meant I had to stay in this old castle, Epiacs, for at least a few days.


    Just when I thought she had lost interest, Lucinil suddenly appeared in front of me as I walked down the corridor and started following me around.


    ¡°Hey, Archdemon.¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, aren¡¯t you a bit grateful that I decided to help you?¡±


    ¡°... I am grateful. But why do you ask?¡±


    Lucinil stared at me intently.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what Archdemon blood tastes like. Can I have a little sip?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What, what are you saying?!¡±


    Her sudden request nearly made me have a fit.


    <i>¡®Why is she making such a request as casually as if she were asking for a ss of water?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t turn you into a vampire. Just a little taste. Just a sip. I¡¯m really curious. Really. Can¡¯t you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°No! What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, just a little! Really, just a little! I¡¯m curious. Who said I¡¯d eat you?¡±


    <i>¡®This is terrifying. First up, if she really tried to turn me into a vampire, would that actually work? That¡¯s actually terrifying.¡¯</i>


    It finally hit me that I was dealing with the highest-ranked vampires of the world.


    <i>¡®Am I going to be okay here? She seems nice, but is she really? She¡¯s not suddenly going to bite my neck and dere me her ve, right?</i>


    <i>¡®But then again... She does seem like a child. If she bites me, it might end up being just be a little sip, but...¡¯</i>


    I suddenly imagined Grsh biting my neck.


    <i>¡®That wouldn¡¯t be sipping; that would be gorging. Did I make a mistakeing here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Come on! Are you really going to be so stingy, even as an Archdemon?¡±


    ¡°Stop saying ridiculous things!¡±


    I sprinted down the castle corridor, with Lucinil teleporting short distances to keep up.


    ¡°Hey! Just give me a little! Come on!¡± she kept pestering.


    She clung to my waist as she made her strange demands.


    In the end, I went to find Eleris, with Lucinil still hanging onto my waist.


    ¡°Lucinil...¡±


    Eleris looked down at the child vampire coldly. She clearly understood that she wanted my blood.


    ¡°I¡¯m really curious! What can I do?¡± Lucinil whined. ¡°I won¡¯t have another chance to taste Archdemon blood.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... If you don¡¯t want her to bite you directly, you could let her drink from a container... But it¡¯s still not a good idea to injure yourself...¡±


    <i>¡®Oh, so that¡¯s possible too.¡¯ </i>


    Lucinil¡¯s eyes lit up at the suggestion.


    ¡°Oh, that works! Come on, give me some!¡±


    ¡°Do you think my blood is on tap or something?¡±


    The head of Wednesday was a different kind of nuisance than what I was used to.


    After a long struggle, I was the one who eventually gave in.


    I gave in out of fear, as I was honestly afraid that she might bite my neck while I was sleeping.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I have to do this, but since you¡¯re willing to help me, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡±


    In the end, I made a small cut on my arm and let my blood drip into the bowl Lucinil had brought. Eleris watched anxiously, worried something might go wrong.


    Strangely, I felt no pain from such an injury at all.


    ¡°Y-Your Highness. The wound... Ugh!<i> </i>It¡¯s too deep!¡±


    I was fine, but Eleris was visibly distressed.


    I let a few drops of blood fall into the bowl, and Lucinil licked it up and looked at me.


    Her expression was a bit sour.


    ¡°It¡¯s metallic.¡±


    That was her onlyment.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt insulted that she found my blood unappetizing.


    It made me irrationally angry.


    ***


    I let Eleris treat my arm instead of healing myself with Divine Power, since Tiamata¡¯s Divine Power couldn¡¯t be extracted and used in such ordinary circumstances.


    Lucinil, mumbling about the metallic taste of Archdemon blood, left as if her business was done.


    Since I had to stay here for a few days, I had no choice but to eat.


    Moreover, I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed to eat. Radia Schmidt was also present.


    Eleris had brought some preserved food, and I had a meal with Radia Schmidt. Radia froze upon seeing me, but when I told her we were just there to eat, she ate her meal quietly while keeping an eye on me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a setup here, haven¡¯t you?¡± I said to Eleris.


    It seemed Eleris had carefully chosen a rather spacious room for Radia to stay in.


    The firece crackled, filling the room with warmth, and the room was furnished with a bed, a sofa, and a desk, items that wouldn¡¯t have been there originally.


    Though Radia was being forced to live in istion, Eleris seemed to have tried to provide her with everything she might need.


    Despite the harsh environment outside, the room itself and the living conditions were fit for royalty.


    This was a pce, after all.


    ¡°Once the Council is concluded, you¡¯ll be able to move around freely. For now, bear with the inconvenience a little longer.¡±


    Radia nced at Eleris as she quietly nibbled on a piece of bread.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±

 Chapter 340

    <h4>Chapter 340</h4>


    The storm raged fiercely around the ancient castle of Epiacs throughout the night.


    The relentless snowstorm outside did not cease, but the walls of Epiacs, which was suspiciously well-maintained, did not let in any drafts.


    Of course, that did not mean that the interior of the castle was warm. It became even colder and more chilling at night.


    However, the true masters of this ce were not bothered by such cold.


    That night, in Epiacs...


    The elf vampire Lruien and the orc vampire Grsh sat facing each other in the conference room.


    ¡°Lucinil will cooperate, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she has always felt guilty towards Eleris for not being able to join the Great War.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Lucinil aside...¡± Lruien furrowed her brows as she looked towards the corridor. ¡°I can¡¯t understand what Antirianus is thinking.¡±


    Lruien¡¯s long ears drooped down. The Vampire Council was not convened often, but they had existed for a very long time.


    Although they did not see each other frequently, they had had such meetings for a very long time, except for Antirianus, who had rtively recently risen to the position of head.


    Grsh recognized Lruien¡¯s ears meant that she was feeling worried or upset.


    ¡°He¡¯s an inscrutable fellow. The circumstances around him being elevated to head of his family are also suspicious.¡±


    At Grsh¡¯s words, Lruien¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°So, you were thinking that too.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you thinking along the same lines?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard that Antirianus acts in many iprehensible ways, but I can¡¯t be certain...¡± Lrurien replied hesitantly, and Grsh nodded.


    ¡°Is that so? As for me, I am certain.¡±


    Grsh¡¯s red eyes bore into Lrurien¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sure he killed the previous head of Saturday.¡±


    ¡°... Is there any reason for him to do that?¡±


    ¡°If Maximilia chose death on her own as Antirianus said, she would have waited until she had created that Philosopher¡¯s Stone of hers. But that didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    A reason to live...


    The goal of the previous head of Saturday had been to create the Philosopher¡¯s Stone, a mythical object considered the pinnacle of alchemy. She had be a vampire and the head of Saturday for that purpose.


    After failing over and over to achieve the goal she¡¯d clung to so desperately, Maximilia had suddenly died, and Antirianus had appeared as the next head. Grsh had doubted Antirianus from the beginning because of those suspicious circumstances.


    He firmly believed that Maximilia had not chosen death on her own terms, but had been killed by Antirianus.


    Lruien tilted her head. ¡°But is it even possible for a member of the family to kill their head? That should be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Antirianus was already a mage before he became a vampire.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°He might have found a way. A way to avoid being dominated,¡± Grsh muttered quietly, struggling to fold his muscr arms. ¡°Antirianus became the head of Saturday twenty years after bing a vampire. Isn¡¯t that suspicious?¡±


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    Twenty years was quite a long time, but to beings like them, it was a fleeting moment. In their eyes, it seemed like Antirianus had be the head of Saturday almost as soon as he¡¯d joined.


    They suspected him of killing the previous head and taking over the position. Of course, since this was another family¡¯s internal matter, there was no reason for the two of them to interfere. After all, even if it were true, they had no say in such matters.


    Regardless of the facts surrounding this, both agreed that Antirianus was a dangerous individual whose intentions were impossible to discern.


    That was why Eleris was wary of Antirianus, who had so easily volunteered cooperation.


    ¡°But this time, cooperating with the Demon King...?¡± Grsh muttered with a serious expression.


    An orc¡¯s serious expression was different from that of a human¡¯s.


    From a human perspective, it looked like he was contemting whom to kill and feast upon.


    ¡°Who knows? If the Dark Land is restored, perhaps he ns to kill the Demon King and be the new Demon King himself.¡±


    ¡°... Oh,e on, that¡¯s too far-fetched. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s an Archdemon,¡± Lruien said with a small shake of her head. That was too extreme.


    ¡°There are many possibilities. Plenty,¡± Grsh quietly muttered to Lruien.


    Lruien¡¯s ears trembled as if she felt a chill. If one had an Archdemon as an ally, it would be one step away from having control over the Demon Realm. If that was truly Antirianus¡¯s goal, then he would surely find a way to do so.


    Mages were tenacious beings, and would always find a way if there wasn¡¯t one. Grsh pondered the situation for a while, his arms crossed, and then his eyes opened as if he had made a decision.


    ¡°I will go along with this n, if that means I can keep an eye on Antirianus.¡±


    Lruien¡¯s eyes widened at herpatriot¡¯s sudden decision.


    ¡°... What?!¡±


    ¡°Whatever he is plotting, I can no longer stand by and be an observer to his suspicious actions.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t know you disliked Antirianus that much, Grsh.¡±


    ¡°Lruien, I dislike you even more. Why do I have to keep exining things you already knew but chose to forget?¡±


    Forgetfulness...


    At those words, Lruienughed. ¡°That¡¯s how I endure the passing of time.¡±


    Lruien erased all her memories except for the most necessary ones every two hundred years.


    That was why, despite being the oldest among all the Vampire Lords, she could exist without going mad.


    Therefore, Grsh couldn¡¯t help but get annoyed whenever she had to re-exin past events to Lruien, who had forgotten everything.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Lruien didn¡¯t care for these old events. On the contrary, she actively pestered Grsh about them. It was as if she found it a very amusing pastime, hearing from others about things she herself had done but didn¡¯t remember.


    Grsh found it exasperating.


    ¡°Do you know why Maximilia tried to create the Philosopher¡¯s Stone?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t... Oh, right. Was it for Lucinil?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Grsh said quietly. ¡°It was to create a soul for Lucinil.¡±


    The Philosopher¡¯s Stone was said to be able to perform any miracle.


    It was the ultimate goal of alchemy. Nobody believed that it actually existed, but all alchemists dreamed of creating such a thing at least once in their lifetime. The previous head of Saturday, Maximilia, had pursued the creation of such an item.


    That was why Grsh couldn¡¯t believe Antirianus¡¯s im that the previous head of Saturday had taken her own life.


    If Antirianus had killed Maximilia...


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lruien¡¯s ears perked up, and a small smile crept onto her face. ¡°So, this isn¡¯t about the Demon King or the Demon Realm. It¡¯s because you¡¯re worried about Lucinil?¡±


    Grsh frowned as if herment wasn¡¯t worth responding to.


    ¡°I had a friendship with Maximilia that could be called a bond,¡± he said anyway.


    His expression was fierce enough to make five or six strong men faint, but Lruien looked as though she were merely teasing a small child.


    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Grsh stated firmly, as if to avoid any misunderstanding.


    Lruien¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°What about our rtionship?¡± Lruien asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s one full of annoyance.¡±


    Lruien¡¯s ears drooped sullenly. ¡°That¡¯s disappointing.¡±


    ***


    Following Lucinil¡¯s advice, I did not say anything unnecessary to provoke Grsh and Lruien, as the situation was already turning in my favor.


    In fact, I considered it a significant achievement that I had already secured the cooperation of two of the other Vampire Lords. If Grsh and Lruien ultimately decided not to cooperate, I had no intention of attacking them.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when Grsh dered his cooperation at the meeting the next morning.


    ¡°I will cooperate,¡± he dered firmly.


    <i>¡®What? Did he have a change of heart overnight? For what reason?¡¯</i>


    The fierce-looking orc vampire didn¡¯t seem to have sumbed to my threats of violence, nor did he seem to have developed any newfound goodwill towards me.


    It felt just like with Antirianus.


    <i>¡®Why do I feel uneasy when they¡¯re offering help?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Working together is always the best!¡± Lucinil said as she clung excitedly to Grsh¡¯s massive arm.


    That tiny figure clinging to that huge arm looked like a cicada attached to a tree.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me.¡±


    <i>Whack!</i>


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Lucinil was pathetically thrown aside with one swing of Grsh¡¯s monstrous arm.


    ¡°Ouch, that hurts, you monster!¡± Lucinil barked.


    ¡°You know I hate it when someone clings to me and calls me a monster,¡± Grsh said, then ignored herpletely as if he was used to it.


    <i>¡®So this is what it feels like.¡¯</i>


    Among these Vampire Lords who had lived for ages, the one who looked like a child was acting like a real child, and the other older vampires, all except for Grsh, were watching on as if observing a granddaughter¡¯s antics, while Grsh alone loathed this situation.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this just a gathering of excessively old elders...? This so-called Vampire Council... It might not be such a formal gathering after all...¡¯</i>


    I felt somewhat distressed, as if I were watching a bizarre role-y.


    A gathering of elderly people, with one of them suffering from severe dementia and acting like a child?


    Of course, Eleris aside, these other Vampire Lords would be surrounded by their own subordinates when they returned to their own territories. It wasn¡¯t as if they were all living alone.


    ¡°Anyway, I offer you my full cooperation.¡±


    ¡°With that, there¡¯s only one left,¡± said Antirianus, and all eyes naturally turned to thest remaining person.


    The elf vampire, Lruien...


    ¡°... How did I end up in the minority? And in just one day?¡±


    When the meeting had begun, they had all mocked the arrival of the king of and that did not exist, and Eleris had been the only one on my side.


    Regardless of the specific circumstances, Lruien now found herself alone, like an abandoned duckling.


    ¡°Ah, no... If I say I¡¯ll offer my cooperation now, it would seem like I¡¯m spineless and just going along with the flow...¡±


    Lruien, looking annoyed, furrowed her brows and tapped her foot before letting out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Well, Grsh did say yesterday that he would support you, so I thought about it, and¡±¡ªLruien shrugged her shoulders¡ª¡°just know that while I¡¯ll offer <i>some </i>help, I won¡¯t be pledging my life in loyalty or anything like that. If you demand a lord-vassal rtionship or something, it will be tiresome.¡±


    She was offering loose cooperation, not loyalty.


    Given the nature of the situation, though, even that much was sufficient. Antirianus looked at me with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°With this, you have secured the power of the five vampire families, O Great One.¡±


    I was the one who hade seeking help, and I was the one who had achieved my goal.


    But somehow, I kept feeling like things were unfolding exactly as Antirianus wanted.


    Still, an achievement was an achievement.


    I had sessfully formed an alliance with the five Vampire Lords of the Vampire Council without any cost.


    ***


    I hadn¡¯t expected to achieve such good results. I thought it would be a great sess if I could secure cooperation from at least one or two of them, but all the Vampire Lords had ended up offering support.


    Although securing their help was a good thing, I wasn¡¯t about to see things too optimistically. I could not assume that they were entirely on my side.


    It was mutual cooperation, and not a lord-vassal rtionship.


    Among them, Antirianus, who ttered me the most and acted the most subservient, was the most unsettling.


    Of course, I hadn¡¯t just gained the power of the Vampire Lords themselves. I had also gained ess to the forces theymanded.


    Antirianus exined the members of each family to me.


    This Council was ultimately just a meeting ce, and not where they actually lived.


    Lruien¡¯s family was located in the northwestern forested region of the continent, in arge coniferous forest region called Linewood.


    Grsh was based in the southern desert, in a ce called Gelkorgis.


    Antirianus¡¯s own base was in a local vige in a state called Alphanera, one of the vassal states of the empire.


    The three of them, regardless of their distance or proximity to the human world, eachmanded their own families.


    ¡°As you might have guessed, I am alone,¡± said Eleris.


    She was the only member of the Tuesday family. This was expected, as Eleris had never mentioned her family despite being the head of the family of Tuesday.


    ¡°Same with me.¡±


    Lucinil also did notmand a family. Judging by her demeanor, it was somewhat expected that she wouldn¡¯t be able to actually lead any group.


    Powerful Vampire Lords, and the powerful vampires known as their families... It felt like I had gained an army with just a few words.


    I felt a shiver run down my spine. I was getting involved in increasingly dangerous matters, and achieving some sess.


    I was now truly capable of waging war.


    The weight of that thought made it hard to breathe, but I couldn¡¯t hesitate. I had decided to do whatever it took to prevent the Gate Incident.


    ¡°The reason I sought you out was, strictly speaking, more for knowledge than for any military force.¡±


    Everyone stared at me intently, as if wondering what I meant.


    <i>¡®Could this ce truly be the key? If it is indeed the key, I would be freed from all the troubles that have gued me until now.¡¯</i>


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With the hope that this could be the beginning...


    ¡°First, do you know how to open a dimensional gate to another world?¡±


    These Vampire Lords, who were also powerful mages, might know the secret that could free me from my cruel fate.


    ¡°Second, if you don¡¯t know, do you know of any magical organizations that might know such things, or where they are based? For example, the ck Order or Cantus Magna.¡±


    It went without saying that they all looked at me as if I had gone mad.


    ¡°A dimensional gate to another world?¡± Lruien asked as she tilted her head. ¡°Why are you curious about that?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve lived for a long time, but this is the first time I¡¯ve heard such a bizarre thing,¡± Grsh said, showing me what an orc¡¯s confused expression looked like.


    Lucinil seemed to have given up on understanding me.


    Only Antirianus showed an expression of interest. ¡°Another world...¡±


    Ultimately, the core issue was why I wanted to know such a thing.


    They wouldn¡¯t believe me if I said it was to save the world, since I had initially gained their cooperation under the pretext of rebuilding the Demon Realm.


    ¡°The Dark Land has lost a lot of its power. It has suffered almost irreversible losses. Even with your cooperation, it would be difficult to overthrow the empire.¡±


    What I was going to say felt like an absurd statement, but I had no choice.


    ¡°Therefore, I intend to join forces with beings from another world.¡±


    It sounded like nonsense, saying that I would bring an army from another world because there were too few in this reality who would support me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice their expressions growing increasingly bizarre.


    ***


    My words stirred up quite amotion.


    Questions flew around the room about what kind of nonsense I was spouting, whether another world even existed, and if it did, why those beings would help me.


    This confusion was most evident with Lruien and Grsh, who initially thought I was strange but now seemed convinced I was insane.


    They seemed a little afraid of me after the nonsense I had just spewed.


    Lucinil squinted at me. <i>¡®This guy is really crazy,¡¯</i> her expression said.


    Antirianus, who found my words so unexpected, chuckled.


    It was quite eerie to see the old manugh like that.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, it doesn¡¯t work. I¡¯m just saying there¡¯s no harm in trying. Who says there¡¯s no other way?¡± I said.


    It was just a ¡°something that wouldn¡¯t hurt to try" kind of thing, so it was worth discussing. While it seemed almost worthy enough to be dismissed out of hand, I had no other excuse.


    Therefore, I needed the answer to the first question¡ªwhether they had such knowledge.


    Judging by the expressions of Lruien, Grsh, and Lucinil, none of them had ever thought about such a thing.


    It was the same with Antirianus.


    No one on the Vampire Council knew how to open a portal to another world.


    ¡°Alright, if none of you know, that¡¯s fine. Then what about the second question?¡±


    Once again, their reactions were lukewarm. Despite their long lives, these were immortals who lived somewhat indifferently, and so it was unlikely that they would have much information about this world.


    However...


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about Cantus Magna, I once worked with them,¡± Antirianus suddenly said.


    ¡°R-Really?!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t me who let out that shrill exmation, but Lucinil.


    ¡°Yes, Lucinil.¡±


    Judging by the reactions, it seemed that all the other Vampire Lords at the table were equally surprised. None of them could hide their astonishment.


    ¡°That was before I became a vampire, though...¡±


    Antirianus was the key to reaching Cantus Magna.

 Chapter 341

    <h4>Chapter 341</h4>


    Antirianus didn¡¯t just know about Cantus Magna; he had actually worked with them.


    Lucinil was more flustered than I was, jumping up from her seat and bombarding him with questions.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°But, is that okay? You can¡¯t just join or leave that organization whenever you want, can you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Lucinil.¡±


    Her eyes were sparkling, and her body seemed to lean more and more towards Antirianus. It seemed like she might soon fall over.


    ¡°Then how did you get out?¡±


    Antirianus calmly spread his arms. ¡°Well... they tried to take my life as the price for leaving the organization.¡±


    They tried to kill him for leaving the organization, and yet he was alive.


    It was clear what had happened. Antirianus had been part of Cantus Magna but chose to leave, and had to fight his way out in the process.


    That was how formidable he had been, even before bing a vampire. Lucinil stood there with her mouth agape.


    ¡°Antirianus, why did you join Cantus Magna in the first ce?¡± Eleris, who had been observing the situation, suddenly asked him.


    ¡°Well... I wanted to be an immortal being,¡± he said as he pointed to his own body.


    <i>¡®The body of a Vampire Lord...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Not this half-baked immortality, but true eternal immortality.¡±


    <i>¡®Is he saying that the body of a vampire that can withstand the sun is somehow still half-baked?¡¯</i>


    ording to what Lucinil had told me, he had debated whether to be a lich or a vampire and had chosen to be a vampire because it seemed less inconvenient.


    He looked old because he had be a vampire only in his advanced years, after having failed to find aplete method of immortality.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be the one to say this, but Antirianus seems to talk about unsavory things without a care.¡±


    Antirianus burst intoughter at Lucinil¡¯s words. ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t existence itself inherently unsavory? Especially for beings like us.¡±


    None of the other Vampire Lords seemed to disagree with that. Lruien looked at Antirianus with interest.


    ¡°So, did you find a method of true immortality?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    His words caused a stir around the room.


    It was neither a yes nor a no, but an ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Cantus Magna collects forbidden spells, but they don¡¯t collect them to use them. As a result, they don¡¯t even review what they have, and over generations, they forget what spells they possess. I tried to take the opportunity to review the forbidden arts they had, but I was discovered midway, and since then, I have severed ties with Cantus Magna.¡±


    He joined the magical organization to be immortal, worked undercover as a member, was discovered, fought them, and fled.


    It was almostical how he spoke so nonchntly about something that seemed like the epitome of an evil mage¡¯s story.


    On reflection, this might be exactly what one would expect to find in a Vampire Lord¡¯s past.


    Antirianus had sought the means to achieve perfect immortality, failed, and had chosen to be a vampire instead of a lich.


    The conclusion to that story seemed somewhat pathetic, but his calm demeanor made it seem less so.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of funny, though. Why do they collect forbidden spells if they don¡¯t use them and even forget what they have?¡± Lucinil asked.


    ¡°Could it be, as the rumors say, that they seal dangerous spells away to protect the world... Is that true?¡± Lruien asked.


    What was the purpose of Cantus Magna, the hunters of forbidden spells?


    I didn¡¯t know either, so I was curious about what Antirianus would say. Magical organizations had their own purposes, neither particrly good nor evil.


    ¡°No, absolutely not. Absolutely not, Lruien. Ha, haha... They definitely do not have such noble intentions.¡±


    Antirianus broke down into a fit ofughter as if he had heard something extremely funny, and Lruien, feeling offended, red at him, her ears perking up


    ¡°Then what is their purpose?¡± Grsh asked.


    Antirianus wiped the smile off his face and said quietly, ¡°Their goal is thepletion of Akasha.¡±


    ¡°... Akasha?¡±


    Even the Vampire Lords looked as if they were hearing this for the first time.


    <i>¡®Akasha, that sounds like... The Akashic Records, perhaps. Though I¡¯m not sure if it matches the concept I remember exactly.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should call it an artifact... Of course, I don¡¯t know what it looks like either. But Akasha is an artifact that stores spells. Cantus Magna¡¯s goal is toplete this peculiar object. How many spells are needed in order topletely fill it, I don¡¯t know.


    ¡°So, to be precise, they are not hunting forbidden spells, but are stuffing spells into this thing to fill it to its capacity. Since they have already stored all the spells they know into it, they need to find new spells to put into it, which is why they¡¯ve ended up hunting forbidden spells. Of course, they also develop new spells themselves, but forbidden spells are inherentlyplex and intricate, and so they are able to take up much more capacity. That¡¯s why they are obsessed with forbidden spells.¡±


    An enigmatic artifact called Akasha... It seemed to be an object used to store spells.


    Cantus Magna¡¯s goal was toplete it. Just hearing about it gave me a chilling feeling.


    ¡°What happens when Akasha ispleted?¡± I asked.


    At my question, Antirianus shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps the leaders or the upper echelons of Cantus Magna might know.¡±


    <i>¡®What happens when Akasha ispleted? Would it be a threat to the world?</i>


    <i>¡®Is it too far-fetched to say that thepletion of Akasha would trigger the Gate Incident? What kind of events would ur due to thepletion of a highly powerful artifact whose true nature and purpose are unknown?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So, let¡¯s assume for a moment that it¡¯s possible. If we could ess the countless spells and forbidden arts that Cantus Magna has collected in Akasha, there might be a spell to open a dimensional gate to another world. Of course, it¡¯s not certain. What is certain is that most of the spells that have existed and still exist in the world are stored there.¡±


    Cantus Magna had been filling Akasha with forbidden spells for a long time. If we could open Akasha, we might be able to find a way to open a dimensional gate to another world.


    ¡°Of course, it has been a very long time since I was with Cantus Magna, and more time has passed since then, so they would have stored even more spells in Akasha since then. They might have evenpleted Akasha by now.¡±


    The possibility alone was sufficient. I didn¡¯t actually need a spell to open a dimensional gate to another world. My goal was to destroy such a spell if it existed.


    Cantus Magna collected not only forbidden spells, but also spells in general. They would also have been researching new spells on their own.


    If a spell to open a path to another world truly existed, it would be in Akasha.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t need that spell, but if it¡¯s stored in Akasha, what kind of event would trigger the Gate Incident?¡¯</i>


    I felt like I was getting closer to the truth of the Gate Incident, which had eluded me thus far.


    I didn¡¯t know what would happen when Akasha waspleted, But I knew I needed to find out, because thepletion of Akasha could be connected to the Gate Incident.


    ¡°I want to know how to contact Cantus Magna.¡±


    Suspicious and dangerous as Antirianus seemed, he was ultimately the key to this problem.


    ***


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too dangerous? I don¡¯t know what that Akasha thing is, but those guys seem extremely dangerous. It feels like you¡¯re trying to meet some very dangerous people for something that might not even be worth it, Archdemon.¡±


    Lucinil was trying her best to dissuade me, clearly believing it was a very bad idea, but Antirianus shook his head.


    ¡°Lucinil, regardless of whether it¡¯s possible to go to another world or not, just being able to obtain Akasha will render all this moot. Akasha itself would be a tremendous source of power. It is already an artifact of immense power.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so...? I guess it is...¡±


    I had mentioned the portal to another world under the pretext of seeking power, and Akasha would be able to give me the power I needed without having to involve travel to another world. From this point on, I could simply say I wanted Akasha for its power.


    ¡°And besides, you never know, Lucinil.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Just as Akasha might contain the true method of immortality that I couldn¡¯t find, it might also contain a way for you to obtain a soul.¡±


    Lucinil stared at Antirianus in shock.


    Lucinil¡¯s deepest desire was for a soul, for reasons unknown.


    None of us knew what spells were in Akasha, but it was a vessel of possibilities.


    Just as what I wanted might be in there, the key to fulfilling Lucinil¡¯s desire might also be in Akasha.


    ¡°Antirianus, if you knew about this, why didn¡¯t you mention this until now?¡± Grsh asked in a low voice, narrowing his eyes at Antirianus.


    ¡°If obtaining it was that easy, I wouldn¡¯t have given up on true immortality and resigned myself to bing a vampire. Even now, if you ask me to confront Cantus Magna alone, I wouldn¡¯t want to,¡± Antirianus said as he looked at me. ¡°Of course, given the current alignment of our interests, the story changes a bit.¡±


    If we had to fight, we might not have to confront them directly.


    We could potentially pit Cantus Magna against the ck Order. Regardless of how that battle ended, though, I would need to secure Akasha.


    ¡°I-I... I¡¯ll help,¡± Lucinil said to me, rising to her feet as if in a trance.


    Obtaining a soul was Lucinil¡¯s deepest wish.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t mention Akasha, Grsh,¡± said Antirianus, and Grsh crossed his arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s absurd that you deliberately withheld information, but you¡¯re offering a clue now,¡± Grshmented.


    Antirianus knew that if Lucinil got a lead, she would cling to it, which was why he hadn¡¯t mentioned Akasha before. However, Antirianus had now intentionally suggested that Akasha might contain the magic to fulfill her wish.


    It was clear that Antirianus also desired Akasha. However, he didn¡¯t want to take the risk himself, so he was trying to make Lucinil shoulder the risk instead.


    He knew that Lucinil, Eleris, and I would take the risk and make any sacrifices necessary to approach Cantus Magna.


    While I appreciated the information, it was clear that Antirianus was a cunning individual.


    ¡°So, do you know where Cantus Magna is located?¡±


    ¡°I do, but they would surely have moved by now. It¡¯s been a very long time, and they did lose track of me.¡±


    In the end, it was clear that Antirianus didn¡¯t know the current location of Cantus Magna.


    ¡°So, unless we have a forbidden spell that Cantus Magna covets, finding them is nearly impossible.¡±


    Antirianus¡¯s words confirmed what I had previously told Eleris.


    To find the hunters of forbidden spells, we needed a forbidden spell. It was better to make theme to us rather than us searching for them.


    ¡°Alright. We can take our time to ponder this issue; there¡¯s no rush yet.¡±


    At least for the moment...

 Chapter 342

    <h4>Chapter 342</h4>


    On the second day of the Council, after the meeting adjourned, Eleris and I were standing side by side in a secluded corridor while the sound of the howling wind echoed from outside.


    I leaned against the wall, while Eleris stared ahead with a stern expression.


    ¡°Is this... the right thing to do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We have to hope it is,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have lived a long time, but I have never even heard of an artifact called Akasha. I am... afraid that if it exists, it might be dangerous, and if it doesn¡¯t, I fear what Antirianus¡¯s true intentions are.¡±


    I understood Eleris¡¯s fear.


    Honestly, I was just as afraid.


    There was a nagging fear that something worse than the Gate Incident might happen.


    <i>¡®Would it be better to do nothing and just face the scheduled Gate Incident?¡¯</i>


    Getting involved with an ancient, mysterious artifact like Akasha could lead to entirely unforeseen consequences.


    The future was uncertain. That was obvious, but it was the first time I felt this kind of fear.


    When I remained silent, Eleris gently took my hand.


    ¡°... I misspoke,¡± Eleris said.


    I could feel how cold her hand was.


    ¡°Your Highness must be more afraid than anyone, yet here I am, being fearful...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Did she sense the fear I was feeling without me saying anything?¡¯</i>


    Eleris seemed to have confirmed through my demeanor that I had no intention of destroying the world.


    Not everything would go well, but we had to believe it would.


    If we weren¡¯t going to do anything, we shouldn¡¯t have started anything at all.


    ¡°Everything will be fine.¡±


    I borrowed the power of Incantation to say that, but my voice echoed hollowly along the corridor.


    ***


    After the meeting was reconvened, I asked Antirianus a few more questions. I wanted to know how he first came into contact with Cantus Magna.


    In the end, his story lined up with what I had in mind. Antirianus had dabbled in numerous dark arts and forbidden spells in his quest for immortality.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t initially sought to summon the forbidden spell hunters, but if I could achieve immortality in the process, that wouldn¡¯t be bad either.¡±


    I knew of such individuals who engaged in bizarre acts in pursuit of immortality.


    Perhaps that was why seeing Antirianus felt so strange.


    It was like watching a viin from a fantasy story who dreamed of immortality not getting cut down by the hero, but actually achieving his dream.


    I didn¡¯t know the extent of the evil deedsmitted by the Vampire Lords gathered in this ce, but Antirianus was truly the epitome of an evil dark mage.


    It was like seeing Qin Shi Huang a few hundred years after he achieved immortality.


    <i>¡®That guy... Is it really okay to leave him be?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Anyway, the forbidden spell hunters found me, and I asked to be one of them. I was able to join them in exchange for all the forbidden spells I possessed.¡±


    ¡°Does Cantus Magna readily ept new members?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. The amount of forbidden spells I held was so vast, and they would have had to suffer significant losses to forcefully take them from me, so they epted me as a member. They probably intended to purge me soon after.¡±


    Antirianus didn¡¯t make any excuses for himself. He did not say that he betrayed them because Cantus Magna was going to purge him anyway.


    It seemed Antirianus wasn¡¯t one to bother with rationalizations.


    Antirianus and Cantus Magna had formed a temporary alliance out of mutual necessity, and in the end, Antirianus had lost out by giving up his forbidden spells without getting ess to Akasha.


    Of course, Cantus Magna also lost out by failing to eliminate Antirianus, thus exposing their secrets to the outside world.


    ¡°So, if you have your own unique spells or forbidden arts, contacting Cantus Magna might be easier than you think.¡±


    The Vampire Council wasn¡¯t that different from a secret society. The ck Order knew about the existence of Vampire Lords, but whether they knew about the five vampire families was uncertain.


    It was likely the forbidden spells or magic unique to them had not yet been secured by Cantus Magna.


    Therefore, if Cantus Magna became aware of the Council¡¯s existence, or if the Vampire Lords revealed themselves, they woulde to us and save us the trouble.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter that requires careful consideration,¡± Grsh said, and I agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Lruien firmly refused. She wasn¡¯t willing to take on that level of risk.


    Honestly, I agreed with her as well.


    ¡°Exposing ourselves doesn¡¯t seem like a wise move,¡± I said.


    ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± asked Antirianus.


    I crossed my arms. ¡°I¡¯ve already made contact with the ck Order. I killed one of their members.¡±


    It was only natural that everyone except Eleris was shocked by this revtion.


    ¡°However, he was just a low-level member. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. The important thing is that I told them I could provide them information about Cantus Magna.¡±


    It was likely that the ck Order didn¡¯t know about Akasha.


    The ck Order probably knew how to reach Cantus Magna. However, since they were enemies, they would prefer to gather information rather than engage in a full-scale war. They would want to strike from a position of advantage, and so, they needed information.


    The ck Order had to have a good reason for not risking a direct confrontation with Cantus Magna.


    <i>¡®Can I use this information to push the ck Order and Cantus Magna into open conflict? And is that the right thing to do?¡¯</i>


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s proceed with negotiations with the ck Order and see what stance they take. There¡¯s no need to take unnecessary risks.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    We still needed time to deliberate. It was better to firm up our stance towards Cantus Magna only after confirming what information we could get from the ck Order.


    If the ck Order provided reliable information, Cantus Magna might be irrelevant, although the existence of Akasha was unsettling.


    For the moment, though, I had seeded in obtaining information about Cantus Magna before the ck Order made contact again.


    I had secured the cooperation of the Vampire Council, and obtained information about Cantus Magna.


    There was nothing more to do with the Council until the matter of the ck Order was resolved.


    ¡°For now, my business here is concluded.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need their power just yet.


    I hoped that such a situation wouldn¡¯t arise.


    ***


    My initial feeling had been that it would take a long time, but the meeting with the Vampire Council only took two days.


    I was curious about Antirianus¡¯s intentions. He was the one who had changed the dynamic of the meeting and provided crucial information, yet his intentions remained ambiguous.


    Whether he was an enemy or an ally was still unclear, but for the moment, he was helpful.


    That was how alliances often were. Perhaps the Revolutionary Forces would ally with us as well, even knowing that we might turn our swords on each otherter.


    The council meeting was concluded, and I would return to the capital the next day.


    With nothing else to do, I wandered around Epiacs. The snow had stopped falling, and the piercing wind had died down.


    Though humans maintained it, there were no frequent visitors to Epiacs, and the old castle was mostly empty throughout the year. I wandered aimlessly and entered a room.


    I went to the Pantheon, where I had first seen Eleris¡¯s statue and which made me realize that this ce was connected to the vampires.


    As I looked up at the seven statues, I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.


    If these were statues of the heads of the families, there should have been statues of Grsh and Lruien, the orc and the elf. However, none of the statues had long ears, and not a single one depicted an orc.


    Of course, the statues of Lucinil and Antirianus were there, in their proper form.


    ¡°Once humanity took notice of this ce, we changed them.¡±


    I turned at the voice behind me and saw Lruien standing there.


    ¡°We decided not to let the humans know what this ce truly is. Seeing statues of an elf and an orc would arouse suspicion. They might have dered this an unholy ce and destroyed it.¡±


    The Council had decided to hand this ce over to humans rather than to fight them. Therefore, they made changes to the parts of the castle that humans might find suspicious or unholy.


    Indeed, while the statue in the position of Thursday did not have long ears, it still resembled Lruien.


    Of course, the statue in Friday¡¯s position, where Grsh should have been, looked like an ordinary human.


    Lruien stood in the center of the Pantheon, staring off into the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that I am the oldest among all the Vampire Lords.¡±


    ¡°... Heard?¡±


    <i>¡®Why would she talk about herself as if she¡¯d heard it from someone else?¡¯</i>


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Sensing my confusion, Lruien smiled faintly.


    ¡°I erase my memories every two hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    <i>¡®Is that one way to endure immortality?¡¯</i>


    If she did erase her memories every two hundred years, then Lruien, the oldest being, would have the least knowledge of the past.


    Some lived on because they had a reason to, while Lruien chose to erase her memories instead of death when she couldn¡¯t endure the passage of time anymore.


    ¡°I must have wanted to forget, or perhaps I had to...¡±


    Lruien crossed her arms, still looking into the distance. ¡°I¡¯m so curious to know what I knew before I erased my memories.¡±


    There was a somewhat wistful look in her eyes.


    ¡°Why did the elves be extinct? What happened to Sunday and Monday? What were they before bing vampires? Surely, I must have known everything.


    ¡°Why did I have to erase those memories? Or rather, did I even erase those memories myself?¡±


    Lruien looked at me.


    It wasn¡¯t curiosity but a longing, a desire close to yearning.


    She had erased her memories herself, but she couldn¡¯t understand why she had to erase those memories, and so she longed for her own lost memories.


    She must have known everything, and yet she had erased the reasons altogether.


    Lruien quietly observed the statues of Sunday, Monday, and herself.


    In a different sense from Antirianus, the Vampire Lords seemed to beplex beings, beyond good and evil.


    Beings who had lived for a long time had their own ways of enduring the passage of time, and for Lruien, it was erasing her own memories.


    ¡°Does the head of Thursday have any desires?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Like Lucinil?¡±


    <i>¡®Does Lruien have a desire like Lucinil, who wants a soul?¡¯</i>


    ¡°If I had to say... it would be to regain my true memories... all the memories I¡¯ve forgotten until now,¡± Lruien said, then shook her head. ¡°But if I were to regain all those memories, I would surely go mad.¡±


    She wanted to regain her memories, but wasn¡¯t confident she could handle them.


    Lruien¡¯s desire was ambiguous; she might not even choose to regain her memories if the opportunity arose.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t particrly have any desires, but I don¡¯t want to die, either. So, I continue to defer death. After erasing all my memories, I live on with only the most important ones, including the fact that I am a Vampire Lord and that I lead a family.¡±


    She continued to umte time, discarding all useless memories except those rted to magic, power, and knowledge.


    ¡°Living on... huh,¡± she muttered.


    It was as if she waspressing himself. Lruien seemed to ponder herst words, then tilted her head. Perhaps she thought the term ¡°living on¡± didn¡¯t suit an undead.


    ¡°Rather, it seems more urate to say I¡¯m dying very slowly.¡±


    Deferring death indefinitely and dying slowly...


    When vampires could no longer endure the weight of never ending time, they chose death. In Lruien¡¯s view, they weren¡¯t living, but dying slowly.


    It made me wonder what the difference was between living and dying slowly.


    The result was the same, but the nuance was profoundly different.


    ¡°When all your ns areplete and you truly rebuild the Dark Land, what do you n to do next?¡± Lruien asked, looking at me.


    I sensed a deep sense of futility from this ancient being. It felt like she was aware she was living a meaningless life, without any particr reason.


    <i>¡®If I be the Demon King, then what next, and what after that? Is that what she¡¯s trying to ask?¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, I had no intention of bing a true Demon King. So, such questions were meaningless as I had never thought about them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably be doing something.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t it true? I¡¯ll be doing something. I won¡¯t just do nothing.¡±


    Even if everything came to pass, I wouldn¡¯t just be doing nothing, so that was all I could say.


    Lruien seemed momentarily stunned by my words, but then burst intoughter.


    ¡°Ha, haha... haha! Is that so? Yes. Yes. You¡¯ll do... something.¡±


    For some reason, Lruien found my words amusing, her ears perking up.


    ¡°Good. Perhaps it¡¯s better to think that way.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what part of my offhand response resonated with Lruien.


    However, she said it was a long time since she¡¯dughed like that, then quietly walked down the corridor and disappeared.


    Futility wasn¡¯t the domain of those who have given up thinking.


    It was because these being thought so deeply and continuously that they fell into futility.


    Lruien¡¯s steps seemed lighter, as if she had just realized this.


    ***


    The next day...


    I had no immediate business with the other Vampire Lords, and they had all agreed to cooperate.


    Even though Akasha itself was a powerful source of strength, the Vampire Lords were willing to continue their own investigation of the method of opening a dimensional gate to another world, as I had initially mentioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a topic I¡¯ve never considered before. It¡¯s quite intriguing,¡± Antirianus said.


    Setting aside the possibility of causing the copse of the empire through cooperation with beings from another world, the old vampire seemed to like the idea of exploring the existence of another world itself.


    These were individuals with nothing but time on their hands. Being mages, they seemed to find the topic simply fascinating.


    ¡°If the Demon King requires our assistance, the Council will be reconvened,¡± Lruien said.


    Normally, the Council was rarely convened unless there was something special. However, since the Vampire Council had decided to form a connection with me, they seemedmitted to fulfilling their responsibilities as allies.


    I didn¡¯t have much to offer, but they each had their own reasons for cooperating with me.


    I watched as they began to leave Epiacs one by one via teleportation.


    Eleris had already fled the capital. Until she found a new hiding ce or a disguise, she wouldn¡¯t be returning to the capital.


    It seemed she would be staying at Epiacs as a liaison for the time being.


    I thought I could meet her anytime via teleportation, but as the distance grew, I felt a bit... lonely.


    It was nice to have her within reach whenever I needed her.


    In the grand hall of the ancient castle of Epiacs, Eleris bowed her head to me.


    ¡°Take care, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s she talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to send me back? You expect me to go alone?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Eleris tilted her head. ¡°It seems Lucinil hasn¡¯t told you yet.¡±


    I was wondering what she meant when Lucinil was suddenly standing next to me.


    ¡°Archdemon, you¡¯reing with me,¡± Lucinil said to me.


    ¡°... Why?¡± I responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here for a while, so from now on, Lucinil will assist you whenever you need magic.¡±


    <i>¡®Ah. So that¡¯s how it is.¡¯</i>


    Lucinil had no family to lead and was alone. Therefore, she was more free than the other Vampire Lords.


    Eleris had made the decision to stay on for the time being while being the Council¡¯s liaison and to manage Radia.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to count on Eleris¡¯s support for a while.


    For the foreseeable future, whenever I needed to teleport somewhere or required powerful magical assistance, Lucinil would be the one to assist me.


    ¡°Lucinil is much more versatile than I am. She will be able to support you better than I can.¡±


    What kind of debt did the head of Wednesday incur for her to be willing to offer this much assistance? It seemed Eleris trusted Lucinil quite a bit, even more than the other Vampire Lords.


    ¡°Support? Eleris, that makes it sound like I¡¯m his subordinate,¡± Lucinil said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Lucinil. Let¡¯s say ¡®protect¡¯ instead.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    ¡°Protect? That makes it sound like I¡¯m some brat who needs a nanny,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    I had no choice but to admit she was right.


    Having a powerful mage by my side was incredibly convenient. While Eleris, the great mage, was busy with other duties, she had arranged for another great mage to be by my side.


    Lucinil might have looked like a naive little kid, but in reality, she was a homunculus vampire just pretending to be a child.


    Lucinil signaled to me as she finished casting the spell. ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re leaving soon.¡±


    Eleris looked at me with a worried expression. ¡°Your Highness, please take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°You too,¡± I replied. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    For some reason, it felt strange and bizarre. It was like I was parting ways with my parents.


    Lucinil activated the Mass Teleportation spell.

 Chapter 343

    <h4>Chapter 343</h4>


    <i>Zap!</i>


    With a sh of light, Lucinil and I returned to the outskirts of the imperial capital.


    Before I knew it, Lucinil had transformed from a vampire into a girl with silver hair and blue eyes.


    I, too, had reverted from Baalier to my Reinhart form.


    ¡°Hmm, is this your disguise?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lucinil looked me up and down in my Reinhart form and crossed her arms. ¡°You look just like your temperament.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just saying.¡±


    There was no one around.


    Lucinil quietly gazed at the view of the capital. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a ce to stay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm... I was told to find a guy named Count Argon Pontius. Apparently he¡¯ll take care of it somehow.¡±


    It seemed Eleris had entrusted Lucinil¡¯s whereabouts to Sarkegar. I trusted Sarkegar to handle it somehow since he was a capable guy.


    Lucinil crossed her arms and fell into thought. ¡°You said you¡¯d be contacting the ck Order soon, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve been managing so far, but from now on, it¡¯s going to be really dangerous. So, if possible, stay within my reach.¡±


    Cantus Magna, and the ck Order...


    Indeed, Lucinil was right. Once I started getting involved with these organizations, I would inevitably be thrown into dangerous situations more frequently. Lucinil seemed intent on providing close protection.


    ¡°... I need to go to the Temple though.¡±


    ¡°... The Temple?¡±


    I knew this wasn¡¯t the right time to say it.


    Compared to the scale of our conversation so far, saying I needed to attend school seemed out of ce.


    <i>¡®But I really do need to go to school! It¡¯s winter break now, but the Vampire Council had scheduled their meeting to coincide with the winter break! The Temple is my priority! Strictly speaking, it¡¯s the most important ce for me! In many ways!¡¯</i>


    Lucinil tilted her head. ¡°Oh, you... You said you had infiltrated that ce, right?¡±


    Apparently, she had heard some things from Eleris.


    <i>¡®Infiltrated... That doesn¡¯t sound quite right.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Drop out. This isn¡¯t the time to continue with it, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Lucinil stated the obvious, as if wondering why I was ying around when a storm wasing.


    It was dizzying to be hit with such a straightforward argument from someone who looked like a little kid, even though she wasn¡¯t actually a kid.


    ¡°No, I need to be at the Temple. There are too many matters in there that I¡¯m tied up in and need to take care of...¡±


    ¡°... What? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lucinil looked at me, smacked her lips, and then started ying with her lips using her index finger. It felt like she was desperately holding back a string of curses.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s a reason for all this.¡±


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t just staying at the Temple on a whim.


    Using the pretext of rebuilding the Dark Land, I exined in detail how important it was to build rtionships with the influential people at the Temple. I also exined how my ssmates were future heirs of the empire, and the influence I had over them.


    Lucinil seemed to think I was a lunatic for enjoying life among humans at the Temple while dreaming of rebuilding the Dark Land, but as she listened, she looked more and more convinced.


    Lucinil nodded, epting the exnation that my infiltration of the Temple was to build rtionships with the empire¡¯s influential people. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve exined it, it does make sense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very dangerous, but... I suppose it¡¯s not my ce to interfere.¡± Lucinil looked at me with her arms crossed. ¡°If you die stupidly, it¡¯s no loss to me. But Eleris would be sad, so be careful.¡±


    It seemed Lucinil didn¡¯t intend to interfere more than necessary.


    If she had dug deeper, she might have realized that there was a different meaning to my life at the Temple due to my rtionships with my ssmates.


    That would haveplicated things. Fortunately, though, it didn¡¯te to that.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll follow Eleris¡¯s advice and find this Count Argon Pontius she mentioned.¡±


    Lucinil could contact Sarkegar through the Rotary Club when needed. Alternatively, I could ask Sarkegar to summon Lucinil during his regr visits.


    For the time being, I parted ways with Lucinil.


    Lucinil, the head of Wednesday, was another great mage.


    Eleris had said Lucinil was more versatile than herself, but I still didn¡¯t fully understand what that meant.


    Lucinil entered the capital first, and I followed after a short while.


    Harriet would be researching dimensional magic using the resources of the Imperial Pce¡¯s Magic Department. However, expecting results in just a few days was unrealistic.


    I, on the other hand, had made some progress, and considering I had only been away from the capital for a few days, the results were quite significant.


    ***


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Your Highness, the joint investigation has been concluded, and no traceable evidence was found.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Vertus was reading through written reports in the office of the Winter Pce.


    The joint investigation by the imperial family and the Order of the Holy Knights into the death of Leverier Lanche had just concluded. The funeral had already been held, but the investigation into the exact nature of the demons that had attacked them had continued.


    It was clear that non-human entities were behind the attack.


    Most of the bodies were blown apart and charred, but some had been found torn to pieces.


    Many seemed to have been killed while fleeing.


    Vertus was reviewing images of the battle scene, recorded with me magic.


    Also, though there were no recorded images, there were numerous eyewitness ounts of something in the shape of a demon flying in the night sky.


    <i>¡®Why did they do such a thing...?¡¯</i> wondered Vertus.


    There were plenty of reasons for demons to attack the Order of the Holy Knights.


    It was also presumed that the demons who had orchestrated this attack were the same ones who had previously attacked the Order.


    The first time, a powerful mage, a lycanthrope, and a dragon had appeared. Although it was presumed not to be a real dragon, they still didn¡¯t know what kind of demon it was.


    During that first attack, they had activated a warp gate and escaped with demon prisoners, but there had been no human casualties back then.


    This attack made it clear.


    It wasn¡¯t that the demons hadn¡¯t been able to handle the holy knights in that first attack; they had simply chosen not to fight.


    In other words, the demons back then had no intent to kill.


    This time, though, the attack was filled with murderous intent. Not only were all the holy knights killed, but Leverier Lanche was murdered as well.


    Perhaps they hadn¡¯t fought the first time because they¡¯d prioritized the rescue of the prisoners.


    Vertus felt his thoughts bing increasingly tangled.


    It wasn¡¯t just one or two things that were suspicious; there were too many strange aspects.


    While the use ofrge-scale destructive magic could be understood, there were numerous eyewitness ounts of a demonic form flying about in the night sky.


    <i>¡®Why on earth?¡¯</i>


    It was as if they were advertising that this was a demon attack.


    It would have been better to disguise it as a conflict among humans, but the demon had unted its presence by flying in the night sky.


    Did the demons know about the Nameless Monastery?


    Were theypletely unaware of the current situation on the continent?


    If they had known, they should have disguised this as a conflict between different human factions rather than unting their presence.


    Because of these eyewitness ounts of demons, some were starting to suggest that the imperial family or pro-empire factions had disguised the attack as a demon attack in order to cripple the Nameless Monastery and assassinate its leader, Leverier Lanche.


    If there had been no eyewitness ounts of demons, this incident would have been a powerful catalyst for the Order of the Holy Knights and the Church of the Five Great Gods to explode in open rebellion.


    If the perpetrators had had such information, the attack should not have been carried out in this manner.


    If he were leading the remnants of the Dark Land, he would never have handled it this way.


    <i>¡®They couldn¡¯t have done it just because they¡¯re stupid.¡¯</i>


    This was the dumbest thing the demons could have done, as it only benefited the empire.


    One should not make the mistake of thinking the remnants were that stupid. It was possible that the attack had been emotionally driven, but everything seemed to align perfectly for the empire.


    <i>¡®Were they really trying to help the empire? But why?¡¯</i>


    There was no reason for them to do so, yet the situation and the resulting events led to the conclusion that the demons had attacked the Nameless Monastery to help out the empire, and had deliberately revealed their presence in the process.


    Why would they do that?


    Why would the demons take such risks to do something that only benefited the empire?


    Seeing this as a mistake by the remnants of demonkind was overly optimistic.


    The demons had helped the empire. That conclusion was staring Vertus in the face, but he couldn¡¯t make any sense of it. His thoughts became increasingly tangled. He couldn¡¯t fathom their intentions.


    As Vertus furrowed his brow, trying to unravel his thoughts...


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± A subordinate cautiously interrupted the prince¡¯s contemtion, ¡°regarding the other investigation you ordered previously...¡±


    Vertus, deep in thought, furrowed his brow even more.


    ¡°Previously? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The... investigation into the silver-haired girl...¡±


    ¡°Oh... that.¡±


    That incident had grown so insignificant that Vertus hadpletely forgotten about that matter.


    As the memory of him blundering and spitting tea in the girl¡¯s face resurfaced, Vertus¡¯s face turned slightly red.


    ¡°Hmm, right. Did you find out anything?¡±


    The unidentified silver-haired girl... She bore a slight resemnce to Reinhart, so he had ordered an investigation, wondering if she might be a long-lost sibling of his or something like that.


    He had encountered a silver-haired girl who bore a subtle resemnce to his ssmate Reinhart and thought they might be family.


    He had casually ordered an investigation to find out, but hadpletely forgotten about it, and being reminded of it made him feel slightly ufortable.


    Strictly speaking, this was stalking.


    The empire belonged to the emperor, and the Crown Prince was one of the prominent heirs to the throne. If it was discovered that the Crown Prince was openly stalking someone, it would lead to a massive uproar.


    ¡°We conducted a thorough investigation of the identity registration information of the citizens of the capital...¡±


    If he set his mind to it, the Crown Prince could search the entire capital, if not the whole empire.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°There was no information about anyone that matched that description that Your Highness provided.¡±


    ¡°She did say that her silver hair was dyed, so I didn¡¯t expect much...¡±


    Without a detailed montage, it was difficult to match the image registered with me Magic during citizen registration with the description from Vertus¡¯s memory.


    Silver hair, golden eyes, and a beautiful appearance...


    The information he had of her was too vague. Even if she was a citizen of the capital, it would have been difficult to narrow down the search to just one particr individual.


    ¡°Because of this dead end, we decided to look into your ssmate, Reinhart. We thought we might find something and began from his identity registration information...¡±


    ¡°Hmm, yes, that seems like the most usible lead.¡±


    Reinhart was from the streets, but his identity was registered with the government. They would be able to trace his ce of origin.


    However, his subordinate scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°But, Reinhart¡¯s initial registration was only done earlyst year. We couldn¡¯t find any information prior to that.¡±


    Vertus tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That happens sometimes. Those of low birth often live without registering their identity. As you mentioned, those who live as street beggars often have no identity information. Since you mentioned Reinhart was from the streets...¡±


    Reinhart had only registered his identity the previous year. That meant he had lived as an unidentified person until then.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t that strange.


    However, Vertus had once suspected that Reinhart might be a sessor raised by a criminal organization simr to a Thieves¡¯ Guild.


    Reinhart had denied it, and although Vertus didn¡¯t believe him, he hadn¡¯t conducted any further investigations.


    The subordinate was saying that, since Reinhart had lived as an unidentified person for a long time, tracing his ce of birth was practically impossible.


    Enough time had passed for Vertus to realize that some of his suspicions about Reinhart were no longer valid.


    The Rotary Club, to which Reinhart belonged, wasn¡¯t deeply involved in crime. It was merely an organization of beggars who were now starting to improve their lives through the magic train business.


    Reinhart was just a beggar who had been sent to the Temple by the Rotary Club.


    He had officially registered his identity early in the previous year, and entered the Temple and enrolled in the Royal ss shortly after registering his identity.


    That meant he had only registered his identity in order to enter the Temple. It wasn¡¯t clear if he knew that he would be admitted to the Royal ss or not, but he had officially registered his identity to enter the Temple.


    Reinhart was a guy with insight, even if hecked refinement.


    For someone from the streets, he knew how to do a lot of things.


    Vertus had roughly assumed that this was because Reinhart had been deliberately raised by a criminal organization, but now he knew that the Rotary Club wasn¡¯t heavily involved in crime.


    The Rotary Club was a group of beggars. However, beggars weren¡¯t necessarily born as beggars, so it was possible that Reinhart had picked up various bits of knowledge from the club since he was young.


    This suddenly made Vertus curious.


    Was Reinhart really from the capital? Where was he born, and how did he grow up?


    Ultimately, there was no need to be overly curious about it.


    He hadn¡¯t brought up the silver-haired girl because he thought it might hurt Reinhart¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just ask him directly.¡±


    Where are you from? Do you have any siblings?


    He could just drop by the Temple when he had time and ask.


    He would think about Reinhart¡¯s matterter. For the moment, Vertus returned to thinking about the demonic attack.


    His head still felt like it was going to explode.


    ***


    A few days had passed since I returned from the Vampire Council.


    Nothing much had changed. Harriet and the rest of the Magic Research Club were still busy with their respective tasks.


    I was spending my days as usual, training with Olivia and waiting for Ellen to return, enduring the usual tough routines.


    But then...


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± Vertus, who had returned from the pce, suddenly asked me.


    My heart felt like it was going to drop. ¡°Uh... the imperial capital.¡±


    ¡°Where in the capital?¡±


    <i>¡®What is this? Has he discovered something?¡¯</i>


    My heart pounded wildly, but I desperately maintained a calm facade through Self-Deception.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know. I was abandoned when I was very young. Would a street beggar remember such things?¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I had prepared some vague excuses about my past, including not knowing the details and how I had grown up.


    If Vertus had figured something out and knew my true identity, I would have to leave the capital.


    But how, and so suddenly?


    However, judging by Vertus¡¯s expression, he wouldn¡¯t be asking me about it so casually if he knew the truth.


    It seemed like he was just asking out of idle curiosity. Vertus crossed his arms and stared at me, as if deep in thought.


    Eventually, my impatience got the better of me, and I asked Vertus directly, ¡°Why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡±


    Vertus seemed to think about his response a moment longer before letting out a deep sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit awkward to say this, but... well, here it goes,¡± Vertus said quietly as he ced a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Do you have any siblings?¡±


    <i>¡®Oh. Could it be...? Is that it?!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Uh, no, not at all. At least, not that I remember...¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, during the festival, I saw a girl who looked a lot like you. So I thought she might be your sibling and tried to find out, but it¡¯s hard to find someone just by their face.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, that¡¯s true...¡±


    I felt dizzy. I felt like I was going to throw up.


    ¡°So, I thought if I knew where you were from, I could track her down. But you only registered your identityst year.¡±


    At those words, a chill ran down my spine.


    My encounter with Vertus while cross-dressed had led to an investigation into me.


    It was clear that Vertus still didn¡¯t know anything, and he didn¡¯t find it suspicious that my identity was only registeredst year.


    This was dangerous.


    If he dug any deeper, I would be in terrible danger.


    ¡°So... it¡¯s a bit awkward to say this, but if your parents abandoned you and you had a sibling after that, you might not know you have a sibling, right? So, if you don¡¯t want me to, I won¡¯t, but if you want, I could personally look into it...¡±


    <i>¡®This is bad. This could get really, really bad.¡¯</i>


    I had to stop this.


    Vertus might discover my true identity out of goodwill.


    This was not a joke; it was a life-threatening situation.


    There was no other choice.


    Almost like a reflex...


    ¡°That was me.¡±


    I had no choice but to tell the truth.


    ¡°... What? What did you say?¡±


    Vertus seemed unable toprehend what he had just heard.


    ¡°That was me.¡±


    I was curious about what kind of expression I had on my face.


    ¡°What...? Huh? What did you say?¡±


    Vertus began to doubt his ears.


    In hindsight, I had avoided death but at this moment... I wanted to die.

 Chapter 344

    <h4>Chapter 344</h4>


    We were at the tea terrace where Vertus and I asionally chatted.


    Vertus was trembling as he poured tea, and I was simrly shaking so much that the tea spilled over as I drank.


    I kept my head down, unable to look at Vertus.


    I wanted to die, and Vertus probably wanted to kill me.


    ¡°... Why... Why did you do that?¡± Vertus asked quietly.


    ¡°... Because of money.¡±


    ¡°... Money? What does cross-dressing have to do with money?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was this... cross-dressing contest...¡±


    ¡°Cross-dressing contest? You mean during the festival?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    It seemed Vertus didn¡¯t even know about the existence of the cross-dressing contest.


    There was no other excuse I could give.


    ¡°... Hasn¡¯t your situation improved recently?¡±


    ¡°Having more money... isn¡¯t a bad thing... ¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I sat there with my head down, speaking in a barely audible tone, exining why I had cross-dressed.


    <i>¡®This must be the punishment I deserve, right? This feels like the climax of my suffering.</i>


    <i>¡®There can¡¯t ever possibly be a more difficult situation in my life than this, right? Now that I¡¯ve received all my punishment, I can believe that only happy things will happen from now on, right?¡¯</i>


    Vertus¡¯s hands were trembling so hard he barely managed to take a sip of tea, and then he set the cup down on the table.


    ¡°What, I mean... No. No, what... this is just...¡±


    Vertus seemed at a loss for words.


    It was as if Vertus had been unmasked, but in a different sense than usual.


    ¡°N-No, seriously. How am I supposed to... uh. Huh...¡± Vertus stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    It seemed like memories of seeing me in my cross-dressed state were shing through Vertus¡¯s mind.


    The sight of me confronting the knights.


    The sight of my trembling hands.


    The moment I spouted nonsense about being an alcoholic.


    All those images.


    All those moments.


    They were all me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the midst of my self-loathing thoughts, I silently listened as Vertus muttered a curse under his breath, feeling like a criminal.


    ¡°Ugh... shit.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologized.


    ¡°Sorry for what, you bastard! You... If you say sorry and then... damn it. What am I supposed to... Ugh! No! No! I just! Uh! I thought you were... uh, siblings! Uh! Just, just out of goodwill! Ugh! This, damn it, really!¡± Vertus eventually exploded.


    ¡°Wh-who said anything about...?!¡±


    I got scolded even more for apologizing unnecessarily.


    ***


    Vertus¡¯s view of me hadpletely changed.


    Vertus now saw me as a lunatic who would do anything for money.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He also seemed to have the preconceived notion that I was a madman who had willingly chosen the cross-dressing contest instead of the more sensible Mister Temple even if I needed money.


    Fortunately, Vertus didn¡¯t seem to harbor any grudges over this, nor did he seem intent on spreading rumors about me.


    It felt like even mentioning or thinking about that incident would contaminate his mind. He staggered back to his room with a soulless expression.


    I always thought there would be a chance that my participation in the cross-dressing contest would be discovered, but I never imagined I would end up confessing to it myself.


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt like I was in hell, but more than that, my heart sank.


    That chance encounter with Vertus had veered off in a strange direction and led to an investigation into me.


    If he started probing into my origins, hometown, and detailed past, he would find holes in my excuses, no matter how well-prepared they were.


    No matter how well I handled it, the fact that I had suddenly appeared only the year before wouldn¡¯t change. And once someone started digging seriously, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to figure that out.


    Vertus could have discovered my true identity from an entirely unexpected angle.


    Confessing about the cross-dressing contest and making Vertus psychologically repulsed by the whole issue was a relief. Even if he was angry, Vertus wouldn¡¯t dig deeper into this matter.


    <i>¡®The cross-dressing contest event...¡¯</i>


    The reward had been great, but it could have screwed me over from an entirely unexpected angle.


    I had known that confronting Leverier Lanche was dangerous and still went through with it.


    But the real danger had stemmed from the cross-dressing contest.


    If Vertus had continued his investigation without asking me about it directly, the situation could have be truly dangerous.


    It would have been a genuinely life-threatening situation. But why did I feel more like I wanted to die from embarrassment?


    ¡°Fucking hell...¡±


    I sat there for a while, unable to move.


    ***


    Despite the incident that shattered both Vertus¡¯s and my mental state, Vertus remained busy and rarely showed up at the Royal ss dormitory.


    Even I couldn¡¯t fully get a handle on the numerous events that were unfolding.


    Ellen still hadn¡¯t returned, so I continued with my own routine.


    Worry and anxiety wouldn¡¯t solve anything.


    I sparred with Olivia in swordsmanship, but in recent days, my focus had been on mana maniption itself.


    <i>Hummm...</i>


    I was alone in the training grounds.


    [Your mana level has reached 20 (A-) rank.]


    [Special conditions have been met.]


    [The talents ¡®Mana Maniption¡¯ and ¡®Mana Attunement¡¯ have evolved.]


    [You have acquired the talent ¡®Mana Domination.¡¯]


    The reflection in the mirror in the training grounds showed my body enveloped in refined mana.


    Finally, I had seeded in acquiring Mana Domination, one of Ellen¡¯s talents.


    I had almost been exposed and severely embarrassed because of the cross-dressing contest, but the rewards I obtained from it had brought me very close to achieving Mana Domination.


    When I first acquired the talents of Mana Maniption and Mana Attunement, I had no idea what to do with them. In the end, though, I managed to acquire Mana Reinforcement, which proved that those two talents had been immensely helpful.


    Not only could I now Mana Reinforcement without Self-Deception, I had even acquired the higher talent of Mana Domination.


    I had a solid A- mana rank, which was considered pretty high.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    I felt a torrent of mana surging through my body, allowing for a different kind of Mana Reinforcement than before.


    My maniption of mana had be more precise and detailed, and the output itself had increased.


    Acquiring Mana Domination was not the end. As I grew more ustomed to it, the talent of Mana Domination would continually make me stronger.


    I wasn¡¯t starting from the same point as Ellen.


    She was still better than me, and would grow stronger at a faster rate.


    Thanks to these numerous cheats, though, I was walking along just a little faster.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t be satisfied with this level. The moment I becent, it¡¯s over. I still have a long way to go.¡¯</i>


    Nevertheless, I could feel that just having the talent of Mana Domination had significantly increased my understanding and utilization of Mana Reinforcement.


    I was growing stronger at an abnormal rate.


    Being in the Royal ss, such abnormal growth was somewhat epted, but how long could this continue?


    After finishing my training at the training grounds, I returned to the dormitory, took a shower, and changed clothes.


    <i>Tweet!</i>


    <i>Tap, tap!</i>


    A sparrow was pecking at my room window with its beak.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    As I opened the window, the sparrow flew into the room, and as soon as I closed the curtains, it had transformed into a human form.


    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    It was Sarkegar, who always took the form of a maid when entering the dormitory.


    ***


    I sat in a chair while Sarkegar stood in the middle of the room with his hands sped together.


    ¡°The head of the house of Wednesday has settled in.¡±


    ¡°I figured. How was it?¡±


    ¡°I was a little taken aback since I hadn¡¯t received any prior notice, but after hearing about the situation, I decided to take charge of her for now.¡±


    Honestly, given Lucinil¡¯s age, saying that he was taking charge of her might not have been the right expression, but considering she acted like a child, it seemed appropriate.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been exposed to the outside, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Highness. She came to me discreetlyte at night.¡±


    Sarkegar was also undercover, so Lucinil would have to be careful not to expose herself to the outside world.


    I briefly exined to Sarkegar what had happened at the Vampire Council.


    ¡°It¡¯s an unexpected triumph.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I honestly didn¡¯t expect it to turn out this way either.¡±


    Sarkegar seemed satisfied with how things had gone better than expected.


    ¡°But we must be cautious. I don¡¯t know much about the Vampire Lords, but from what I¡¯ve heard, that Antirianus seems particrly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°True. But we can¡¯t afford to be picky about our allies right now.¡±


    We were in no position to be choosy, so we had to be willing to join forces even with suspicious characters as long as they were willing to support us.


    ¡°As for Cantus Magna and Akasha... aren¡¯t they excessively dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But it¡¯s highly likely that what I seek is in their possession. It¡¯s clear that the artifact itself holds immense power.¡±


    ¡°It seems ideal to pit the ck Order against Cantus Magna and reap the benefits. However, the uncertainty of what Akasha truly is remains a concern.¡±


    <i>¡®Is provoking Cantus Magna the right move when we don¡¯t even know what Akasha is?¡¯</i>


    Sarkegar seemed to believe that since I was seeking power, I had every reason to covet Akasha, regardless of what it was or how it could be wielded.


    Sarkegar shed a sinister smile. ¡°It feels like things are starting to take shape, Your Highness.¡±


    We had gained the power of the Vampire Council, and the head of the house of Wednesday had joined us in the capital to provide aid.


    Sarkegar was genuinely pleased that our group, which was once merely four remaining individuals of demonkind, was now coalescing into something that could be called a faction.


    <i>¡®That aside... Please, don¡¯t smile like that while wearing such a pretty face! Seeing such aposed face smile like that is really messing with my mind!¡¯</i>


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only issue at hand.


    ¡°Have you made contact with the Revolutionary Forces yet?¡±


    ¡°We are proceeding cautiously to avoid making any mistakes. However, while we haven¡¯t identified the entire leadership structure, we have managed topile a list of confirmed participants.¡±


    Sarkegar handed me a list of several names.


    Names I recognized, including Oscar de Gradias, were on that list.


    Most were officials ofmoner background, but there were also some nobles.


    ¡°In particr, there seem to be many illegitimate children who have been abandoned by noble families.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    Illegitimate children of noble families often hid their surnames and enrolled in the Temple. They could have been admitted to the Orbis ss.


    Children who inherited noble blood but were abandoned... Their resentment could easily turn into a desire for revolution. Most of the names had likely been well-vetted by Sarkegar, which meant the members of the Revolutionary Forces were not to be trifled with.


    In the end, though, the small fry didn¡¯t matter.


    What I needed to know was who the key figures were. My task was to contact them and establish a framework through which they could cooperate with the demon forces.


    From the list Sarkegar hadpiled, I recognized the name of someone whom I knew, but was not well-acquainted with.


    I pointed to that name.


    ¡°This person may not be part of the leadership, but he is certainly a very important figure.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Owen de Getmora...


    He was the guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild.


    The guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild had provided a substantial amount of research funding to the Magic Research Club, as a means to foster ties with the imperial family.


    Since then, there hadn¡¯t been any particr requests or interactions from the Merchants¡¯ Guild, but the guild itself was currently raking in money, since they supplied all the goods for the magic train shop business. Thus far, I hadn¡¯t had any particr trouble with them.


    No news was good news; the arrangement we had was a mutually beneficial one.


    Sarkegar¡¯s investigation confirmed that the guildmaster of the Merchants¡¯ Guild had ties to the Revolutionary Forces.


    ¡°The guy who gave me money to foster ties with the imperial family is secretly supporting the Revolutionary Forces...¡±


    It was unclear whether his true intention was merely to make money or if he genuinely dreamed of a revolution.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t part of the leadership, though, he would be closely tied to the flow of funds.


    Whether or not he was part of the leadership, he was still crucial because he could lead us to the leadership.


    ¡°Alright. Make contact with Owen de Getmora. If necessary, you can approach him as a representative of the Dark Land. And depending on the situation, I might have to meet with him personally. Keep that in mind.¡±


    Sarkegar looked troubled. ¡°You must consider the possibility that they might be too frightened by the mention of the Dark Land to ally with us, Your Highness.¡±


    I was somewhat skeptical of Sarkegar¡¯s pessimistic outlook. ¡°Hmm, I doubt they can afford not to. Once they realize we¡¯ve caught onto them, they¡¯ll know that if we report them to the empire, they will face disastrous consequences. Once they know we¡¯ve got evidence, they have no choice but to ally with us or face death.¡±


    The Revolutionary Forces would have to make a choice the moment we approached them as representatives of the Dark Land. They would have to understand that if they didn¡¯t ally with us, we could destroy them in other ways. We wouldn¡¯t even have to do it ourselves.


    We could simply hand the list of names to the empire.


    They might try to dismiss it as information from demons, but who could say what would happen? The empire was in a very precarious position because of the friction with the Order of the Holy Knights. If they perceived that these Revolutionary Forces were an additional threat, the imperials would do everything in their power to eradicate them.


    Therefore, despite their fear or reluctance, they wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore us.


    ¡°Your insight is impressive, Your Highness.¡±


    I entrusted the contact with the Revolutionary Forces to Sarkegar.


    ¡°If necessary, get help from Lucinil,¡± Imanded. ¡°You¡¯ll likely need her magic more often than I will.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Your Highness.¡±


    For the time being, Lucinil would assist Sarkegar.


    Things were progressing, step by step.


    As these tasks carried out in the name of Baalier continued to unfold one by one, I would gradually distance myself from the identity of Reinhart.


    I watched quietly as Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and flew away.

 Chapter 345 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 345 [Illustration]</h4>


    On the day that I was forced to reveal I had cross-dressed, I was also giving out important instructions that could lead to the formation of an anti-empire alliance.


    I wondered what kind of person I was bing.


    The gap between the things I had to do as Reinhart and the things I had to do as Baalier felt excessively wide.


    In the midst of all this, I had also awakened the high-level talent of Mana Domination.


    My mind was constantly filled with thoughts of a crisis, wondering when and how the effects of my actions woulde back to haunt me.


    The absurd situation where participating in a cross-dressing contest had led to Vertusunching an investigation into me made it feel like I was walking on thin ice.


    I also wondered when Ellen would return.


    That night, despite being exhausted from long training sessions, I couldn¡¯t sleep properly due to the many things on my mind.


    After tossing and turning for hours, I finally fell asleep, but how much time had passed?


    I felt something pressing against me.


    <i>¡ª¡±R-Reinhart... Reinhart...¡±</i>


    ¡°Uh, uh!¡±


    I woke up with a start, feeling a desperate hand gripping mine.


    As I sat up in bed, I saw Charlotte copsed on the floor next to my bed, clutching my arm.


    ¡°Cha<i>¡ª</i>Charlotte?¡±


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Rein... Reinhart...¡±


    Half of Charlotte¡¯s face was covered in dark shadows, and she was looking at me tearfully.


    It was fear more than shock and surprise that jolted me awake.


    I thought her condition had settled down, but she wasn¡¯tpletely free of it yet.


    ¡°P-Please, help me... D-do something...¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh. Okay. I got it.¡± Not knowing what to do, I instinctively pulled the trembling Charlotte into my arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s... everything¡¯s okay...¡±


    ¡°O-Okay...¡±


    Charlotte trembled in my embrace, tears streaming down her face.


    I thought it was over, but it wasn¡¯t.


    Even though I had just woken up, I focused my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I said desperately, as if reciting a prayer.


    Charlotte¡¯s power hadn¡¯t gone away.


    ¡°Nothing bad will happen.¡±


    Would Charlotte have to live with this torment forever, as long as her power did not go away?


    I whispered it over and over using the power of Incantation, telling her it would be okay, all the while gently stroking her back.


    Whether it was through the power of the Incantation or not, Charlotte¡¯s trembling gradually subsided, and the darkness that was engulfing half of her body began to recede.


    <i>¡®Is this really a reaction to the power of the Incantation?¡¯</i>


    Both Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana believed it to be so, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was reacting to my demonic control power, my Incantation, or something else entirely.


    However, it seemed clear that I was the only one in the world who could alleviate Charlotte¡¯s condition.


    Charlotte continued to sniff and sob as her trembling subsided and she returned to her normal state.


    I finally noticed her appearance. She was in a camisole and barefoot.


    Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, which made it awkward to look at her.


    Charlotte continued to catch her breath, but couldn¡¯t seem to pull away from me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now that she was feeling somewhat moreposed, she seemed to realize the state she was in and couldn¡¯t bring herself to let go.


    I carefully pulled my nket over and draped it over Charlotte¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Mm, mhmm...¡±


    In the darkness, Charlotte nodded, wrapping the nket around herself like a cloak. I helped her up from the floor and gently sat her on the bed.


    My door was closed. I checked the lock and found it was secured.


    <i>¡®How did she get in?¡¯</i>


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t lose consciousness this time. But suddenly... it just happened.¡±


    Usually, she would lose consciousness when her body was taken over, or it would happen when she fell asleep.


    This time, though, the shadow had begun to engulf her while she was still conscious.


    ¡°I needed to get to you, but if I went into the hallway... someone might have noticed...¡±


    Charlotte trembled, seemingly frightened by what she had done.


    Previously, when she had beenpletely engulfed by the shadow, she had demonstrated the ability to move through shadows or darkness. It seemed she had used that power to move directly from her room to mine.


    ¡°I... don¡¯t want this... I don¡¯t want to be able to do this...¡±


    Charlotte had managed to reach me without anyone noticing because of that power, but the fact that it was possible terrified her. She trembled and clung to my side again.


    It seemed her fear was preventing her from making rational decisions.


    ¡°Stay with me.... stay with me, Reinhart...¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    Charlotte clung to my waist, looking up at me in the darkness. Herrge, frightened eyes were filled with tears.


    I felt a sense of danger.


    Charlotte had nearly recovered from her previously unstable state, but experiencing this again had brought her to the brink of copse.


    If anything happened while she was in this state, she would surely regret it forever.


    ¡°Together... always together...¡±


    Just as Charlotte¡¯s lips began to part slightly...


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I pulled Charlotte¡¯s head against my chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t need to be so scared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had no choice but to do that, fearing something irreversible might happen.


    ¡°Nothing bad will happen. I promise.¡±


    Charlotte remained in my arms for a very long time.


    ***


    Once the fear subsided, Charlotte passed out and fell asleep.


    Just like I had done in the Spring Pce, I kept watch by Charlotte¡¯s bedside.


    How much time had passed since Charlotte fell asleep?


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    The sudden, urgent knocking at the door made my whole body tense up for a moment.


    ¡ªReinhart, it¡¯s me.


    The voice from beyond the door made my tension melt away.


    It was Sabioleen Tana.


    <i>Click.</i>


    I carefully got up and opened the door. Sabioleen Tana was on the other side with a pale, worried expression.


    ¡°Reinhart, is Her Highness h¡ªit looks like she is.¡±


    She saw Charlotte lying on the bed through the doorway and let out a sigh of relief. She seemed to lose her strength for a moment and staggered, so I gently supported her.


    She steadied herself and entered my room, cing a hand gently on the sleeping Charlotte¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°She disappeared suddenly... So I came to check, just in case.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana had been assigned to the dormitory to guard Charlotte.


    Although she didn¡¯t share Charlotte¡¯s bedroom, she likely checked on her periodically to ensure she was sleeping well.


    When Charlotte had suddenly disappeared, she hade to find me out of concern, and found Charlotte in a deep sleep.


    ¡°It seems her consciousness was not taken over this time, but her power suddenly activated. She moved through the shadows to get to my room.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    While her consciousness wasn¡¯t being taken over, her power was manifesting uncontrobly.


    It was clear to both me and Sabioleen Tana that Charlotte¡¯s condition hadn¡¯t fully improved.


    Tana looked down at the sleeping Charlotte with a troubled expression.


    ¡°The fact that you can quiet Her Highness¡¯s condition... It¡¯s like a stroke of divine luck.¡±


    She seemed to consider my presence a great blessing.


    ¡°But relying on such an imperfect means to suppress Her Highness¡¯s power... it¡¯s merely a stopgap measure.¡±


    No one knew how long I could continue to stabilize Charlotte¡¯s condition.


    Sabioleen Tana seemed to think, as I did, that a more fundamental solution was needed.


    But where could such a solution be found?


    Finding someone who was a master at sealing was a daunting task.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think of one thing.


    <i>¡®Akasha.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of treating it as an all-powerful tool that could grant any wish, but at that moment, I couldn¡¯t help but think of it.


    <i>¡®Could it contain a way to seal Charlotte¡¯s power?¡¯</i>


    Sabioleen Tana gently wiped the cold sweat from Charlotte¡¯s forehead with a handkerchief.


    ¡°Reinhart,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s clear that Her Highness¡¯s power is rted to the Demon King. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    I knew that better than anyone.


    ¡°If I think that there might be even the smallest clue, anything at all, to solve Her Highness¡¯s condition in the Demon King¡¯s castle... is that too much of a leap?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s sorrowful tone was weighed down with her guilt over her inability to help the suffering princess.


    The Demon King¡¯s castle, though... While it wasn¡¯t exactly a ce of fond memories, it was the ce where it all began.


    I still didn¡¯t know all of what was inside.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t we already taken everything worth taking from the Demon King¡¯s castle?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But the Demon King¡¯s castle was a very important ce in the long history of the Dark Land, and its history is as long as humanity itself. We haven¡¯t uncovered everything about it yet.¡±


    There were still things in the Demon King¡¯s castle that hadn¡¯t been revealed. Although many treasures and items had been taken away, the castle still held secrets, and investigations were ongoing.


    Her words made me realize that taking over the Demon King¡¯s castle and fully understanding the nature of it were two different matters.


    What I was doing was merely suppressing Charlotte¡¯s power with the transcendent force of the Incantation¡ªor at least that¡¯s what I thought. I couldn¡¯t be sure it was, in fact, the effects of Incantation.


    I agreed that a more fundamental solution was needed.


    <i>¡®Could there really be a clue in the Demon King¡¯s castle?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you nning to go to the Demon King¡¯s castle?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t have to go personally; many people have already been deployed for the search.¡±


    There was no need for her to go herself. She had enough people under hermand.


    ¡°Her Highness... suggested that she should go to the Demon King¡¯s castle herself. It¡¯s certainly dangerous, and because of this danger, I¡¯ve opposed it until now. Both me and His Majesty.¡±


    She looked up at me, her hand still on Charlotte¡¯s forehead.


    Charlotte knew her condition wasn¡¯t fully under control. She wanted to go back to the Demon King¡¯s castle because she believed there might be an answer there, and Tana had naturally opposed such a dangerous undertaking.


    However, Charlotte¡¯s power had acted up once again.


    Sabioleen Tana, her head bowed in front of Charlotte¡¯s sleeping face, spoke in a somber voice, ¡°Reinhart, may I ask a difficult favor from you?¡±


    I knew what she was going to say even before she spoke.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± I responded before she asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was obvious that she was asking me to apany Charlotte to the Demon King¡¯s castle, as I was the only one who could handle any issues rted to her power.


    I answered her without even having to hear her request, and she, holding Charlotte¡¯s hand as she slept, trembled slightly.


    ¡°Thank you... Reinhart,¡± Sabioleen Tana said.


    It was merely something I knew I had to do.


    <i>¡®Was this what the emperor meant when he said I had to do something for Charlotte?¡¯</i>


    ***


    The next day, Charlotte, having regained her strength, returned to her room with Sabioleen Tana¡¯s help.


    After washing up and getting ready for the day, we met again.


    ¡°The Demon King¡¯s castle...? You too?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    It seemed Tana had already exined everything to her.


    Charlotte looked visibly apologetic. ¡°It might be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°How dangerous can a Demon King¡¯s castle be when the Demon King is dead?¡±


    I felt no guilt saying this. To me, the Demon King was just a despicable bastard.


    Given what had happened the day before, Sabioleen Tana, acting as Charlotte¡¯s guardian, had seriously considered sanctioning Charlotte¡¯s trip to the Demon King¡¯s castle, which she had previously opposed, and had obtained my agreement to apany her.


    We would need the emperor¡¯s permission first, but once we secured that, we would be able to head to the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    Charlotte might not know it, but I was merely returning.


    We had once escaped the Demon King¡¯s castle together, and we were on the verge of returning to it together.


    That stirred a strange feeling within me.


    Charlotte looked at me with aplicated expression. From losing herposure and clinging to me in tears the day before, to hearing that I was willing to apany her to the Demon King¡¯s castle ...


    Charlotte¡¯s expression was a mix of embarrassment, gratitude, and guilt, and hard to describe in a single word.


    ¡°Thank you. Truly,¡± she added, her face turning bright red. Perhaps she felt like, when it came to our rtionship, she was always the one receiving, so she wanted to give back whatever she could.


    ***


    We weren¡¯t leaving for the Demon King¡¯s castle immediately. Sabioleen Tana had gone to seek the emperor¡¯s permission, which would take some time, at least a few days.


    I had things to do as well.


    I left the Temple and headed to the Rotary Club headquarters.


    There was a familiar face there.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± I asked Adriana, and she smiled brightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing well,¡± she replied. ¡°Everyone is very kind.¡±


    Loyar had somehow be something like a pet dog to Adriana, and the other club members, seeing how much Loyar liked Adriana, naturally took care of her in various ways.


    I had been worried about potential trouble, but thanks to the fact that she had easily won Loyar over, the other club members now viewed her very favorably.


    Adriana, being diligent by nature, was helping with various chores around the club headquarters, so it wasn¡¯t just my imagination that everyone seemed a bit cleaner and more organized than before.


    Adriana and I went for a walk around the vicinity of the Rotary Club.


    I wondered how Adriana felt. She had been hurt by various events, and was now living in hiding.


    ¡°How is Olivia?¡±


    Despite everything, Adriana seemed more concerned about Olivia than herself.


    ¡°Well... her personality seems to have changed a bit, but she seems to be coping well overall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... good to hear.¡±


    Adriana had had a dream for the future, but had to give it up. She then returned to reim her old life, only to have that taken away as well.


    She had to have felt empty and directionless. She probably didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    Just as Olivia had grown disillusioned with religion and then with humanity, it was possible Adriana was walking down the same path as well.


    ¡°Those who taught me to love threatened me, and those who taught me to hate saved me.¡±


    She had to feel as if everything she believed in had been turnedpletely on its head. Although she was living a quiet life in the club headquarters, she was undoubtedly tormented by such thoughts.


    In reality, if she had returned to the Temple or entered another monastery, she would have been summoned by the authorities immediately and investigated, and the fact that she had been rescued by demons would surely have been fatal if it came to light.


    Even up to this point, she didn¡¯t know she was being protected by demons¡ªby me and Loyar.


    Adriana looked up at the clear winter sky with a sad smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to live for anymore. I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Forced to learn an unwanted truth, Adriana had lost her way.


    ***


    As the prince and heir of the Dark Land, I didn¡¯t know what was in the Demon King¡¯s castle, but I had no intention of going in and conducting a blind search.


    Even if I didn¡¯t know anything about it, there were those who did.


    After a brief walk with Adriana, I called Loyar outside.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since your work with the Vampire Council concluded, and now you¡¯re off somewhere again?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded.


    She sounded as if she was annoyed by her lord¡¯s constant busyness.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going back to the Demon King¡¯s castle.¡±


    At the mention of the Demon King¡¯s castle, Loyar¡¯s expression stiffened.


    ¡°The Demon King¡¯s castle... you say?¡±


    ¡°As you know, I¡¯ve lost my memory, so I don¡¯t know where anything is inside the Demon King¡¯s castle. Do you know if there are any secret areas or ces that humans couldn¡¯t have looted?¡±


    Loyar tilted her head. ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you use to live in the Demon King¡¯s castle as well? You said I used to bully you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loyar red at me with a sullen expression.


    <i>¡®Could she be experiencing PTSD or something?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Your Highness, you seem curious about secret areas or forbidden zones in the Demon King¡¯s castle, but someone who wasn¡¯t a noble or royalty within the Dark Land wouldn¡¯t know about such things. I don¡¯t even know if such ces exist.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    I had lost my memory and was asking Loyar about things I should have known, but she didn¡¯t know anything about it.


    ¡°Then Eleris and Sarkegar wouldn¡¯t know either?¡±


    ¡°That seems likely, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    When it came to restricted areas, it seemed only members of the royal family would have that information.


    I could go in and search blindly, but there was no reason to do that.


    Aside from my amnesiac self, there was another member of the Dark Land¡¯s royal family still around...


    ¡°Would Airi know something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That seems likely, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    <i>¡®She¡¯s just repeating the same thing she just said. Are you just trying to get rid of me?¡¯</i>


    Although it was inconvenient to have to go all the way to the Edina Archipgo to ask about this matter, it was important to go back to the Demon King¡¯s castle with proper information. A few days¡¯ dy would be better than making a pointless trip.


    Also it had been quite some time since my first meeting with Airi, and it would be nice to see how she was doing.


    Unfortunately, no warp gates connected the maind to the Edina Archipgo.


    Therefore, unless I went with a mage who could use teleportation, I would have to travel by sea, which would take a very long time.


    With Lucinil¡¯s help, I could make the trip quickly and wouldn¡¯t have to be away for several days.


    Returning to the Demon King¡¯s castle and the things that might still be left there...


    Would Airi know anything about them?

 Chapter 346

    <h4>Chapter 346</h4>


    To head to the Edina Archipgo, I needed Lucinil. Although things weren¡¯t urgent, there was no reason to dy, so I entrusted a letter to the Rotary Club to be delivered to Count Argon Pontius.


    I had to be cautious when it came to my movements, so even though I had Sarkegar¡¯s ring, I had no intention of visiting Count Argon Pontius¡¯s house directly.


    I left the Rotary Club headquarters and headed to the predetermined meeting ce. It would take some time to make contact, so I waited untilte at night.


    The meeting ce was a secluded spot located within the lower Irine area, slightly outside the capital.


    While I could afford to wait around like this when I had time, it would be troublesome in urgent situations. For the moment, Lucinil was staying at Count Argon Pontius¡¯s mansion, but I probably needed to find a more convenient way to contact Lucinil.


    How much time had I wasted by the riverside in the darkness?


    <i>Swish...</i>


    A faint mist drifted over and coalesced together, soon forming the shape of a silver-haired girl.


    The girlnded lightly on the ground and looked up at me. ¡°Hello, Archdemon.¡±


    ¡°You have arrived,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    ¡°But what was that just now? Is it like teleportation?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Ah... this?¡± Lucinil briefly turned her entire body into mist and then re-materialized. ¡°It¡¯s a vampire ability, or something like that. It¡¯s not teleportation, but it allows me to move quickly, though.¡±


    The ability to turn into mist... Eleris had never shown such an ability.


    <i>¡®Was it something only the n of Wednesday could use? If so, did each n have its own unique abilities?¡¯</i>


    While I was pondering this, Lucinil ced her hands on her hips. ¡°Anyway, you needed me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need you to apany me somewhere right now.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a ce called the Edina Archipgo, in the southern part of the empire. Do you know it?¡±


    Lucinil crossed her arms, seemingly incredulous. ¡°Where do you think I¡¯ve spent all my years? I¡¯m well-versed in the geography of this world. Of course, sometimes the countries I knew have disappeared, but still.¡±


    She seemed to feel like that question had belittled her, given her advanced age. Lucinil tilted her head and looked at me. ¡°But why the southern inds?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I need to meet there.¡±


    Even if I exined the details to Lucinil, she probably wouldn¡¯t understand, so I left it at that. Lucinil didn¡¯t seem to care much about what I did, and it didn¡¯t seem like she would feel strongly enough to oppose me.


    Lucinil looked around. ¡°Alright. It seems there¡¯s no one around to see us, so shall we go right away? It¡¯s quite a distance, so I¡¯ll have to teleport us several times in session.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lucinil began to concentrate before casting Mass Teleportation.


    Lucinil and Eleris had rather different personalities, yet both were equally reliable.


    ***


    The Edina Archipgo was located at the southernmost tip of the empire, far enough from the maind that it was beyond the range of even thergest warp gates.


    Conventionally, one would have to take a ship to reach it. Although the archipgo had its own warp gates that could be used for inter-ind travel, they weren¡¯t connected to the continent¡¯swork.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Lucinil teleported us several times consecutively, and we arrived in Rajak, the main port city of the Edina Archipgo, where the Granz ducal vi which I had previously visited was located. As soon as we arrived on the outskirts of Rajak, Lucinil¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s snowing here?¡±


    The Edina Archipgo wasn¡¯t a tropical region, and winter hade to the inds as well, with heavy snow falling around us. Lucinil stepped across the snow, enjoying the crunch beneath her feet.


    ¡°... You already saw plenty of snow during the Council meeting.¡±


    <i>¡®Hadn¡¯t sheined about the snow being tiresome back then?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Archdemon, is the snow being blown about in a ce where it feels like the wind is tearing your cheeks right off the same as this gentle, fluffy snow falling in a cozy-looking port city?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite refreshing to see someone much younger than me acting like an enlightened old man.¡±


    It was indeed peculiar that Lucinil, despite having lived for so long, hadn¡¯t lost her sensitivity. Anyway, we stood on the outskirts and looked down at the snow-covered port city of Rajak.


    ¡°So, who do you need to meet?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone who runs a tavern in this city... A friend, should I say? A colleague? Something like that.¡±


    Honestly, I barely remembered anything about Airi except that she had pink hair. I could have visited thest time I was in the city, but didn¡¯t.


    Lucinil tilted her head. ¡°A tavern? What¡¯s the connection between your grand vision for the reconstruction of the Dark Land and your colleague running a tavern at the southern edge of the continent?¡±


    ¡°It was supposed to be the first step towards gaining financial control over the empire, but the internal details are a bitplicated and hard to exin.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so? Then I¡¯ll just assume that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Lucinil seemed to ept my exnation as she absentmindedly watched the falling snowkes. She was the type to help with everything but in a hands-off manner, leaving things to take their own course. Eleris, on the other hand, was always curious about my intentions.


    It was as if Lucinil was saying, ¡°I¡¯ll help, but if you end up dead, it¡¯s not my fault.¡±


    I wondered if Eleris had been referring to this when she described Lucinil as being versatile.


    ¡°Anyway, please don¡¯t call me Archdemon anywhere. I¡¯d rather avoid attracting unwanted attention.¡±


    While I knew there wouldn¡¯t be anyone here who could recognize me, I had still changed my appearance from Reinhart to something entirely different.


    ¡°Got it. Arch¡ªum, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t in Reinhart¡¯s form, but I was still Reinhart. It wasn¡¯t exactly a rare name, so I let it slide.


    ***


    We entered Rajak and inquired about Airi¡¯s tavern. I didn¡¯t know the name of the ce, so I simply asked if there was a tavern nearby with many barmaids.


    When I had visited before, the tavern was so famous that it had almost caused family breakdowns throughout the city, so I thought I could find it just by asking around.


    However, when I asked a passerby, they frowned at me.


    ¡°Huh...? What are you talking about? That was ages ago.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡±


    ¡°That tavern closed down quite a while ago.¡±


    With that, the passerby walked off briskly.


    <i>¡®Closed down?¡¯</i>


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I had been busy with matters in the capital, so Eleris probably hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with the situation in the Edina Archipgo.


    <i>¡®Had something happened to Airi in the meantime?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It seems like the situation is a little strange,¡± Lucinilmented.


    ¡°... Indeed it is.¡±


    Lucinil and I stared at each other, but neither of us knew anything, so staring at each other wouldn¡¯t provide any answers to this situation.


    I continued walking down the street, stopping passersby to ask questions. Most of them knew about the tavern but said it had been closed for some time, so there was no point in going there.


    ¡°Oh, that tavern? What a shame. I used to go there quite often...¡±


    This man was clearly inebriated. He smacked his lips.


    ¡°Are the staff or... Are those people safe?¡±


    He frowned at my question. ¡°Safe? Safe, you say? Ha, hahaha... hahahaha...¡±


    Heughed as if he had heard the most ridiculous question and brushed past me. It seemed he was too drunk to provide any more answers.


    <i>¡®Has something happened to Airi and the subi? Were they discovered to be subi, and subjected to severe consequences or even death?</i>


    <i>¡®The business seemed to be doing well, but they seemed to be causing several family breakdowns. Did that be a growing issue and lead to public dissatisfaction?¡¯</i>


    These dreadful possibilities swirled about in my mind as I stopped another passerby. This time, it was a middle-aged woman.


    ¡°There was a famous tavern in Rajak with many barmaids, but it seems to have closed down. Do you know what happened?¡±


    The middle-aged woman frowned deeply at the unfamiliar person who had stopped her. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    I got straight to the point. ¡°Did they get hurt or... did something happen to them?¡±


    ¡°Hurt? Hurt, my ass.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Those women are so tough even ghosts wouldn¡¯t dare take them on. Hurt? I¡¯d rather they just drop dead!¡±


    The middle-aged woman spat on the ground disdainfully and turned away, going on her way.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this? What on earth is happening? From what she said, though it seems they¡¯re safe.¡¯ </i>


    The true answer came from the next person I asked.


    ¡°Oh, those women, you mean?¡± This person didn¡¯t seem interested in alcohol, and didn¡¯t seem to regret the tavern¡¯s closure. ¡°They left the tavern business and switched to moneylending quite some time ago.¡±


    ¡°... Moneylending?¡±


    ¡°Usury. You know, loan sharks.¡±


    <i>¡®What on earth is this person talking about?¡¯ </i>


    The old man I was speaking to pointed to arge stone building further inside Rajak, prominent even from a distance away.


    ¡°They don¡¯t deal with small fry like us anymore. They mainly lend to shipowners leading trade fleets or nobles, and it seems quite profitable. They must be doing well if they closed their old business.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that they¡¯d failed. On the contrary, they were doing so well that they no longer needed to run a tavern.


    As the passerby walked away, Lucinil grabbed my sleeve with a bewildered expression. ¡°Is this that thing you mentioned earlier about controlling the empire¡¯s financial power?¡±


    ¡°It... seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you look like you didn¡¯t expect this either?¡±


    I had only casually suggested trying to gain financial control over the empire.


    <i>¡®Did they really close the tavern and switch to moneylending within a year? How much money have they made?¡¯</i>


    Lucinil and I walked towards the stone building the passerby had pointed out.


    ***


    Airi¡¯s tavern had been quite sessful. Regr patrons seemed to regret their switch to moneylending. Usury, loansharking, moneylending¡ªwhatever it was called, the stone building in front of which we found ourselves in the middle of the night wasrge enough to seem like a legitimate financial institution.


    When the scale of a moneylending business grew, how different was it from a financial institution? I hade to Rajak expecting to see a bustling tavern, but instead, I was confronted with a massive stone building that was lit up even at this hour.


    It was built in a grand and elegant architectural style, and seemed more like a temple than a bank building.


    <i>¡®When did they build such a structure?¡¯</i>


    The name of the business was embossed at the entrance of the towering building.


    [Angel Capital]


    ¡°...¡±


    I was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about finance, but I think angels and moneylending are a really mismatchedbination,¡± Lucinil muttered, seemingly incredulous.


    ¡°... I think so too.¡±


    Even at night, the building wasn¡¯t closed, and bright lights streamed from inside. There was amotion going on at the entrance.


    A young woman in a ck suit and a middle-aged man with a protruding belly were standing there. Though it wasn¡¯t Airi, she seemed to be one of the subi I had rescued.


    ¡°Come on, let it slide just this once, won¡¯t you? I¡¯ve told you over and over that my funds are tied up.¡±


    ¡°Hey,e on now, Captain, I¡¯ve told you several times. Please adhere to the interest payment deadlines. Our finances are tight as well, so if our deadlines aren¡¯t met, we run into a lot of problems. I even lowered the interest rate for you, but instructed you to strictly adhere to the deadlines and warned you about the penalties for not doing so, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know. But how was I supposed to know things would turn out like this? Just give me one week, and I¡¯ll pay double, no, triple the overdue interest. Seriously, my funds are just suddenly andpletely blocked. This has never happened before.¡±


    ¡°Captain, please, I really want to help you because of our past rtionship, but I can¡¯t decide this on my own. I¡¯ve been strictly instructed to follow the guidelines. It¡¯s not about the amount of interest. We once allowed a customer to dy their interest payments, but that messed up our cash flow, causing a major business deal to fall through. Therefore, we can¡¯t make exceptions. I¡¯m really sorry, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yuria... I¡¯m begging you. Do I look like the kind of person who balks at paying a few pennies in interest? I¡¯m the captain of a Renos-ss trade ship. You know I wouldn¡¯t make a fuss over such a small amount. I¡¯ve never had to beg like this in my life. Please, for old times¡¯ sake, huh? Can¡¯t you do something? Do you think it makes sense to go bankrupt over such a small amount?¡±


    I felt a headacheing on as I observed the ongoingmotion.


    <i>¡®What on earth are they discussing?¡¯ </i>


    The middle-aged man¡¯s persistent pleading made Yuria, the subus, sigh deeply.


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no choice. Captain, you and I have known each other for quite some time. But please remember, this is a one-time thing, okay? If you¡¯rete with the payment again, it¡¯s not just you who will be in trouble; my neck will be on the line too, got it? Please, as much as you value me...¡±


    ¡°Of course! When have I ever broken a promise to you, huh? Except for this time, of course! Haha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll extend the deadline by a week then, but please be ready with the money by then. You know it will be difficult for me to do this on my own authority again, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course! In a week. I¡¯ll pay back not just double the interest, but the principal as well!¡±


    The middle-aged man, reassured by the extension of the interest deadline,ughed heartily and left. The subus, presumably named Yuria, who was working with the money lending firm, looked over at the two of us who were standing idly by the entrance.


    ¡°Are you visitors?¡±


    ¡°You could say that...¡±


    At my words, Yuria scratched her cheek apologetically.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Angel Capital provides financial services only to selected VIP clients, so we do not ept new customers. If you don¡¯t have a rmendation letter from an existing member, we cannot extend our services to you.¡±


    Usury... But a business that did not target ordinary citizens.


    I didn¡¯t know how they went from running a tavern to this, but judging by the scale, they had certainly made a significant leap.


    I wasn¡¯t in the form of Baalier or Reinhart, so they wouldn¡¯t recognize me.


    ¡°Tell the boss that thest remaining family member is here. She¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    There were many ways to summon Airi. Not by blood, but as thest remaining family member.


    The royal family of the Dark Land... Airi would understand that, aside from herself, the only other one was me.


    ¡°... Please follow me. This way.¡±


    And if Yuria was a subus, she would understand what I meant as well.

 Chapter 347 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 347 [Illustration]</h4>


    Yuria recognized who I was just from what I¡¯d said. There were few in the world who could introduce themselves not just as a friend, but in a way that only Airi could understand. I wasn¡¯t just family, but her <ist remaining </i>family.


    Lucinil and I were led into the building, where employees were quietly conversing in offices, possibly conducting loan consultations, even at this hour. There were those who didn¡¯t appear to be subi among them.


    We were led into a restricted area, inessible to outsiders, and saw several things behind the scenes. A subus employee was briefing several armed individuals on various precautions they were to take.


    ¡°Be careful not to cause any problems. Of course, most of what we do is legal repossession, as you all know. Let¡¯s keep it within bounds.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    They seemed to be debt collectors. The subus employee, who appeared to be in charge, nodded with her arms crossed.


    ¡°We don¡¯t care if people get hurt, but if the seized goods are damaged, that will be considered a loss. Remember, if you break something like a statue to intimidate someone, you¡¯ll be liable for damages.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I assume you know there will be problems if you don¡¯t resolve the collections within the deadline...¡±


    <i>¡®Could it be that even these debt collectors are ves?¡¯ </i>


    The gentle tone with which these ruthless words were being said made my head spin.


    <i>¡®Des Airi have a talent for this? How on earth did she get to be this way? I only just wrote about stuff in my room for a living. I can¡¯t fathom it!¡¯</i>


    Yuria led us through the building and up the stairs. We went up to the fourth floor, and stopped in front of a room with a sign that read ¡°President¡¯s Office.¡±


    <i>ng!</i>


    Yuria rang the bell to announce our presence and carefully opened the door.


    ¡ªWhat is it? I¡¯m busy.


    A voice, recognizable but with an unfamiliar sharpness, came from beyond the door.


    ¡°President, a very important guest has arrived.¡±


    ¡ªI said I¡¯m not meeting with any fleet owners or royalty yet. Tell them to leave.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s this about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Thest remaining family member... has arrived.¡±


    ¡ªFamily? What do you mean by family... oh...? Could it be¡ª?


    Before she finished speaking, hurried footsteps approached the door from the other side, and it swung open.


    Since we were in a private indoor area, there was no need to conceal my identity, so I used Sarkegar¡¯s ring to return to my original form as Baalier.


    The pink-haired Subus Queen, Airi, stood in front of me.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Airi regarded me in my Baalier form and then pulled me into a hug.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    ¡°Baalier...!¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh... Yeah... Have you been well?¡±


    I knew how much Airi cared for me, but I still felt awkward around her. Airi, overwhelmed with joy, held onto me for quite some time.


    ***


    Despite being named Angel Capital, the moneylending business seemed to lean more towards the demonic than the angelic.


    In the president¡¯s office, Lucinil, Airi, and I sat at a guest table. After a moment, a secretary brought out some tea.


    Lucinil covered her cup with her hand as Airi tried to pour tea for her, shaking her head.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to drink. You don¡¯t have to serve me.¡±


    Airi seemed puzzled. ¡°Oh, this is...?¡±


    ¡°If you know about Eleris, then you should also know about the Vampire Lords. I¡¯m Lucinil, head of the family of Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°Vampire Lord...?¡±


    Airi nodded nkly at Lucinil¡¯s introduction. Though I didn¡¯t fully understand why, Airi seemed quite surprised that I had secured the help of another Vampire Lord.


    ¡°... I¡¯ve managed to acquire some help, somehow,¡± I said to Airi.


    Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t sure what positions Sarkegar, Loyar, and Eleris held within the Demon King¡¯s army.


    I only knew that they had infiltrated the capital as part of a covert operation. In hindsight, I realized how little I knew about the Demon Realm and my subordinates. Airi regarded Lucinil for a moment before bowing her head slightly.


    ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t formed a bond of allegiance with Baalier. I¡¯m Airi.¡±


    With that brief introduction, Airi turned to me. ¡°You must have a lot of questions, Baalier.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. I thought you were just running a tavern. How did all thise about?¡±


    I had no idea what kind of business she was running, its scale, or how it was being conducted.


    ¡°A simple business has its limits when ites to seizing financial power.¡±


    That was a given, but pursuing such a lofty goal and achieving it was no simple task.


    Airi¡¯s ambition was to seize control of the empire¡¯s financial system and trigger an economic crisis. I had suggested it as a purpose for her to live, without expecting much, but Airi had taken it seriously and achieved far more than I had anticipated.


    ¡°At first, I knew nothing. I sought a lot of advice from my patrons.¡±


    It started with the tavern. Taverns naturally attracted people. In the early days, there were many issues with unruly customers, but Airi and the subi had no trouble handling drunken troublemakers.


    As word spread and more people began to frequent the tavern, Airi established a VIP system. A special service for those who spent outrageously on drinks.


    Through conversations with them, Airi deepened her understanding of finances. How to earn money, how to manage it, and how these wealthy individuals had made their fortunes. Some inherited wealth, others were naturally gifted, but many had started from scratch and seeded.


    ¡°I considered real estate and investments, but I judged that no other business could rapidly increase capital like this in the short term. So I started this venture.¡±


    ¡°... Is it that easy to start such a business?¡±


    ¡°More important than money are the connections one has with those who hold it.¡±


    While running the tavern, Airi had not only made money, but had also built a crucialwork. She borrowed when needed and received investments when necessary. All of this seemed remarkably easy for Airi.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not just about the money. Money is a tool that can be used to bind people.¡±


    Airi took a sip of her tea and then set the cup down with a sinister smile.


    ¡°By binding someone with debt, you can make them your ve, regardless of their status.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if these people were nobles, royals, or wealthy merchants. Money and debt were themselves powerful. By binding someone with massive debt, you owned them. Everything they had became yours, and they became a ve to your words.


    The Subus Queen, who had lost her horns, was doing something bizarre¡ªenving others not with allure and temptation, but with money. While moneylending itself had a negative image, Airi was doing it in a slightly different context.


    She wasn¡¯t doing it to make money. She was doing it to bind people, to make them her ves.


    ¡°... So what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°We no longer run the tavern, but we provide moneylending services to those former VIP clients. Rajak is a port city, bustling with ships heading to and from the continent. Captains and trade fleets aim to maximize profits by securing contracts for the most valuable goods headed to the continent, and they do the same when returning to Rajak. Traders make money by selling these goods, earning anywhere from four to five times to several dozen times the market price.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they can¡¯t do it with just their own money, so they take massive loans to secure the most expensive goods or secure investments. In return, they offer a share of the profitster on.¡±


    It was a means of receiving dividends in exchange for investing in trade fleets. I was familiar with such practices.


    ¡°People are greedy. Once they¡¯ve made a huge profit from a single trade, they don¡¯t just settle for trading safely by using their existing ships without incurring more debt. After seeing a profit, they take on more debt or seek out more investments in order to increase their fleet, hire more sailors and captains, and the cycle repeats endlessly. There are no exceptions.¡±


    Airi must have observed this behavior repeatedly. She¡¯d gotten a sense of the endless desires that humans had from listening to these captains who returned from their long voyages.


    ¡°Ship captains and fleet owners have such ambitions, and what moneylenders do is lend money at exorbitant interest rates to these greedy fleet owners. If they can¡¯t repay the debt, the lenders then seize the ships or trade goods. Since the interest rates are high, it¡¯s still profitable whether they get repaid or not. As long as the fleet isn¡¯t wiped out by a storm, they can¡¯t help but make money.¡±


    Airi didn¡¯t just observe the captains. She had listened intently to many influential figures who had visited from around the region.


    Captains who set sail on long voyages for the purposes of trade, fleet owners who hire those captains to captain their ships, and moneylenders who lend money to those fleet owners... Airi had learned about theplex hierarchy of organizations involved in making money from this industry while running the tavern.


    In Airi¡¯s case,though, there seemed to be a slightly different goal than just making money. She was enving them. That word carried a certain resonance.


    ¡°So I lend them money, and if they can¡¯t meet the interest deadlines, I raise the interest rates or charge additional fees. If that doesn¡¯t work, I demand shares in the fleet or additional shares of profits from the sale of trade goods.¡±


    It was clear that Airi was making a massive amount of money by managing capital.


    ¡°At this rate, though, it would take too long. So I¡¯m using a slightly different method.¡±


    Airi¡¯s dream was to seize control of the empire¡¯s financial system. Even though she had already achieved incredible sess, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m intentionally manipting the financial situations of captains, fleet owners, tradingpanies, and merchants who borrow from us. I make them borrow to their limits and ensure they have no spare funds when it¡¯s time to pay the interest.¡±


    ¡°... What?!¡±


    ¡°Simply put, I¡¯m forcing them into bankruptcy, through default after default after default. I brand them as unable to pay, and reduce their credit to zero. Then I can execute forced seizures.¡±


    I was stunned by the unexpected revtion. If one controlled the flow of money in the market, one could do such things by simply squeezing a financial channel.


    ¡°If I simultaneously bankrupt about threerge trade fleets, the moneylenders, merchants, and local fleets tied to the Edina Archipgo will copse along with them. It¡¯ll be a chain reaction of bankruptcies.¡±


    Ifrge trade fleets went bankrupt and seizures began, not only would the moneylenders expecting payment lose their ie, but the local fleets who were contracted to transport iing trade goods would also lose their cargo, and everyone involved in the business would copse together. It was like subcontractors going bankrupt following the copse of a major corporation.


    Airi calmly drank thest drop of tea from her cup.


    ¡°Once all therge fleets are gone, the merchants can¡¯t buy or sell traded goods. Captains lose their ships. Sailors lose their jobs. Sailors without money can¡¯t drink. Then, taverns can¡¯t sell alcohol and go bankrupt. Like dominoes, they all fall in a chain reaction. And then the economy bes paralyzed.¡±


    <i>¡®Was all that talk of enving others not her real goal? Bringing down a national economy? Why on earth...?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So you¡¯re not out to make money, but to cause an economic crisis? Why?¡± I asked, bewildered.


    Airi smiled slyly. ¡°The goal is to dismantle the trade fleet cartel of the Edina Archipgo.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Another unexpected revtion...


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°No matter how much money I have, it won¡¯t be enough to control the entire market. I could never raise enough capital on my own to do so.¡±


    Airi looked out the office window. ¡°This is all possible only because the Edinan Royal Bank is backing me.¡±


    She was essentially a moneylender with unlimited credit.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s impossible to construct a mega warp gate to connect the Edina Archipgo to the continent; it¡¯s that they can¡¯t build one even if they want to. If it were just a matter of distance, building another mega warp gate on an uninhabited ind along the route would solve the problem, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... No way.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible to build one because of the constant lobbying and obstruction led by the representatives of the trade fleet cartel.¡±


    The reason why the Edina Archipgo did not have a mega warp gate was not because of practical reasons. It was because of opposition fromrge interest groups whose profits depended on maritime trade.


    Despite all her previous talk of royalty and such, Airi had made a secret pact with the Edina Archipgo¡¯s royal family.


    ¡°If the chain bankruptcies triggered by the copse of the trading fleets lead to an economic crisis, they¡¯ll have no choice but to ept the construction of a mega warp gate to improve the overall economic outlook of the Edina Archipgo. This will give the Edenian royal family the mandate to coborate with the empire to push for the construction of a mega warp gate.¡±


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    It was both shocking and surprising. I had purposely sent her to a ce far from the empire¡¯s reach, and now, she was trying to build a bridge herself.


    I was at a loss for words.


    ¡°In return, I get about ny percent of the profits from the operation of the mega warp gate.¡±


    What she was after was not the control of theserge trade fleets, but their copse. And after that, a near monopoly on the trade rights between the Edina Archipgo and the continent. That was the picture Airi was painting.


    ***


    ¡°I sent you here, a ce far from the empire¡¯s reach, and now you¡¯re trying to build a bridge. How am I supposed to take this?¡± I grumbled.


    Airi shed a grim smile. ¡°You¡¯re walking on thin ice in the imperial capital, and I don¡¯t want to believe that you¡¯ll solve everything for me while I sit safely here without taking any risks.¡±


    Airi believed there was something she could do and wanted to do something, anything. She had even talked about selling themselves as ves to humans to raise capital.


    Airi wasn¡¯t just relying on her own strength; she had connections with the Edinan royal family. Without that, she couldn¡¯t have pursued a business of this scale.


    ¡°Anyway, the Edina Archipgo relies too heavily on maritime trade. But if a mega warp gate connecting the continent and the archipgo is built, the social costs incurred by the need to operate these fleets will decrease, and the economic situation will improve significantly. That¡¯s why the royal family has been pushing to build a mega warp gate for a long time.¡±


    ¡°And those involved in the maritime trade have been blocking it continuously?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Without the warp gate, those involved in the maritime trade were indispensable in the Edina Archipgo.


    ¡°When discussions about building a warp gate began, the maritime trade cartels threatened to strike and paralyze the national economy. They¡¯ve done it before, and each time the economy has faltered. A mega warp gate can¡¯t be built overnight, so the question was always whether the economy could weather theplete paralysis of maritime trade during that time.¡±


    The maritime trade cartels had a stranglehold on the Edina Archipgo, and hadplete control over their economic fate. Though their practical utility has diminished, they managed to maintain their dominance over the Edina Archipgo through strikes and the threat of strikes.


    ¡°Because of this, the royal family wants to eliminate the maritime trade cartels altogether. They believe that, despite the bloodshed and chaos that could ensue, it¡¯s better to build a mega warp gate andpletely dismantle the cartel. And if I fail, the royal family can simply cut ties.¡±


    If Airi¡¯s intentions to dismantle the entire maritime trade cartel be apparent and she bes their target, the royal family could always withdraw their support.


    ¡°It¡¯s too risky,¡± I said.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Even if everything goes as you say, there¡¯s a real possibility that the Edinan royal family might betray youter on.¡±


    If things went wrong, they could always cut ties, and even if things went ording to Airi¡¯s n, it was possible that the royal family would discard her once she served her purpose. She was shouldering an excessivelyrge risk.


    ¡°No, Baalier, that won¡¯t happen,¡± Airi said confidently.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°You know why.¡± Airi gave a subtle smile. ¡°We¡¯re just too easy to love.¡±


    The fleet owners she intended to bring down and the members of the royal family who were secretly coborating with her... She knew that they would never abandon her because they were utterly infatuated with her.


    The Queen of the Subi... Even without her horns, Airi hadn¡¯t lost that kind of confidence.


    ¡°Some might already see my actions as suspicious or think that I¡¯ve crossed a line. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t do business with civilians who don¡¯t know me well or haven¡¯t seen me much.¡±


    To her, it was just a matter of ying with those already enamored with her.


    Airi reassured me that there was nothing to worry about.

 Chapter 348

    <h4>Chapter 348</h4>


    Although shecked the Charm ability characteristic of subi, Airi seemed to have seeded in charming the local influential figures while running her tavern as if she didn¡¯t need such an ability in the first ce.


    That had been the most important stage. Now that the work was underway, Airi did not foresee any significant difficulties.


    All that was left was deceiving and exploiting those whose hearts she had already won.


    I wondered how she nned to handle the malice of those people once everything was over. Did she already have a n for that?


    Just as I was taking risks in my own way, Airi was willing to take her own risks, even if I didn¡¯t want her to.


    ¡°Just wait a little longer, Baalier,¡± Airi said as she smiled at me. ¡°The day when I can offer you the Edina Archipgo isn¡¯t far off.¡±


    She intended to swallow the entire Edina Archipgo, beyond just monopolizing trade rights. When I first met the subus captives, I just wanted them to live peacefully. When I spoke about seizing control of the empire¡¯s financial system, it was only to give them a purpose in life, in case they needed one to dream about.


    Having seen all of what Airi had aplished so far, though, I couldn¡¯t help but think that such a goal was truly within her reach.


    ¡°Anyway, my opinion remains the same. Try to avoid excessively risky endeavors.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thanks for worrying about me.¡±


    We might have been rivals originally, but after I saved her, Airi¡¯s attitude towards me changed. I never knew what past we shared, so I didn¡¯t think much about it.


    In the process of checking on how Airi was doing in the Edina Archipgo, I¡¯d ended up learning some unexpected things. If Airi seeded in her endeavor, it might prove useful to meter on, but I couldn¡¯t say what that usefulness was at the moment.


    Finally, I could bring up the main topic.


    ¡°By the way, the reason I came here is because I have something I¡¯m curious about.¡±


    ¡°Curious? About what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be returning to the Demon King¡¯s Castle soon, and I want to know what¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°... The Demon King¡¯s Castle?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The imperial army is still stationed there. Even if you¡¯re disguised as a human...¡±


    ¡°I have permission from the imperial family to enter, so that¡¯s not an issue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see... But what do you want to ask me...? Oh right, you lost your memory...¡±


    Airi seemed to have a rough idea of what I was looking for in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and did not seem to care about the reason for my return.


    ¡°There are restricted areas in the Demon King¡¯s Castle that were only essible to demon royalty, but the humans have probably searched those areas thoroughly. So I doubt anything useful is left...¡±


    Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana were hoping to find something, anything, to help her condition by visiting the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Even if whatever was left there wasn¡¯t rted to saving Charlotte, though, I still wanted to know what it was.


    There were probably people stationed around the Demon King¡¯s Castle who were conducting research or expeditions, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to visit it anytime I wanted to even if I was in Reinhart¡¯s form. This could be my only chance.


    From what Airi said, there were indeed restricted areas essible only to demon royalty. But if these weren¡¯t hidden behind physical barriers, and if they had already been looted, there might be nothing to gain. Airi furrowed her brow, deep in thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but there are definitely ces within the Demon King¡¯s Castle that were only essible by the Demon King. Of course, such areas would have been thoroughly sealed to prevent just anyone from entering... If so, it¡¯s possible that humans haven¡¯t discovered them yet.¡±


    Airi¡¯s tone carried some doubt, as if she wasn¡¯t quite sure herself.


    ¡°How do you know there¡¯s such a ce?¡±


    ¡°... The previous Demon King would asionally take you somewhere within the Demon King¡¯s Castle.¡±


    Airi, who had memories of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, had many experiences with Baalier, so she knew about things rted to the Demon King¡¯s Castle that I, without Baalier¡¯s memories, didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where he took you. Even when I asked my mother about it, she wouldn¡¯t tell me, saying it was a secret. She seemed to know something, though.¡±


    ¡°So there is some kind of secret space?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I don¡¯t know exactly what sort of ce it is, though.¡±


    A ce where the previous Demon King asionally took Baalier...


    Airi¡¯s mother, who had been one of the Four Demon Lords, knew something about it but never told Airi. It was possible that humans had already uncovered that ce, but there was also a chance that they hadn¡¯t.


    A secret ce inside the Demon King¡¯s Castle where the previous Demon King asionally took his son... Something had to be there. Whether it contained a way to save Charlotte or a powerful artifact, I needed to find out.


    ***


    With that, my brief middle-of-the-night reunion with Airi concluded.


    ¡°Could you stay for a few more days?¡± Airi asked, looking at me with a hint of regret as I made preparations to leave immediately.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Airi lowered her eyes gently.


    We had been more than just rivals; originally, Baalier had been a spoiled brat, relying on his father¡¯s power, while Airi, the daughter of the Subus Queen, was the one who put him in his ce. Now that the Demon Realm had been destroyed, we were thest two remaining royals of a fallen kingdom.


    Airi seemed to regret my sudden visit and departure. She approached me and gently took my hands.


    ¡°Stay safe, Baalier.¡±


    As I met her gaze, I felt a strange emotion that gave me a sense of unease. Was it because subi were so naturally easy to be attracted to? No, that wasn¡¯t it. I wasn¡¯t Baalier, but I felt as if Baalier was reacting in some strange way.


    I felt a peculiar certainty that Baalier must have liked Airi. Just by looking into Airi¡¯s eyes, I felt a strange sensation that gave me that certainty. In the original history, Airi would have be a ve in the empire, and Baalier would have died wandering the wilderness.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t really Baalier, nor was I captivated by the subus race. So I simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she responded.


    I only offered Airi a simple word of concern, stemming from a sense of camaraderie.


    ***


    Just as quickly as I had gone to the Edina Archipgo, I returned. Lucinil offered to apany me to the Demon King¡¯s Castle so that she could keep an eye on things nearby, but I declined her offer.


    The area around the Demon King¡¯s Castle was already firmly in human hands, and I had Sabioleen Tana as mypanion. If she and Lucinil were to meet, it could lead to even strangerplications. It seemed better for Lucinil to stay in the capital and assist with Sarkegar¡¯s mission.


    There was a secret space within the Demon King¡¯s Castle, but neither Airi nor I knew where it was. And if I found it, I would need to enter it without being seen by anyone else, but I still didn¡¯t have a solid n for that.


    Fortunately, Charlotte¡¯s condition hadn¡¯t worsened before the time came to depart for the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Sabioleen Tana came to the Royal ss dormitory and discreetly summoned me.


    It was nighttime. I stood facing Sabioleen Tana in a dimly lit area outside the Royal ss dormitory.


    ¡°His Majesty has granted permission. We depart in two days,¡± she said.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered calmly.


    Sabioleen Tana suddenly grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes with a serious expression.


    ¡°Reinhart, I asked you toe with me out of my own desire, but it seems you don¡¯t fully understand the risks involved in this.¡±


    ¡°... Risks?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Her Highness the Princess is absolutely not in favor of you apanying us.¡±


    Charlotte had thanked me for agreeing toe, but had also said it was dangerous and that I didn¡¯t have to go.


    <i>¡®So that¡¯s what¡¯s been troubling her these past few days... Is there a potential threat inside the Demon King¡¯s Castle that hasn¡¯t been fully assessed yet? Is Charlotte against me apanying them because she thinks I¡¯ve already taken too many risks for her sake?¡¯</i>


    ¡°If there¡¯s danger within the Demon King¡¯s Castle...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana shook her head, indicating that I was missing the point entirely. ¡°No, that¡¯s not the issue. I¡¯m not interested in politics, nor should I be, but I¡¯m in a position where I don¡¯t have to be involved in political matters. This isn¡¯t boasting; it¡¯s simply a fact.¡±


    She was the strongest knight on the continent. Her influence and authority alone allowed her to live a life detached from politics if she wished. But I wasn¡¯t in the same position, and I knew that.


    A weak person living in the midst of a political storm cannot remain neutral. That only bes possible once power or influence is secured.


    When she mentioned politics instead of physical danger, I began to understand what Sabioleen Tana was getting at.


    ¡°Are you talking about... Vertus?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vertus and Charlotte... I had momentarily forgotten about the issues between them. Charlotte valued me, and Vertus hadn¡¯t taken any special actions against me for quite some time.


    ... Except for the incident where I had been caught going for the cross-dressingpetition.


    ¡°There are many people inside the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and the fact that Her Highness and I are heading there cannot be easily concealed. If youe with us, that fact will eventually be known. Whether or not you disguise yourself, people will notice that you were absent from the Temple while we were as well. Just that alone will allow His Highness to deduce that you were with us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If I went to the Demon King¡¯s Castle with Charlotte, Vertus would eventually find out, sooner orter. That would give Vertus confirmation that I had firmly sided with Charlotte.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already been given the imperial emblem, and His Highness will soon know that you are the master of Tiamata.¡±


    There was also the matter of me being Ouen''s Champion.


    The fact that Ellen and I had been given the imperial emblem together might not be known to the general public, but that information would certainly not elude Vertus. Not only had my importance increased significantly, but it would also be clear that I was siding with Charlotte.


    Just by going to the Demon King¡¯s Castle, I would inevitably make an enemy of Vertus in the future.


    Sabioleen Tana might not have entangled herself in political matters, but she was not ignorant of politics. She seemed to be giving me a final warning, knowing that I might not have fully understood the real danger of this situation.


    ¡°This is thest time, Reinhart. It¡¯s strange for me to say this after asking you toe, but if you judge this to be too dangerous, you don¡¯t have toe. That is Her Highness¡¯s wish as well.¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t want to put me in danger any longer. If I went to the Demon King¡¯s Castle with her, I would make Vertus my enemy in the future.


    <i>¡®But what would change if I stayed put? The fact that I¡¯m Ouen''s Champion would soon be revealed anyway.¡¯</i>


    I needed to know not only if there was a way to treat Charlotte¡¯s condition, but also what remained in the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    On top of that, I knew that Sabioleen Tana and Charlotte¡¯s concerns were unfounded.


    The imperial emblem had been given to me, and that alone already spoke volumes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Vertus is foolish enough to act recklessly against Ouen''s Champion.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A treatment akin to royalty? No, it was even more than that.


    At this point, Ellen and I were more important to humanity than the prince, princess, or even the emperor himself. If Vertus were to try to harm me just because I was on Charlotte¡¯s side, he would face the wrath of an enraged emperor.


    Ellen and I are considered expendable tools whose sole purpose was to oppose the Demon King, but until the time we fulfilled our roles and became expendable, we would be treated as the most important individuals on the continent. Ragan Artorius might not have used such political advantages, but there was no rule saying I couldn¡¯t.


    Vertus wouldn¡¯t be able to touch me. He absolutely could not touch me, unless he were to reveal my true identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    Once Vertus became my enemy, though could I truly keep my identity hidden? That remained uncertain.


    ¡°... Alright, I¡¯ll convey that to Her Highness.¡±


    I knew that my predetermined fate was approaching, and I couldn¡¯t hide my identity forever.


    ***


    Ouen''s Champion... That title would protect me in all circumstances and situations.


    I had exposed the remnants of the Demon Realm to heighten humanity¡¯s sense of crisis, and by revealing myself as Ouen''s Champion, I¡¯ve established a political basis to protect myself.


    On the surface, it seemed a malicious act, pretending to be the savior in a crisis I had instigated to secure my position. Eleris¡¯sment that Tiamata would serve more as a political tool than an actual weapon turned out to be true.


    ¡°Reinhart. It¡¯s really okay. We won¡¯t be there long, you don¡¯t have to be there...¡± Charlotte said, trailing off.


    We were set to depart for the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Charlotte was looking at me with a gloomy expression.


    She was grateful, but she always seemed guilty that she was always receiving help from me without being able to give anything in return. This was still a rtively risky endeavor, no matter how solid my political standing was.


    She was still hoping that I would change my mind, even on the day of our departure.


    ¡°When things went wrong, you came running to me in your pajamas, crying and clinging to me, and now you¡¯re saying this?¡±


    ¡°W-What?!¡±


    My sudden remark struck Charlotte dumb. Sabioleen Tana, who had finished making the preparations for our departure, also looked bewildered by my unexpected outburst.


    ¡°When things go wrong, crying out ¡®Reinhart, Reinhart!¡¯ won¡¯t help. So keep quiet, and let¡¯s just go together.¡±


    ¡°Y-You... How can you s-say... say things like that?!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned red and blue as she started jabbing her finger at me.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better if you show your anger like this.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Seeing Charlotte looking so guilty and apologetic was more painful to me.


    ¡°It makes me feel more at ease.¡±


    Charlotte stared at me nkly, her lips trembling, and she finally yelled, ¡°You¡¯re really... You¡¯re a strange guy who makes people feel grateful, then hate you, and then feel grateful again!¡±


    Charlotte stormed off, and Sabioleen Tana sighed as she looked at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange enough that you say things that should get you arrested for treason without a care, but it¡¯s even stranger that I¡¯m getting used to your antics.¡±


    Under normal circumstances, she would have reprimanded me for being disrespectful, but she was so used to my behavior that she merely felt bewildered and didn¡¯t intervene.


    The fact that she was getting used to it all seemed to befuddle her.

 Chapter 349

    <h4>Chapter 349</h4>


    I had gone to the Dark Land during my summer vacation, and this time, during the winter vacation, I was heading there again.


    Of course, mypanion this time wasn¡¯t Ellen, the future hero. I was apanied by the princess and the continent¡¯s greatest swordswoman.


    Ellen and I had not ventured that far into the Dark Land. This time, mypanions and I were heading to the Demon King¡¯s Castle, which was located deep within the Dark Land.


    The Allied Forces had advanced in a straight line through the Dark Land to capture the Demon King¡¯s Castle and had seeded in their assault, but they did not explore the areas beyond their route of advance.


    The continued exploration and development of the Dark Land was continuing under the leadership of the adventurers, but they too had yet to explore vast swathes of the uncharted territory.


    Our group consisted of just the three of us: Sabioleen Tana, Charlotte, and myself. We did not need additional attendants or troops to escort us, and mobilizing arge force would only cause unnecessarymotion.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to pass through quite a few warp gates, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    To maintain their supply lines, the Allied Forces constructed warp gates at regr intervals as they advanced to maintain their supply lines. Naturally, these warp gates had be major targets for the Demon King¡¯s army during the war.


    The n was to pass through several mega warp gates to reach the Egxian Forward Base, then activate the dormant warp gates along the route that the Allied Forces had taken to reach the Demon King¡¯s Castle directly.


    It would take some time to activate the dormant gates, but since a warp gate had been installed right in front of the Demon King¡¯s Castle after the war, the actual travel time would not be too excessive.


    Charlotte wore a tense expression. The Demon King¡¯s Castle had to have been a hellish ce for her. She was returning to a ce she never wanted to go back to, hoping to find even a small clue to resolve her condition.


    Charlotte was undoubtedly feeling a set ofplex emotions, and so was I.


    ***


    At present, the Demon King¡¯s Castle was upied by the imperial army. Although the Allied Forces had thoroughly looted the castle, aplete search and investigation of the entire castle had not yet beenpleted.


    My party quickly traveled through the warp gates and passed through the Egxian Forward Base. Almost too quickly, we had arrived in front of the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte and I looked wordlessly at the deste silhouette of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. The massive gray castle stood in the middle of the wilderness, under the bright winter sky. The traces of devastation left by the war were still evident.


    The castle itself wasn¡¯t in ruins, but the walls bore the marks of countless spells and siege weapons.


    ¡°So this... is the Demon King¡¯s Castle.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana, who hadn¡¯t participated in the Great War, was seeing the Demon King¡¯s Castle for the first time. I couldn¡¯t tell what she felt as she regarded the remnants of humanity¡¯s great victory.


    Even though Vertus would eventually find out about our mission, we had no intention of announcing our presence. Having notable figures appear at the garrison would undoubtedly cause unnecessarymotion.


    The three of us donned robes as we approached the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. I am Count Alfreid, the suprememander of the Demon King¡¯s Castle garrison.¡±


    Themander, who had been informed of our arrival in advance, came out alone to greet us. It was clear that Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana had taken care to avoid unnecessary disturbances.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Count Alfreid.¡±


    Vertus likely already suspected that Charlotte¡¯s power was rted to the Demon King. He just hadn¡¯t used it as a weapon yet.


    Charlotte whispered to me as we walked, exining that she was here under the pretext of inspecting the Demon King¡¯s Castle garrison.


    Although the warp gate here wasn¡¯t always active, the garrison seemed well-supplied.


    Proper buildings¡ªnot just tents¡ªhad been constructed around the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and the garrison appeared to be focused more on research and exploration thanbat.


    We followed Count Alfreid, themander, into the garrison headquarters.


    Our visit wasn¡¯t exactly top secret, but it hadn¡¯t been publicized either. Only a select few, including themander, knew of our presence. I didn¡¯t bother introducing myself to Count Alfreid, and he seemed to assume I was just an attendant.


    After a brief meal with themander, he led us to the map room of the headquarters. Charlotte¡¯s official purpose was to be updated on the investigation of the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    In the center of the room was a scale model of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and the walls were covered with drawings that appeared to be ns of the castle.


    ¡°The Demon King¡¯s Castle is enormous, as it was the residence of the Demon King. We haven¡¯tpleted our exploration of it yet.¡±


    ¡°... Is it that extensive?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scale model detailed even the copsed sections of the castle walls. The Demon King¡¯s Castle was indeed vast. It was on a grand scaleparable to the Imperial City of Emperatos.


    Unlike the Imperial City, which had a pce located along each cardinal direction, the Demon King¡¯s Castle consisted of a massive central pce surrounded by numerousrge auxiliary buildings.


    Themander seemed to take Charlotte¡¯s words as a reprimand for not having done more, and he mumbled with a troubled expression, ¡°There are still areas where traps are active, so we¡¯re proceeding cautiously. The priority is to prevent casualties as we strive to fully understand theyout...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not urgent, so I think it¡¯s right to proceed cautiously,¡± said Charlotte. ¡°I wasn¡¯t reprimanding you, Commander.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    The Demon King¡¯s Castle hadn¡¯t been fully explored yet, not only because of its vast size, but because there were still active traps around thepound.


    All the visible structures had been modeled, but there were still unexplored areas marked out on the ns.


    Themander pointed to the ns and to the model as he began exining to us the areas of the castlepound that had already been explored. The massive auxiliary building,parable to a pce, was a barracks.


    It felt strange to be learning about something I, a prince of the Demon Realm, should have known from the garrisonmander.


    ¡°The barracks likely housed a standing army. However, no matter howrge thepound is, it couldn¡¯t have amodated all the demons and monsters we fought during the Great War. It¡¯s presumed that they summoned demons from other regions.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    The Demon King¡¯s Castle had been defended by far more troops than it could normally amodate.


    Themander added that the Demon King¡¯s Castle wouldn¡¯t have had such arge standing force during peacetime.


    ¡°The first floor of the Demon King¡¯s Pce contains facilities for living, such as dining halls and banquet rooms. Do you see this central courtyard?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was a wide, open space in the center of the Demon King¡¯s Pce, filled with destroyed columns and statues. Even the debris was intricately represented.


    Even though it was just a model, it conveyed the sense that a massive battle had taken ce here.


    ¡°Is that... the ce?¡± Charlotte asked as she looked at themander, and he nodded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± themander confirmed.


    The vast courtyard of the Demon King¡¯s Pce...


    ¡°This is where Ragan Artorius and the Demon King fought.¡±


    The central courtyard of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, where the hero and the Demon King had shed. Although neither Charlotte nor I had witnessed the battle, we had both heard the earth-shattering explosions that seemed to herald the end of the world.


    Charlotte shivered slightly, and I swallowed hard.


    The traces of the Demon King... Charlotte¡¯s vague hope was that, bying into contact with those traces, she might learn something or find a way to resolve her condition.


    ¡°I need to see this ce for myself.¡±


    It was only natural that Charlotte would say that.


    ***


    The Demon King¡¯s Castle was far enough away that we had to ride horses to get there. I had learned horseback riding at the Temple, so I was now capable of riding without difficulty.


    The Demon King¡¯s Castle was under investigation, so no one was living inside unless they had a specific mission. As a result, arge settlement, or garrison, had formed around the castle.


    Whether there had been a demon vige around the Demon King¡¯s Castle, like the human capital, was unknown. If there hadn¡¯t been, then it made sense that no traces were found. If there had been, it would have been wiped out in the war, without leaving a trace.


    ¡°Which areas are currently confirmed to be safe?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°All the auxiliary buildings are confirmed to be safe, and there are no active traps on the ground floor of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. However, the underground levels are still dangerous, so you should avoid going down there if possible. As long as you don¡¯t head too deep underground, you should be able to move around freely without much issue,¡± themander replied.


    That statement implied there was nothing to gain by merely exploring the ground floor of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. If I wanted to find what I was looking for, it seemed I would have to go underground.


    Charlotte, riding alongside themander, asked, ¡°Have many soldiers fallen victim to the traps?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just regr soldiers. Even skilled rangers, knights, and even mages have been caught. It¡¯s fortunate if they only suffer physical injuries. Those who stumble into mental magic traps can end up with their mindspletely broken. That¡¯s why we¡¯re being extra cautious with the underground exploration.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Is it that severe?¡±


    These weren¡¯t just traps in some remote dungeon; they were traps in the Demon King¡¯s Castle. When she heard that people could die or bepletely incapacitated if they triggered them, Charlotte let out a small sigh.


    The issue with Vertus aside, the Demon King¡¯s Castle wasn¡¯t a particrly safe ce.


    Themander repeatedly emphasized that the underground areas hadn¡¯t been fully assessed for safety and should be avoided. However, I was sure Charlotte, Tana, and I all shared the same thought.


    <i>¡®If there¡¯s anything to find, the clues would be underground.¡¯</i>


    We soon found ourselves in front of the grand and imposing entrance of the Demon King¡¯s Pce.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The girl who had been assumed to be a poor hostage kidnapped and taken to the Demon King¡¯s Castle had, in fact, been a princess. And the princess, upon being rescued, had instinctively known that she was going to die.


    Returning with Dyrus, obtaining the Teleport scroll, and fleeing from the clutches of the Duke of Salerion¡¯s knights, riding with all his might.


    Without me, Charlotte would have died.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s Charlotte thinking? Is she recalling the fear, pain, and horror?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    When I nced over at Charlotte, her expression seemed filled with sadness. She did not seem consumed by anger or pain.


    I didn¡¯t need to ask to know what she was thinking about. She was likely thinking about Baalier. The one who had saved her but then disappeared suddenly, with whom she exchanged letters for a while before he cut off all contact. Now, she had to ponder in anguish about who he really was. And here I was, standing beside her as Reinhart.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± Charlotte said, dismounting with a determined air.


    ***


    The path to the central courtyard of the Demon King¡¯s Pce wasn¡¯t overlyplicated, but the scale of the pce was so vast that we had to traverse long, wide corridors and pass through several halls. The traces of battle were still evident within the castle.


    ¡°Of course... Your Highness knows best, but... after the Demon King died, all the demons surrendered.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose so.¡±


    As we walked, themander pointed out the battle scars in the massive halls of the pce. ¡°Most of the traces of battle inside the pce are from the hero¡¯s party.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    The gates of the Demon King¡¯s Castle had only fallen with the death of the Demon King. And once the demon army surrendered, all fighting had ceased. There had been no fighting inside the pce between the Demon King¡¯s army and the Allied Forces.


    Most of the damage to the furnishings, statues, and walls had been caused by the fighting between the Demon King¡¯s forces inside the pce and the hero¡¯s party.


    Themander pointed out various things as we walked through the pce. There was a sense of pride in his voice. Humanity¡¯s great victory... The Demon King¡¯s Castle was like a museum, a living record of that victory. It seemed he viewed it that way, and he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.


    Themander stopped in front of a copsed wall in what appeared to be a massive dining hall and bowed his head slightly.


    A single white flowery in front of him.


    ¡°This is where the body of Raghdna Olfi was found.¡±


    This was the ce where the body of one of the members of the hero¡¯s party had been discovered. After the Demon King¡¯s death, all the bodies had likely been recovered. The bodies of the hero and his party would have been found throughout the Demon King¡¯s Castle, where the battle had taken ce.


    The retrieval party would have recorded where each body had been found.


    ¡°Over there was the body of one of the Four Demon Lords, Arquirion.¡±


    Raghdna Olfi was the ranger in the party. I hadn¡¯t officially established who the Four Demon Lords were, so I hadn¡¯t heard of Arquirion. All I had established was that the members of the hero¡¯s party had died one by one as they defeated the Four Demon Lords, and in the end, only Ragan Artorius remained to face the Demon King.


    It was a clich¨¦ for the hero¡¯s party to face the Four Demon Lords one by one, and I had written it in that way without putting much thought into it. Perhaps there was some reason as to why the Four Demon Lords had faced the hero¡¯s party one by one, but it was toote to find out.


    Sabioleen Tana and Charlotte bowed their heads in silence, following themander¡¯s lead, and I did the same. We hadn¡¯t exactly asked for a tour, but themander seemed to consider it his duty to guide us.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t a hall, but a massive corridor. There, too,y a white flower that seemed to have been ced recently. It seemed someone¡ªthemander, or someone else¡ªbrought in fresh flowers every day.


    The columns on either side of the corridor had copsed, and somewhere among the fallen pirs, themander paused for another moment of silence.


    ¡°This is where the body of Merlern was found...¡±


    Merlern, the mage of the hero¡¯s party.


    ¡°... Along with the body of one of the Four Demon Lords, the Subus Queen Reyna.¡±


    Subus Queen Reyna had been Airi¡¯s mother. I¡¯d heard that name before, and it carried significant weight.


    Themander gazed at the remnants of destruction as he spoke.


    ¡°The Subus Queen Reyna was a significant threat. On the nights when she exerted her influence, tens of thousands of soldiers feared being ensnared by nightmares and were unable to sleep. Those who sumbed to sleep often never woke up.¡±


    He emphasized several times that the true terror of the Subus Queen was her nature as a demon of nightmares. While she might not have been able to prate the minds of those with strong wills or anti-magic training, countless soldiers without such resistance fell victim to her nightmares.


    ¡°In fact, aside from Larken Simonstite, the Subus Queen and her kin were likely responsible for the most allied casualties.¡±


    It seemed like Sabioleen Tana flinched slightly at the mention of Larken Simonstite. Or was it just my imagination?


    Themander moved on. ¡°Given the circumstances, it seems likely that Merlern overextended his magical powers to save hisrades from the Subus Queen¡¯s powerful enchantment...¡±


    Count Alfreid, themander, led us to each location where the bodies of the other members of the hero¡¯s party had been found, one by one. Our original purpose was to see where Ragan Artorius and the Demon King Baalier had fought, but Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    The hero¡¯s party had saved her life, so she felt a duty to acknowledge that.


    After passing the ce where the cleric Sheydin died, we reached the spot where the magic-wielding swordsman Seijaria, presumed to be one of thest two standing with Ragan Artorius, had fallen. Themander let out a sigh.


    ¡°This is where the bodies of Larken Simonstite, the foremost of the Four Demon Lords, and Seijaria were found. It¡¯s presumed that the battle between Ragan Artorius and the Demon King urred immediately afterward.¡±


    <i>¡®Larken Simonstite...¡¯</i>


    I heard he had tutored both Airi and I in swordsmanship. I had been the cker, while Airi had been the diligent student. Of course, I didn¡¯t know much about him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana stood there silently, observing the site where an intense battle must have taken ce. Her expression hardened. ¡°I wanted to kill him with my own hands.¡±


    Her fingertips trembled slightly. Neither Charlotte nor themander said anything, as if they already knew.


    I was the only one who didn¡¯t understand why Sabioleen Tana would say such a thing. Sensing my confusion, she gave me a rueful smile.


    ¡°He was my mentor.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?!¡± I was utterly taken aback by the unexpected revtion. My shock drew the attention of both Charlotte and themander.


    ¡°You... learned swordsmanship from a demon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana crossed her arms and murmured softly, ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know. Well... it¡¯s possible that you wouldn¡¯t have known this. Larken Simonstite was human.¡±


    <i>¡®What? One of the top-ranked Four Demon Lords was actually human? Isn¡¯t it a big deal not to know this?¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, they all believed I was from a humble background, and so my ignorance was epted.


    A chill ran down my spine.


    ¡°He was a traitor to the empire, and deserved to be torn apart,¡± Sabioleen Tana¡¯s eyes burned with a quiet fury.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it...</i>


    <i>¡®¡°Yes, His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess learned swordsmanship from Sir Larken Simonstite, the First of the Four Demon Lords.¡±</i>


    <i>¡®In hindsight, The title ¡°Sir¡± is a title fit for a knight, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 350

    <h4>Chapter 350</h4>


    Sabioleen Tana gave a brief background on Larken Simonstite.


    Larken Simonstite had been themander of Shanapell when Sabioleen Tana, who had since advanced in years, was a neer. At the time, he also held the title of the strongest swordsman on the continent, just as Sabioleen Tana did in the current time period.


    Larken Simonstite sought to groom Sabioleen Tana as the nextmander of Shanapell, and taught her many things in the process. Even though she was an extraordinary genius, she had topletely overhaul everything she¡¯d learned at the Temple. Through rigorous training, she eventually became the captain of the first unit of Shanapell.


    Larken Simonstite was already past eighty when Sabioleen Tana first joined. Although, like Sabioleen Tana, his aging had slowed due to constant training and use of Mana Maniption, he had long passed the age of retirement.


    His focus had turned to nurturing the next generation, and once Sabioleen Tana¡¯s skills had begun to develop along the right track, he handed over themand of Shanapell to someone else and retired. No one found it particrly strange, and they all believed he would head off to spend his remaining years in quiet retirement.


    As the sense of crisis surrounding the Great War intensified, the empire looked to gather its strength and sought the help of the retired Grandmaster. However, quite unexpectedly, Larken Simonstite had be one of the Four Demon Lords of the Demon King¡¯s army. Moreover, he had been given the weighty title of first among all the Four Demon Lords.


    I did not know anything about the Four Demon Lords, especially not that one of them had been human, and that this individual had been Sabioleen Tana¡¯s mentor. I hardly mentioned the dead Demon King in the original work, so there was no reason to mention the Four Demon Lords either.


    Even during my time in this world, I had heard conversations about the Demon King, but there had never been a reason to talk about the Four Demon Lords. It was bizarre that everyone else seemed to have this knowledge except me.


    ¡°Why did he be one of the Four Demon Lords of the Dark Land...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sabioleen Tana said as she shook her head. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll never know.¡±


    I had written Sabioleen Tana as a character that felt guilty for not participating in the Great War. Beneath all of that, though, was an underlying history that I had no knowledge about.


    <i>¡®Why did Larken Simonstite betray humanity and side with the Dark Land? Would Sarkegar, Loyar, or Eleris know, perhaps?¡¯ </i>


    I hadn¡¯t asked them any questions rted to the Four Demon Lords because I just wasn¡¯t that curious about it before, but hearing all this made me wonder about the personal histories of the Four Demon Lords, who were no longer in this world.


    Larken Simonstite had been bestowed the title of the first of the Four Demon Lords, and he had tutored Airi in swordsmanship. It seemed he had been treated well, and had lived afortable life in the Dark Land.


    Sabioleen Tana had many questions she wanted to ask Larken, who had betrayed the empire and humanity. Unfortunately, because of her duty to protect the imperial family, she had not been able to participate in the invasion of the Dark Land. She had to feel conflicted overing to the Demon King¡¯s Castle only after everything was over.


    We walked on and finally reached our intended destination, which was the very center of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. It was an expansive, open courtyard that had been turned into ruins.


    ¡°This is the ce where humanity achieved its final victory.¡±


    Despite the rain and snow that had to have fallen after the end of the battle, the scars of such an overwhelming fight were not so easily washed away.


    The pirs and statues around the courtyard were all destroyed, and there wererge gouges in the ground itself. Traces of the battle were littered throughout the vast courtyard. Large chunks of the walls adjacent to the courtyard were missing, and what little remained seemed on the verge of copse.


    Even Sabioleen Tana, who was the strongest in the current world, seemed overwhelmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable to think that this was all caused by a fight between two beings,¡± she said. ¡°Despite all the evidence here, I can¡¯t even begin to fathom how powerful the Demon King truly was... Or the strength that Artorius, who opposed him, must have possessed as well...¡±


    We walked to the center of the courtyard.


    ¡°Ragan Artorius...¡± Sabioleen Tana muttered. ¡°To think he was at this level...¡± She seemed utterly shocked. After all, no matter how great Ragan Artorius was, he had not yet been over thirty.


    He had strongpanions beside him, no doubt, but he still managed to kill the retired Grandmaster and defeat the Demon King. Sabioleen Tana seemed to be wondering if such a feat was truly possible.


    ¡°The battle was so intense that we couldn¡¯t find the Demon King¡¯s corpse, but Artorius was found here, with Alsbringer nted in the ground, as if he were merely asleep...¡±


    I hadn¡¯t seen this battle firsthand, nor had I described it in my original writing, but I knew the truth, even if I didn¡¯t know anything about the Four Demon Lords. It wasn¡¯t Ragan Artorius¡¯s strength that defeated the Demon King. It was the power of Alsbringer. No one else knew about the true purpose of Alsbringer but me.


    The god of war, Alse... Als(Bringer).


    It was literally a sword that could summon the god of war. Ragan Artorius had be the incarnation of Alse and fought the Demon King. However, he paid for it with his life.


    Artorius sacrificed his life to kill the Demon King, and Ludwig became the owner of Alsbringer. Therefore, in the original story, it was implied that Ludwig also eventually used the true power of Alsbringer.


    So... As a lover of tragedy, I ended up going down the crazy route and killed off the protagonist in my novel, a novel that had begun as a simple slice-of-life story.


    ***


    Charlotte dismissed themander, saying his guidance was no longer needed. From that point on, discussions would arise that he did not need to hear.


    He told us we could wander around the upper levels but gave strict warnings not to go underground before he left.


    There were a few soldiers patrolling the Demon King¡¯s Castle, but their numbers weren¡¯t substantial. The main focus of the soldiers would be onbing through the underground.


    Despite all that themander had told us, we weren¡¯t there looking for a guided tour about a turning point in human history; we were there to find clues to improve Charlotte¡¯s condition.


    ¡°Your Highness, do you feel anything?¡±


    ¡°... Not at all.¡±


    We were at the ce where the Demon King had died, but Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to feel anything significant.


    We had made this journey blindly. The Demon King¡¯s corpse wasn¡¯t even present, and hoping that the Demon King¡¯s soul, if it existed, was lingering about was too vague a hope.


    Above all, too much time had passed. A great battle had urred in that courtyard, but there was nothing left except for the traces of that battle.


    ¡°I suppose we can only hope there¡¯s something underground.¡±


    ¡°But... it seems to be considerably more dangerous than we anticipated.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana let out a sigh. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    We weren¡¯t just up against simple traps that activated when we took a wrong step; there were spell-based traps that attacked the mind as well.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s explore the other areas above ground. We might stumble across something there as well.¡±


    There was nothing to gain from wandering around the location where the final battle had urred. However, the Demon King¡¯s Castle was vast, and there was plenty to explore before heading underground.


    Charlotte took the lead.


    ***


    My memories of the Demon King¡¯s Castle weren¡¯t very clear. The situation had been dire, and after I met Charlotte, time seemed to pass like a whirlwind.


    There had been no room for rxation, and every moment had felt like sprinting across thin ice, with the thought that any mistake could lead to death. The intense psychological state I had been in also heightened that sensation.


    ¡°I should have brought Dyrus,¡± Sabioleen Tana remarked quietly.


    ¡°Hmm... I didn¡¯t think it was necessary. Sir Dyrus would not have any pleasant memories of this ce either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡±


    Just as my memories of the Demon King¡¯s Castle were vague, it was likely the same for Charlotte. After all, she had spent most of her time imprisoned in a POW camp.


    For Charlotte, the Demon King¡¯s Castle was a ce filled with nothing but horrific memories, iparable to mine or Dyrus¡¯s. It was not only the harrowing experiences she¡¯d endured, but also the fact that she had awakened a bizarre power and ended up killing everyone who had been with her in that camp.


    The shock of witnessing cannibalism, and the despair, fear, and disgust that followed... In the end, Charlotte had killed not only her mother, but everyone else who had been imprisoned with them.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if that past trauma was on Charlotte¡¯s mind. She was simply walking quietly through the corridors of the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    Memories came to my mind as well. This time, though, I wasn¡¯t being chased by anyone, nor was my life in danger. I could observe the Demon King¡¯s Castle in a calmer and more reflective manner, even if I wasn¡¯t feelingpletely at ease.


    The corridors had high ceilings, and the passageways were spacious overall. I had seen various pces, from the Spring Pce to the Central Pce Tetra, the White Pce Arnaria, and even the ancient castle of Epiacs.


    However, the Demon King¡¯s Castle had ceilings and corridors that were muchrger and more spacious.


    ¡°The scale of this ce is impressive. I wonder if it needs to be this wide...¡± Sabioleen Tana muttered, seemingly sharing my thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not meant for humans,¡± Charlotte replied.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s right.¡±


    Charlotte saying out loud what I should have known made me feel like a real fool.


    <i>¡®Then again, how am I supposed to know that?! I¡¯m not actually the demon prince!¡¯</i>


    There were surely demons that were excessivelyrge, and therefore, not just the rooms but the corridors and passageways had to be constructed to fit all but thergest of these massive beings.


    <i>¡®Given the size of this ce, perhaps even ogres could roam around freely.¡¯ </i>


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Of course, not all the corridors wererge enough for such massive beings to pass through. Throughout the corridors, there were also traces of destroyed statues. While most of the broken statues had been cleared away, judging by the size of the niches, it was clear that they had been ratherrge.


    Charlotte stopped in front of one of the broken statues. ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°... It reminds me of something Dyrus told me,¡± Charlotte said as she examined the broken statue.


    ¡°Dyrus and... that... um, um...¡± Charlotte was about to say ¡°that child¡± but stopped, ncing at me. Perhaps she felt guilty about bringing up Baalier again after saying she would forget about him.


    I wondered why she felt the need to be so cautious about it.


    ¡°A-Ahem. Anyway, they came back to the Demon King¡¯s Castle to find a Teleport scroll to rescue me with. But when they tried to leave, the knights of the Duke of Salerion attacked them and tried to silence them.¡±


    ¡°Did such a thing really happen...?¡± muttered Sabioleen Tana. It seemed like it was the first time Charlotte was telling her about what happened in the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    ¡°Dyrus told me that a gargoyle had suddenlye to life and attacked the knights. That¡¯s how they managed to escape safely...¡±


    Since I had been there, the memory of that time was rather vivid.


    The knights of the Duke of Salerion had tried to kill us, and I had looked at one of the gargoyles and wondered, <i>¡®Don¡¯t those kinds of things usually move in these situations?¡¯ </i>The gargoyle hade to life as if reacting to my thoughts and killed the knights, allowing us to escape.


    ¡°Perhaps this is why they destroyed all the statues afterward,¡± Charlotte said.


    Given this precedent, the soldiers must have destroyed all the otherrge statues, believing they might be gargoyles. Charlotte seemed to think that these broken fragments were their remnants.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana lowered her gaze in silence. She had promised to maintain political neutrality, but the fact that Charlotte, after enduring all sorts of hardships in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, had almost been killed by Vertus¡¯s minions after her rescue must have stirred some strong emotions within her.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the first time she was learning about it; she already had the information. However, hearing Charlotte narrating the story again while at the scene seemed to make it harder for her to suppress her emotions.


    She was far from neutral. She hade looking for a way to ensure the survival of the First Princess. The simple act of trying to save Charlotte¡¯s life was far from neutral.


    Perhaps once Charlotte¡¯s safety was assured, she could step away from Charlotte and her issues, but that time hadn¡¯te yet. She had already lost her neutral stance, and it seemed this reminder of the excessively horrific actions Vertus had attempted was destabilizing her even more.


    Charlotte''s experiences in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and her inability to free herself from the aftermath of it, which had led her to return to the dreadful memories of the castle... It seemed Sabioleen Tana was leaning towards Charlotte, feeling sorry for her.


    It was evident that Tana was struggling, caught between her belief that she had to maintain neutrality and her growing sympathy for Charlotte.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dame Tana,¡± Charlotte said softly as she began to walk on ahead. ¡°If our situations had been reversed, I would have done exactly what Vertus tried to do to me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I knew what was going to happen to me in the first ce,¡± Charlotte said calmly.


    In the end, it was all the same. Vertus wasn¡¯t particrly evil; it had just been the appropriate action to take in that situation.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no need to pity me like that,¡± Charlotte said as she walked slowly down the corridor.


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t defending Vertus, nor was she belittling herself. She was simply trying to alleviate the psychological burden Sabioleen Tana was feeling.

 Chapter 351

    <h4>Chapter 351</h4>


    The Demon King¡¯s Castle was so vast and enormous that it took quite some time to explore each floor.


    All perishable food and valuable items had already been taken, so most rooms were either empty or covered in dust.


    There were libraries with empty shelves, and empty storage rooms that were wide open. There was also a throne where it seemed the Demon King might have sat.


    The audience chamber wasrger than any I had seen before, likely because the demons who came to this ce varied greatly in size.


    After exploring the first floor, we moved to the upper levels. We passed by the scroll storage room where I had found the magic scroll. Naturally, the room was also empty.


    And as we walked down the corridor, we inevitably arrived at the prison cells.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is where I was imprisoned,¡± Charlotte said with a nod.


    A ce filled only with horrific memories...


    ¡°It seems there¡¯s nothing good to be gained from going in there...¡± she added.


    Charlotte hesitated, then turned away, sensing that entering the prison would only destabilize her mental state. There were no remnants of the Demon King here, only trauma.


    Charlotte suddenly stumbled.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Charlotte staggered, and Tana supported her.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked.


    As I approached, I noticed beads of cold sweat on Charlotte¡¯s forehead. Were the traumatic memories resurfacing and affecting her physically?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... My legs just suddenly lost their strength...¡±


    The memories ran deep, and returning to the scene must have been immeasurably difficult.


    Tana entrusted Charlotte, who was leaning on her, to me.


    ¡°Please take care of Her Highness for a moment. I¡¯ll find a ce to rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Charlotte held onto my arm and leaned against me, while Tana ran down the corridor.


    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡±


    Charlotte was breathing heavily, as if she had been exerting herself intensely.


    ¡°Is something seriously bad right now?¡±


    ¡°No... it¡¯s not that... Just...¡±


    She wasn¡¯t having a seizure, just hyperventting. Charlotte took a few deep breaths, and her breathing soon stabilized.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d bepletely okay, but... it¡¯s still hard.¡±


    Charlotte had only told one person¡ªme¡ªthat she was the one who killed everyone in the prison. I let Charlotte lean against the wall and offered her my arm.


    After some time, Sabioleen Tana returned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found a ce where we can rest,¡± she said, having checked the upper floors. ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    ***


    After walking down a few more corridors and climbing a few more floors, we arrived at a room that resembled a bedroom.


    There were no valuables in sight, but the furniture was still there. After opening a window and dusting off the sofa, Sabioleen Tanaid Charlotte down on it.


    ¡°Dame Tana. I¡¯m not sick or anything,¡± Charlotte said as she gave a faint smile.


    ¡°Still, you should rest a bit. We¡¯ve walked quite a lot today.¡±


    ¡°Haha... That¡¯s true.¡±


    Charlottey on the sofa as she tried to regte her breathing. It was strange. I didn¡¯t know whether to worry about her having a trauma-induced seizure, or to be thankful it wasn¡¯t a power-induced seizure.


    Sabioleen Tana quietly surveyed the bedroom. ¡°I decided on this ce in a hurry, but it seems to be the bedroom of someone quite high-ranking in the Demon King¡¯s Castle.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, it does seem that way.¡±


    There were no valuables in sight, but therge pieces of furniture had been left alone. They all seemed to be of high-quality, which lent credibility to Sabioleen Tana¡¯s suggestion that it might have been the bedroom of a high-ranking individual within the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    <i>¡®No wonder I felt strange.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Tsk... Because of all the indiscriminate looting, we can¡¯t identify whose bedroom this was. Then again, it might not be that important...¡±


    Tana seemed to be considering the possibility that this could have been the Demon King¡¯s bedroom. Given how it wasid out, it was entirely possible. It could also have belonged to one of the Four Demon Lords, or another member of demon nobility.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    Tana was opening wardrobes and rummaging through drawers to see if anything was left behind.


    Charlotte struggled to sit up from the sofa as Sabioleen Tana continued to search through the drawers. Anything of value would have been taken, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything significant left. Yet, somehow, a strange sense of unease was burning through my entire body.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    With each drawer Sabioleen Tana opened, I felt a strange dissonance within me, as if something was about to be discovered. The warning from my Qi Sense felt like needles piercing my heart.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana opened a drawer in the cab and tilted her head in curiosity.


    ¡°Indeed, it seems like anything not deemed valuable has been left behind.¡±


    She took something out of the drawer. It was an opulent wooden case, its lid open to reveal its contents. It seemed like someone had intended to take it, but left it upon seeing what was inside.


    ¡°Biscuits... it seems.¡±


    Charlotte stared at the biscuits with wide eyes. I clenched my teeth so hard to avoid showing any expression, it felt like my mrs might crack.


    ¡°Could you let me see that?¡± Charlotte asked quietly. She seemed eerily calm.


    ¡°Your Highness, they must be spoiled.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nning to eat them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Here you go.¡±


    Charlotte took a biscuit, still wrapped, from Tana and quietly gazed at it.


    Charlotte stared intently at the individually-wrapped biscuit. They were exactly like the one she had been offered in the prison.


    <i>¡ª¡°You must be hungry, eat this at least.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°W-What about you...?¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°I¡¯m fine. You eat first.¡±</i>


    <i>¡ª¡°You, you... you eat too.¡±</i>


    Biscuits... Found in the bedroom of someone thought to be a high-ranking demon, wrapped the same way as the one from back then...


    Charlotte unwrapped the biscuit and snapped it in half.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Despite Tana¡¯s attempt to stop her, Charlotte bit into the biscuit.


    What did she feel?


    Charlotte would never have forgotten. Even if she forgot everything else, she would never forget the shape or the taste of that biscuit. Whether it tasted the same as it did then, I couldn¡¯t know.


    Tears rolled down from Charlotte¡¯s eyes as she took a bite of the biscuit.


    ¡°Hah,¡± Charlotte said as if she¡¯d realized something. ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°... Your Highness? W-Why are you acting like this?¡±


    There had been suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident, but she had refused to see them, desperately trying to deny what they pointed to.


    However, there was a limit to how much an unpleasant truth could be denied.


    This biscuit wasn¡¯t in itself definitive proof, but too much evidence had umted over time. Evidence and suspicion had piled up, one piece on top of another.


    Biscuits individually wrapped in such an opulent case... She probably thought such things wouldn¡¯t just be lying around anywhere. Her thoughts must have continued, one after another, leading her to an inevitable conclusion.


    ¡°Heh, heh... heh heh. Ha. Heh.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness! What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Her doubts had coalesced into an undeniable certainty.


    ¡°Heh, heh heh! Heh, heh heh!¡± Charlotte bent over,ughing like a madwoman.


    All this while, she had fought against the knowledge that she knew to be true, and in that moment, the faint hope that it might not be true had beenpletely erased.


    <i>¡®What is Charlotte thinking? Does she think that the next Demon King merely used her as a way to escape?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh heh heh! Ugh! Ugh!¡± Charlotte¡¯sughter ultimately turned into sobbing.


    ***


    ¡°... There¡¯s arger bedroom further inside, which I presume to be the Demon King¡¯s bedroom,¡± said Sabioleen Tana hesitantly after going through all the other nearby rooms. Charlotte had asked her to check if there was arger bedroom nearby.


    There was only one room further inside that wasrger in scale, which she believed had been the Demon King¡¯s bedroom. I didn¡¯t fully understand the architectural philosophy of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, but what else could the second most luxurious bedroom in the wing, located right next to the Demon King¡¯s chamber, signify?


    Charlotte sat in a daze, the box of biscuits in front of her. While it was a small piece of evidence on its own, it seemed to be the final piece thatpleted the puzzle Charlotte held in her mind.


    Charlotte had known for a long time that Baalier had to be rted to the Demon King somehow. However, the Demon King¡¯s sessor had only recently begun to act. Charlotte hadn¡¯t said anything, but Tana seemed to understand what Charlotte was thinking.


    I remained silent. There were no words that couldfort Charlotte in that moment, and even if they could, it didn¡¯t seem like it was my ce to do so.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t know why... but in the end, it¡¯s just a biscuit. Whatever you¡¯re thinking, this isn¡¯t enough evidence to be certain of anything...¡±


    Sabioleen Tana trailed off. She didn¡¯t know what significance this biscuit held for Charlotte.


    Charlotte nodded slowly. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right,¡± Charlotte said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve just... given up now.¡±


    In her heart, Charlotte had stopped trying to Baalier.


    ¡°The child who saved me was indeed the Demon King¡¯s son or sessor. I wanted to believe otherwise, but I won¡¯t anymore.¡±


    This piece of physical evidence was not strong, but Charlotte had collected enough bits of evidence to build a wall in her heart. The child who had saved her back then was the Demon King¡¯s sessor and the main culprit behind the demon attacks in the capital.


    Charlotte was certain.


    ¡°There was always a question in my mind. If it was true, then why did he save me...? Why... when he could have escaped alone, did he go out of his way to save me...? So I thought maybe he wasn¡¯t what I thought he was, because there was no reason to save me. I wanted to believe he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Once I¡¯d retrieved the Teleport scroll from the Demon King¡¯s Castle, I could have just escaped alone., but I risked danger with Dyrus to return and save Charlotte. That was why Charlotte had tried to believe in me until the very end.


    If Baalier had been the Demon King¡¯s sessor, there would have been no reason for him to risk his life to save Charlotte. If anything, he would have left her to die. There was no reason for someone who should have hated the empire as much as he did Artorius to save Charlotte.


    That was the final obstacle that was preventing Charlotte from believing that Baalier was not the Demon King¡¯s son. With thisst piece of evidence, that barrier had crumbled.


    ¡°Now... I think I know why that child saved me.¡±


    Charlotte had to determine the reason why the Demon King¡¯s son had beenpelled to save her. The rational reason that warranted risking his life.


    Charlotte looked at me this time. ¡°The power within me is either the Demon King¡¯s power or the Demon King¡¯s soul. Something like that...¡±


    Seeing Charlotte muttering like that sent chills down my spine.


    I could sense what conclusion Charlotte was reaching.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t about saving me... It wasn¡¯t about saving me at all,¡± Charlotte said slowly, her voice filled with betrayal as she stared nkly at the biscuit. ¡°It was about saving... the Demon King¡¯s soul within me...¡±


    Once Charlotte had convinced herself that Baalier was the Demon King¡¯s son, this was the only rational conclusion she could reach. It was impossible to believe that it was simply out of goodwill, or a pure desire to save her. There was no reason for the Demon King¡¯s son to save the princess of the empire.


    The war had been lost, and the Demon King was dead. The Demon King¡¯s son couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware that the princess was being imprisoned within the castle, and that the Demon King¡¯s soul resided within her.


    So, it wasn¡¯t about saving the princess, but about saving the Demon King¡¯s soul within her. To ensure the Demon King¡¯s resurrection in the heart of the empire one day, he had risked his life to save her.


    ¡°Heh, heheheh. When you think about it... it¡¯s obvious... it¡¯s so obvious...¡± Charlotte¡¯sughter had an emptiness to it, as if she couldn¡¯t understand why she hadn¡¯t reached this conclusion sooner.


    I wanted desperately to tell her that it wasn¡¯t like that, that she was seeing things wrongly. At that time, I just hadn¡¯t wanted her to die. I hadn¡¯t even known who she was, nor did I know that there was something dormant within her.


    It felt like someone was squeezing my heart. Her misunderstanding was growing uncontrobly, but it was so rational that I couldn¡¯t deny it.


    I wanted to say that I had been watching over her all this time, trying to protect her, and that I was still trying. But revealing my identity meant death. Even if I revealed that I was Baalier, all Charlotte would feel was betrayal.


    The many lies I had told Charlotte would be a problem, and the way her thoughts were unfolding was another. She might even believe that I was controlling her symptoms so that I could bring about the Demon King¡¯splete resurrection.


    Indeed, if I hadn¡¯t stopped Charlotte the day she went berserk, lives would have been lost, but ultimately, Charlotte would have died. The fact that no one had seen how desperately I¡¯d fought that day helped in concealing my identity, but it also meant Charlotte had no idea how sincerely I¡¯d fought to keep her alive.


    Now that she was suspicious of Baalier, revealing that I was Baalier would only make her believe that everything I did as Reinhart had also been for the sole purpose of bringing back the Demon King.


    ¡°Ha, haha... haha...¡±


    In the face of Charlotte¡¯s hollowughter, I was speechless.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 352 [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 352 [Illustration]</h4>


    Our exploration of the aboveground areas of the Demon King¡¯s Castle only resulted in Charlotte having to acknowledge a truth she didn¡¯t want to ept.


    Charlotte reached the conviction that Baalier had used her from the beginning. The idea that everything he had done was for the Demon King¡¯s resurrection, and not to save her, tied up all the loose ends perfectly. Because of this sudden realization, Charlotte was in a state to do anything more that day. The sense of betrayal had caused her to lose all motivation.


    Was she regretting warning Eleris to run away? At that time, Charlotte had been almost certain that Baalier was the Demon King¡¯s sessor.


    She had only juste to a conclusion regarding Baalier¡¯s intentions for saving her. Things had be clear for her. The moment I revealed my identity, Charlotte, at least, would inevitably hate me.


    However, if we could find a way topletely restore Charlotte¡¯s condition somewhere inside the Demon King¡¯s Castle, perhaps Charlotte coulde to realize that my intentions to protect her were pure even if my identity was revealedter on.


    Somehow, I found myself thinking about all this under the assumption that it was inevitable my identity would be revealed. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. If I quietly lived my life inside the Temple, I wouldn¡¯t find myself in situations where my identity might be exposed. However, that wasn¡¯t possible because of all the things I was involved in. I knew that the longer the tail, the more likely it was to be stepped on, yet I just couldn¡¯t help it.


    We were not able to continue with our exploration, and all the floors aboveground had already been explored. We had discovered Baalier¡¯s room, which I never knew about, and Charlotte had found some rity because of it.


    This naturally led to a question. I had first regained consciousness not in Baalier¡¯s room, but in a corridor.


    I was Baalier, the prince of the Demon Realm, but I was also not Baalier.


    The real prince of the Demon Realm, Baalier, had not been a good prince. He was a scoundrel,zy, and a fool with no abilities. He was a pathetic guy who acted arrogantly because he had the backing of the Demon King.


    I had imed memory loss to cover for myck of knowledge, and all I knew was that Baalier had been a spoiled, hot-headed brat. Nheless, Baalier had had a life before I became him.


    At that moment, just before the Demon King¡¯s death, when I possessed Baalier¡¯s body, Baalier had to have been doing something.


    I¡¯d seen Baalier¡¯s room for the first time that day, and the first ce where I¡¯d regained consciousness was a corridor. Not this room, but a corridor. This meant he¡¯d been going somewhere.


    <i>¡®Where was Baalier going before I possessed him? To the battlefield, where the Demon King was battling for his life? In his then-weak state, which was the epitome of ipetence?¡¯</i>


    My return to the Demon King¡¯s Castle brought with it a question that I had never considered before.


    ***


    We were at the VIP suite inside the garrison headquarters. It was a room that had been prepared for visiting high-ranking nobles or military personnel who were conducting inspections. There were several bedrooms within the suite, and seemed like afortable ce to stay for a few days.


    Instead of staying in separate quarters, we decided to share one suite since we didn¡¯t know how Charlotte¡¯s condition might change overnight. There were separate bedrooms in the suite, so it did not matter much. Sunset was already approaching.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see how the search of the underground floors is going,¡± Sabioleen Tana said to Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes, Dame Tana.¡±


    ¡°Please rest.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana left the room for a moment. Charlotte, having hung the robe she had been wearing all day on a hanger, stared at me intently.


    ¡°... What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°... I want to wash up.¡±


    <i>¡®Right. She has this thing where she¡¯s very embarrassed about someone hearing her washing up.¡¯ </i>


    Charlotte seemed like she wanted to say something more to me but was hesitating out of embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll step outside for a bit,¡± I said.


    I might have reacted differently in another circumstance, but Charlotte wasn¡¯t in a state to be disturbed at the moment.


    ¡°... Sorry,¡± she said.


    While Charlotte washed up, I waited outside the VIP suite.


    In the corridor outside the VIP suite, the towering walls of the Demon King¡¯s Castle were visible through the window.


    <i>¡®Whatever secret ce is most probably underground, but how are we going to enter, and how would we bypass the traps?¡¯ </i>


    There were likely rangers and mages familiar with traps stationed in the garrison specifically to uncover the secrets of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and if they were struggling to make progress, then the same would go for us as well.


    <i>Click.</i>


    Quite some time must have passed while I was lost in those thoughts. I heard the door open and saw Charlotte peeking out. Her hair was dripping wet, and her face was flushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m done washing up...¡±


    Somehow, that statement made me think strange thoughts...


    ***


    Charlotte, now dressed in a white gown and wearing slippers, was standing in front of the mirror, toweling her hair dry. Someone else had probably done all this for her in the pce, but at the Temple, she had to live independently, so it wasn¡¯t particrly strange to see both Vertus and Charlotte doing such mundane things themselves.


    In this state, she did not seem to channel the majesty or authority of a princess. She seemed just like an ordinary person of her age.


    ¡°Why do you keep looking at me like that?¡± Charlotte asked, noticing my gaze.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just...¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Charlotte returned to drying her hair in front of the mirror.


    After some time, once her hair was rtively dry, Charlotte came over and sat next to me.


    <i>¡®A princess in a white gown and slippers...¡¯ </i>


    Charlotte leaned her head against me quietly. Knowing that Charlotte was likely both physically and mentally exhausted today, I didn¡¯t say much.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± she said.


    ¡°... What is?¡±


    ¡°What Detto said. It keepsing to mindtely.¡±


    The bizarre statement that we would get married...


    ¡°When I first heard it, I wondered what it meant. Our statuses are vastly different, and while I think you¡¯re a good person, honestly... I didn¡¯t have that kind of interest in you.¡±


    ¡°... So what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Ouen¡¯s Champion.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Status? That¡¯s no longer an issue.¡±


    Ouen¡¯s Champion... Being chosen by a god made me more special than anyone else in the world. That title was an iparable honor, even against royalty or nobility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think emotions are an issue anymore either,¡± Charlotte said. She seemed totally calm as she divulged that she had special feelings for me.


    It was such a straightforward confession that it didn¡¯t have much impact, which made it feel strangely ordinary.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    <i>¡®Does she think that it would be strange if the prophecy doesn¡¯te true now?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t find the right words to say, so I just kept my mouth shut.


    ¡°I always thought that prophecy was definitely wrong,¡± she continued. ¡°I still think it¡¯s wrong, but the reason for my thinking has changed so much from before.¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    Charlotte looked up at me quietly, as she leaned against me.


    ¡°I never thought about marrying you.¡±


    ¡°... I figured as much.¡±


    Charlotte smiled at me.


    ¡°Now though, even if I wanted to marry you, I feel like you wouldn¡¯t agree to it at all.¡±


    Her words left me breathless. Her deration was so straightforward that I couldn¡¯t find a response.


    ¡°Given your personality, even if His Majesty decreed that we were to marry, you¡¯d probably run away somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What, what on earth... what are you saying...?¡±


    <i>¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯ </i>


    As I stammered, unable to respond, Charlotte suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck. She had just showered, and the scent of her hair filled my senses.


    Charlotte trembled, her head buried in the crook of my neck. ¡°You don¡¯t have to love me, Reinhart.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But, just promise me one thing.¡±


    I felt moisture on my neck. Charlotte was crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t betray me.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t asking for my love, only for my deration that I wouldn¡¯t betray her. It was easy enough for me to say, a promise I could easily give. It was as if she was saying, ¡°I¡¯vepromised this much, so pleasepromise as well.¡± Drenched in betrayal, Charlotte was in an emotionally vulnerable state.


    That¡¯s why she was asking me to promise not to betray her. I could say it as much as I wanted.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The moment I said that, though, I was already being untruthful. It was as if I had already betrayed Charlotte.


    The further Charlotte distanced herself from Baalier, the closer she seemed to get to me. And once she reached the conclusion that she had beenpletely used, she had not only let go of Baalier, but had moved to cling to me even more.


    My rtionship with Charlotte only added to my guilt. Just as Charlotte seemed to cling to me to some extent, I was also clinging to Charlotte.


    It was an attachmentden with obligation. I wished for her to live happily, no matter what. Therefore, even though it was hard to constantly lie to Charlotte, I couldn¡¯t leave her alone.


    We were in a suite that was not meant for one person alone. And therefore, a problem arose.


    <i>Click.</i>


    Both Charlotte and I jumped in surprise.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    While Charlotte was clinging to me, Sabioleen Tana returned.


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte remained clinging to me, frozen in ce, unable to even turn around. As soon as she opened the door, Sabioleen Tana uttered an ¡°Oh¡± and turned to stone.


    I was just as frozen, my eyes locked on hers. It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t even a misunderstanding.


    Tana seemed to hate herself for opening the door without knocking, and Charlotte seemed to hate herself for acting without thinking.


    For the first time in a while, I could read Tana¡¯s thoughts from her expression.


    <i>¡®What did I just see? Should I leave? But I¡¯ve already seen it, so what¡¯s the point of leaving? Should I intervene? But why would I intervene? Who am I to intervene? What should I do? I wish I could go back five seconds!¡¯</i>


    In the end, Tana backed out of the room with a stiff expression as if nothing had happened and closed the door behind her.


    <i>Click.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Charlotte pulled away from me. After making a confession of sorts, she seemed surprised at herself for not considering that someone might stumble upon this scene, and her face turned bright red.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m... I-I¡¯m just going to... um... go to sleep now...¡±


    ¡°... Alright.¡±


    Charlotte staggered into the bedroom as though her soul had left her body and quietly closed the door.


    A whileter...


    <i>Knock, knock, knock.</i>


    There was a gentle knocking at the door.


    ¡°It looks like there¡¯s only one VIP suite avable...¡± Sabioleen Tana said with a sigh, looking as though she were at her wit¡¯s end.


    <i>¡®Wait. Were you nning to sleep in another suite to give us space? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be around to prevent things like this from happening?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know... what to do about these kinds of situations...¡± Sabioleen Tana stammered.


    Judging by her stammering, it seemed she was more mentally affected than Charlotte. With trembling lips, she said cautiously, ¡°Um... make sure to... use protection...¡±


    The unexpectedment left me speechless.


    <i>¡®What? What is this?¡¯</i>


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    Charlotte, her face flushed, burst through the bedroom door, yelling at the top of her lungs, ¡°No! No! It¡¯s not like that!¡±


    ***


    Charlotte retreated into her room. She seemed to be sleeping or pretending to sleep, and was determined not to take a single step outside for the rest of the night.


    Sabioleen Tana, shocked by her own absurdment, sat dumbly on the sofa, seemingly in disbelief.


    ¡°What... what did I just say...¡± she muttered over and over.


    It was something an adult might have said, but it had definitely been unexpected. Words often unknowingly slip out, and that had been the case with Tana moments earlier.


    Depending on the situation, it could have been considered an insult to royalty, but fortunately, Charlotte didn¡¯t take issue with it, and no one else heard it. As it stood, Tana would likely be mentally out of sorts for the rest of the night.


    ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding,¡± I said.


    ¡°Is that so...?¡±


    <i>¡®A room with only two people inside, a man and a woman, embracing... How could such a thing be a misunderstanding?¡¯</i> said her expression.


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.


    <i>¡®No, I mean, you can think all sorts of things, but it¡¯s not like that!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about work.¡±


    ¡°Work? Ah... Oh right, work.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana seemed to havepletely forgotten what she had gone to do. She cleared her throat a few times.


    ¡°I spoke to themander about how the search of the underground areas is progressing and... it''s strange.¡±


    As soon as we started talking about the task at hand, her demeanor changed. She spread out the map she had brought back on the table, whichid out the progress of the underground search.


    ¡°The underground up to the fifth floor has been explored. There are storage rooms, underground prisons, armories, andrge breeding grounds where beasts were raised or kept. Even though it¡¯s called the fifth floor, the facilities are sorge that the underground of the Demon King¡¯s Castle is actually bigger than the surface.¡±


    The underground of the Demon King¡¯s Castle looked rather extensive, even on the map.


    ¡°Most of the underground areas have been explored, and treasures have already been recovered.¡±


    ¡°Are there more levels below? You said the search wasn¡¯tpleted yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes. A few months ago, while exploring the fifth underground floor, they found a secret staircase leading further down.¡±


    ¡°There was a sixth floor below that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana pointed to a rtively newly-drawn door in one of the rooms, with a spiral staircase leading down depicted below it. However, the lower part of that spiral staircase was notpleted.


    ¡°The staircase continues downward. You can keep descending for hours. But if you take just a few steps back up, you arrive back on the fifth floor.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana looked grim. ¡°In other words, from the sixth floor onward, it¡¯s abyrinth.¡±


    <i>¡®Abyrinth...¡¯</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to know if there are only six floors or if there are actually seven, eight or more. They¡¯ve tried to map out the sixth floor, but it¡¯s useless because the structure keeps changing every time they explore it. The traps seem to reappear as the structure changes, no matter how many times they¡¯re dismantled.¡±


    Themander had provided us with an overly simplified exnation earlier. The problem wasn¡¯t just the traps; the area from the sixth floor downwards was an unknownbyrinth.


    ¡°He thought he would be reprimanded by Her Highness, so he deliberately downyed it. The existence of this undergroundbyrinth hasn¡¯t even been reported to the imperial family. In reality, there has been no progress beyond the first five floors.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable. The mages don¡¯t know what magic is in thebyrinth, and there have been too many casualties. Injuries aremon, and there are countless others whose fates are unknown.¡±


    Thisbyrinth of unimaginableplexity had been discovered in the bowels of the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Themander had deliberately avoided mentioning thebyrinth to us, merely stating that the underground area was dangerous. He didn¡¯t want to be reprimanded or demoted for not disclosing thebyrinth to the princess. Since he thought this was a routine inspection, he probably believed we would take a cursory look around the ce before leaving.


    However, we weren¡¯t there for an inspection; we were there to conduct our own exploration of the ce. That¡¯s why Sabioleen Tana needed to know exactly what was down there, and she had made themander confess to the truth.


    <i>¡®A mysterious undergroundbyrinth below the Demon King¡¯s Castle... Thebyrinth¡¯s structure constantly changes, and traps reappear, making it meaningless to disarm traps and advance.¡¯</i>


    Themander was just biding time, waiting for orders to withdraw rather than pointlessly sending more people into thebyrinth and suffering more casualties.


    It was a dereliction of duty, but for the soldiers stationed in the garrison, it was a wee one


    In the original story, thisbyrinth would never have been excavated.


    Themander was trying to conceal the very existence of thebyrinth. If the imperial family knew about it, they would have ordered more soldiers to be sent in, resulting in many injuries or deaths.


    While I agreed that human life was precious, now that Sabioleen Tana knew about this, it seemed unlikely that themander would keep his position. There was definitely something inside thebyrinth, and it was certainly connected to the secret ce I was searching for.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you or Her Highness to go in there...¡±


    It seemed I would be prevented from heading inside, and Charlotte as well. It was too dangerous for someone as important as her to enter.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 353

    <h4>Chapter 353</h4>


    The question was whether or not to go to thebyrinth. And surprisingly, the answer came easily.


    The next day...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Charlotte decided quickly after hearing about thebyrinth.


    Naturally, Tana shook her head, trying to dissuade Charlotte. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If I was going to send someone else in my ce, there would have been no reason toe here,¡± replied Charlotte. ¡°I¡¯m fully prepared to take the risk.¡±


    Charlotte was right. If she¡¯d intended to delegate the task to others, she could have given the orders from the Spring Pce without making the journey herself. She hade to do things herself, and if she were just going to stay inside the garrison and give orders, then there would have been no reason toe.


    ¡°Even so, we can take time to uncover thebyrinth¡¯s secrets to make sure we can enter safely.¡±


    ¡°Dame Tana, I¡¯m not sure how much time I have left.¡±


    Tana bit her lip in response to Charlotte¡¯s heavy statement.


    ¡°How long will it take to uncover the magic of thatbyrinth? It could take months, maybe years, and there¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯ll be safe during that time.¡±


    Charlotte nced at me briefly. ¡°We don¡¯t know how long Reinhart¡¯s Incantation can keep my condition stable. We can¡¯t just wait blindly until this powerpletely consumes me.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness... Even so, there¡¯s no reason for you to go personally. And there¡¯s no guarantee that thebyrinth holds a solution to your condition. There might be something down there, but no one can say for sure if it¡¯s what you need,¡± said Sabioleen Tana, her tone almost pleading.


    Charlotte looked at Sabioleen Tana quietly. ¡°Dame Tana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t fully recover from this state, I¡¯d rather die.¡±


    ¡°... Pardon?¡± Sabioleen Tana murmured nkly, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard.


    <i>¡®She¡¯d rather die?¡¯ </i>


    Knowing what Charlotte was thinking, I clenched my fists unconsciously.


    ¡°The child, no, the current Demon King, tried so hard to keep me alive to protect the soul of the former Demon King. If I die, the Demon King¡¯s soul within me will disappear as well. If I die in thebyrinth, it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing,¡± Charlotte said calmly.


    ¡°Your Highness, what are you saying!?¡±


    ¡°For the empire¡¯s, it might be better if I die...¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± I piped up, unable to hold back my anger any longer. She looked at me, realizing only then what she had said and in front of whom.


    ¡°If you say that,¡± I ground out in frustration, ¡°then what about me?¡±


    <i>¡®I risked my life to save you, and now you¡¯re saying it doesn¡¯t matter if you die, that it might be better if you did?¡¯</i>


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry, Reinhart.¡±


    Charlotte trembled as she lowered her eyes. With her newfound certainty about Baalier¡¯s truth hade a conviction that what resided within her was indeed the Demon King¡¯s soul. She thought that if it weren¡¯t, then the child of the Demon King wouldn¡¯t have saved her.


    This led to the conclusion that it might be toote, and the Demon King might fully resurrect and take over her body. She believed it was better to die before that happened.


    Even so, it was not right to make such a callous statement in front of me and Sabioleen Tana, who had risked our lives to save her, regardless of whether it was true or not. Realizing the bitterness andck of empathy in her statement, Charlotte apologized to both me and Tana repeatedly.


    ¡°Still... I think it¡¯s right for me to go personally.¡±


    She would not change her mind. If the Demon King were trying to use her body as a vessel to resurrect himself, she still believed it was better for her to die for the empire, and that she had to face the risks in front of her on her own terms.


    Charlotte¡¯s thoughts stemmed from prioritizing the safety of the imperial family and the empire. That in itself couldn¡¯t be criticized.


    I would not be able to change Charlotte¡¯s mind, nor did I have a reason to. Although it was painful to hear such words from Charlotte, I had to enter thebyrinth. Tana observed Charlotte quietly, then let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Not everyone who enters gets lost and injured. Many people actually wander about a while and then find their way back,¡± Tana said.


    While people did end up missing, injured or dead, it seemed they weren¡¯t the majority.


    ¡°We can go in for just a short while and head back out if it seems dangerous.¡±


    Tana seemed resigned to Charlotte¡¯s stubbornness. While Charlotte¡¯s condition might grow dangerous in the future, nothing drastic was going to happen in the next few days. There was time to explore thebyrinth slowly while preparing for any possible dangers ahead.


    ***


    Naturally, when we mentioned that we were heading to the undergroundbyrinth, Count Alfreid, the garrisonmander, turned pale and tried to dissuade us.


    ¡°You must not go, Your Highness! You don¡¯t understand how dangerous it is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Charlotte said coldly, cutting off themander¡¯s plea. ¡°It seems you¡¯re worried about what might happen if something happens to me there. Of course, even if I go in on my own ord, you¡¯ll be punished just for allowing me to enter.¡±


    If he failed to stop the princess from heading to such a dangerous ce and she found herself in danger or, heaven forbid, died, Count Alfreid, themander of the garrison, would lose his head. He had no choice but to try to prevent the princess from entering thebyrinth.


    ¡°But if you try to stop me,¡± Charlotte continued, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you pay for omitting the information about the undergroundbyrinth beneath the Demon King¡¯s Castle in your reports.¡±


    He had withheld very important information about the Demon King¡¯s Castle from the imperial family. That alone was enough reason for him to lose his head. If he prevented the princess from entering thebyrinth, he would die, but if the princess entered and died, he would still lose his life.


    Charlotte looked at themander and said curtly, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary and pray for my safe return.¡±


    There was nothing else themander could do. He could only watch with a vacant expression as we headed towards the undergroundbyrinth.


    ***


    It was the morning of the second day after our arrival at the Demon King¡¯s Castle. After having breakfast at the garrison, we headed back to the Demon King¡¯s Castle. We could have requested the assistance of a mage, but Charlotte was against it.


    Aside from themander, no one at the garrison knew the princess was there. On top of that, we were going to thebyrinth to find a solution to a very important secret of Charlotte¡¯s. It would not be of any benefit for more people to know of this information, so we decided that the three of us would proceed on our own.


    To reach the entrance of the undergroundbyrinth, we had to descend to the fifth floor of the underground area via the spiral staircase.


    ¡°It¡¯s overwhelming in scale,¡± Sabioleen Tana murmured in awe.


    Just like the rest of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, where the corridors and passageways were muchrger than usual, the spiral staircase itself was muchrger in scale, and the underground space was vast.


    The underground areas did not seem typical of the basements of other buildings. Each floor was so far down that it took a long time to descend from the first underground floor to the second one.


    Since the search of thebyrinth had already been halted, the soldiers stationed on these lower floors looked as though they were waiting for time to pass by rather than involved in any serious activity. While it didn¡¯t quite feel like an underground city, it was presumed that the Demon King¡¯s forces had actually lived in this undergroundplex rather than in external barracks. That was how massive it was.


    After a long descent, we finally reached the fifth basement floor, where the spiral staircase ended.


    ¡°Climbing back up this is going to be a chore,¡± Charlotte said with a deep sigh, as if exhausted just from the descent. Of course, Tana and I were unaffected.


    There was sparse lighting around the fifth basement floor, and there were sections that were blocked off by iron bars.


    Charlotte tilted her head as she considered the iron bars and the spaces beyond them. ¡°Is this... a prison?¡±


    Sabioleen Tana shook her head while looking at the map. ¡°It seems it was a breeding area for beasts, not a prison.¡±


    A space for breeding beasts... Charlotte nodded quietly at that exnation.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why the sizes of these cells are all different.¡±


    ¡°That would be the case.¡±


    ¡°Then the beasts that were here...¡±


    ¡°They were mostly deployed during the siege, and the remaining beasts were all safely disposed of.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Naturally, they would have been culled. I recalled the procession of prisoners I saw when leaving the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    I remembered the sight of numerous demon prisoners, including the ogre that charged to help my escape by breaking its chains. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant memory. Those countless demon prisoners had lost their will to fight after the Demon King¡¯s death and died after cing all their remaining hope on me, thest Demon King.


    My ns werepletely different from what those demon prisoners desired, but I still believed it was the right thing to do. I had betrayed Charlotte, and on arger scale, I would eventually betray Sarkegar and even the Dark Land.


    I walked silently behind Sabioleen Tana. We passed through the bestial breeding grounds on the fifth floor, and Sabioleen Tana led us to a small iron gate at the edge of the breeding grounds. It felt more like a small prison than a beast breeding ground.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the entrance to thebyrinth.¡±


    This secret door was a recent discovery. Through the open stone wall, we could see another spiral staircase leading down. Unlike the grand scale of the other parts of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, this descending staircase passage was just over three meters high and only wide enough for about four people to pass through.


    The spiral staircase that we had descended so far had railings and was open on all sides, allowing us to see the floors below us. However, the spiral staircase before us was enclosed by stone walls on all sides. It was a staircase leading to an unknown destination, with no end in sight.


    There were manamps on the walls of the spiral staircase which illuminated the steps with a pale white light.


    ¡°Your Highness, I can go down first¡ª¡±


    ¡°You might get lost.¡±


    Sabioleen Tana wanted to make sure the descent was safe before the rest of us went down, but Charlotte didn¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°Even if we get lost, it will be less scary if we¡¯re lost together,¡± Charlotte said, trembling. Though she thought it might be better to die, she wasn¡¯t unafraid of it.


    The three of us took our first steps onto the spiral staircase leading down into thebyrinth. If this ce wasn¡¯t what I hoped it was and was nothing but an endlessbyrinth, we would just be throwing ourselves into danger.


    How many steps had we descended?


    ¡°... The entrance is already...¡± Sabioleen Tana murmured.


    The spiral staircase continued downward, but a passageway had already appeared on the right. We had just left the fifth underground floor, so this had to be the sixth underground floor.


    The corridor wasn¡¯t very wide, but it was still lit, thanks to the manamps ced at regr intervals along the corridor. At the end of the corridor stood a solitary door.


    However, we hesitated setting foot into the long, straight corridor. The staircase hadn¡¯t ended. We could continue descending further, or we could enter this corridor and begin exploring thebyrinth in earnest.


    We could descend for hours, but once we started ascending, we would quickly return to the breeding ground on the fifth floor we had just left. We couldn¡¯t be sure if there was something further on, or behind the door at the end of the corridor. Once we entered thebyrinth, we might not be able to return.


    The magic that fueled thebyrinth was unknown even to the garrison¡¯s mages, so bringing a mage along wouldn¡¯t have changed anything.


    ¡°Is this the right way to go...?¡± murmured Sabioleen Tana. She was also hesitant to make a decision. If we chose wrongly, it was possible we would not be able to return.


    Charlotte looked at the door at the end of the straight corridor and murmured, ¡°That door seems to be begging to be opened, which makes it all the more unsettling.¡±


    ¡°... I feel the same way.¡±


    The door at the end of the corridor... it felt as though walking towards it would trigger some trap. It was so conspicuously ced that it was hard not to think that way.


    Charlotte pondered for a moment then said, ¡°We¡¯vee this far, so we can¡¯t just go back and not check it out.¡±


    Even though it seemed like an obvious trap, we couldn¡¯t just ignore it. Charlotte stepped into the corridor first, and Sabioleen Tana and I followed.


    ***


    Inside thebyrinth, nothing seemed drastically different. I had expected the terrain to suddenly change or the exit to disappear.


    ¡°... It¡¯s even creepier because nothing¡¯s happening,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded.


    I looked back and saw that the entrance we had passed through was still there. There was no sudden change to the surroundings, nor were we suddenly separated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed cautiously,¡± Tana suggested.


    Sabioleen Tana took out a scroll book from her belongings. It seemed she hadn¡¯t asked for a mage because she already had something to substitute for a mage¡¯s role.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap detection spell.¡±


    <i>sh!</i>


    Light burst from the scroll.


    Sabioleen Tana waited a moment then said, ¡°It seems there are no detectable magical traps, but let¡¯s be cautious just in case.¡±


    While no magical traps had been detected, there could still be physical traps. If detection magic could identify every single type of trap, no mages would have fallen victim to them.


    Sabioleen Tana¡¯s body was enveloped in blue mana. ¡°Please keep your distance and follow me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She heightened her senses to their maximum, her eyes darting about as she cautiously led the way. She would likely be able to react before any physical trap could activate.


    She advanced while focusing intently on her steps, the walls, the floor, and the sounds around us.


    The corridor was straight and not very long, but we were taking our time to walk down it, being as cautious as we could.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t tell if there are no traps, or if we¡¯ve already triggered one. It¡¯s impossible to know.¡±


    We reached the end of the corridor without incident. The door stood before us. Behind us, the entrance we came through was still visible. It looked like we could leave anytime.


    Charlotte stared at the wooden door in front of her with a determined expression.


    ¡°The truebyrinth may lie beyond this door,¡± she said.


    It seemed like just an ordinary door, the kind you might find anywhere. Was Charlotte right to say that this was the true entrance to thebyrinth?


    Charlotte ced her hand on the doorknob.


    ¡°Your Highness. Let me...¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Charlotte shook her head, not knowing what might happen. It was as if she felt she needed to take responsibility for this herself.


    <i>Click.</i>


    Charlotte turned the doorknob and opened the door. Her expectation that thebyrinth would lie beyond the door was proven false.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°... What is this?¡±


    A vast caverny beyond the open door. No matter how you looked at it, it couldn¡¯t be called a maze.


    ***


    The vast space on the other side of the door could hardly be called abyrinth. A massive manamp hung from the ceiling of the enormous cavern, providing illumination. We kept our guard up as we cautiously advanced. This was in no way abyrinth.


    ¡°What is this ce...?¡± Charlotte murmured in a daze as she looked around.


    The cavern wasn¡¯t empty. In one corner of the vast space a half-drawn magic circle was spread out across the floor.


    In another corner, there was a weapon rack with spears, swords, sabers, and maces hanging on it, with several straw men beside it.


    ¡°There have been no reports of anyone stumbling across a ce like this,¡± Tana said.


    It wasn¡¯t just one single cavern. Along the edges of the circr cavern were passages that led to other ces. These passages weren¡¯t sealed by doors and we could see whaty beyond them.


    I had an inkling of what had happened. We hadn¡¯t entered thebyrinth. We had bypassed thebyrinth and entered the secret ce directly. I didn¡¯t know how thebyrinth worked, but it had certainly reacted to either me or Charlotte.


    There was likely no exit to thebyrinth, and only an Archdemon would be allowed to enter this ce. The passages in the cavern led to rooms that fulfilled various purposes. We moved slowly, checking each room.


    There was what looked like a bedroom, a kitchen, a library, an armory, a room filled with countless unknown potions, a cultivation area that seemed to be for growing nts, a storage room with reagents, and a massive room for storing food.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°What is this ce...?¡±


    Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana seemed unsure of what this ce meant, but I had an idea of what this ce was.


    It was a bunker.


    Finally, the mystery was solved. Before I¡¯d possessed Baalier, he had to have been hurrying to this ce. In the original story, no one from the imperial family would have known about thisbyrinth because of themander¡¯s unteral decision to withhold the information.


    No¡ªeven if it had been known to the imperial family, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered.


    This wasn¡¯t abyrinth at all. It was likely that no one could get to this ce unless apanied by an Archdemon, and we had only managed to because it had reacted to either Charlotte or me. This was a secure bunker.


    All the assumptions I had made up to that point were shattered.


    In the original story, if Baalier Junior had made it down to this bunker during the Great War, he wouldn¡¯t have died.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 354

    <h4>Chapter 354</h4>


    The secret ce hidden within the undergroundbyrinth beneath the Demon King¡¯s Castle was a bunker.


    ¡°Your Highness... it seems that we did not actually enter thebyrinth.¡±


    ¡°It seems so. It seems like we managed to exit directly and reach a ce beyond thebyrinth, though I¡¯m not sure if ¡®exit¡¯ is the right word.¡±


    Tana and Charlotte seemed to have realized that this was indeed our true destination. It was inevitable, as the ce we were in couldn¡¯t be considered abyrinth no matter how one looked at it.


    ¡°As to how we arrived here... Thebyrinth is likely designed so that only the Demon King is allowed to pass through and reach this location,¡± Charlotte said.


    Tana looked at Charlotte with a sorrowful gaze, understanding the implication of Charlotte¡¯s words. ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°I suppose... in my current state, I¡¯m not that much different from the Demon King right now,¡± Charlotte mused.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if the magic of thebyrinth had reacted to me or to Charlotte. However, the true passage was only visible to an Archdemon, and we had reached our destination without being made to wander through the maze.


    Charlotte ced her hand on the bunker wall and surveyed the surroundings.


    ¡°If you think about it, it can¡¯t be said for sure that this ce actually corresponds to the sixth underground floor of the Demon King¡¯s Castle,¡± she pondered.


    If thebyrinth truly was the sixth underground floor, then just descending from the fifth floor would have allowed us to reach our destination without needing to wander thebyrinth.


    ¡°The entrance to the secret passage seemed like any other passage, but if it functions as a dimensional gate, it¡¯s entirely possible that we¡¯re in a ce entirely separate from the Demon King¡¯s Castle,¡± Tana suggested.


    As Tana mentioned, it was possible that this ce was actuallypletely separate from the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    Although it was impossible to use a teleport spell within the Demon King¡¯s Castle, it was possible that a limited warp gate had been installed inside it.


    Exactly how the gate operated was unknown. However, if a certain point within that secret passage functioned as a dimensional gate, it was entirely possible that the wrong individuals would be sent into thebyrinth, while the Archdemon would be sent to the desired location.


    Ultimately, the mechanism wasn¡¯t of immediate concern to us. We had arrived at a secret location within the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    ¡°Should we call it a refuge...? It feels like that,¡± Charlotte spected.


    ¡°It seems so,¡± Tana agreed.


    There was arge stockpile of preserved food inside the storage room, with equipment for both magical and physical training, along with reagents and nt cultivation areas for alchemy.


    I explored the bunker with a different sense of unease than Charlotte and Tana. Someone could live alone inside this ce for a very long time, and it was equipped with training equipment. At first nce, the books in the library were mostly books about magic.


    Baalier had probably intended toe to this ce, and he likely did in the original story. He would have been able to survive in this hideout, and that gave me a very ominous feeling.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Having witnessed the destruction of the Dark Land, the Demon King Baalier Junior would have burned with a desire for revenge.


    <i>¡®Did the delinquent Baalier grit his teeth here, spurring himself on and suffering through grueling training in order to exact revenge against humans? If so, was Baalier, not Cantus Magna or Akasha, the true culprit behind the Gate Incident? </i>


    <i>¡®If I¡¯m the cause of the Gate Incident, what meaning do all my actions hold? Would doing nothing be the right thing for the whole world?¡¯</i>


    All this was pure spection. I had information that Baalier was alive when the Gate Incident in the original story happened, but there was no evidence to suggest that Baalier had caused it.


    If I did nothing, and it turned out that Cantus Magna and Akasha were the real problems, the Gate Incident would still ur.


    <i>¡®But what if they¡¯re not rted to it at all? What if the Gate Incident happened because I inadvertently triggered something?¡¯</i>


    In the original story, Baalier was probably an ipetent character. My previous physical data indicated as much. Could someone like that, harboring a mere grudge, be a powerful enough mage to trigger the Gate Incident after just two years of study? It seemed imusible.


    I, with all my cheats, was growing at an incredible pace. Could Baalier have grown even faster than me? That seemed impossible.


    My head felt like it was going to explode. Uncertainty towards the future had never caused me so much fear.


    ¡°If only the Demon King is allowed to enter this ce, then the current Demon King should have been able toe here,¡± Tana said, her thoughts focused on the present, unlike me, who was troubled by apletely different issue.


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t he juste here in the first ce...? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The bunker was well prepared, but I couldn¡¯t havee here because I didn¡¯t know about this ce.


    ¡°Perhaps he judged that it was more important for the previous Demon King to survive than himself.¡±


    This, too, seemed usible. Rather than surviving and growing stronger himself, the Demon King¡¯s sessor sought to save the already-powerful Demon King instead, and so he saved Charlotte. Thus, the bunker inside the Demon King¡¯s Castle remained empty, unable to wee the one who should havee.


    Charlotte explored the bunker, examining the various different rooms.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any extraordinary treasure here,¡± Tana noted. ¡°That makes sense, since it¡¯s a refuge...¡±


    There were no items that appeared to be special treasures or artifacts. Still, one would expect there to be incredibly powerful weapons or artifacts stored away for Baalier¡¯s use.


    Then again, any powerful artifacts had probably been used to try to win the war. Hiding powerful artifacts away for future use was the action of someone who had already epted defeat.


    It was usible that there were no powerful artifacts stored here. Since the Demon King hadn¡¯te to this ce to hide himself, it was probable that this bunker had been built for Baalier Junior. It was a ce for Baalier Junior, who had been of no immediate help in the great battle, to escape to and develop in the event of the Demon King¡¯s defeat.


    Setting aside the question of Baalier¡¯s actual capabilities for the moment, I had grown into both a superhuman and a warrior.


    If Baalier was the main culprit behind the Gate Incident, he would have studied magic in this ce. In that case, I had to check out the library. If there were any books rted to portals to another world in the library, I could simply burn them. That was an easy way to resolve it.


    Cold sweat ran down my body. If this ce was the starting point of all future problems, I could resolve everything by burning a few books. I wouldn¡¯t have to continue to meddle in dangerous affairs anymore.


    While Charlotte and Tana were exploring the ce on their own, I headed to the library, one of many rooms within the bunkerplex.


    I hoped that the books within it were written in themonnguage, so that Tana and Charlotte wouldn¡¯t suspect me if I read them. If the books in the library were written in the demonnguage, it would be absurd that I, Reinhart, would be able to read them.


    If thenguage was an issue, I would have to endure the hassle ofing back aler on.


    ¡°...¡±


    The library was quiterge.


    I didn¡¯t know much about magic, but I could at least read the titles of the magic books.


    Huge, thick volumes were lined up on the shelves, beginning with those that dealt with the basics and fundamentals of magic.


    I had no intention of studying magic. The book I needed to find was one rted to other worlds. If possible, it would also be good to find something rting to the magic that had been cas upon Charlotte by the Demon King, although I wasn¡¯t yet certain if whatever was afflicting Charlotte was indeed based in magic.


    There were quite a few bookshelves, and it would take ages to skim through all the titles. If none of the titles hinted at anything about alternate worlds, I would have to go through the contents of the books as well.


    It would be great if I could return with someone who was knowledgeable about magic, such as Harriet, Eleris, or Lucinil. This was the Dark Land, after all, and it was possible that I would stumble across magic or secret texts unknown to humans.


    As I passed by the general books, other magic books began to catch my eye.


    <i>[The Book of Smandra]</i>


    <i>[On Necromancy]</i>


    <i>[Introduction to Soul Maniption]</i>


    <i>¡®Soul Maniption.¡¯ </i>


    I couldn¡¯t help but stop in front of that book. It was a very thick volume.


    It was a book about how to manipte souls. I didn¡¯t know if this was part of the general magic system or a secret art of the Demon King. However, if whatever was within Charlotte was the soul of the Demon King, it was certainly rted to this Soul Maniption.


    I carefully pulled the book out. While I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand the specific magical forms, I could read the introduction.


    <i>[Soul maniption refers to the study of methods for handling souls, and to master it, one must first have an understanding of the soul...]</i>


    There were several paragraphs discussing what a soul was, but they were written in such overly academic terms that I couldn¡¯tprehend them. However, as I continued reading, I soon reached the part I was looking for.


    <i>[Those who master Soul Maniption can perform generally impossible feats, such as dividing a soul that cannot be divided, manipting the soul of another, merging souls, turning the living into ghosts by forcing their soul to exist only in soul form, or extracting a soul to imnt it into someone else. However, to perform such feats, a perfect understanding of the texts listed below is also required.]</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Dividing a soul...<i> </i>that meant splitting the soul of a being.


    Merging souls... that would entail joining the souls of different beings.


    The former Demon King Baalier had to have been a master of Soul Maniption. The Demon King Baalier probably divided his soul and imnted a part of it into Charlotte. The magic used on Charlotte was undoubtedly derived from this field of Soul Maniption.


    I had not yet found anything rted to other worlds, but I had found another magic book I needed.


    I began to pick out the other volumes mentioned in the footnotes of the introduction to Soul Maniption.


    ***


    There were more than six books rted to Soul Maniption, and each was about three times the thickness of an average encyclopedia.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡±


    Tana and Charlotte stared nkly at the books as I began stacking them on the table in themon hall.


    ¡°This seems to contain information on the magic that was probably used on you,¡± I exined.


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the growing pile of books, particrly the introductory volume.


    ¡°Soul... Maniption?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes. While there may not be artifacts here, it seems there are several secret magic books about demonic magic.¡±


    To aid Baalier¡¯s growth, powerful spells and demonic secrets were stored in the library. There might not have been physical treasures in the bunker, but the real treasures were the magic books.


    This led to another thought. If Soul Maniption was a magic system unknown to humans, and if the library contained secrets and forbidden spells used by the Demon King and other demons, it could be used as bait to lure out Cantus Magna. Whether that was the right course of action required careful consideration.


    Though Tana and Charlotte weren¡¯t mages, they began reading the introduction of the introductory volume, just as I had.


    They were undoubtedly starting to feel the same emotions I had experienced.


    ¡°A magic system that deals with souls...¡± Charlotte¡¯s fingertips trembled, and Sabioleen Tana seemed to be questioning her own eyes.


    Some moments passed, and Charlotte had to have read the part about what could be done by mastering Soul Maniption, because she covered her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found it... this... this is it... this was it...¡±


    It was a book of considerable length. However, if a royal mage or anyone else could master this Soul Maniption, they would be able to fix Charlotte¡¯s condition. If that happened, then even if my true identity was revealedter on, Charlotte would believe that my aim was not to revive the Demon King.


    ¡°Th-Thank you... thank you, Reinhart,¡± Charlotte said, trembling as she cautiously embraced me, and I hugged her back.


    Charlotte could get better. However, I couldn¡¯t feel at ease, because of the new problem of what Baalier would have done if he¡¯d survived.


    ***


    There were no treasures in the bunker, but books more valuable than treasuresy in the library.


    Magic unique to the Dark Land, or perhaps only to the Demon King... There were certainly general books about magic, but there were also books containing forbidden spells, and even some with only the names of the spells listed, leaving their nature a mystery. Of course, myck of knowledge about magic did not help.


    Tana, Charlotte, and I were in the library, scanning the shelves of magic books.


    ¡°This is... a major discovery, and goes beyond just solving my problem,¡± Charlotte assessed, recognizing that the true value of the bunkery in the library, and she was right.


    ¡°It might be good to bring a royal mage hereter. Of course... it would be a hassle for Your Highness toe back personally,¡± Tana suggested.


    Charlotte would probably have toe in person in order to ess the bunker. However, it wasn¡¯t just Charlotte. I could also enter this bunker. If I returned with an expert in magic, we could truly evaluate the value of the magic books in the library.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s only take the books on Soul Maniption. We don¡¯t know what might happen if other dangerous magic is released into the world,¡± Charlotte suggested.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Tana agreed.


    Charlotte was cautious about bringing back the magic books indiscriminately, and was well aware of the dangers of revealing the Demon King¡¯s magic to the world.


    That decision suited me. If the magic books from this library were all transferred into the possession of the imperial family, they would be out of my reach.


    While the magic contained within these magic books were important, for me, they were bait to set up a potential future encounter with Cantus Magna. Just as Antirianus had attracted Cantus Magna¡¯s attention with numerous forbidden spells, I could use these magic books to make contact with Cantus Magna. Therefore, it was best to leave the magic books, except for those rting to Soul Maniption, where they were.


    I still could not be sure if Baalier was the cause of the Gate Incident. Was that fortunate or unfortunate?


    None of the book titles seemed to hint at portals to other worlds, though, which slightly reduced the possibility of Baalier being the cause of the Gate Incident.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes lit up as she scanned the bookshelves. ¡°If I return to my original state, I won¡¯t be able toe back to this ce again, right?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be certain, but... I think that¡¯s likely,¡± Tana replied.


    If the Demon King¡¯s soul within her was removed, the natural conclusion would be that Charlotte wouldn¡¯t be able to pass through thisbyrinth, since it only allowed the Demon King to pass through.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to retrieve these magic books before the Demon King¡¯s soul is removed from my body,¡± Charlotte decided. She seemed hopeful that she could escape her soul being slowly taken over by the Demon King¡¯s.


    Charlotte, having found a clue to her predicament, wore such a joyful expression that, for a moment, it felt like all my worries had vanished.


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 Chapter 355

    <h4>Chapter 355</h4>


    While this was going on, Ellen had just returned to the capital after resting in her hometown of Rijaiera. She was curious about the secrets of her hometown, but her parents only said it wasn¡¯t time for her to know yet.


    In the end, just like her brother, Ellen eventually came to possess two holy relics. She could have returned earlier, but she had dyed her return to be ustomed to using the Cloak of the Sun God.


    Ellen intended to show the Cloak of the Sun God to none other than Reinhart first. She wanted to let him see that she had acquired a new relic in preparation for the battle against the Demon King.


    She hadn¡¯t yet decided how to exin the strange aspects of her hometown. After all, she would be exining something she didn¡¯t fully understand herself.


    Reinhart didn¡¯t share his secrets, so was it okay for her to share hers so easily?


    No, perhaps if she shared her secret, he might feelpelled to share a bit of his own out of guilt. Ellen held onto that vague hope.


    Honestly, nothing else mattered. She had been away for too long and wanted to see Reinhart as soon as possible.


    She wondered what he had been doing all this time. Despite his bad temper, he wasn¡¯tzy, so he had to have been busy with various training activities.


    Ellen was eager to return quickly from Rijaiera. Reinhart would have had to practice swordsmanship with someone else in her absence, and there were two people who came to mind as potential sparring partners for Reinhart.


    Sabioleen Tana, the first-year dormitory supervisor, or...


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia Lanche, the fifth-year senior.


    The thought that Reinhart might be training with that unpleasant senior made Ellen want to return even sooner, since she knew of Olivia¡¯s odd behavior.


    As soon as Ellen passed through the warp gate in front of the Temple, she hurriedly entered the Temple. She wondered if Reinhart would scold her for beingte, but she hadn¡¯t been away for that long.


    Caught in unnecessary worry and anxiety, Ellen took the tram to the Royal ss dormitory. Of course, Reinhart wasn¡¯t training with Olivia.


    ¡°Reinhart... He hasn¡¯t been seen since yesterday,¡± said Cliffman in response to Ellen¡¯s query about Reinhart¡¯s whereabouts.


    ***


    It was not publicly known that Charlotte, Sabioleen Tana, and Reinhart had gone to the Demon King¡¯s Castle.


    Since it was the vacation period, Reinhart could have gone somewhere for leisure and might be absent for a few days. If so, where could he have gone?


    Ellen could wait in the dormitory for Reinhart to return. There was not much to be concerned about. Still, she was eager. She wanted to show Reinhart the new relic quickly and discuss various things with him.


    She was strong, and confident she would be even stronger. Reinhart would be angry if he heard it, but he was still weaker than her.


    While she might feel some guilt about giving away the vige¡¯s treasure that her parents had entrusted to her, if Reinhart wanted it, she believed it was better for him to have the Cloak of the Sun God than to see him die.


    She was curious about how Reinhart would react when he heard about all this, which made her want to see him even more.


    Where had Reinhart gone? It didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d told anyone where he was going.


    She wanted to ask Harriet, but Harriet was also absent from the dormitory, and when Ellen checked in with the Magic Research Club, she learned that Harriet had been conducting magical research at the imperial pcetely.


    Ellen didn¡¯t know why Harriet would need to go to the imperial pce to conduct her research, but that told her that Harriet and Reinhart weren¡¯t together.


    Next, she decided to check elsewhere.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    Olivia Lanche opened the door to her room in the fifth-year dormitory and looked at Ellen with a cold expression. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ellen quietly looked up at Olivia, who seemed somewhat different from before. Olivia, who usually wore an annoying smile, had a rather cold air about her, without even a hint of a smile. This unexpected change left her feeling rather uneasy.


    Ellen wasn¡¯t intimidated by Olivia¡¯s demeanor though, and got straight to the point. ¡°Do you know where Reinhart is?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not in the dormitory?¡±


    ¡°I heard he left yesterday, and I thought you might know something about it,¡± Ellen replied.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Tsk, he¡¯s off having fun without telling me again,¡± Olivia grumbled, sounding a bit hurt, then shed a sly smile at Ellen. ¡°But knowing that you don¡¯t know where he is either makes me feel a little better.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia was picking a fight with her, as usual.


    Since she didn¡¯t know Reinhart¡¯s whereabouts either, Ellen had no further business with her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then I don¡¯t have anything else to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Get lost.¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ellen quietly stared at Olivia¡¯s door, which had been mmed shut.


    If she was someone who had thorns hidden under a warm and weing facade before, she now seemed more like a hedgehog. As Ellen walked down the fifth-year dormitory hallway, she couldn¡¯t help but take note that Olivia had changed from before.


    Harriet was conducting magic research at the imperial pce and Olivia was holed up in her room. No one in the dormitory knew where Reinhart had gone. That left Ellen with only one ce to go. Unless Reinhart had left the capital entirely, there was only one ce he might have gone: the Rotary Club.


    It didn¡¯t matter if he wasn¡¯t there. It had been a long time since she¡¯d sparred with the white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>. Ellen left the dormitory, just moments after her arrival.


    ***


    Ellen generally wasn¡¯t very interested in others. She had changed a bit after bing friends with Reinhart, and she tried to take an interest in her friends. Fundamentally, though, Ellen was indifferent and inattentive to the events around her. Therefore, the people she paid attention to were few in number.


    As a result, Ellen didn¡¯t know much about what the Rotary Club was. She only knew it was a group led by an unusually strong white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>. She was curious about what the white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>did, but she never delved too deeply. She only knew that the <i>ahjumma </i>got angry when called ¡°<i>ahjumma</i>.¡±


    However, she had a rough idea that Reinhart¡¯s secret was rted to the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club was connected to a Thieves¡¯ Guild, which implied that Reinhart was involved in something akin to a criminal organization, and his secret could be linked to that as well. That was the extent of her understanding.


    The white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>would often beat her up when she visited, but Ellen hadn¡¯t had much reason to visit hertely. Ellen left the Temple and headed to the new headquarters of the Rotary Club. After the incident where Reinhart had gone missing, she had formed a sort of connection with the Rotary Club.


    Ellen knew that their situation had improved significantly after the opening of the magic train station shops. However, she was still curious about the true nature of the Rotary Club hidden beneath the surface.


    Ellen believed Reinhart¡¯s secret had some connection to a criminal organization, and she believed the white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>was suspiciously strong because she was the head of a formidable criminal group.


    Because of this misunderstanding, Ellen epted the suspicious facts surrounding her without question. <i>¡®She must be a heinous criminal, but since she¡¯s important to Reinhart, I shouldn¡¯t be curious,¡¯</i> was her line of thinking.


    Thus, Ellen never crossed that line.


    Ellen was wandering outside the Rotary Club headquarters when someone remarked, ¡°Oh? It¡¯s Reinhart¡¯s girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The people at the club headquarters had seen Ellen a few times before, so they recognized her.


    <i>¡®Girlfriend.¡¯</i>


    Ellen tilted her head in confusion at the word, but she bowed slightly to the club member who recognized her.


    <i>¡®Girlfriend. Girlfriend. Girlfriend.¡¯</i>


    The word echoed strangely in her mind.


    Then, another club member next to the one who called her Reinhart¡¯s girlfriend tapped his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, what are you saying? Reinhart hasn¡¯t said anything about that himself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is Adriana his girlfriend then?¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s left her here, doesn¡¯t that say it all?¡±


    <i>¡®Adriana...¡¯</i>


    Hearing that name, Ellen¡¯s head tilted even further.


    <i>¡®Why would the Rotary Club people know about Adriana, the senior who dropped out of the Temple?¡¯</i>


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Suddenly, the headquarters door burst open, and someone rushed out. It was the white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>.


    She seemed to be fleeing from something, looking terrified. Her hair was covered in white foam, as if she had been doing something.


    An angry shout came from inside.


    ¡ªAren¡¯t youing back here?! You need to rinse out all the foam!


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to wash my hair! Why do I have to wash it every day?¡±


    ¡ªWhat are you talking about?! Hey! Stay still!


    The white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>was still yelling in panic but stopped when she saw Ellen standing there, staring at her.


    ¡°Oh... you?¡±


    Someone else rushed out from the headquarters. Her ck dress was soaked, as if something had happened to her.


    ¡°Oh... you are...?¡±


    It was Adriana, the former senior at the Temple.


    ***


    Adriana dragged Loyar, who had run away while she had been washing her hair, back inside to finish the job, while Ellen sat quietly inside the boss¡¯s office on the top floor of the Rotary Club headquarters. Ellen knew that Adriana had dropped out of the Temple, though she didn¡¯t know the detailed reasons behind it.


    Ellen knew that Reinhart had be acquainted with Harriet¡¯s parents because he had visited the monastery Adriana had returned to after she¡¯d dropped out. She had heard from Reinhart on thest night of the festival that Adriana¡¯s monastery was in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen. It was the same night that she saw Olivia Lanche and Adriana returning to the Royal ss dormitoryte at night. She didn¡¯t know what the situation was or what had happened afterward.


    However, it seemed Adriana hadn¡¯t returned to the monastery, but was instead staying at the Rotary Club headquarters. While it didn¡¯t seem like a matter she had to concern herself with, a strange sense of unease still stirred within Ellen.


    Most notably, the expression Adriana had when she encountered Ellen... The clear look of surprise on her face gave Ellen the feeling that there was some significant secret behind it all.


    After some time, Adriana, wearing a clean white dress, came up to the top floor of the headquarters. The white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>was nowhere to be seen, and Adriana was alone.


    Adriana and Ellen weren¡¯t particrly close, but neither were they on bad terms like Ellen was with Olivia. Adriana was a senior who had been friendly towards Reinhart, but was no longer at the Temple. They had been senior and junior, with no real connection.


    ¡°Ah... um... Ellen, right? It¡¯s been a while,¡± Adriana said, smiling awkwardly as she sat across from Ellen.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Ellen replied.


    She had no right to interrogate or question Adriana.


    Adriana hade on her own to meet Ellen, who had been waiting, as if she felt she had to face her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find you here,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°O-Oh... Well... things happened, and it just happened to turn out this way...¡± Adriana replied with an awkward smile. Ellen was convinced that Adriana wasn¡¯t good at lying.


    ¡°Reinhart isn¡¯t here, is he?¡± Ellen asked, addressing the main reason she hade, though she wasn¡¯t sure if it was truly important anymore.


    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t been here. Is there something going on...?¡± Adriana asked with concern, and Ellen shook her head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that he wasn¡¯t at the Temple, so I thought he might be here. There¡¯s nothing going on. Even if there were... I wouldn¡¯t know about it,¡± Ellen said.


    There was no reason to share unnecessary details.


    Even so, Reinhart was involved in various things that she did not know about. The fact that Adriana was staying at the Rotary Club was likely due to something Reinhart had done. Even so, Reinhart wasn¡¯t obligated to share Adriana¡¯s personal circumstances with Ellen.


    But the sight of Adriana and Olivia returning to the Templete at night... Their tense expressions... And Reinhart¡¯s reaction, as if he knew something... What was that all about? What could it have been?


    ¡°Why are you staying here, if I may ask?¡± Ellen inquired.


    Adriana fidgeted with her fingers, clutching and releasing the hem of her dress.


    ¡°Well... There was an issue at the monastery where I was staying. I couldn¡¯t stay there anymore. So... I asked Olivia for help, and Reinhart said he could find a ce for me to stay... and that¡¯s how I ended up here,¡± she exined.


    Once again, Ellen thought that Adriana was a terrible liar.


    ***


    Reinhart wasn¡¯t at the Rotary Club, and Adriana had lied to her.


    Ellen didn¡¯t press Adriana further, as there was no reason to. Besides, the white-haired <i>ahjumma </i>had barged in with a towel around her neck and whisked Adriana away, saying something iprehensible about needing to y with her.


    Ellen returned to the Royal ss dormitory. Reinhart was just away for a while. It was the vacation period, after all, so it was entirely possible.


    Despite that, Ellen decided to look into this strange matter a little more. Asking Adriana more questions was impossible because of the white-haired <i>ahjumma</i>, but there was one more person she could question.


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    Ellen returned to the fifth-year dormitory and knocked on the door.


    <i>Click.</i>


    ¡°... Why, what is it now? I told you I don¡¯t know where Reinhart is,¡± Olivia snapped irritably as soon as she saw Ellen.


    Ellen had wondered where to begin, and one question seemed to float to the top.


    ¡°You were with Adrianast time, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s already irritable expression hardened further at the mention of that name.


    ¡°I have something to discuss with her. Where is she?¡± Ellen asked.


    Olivia stared at Ellen.


    ¡°What do you want to tell her? I can pass on the message.¡±


    Her tone wasn¡¯t one of annoyance, but a hint of wariness.


    ¡°It¡¯s something I want to say to her directly,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Olivia looked at Ellen for a moment before saying curtly, ¡°She went back to the monastery.¡±


    <i>¡®Another lie.¡¯ </i>


    This confirmed that both Adriana and Olivia were lying to her.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even if I told you where it is, it would be hard to find. If it¡¯s nothing important, just let it go¡ª¡±


    ¡°That senior, Adriana.¡± Ellen tilted her head. ¡°I just met her at the Rotary Club headquarters.¡±


    Ellen¡¯s remark caused Olivia¡¯s expression to harden even further. ¡°What?¡±


    Ellen had led Olivia into lying and then caught her off guard.


    ¡°Senior,¡± she said, asking her the most important question of all, ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe to the Miss Temple Contest?¡±


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