Of course, by the time she realized it, it was too late.
The Night Walker was now in her shadow.
Its movements were almost too agile.
‘What the…!’
Her face paled as she came face to face with the beast,
and her pupils dilated in horror.
There was only one thought in Eleanor’s blackened mind.
Death.
It wasn’t even a common joke on the barren continent, but she hadn’t expected the fear of death to strike her so soon.
Eldain. A school for knights and wizards, but prestigious nonetheless.In other words, it cost a lot of money.
Which meant, even more simply, that it was safe.
Which was why she hadn’t paid much attention to safety.
But still.
……Suddenly dying here?
Just like this?
‘…I’m scared.’
It was the first time a feeling of fear had ever enveloped her so clearly.
Since her mother’s death, she had always seen the world in black and white with dead eyes.
Eleanor clenched her fists, finally succumbing to the huge black shadow that loomed over her.
She closed her eyes, closed her ears.
If it would make her feel any better.
It’s less scary not to see, to look away.
But then.
-Because now is not the time to pay attention to you.
Someone’s voice came from a distance…….
It was getting closer.
Eleanor opened her eyes. The next thing she saw was the back of a boy with a slender, black sword and flowing white hair.
And then the voice again.
“How pathetic.”
Nox von Reinhaber.
In front of Eleanor stood the boy she hated so much.
Why?
There was no emotion in Nox’s words as he chastised her.
Yeah… like he was acting.
* * *
There’s a saying, barbarians control barbarians
It’s a Chinese phrase that means to catch a lion by the scruff of the neck, and I thought it would be fun to use it to describe this situation, at least for now.
Shadow beast.
Night walkers are black, long, and nearly two meters tall.
They are notoriously difficult to deal with, and are even more powerful than the ice trolls that were here earlier.
By the Inner Lunatic’s classification system, ti’s almost certainly a mid-advanced or higher. However, he has now completely vanished without a trace.
Vanishing would be a better word.
The body split in two by the blackness, consumed by a darkness darker than shadows.
The group of cadets who had clearly observed the scene were stunned, as were the instructors, who were ready to pounce on the unexpected.
Among them, of course, is the most prominent figure.
Vernon. He was the instructor organizing the test.
‘What the hell… how did the gray-haired one manage to cope with the Night Walker’s movements?’
Night Walkers.
A creature that walked the night with the speed to match its name.
Moving from shadow to shadow, it was a monster that could not be easily observed and could not be easily stopped despite its weak defense.
The instructors here were not even aware of its existence.
Then there is Nox von Reinhafer. How did the so-called scoundrel of the Underworld manage to defeat a Night Walker?
‘Even he’s the Eastern ‘Ashen Eagle’. He made his move immediately after fighting Paracelsus. It’s as if he’d already read the beast’s mind.’
That’s absurd.
Reading a demon’s mind is not as easy as it sounds, and not many people can do it freely.
It’s not something you’d expect a cadet to do.
‘The Dean will be surprised to hear this.’
Vernon was sure.
The rumors about Nox are probably overblown, and while he may have been misbehaving, it’s hard to imagine a swordsman of his caliber…….
with just a day or two of training was impossible.
No matter how much of a genius he was.
“All instructors, listen up, the entrance examination is concluded as of this time. Please secure the prospective students and proceed to the auditorium immediately.”
Vernon’s voice carried through the space’s megaphone to the instructors. His unblemished head glistened in the hot sunlight.
* * *
‘If we were any later, I’d be in trouble. This fucking difficulty level is insane.’
Barely catching my breath, I scanned my surroundings through my shaky vision.
The moment I cut down the Night Walker a moment ago was very dangerous.
One wrong move and Eleanor’s head could have been blown off. Slicing through the shadows requires a lot of control.
I don’t want to imagine what it would be like if I had to do it with someone else.
Moreover, I had just defeated Paracelsus, and now I had to find and slay a monster whose mind I couldn’t even read.
…I can’t believe I just did that.
Afterward, I decided to clear my head.
I managed to get through the situation, but the cleanup afterward is just as important as the battle.
Besides… somehow the picture came out looking like I saved Eleanor.
That’s not something to die for.
Of course, I personally think it’s Nox’s fault that she’s traumatized, so it’s not like I don’t want to resolve that here…….
Regardless, Nox is a villain.
He shouldn’t be friends with anyone here.
He should command and treat his units with a strict chain of command.
In other words… I must be cold to the units I choose to include on my team, and I must always be the one holding the leash and barking orders at them.
That’s who I am, and that’s who Eleanor needs to see here….
Well, the ending is obvious, the bad ending.
I, of course, have no intention of dying.
Therefore, my acting skills need to shine once again here.
I looked at Eleanor, who had been taken aback by the demon’s appearance, and said.
“What a pathetic sight.”
“…This, this…….”
Actually, there is a slight contradiction in my words.
In the first place, these are just prospective students.
To ask them to defeat a mid- to high-level demon?
That’s not something even the mad Dean Noah would do.
Didn’t even the instructor immobilize them in the first place?
It’s even weirder to react.
But I pressed on, facing a flustered Eleanor.
“You couldn’t even kill a demon right in front of you?”
No one was spared the words.
Just as I planned…….
“You’re being harsh, you do realize this is an emergency situation, don’t you?”
…No, there was one person.
Someone who could talk back to me, and who had a bigger rear end than I did.
I rolled my eyes, forgetting that it wasn’t even polite.
Penelope von Archheim.
The Princess of the Empire was taking Eleanor’s hand and pointing at me.
“You must be the Princess.”
“This situation is clearly a matter for the instructors and the Dean, Noah von Trinity. The Night Walkers are not the sort of creatures that cadets like us are meant to deal with.”
The lump in the back of my throat continues to warn me of the danger, but if I back down here, I’m dead or alive.
I take in her words with as much composure as I can muster.
“With all due respect, Princess, would you say that if you were standing in front of an enemy?”
“What…!”
I interrupted in mockery.
“Even in front of an enemy who wants to kill you. I’m asking if you wouldn’t even struggle.”
“…….”
Penelope didn’t respond immediately, knowing that my words were an insult.
In fact, I had my reasons for saying this.
After all, she had actually received several death threats.
The biggest one being the ‘Princess Assassination Case.’
Shortly after this, Penelope loses her compassionate side.
From then on, she will be known by her new name, the Coldblooded Princess, and will rule the Empire of Arkheim after her father.
In a sense, my story could be a guarantee of her safety.
It’s like an immunization, if you will.
“Nox von Reinhafer…! What kind of disrespect is this to the Princess?”
At that moment, there was another interruption.
‘Dark pink hair… vertical pupils. Echidna von Xenos.’
‘Snake of greed.’ Echidna von Xenos.
A leading supporter of Princess Penelope.
A member of the Xenos family.
Not surprisingly, she had the worst relationship with Nox.
There were many reasons for this, but the first was.
‘Echidna is from the holy house of Xenos, and I am from the dark house of Reinhafer. It’s a nasty little twist.’
I also realized that Nox is an unloved character.
Oh, sh*t. Even if I possessed him, I’d still be talking to her.
“A private member of the Holy Family? I have nothing to say to you.”
“You can’t. If you don’t apologize to the Princess, I won’t leave you alone…!”
Talia’s eyes narrowed behind her.
Her eyes, which look twice as innocent as usual, seem to be asking, “What is going on here?”
I try my best to ignore her gaze.
“If I don’t leave her alone, what will you do?”
I said, releasing my mana.
Immediately, a deep silence settled over the cadets.
They all seemed to be cautious.
‘If this were the first time they’d met me, they wouldn’t all be reacting like this.’
They would have thought of Nox as nothing more than a bastard from the underworld.
But it’s different now.
I’m the one who defeated Paracelsus and slaughtered the Night Walker in one fell swoop. My presence has been unintentionally imprinted on them.
And just like that, a subtle confrontation ensued.
“Enough with the fighting amongst yourselves, you bastards…!”
The top of the mountain. Vernon, who had been climbing the highest tree, said as he fell.
His voice boomed as he fell, echoing overhead.
The thud of his fall was followed by the sound of his body hitting the ground.
I watched him descend, sheathing my sword and magic.
“Is the test over?”
“Yes. White-haired… Nox von Reinhafer. You brought the black gem, so you are in first place. The rest of the cadets here who brought purple gems will be recorded as tied for second place.”
The prospective cadets looked at Vernon with eyes that brightened slightly.
Vernon nodded and continued.
“That’s right. Everyone here has passed the entrance exam. Congratulations. And… I am sorry for allowing you to be attacked by a demon. As your instructor, I will take responsibility for that, and I will make sure that Cadet Eleanor is compensated afterward.”
He glanced in my direction.
“And Nox.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ve asked for your compensation, so I’ll send it to…….”
“I don’t need it.”
I said firmly. I already had enough rewards to go around.
I had something to give Noah, and I didn’t want to mess things up by giving him something weird.
I’d saved Eleanor, so that should be enough.
Besides, if I took the reward now, I’d be admitting that I made the move to save her. That would complicate matters.
And if Eleanor’s hatred of me ever fades, imagine how much worse things could get…….
I don’t want to add more variables to a story that already has a lot going on without a main character. In many ways, if things get twisted, it’s my side that dies.
It’s hard enough to play the villainous Nox, but to add another layer to the mix?
…I shudder to think of it.
‘I’ll just have to find a replacement for the main character who doesn’t exist in this world and do something about it.’
As I turn to walk away, a voice suddenly stops me in my tracks.
“You… why did you save me?”
Eleanor.
The voice I had hoped I wouldn’t hear.
I felt my mind racing; my answer here could make or break the rest of the game.
As calmly as possible… as calmly as possible…….
[Talent ‘Master of Smoke’ shakes!]
“…I killed a demon, and you were there.”
D*mmit.
I’m tired.
I guess that wasn’t the answer.
I can feel, however faintly, that Eleanor’s face as she looks at me is different than before.
Oh… this can’t be happening!
I turn and walk away, trying to hide my anxiety.
* * *
Eleanor de Rivalin.
Cold, calculating, and everything else that goes with the name ‘Fox of Gold’. A woman who believes money can buy things, even people.
But something strange happened to her a little while ago.
A boy who became a trauma from her own childhood.
His behavior was disturbing her.
“Nox…… why the hell did he save me?”
He even refused the reward offered by the instructor.
When asked why he saved her, he simply said.
-You were there when I killed the demon.
He gave the same ridiculous answer.
Even a three-year-old could tell that was a lie.
If you’re lying because you want to be hated, it’s almost pointless.
“It doesn’t mean much, does it?”
Rick, the squire who serves her beside her, says nonchalantly.
But she shakes her head.
“No, it wouldn’t. I don’t think so.”
Eleanor, whatever she is.
She’s deceived so many people, and ultimately herself. She was an acting genius, a woman of many faces.
For her, seeing through the lies and pretenses of others was as easy as turning over the palm of her hand.
Also, when Eleanor saw it.
Nox was unmistakably acting.
He’d deliberately saved himself from that situation a moment ago, but he’d orchestrated it to keep the spotlight off himself.
In her head, she understood, but…… why on earth?
Nox was obviously someone she had dismissed as beneath her.
Buying a commoner’s or a noble’s surname didn’t really change where you came from.
Then, she felt it clearly.
That he did not owe her any favors.
However, after this incident, there was a tiny crack in that ironclad notion.
She didn’t know why, but…….
“Rick, I want you to research everything you can about the movements of Nox von Reinhafer and turn it all over to me, and… I want you to bring me an expensive gift that he can’t refuse.”
“Understood.”
Rick nodded.
Eleanor tilted her head, a frown on her face as she thought about the orientation for each subject in a few days.
“Let’s see… if I have four required courses and four electives, I’ll be able to take…….”
Eleanor had already bribed her seniors for information.
She’s analyzed the situation thoroughly and picked out the subjects she’s best at.
Now all that’s left is to fit in as a freshman and get good grades.
And dealing with this nagging feeling she now had.
* * *
“Master, are you sure you’re okay, your complexion is pale… I wonder if you’re having another case of cold feet…….”
Zitri looked at the returning master with anxiety as he crossed his arms and fretted for four hours.
Nox was always up to strange things, but today was especially strange.
To her, he always had a plan, and he always followed through.
Sure, he’d freaked out about his engagement to Talia, but he’d gotten over it within an hour.
But this time was different.
For Nox, who is extremely averse to wasting time, to waste four hours on….
‘He must have suffered an unimaginable heartbreak… Is it because of his ruined reputation, or has he been bullying others…?’
Zitri called out to the dazed Knox with a wistful expression.
“That… Young Master?”
“…Ah, I’m sorry, Zitri, but if it’s a cold, I had it a while ago and got over it.”
“I see, then I hope you’re not catching a cold or something….”
“No, I feel fine.”
Nox said, and added, in a small voice, “It’s the mind that’s sick.”
For the record, there was only one reason for Nox to sit and think for so long.
And that is, who else could he make the protagonist of his story?
‘I can’t think of anyone, he admits. It has to be a student at Eldain, without getting into the main story, and it has to be someone who doesn’t come on to me, and it has to be someone who doesn’t identify as a woman…….’
That’s a lot of requirements for a main character.
Sh*t.
Nox thought, letting out a small curse.
How nice it would be if he could be both the hero and the villain….
“Ah.”
At that moment, Nox jumped up from his seat like a man who had found a solution.
Then he shouted.
“Yeah……! I can do both, can’t I?”
It was an obvious conclusion.
Zitri realized that her master must have gone firmly insane, and he had to get more people to assist Nox as soon as possible .
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