Chapter 5
“Huh.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
After Ryu, the top scorer among Crescent Academy’s 158th class, finished his speech, someone’s scoff triggered a tense atmosphere in the hall.
No one openly addressed it, but all the examinees—now new students—were thinking the same thing.
Anyone could tell that the words just spoken by this “Ryu,” a commoner, subtly belittled those who hadn’t achieved the top score.
The suggestion that the “Golem Hit” exam, one of the most challenging in the entrance tests, wasn’t difficult was deeply offensive.
It was already irritating enough that an unknown commoner had taken the top spot, but for him to then act so dismissively in the prestigious role of top scorer and finish his speech in under a minute was too much.
Filled with resentment and dissatisfaction, the students’ gazes gradually shifted in one direction.
In the very front row sat a girl with flowing golden hair, sitting upright with an elegant posture.
While the other students were stewing with indignation at the curt speech delivered by the black-haired commoner, Ryu, this blonde girl maintained her straight-backed position, showing no visible emotional reaction.
This was Elaine Sinclair, the girl who’d taken second place after Ryu in the exam.
Elaine had been the favored candidate to take the top spot, to the point where nearly everyone had assumed she would naturally secure it.
Her striking golden hair and refined, serene beauty accentuated her presence, but it was her remarkable skills that truly made Elaine stand out.
As the third daughter of the Sinclair family—a household that everyone in the Crescent Empire immediately associates with the word “knight”—Elaine was a prodigy within her family and had borne the weight of high expectations since childhood.
When Elaine scored 177 points on the exam, the surrounding students assumed that she would undoubtedly be the top scorer.
But the result turned out to be second place, and by an overwhelming difference.
Step—step—thud
The announcer’s speech continued from the podium, but the attention of the students in the hall was now drawn back toward Elaine’s row, where she sat beside Ryu, the commoner who had taken the top spot.
Assigned seats based on ranking meant that Ryu, who was first, naturally sat next to Elaine, who was second.
Many students looked at Ryu and Elaine with open resentment, but the two themselves seemed indifferent to each other’s presence.
Or rather, it was only Ryu who appeared completely unconcerned.
Twitch.
As soon as Ryu, with his slow, unhurried steps, sat beside her, Elaine felt a strong urge to glance in his direction but managed to hold back.
She maintained a straight posture, looking forward, yet her eyes darted subtly as she became increasingly aware of Ryu sitting next to her.
Sly glance.
When Ryu leaned forward slightly, seemingly deep in thought, Elaine couldn’t help but steal a quick glance at him out of the corner of her eye.
‘…Alright, I’ll ask him later. For now, it’s still the ceremony.’
Elaine silently resolved to bring it up later, watching Ryu, who sat frowning as though something serious weighed on his mind, with his gaze fixed on the floor.
Contrary to the other students’ opinions, Elaine didn’t feel any animosity or resentment toward Ryu.
Twitch.
She only struggled with an awkward desire to ask him something, finding it difficult to pick the right moment.
***
***
***
“Everyone ready?”
“Yes, everyone’s in position.”
“Good. Right after the entrance exam ends, while everyone’s guards are down—this is our one and only chance.”
With the sun sinking below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of purple and pink, a group of figures stood gazing intently at Crescent Academy, where the future of the Crescent Empire gathered.
Their faces obscured and clad head-to-toe in black, they each wore determined expressions, steeling themselves for their mission.
This mission, which involved deploying more than half of their organization’s combat force, was as challenging as it was large-scale.
The leader of the darkly-clad group, Code Name A, observed as the multicolored sky gradually deepened to a single hue, his gaze fixed on the academy’s entrance.
‘Sinclair…’
Their target was Elaine Sinclair, the third daughter of the Sinclair family who had participated in today’s entrance exam.
‘If we pull this off, our Black Crows will control the underworld of Crescent.’
Black Crows.
One of the criminal organizations operating in Crescent Empire, particularly in the capital, Crescent, the Black Crows had recently been locked in a fierce battle with Ten Arms over dominance of Crescent’s underworld.
Both organizations had similar resources and funding, each desperate to monopolize the capital’s underworld. If the Black Crows succeeded in kidnapping Elaine Sinclair tonight, they stood to gain a fortune beyond measure from the ransom.
That was why they’d accepted such a difficult request: the kidnapping of the third daughter of the Sinclair family.
Code Name A, commander of the Black Crows’ combat division, swallowed in anticipation, confident that succeeding in this mission would secure their victory over the Ten Arms.
Once this mission succeeded, he imagined that every dark transaction and deal in Crescent’s underworld would fall under their organization’s exclusive control.
“We move now.”
“Alright, everyone, let’s begin. Don’t underestimate her. She may be young, but she’s the daughter of the Sinclair family and a prodigious talent. Don’t let yourselves be seen, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Seeing the students leaving the academy one by one, A signaled his subordinates to begin the operation.
Today’s mission was simple.
Their target, the girl Elaine, was apparently confident enough in her abilities to come to the entrance exam with only an attendant, no guards. The Black Crows intended to exploit this gap.
A member disguised as a coachman would casually steer the carriage carrying Elaine and her attendant to a secluded area, where their people would abduct her.
Three subordinates would secretly follow the carriage, while over thirty members were already waiting at the designated spot in case things went wrong.
A watched as his three subordinates discreetly joined the carriage and Elaine climbed in without suspicion, then headed swiftly to the meeting point.
Despite her reputation as a prodigy, one young girl with little practical experience wouldn’t stand a chance against over thirty members.
Thud-thud.
Given the importance of the mission for the organization’s future, they had a backup plan in case anything went wrong.
A ran, clutching a binding magic scroll in his pocket that would instantly restrain the target, leaving her no time to resist.
The plan was to surround Elaine Sinclair the moment she stepped out of the carriage, sensing something wrong at the rendezvous point. If anything went awry, they would rip the scroll and activate the binding magic.
“With this setup, success is guaranteed.”
Going over the plan in his mind, A reached the rendezvous point.
Everyone had hidden themselves so thoroughly that he couldn’t detect the slightest presence, even though he could usually sense the faint traces left by his subordinates.
“Impressive discipline.”
“All present?” A muttered to himself, pleased with his subordinates.
This was the first time A had seen them conceal their presence this perfectly. Proudly thinking of how well they understood the importance of this mission, he looked around for his silent subordinates.
“You may respond. Is everyone here?”
But there was no reply.
A called his men several more times, but as no one answered, he began to feel something was off.
Then, he suddenly spotted someone standing before him, even though he hadn’t sensed any presence.
The sky, once bright with many colors, had now dimmed to a single shade, making visibility difficult, but A’s eyes, accustomed to the dark, saw it clearly.
Someone, dressed in black like him.
“Who…?”
“Are you the last one?”
“Huh? Gah—”
Though the stranger seemed to be five meters away, in a mere blink, they closed the distance and seized A by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
“G-guh…!”
“So, you’re the boss, coming in last, huh? This is the last of you, right?”
A thrashed, trying to shake off the man holding him by the neck, but to no avail.
Breathing became more difficult.
Only the thought, “I’m really going to die,” filled A’s mind.
“Gah… guh—!”
Just before A lost consciousness, the man loosened his grip and tossed him to the ground.
“Cough—ack—guh…”
Despite being a seasoned Black Crow combat commander who had seen it all, the near-death experience left A reeling, unable to compose himself.
His lungs, starved of oxygen for a moment, caused him to hyperventilate, and A clutched his throat, gasping on the ground.
‘What is… this…!’
“So, why would you try to pull something so reckless?”
“Hah… hah… who… are you…?”
“Oh, impressive recovery speed—you’re the boss for a reason, talking already.”
“Why… why…?”
“You didn’t answer, so let’s make it ‘winter’.”
Seeing the man reaching out toward him, A instinctively closed his eyes.
Thoughts of resistance or fighting back didn’t even occur to him.
It was an instinct, like a prey animal frozen before a predator.
It was only a brief moment, but A could feel the enormous gap between himself and the man before him—a gap so vast that resistance was utterly meaningless.
Whoooosh—
“Uh, wh-what?!”
With a strange sound, A, who had instinctively shut his eyes, suddenly felt an unimaginable chill that made him open them again.
A could hardly believe the scene before him or the intense cold that enveloped his entire body.
In front of him was a snow-covered mountain.
The sky, which had darkened, was now glowing a deep blue, with a snowstorm raging all around.
The immense mountain loomed, overwhelming A with its sheer presence.
“Phew, it’s freezing. Alright, I’m off now, okay?”
“W-what…?”
Only then did A, who was lying sprawled on the ground, finally get a clear look at the man standing beside him.
Jet-black hair and dark eyes that matched his own black outfit.
A somewhat exotic appearance.
A face looking down at him with an innocent smile.
Blink—
And in the brief instant A blinked, the man was gone.
“What, what the…!”
“A… A, sir! Ugh…”
“Hm?”
Hearing a voice from in front of him, A pulled his gaze away from the spot where the man had stood and looked towards the source of the voice.
One of his subordinates stood there, shivering violently, with both arms wrapped tightly around himself.
‘W-what is this…?’
As A felt his body trembling from the biting cold, he instinctively wrapped his arms around himself, just like his subordinate in front of him.
When he reached into his pocket, he felt nothing but the empty, useless Binding Magic Scroll.
—
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