Chapter 55
“Let me get this straight. Are you saying that the Prisis Family detected suspicious movements within the Academy and decided to act preemptively?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then what exactly are these suspicious movements that the Prisis Family discovered?”
“I’m afraid I can’t share that with you.”
“…”
As expected, the name of one of the Six Great Houses of the Crescent Empire, the Prisis Family, was incredibly convenient.
Just like when I spoke to Royce Sinclair before, Professor Amilion believed me without much doubt.
I repeated exactly what I had told Royce, not a single word different, and Professor Amilion nodded along.
“Still, enrolling in the Academy under a false identity is bound to raise some issues.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“What is it?”
“This is something the Sinclair Family is aware of as well. You know Royce Sinclair, right?”
“…What?”
Professor Amilion looked even more surprised when I mentioned the Sinclair Family after the Prisis Family.
Understandably so—who would easily imagine that two of the Six Great Houses were involved?
“Even Royce Sinclair knows that I’ve infiltrated the Academy as a student.”
“Uh…”
It wasn’t a lie.
Royce Sinclair had found me out before, so I had explained things to him.
Of course, knowing about my presence didn’t mean Royce Sinclair had collaborated with the Prisis Family.
He was merely informed.
However, I knew Professor Amilion wouldn’t take my words at face value.
She would likely interpret it as the Sinclair Family acknowledging and supporting my presence, in addition to the Prisis Family.
“…Could the suspicious movements within the Academy be related to the Undead that appeared during the recent tournament?”
‘As expected.’
As soon as I mentioned the Sinclair Family, Amilion naturally shifted the conversation.
This would help divert attention from my infiltration.
Probably.
“Well, it’s something similar.”
“…I see.”
“Do you happen to know anything about it?”
“…”
Professor Amilion hesitated as if she wanted to say something but decided against it.
It seemed she had her suspicions.
“If there’s anything you suspect, it would be helpful to share it. After all, we’re all working for the Empire.”
“Hmm. For now…”
Professor Amilion remained hesitant to speak.
She was likely unsure whether it was safe to confide in me, even though very few would dare to exploit the names of the Six Great Houses.
“Well, feel free to tell me anytime.”
“…”
Professor Amilion furrowed her brow slightly instead of responding.
Seeing that, I decided not to push her any further today.
I had dealt with the immediate crisis, at least for now.
“Wait a minute.”
Speaking of ‘immediate crises,’ something suddenly came to mind.
The blazing fire in the middle of the forest and Cynthia Surplus, who had jumped into it.
I had left Cynthia in my dormitory and completely forgotten about her.
“What’s wrong—”
“Ah! I need to go now!”
“Excuse me? We’re not finished here.”
“We can continue this conversation tomorrow!”
The immediate crisis wasn’t resolved yet.
The uniform of the Black Shadow Corps I had worn last night…
It was still in my dormitory.
***
‘What is this?’
Cynthia Surplus sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
The effects of the candy she had eaten earlier had already worn off.
With the candy’s power, she had hoped to assist Professor Amilion and act more decisively than she had during the tournament.
But even this time, things didn’t turn out the way she had imagined.
Once again, she had only been a burden.
The massive fire entity she had seen earlier was far beyond what she could handle.
There was nothing she could do but watch as the flames came rushing toward her.
Even with the candy.
She had been left feeling powerless.
And then, at that moment, Ryu Yeong had appeared before her.
And before Cynthia knew it, she was already in a dorm room.
She assumed it was Ryu’s room.
“When is he even coming back?”
As soon as Ryu left, Cynthia considered stepping outside but froze when she heard the voices of boys outside.
In the Academy, entering the dormitory of the opposite sex was strictly forbidden.
If caught violating this rule, the consequences were severe.
Cynthia had no intention of being punished as a first-year student.
Especially not for something as unfair as this.
So, she decided not to go outside and instead waited inside.
While waiting, she naturally started looking around Ryu’s room.
Or at least, she tried to.
There was nothing worth looking at in Ryu’s room.
Although living in the dormitory was a matter of personal choice, Cynthia had always assumed Ryu lived here.
After all, whenever their classes ended, Ryu always headed towards the dorms.
But there was absolutely nothing in his room.
It felt so devoid of life that it was hard to believe someone actually lived here.
The only thing that seemed to belong to Ryu was a suspicious uniform.
The outfit, entirely black from head to toe, appeared subtly luxurious.
It even had a hat that could be pulled down to cover the face.
Cynthia had never seen Ryu wearing something like this.
‘But it wouldn’t be right to look through his stuff without permission, would it?’
Her curiosity tempted her to examine the black uniform but she stopped herself.
The fabric was clearly expensive, and she could faintly sense mana from it.
It was obviously no ordinary outfit.
Better not touch it unnecessarily.
Taking her eyes off the uniform, Cynthia eventually sat down on the bed when Ryu didn’t return.
Sitting on a boy’s bed felt slightly embarrassing, but there was no one around to see it anyway.
Besides, like the rest of the room, the bed also showed no signs of use.
When she touched the neatly folded blanket on one side, a cloud of dust rose into the air, suggesting it hadn’t been used in ages.
“Haaa.”
Staying cooped up in this tiny room was stifling.
For a moment, she considered stepping outside, but the murmuring voices of boys outside immediately quashed that thought.
She figured Ryu would probably return if she waited long enough.
‘He’ll come back, right?’
She wasn’t entirely sure.
Clack—
“Huh?”
“Cynthia?!”
Startled by the sudden opening of the door, Cynthia leapt off the bed and instinctively grabbed her bow.
The person who entered was, as expected, Ryu, but Cynthia was still startled despite knowing it was him.
“Hey, you’re still here?”
“…How am I supposed to leave when there are boys outside?”
Seeing Ryu, Cynthia felt an odd sense of relief.
She had never imagined Ryu would lose to anyone, but seeing him in person confirmed that he hadn’t fallen victim to the fire entity from earlier.
Now that Ryu was here, she could finally leave this room.
“Phew. Sorry, I forgot.”
“…”
Cynthia didn’t know how to react to Ryu’s casual apology for forgetting her and decided not to say anything.
Instead, she changed the subject.
“What happened with that fire earlier?”
“It’s all taken care of.”
“…That’s good.”
Although she had expected this outcome from the moment Ryu entered the dorm unharmed, hearing it from him directly left her feeling bittersweet.
Once again, Ryu had resolved the issue without her help.
Even after eating the candy given to her by the vice principal, she hadn’t been able to assist either Ryu or Professor Amilion.
The harsh reality she had been trying to ignore hit her again.
“This is your room, right?”
“Yeah.”
Cynthia quickly changed the topic.
She didn’t miss the way Ryu’s gaze lingered on the black uniform hanging on the wall.
“What’s that outfit?”
“Huh?”
“It looks like some kind of uniform.”
“Oh…”
Ryu’s response didn’t come as quickly as she expected.
Cynthia had asked the question without much thought.
In this lifeless room, the only item that seemed to have any use was that uniform.
She had asked simply out of curiosity, but Ryu seemed unusually flustered.
‘Right, he’s not good at lying.’
Seeing Ryu’s reaction brought back old memories for Cynthia.
It reminded her of Ryu on the first day of the semester, awkwardly pretending that Kane Hover’s fire magic disappearing was a coincidence.
Back then, Ryu had been visibly flustered, fumbling and making it obvious he was lying.
“Just, uh, something cool I decided to keep?”
Just like now.
“Hmm?”
“Anyway… Shall we head out? I’ll take us to the classroom.”
“How?”
“Oh, right. I can use Spatial Movement. You know that.”
As much as she wanted to keep asking about the uniform, Cynthia also wanted to leave the dorm.
If someone walked in and saw her here, it would spell trouble.
“Alright, for now.”
“Here.”
When Ryu extended his hand, Cynthia naturally took it.
Woong—
With a floating sensation, she instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the scenery had completely changed.
They were in the classroom.
‘Spatial Movement magic is seriously convenient. Why don’t all mages use this to travel around?’
“Oh… you two?”
“Huh?”
“Hm?”
While Cynthia marveled at the convenience of Spatial Movement, a familiar voice came from behind.
It was Elaine Sinclair.
“Why… why are you two holding hands…?”
“Oh! It’s for Spatial Movement.”
At Elaine’s pointed comment, Cynthia belatedly realized she was still holding Ryu’s hand and quickly let go.
She had been so amazed that she hadn’t even noticed she was holding it.
“Why are you here, Elaine?”
“…Considering everything that happened today, I was sorting through my thoughts.”
“Ah.”
“What happened?” Cynthia asked.
“Cynthia, I don’t think you know yet.”
Elaine’s voice sounded unusually heavy as she spoke.
Cynthia felt a sense of unease from Elaine’s tone.
She had assumed everything ended well since Ryu seemed fine, but maybe not.
“I saw the burning monster earlier.”
“Monster…”
“Why? Did someone get hurt?”
Elaine didn’t immediately respond to Cynthia’s question, making her feel even more uneasy.
Could it be that someone got hurt by that monster?
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Emily Franz.
“Where’s Emily?”
“Cynthia, that flame earlier wasn’t a monster.”
“Huh?”
“It was Kane Hover. A classmate.”
“…What?”
Cynthia frowned in disbelief.
The burning monster she saw earlier was Kane Hover? How was that possible?
“…”
Though it was hard to believe, Cynthia could tell from Elaine’s and Ryu’s reactions that it was true.
—
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