Chapter 56
“…It was real, wasn’t it?”
“Haha, that’s right. Ryu is working with me.”
Yuria brushed her hair behind her ear as she spoke.
She had suspected as much when she received the late-night communication from the academy.
The purpose of the message was related to the commander.
‘I’m sure I specifically asked him not to get into trouble or expose himself.’
Although Yuria kept her composure outwardly, she couldn’t help but feel an ache deep inside.
She had thought it would be beneficial to have the commander infiltrate the academy as a student—a great source of information for the future.
But only days after assigning the task, his cover had already been blown.
“Understood. Since it’s late, I’ll convey the details to Ryu—no, to the commander—tomorrow.”
“…Um.”
“Yes?”
“No, never mind. Understood.”
“Thank you. Apologies for disturbing you at this late hour.”
Amilion’s voice cut off as the communication ended.
“Phew.”
Yuria sighed as soon as the call disconnected.
She wanted to ask what had happened at the academy but managed to hold herself back.
How had the commander ended up revealing his identity to an academy professor, explaining everything in the process?
‘I could understand telling the Sinclair patriarch, but this…’
Telling the head of the Sinclair Family wasn’t a big deal since he was an external figure.
But confessing everything to an academy professor?
It defied logic.
‘I wish I could meet with him right now.’
But unable to do so, Yuria pressed her forehead and began considering the next steps.
She could only hope the commander had at least completed the task she had assigned before exposing himself.
***
How should I handle this mess?
I checked my uniform as soon as I returned to the dormitory, mulling over my options.
The black mask tucked inside the uniform was thankfully undisturbed.
At least Cynthia hadn’t rummaged through my things.
A small relief in the midst of misfortune.
If she had found that mask, she could have figured out my true identity instantly.
“Ugh.”
But what was the point?
Not being caught with the Black Shadow Corps uniform was just a small mercy.
‘What’s going to happen now?’
For now, I had leveraged the names of Prisis and Sinclair to subtly pressure Amilion.
Both families wield immense influence in the Crescent Empire.
Especially among the Six Great Houses.
That’s why Amilion wouldn’t easily oppose a collaboration between the two families.
Mentioning the Sinclair Family had been a calculated move to add weight to my story.
‘But I’ve already revealed that I’m not just a regular student.’
Of course, this was only a temporary fix.
The real issue was that Amilion now knew I wasn’t an ordinary student.
Even if she didn’t know the full truth, the knowledge that I was not who I claimed to be could disrupt my life at the academy.
Worst-case scenario, I might not be able to continue at the academy at all.
‘Ugh, seriously. How did things come to this?’
During the competition, I had managed to keep my identity hidden and navigate everything smoothly.
‘Why does the academy keep having so many incidents?’
From the appearance of the Undead, to reports of an internal traitor, and now Kane’s sudden rampage.
It seemed like something new happened every other day.
“Times like these call for…”
I grabbed the uniform hanging on the wall and stood up from the bed.
Whenever things got complicated, there was always someone I could talk to.
Woong-
With the uniform in hand, I teleported to the person I could consult about this mess.
Hopefully, they’d still be in their office.
“Addy?”
Unfortunately, Addy wasn’t in my office.
I tossed the uniform onto the desk and stepped outside.
It had been a while since I left the office by using the door.
“Addy? Are you in your room?”
I knocked on the door to Addy’s office, which was right next to mine.
Click-
“Oh.”
The door opened immediately after my knock.
“Addy, I need to consult with you. Things have gotten pretty complicated—”
“What kind of mess have you gotten into this time?”
“Huh?”
I was expecting Addy, but the person who stepped out of her office wasn’t her.
It was Erica, with her flowing silver hair shimmering as she opened the door.
“Erica?”
“Yeah, long time no see.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I don’t have an office, remember? Addy said she wouldn’t be using hers today because of some work, so I borrowed it for a bit. I’ve got some things to take care of too.”
“I see.”
“So, what’s the issue?”
“Well…”
“Things are a mess.”
“Exactly.”
Surprisingly, Erica calmly listened to everything I said until the end.
The explanation of how I infiltrated the academy as a student was simplified thanks to Yuria.
When I explained that it was part of Yuria’s work, Erica accepted it without any suspicion.
“But is it really that big of a deal?”
“Of course, it is! Think about it. I’ve infiltrated the academy, and now a professor knows. You think they’ll just let that slide?”
“But you said you used the names of Prisis and Sinclair. And one of those is even true.”
“That’s true, but—”
“Then you just need to keep that professor quiet, right? They’re the only one who knows.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“And if that doesn’t work, you can just leave the academy. Why are you acting so unlike yourself?”
“…”
The more I listened to Erica, the less I had to say.
She wasn’t wrong.
As long as Amilion didn’t tell anyone else, there wouldn’t be a problem.
And if things escalated, leaving the academy would resolve it all.
‘But that’s the problem. I can’t leave.’
I didn’t have enough evidence to convince Erica of this point.
The fear that everything I’d worked for would fall apart if I got expelled from the academy.
That fear was why I was overthinking things more than usual.
“Ugh. I can’t leave the academy, that’s why. It’s hard to explain, but that’s just how it is.”
“Then make the professor your ally. Or just eliminate them entirely.”
That was such a typical Erica suggestion.
No overthinking, just straightforward solutions.
‘Wait.’
But maybe she had a point.
After all, when I thought about it, Amilion was the only one at the academy who knew my secret.
Assuming she hadn’t told anyone overnight.
If that was the case, then as Erica said, silencing Amilion—figuratively or otherwise—would solve everything.
“If you can’t handle it, should I help? Messing with an academy professor has its risks, but if you’re helping—”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant. If anything, I should try to persuade her first.”
“That’s the peaceful route, I guess. You’re not planning to recruit her into the Black Shadow Corps, right?”
“Of course not. She doesn’t even know I’m part of the Black Shadow Corps.”
As I talked, my thoughts started to fall into place.
Usually, talking to Erica just made complicated situations even messier.
But this time was different.
I was starting to see a way to resolve things.
‘Amilion seemed like she was onto something.’
Recalling the way she almost said something to me earlier made me even more certain.
Maybe, just maybe, things could end more simply than I thought, just like Erica suggested.
“First, I need to meet with Yuria.”
“Yuria?”
“Yeah. Coordinating with her is the top priority.”
“Oh, so I’m free to go home now?”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“Do I have to?”
“Not really, but… it’s been a while since you’ve seen Yuria, hasn’t it?”
“Ugh, no thanks.”
Erica shook her head vehemently, her expression one of utter distaste.
Although both Erica and Yuria were commanders, they couldn’t have been more different.
Or rather, it seemed like Erica was the only one uncomfortable with Yuria.
Yuria treated everyone with the same calm demeanor, no matter who they were.
It was well-known among the commanders that Erica and Yuria didn’t get along.
“Alright, then. Thanks, though. I feel a bit clearer now.”
“Glad to hear it. So, have you been hanging out with kids lately?”
“…I’m leaving.”
Woong-
“Not working and spending time with kids—”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest of Erica’s comment and teleported to Yuria’s residence.
The lights were still on, clearly visible from the outside.
“Yuria, are you in?”
Seeing the lights, I was confident she wasn’t asleep yet.
Click-
“Phew. Something must really be going on if the commander came all the way here at this hour.”
Yuria greeted me at the door with a slightly complex expression.
“Come in. I was hoping to see you anyway. Times like these make me wish we had communication devices.”
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you. Earlier, Professor Amilion Stappen from Crescent Academy contacted me. She asked if you were really affiliated with our family.”
“Wow, that was fast.”
Amilion sure worked quickly.
I hadn’t expected her to contact Yuria tonight.
I thought she’d wait until tomorrow, given how late it was.
‘This might actually be a good thing.’
The fact that Amilion went out of her way to ask Yuria about me meant she was desperate for answers.
I had a feeling things might work out better than expected.
“So, what happened?”
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
I didn’t look forward to repeating everything I’d just told Erica, but I started to explain again.
Yuria sat across from me, patiently waiting for me to speak.
“Today…”
And so, I began recounting the events of the day to Yuria, as well as what I planned to do moving forward.
—
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