Chapter 114
‘This doesn’t make any sense.’
Elaine stared blankly at the mirror, deep in thought.
She recalled the figure dressed in black she had seen last night and Ryu’s appearance this morning.
Elaine knew that, objectively, the two of them could never be the same person.
Their physique, voice, height, and even their perceived gender felt different.
But Elaine couldn’t let go of her suspicions so easily.
The person who had rescued her and brought her here last night was highly likely to be the Black Shadow Corps’ leader.
After all, Commander Ordin himself had announced that the enemy had been captured and the student saved, thanks to the Black Shadow Corps’ leader.
It was hard to believe anyone other than the Black Shadow Corps’ leader would have rescued her at that exact moment.
While the people of O’Neill Kingdom found it strange and even distasteful that the Black Shadow Corps had helped them, Elaine didn’t mind.
The Black Shadow Corps didn’t have a good public image.
But to Elaine, they weren’t particularly bad either.
Elaine didn’t know much about the organization to begin with.
So even if the one who saved her was the Black Shadow Corps’ leader, she didn’t care much.
‘He was just like Ryu.’
In her mind, she replayed the moment when the Black Shadow Corps’ leader urgently yelled at her to tear through the trap and run.
It was hard to explain, but there was a distinct aura in that voice.
An aura that felt just like Ryu’s usual demeanor.
Perhaps that was why.
From the moment she saw Ryu at the breakfast table this morning, she couldn’t shake off the subtle thoughts circling in her mind.
Conveniently, Ryu didn’t have an alibi.
He claimed he had locked his door and slept soundly because he was exhausted, but Elaine found it hard to believe.
Someone as skilled as Ryu wouldn’t have been oblivious to such noise and commotion.
“Haa.”
Lost in uncertain speculation, Elaine clenched her fists with determination and stood up.
Ryu had denied it, but she needed confirmation.
Not just through words, but something definitive.
‘If I hug him, I’ll know.’
“C-Cough.”
Flustered by her own thoughts, Elaine opened the door and stepped out.
She headed straight to Ryu’s room.
The closer she got, the faster her heart raced, but she continued walking confidently.
Knock, knock—
“Are you there?”
Standing in front of Ryu’s door, Elaine knocked without hesitation.
She had expected an immediate response, but the room remained eerily silent.
It was as if no one was inside.
Knock, knock, knock—
Elaine knocked again.
She wanted to resolve the lingering unease clouding her mind.
A persistent thought kept surfacing.
‘What if Ryu is the Black Shadow Corps’ leader?’
Gulp—
Elaine swallowed hard and knocked again.
But still, there was no response from inside the room.
“Ryu! I know you’re in there!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Elaine raised her voice at the door.
As soon as she finished speaking, she pressed her ear against the door to listen for any sound, but it was completely silent.
It was as if the room was empty.
‘Huh?’
Elaine frowned in confusion.
It didn’t make sense for Ryu not to be in his room at this time.
He had finished breakfast first and returned to the dormitory, and there was only one entrance to the dorm.
He couldn’t have left, and there wasn’t even the sound of water running in the bathroom.
“Ryu…?”
Click—
Without thinking, Elaine grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
Contrary to her expectations, the door wasn’t locked and opened effortlessly.
Creak—
“Huh…”
Startled by the door opening so easily, Elaine instinctively stepped inside.
As expected, the room was empty.
The only things visible were a bed and desk that looked barely used.
There was almost no luggage.
The only clue that this was Ryu’s room was the clothes he had worn yesterday, hanging on one side of the room.
‘Why isn’t he here…?’
Elaine quickly checked the room and the bathroom.
But Ryu, who was supposed to be inside, was nowhere to be found.
There was no sign he had gone outside either.
“Huh…”
As Elaine looked around the room in confusion, it happened.
Wooong—
Elaine clearly saw it for a fleeting moment.
The empty air trembled and rippled before splitting apart.
And through the gap, someone casually stepped out.
“Huh.”
“Uh…?”
Dressed in sleek black attire with a black mask.
The person who had saved her last night—the leader of the Black Shadow Corps.
Elaine was momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the Black Shadow Corps’ leader.
But then, her instincts told her the truth.
This person was Ryu.
Elaine’s hand moved swiftly.
She wasn’t even sure why she was doing it.
Smack—
Elaine grabbed the black mask the Black Shadow Corps’ leader was wearing.
Whoosh—
Then, with force, she pulled it off.
Even as Elaine clutched and removed the mask, the Black Shadow Corps’ leader didn’t move a muscle, standing perfectly still.
***
“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.”
“Right?”
Cynthia quickly agreed with Emily, as if waiting for the chance to chime in.
Professor Amilion, who was sitting at the same table, raised her head slightly, showing interest in their conversation.
With Elaine absent, the three of them could freely discuss Ryu.
“Professor, don’t you think so too?” Cynthia asked.
“Hmm…”
Professor Amilion tilted her head, letting out a thoughtful hum.
She knew exactly what Cynthia found “strange.”
The series of incidents that occurred last night.
So much had happened in just one night.
Elaine had been kidnapped, the O’Neill Kingdom army had been deployed to rescue her, and the Black Shadow Corps’ leader had appeared.
And that wasn’t all.
The Black Shadow Corps’ leader had saved Elaine, helped capture Kilbis, and then disappeared.
What puzzled the three of them was the absence of one person throughout the process.
Ryu.
While none of them spoke it aloud, all three were considering one highly probable possibility.
Based on what each of them knew about Ryu.
“Surely, it can’t be…” Emily murmured, half-doubting herself.
Cynthia and Professor Amilion understood Emily’s words immediately, but neither could confidently say otherwise.
Unlike Elaine, who was unaware, Cynthia and Amilion knew enough about Ryu to have their suspicions.
Ryu wasn’t just an ordinary student.
He worked alongside Yuria Prisis, a member of one of the Six Great Houses.
‘Now that I think about it, Ryu and Yuria’s relationship didn’t seem like that of a subordinate and superior,’ Amilion recalled.
She remembered how casually and effortlessly Ryu interacted with Yuria.
At the time, she had simply thought they were close due to years of working together, but looking back now, it felt different.
Even if they had spent a long time together, their dynamic was more like that of equals.
It never gave the impression of one person working under the other.
“We know Ryu is far beyond the level of a normal student…”
Cynthia reflected on all the instances where Ryu had demonstrated his abilities.
Though she hadn’t witnessed it personally, she had heard about the entrance exam where Ryu had outperformed Elaine by a wide margin to secure the top spot.
In every subsequent event, he had stood out remarkably.
It was something that couldn’t be hidden, even if he tried.
“If it’s true…”
The three of them locked eyes in mid-air.
In that moment, they instinctively knew they were all thinking the same thing.
And this thought seemed highly likely to be true.
Every piece of evidence and circumstance pointed to their hypothesis being correct.
The Black Shadow Corps’ leader who had appeared in the O’Neill Kingdom last night was Ryu.
Gulp—
It was a truth too hard to accept, so none of them dared to say it aloud.
Emily swallowed nervously, recalling her aunt Yuria.
She distinctly remembered the uniform Yuria had worn during the festival—it was the uniform of the Black Shadow Corps.
Because of this, Emily had assumed that Ryu was simply affiliated with or a member of the Black Shadow Corps.
But for him to be the leader?
‘I’m not sure yet.’
Of course, nothing was certain.
Creak—
“What are you all doing?”
“Oh, Elaine.”
Their deepening thoughts were interrupted by Elaine’s sudden appearance.
Elaine’s expression was clearly different from usual, but the other three were too preoccupied to notice.
They were too busy trying not to let their speculations and earlier conversation show on their faces or in their words.
“Are you all ready? We just need Ryu to join us.”
“Oh, Ryu probably won’t come.”
“Huh?”
Cynthia, Emily, and Professor Amilion all turned to Elaine simultaneously.
Elaine, tossing her flowing blonde hair back, continued speaking.
“He’s gone.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
The three of them focused even more intently on Elaine.
Elaine gave a bitter smile and spoke clearly once more.
“He said, if we meet again, it’ll be at the academy.”
“…What?”
Cynthia, Emily, and Professor Amilion were at a loss for words, unable to immediately comprehend what Elaine was saying.
Elaine, too, lowered her head with a complicated expression.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment